Abraham (originally Abram) is the common Hebrews patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father who began the covenantal relationship between the Jewish people and God; in Christianity, he is the spiritual progenitor of all believers, whether Jewish or gentile; and in Islam, he is a link in the chain of Islamic prophets that begins with Adam and culminates in Muhammad. Abraham is also revered in other Abrahamic religions such as the Baháʼí Faith and the Druze.
The story of the life of Abraham, as told in the narrative of the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible, revolves around the themes of posterity and land.
Most scholars view the patriarchal age, along with the Exodus and the period of the biblical judges, as a late literary construct that does not relate to any particular historical era.
The Abraham Cycle
Structure and narrative programs
The Abraham cycle (–) unfolds as a narrative of mounting tension, centered on the conflict between God's promise that Abram would father a lineage and become the ancestor of numerous nations, and a succession of crises that jeopardize this divine commitment. The storytelling method used here is the “obstacle story,” a literary device renowned for its enduring and universal popularity across cultures and eras.
The Abraham cycle is not structured by a unified plot centered on a conflict and its resolution or a problem and its solution. The episodes are often only loosely linked, and the sequence is not always logical, but it is unified by the presence of Abraham himself, as either actor or witness, and by the themes of posterity and land. These themes form "narrative programs" set out in concerning the sterility of Sarah and in which Abraham is ordered to leave the land of his birth for the land God will show him.
Origins and calling
Terah, the ninth in descent from
Noah, was the father of Abram, Nahor,
Haran (
Hārān) and
Sarah.
[Freedman, Meyers & Beck. Eerdmans dictionary of the Bible , 2000, p. 551 and ] Haran was the father of Lot, who was Abram's nephew; the family lived in Ur of the Chaldees. Haran died there. Abram married
Sarah. Terah, Abram, Sarai, and Lot departed for
Canaan, but settled in a place named Haran (
Ḥārān), where Terah died at the age of 205.
According to some exegetes (like
Nahmanides), Abram was actually born in Haran and he later relocated to Ur, while some of his family remained in Haran.
God had told Abram to leave his country and kindred and go to a land that he would show him, and promised to make of him a great nation, bless him, make his name great, bless them that bless him, and curse them who may curse him. Abram was 75 years old when he left Haran with his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, and their possessions and people that they had acquired, and traveled to Shechem in Canaan.
Sarai
There was a severe famine in the land of Canaan, so that Abram, Lot, and their households traveled to
Ancient Egypt. On the way Abram told Sarai to say that she was his sister, so that the Egyptians would not kill him. When they entered Egypt, the Pharaoh's officials praised Sarai's beauty to Pharaoh, and they took her into the palace and gave Abram goods in exchange. God afflicted Pharaoh and his household with plagues, which led Pharaoh to try to find out what was wrong.
Upon discovering that Sarai was a married woman, Pharaoh demanded that Abram and Sarai leave.
Abram and Lot separate
When they lived for a while in the
Negev after being banished from Egypt and came back to the
Bethel and Ai area, Abram's and Lot's sizable herds occupied the same pastures. This became a problem for the herdsmen, who were assigned to each family's cattle. The conflicts between herdsmen had become so troublesome that Abram suggested that Lot choose a separate area, either on the left hand or on the right hand, that there be no conflict between them.
Lot decided to go eastward to the plain of
Jordan River, where the land was well watered everywhere as far as
Zoara, and he dwelled in the cities of the plain toward Sodom.
Abram went south to
Hebron and settled in the plain of
Mamre, where he built another altar to worship God.
Chedorlaomer
During the rebellion of the Jordan River cities, Sodom and Gomorrah, against
Elam, Abram's nephew, Lot, was taken prisoner along with his entire household by the invading Elamite forces. The Elamite army came to collect the spoils of war, after having just defeated the king of Sodom's armies.
Lot and his family, at the time, were settled on the outskirts of the Kingdom of Sodom which made them a visible target.
One person who escaped capture came and told Abram what happened. Once Abram received this news, he immediately assembled 318 trained servants. Abram's force headed north in pursuit of the Elamite army, who were already worn down from the Battle of Siddim. When they caught up with them at Dan, Abram devised a battle plan by splitting his group into more than one unit, and launched a night raid. Not only were they able to free the captives, Abram's unit chased and slaughtered the Elamite King Chedorlaomer at Hobah, just north of Damascus. They freed Lot, as well as his household and possessions, and recovered all of the goods from Sodom that had been taken.
Upon Abram's return, Sodom's king came out to meet with him in the Valley of Shaveh, the "king's dale". Also, Melchizedek king of Salem (Jerusalem), a priest of Elyon, brought out bread and wine and blessed Abram and God.[Noth, Martin. A History of Pentateuchal Traditions (Englewood Cliffs 1972) p. 28] Abram then gave Melchizedek a tithe of everything. The king of Sodom then offered to let Abram keep all the possessions if he would merely return his people. Abram declined to accept anything other than the share to which his allies were entitled.
