He's additionally honored as the common Patriarch of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, which are sometimes collectively referred to as the Abrahamic faiths. As a result, he's definitely a contender for the title of one of history's most influential people.
No one is quite sure when exactly Abraham lived, but scholars believe that it was probably sometime around the year 2000 BC. Abraham's father Terah, who the Torah records was a ninth generation descendant of Noah, ironically made his living making and selling idols.
Abraham, however, was a man of such faith that he was one of the few people in the Bible who G-d revealed Himself to. It was through Abraham that G-d made the first of a series of major covenants with the the Jewish people.
Known as the Covenant of the Pieces or Covenant of the Parts, G-d reveals to Abraham that even though his wife, Sara, is barren, that he would someday have as many descendants as the stars and that they would inherit the land of Israel.
Abraham's wife, Sarah, overheard the covenant and laughed because, let's just say she was no spring chicken by this time. As a result, she and Abraham eventually concocted a plan that involved making a surrogate mother out of their servant Hagar.
The plan worked and Hagar bore Abraham a son named Ishmael. It's through Ismael that the Muslim people today trace their ancestry back to Abraham. G-d, however, was not amused that the couple had taken matters into their own hands and told Abraham to try again with Sarah.
Sure enough, she got pregnant and bore Abraham a son named Isaac, who the Jewish people are said to have descended from. While G-d maintained that He would fulfill his covenant with Abraham through Isaac, He did assure Abraham that Ishmael had a great destiny as well,
G-d told Abraham the He would "make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation." (Genesis 17)
No one is quite sure when exactly Abraham lived, but scholars believe that it was probably sometime around the year 2000 BC. Abraham's father Terah, who the Torah records was a ninth generation descendant of Noah, ironically made his living making and selling idols.
Abraham, however, was a man of such faith that he was one of the few people in the Bible who G-d revealed Himself to. It was through Abraham that G-d made the first of a series of major covenants with the the Jewish people.
Known as the Covenant of the Pieces or Covenant of the Parts, G-d reveals to Abraham that even though his wife, Sara, is barren, that he would someday have as many descendants as the stars and that they would inherit the land of Israel.
Abraham's wife, Sarah, overheard the covenant and laughed because, let's just say she was no spring chicken by this time. As a result, she and Abraham eventually concocted a plan that involved making a surrogate mother out of their servant Hagar.
The plan worked and Hagar bore Abraham a son named Ishmael. It's through Ismael that the Muslim people today trace their ancestry back to Abraham. G-d, however, was not amused that the couple had taken matters into their own hands and told Abraham to try again with Sarah.
Sure enough, she got pregnant and bore Abraham a son named Isaac, who the Jewish people are said to have descended from. While G-d maintained that He would fulfill his covenant with Abraham through Isaac, He did assure Abraham that Ishmael had a great destiny as well,
G-d told Abraham the He would "make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation." (Genesis 17)
Isaac
Genesis 22 records one of the most well known, yet terrifying, stories of young Isaac's life. After believing that G-d's promise of a son with Sarah sounds too good to be true, Abraham finds himself delighted with the birth of Isaac. Then one day, G-d suddenly shows back up and orders him to offer the boy as a human sacrifice. |
Extremely confused but loyal none the less, Abraham takes Isaac up to a mountain and prepares to do the deed. Fortunately, an angel swoops down at the very last minute and verifies that G-d has seen enough and there's no need to actually go through with the whole thing.
A grateful Abraham and Isaac immediately offer an animal as a sacrifice instead. What exactly G-d had in mind here remains a bit of a mystery. Some think that G-d was testing Abraham's loyalty and that he passed the test. Others believe that the whole thing was a huge fail on Abraham's part because G-d was pretty clear about the fact that He abhorred human sacrifice.
Another interesting clue is provided in Hebrews 11: 17-19. The verse explains that Abraham was so confident that G-d would fulfill their covenant that he assumed that even if he had killed Isaac, God would have raised him from the dead.
Regardless, Isaac was saved and went on to marry a woman named Rebecca.
