When did the prophet Abraham live? Abraham's wife: biblical history, etymology of the name Sarah, biography, family and divine purpose
Abraham- Abraham ben Terah, the great righteous man, prophet, forefather of the Jewish people, one of the pillars of monotheism. Years of life: 1948-2123 . gg. from the Creation of the world (1812-1637 BC). Abraham is called the first Jew, because Abraham, the first of the three Jewish patriarchs-forefathers (the other two, Isaac and Yaakov, are his son and grandson), having been born among idolaters, independently realized the unity of the Creator, discovered a special way of serving Him and nurtured this knowledge in your descendants. Perhaps for the same reasons, Abraham is considered the founder of the so-called. "Abrahamic" religions - Judaism and the origins of Christianity and Islam.
The first forefather of the Jewish people
The Creator revealed to our forefather Abraham: “everything that happens to him will happen in the future to his descendants.” Here are some examples: Abraham went down to Egypt because of famine - and his descendants went down to Egypt because of famine; Abraham fought with four kings - and against the people of Israel in the future, at the end of days, all the kings will unite, as it is said ( Tehilim 2:2): “The kings of the earth rebelled, and the rulers united in a conspiracy against G-d and His Moshiach” ( Tanhuma, Leh 9). And just as great deliverance was given to Abraham in the war against the four kings, so in the future, when the four kingdoms will try to destroy the people of Israel, at the end of human history he will defeat them ( Bereshit Rabbah 42:2, Matnot keuna).
The great expert on the sacred teaching, Rabbi Moshe ben Nachman (Ramban), formulated this principle in a more general form: everything that happens to fathers is “a sign for sons.” “The Torah,” notes the Ramban, “talks in detail about the journeys of the forefathers or about the digging of wells, as well as about many other similar events, and it may seem that these are unnecessary details that are of no use, but they all contain predictions of the future. And when anything happens to one of the three prophets who were our forefathers, think about it in order to know what events are predetermined for their descendants" ( Ramban, Bereshit 12:6).
In the kingdom of Nimrod
Shortly before the birth of this son, Terakh became the king's chief vizier Nimrod, who ruled at that time over all humanity.
On the night when the child was born, astrologers and magicians of Nimrod saw a sign in the sky: a large comet quickly flew across the sky and “swallowed” four other stars. Astrologers predicted to the king that the born child would achieve unprecedented greatness, and his offspring would forever inherit “all four corners of the world.” Nimrod demanded that Terah bring him the baby, intending to immediately kill his dangerous competitor, but the child-loving father deceived him by replacing Abram with the newborn son of a slave. The king crushed the baby's head with his hand, and then generously rewarded Terakh for his devotion. Meanwhile, Terah hid his son and his nurse in an underground cave and from month to month provided them with everything necessary for life. This many-year stay in a secret hiding place became the first test with which the Creator tested Abram ( Pirkei Derabi Eliezer 26; Sefer ayashar; Rashi, Avot 5:3).
The child lived in a cave until he was ten years old. At the age of three he first “knew the Creator” ( Nedarim 32a; Sefer ayashar; Seder Hadorot). One day, when he was allowed to leave the cave for the first time to the river, he saw the rising sun and decided that this was the Lord of the world. He prayed to the sun all day, but in the evening it disappeared over the horizon.
However, instead of him, the moon appeared in the sky, accompanied by many stars - and Abram concluded that it was the moon that controlled everything on earth, and the stars were its servants. That night the child prayed to the moon - but in the morning it disappeared and the sun appeared again.
Observing all this, Abram came to the conclusion: there is a single and higher power in the world, which created the sun, the moon, and himself ( Zohar 1, 86a).
“The child was still very young when he began to think deeply,” Rambam writes about this period in the life of forefather Abraham. - He thought for days and nights and was amazed: how is it possible that planets and stars continuously rotate in their orbits, if there is no one who would rotate them - after all, they cannot rotate themselves?! And he had no mentor, and no one could guide him. He was surrounded by primitive star worshipers: both his parents and the entire people bowed before the constellations and various natural forces, and he, along with everyone else. But the boy’s heart was tormented by doubts - until he found the path to the truth, knowing that there is only one God who sets the celestial spheres in motion, and that this God created the Universe, and there is no power in the world, except him. And he realized that the whole world is mistaken, bowing before the forces of nature and the constellations" ( Laws of Idolatry 1:3).
During these years, the subjects of King Nimrod erected a gigantic tower in the city of Bavel (Babylon) [known as]. This greatest structure was intended to establish the occult power of Nimrod not only over the forces of nature, but also over the higher spiritual worlds ( Sanhedrin 109a; R. Chaim Vital, Likutei Torah; Etz Yosef, Bereshit Rabbah 38:8; Mimaamakim 1). Moreover, Nimrod declared himself “G-d” and established a special cult of self-worship ( Midrash Haggadol, Bereshit 11:28; Otsar Ishei HaTanach, Nimrod). And only a few pious people - Noah, his son Shem and great-great-grandson Eber - moved away from all humanity, maintaining faith in the one Creator ( Sefer ayashar; Rambam, Laws of Idolatry 1:2).
IN 1958 year (1802 BC), ten-year-old Abram left his refuge and settled in the house of Noah, where for 39 years he studied with him, as well as Shem and Eber, adopting the sacred tradition coming from the first man - Adam ( Sefer ayashar; Kuzari 1:95; Zohar Hadash 22; Seder Hadorot).
IN 1996 year /1764 BC/ the subjects of King Nimrod, obeying the will of the Creator, were forced to stop the construction of the Tower of Babel - and they settled “across the face of the earth” ( Bereshit 11:8-9; Seder Olam Rabba 1; Seder olam zuta 1:2). That same year, at the age of forty-eight, Abram experienced a deep spiritual insight associated with the comprehension of the absolute power of the Creator over the world ( Bereshit servant 64:4; Seder Hadorot).
And a year later, in 1997 year /1763 BC/, Abram left the Noah community. In 1998, at the age of fifty, he returned to Ur Kasdim, to the house of his father, who still remained the chief vizier and commander of King Nimrod ( Sefer ayashar; Seder Hadorot). At the same time, Terah was a priest of Babylonian cults: idols were made and sold in his house ( Bereshit servant 38:13; Otsar Ishei HaTanah, Terah).
Second Test: Abraham in the Fiery Furnace
One day, in the absence of his father, Abram smashed all the numerous gods and idols that filled his house, except for the largest one, and put the hammer into his stone hand.
When his father returned, Abram explained to him that the idols had fought over a portion of the grain offering - and the largest of them had beaten them all. “You're laughing at me! - Terah was indignant. - Is there a spirit of life in these sculptures? After all, they were made to my order from wood and stone - they don’t feel or know anything!” “Listen to what you say!” - Abram caught him at his word. And Terah complained about his freethinking son to King Nimrod. By order of the king, Abram was imprisoned for ten days and then brought to trial.
Seeing Abram, Nimrod's astrologers and magicians told him that this was the very man about whose birth they had warned fifty years ago. And then Terakh admitted that out of pity for his son he hid him from the king ( Sefer ayashar; Bereshit servant 38:13; Seder Hadorot).
“If you do not want to worship stone gods, worship fire,” Nimrod ordered Abram, “for fire is the greatest power in the world.” “Water drowns fire,” Abram objected. “Then bow down to the clouds that bring water,” ordered Nimrod. “The wind disperses the clouds,” Abram objected.
Eventually, Nimrod ordered him to be thrown into the fire to prove that fire was stronger than the invisible G-d Abram ( Bereshit Rabbah 38:13).
By order of the king, Abram's clothes were torn off, revealing him to the waist, his hands and feet were tied with ropes, and he was thrown into the oven. But only the ropes with which he was tied were burned, and his clothes and flesh were not damaged. He walked around the oven in front of the king's servants ( Sefer ayashar; Seder Hadorot).
Commentators on the Torah explain that Abram entered the fire in order to sanctify the Name of the Creator with his death, although he did not understand the calculations of Heaven: why he should die instead of bringing the light of faith to the world. But since he managed to overcome his natural doubts, a miracle was performed for him, changing the natural order of things ( Mikhtav meEliyau vol.2 pp. 118-119, vol.3 pp. 198). And this became the second test of life in which Abram withstood ( ).
Marrying Sarah and running away
After the failed execution, Nimrod presented Abram with many gifts, and among them two slaves, one of whom - Eliezer, the son of Nimrod by a slave, became a close disciple of Abram. In those days, about three hundred disciples gathered around Abram, who adopted from him the ways of serving the one G-d ( Sefer ayashar; Seder Hadorot; see also Targum Jonathan, Bereshit 14:14; Yoma 28b). And Abram's father, Terah, also went over to his side and became his follower ( Zohar 1, 77b).
Soon after being rescued from the fiery furnace, fifty-year-old Abram married his niece Sarai, the daughter of Haran who died in the fire, who was ten years younger than him ( Bereshit 11:29; Sanhedrin 69b; Sefer Ayashar). Sarai was one of the most beautiful women in the history of mankind ( Megillah 15a), she had exceptional modesty and moral purity ( Bava metzia 87a; Bereshit Rabbah 58:1). But later it turned out that she was infertile ( Bereshit 11:30; Yevamot 64b).
Two years later, Abram learned that King Nimrod had sent his guards to him in order, following the advice of astrologers, to finally deal with him.
[…] Abraham, together with his father Terah, his wife Sarai and his nephew Lot, son of Haran, towards the land of Canaan - away from Babylon, where Nimrod ruled ( Bereshit 11:31; Sefer Ayashar).
And this was the third test of Abraham: after all, it is difficult for a person to leave his native places, where he lived for many decades ( Pirkei Derabi Eliezer 26; Rashi, Avot 5:3).