Covenant of the pieces
The voice of the Lord came to Abram in a vision and repeated the promise of the land and descendants as numerous as the stars. Abram and God made a covenant ceremony, and God told of the future bondage of Israel in Egypt. God described to Abram the land that his offspring would claim: the land of the
Kenites,
,
Kadmonites, Hittites,
Perizzites, Rephaims,
Amorites,
Canaanites,
Girgashites, and
.
Hagar
Abram and Sarai tried to make sense of how he would become a progenitor of nations, because after 10 years of living in Canaan, no child had been born. Sarai then offered her Egyptian slave,
Hagar, to Abram with the intention that she would bear him a son.
After Hagar found she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress, Sarai. Sarai responded by mistreating Hagar, and Hagar fled into the wilderness. An angel spoke with Hagar at the fountain on the way to Shur. He instructed her to return to Abram's camp and that her son would be "a wild ass of a man; his hand shall be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the face of all his brethren." She was told to call her son Ishmael. Hagar then called God who spoke to her "El Roi", ("Thou God seest me:" KJV). From that day onward, the well was called Beer-lahai-roi, ("The well of him that liveth and seeth me." KJV margin), located between Kadesh and Bered. She then did as she was instructed by returning to her mistress in order to have her child. Abram was 86 years of age when Ishmael was born.
Sarah
Thirteen years later, when Abram was 99 years of age, God declared Abram's new name: "Abraham" – "a father of many nations".
Abraham then received the instructions for the covenant of the pieces, of which circumcision was to be the sign.
God declared Sarai's new name: "Sarah", blessed her, and told Abraham, "I will give thee a son also of her".
Three visitors
Not long afterward, during the heat of the day, Abraham had been sitting at the entrance of his tent by the
of
Mamre. He looked up and saw three men in the presence of God. Then he ran and bowed to the ground to welcome them. Abraham then offered to wash their feet and fetch them a morsel of bread, to which they assented. Abraham rushed to Sarah's tent to order
made from choice flour, then he ordered a servant-boy to prepare a choice calf. When all was prepared, he set curds, milk and the calf before them, waiting on them, under a tree, as they ate.
One of the visitors told Abraham that upon his return next year, Sarah would have a son. While at the tent entrance, Sarah overheard what was said and she laughed to herself about the prospect of having a child at their ages. The visitor inquired of Abraham why Sarah laughed at bearing a child at her age, as nothing is too hard for God. Frightened, Sarah denied laughing.
Abraham's plea
After eating, Abraham and the three visitors got up. They walked over to the peak that overlooked the 'cities of the plain' to discuss the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah for their detestable sins that were so great, it moved God to action. Because Abraham's nephew was living in Sodom, God revealed plans to confirm and judge these cities. At this point, the two other visitors left for Sodom. Then Abraham turned to God and pleaded decrementally with Him (from fifty persons to less) that "if there were at least ten righteous men found in the city, would not God spare the city?" For the sake of ten righteous people, God declared that he would not destroy the city.
When the two visitors arrived in Sodom to conduct their report, they planned on staying in the city square. However, Abraham's nephew, Lot, met with them and strongly insisted that these two "men" stay at his house for the night. A rally of men stood outside of Lot's home and demanded that Lot bring out his guests so that they may "know" ( 5) them. However, Lot objected and offered his virgin daughters who had not "known" (v. 8) man to the rally of men instead. They rejected that notion and sought to break down Lot's door to get to his male guests,
Early the next morning, Abraham went to the place where he stood before God. He "looked out toward Sodom and Gomorrah" and saw what became of the cities of the plain, where not even "ten righteous" (v. 18:32) had been found, as "the smoke of the land went up as the smoke of a furnace."
Abimelech
Abraham settled between Kadesh and Shur in what the Bible anachronistically calls "the land of the
". While he was living in
Gerar, Abraham openly claimed that Sarah was his sister. Upon discovering this news, King
Abimelech had her brought to him. God then came to Abimelech in a dream and declared that taking her would result in death because she was a man's wife. Abimelech had not laid hands on her, so he inquired if he would also slay a righteous nation, especially since Abraham had claimed that he and Sarah were siblings. In response, God told Abimelech that he did indeed have a blameless heart and that is why he continued to exist. However, should he not return the wife of Abraham back to him, God would surely destroy Abimelech and his entire household. Abimelech was informed that Abraham was a prophet who would pray for him.
Early next morning, Abimelech informed his servants of his dream and approached Abraham inquiring as to why he had brought such great guilt upon his kingdom. Abraham stated that he thought there was no fear of God in that place, and that they might kill him for his wife. Then Abraham defended what he had said as not being a lie at all: "And yet indeed she is my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife."
