Abraham
Also: Abram
Called by God to leave his homeland; the father in faith (Genesis 12).
Awaiting theological review
Who was Abraham?
Abram of Ur of the Chaldees, called by God to leave his country for a land he did not know, with the promise that he would become a great nation and a blessing to all peoples. Childless and old, he trusted God's promise; God renamed him Abraham, father of many nations. Jews, Christians and Muslims all look back to him.
The story
Called to leave his country and father's house
Why is Abraham called our father in faith? →In Egypt, out of fear, passes Sarai off as his sister
Blessed by Melchisedech, who offers bread and wine
Believes God, and it is reputed to him unto justice
Ishmael is born of Agar
Renamed Abraham; the covenant of circumcision
Welcomes three visitors at Mambre
Intercedes for Sodom
Isaac is born
Tested on the mountain: God provides
Why did God ask Abraham to sacrifice Isaac? →
What we know — and how
Scripture tells us
- He came from Ur of the Chaldees and set out from Haran at God's call.(Genesis 11:31; Genesis 12:4–5)
- God promised him descendants as countless as the stars and a land, and made a covenant with him.(Genesis 15:5–18)
- Twice he presented Sarah as his sister to protect himself.(Genesis 12:10–20; Genesis 20:1–18)
- He died at a good old age and was buried with Sarah in the cave of Machpelah.(Genesis 25:7–10)
- The New Testament presents him as the model of faith and father of all who believe.(Romans 4:16–22; Hebrews 11:8–19; Galatians 3:6–9)
Tradition holds
- The Roman Canon of the Mass calls him our father in faith.Source: Roman Missal, Eucharistic Prayer I
- Christian writers from the earliest centuries read Isaac carrying the wood up the mountain as a figure of Christ carrying the Cross, and Melchisedech's bread and wine as a figure of the Eucharist.Source: Patristic typology; detailed sources pending review
Historians debate
- When, and in what sense, the patriarchal stories reflect history; many place their setting in the second millennium BC, but there is no direct external evidence for Abraham.
- Where exactly Ur of the Chaldees was; the city of Ur in southern Mesopotamia is the usual identification.
Unknown
- Anything about Abraham outside the biblical text.
Virtues
- Faith
- Obedience
- Hospitality
- Intercession
- Trust in God's promise
Failures
- Fear that led him to deceive (Genesis 12; 20)
- Trying to secure the promise his own way (Genesis 16) — an interpretation
Why Abraham matters
Abraham shows that faith is a journey: setting out without seeing the end, failing along the way, and trusting that God keeps his promises. In his descendant Jesus, the blessing promised to all nations arrives.
Related people
Places
Ur of the Chaldees · Haran · Canaan · Egypt · Mambre (Hebron) · Moriah (Genesis 22:2)
Interactive map coming in a later phase.