From Haran to Canaan
Along the way, they stopped in the north of Mesopotamia, in the land of Haran, where a large group of students gathered around Abram: he taught men, and Sarai taught women ( Avot derabi Nathan; Bereshit servant 39:14; Rashi, Bereshit 12:5).
According to the definition of the Talmud, in this 2000 year from the Creation of the world (1760 BC), when 52-year-old Abram began to openly preach faith in one G-d, the Creator of the Universe, two millennia of “chaos” ended and two millennia of the Torah began ( Avodah zara 9a).
IN 2003 year /1757 BC/ at the age of 55 Abram first came to the land of Canaan ( Sefer ayashar; Seder Hadorot).
In 2006 /1754 BC/, in the third year of his stay in Canaan, the oldest of Abram’s mentors, Noah ( Bereshit9:29; Sefer ayashar; Seder Hadorot).
After the death of the elder of mankind, Abram became one of the generally recognized leaders of his generation. Many disciples rallied around him, and he taught them in the holy language of Hebrew, which was spoken by the first people - Adam and Chava, as well as Noah, Shem and Ever ( Seder Hadorot).
Abraham-Ivri
The people of Canaan called Abram "עברי - Hebrew" (Jew) ( Bereshit 14:13), because the word עבר (ever) means “the opposite bank of the river”, and Hebrew- this is “a man from the other side,” that is, a foreigner who came to the country of Canaan from Haran, from the opposite bank of the Euphrates River (Bereishit Rabbah 42:6; Rashi, Bereshit 14:13).
According to another version, Abram was called Hebrew- a Jew, because “the whole world was on one side, and he (and his students) were on the other” ( Bereshit slave 42:6). Moreover, in a word Hebrew called the disciples and followers of the sage Eber, and Abram was the greatest of them ( Bereshit Rabbah 42:6; Kuzari 1:95; Seforno, Bereshit 10:21).
In 2008 /1752 BC/ Abram was nevertheless captured by order of King Nimrod and was imprisoned for ten years: three years in the city of Kuta and seven years in Kardu, in the mountains of Armenia ( Bava Batra 91a, Rashbam; Seder Hadorot).
During these years, important historical events took place, which soon affected the fate of Abram: in 2013 /1747 BC/ a war broke out between Nimrod, ruling in Shinar (Babylon), and Kedarlaomer, king of Elam, who, during the construction of the Babylonian Tower was one of Nimrod's generals, and then separated from him. And although Nimrod's army consisted of seven thousand people, and the army Cedarlaomer- out of only five, the king of Elam won a convincing victory, and Nimrod, who lost his son Mirdon and about six hundred soldiers in battle, was forced to recognize his supreme power ( Sefer Ayashar, Leh).
(Note. During this period, King Nimrod also began to be called by the name Amraphel ( Eruvin53a; Sefer ayashar; Bereshit servant 42:4; Rashi, Bereshit 14:1). Some historians identify Nimrod-Amraphel with the king Hammurabi, who ruled the vast Babylonian state presumably from 1792-1750 BC. Archaeologists have discovered ancient cuneiform tablets on which Hammurabi's name is read as "Amurappi" or "Amurafel". And tablets were also found telling about the wars of Hammurabi with the king of Elam - and in one of these wars the king of Elam captured and destroyed the capital of the Babylonians ( R. J. Schwartz Emet Meerets Titzmach 4, pp. 75-76).
First prophecy
IN 2018 year /1742 BC/, after the collapse of the empire of King Nimrod, seventy-year-old Abram returned to Canaan. On Nissan 15 of the same year, he received his first prophecy, in which the Creator promised to give him numerous descendants, and four hundred years later to transfer the land of Canaan into the possession of his descendants ( Bereshit 15:1-20; Seder Olam Rabbah 1 and 5; Pirkei Derabi Eliezer 28; Tosafot, Berachot 7b).
After this prophecy, Abram returned again to the land of Haran, where his father and relatives remained, and spent another five years there. And again a community gathered around him, including more than seventy disciples ( Seder Olam Rabba 1; Sefer Ayashar; Avodah Zara 9a).
Dissemination of the Teaching
One of the main components of his teaching was the idea of the afterlife of the human soul, as well as the transmigration of souls passing from one earthly incarnation to another. And therefore it is said about his disciples in the Torah: “the souls that they (Abram and Sarai) made in Haran” ( Bereshit12:5) - i.e. people who, thanks to them, gained faith in the immortality of their souls ( R. Menashe ben Israel Nishmat Chaim 4:21).
In the cabalistic book Sefer Yetzirah(Book of Creation) it is narrated that Abram, not limited to the knowledge received from his great mentors, independently explored the world around him and his inner nature. Rising from stage to stage, he was able to comprehend the secret of the creation of the world with the help of twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet, and he could create, and perhaps did create, human beings - and this is also hinted at by the words of the Torah: “the souls that they made in Haran " And only when Abram reached the limit of comprehension possible with the help of independent research, the Creator revealed himself to him and concluded an eternal union with him, choosing him as the ancestor of the Jewish people ( Sefer Yetzirah 6:7, Raza deyezira; see also Bereshit Rabbah 61:1; Kli Yakar, Bereshit 1:1; Hochma Umusar 1, 445).
Test in Egypt
And so, in 2023 year /1737 BC/, when Abram was seventy-five years old, he again received a prophetic revelation in which the Creator commanded him: “Get out of your country, from your homeland, from your father’s house, to the land that I'll show you..." ( Bereshit 12:1). Following this command, Abram left Haran forever and, taking with him Sarai, her brother Lot and all his disciples, returned to Canaan.
But famine, caused by severe drought, was raging in the country, and Abram was forced to turn towards Egypt, where, according to information that reached him, there was bread left ( Bereshit 12:1-10; Ramban and R. Behaye, Bereshit 12:9-10). And this was the fourth test in which Abram withstood, because he did not even mentally reproach the Almighty, who sent him to the country of Canaan, where it is impossible to find food ( Pirkei Derabi Eliezer 26; Bereshit servant 40:2; Rashi, Bereshit 12:10).
Egypt at that time was ruled by Rikyon from the land of Shinar, nicknamed by the Egyptians Paro(Pharaoh).
Paro officials brought Sarai, which had retained the beauty of its youth, to his palace.
And this was the fifth test with which the Creator tested Abram ( Pirkei Derabi Eliezer 26; Rashi, Avot 5:3).
That night, the fifteenth of Nissan 2023 years, Paro was unable to approach Sarai, because in response to her prayer for protection, an angel of the Most High struck him and all the servants with illness raatan, which makes intimacy impossible. And then Sarai revealed to him that she was Abram’s wife, and Paro returned her to her husband, and also gave her his daughter Hagar, born of one of his concubines, as a maid ( Bereshit 12:17-19;Pirkei derabi Eliezer 26; Bereshit servant 41:2, 45:1).
25 years in Hebron. Separation from Lot
After three months in Egypt, Abram and his companions returned to Canaan. Abram pitched his tent in the oak grove of Mamre, near the city, and his nephew Lot wandered in the Jordan Valley, and then settled in the city Sdom (Bereishit 13:1-18; Seder Olam Rabbah 1).
And as soon as Abram separated from Lot, who did not possess the necessary spiritual perfection and purity, the power of prophecy returned to him. The Almighty again promised Abram that he would give him descendants as numerous as the grains of sand of the earth, and then forever give his descendants the entire country of Canaan (Bereishit 13:14-16; Zohar 1, 85a). After this promise, Abram returned to married life with Sarai - after all, having previously become convinced that she was barren, he had distanced himself from her for many years (Genesis 13:18, Musaf Rashi; Otsar Ishei HaTanach, Sarai).
War of the Kings
In the same 2023 In the year 1966, an army of four allied kings, led by Kedarlaomer, king of Elam, and Nimrod-Amraphel, king of Shinar (Babylon), approached the Jordan Valley. […]
The decisive battle took place in the valley We're sitting, where it is now located and Kedarlaomer won. His troops broke into Sodom and the surrounding cities, plundered them, and drove all the inhabitants into slavery - including Lot, Abram’s nephew ( Bereshit 14:1-12; Seder Olam Rabba 1; Sefer Ayashar). […]
Having learned about Lot's captivity, Abram immediately gathered a detachment and at night, unexpectedly, attacked the camp of the four kings, destroying it almost completely ( Bereshit 14:14-15; Sefer Ayashar).
The baby's face was surprisingly similar to the face of Abraham, shining with inner light ( Bereshit 21:2-3; Rosh Hashanah 10b-11a; Sefer ayashar; Bereshit servant 53:6; Seder olam zuta 1:3).
There was nothing miraculous in the fact that a hundred-year-old man produced offspring, since “even in our generations, people who have retained their freshness produce children at ninety and at a hundred years old, and even more so in the days of Abraham, since he had not yet passed two thirds of his life, and another forty years after that, numerous children were born to him by Keturah” [Hagar]. And the miracle was that the woman with whom he had not had children even in his youth gave birth to him now, when he was a hundred years old and she was ninety, and her female monthly cycle was interrupted for many years ( Ramban, Bereshit 17:17).
But this was also a hidden miracle, since women sometimes retain the ability to bear children even at a very old age ( R. Behaie, Bereshit 17:1).
In 2050, on the day the child was weaned, Abraham held a great feast, to which he invited his mentors Shem and Eber, his father Terah and brother Nahor, as well as King Abimelech and his military commander Pihol. At the end of this feast, his father and brother stayed with him for many days ( Bereshit 21:8; Sefer ayashar; Seder Hadorot).