A grateful Abraham and Isaac immediately offer an animal as a sacrifice instead. What exactly G-d had in mind here remains a bit of a mystery. Some think that G-d was testing Abraham's loyalty and that he passed the test. Others believe that the whole thing was a huge fail on Abraham's part because G-d was pretty clear about the fact that He abhorred human sacrifice.
Another interesting clue is provided in Hebrews 11: 17-19. The verse explains that Abraham was so confident that G-d would fulfill their covenant that he assumed that even if he had killed Isaac, God would have raised him from the dead.
Regardless, Isaac was saved and went on to marry a woman named Rebecca.
Jacob and Sons
Jacob and Rebecca had twin sons together, who were named Jacob and Esau. Jacob was more of a bookish intellectual, while Esau was an incredible hunter and outdoorsman. Though the two were twins, Esau had been born first and was therefore technically the eldest, if only by a few minutes. |
While this might not seem like a big deal today, it was incredibly important back then because the eldest son was guaranteed a special blessing, or birthright, from his father.
This apparently made Jacob a bit jealous because one day, he devised a stealthy plan. When Esau came home one night, exhausted from haunting all day, he found Jacob sitting in front of a pot of nice, tasty stew. Esau was, of course, desperate to get his hands on a bowl but Jacob revealed that it would come at a price: his birthright.
Esau apparently wasn't in the position to think the bargain through, so he hastily agreed. To make sure he didn’t change his mind, Jacob adorned himself in some animal skin (apparently Esau was a hairy guy) and went to see Isaac.
By this point, Isaac was an old man whose eyesight had abandoned him. So when he felt the animal skins, he assumed that it was Esau had come to receive the blessing. Jacob's plan worked, but when Esau found out his birthright had been stolen, he was furious.
Jacob ran for it and ended up fining work on his uncle Laban's land. It was there that he accidentally married (long story) a woman named Leah and, later, his cousin Rachel. By the time it was all said and done, Jacob had married four wives: Rachel, Leah, and Bilhah, and Zilphah.
From these wives, he bore one daughter and 12 sons. The 12 sons later went on to become the patriarchs of the 12 tribes of Israel. Their names where:
His first experiment, in which Adam was allowed unbridled free will, ended in disaster. When he called upon Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, He may have realized that demanding blind faith was not the right path either.
Some believe that it was with Jacob that G-d found the perfect middle road, a give and take relationship. This, perhaps, was why He chose to give him the name that would forever be synonymous with His chosen people.
This apparently made Jacob a bit jealous because one day, he devised a stealthy plan. When Esau came home one night, exhausted from haunting all day, he found Jacob sitting in front of a pot of nice, tasty stew. Esau was, of course, desperate to get his hands on a bowl but Jacob revealed that it would come at a price: his birthright.
Esau apparently wasn't in the position to think the bargain through, so he hastily agreed. To make sure he didn’t change his mind, Jacob adorned himself in some animal skin (apparently Esau was a hairy guy) and went to see Isaac.
By this point, Isaac was an old man whose eyesight had abandoned him. So when he felt the animal skins, he assumed that it was Esau had come to receive the blessing. Jacob's plan worked, but when Esau found out his birthright had been stolen, he was furious.
Jacob ran for it and ended up fining work on his uncle Laban's land. It was there that he accidentally married (long story) a woman named Leah and, later, his cousin Rachel. By the time it was all said and done, Jacob had married four wives: Rachel, Leah, and Bilhah, and Zilphah.
From these wives, he bore one daughter and 12 sons. The 12 sons later went on to become the patriarchs of the 12 tribes of Israel. Their names where:
- Asher
- Benjamin
- Dan
- Gad
- Issachar
- Joseph (of "the coat of many colors" fame)
- Judah
- Levi
- Naphtali
- Reuben
- Simeon
- Zebulun
His first experiment, in which Adam was allowed unbridled free will, ended in disaster. When he called upon Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, He may have realized that demanding blind faith was not the right path either.
Some believe that it was with Jacob that G-d found the perfect middle road, a give and take relationship. This, perhaps, was why He chose to give him the name that would forever be synonymous with His chosen people.