Expulsion of Ishmael
Soon after the birth of Isaac, Sarah’s attitude towards Ishmael, the eldest son of Abraham, changed: from then on he was no longer called by name, but only “son of the maid” ( Zohar 1, 118b). When everyone rejoiced at the birth of Isaac, he said: “I am the firstborn, and I am due a double share of the inheritance” ( Bereshit Rabbah 53:11). A year after Isaac was born, fifteen-year-old Ishmael began bringing images of idols into the house - he amused himself with them and served them as he saw them on the street ( Tankhuma, Shemot 1; Slave gear 1:1).
[…] Sarah demanded that Abraham expel Ishmael and his mother from the house, and the Almighty, in a prophetic revelation, commanded him to follow the words of Sarah ( Bereshit 21:10-12).
In 2051 /1709 BC/ Abraham sent Ishmael and Hagar out of their house, providing them with a skin of water and bread ( Bereshit 21:14; Yagel libeinu). The expulsion of Ishmael was the ninth test of life that Abraham went through, and of the troubles he experienced, this was the most difficult ( Pirkei Derabi Eliezer 30; Rashi, Avot 5:3).
A few years later, however, […] having repented of all his past sins, Ishmael settled next to his father’s tent ( Pirkei Derabi Eliezer 30; Bava Batra 16b; Sefer ayashar; Seder Hadorot).
Customs of the House of Abraham
IN 2074 year /1686 BC/ Abraham and his family left the land of the Palestinians, where they lived for 26 years, and again went towards Hebron.
At the crossroads, he built a large inn with four gates - on each side of the world. Abraham's inn was always open to any traveler who could wash there, quench his hunger and thirst, spend the night, and then continue on his way. And if a wanderer’s clothes were worn out, they gave him new ones, and provided those in need with money ( Sefer ayashar, Vaera; Bereshit servant 54:6; Shoher tov 110; Zohar 1, 102b).
When the guests said goodbye and thanked Abraham, he said: “Have you eaten mine? You have eaten what belongs to the Lord of the world. So give thanks and glorify the Creator of the Universe!” ( Sota 10ab).
And he spoke to the heart of every person - even people burdened with many sins were cleansed and repented next to him ( Otsar Ishei HaTanach, Abraham).
In addition to random travelers and traveling merchants, rulers and noble people from many countries came to Abraham for advice - they revered him as the greatest astrologer of their time and sought his advice ( Bava Batra 16b).
Abraham began every morning with a prayer addressed to the Creator, and this custom of his was subsequently adopted by all the people of Israel ( Berachot 26b). His prayer had a decisive impact on the world: the sick, for whom he asked for healing, were healed, barren women were able to give birth - and even ships in distant seas were saved from storms in his merit ( Bereshit Rabbah 39:11; Yalkut Shimoni, Lech 64).
Isaac's Sacrifice
IN 2085 year (1682 BC) […] The Almighty commanded him [Abraham] in a prophetic revelation: “Take your son, your only one, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land Moria and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I will show you.”
And the next morning Abraham set off, taking with him Isaac, Ishmael and his closest disciple Eliezer ( Bereshit 22:2-3; Pirkei Derabi Eliezer 31; Sefer Ayashar).
Satan [the Accusing Angel], appearing before the Almighty, complained to him: “People ask You for help, but as soon as You give them what they ask for, they forget You. So did Abraham, the son of Terah, when he had no children, he built altars and offered sacrifices to You. But since his son Isaac was born, he has not built a single altar for You and has not offered a single sacrifice. He saw that You gave him what he asked for, and he forgot You.” And the Almighty answered: “There is no man on earth like My servant Abraham! Even if I had ordered him to sacrifice his son Isaac, he would not have objected to Me - and even more so if I had ordered him to sacrifice a ram or an ox.” And then, in order to test Abraham, G-d commanded him to offer his son as a burnt offering ( Sanhedrin 89b; Sefer Ayashar).
The incredible complexity of this test also lay in the fact that the order of the Almighty crossed out all His previous promises given to Abraham: to give him numerous descendants through Isaac and to give this descendant the possession of the Holy Land. Moreover, carrying out this order would ruin his life's work.
For many decades, Abraham brought people closer to G-d, taught them mercy and goodness, and explained to them the crime of idolatry, which requires human sacrifice. And now, in his old age, he himself had to commit an act similar to this, and his act could become in the eyes of his disciples the greatest desecration of the Name of G-d. But although Abraham did not understand the “calculation of Heaven” at all, nevertheless, his only desire was to fulfill the will of G‑d as quickly and perfectly as possible, without requiring additional explanations from Him.
Abraham did not even ask the Almighty to cancel His terrible command, which could lead to the desecration of His Name, just as he asked to cancel the decision to destroy Sodom. Indeed, in this case, he felt that his own desire to save his son’s life could be mixed into his prayer, which would contradict the clearly expressed command of the Almighty ( Bereshit servant 56:10; Mikhtav meEliyau vol.2, pp. 190-191).
The Almighty ordered Abraham to make a sacrifice on a distant mountain so that he could fulfill this command consciously and deliberately […].
Therefore, the three-day journey to Mount Moria also became part of a formidable test ( Bereshit servant 55:6; Ramban, Bereshit 22:2).
On Mount Moriah
On the third day of the journey, the tenth of Tishrei 2085 /1676 BC/, on Yom Kippur, Abraham saw from afar Mount Moriah, above which he discerned a cloud and a pillar of fire rising from the earth to heaven. Then he continued his journey together with Isaac.
On the way, the son asked: “We are carrying fire and wood with us. Where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” “Son,” Abraham answered him, “God has chosen you as a sacrifice” ( Bereshit 22:4-8; Pirkei Derabi Eliezer 31; Sefer ayashar; Yagel libeinu).
On the mountain, Abraham began to rebuild the altar on which Adam, Noah and Shem made sacrifices (Pirkei Derabi Eliezer 31; Targum Yonatan, Bereshit 22:9). The son handed him stones, and Abraham stacked them.
Abraham then bound his son's hands and feet, placing him on the altar on top of the wood. His heart was filled with joy that he was fulfilling the will of G‑d, and at the same time, he cried out of pity and love for his son ( Bereshit 22:9; Sefer ayashar; Bereshit Rabbah 56:8).
And only when Abraham touched his son’s neck with the tip of the knife, he heard the voice of an angel commanding: “Do not stretch out your hand to the boy...” ( Bereshit 22:12; Pirkei Derabi Eliezer 31). Abraham, overwhelmed by the desire to fulfill the will of G‑d and complete the sacrifice, objected to the angel: “If so, then I came here in vain! Let me at least make an incision so that some blood comes out!” ( Bereshit servant 56:7; Rashi, Bereshit 22:12). To this the Almighty said: “Don’t do anything to him!” ( Bereshit 22:12). And then Abraham expressed his bewilderment: “I am unable to understand what happened. First You told me that my lineage would continue through Isaac, then You commanded me to sacrifice him, and now You say: Do not do anything to him!”
And the Creator said: “I do not change My words - after all, I did not command you to slaughter Isaac, but said: offer him as a burnt offering. You have done My will, now take him down from the altar. Now I know that you fear God and did not spare your only son for My sake" ( Bereshit 22:12; Bereshit Rabbah 56:8, Rashi).
“But I cannot leave here without making a sacrifice to You!” - Abraham insisted. And then he saw a ram not far away, its horns entangled in a bush, and he sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son ( Bereshit 22:12-13; Bemidbar Rabbah 17:2). Abraham sprinkled the altar with the blood of the sacrificial animal and said: “Lord of the Universe! This ram I offer as a burnt offering in place of my son, and let his blood be accepted as the blood of my son. And may it be reckoned to me that I sacrificed my son Isaac to You" ( Bereshit Rabbah 56:9; Sefer Ayashar).
This ascension of his son to the altar was the last of the ten trials of the forefather Abraham ( Pirkei Derabi Eliezer 31; Bereshit Rabbah 56:11; Rashi, Avot 5:3).
There was a mixture of languages and people settled in different countries. Faith in one God began to be forgotten, paganism reigned in the world - the worship of many gods, heavenly bodies and even inanimate objects. But there was one man named Abraham, who, living among the pagans, retained faith in the true God. Here Abraham's story and Sarah, his wife.
Abraham is a descendant of Shem and the ancestor of the Jewish and Arab peoples.
When Abraham was 75 years old, God appeared to him and said: “Get thee out of your land, from your kindred, and from your father’s house, to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great.” yours; and you will be blessed."
Abraham obeyed God's command. He took his wife Sarah, servants, slaves and, leaving the city of Ur, in which he was born and lived all his life, set off on a journey.
God brought Abraham to the land of Canaan. Nomadic shepherds, descendants of Canaan, lived there. The land of Canaan was vast and fertile, but sparsely populated. God promised Abraham that over time all this land would belong to his descendants. So Canaan became the promised land, that is, the promised land.
Abraham settled with his family in the land of Canaan and began to lead the usual life of a cattle breeder. God appeared to Abraham several more times to confirm the prophecy about the largeness and greatness of Abraham's future descendants. But Abraham's wife, Sarah, was barren, and Abraham had no children.
Then, following the ancient custom, Sarah chose among her slaves a concubine for her husband, an Egyptian named Hagar, in order to raise the child she bore as her own. Soon Hagar became pregnant. She immediately became proud and stopped showing respect to Sarah, her mistress. Sarah complained to her husband: “I gave my maid into your bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, she began to despise me.”
Abraham said to his wife: “Your maid is in your hands; do with her as you please.” Sarah began to oppress Hagar, and she, unable to bear it, ran away from home. Not knowing where to go, Hagar wandered through the desert all day, and at night she fell asleep in the open air. An angel appeared to her in a dream and said: “Return to your mistress and submit to her!” Hagar listened to the angel, returned to Sarah and in due time gave birth to a son, who received the name Ishmael, which means “God hears.” Several years have passed.
One day three strangers passed by Abraham's home. Following the laws of hospitality, Abraham invited them to rest and refresh themselves.
Sarah baked bread for the guests. Abraham slaughtered and ordered the calf to be roasted. Having had their fill, the wanderers thanked their hospitable hosts, and one of them said to Abraham: “I will be with you again at this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.”
Hearing these words, Sarah, who was 90 years old at that time, thought: “Should I, now that I am old, have this consolation? And my lord is old.” But the wanderer, guessing her thoughts, edifyingly said that nothing is impossible for the Lord. After which the wanderers left.
These three wanderers were actually angels in whom God himself incarnated. (Their image - the so-called "Old Testament Trinity" - is one of the most common subjects of Russian icons, including the famous "Trinity" by Andrei Rublev).
A year later, as predicted, ninety-year-old Sarah and hundred-year-old Abraham had a son. Sarah was happy and at the same time confused. She said: “God made me laugh; whoever hears about me will laugh.” Sarah named her son Isaac, which means “laughter.”
Isaac was the legitimate son of Abraham, but Ishmael, although born of a slave, was the eldest and, according to custom, had more rights. Sarah's hostility towards Hagar flared up with renewed vigor, and she turned to her husband, demanding: “Cast out this slave woman and her son, for the son of this slave woman will not inherit with my son Isaac.”
“This seemed very unpleasant to Abraham,” he did not want to part with his eldest son, but God commanded him to do as Sarah demanded, and not to worry about the fate of Ishmael, who, like Isaac, was destined to become the ancestor of a great nation.
Diva-Dodola
Once, in the Irian Garden, Perun met the daughter of the god of the night sky Dyya and the goddess of the moon Divia, Diva-Dodola. Diva...
How Egypt was formed
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Emperor's Tomb
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For the most part, Breton peasants believe that megaliths cannot be the work of human hands. With much more...
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Christianity is called a "world religion". This means that its adherents can be found all over the world - even in those countries that are not traditionally Christian, which is why our Church is also called “Ecumenical”... But true faith began with one person, and then spread to his family, then - the people, and ultimately - for all of humanity... and the name of this man was Abraham.
Christians, Jews, and Muslims rightfully consider Abraham their “spiritual ancestor” (these religions are even called Abrahamic). The first book of the Bible, Genesis, tells about him. He lived approximately in the 17th century BC, was born in the Sumerian city of Ur, and married his half-sister Sarah (in those days such a marriage was the norm). The family and Ur went to Canaan, but on the way - in the city of Haran - Father Abraham (more precisely, Abram) dies. And after this, a significant event occurs: God himself turns to our hero, commanding...
The first of three biblical patriarchs who lived after the Flood.
According to the book of Genesis, the first Jew and the ancestor of the entire Jewish people. Descendant of Eber (Eber), great-grandson of Shem (Shem), first son of Noah.
In the scriptures
In the Old Testament
The account of Abraham's life and work is contained in the book of Genesis (11:26-25:10).
Abraham, whose original name was Abram...
Who is Abraham in the Bible?
King David and Solomon, the Pharisees and Caesar, the prophet Elijah and many other such familiar and, at the same time, unfamiliar names. Who were all these biblical heroes? How well do we know who is who in the Bible? Are we sometimes confused with some mythological characters? To understand all this, “Thomas” opened a project of short stories “Biblical Characters”. Today we are talking about who Abraham is.
Abraham is the progenitor of the Jewish people (Israel), the eldest of the Israeli patriarchs, who, out of faith in God, agreed to sacrifice his son Isaac to Him.
The Bible tells in detail about Abraham in the Book of Genesis (Genesis 12-25), then Abraham is mentioned in the Book of Joshua, Second Book of Chronicles, Psalms, the books of the prophets Isaiah, Ezekiel, Micah, in the Gospels of Matthew, Luke and John, in the Acts of Saints apostles and in the letters of the Apostle Paul to the Romans, Galatians and Hebrews.
Abraham was born in Ur of the Chaldeans (in...
Abraham (Heb. ‘abraham’ – father of multitudes (biblical etymology), father of heights; Greek….
Articles - BIBLE CHARACTERS
RIGHTEOUS ABRAHAM
Terah's family. Ur of the Chaldeans - Religious "conversion" of Abram. Faith in One God. - Terah and her family leave Ur. Stop in Harran. - God appears to Abraham - Abraham sets off with Lot and Sarah from Haran. - Land of Canaan - Promised Land - Abraham in Egypt - Return to Canaan - Abraham and Lot diverge - Abram's settlement at the oak grove of Mamre - Lot in captivity and Lot's release from captivity - Meeting with Melchizedek - Conclusion of the Covenant between God and Abraham - Birth of the first Abraham son of Ishmael from the slave Hagar - New Testament between God and Abraham. Establishment of "circumcision". - The appearance of God to Abraham in the form of three strangers - The death of Sodom and Gomorrah - The incest of Lot and his daughters - The birth of Isaac to Abraham and Sarah - The sacrifice of Isaac - The death of Sarah - The death of Abraham - Christ about Abraham - The meaning of Abraham in Christian theology
Abraham is the first of the three Old Testament patriarchs...
AVRAA M...
Abraham (Heb. Avraham, from “[my] father is exalted,” or from avhamon - “father of many”) is the biblical patriarch. The name was originally Abram, but was later changed to Abraham (Gen. 17:5).
Scientists have data confirming the existence of this name in the Middle East in the 2nd millennium BC.
According to biblical sources, 290 years passed between the birth of Abram and Jacob’s migration to Egypt (Gen. 21:5; 25:26; 47:9). The Bible does not say anything about specific contemporaries of Abram that would allow them to be identified with famous historical figures, therefore a more accurate dating of the time of the patriarchs in general (and the life of Abram in particular) is impossible. Approximately this period can be limited to 2000-1800 BC.
According to the Bible, Abram was the son of Terah from the family of Shem. He had brothers - Nahor and Aran. The latter, Lot's father, died in Ur while Terah was still alive (Gen. 11:27 et seq.). Abram's wife, Sarai (later Sarah), with whom he initially had no children,...
ABRAHAM sacrifices Isaac. Miniature 13th century. Rembrandt. Abraham's sacrifice. in the Old Testament, the first biblical patriarch, born c. 2000 BC e. in Ur of the Chaldeans (Mesopotamia). Originally called Abram. Married his half-blood... ... Collier's Encyclopedia
Abraham - ah, husband. Star. rare; decomposition Abram, a. Father: Avraamovich, Avraamovna. Derivatives: Avraamka (Avramka); Avraakha (Avraha); Avraasha (Avrasha); Abramka; Abraha; Abrash. Origin: (Ancient Hebrew name 'Abram exalted father.) Name day: (see Abraham) Dictionary ... ... Dictionary of personal names
Abraham is, according to the Bible, the first of the patriarchs, the ancestor of the Jews and (through Ismail) the Arabs. According to legend, he originally had the name Abram and was born in Ur of the Chaldeans. There he married Sarah. Together with Sarah, he left his native country. On the way, Yahweh promised... ... Historical Dictionary
Abraham - (Heb. Abraham). I. The name of the patriarch is original. sounded like Abram, but was then changed by God to Abraham (Gen. 17:5). Both forms...
Isaac
Biblical character, son of Abraham and Sarah
Alternative descriptions
Biblical son of Abraham and Sarah, father of Esau and Jacob
Both Newton and Babel
Male name: (Hebrew) laughing
Composer Albéniz
Newton's name
The moneylender from Walter Scott's novel Ivanhoe
Composer Dunaevsky's name
Babel's name
Artist name Levitan
Male name
Son of Abraham (Bible)
Babel, Newton, Levitan
He gave birth to Jacob
Levitan
Composer Schwartz
Scientist ... Newton
Father of Esau and Jacob
Newton by name
Dunaevsky
The name of the genius under the apple tree
Son of Abraham and Sarah
Babel, Newton's namesake
Levitan, namesake of Newton and Babel
Name of Newton and father of Arkady Raikin
Dunaevsky Sr.
Newton with an apple
Son of Abraham
Abraham Lincoln...
Four hundred years after the flood, in the south of Mesopotamia, in the rich and populous city of Ur, there lived a man named Terah. He had three sons: Abram, Nahor and Haran. Of these, Aran died during his father’s lifetime. Grieving over the loss, Terah did not want to stay in Ur, took his sons and moved to the north of Mesopotamia - to the large trading city of Harran. Here he lived in peace and prosperity until his death. Terah's second son, Nahor, was with him. As for the eldest, Abram, chosen by the Lord to fulfill His innermost plans, his fate turned out completely differently.
That year, when Abram was seventy-five years old, the Lord said to him: “Leave your land and your father’s house and go to the land that I will show you. There I will make you into a great nation, I will make your name great, and in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” Abram obeyed, took all his livestock, all...
Meaning of the name Abraham
Origin of the name Abraham. The name Abraham is Jewish, Orthodox, Catholic, Jewish.
Synonyms for the name Abraham. Abram, Abram, Abramy, Abrahamy, Avramy, Abraham.
Short form of the name Abraham. Abramka, Avramka, Abrakha, Avrakha, Abrasha, Avrasha, Abrashka, Avrashka, Ava.
The name Abraham is a biblical name. It was Abraham who became the founder of the Jewish people, in a broader sense - the forefather of all believers in the true God. Abraham originally bore the name Abram (Abram), which meant “exalted father.” But subsequently God commanded him to take the name Abraham (Abraham), which is usually interpreted as “father of nations” or “father of many.” Abraham is considered the ancestor of the Jews, Arabs and Arameans. Abraham lived 175 years, and all six of his sons from his second marriage, as well as his eldest son, Ismail, became the founders of various Arab tribes, which explains the meaning of the name Abraham in the Bible itself.
In Islam, Abraham appears under the name Ibrahim (Ibrahim), where he is revered as...
Message from †ЛД†
Hello, dear parishioners!
And you won’t be sick, dear. Message from †ЛД†
It is believed that the Bible is nothing more than the Word of God, written under His direct dictation.
Who thinks so? For example, I have no...
I believe that the Bible was not written under His direct dictation, but by the inspiration of the Spirit. The Spirit of God, of course. And these are fundamentally different things:
write from direct dictation and write under the inspiration of the Spirit.
Message from †ЛД†
As far as I understand, the Bible classifies Abraham as a positive character, but his actions are saturated with such cruel cynicism, meanness, and abomination that I can’t even call him a good person.
Again, are you viewing Scripture through the notorious prism of liberal humanism?
Well... Let's listen.
Message from †ЛД†
Let's start with a case of fraud involving pimping and selling...
And the Lord said to Abram, Get thee out of thy land, from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto the land that I will show thee.(Genesis 12:1).
Patriarch Abraham - the founder of the chosen people- occupies a special place in the economy of our salvation. The calling of Abraham was not only the first stage in the implementation of the Divine plan for the salvation of mankind, but also established its main direction. From his calling until his death he is under special Divine care. God guides his life. Abraham, having perfect faith, unconditionally accepts the Divine plan and submits in everything will of God. Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness.(Rom 4:3). The history of the people from whom the The Blessed Virgin Mary, who gave birth to the Savior of the world.
Based on the data of the Greek Bible, the dates of the life of Patriarch Abraham should be considered 2165-1940 BC.
Pagan false belief was widespread at that time. It even infected the family from which Abraham came. The Lord calls Abraham to preserve intact the true worship of God, which distinguished Abraham from other contemporaries. His homeland was Ur. It was first a Sumerian and then a Chaldean city. It was located in the south of Mesopotamia, near the Persian Gulf. In ancient times, the Euphrates flowed here, the waters of which have now moved almost five kilometers to the east from this place. Archaeological excavations carried out in 1922-1934 by British archaeologist L. Woolley showed that Ur was one of the most civilized cities of the Ancient World, highly cultured and comfortable. It is easy to see Abraham's spiritual greatness, powerful faith and amazing submission to the all-good Divine will. He leaves a rich, refined life in a flourishing city and becomes a wanderer, without an inch of his land. In the person of the forefather of our faith, the Lord, many centuries before the advent of Christianity, revealed to people the lofty idea that in this life we are all wanderers and that our whole life should be filled sweet longing for the Heavenly Fatherland.
By birth he was named Abram (see: Gen. 11, 31; 12, 1), which means, according to the etymology accepted by researchers, father of height, tall father(av - father, ram - tall). Later, when the Lord established His Covenant with the ninety-nine-year-old patriarch, He said: You will no longer be called Abram, but your name will be Abraham, for I will make you the father of many nations.(Genesis 17:5). Naming is the responsibility of the parents. However, biblical history provides many examples convincing that their choice was guided by Divine Providence. So it was with the founder of the chosen people.
The biblical account of Abraham is divided into four periods in the book of Genesis, each of which focuses on the Lord's appearances to the patriarch and the Divine blessings that accompanied them. The first appearance to Abraham was still in Ur. The Lord commanded to leave his hometown and relatives and go to the land that he would show (see: 12, 1). The Holy Apostle Paul says that Abraham by faith obeyed the call to go to the country that he had to receive.
Patriarch Abraham settled in Hebron, near the oak grove in Mamre. This famous grove was named after the Amorite Mamri, who, as an ally of Abraham, is mentioned in the book of Genesis (see: Gen. 14, 24).
When Abraham learned that four Mesopotamian kings had raided the kingdom of Sodom and taken his nephew Lot into captivity, he armed three hundred and eighteen of his servants and defeated the Mesopotamian kings, pursuing them to Dan. During the return of the patriarch, an event occurred in the Shave valley that, in its symbolic meaning, is one of the most important in Old Testament Sacred history: Abraham was met King of Salem Melchizedek, who carried out Bread and Wine. He was priest of the Most High God. Melchizedek blessed him. Abraham gave him a tenth of all he had.
The personality of Melchizedek is absolutely exceptional. Throughout the Old Testament, he is mentioned twice: in the book of Genesis (see: Gen. 14:18) and in Psalm 109, in which the prophet David speaks of the high priestly service of Christ according to the “order of Melchizedek” (see: Ps. 109:4) . Melchizedek is mentioned nine times in the New Testament: in the Epistle to the Hebrews (see: 7, 1-15), where the holy Apostle Paul puts Melchizedek into a mysterious connection with our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Two statements can be confidently made: first, Melchizedek is a historical figure. He lived and reigned during the time of Abraham. Secondly, this personality is educational. In Hebrew his name is pronounced “Malkitzedek” (“king of truth”). Salem (in Hebrew - peace) is identified by biblical scholars with the city of Jerusalem. The bread and wine with which Melchizedek blessed Abraham are prototype of the New Testament Sacrament of the Eucharist.
After these events, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a night vision. He was told: Do not be afraid, Abram; I am your shield; your reward [will be] very great(Genesis 15:1). In response, the patriarch said that he was childless. God told him: look up at the sky and count the stars if you can count them. And he said to him: so many descendants will you have(15, 5). Abram believed the Lord, and He counted it to him as righteousness.
Abram was seventy-five years old when the Lord first promised to make him a great nation. When Ishmael was born, Abram was already eighty-six years old. Saint John Chrysostom writes: “God tested the patience of the righteous man for another thirteen years and only then fulfilled His promise. He knew well that, like gold purified after a long time in a crucible, the virtue of the righteous will appear (in temptation) purer and brighter” (Conversations on the book of Genesis. 39.2).
God commanded Abraham to do on the eighth day circumcision male babies like sign of the covenant between God and the descendants of Abraham. Circumcision was a visible, distinctive sign of belonging to God's chosen people. In a spiritual sense, circumcision, which consists of cutting off the foreskin of the reproductive organ, symbolized the cutting off of carnal lusts and unclean desires. The mysterious meaning of circumcision foreshadowed the New Testament Sacrament of Baptism, washing away this hereditary ancestral damage.
Soon Abraham was honored with a new theophany, which is recognized as one of the most significant in Old Testament history. The Lord appeared to him near the oak grove of Mamre, as he sat at the entrance to the tent during the heat of the day. In a vision of three strangers, Abram was shown a secret three Persons of the Divine Trinity. Abraham ran towards the three and bowed as one: Lord! If I have found favor in Your sight, do not pass by Your servant. The biblical story of the appearance of three men to Abraham found expression in iconography.
Patriarch Abraham arranged a meal for three visitors, showing strangeness. After the meal, two Angels went to Sodom, and one remained. The inhabitants of the city were infected with a vile sin. The Patriarch turns to the remaining Angel as to the Lord, with a prayer to save the city in which his nephew lived with his family. The entire conversation of the patriarch with God, which can also be called prayer, is extremely edifying. It shows God’s great condescension and the meaning of the highest Divine truth, which does not allow the undeserved death of the righteous. This conversation also testifies to Abraham’s boldness in prayer.
The Lord promised: If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, then for their sake I will spare this whole place(Genesis 18, 26). Strengthened by these words, Abraham continues his intercession with even greater persistence, while calling himself humbly dust and ashes. Realizing how few righteous people there are in Sodom, he dares to reduce the number to forty. Since so many righteous people were not there, he asks to spare the city for the sake of thirty. Then he lowers the number to twenty, and then to ten. But there were not so many righteous people in the corrupt city.
Lot showed hospitality to two Angels. The wicked inhabitants of Sodom showed the full extent of their disgusting sinfulness. They judged themselves. When dawn rose, the angels led Lot, his wife and two daughters out of the city. They ordered them to hurry up the mountain without looking back so as not to die. Lot was afraid that he would not have time to climb the mountain. He asked permission to flee to the city of Zoar. God's mercy and condescension again manifested themselves, for Zoar was also destined for destruction, but for the sake of righteous Lot God preserved it.
When the sun rose and Lot and his family were already in Zoar, the Lord rained sulfur and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah.
After the destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham moved south and settled between Kadesh and Shur. Here God's promise to Abraham was fulfilled. Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son. The Patriarch was already a hundred years old. The son born was named Isaac, as the Lord had previously commanded Abraham. On the eighth day, as God commanded him, Abraham circumcised his son.
When Isaac reached adolescence, God sent Abraham great test of faith. The everyday writer does not indicate the age of the patriarch’s son, but from the text it can be seen that he was old enough and could carry firewood for the altar himself. God commanded to take his son, go to the land of Moriah and sacrifice him. When the bound Isaac lay on the wood, and Abraham took the knife in his hands, the Angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven and said: do not raise your hand against the boy and do nothing to him. Saint John Chrysostom notes: “Do you see God’s love for mankind? And the sacrifice was completed, and the forefather showed the piety of his soul, received a crown for his one intention” (Conversations on the book of Genesis. XLVII). This is an event of sacred history prefigures the great sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. The Only Begotten Son of God, out of obedience to God the Father, offered Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of people. Isaac, who was destined for death, found life. This is a symbol of the resurrection of Christ.
Later, under King Solomon, a Jerusalem Temple.
Having lived one hundred and twenty-seven years, Sarah died in Hebron. As the mother of all believers, she is the only Old Testament woman whose years of life are indicated in the Holy Scriptures. The Holy Apostle Peter sets Sarah as an example to wives: So Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him master. You are her children if you do good and are not embarrassed by any fear(1 Pet 3:6).
In the places where the Lord appeared, Abram built altars to Him, which later became shrines - in Shechem (Gen. 12:7, in Bethel Gen. 12:8 and later in the oak grove of Mamre near Hebron) Gen. 13:8.
Transition to Egypt and return to Canaan
At the head of an armed detachment, Abram defeated the Elamite king and his allies, who attacked the kings of the Valley of Siddim and captured his nephew Lot (Gen. 14: 13-16). In this story about Abram, the word “Jew” appears for the first time in the Old Testament (Genesis 14:30). Upon returning from the war, a meeting took place between Abram and Melchizedek, king of Salem, a priest of the Most High God, who brought bread and wine to Abram and blessed him, and Abram, in turn, allocated a tithe of the spoils to Melchizedek (Gen. 14: 17-24).
Promise of Inheritance and Covenant
To the childless, aged Abram, who is ready to appoint Eliezer as his heir, God gives the promise of an heir and an increase in offspring, which will be as numerous as the stars in the sky (Gen. 15:5). Abram believed this promise, and the Lord counted it to him as righteousness.
The Lord entered into a covenant with Abram, which was accompanied by a sacrifice, predicted the fate of his descendants, up to their return to Canaan from Egyptian slavery, and determined the boundaries of the future Israeli state - “from the river of Egypt to the great river Euphrates...” (Gen. 15:7 -21).
Birth of Ishmael
Repeating the covenant, changing the name, establishing circumcision and promising a son from Sarah
After 13 years, the Lord again appeared to Abram and told him a requirement that applied to his entire life: “Walk before Me and be blameless” (Gen. 17: 1). He made an “everlasting covenant” with Abram, promising that he would become the father of many nations, and the Lord would be the God of Abram and his descendants born of Sarah (Gen. 17:8).
The entry into the eternal covenant was accompanied by a change in the names of Abram (the father is high) and Sarah to Abraham (i.e., the father of many nations - Gen. 17:5) and Sarah. In addition, as a sign of the covenant, God established the circumcision of every male child (vv. 9-14) and blessed Sarah, predicting that the heir of the covenant would be her son Isaac, and not Hagar’s son Ishmael, who, however, also received a blessing (v. 16 -21).
The Appearance of the Three Wanderers. Relocation to Gerar
God once again appeared to Abraham in the form of three strangers (Gen. 18), whom Abraham and Sarah hospitably welcomed. The Lord again promises Abraham that Sarah will give birth to a son. From Abraham, travelers set off to punish the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham petitions the Lord for mercy on a city in which there are at least 10 righteous people (Gen. 18:22-33).
Birth of Isaac
The most difficult test of Abraham's faith was the Lord's command to sacrifice the promised heir Isaac: “Take your only son, whom you have loved, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah and offer him there as a burnt offering.”(Genesis 22:2). Abraham obeyed, hoping that God would raise his son from the dead (Hebrews 11:17-19), but at the last moment the Angel of the Lord stopped the sacrifice, and a ram was sacrificed instead of Isaac. As a reward for Abraham's faith and obedience, the Lord confirmed with an oath the previously given promises: blessings, multiplication of descendants and blessings in the seed of Abraham of all nations of the earth (Genesis 22: 15-18). After this, Abraham returned to Beersheba and lived there (Gen. 22:19).
Death of Sarah. Isaac's marriage
Abraham died at the age of 175 "in good gray hair, aged and full of [life]" and was buried by Isaac and Ishmael in the cave of Machpelah - the burial place of Sarah (Gen. 25: 7 -10).
Abraham had many herds and flocks and plenty of workers (Gen. 24:35). When he left Haran, he took with him the slaves he acquired there (Gen. 12:5). Later, slaves are reported as gifts to him (Gen. 12:16; Gen. 20:14), purchased by him, or born to his female slaves (Gen. 17:23, 27). Of these slaves he had at his disposal 318 men who had been tested in battle against four kings (Gen. 14:14). The leaders of the Hittites treated him as the “prince of God” (Gen. 23:6), and the Amorites and Philistines entered into alliances with him (Gen. 14:13; Gen. 21:22-32). Considering the origin and wealth of Abraham, it can be assumed that among his slaves there were also scribes, because. it is known about the widespread use of writing in Ur of the Chaldeans during the time of Abraham. It is possible that the written evidence of people around Abraham could become a source for the book of Genesis.
Later biblical authors and intertestamental literature, restoring faith in the Jews (Isa 51:2), recall the love of God for Abraham (Abraham is the “friend of God”: 2 Chron 20:7; cf. Isa 41:8) and the oath promise of the Lord that He will give the descendants of Abraham the land (Exodus 32:13; Exodus 33:1; Deut. 1:8; Deut. 6:10; Deut. 7:2, etc.), about the election of Abraham (Neh. 9:7-8) . For Hellenized Jews, Abraham remains an example of obedience to the Lord's commandments (Sir 44, 20; 1 Mac 2, 52; Jub 6.19; 4 Mac 16, 20, etc.), the embodiment of the Hellenistic ideal of virtue (Wis 10, 5; 4 Mac 16, 20; Philo. De Abrahamo. 52-54).
The Meaning of Abraham in the Light of the New Testament
The saving advantage of the promise of Abraham over the Law of Moses is emphasized (Gal 3. 17-18), for the promise of Abraham is considered as a “testament of Christ”, and under the “seed” of the apostle. Paul understands Christ Himself (Gal 3:16), but thereby also all those who believe in Christ, who are members of the one Body of Christ (1 Cor 6:15; 12:27). James 2.21-24 calls Abraham, who was justified by his works, a model of submission to the will of God.
The Meaning of Abraham in Christian Theology
In the subsequent Christian tradition, the ideas of New Testament theology found their development: the Old Testament patriarchs learned the secret of the Law, which lies in the fact that the promise of Abraham was fulfilled in Christ, and Christians thus. has the right to call Abraham his father, and himself the chosen people.
The Fathers of the Church and Christian writers used the story of Abraham for instruction in virtue, as an edifying lesson in piety, they see in it prototypes pointing to the New Testament truth of Christ, and even an allegorical image of the procession of the fallen soul under divine protection along the path of perfection. The belief that the future was foreshadowed in the events of the life of the patriarchs. the sacrament of Christ is also expressed in liturgical chants: “In God’s Fathers, Thou didst foretell the mysterious manifestation of Thy eternal Son from the Virgin, which would be on the earth of God, in Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Judah and others, Jesse and David, and the prophets of all, by the Spirit foretelling in Bethlehem Christ who appeared in the world all appealing". According to church writers, God called Abraham thanks to his personal piety, previously witnessed in the fight against Chaldean idolatry, Abraham was supposed to become a guardian and teacher of faith and morals among the surrounding pagans.
The covenant with Abraham did not exclude previous covenants with the human race, and the pagans, therefore, were not deprived of participation in the covenant of God. The promise of multiplication of descendants and blessing of all tribes of the earth (Genesis 12) refers to all humanity, to which the blessing of God should descend through the Descendant of the patriarchs.
The justification of (uncircumcised) Abraham by faith remains a constant argument in polemics with the Jews to prove the superiority of the Christian faith over the ritual law of Moses.
In edifying preaching, Abraham's faith, submission to God, and willingness to undergo the test of faith remain a model to be followed.
The prototype of the New Testament sacrament of Baptism was seen by some interpreters in the circumcision of Abraham.
In the appearance of three strangers to Abraham (Genesis 18), many saw the mystery of the revelation of the entire Holy Trinity in the Old Testament; “You see... Abraham meets three, but worships one?.. Having seen three, he understood the mystery of the Trinity, and having worshiped, as it were, the One, he confessed the One God in three Persons”; This understanding of this event was reflected in Orthodox liturgical texts: “Thou hast seen how powerful it is for man to see the Trinity, and Thou hast treated Thee as a friend to the blessed Abraham: and therefore Thou hast received the reward of strange hospitality, that thou mayest be of countless languages unto the Father by faith.” , "Of ancient times, sacred Abraham accepted the One Trinitarian Divinity" .
Mostly Western fathers saw in the three pilgrims the appearance of angels, in whom God was present and known, as in their prophets; some liturgical texts of the Orthodox Church support this interpretation "establishing the Mamvrian oak Patriarch Angels, inheriting the promises of old age " , "For the love of strangers of old, Abraham the seer of God, and the glorious Lot, having founded the angels, and having found fellowship with the angels, calling: holy, holy, holy art thou, God our father" .
An educational meaning was seen in the scene of the sacrifice of Isaac (Gen. 22). Already for St. Melito's Sardinian ram prefigures Christ, Isaac freed from his chains - redeemed humanity. The tree symbolizes the Cross, the place of sacrifice is compared to Jerusalem. Isaac going to the sacrifice is also a prototype of Christ and his suffering. St. Irenaeus of Lyons compares Abraham, who is ready to sacrifice his son, with God the Father, who sends Christ to redeem humanity. This interpretation of Isaac as a type of Christ becomes the general opinion of the fathers.
According to the holy fathers, the Lord Himself testified to the educational significance of the sacrifice of Isaac in relation to the Sacrifice of Calvary when he said: “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day; and he saw and rejoiced" (John 8:5-6). The hymns of the Orthodox service testify to the educational significance of this sacrifice: “Abraham sometimes ate his son, imagining the slaughter of the One who contained everything, and now in a den he was anxious to be born.” , “Prefiguring your slaughter, Abraham Christ, who begot a son, on the mountain, obeying you, the Master, like a sheep, was called to devour even by faith: but when I return I rejoice with him, glorifying and exalting you, the deliverer of the world.” , “The image of Christ’s passion was revealed to Isaac, who was erected by his stepfather through obedience and sacrifice.” .
The sacrifice of Abraham is often interpreted as a prototype of Hagar in the anaphoras of the Eucharistic sacrifice of the Liturgies of the East and West - for example, the Liturgy of St. Mark, Roman Mass.
In Christian euchological and hymnographic texts the image of the “womb” or “bosom” of Abraham is found as a synonym for paradise (cf. Mt 8:11; Lk 16:22-26): “Remember, Lord... the Orthodox... Give them rest yourself... in Thy Kingdom, in the pleasure of paradise, in the bosom of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob...” , “Sweet is paradise: for the bosom of Abraham, the patriarch, warms you in the eternal villages, fourty martyrs.” and etc.
The name of Abraham is often used in Jewish and Christian prayers as part of an appeal to God (“God of Abraham,” “God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,” “God of Abraham and Israel,” etc.) cf. the beginning of Manasseh's prayer "Lord Almighty, God of our fathers, of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, and of their righteous seed" .
Biblical criticism
Along with this, in the apologetic tradition of the 19th century, which defended the testimony of St. Scriptures from the objections of negative criticism, zap. and Orthodox scholars have argued for the historicity of the accounts of the Old Testament patriarchs.
In most cases, historians have no doubt about the historicity of the persons of the Old Testament patriarchs. The historicity of Abraham is supported by the fact that the name Abraham is not a fictitious name of a mythical character or an eponym of an ethnic group, but a personal name found in other extra-biblical sources. The name Abram (from Gen. 11, 26 to Gen. 17, 5), probably a short form of the name Abiram (Heb., - [my] father is high, exalted) and is found in 1 Kings 16, 34, in its meaning it may be a theophoric epithet emphasizing the greatness of the Lord.
The name Abraham is a dialect variant of Abram, which is found in Egypt. texts of the 18th century BC in the form of Aburahana. The name Abraham has been compared to Akkadian. personal names: for example, Aba(m) rama (from the time of the first Babylonian dynasty) or Assyrian. Aba-rama (love your father; 7th century BC) - the name of the daughter-in-law of King Sennacherib. According to W. Albright, the meaning of the name Abraham is “he is great as far as his father is concerned” (that is, the name indicates the noble origin of its bearer). Theophoric meaning of West Semitic. A.'s name was emphasized by M.: “[my] Father (i.e., patron God) is exalted.”
Historical analysis of biblical stories about the religion of the Old Testament patriarchs (with the use of archaeological and epigraphic material) showed that biblical messages about it reflect the ancient pre-state tradition of Israel and, therefore, in the case of the Old Testament patriarchs we are talking about real historical figures, regardless of how specific historians imagine their image and connection with the subsequent history of Israel.
Archaeological discoveries 2nd half. V. (especially in Nuzi and Mari) showed that the legend about the Old Testament patriarchs reflected the historical realities of the Middle Bronze Age (1st half of the 2nd millennium BC) and reveals certain parallels with the customs, morals and legal ideas of the ancient East. cultures of this time, etc. confirm the messages of the Bible.
Attempts by scientists to accurately date the time of the Old Testament patriarchs using archeological data do not lead, however, to a consensus, dates are proposed: XX/XXI centuries. BC; between the 20th and 16th centuries. ; XIX/XVIII centuries .
Iconography
The plot of the sacrifice of Abraham (Genesis 22), symbolizing the New Testament sacrifice, became widespread in early Christ. art; one of the earliest images is in the painting of the synagogue at Dura Europos, c. 250. This plot is found in the paintings of the catacombs, reliefs of sarcophagi, and decorates Eucharistic vessels. Sometimes Abraham is depicted as a beardless youth in a short tunic (for example, a glass bowl of the 4th century, found in 1888 in Boulogne-sur-Mer), but usually Abraham is a man with a beard, in a tunic and pallium (in Dura-Europos - with dark hair; in the paintings of the catacombs, mosaics of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, 432-440 - with short gray hair).
Among the options for depicting the sacrifice of Abraham, the most common composition is where Abraham holds the kneeling Isaac by the hair with his left hand, and a raised knife in his right hand; to the left of Abraham near the tree is a ram, in the heavenly segment is the right hand of God. Sometimes an angel is depicted behind Abraham (relief of the sarcophagus of Junius Bassus, 359 (Vatican Museums) - the angel is represented as a young man without wings). This type of iconography survived into Byzantium. and in Old Russian art.
From the 9th century Abraham begins to be depicted with a halo. Instead of the right hand of God, an angel is often placed in or near the heavenly segment (Chludov Psalter. 9th century); fresco of St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv, mid. XI century, mosaics of the Palatine Chapel in Palermo, 50-60s. XII century, and the Cathedral in Montreal (Southern Italy), 1180-1190; painting in the altar c. Nativity of the Virgin Mary of the Snetogorsk Monastery in Pskov, 1313).
From the 12th century Abraham is usually depicted as an old man with long gray hair. From the 16th century the scene of the sacrifice of Abraham in Russian manuscripts, in addition to illustrations of the Psalms, is known in the miniatures of the Palea, Chronographs, the Front Chronicle, the Bible (Pskov Paley. 1477: miniatures of the mid-16th century); and in the marks of icons (for example, the Holy Trinity with an act, mid-16th century (GRM); the Holy Trinity in being, 1580-1590 (SIHM), etc.).
Along with Old Testament scenes in Byzantium. art, an iconography is being developed based on the Gospel parable of the rich man and poor Lazarus (Luke 16:22), called “Abraham’s Bosom”. The earliest known image is a miniature of the Homilies of Gregory of Nazianzus (880-882), where Abraham sitting on the throne holds a figurine of Lazarus on his knees, symbolizing his soul. In the Barberini Psalter (1092) A. sits under the trees with a figurine in his hands. In the illustrations of the Psalms there are numerous images of Abraham, illustrating various texts about the righteous, paradise, and righteous sacrifice. The composition “Abraham's Bosom,” symbolizing paradise, is included as one of the elements in the “Last Judgment” cycle (Gospel. XI century). Together with Abraham in paradise, the Old Testament patriarchs Isaac and Jacob are depicted sitting on the throne, behind whose bosoms there are children's figurines - the souls of the righteous (for example, frescoes of the Demetrius Cathedral in Vladimir, late 12th century). In the 16th century in Russian in temple paintings, “Abraham’s Bosom” is placed in the deacon (Arkhangelsk Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, Holy Trinity Church in Vyazemy), which is associated with the tradition of funeral services performed here (Stoglav. Chapter 13). In Paleologian art, the image of Abraham among the Old Testament righteous is found in the temple paintings of the Chora Monastery (Kahrie-Jami) in Constantinople, 1316-1321, c. Theodore Stratelates in Novgorod, 80s. XIV century
Abraham in Judaism
Both in the pre-Christian Jewish tradition and in the later one, the exceptional dignity of Abraham among the forefathers is emphasized.
One of the most striking examples of this is in the treatise Bamidbar Rabbah 2, where the appearance of Abraham “after twenty generations, from which there was no benefit,” is compared to how on the way of a wanderer in the desert he encounters a fruitful and spreading tree with a spring. The main merits of Abraham are also noted here, which practically outline the entire theme of the aggadic stories about Abraham: Abraham selflessly served the Lord (withstood the test of being thrown into the fiery furnace); he was distinguished by his special hospitality (he kept a hotel where he gave food to every traveler); Abraham is the mentor of the true faith (“brought people under the wings of the Shekinah”); proclaimed the glory of the Lord to the whole world. It is reported that Abraham grew up among idolaters (based on Joshua 24:2).
Having come to true faith, Abraham began to preach the One God and fight idolatry. At first he tried to convince his father, brothers and buyers of idols of the pointlessness of worshiping them, then he smashed and burned the idols made by his father. For this he was captured, from which God Himself saved him. The trial by fire is one of 10 trials (Sarah's barrenness, war with the kings, circumcision, the sacrifice of Isaac, etc.) that befell Abraham.
Abraham's special righteousness was that he kept all the commandments and regulations of the Torah even before they were given on Mount Sinai. At the conversion of Abraham, he received from God the book. Law and established the order of saying the morning prayer and some rules. Abraham's special closeness to God (“friend of God”) is also reflected in the fact that he is His “first prophet.”
Apocalyptic literature tells that Abraham had a chance to see many secrets, incl. and afterlife. The angel of God Hagar teaches Abraham Hebrew so that he can unravel the secrets of all the ancient books.
On the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), God looks to the blood of Abraham's circumcision for the sake of which He forgives sins. Abraham and the forefathers were considered the guarantors of the salvation of their descendants, since God made a covenant with Abraham that would last forever (Koran 2.124). Muslims consider him, along with Ismail, the builder of their main shrine -.
Literature
- Origenes. Homiliae in Genesim 3-11 // GCS Origenes. Bd. 6. S. 39-100;
- Gregory the Theologian, St. Word about God the Son // Creations. Part 3. M., 1843;
- Gregory of Nyssa, St. About the Divinity of the Son and the Spirit and praise to righteous Abraham // Creations. Part 4. M., 1862;
- Ambrosius Mediolanensis. In epistula ad Rom. Cap. 4 //PL. 17. Col. 91;
- Prudentius. Psychomachia. Praefatio // PL. 60. Col. 11-20; Vita Barlaam et Joasaph // PG. 96. Col. 909;
- Petrus Comestor. Historia Scholastica // PL. 198. Col. 1091-1109;
- Shcheglov D. The calling of Abraham and the historical significance of this event. K., 1874;
- Protopopov V. Biblical Old Testament facts according to the interpretations of the holy fathers and teachers of the church. Kaz., 1897. P. 71-88;
- Alexandrov N., priest. The history of the Jewish patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob) according to the works of St. fathers and other writers. Kaz., 1901. P. 14-146;
- Lopukhin. Explanatory Bible. T. 1. P. 85-150;
- Lopukhin. Biblical history in the light of the latest research and discoveries: the Old Testament. St. Petersburg, 1889, 1998. T. 1. P. 231-351;
- Zykov V.I., priest Biblical Patriarch Abraham: biblical history. apologist. feature article. Pg., 1914;
- Noth M. Die israelitischen Personnennamen im Rahmen der gemeinsemitischen Namengebung. B., 1928;
- Jeremias J. Abraham // ThWNT. Bd. 1. S. 7-9;
- Wooley L. Abraham: Recent Discoveries and Hebrew Origins. L., 1935;
- Albright W. F. The Names Shaddai and Abram // JBL. 1935. Vol. 54. P. 173-204;
- ibid. Abram the Hebrew: A New Archaeological Interpretation // BASOR. 1961. Vol. 163. S. 36-54;
- Lerch D. Isaaks Opferung christlich gedeuthet: Eine auslegungsgesch. Untersuchung. B., 1950. (BHTh; 12);
- Glueck N. The Age of Abraham in the Negeb // BA. 1955. Vol. 18. P. 1-9;
- Bright J. The History of Israel. L., 1960;
- Vaux R. de. Die hebräischen Patriarchen und die modernen Entdeckungen. Münch., 1961;
- ibid. Histoire ancienne d "Israel. P., 1971. T. 1: Des origenes à l" installation en Canaan;
- Μπρατσιώτης Π. Ι. ̓Αβραάμ // ΘΗΕ. Τ. ῾. Στλ. 59-62;
- Cazelles H. Patriarches // DBS. 1966. T. 7. P. 81-156;
- Weidmann H. Die Patriarchen und ihre Religion im Lichte der Forschung seit J. Wellhausen. Gött., 1968. (FRLANT; 98);
- Lord J. R. Abraham: A Study in Ancient Jewish and Christian Interpretation. Duke, 1968;
- Clements R. Abraham // ThWAT. Bd. 1. S. 53-62;
- Svetlov E. [Men A.] Magism and monotheism. Brussels, 1971. T. 2. P. 171-193;
- Thompson T. L. Historicity of the Patriarchal Narratives: The Quest for the Historical Abraham. B.;
- N.Y., 1974. (BZAW; 133);
- Martin-Achard R. Abraham I: Im Alten Testament // TRE. Bd. 1. S. 364-372 [bibliogr.];
- Berger K. Abraham II: Im Frühjudentum und Neuen Testament // Idem. S. 372-382 [bibliogr.];
- Leineweber W. Die Patriarchen im Licht der archäologischen Entdeckungen: Die krit. Darstellung einer Forschungsrichtung. B., 1980;
- Betz O. Abraham // EWNT. Bd. 1;
- Roldanus J. L "héritage d" Abraham d "après Irénée // Text and Testimony: Essays on New Testament and Apocryphal literature in honor of A. F. J. Klijn / Ed. Baarda T., Hilhorst A., et al. Kampen, 1988. P 212-224;
- Berton R. Abraham est "il un modèle? L"opinion des Pères dans les premiers siècles de l"Èglise // Bull. de littérature ecclésiastique. 1996. T. 97. P. 349-373;
- Kundert L. Die Opferung/Bindung Isaacs. Neukirchen-Vluyn, 1998. Bd. 1: Gen 22, 1-19 im Alten Testament, im Frühjudentum und im Neuen Testament. (WMANT; 78) [bibliography];
- Joest Chr. Abraham als Glaubensvorbild in den Pachomianerschriften // ZAW. 1999. Bd. 90, 1/2. S. 98-122;
- Müller P. Unser Vater Abraham: Die Abrahamrezeption im Neuen Testament - im Spiegel der neueren Literatur // Berliner theol. Ztschr. 1999. Bd. 16. S. 132-143.
To the section "Iconography"
- Lucchesi Palli E. // LCI. Bd. 1. Sp. 20-35;
- Pokrovsky N.V. The Gospel in iconographic monuments. St. Petersburg, 1892. S. 216, 221;
- Ainalov D. The Hellenistic Origins of Byzantine Art. New Brunswick, 1961. P. 94-100;
- Speyart van Woerden I. The Iconographie of the Sacrifice of Abraham // VChr. 1961. Vol. 15. R. 214-255.
Jewish tradition
- Talmud. Mishna and Tosefta / Trans. N. Pereferkovich. St. Petersburg, 1899-1904. T. 1-6;
- Smirnov A. The Book of Jubilees, or Small Genesis. Kaz., 1895;
- Haggadah: Tales, parables, sayings of the Talmud and Midrash / Trans. S. G. Fruga. Berlin, 1922. M., 1993;
- Testaments of the twelve patriarchs, sons of Jacob // Apocryphal Apocalypses: (Ancient Christianity: sources). St. Petersburg, 2000. P. 46-128;
- Testament of Abraham // Ibid. pp. 156-184.
- Beer B. Das Leben Abrahams nach der Auffassung der jüdischen Sage. Lpz., 1859;
- Porfiryev I. Apocryphal tales about Old Testament persons and events. Kaz., 1873;
- Korsunsky I. Jewish interpretation of the Old Testament. M., 1882;
- Buber M. Zur Erzählung von Abraham // Monatsschr. f. Geschichte u. Wissenschaft des Judentums. Breslau, 1939. Bd. 83. S. 47-65;
- Botte B. Abraham dans la liturgie // Cah. Sion. 1951. T. 5/2. P. 88-95;
- Menasce P. J. Traditions juives sur Abraham // Idem. 1951. T. 5/2. P. 96-103;
- Glatzer N. N. The Judaic Tradition. Boston, 1969;
- Urbach E. E. The Sages - Their Concepts and Beliefs. Jerusalem, 1969;
- Sandmel S. Philós Place in Judaism - A Study of Conceptions of Abraham in Jewish Literature. N.Y., 1971;
- Schmitz R. P. Abraham III: Im Judentum // TRE. Bd. 1. S. 382-385 [bibliogr.];
- Billerbeck P. Commentary. Bd. 3. S. 186-201; Bd. 4. S. 1231;
- Kundert L. Die Opferung/Bindung Isaacs. Neukirchen-Vluyn, 1998. Bd. 2: Gen 22, 1-19 in frühen rabbibnischen Texten. (WMANT; 79);
- Gellman J. The figure of Abraham in Hasidic literature // HThR. 1998. Vol. 91. P. 279-300.
Islamic tradition
- Mashanov M. Essay on the life of the Arabs in the era of Muhammad as an introduction to the study of Islam. Kaz., 1885;
- Wensinck A. J. Ibrahim // EI. Leyden;
- L., 1913-1914. Vol. 2. P. 458-460;
- Beck E. Die Gestalt des Abraham am Wendepunkt der Entwicklung Muhammeds // Muséon. 1952. T. 65. P. 73-94;
- Moubarac Y. Abraham dans le Koran. P., 1958 [bibliogr.];
- Schützinger H. Ursprung und Entwicklung der arabischen Abraham-Nimrod-Legende. Bonn, 1961;
- Hjärpe J. Abraham IV: Religionsgeschichtlich // TRE. Bd. 1. S. 385-387 [bibliogr.];
- Piotrovsky M. Ibrahim // Islam: Encycl. dictionary. M., 1991. S. 87-88.
Used materials
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Gregory of Nyssa, St. Refutation of Eunomius // Creations. Part 6. pp. 300-302
Ambrosius Mediolanensis. De Abrahamo // PL. 14. Col. 438-524
Lenten Triodion. Part 1. L. 299.
Triodion Colored. L. 201ob.
John Chrysostom, St. Conversations on the Book of Genesis. Conversation 35 and others // Creations. Part 2. pp. 290-291; Theodoret of Cyrus, bl. Commentaries on the Book of Genesis. Question 65 // Creations. Part 1. P. 64; Augustine, blessed About the City of God. XIV 22; Epiphanius of Cyprus, St. For 80 heresies Panarius, or the Ark. LV and others // Creations. Part 2, etc.
Troparion of the 7th song of the canon on the Sunday of St. father // Menea (ST). December. L. 132
Irenaeus of Lyons, St. Against heresies. II 190; Cyril of Alexandria, St. Skillful explanations of selected passages from the book of Genesis // Creations. T. 4. P. 116; cf.: Augustine, bl. About the City of God. XVI 23; John Chrysostom, St. Discourses on the Epistle to the Romans. Ch. 4. Conversation 8. P. 155 next; Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians. Ch. 3. pp. 95-121. M., 1842
Justin Martyr, St. Apology. I 46.3; 63.17; Clement of Alexandria. Stromata. I 32.2; Hippolytus. Commentarium in Danielem. II 37, 5
Cyril of Alexandria, St. Skillful explanations of selected passages from the book of Genesis // Creations. T. 4. P. 138-139; Ambrosius Mediolanensis. De Abrahamo. II 11. 79
Ambrosius Mediolanensis. De Abrahamo. I 5. 33; De Spiritu Sancto II; Athanasius Alexandrinus. De Trinitate. 3
Augustin. De tempore. Serm. 67, no. 2; 70, no. 4; cf.: Macarius. Orthodox dogmatic theology. T. 1. P. 169
Troparion of the 5th song of the canon on the Sunday of St. forefathers // Menaea (ST). December. L. 79ob.
Troparion of the 1st song of the canon on the Sunday of St. father // Menea (ST). December. L. 128ob.
Justin Martyr, St. Conversation with Tryphon the Jew; Tertullian. Against Marcion. III 2. 27; 5.9; About the flesh of Christ. 17; Against the Jews. 9; Irenaeus of Lyons, St. Against heresies. IV 23; Eusebius of Caesarea. Church ist. I 2; John Chrysostom, St. Conversations on the Book of Genesis. Conversation 42, etc.
Josephus Flavius. Jude ancient XI 169; ZavLevi 15:4
Bereshit Rabbah 4:6; Shemot Rabbah 28:1
Shemot Rabbah 44:4, etc.
Koran 2. 119-121; 3. 90-91