After living for some time in the land of the Philistines, Abimelech and Phicol, the chief of his troops, approached Abraham because of a dispute that resulted in a violent confrontation at a well. Abraham then reproached Abimelech due to his Philistine servant's aggressive attacks and the seizing of Abraham's Well. Abimelech claimed ignorance of the incident. Then Abraham offered a pact by providing sheep and oxen to Abimelech. Further, to attest that Abraham was the one who dug the well, he also gave Abimelech seven ewes for proof. Because of this sworn oath, they called the place of this well: Beersheba. After Abimelech and Phicol headed back to Philistia, Abraham planted a tamarisk grove in Beersheba and called upon "the name of the , the everlasting God."
Isaac
As had been prophesied in Mamre the previous year,
Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham, on the first anniversary of the covenant of circumcision. Abraham was "an hundred years old", when his son whom he named
Isaac was born; and he circumcised him when he was eight days old.
For Sarah, the thought of giving birth and nursing a child, at such an old age, also brought her much laughter, as she declared, "God hath made me to laugh, so that all who hear will laugh with me."
Isaac continued to grow and on the day he was weaned, Abraham held a great feast to honor the occasion. During the celebration, however, Sarah found Ishmael mocking; an observation that would begin to clarify the birthright of Isaac.
Ishmael
Ishmael was fourteen years old when Abraham's son Isaac was born to Sarah. When she found Ishmael teasing Isaac, Sarah told Abraham to send both Ishmael and Hagar away. She declared that Ishmael would not share in Isaac's inheritance. Abraham was greatly distressed by his wife's words and sought the advice of his God. God told Abraham not to be distressed but to do as his wife commanded. God reassured Abraham that "in Isaac shall seed be called to thee."
He also said Ishmael would make a nation, "because he is thy seed".
Early the next morning, Abraham brought Hagar and Ishmael out together. He gave her bread and water and sent them away. The two wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba until her bottle of water was completely consumed. In a moment of despair, she burst into tears. After God heard the boy's voice, an angel of the Lord confirmed to Hagar that he would become a great nation, and will be "living on his sword". A well of water then appeared so that it saved their lives. As the boy grew, he became a skilled Archery living in the wilderness of Paran. Eventually his mother found a wife for Ishmael from her home country, the land of Egypt.
Binding of Isaac
At some point in Isaac's youth, Abraham was commanded by God to offer his son up as a sacrifice in the land of
Moriah. The patriarch traveled three days until he came to the mount that God told him of. He then commanded the servants to remain while he and Isaac proceeded alone into the mount. Isaac carried the wood upon which he would be sacrificed. Along the way, Isaac asked his father where the animal for the burnt offering was, to which Abraham replied "God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering". Just as Abraham was about to sacrifice his son, he was interrupted by the angel of the Lord, and he saw behind him a "ram caught in a thicket by his horns", which he sacrificed instead of his son. The place was later named as
Jehovah-jireh. For his obedience he received another promise of numerous descendants and abundant prosperity. After this event, Abraham went to Beersheba.
Later years
Sarah died, and Abraham buried her in the Cave of the Patriarchs (the "cave of Machpelah"), near Hebron which he had purchased along with the adjoining field from Ephron the Hittite.
After the death of Sarah, Abraham took another wife, a
concubine named
Keturah, by whom he had six sons:
Zimran,
Jokshan, Medan, Midian,
Ishbak, and
Shuah.
According to the Bible, reflecting the change of his name to "Abraham" meaning "a father of many nations", Abraham is considered to be the progenitor of many nations mentioned in the Bible, among others the
Israelites,
Ishmaelites,
,
Amalekites,
,
and
Assyrian people,
and through his nephew Lot he was also related to the
and
.
Abraham lived to see Isaac marry
Rebekah, and to see the birth of his twin grandsons Jacob and Esau. He died at age 175, and was buried in the cave of Machpelah by his sons Isaac and Ishmael.
[, ]
Historical context
Historicity
In the early and middle 20th century, leading archaeologists such as William F. Albright and G. Ernest Wright and biblical scholars such as
Albrecht Alt and John Bright believed that the patriarchs and matriarchs were either real individuals or believable composites of people who lived in the "
patriarchal age", the 2nd millennium BCE.
However, in the 1970s, new arguments concerning Israel's past and the biblical texts challenged these views; these arguments can be found in Thomas L. Thompson's
The Historicity of the Patriarchal Narratives (1974),
and John Van Seters'
Abraham in History and Tradition (1975).
Thompson, a literary scholar, based his argument on archaeology and ancient texts. His thesis centered on the lack of compelling evidence that the patriarchs lived in the 2nd millennium BCE, and noted how certain biblical texts reflected first millennium conditions and concerns. Van Seters examined the patriarchal stories and argued that their names, social milieu, and messages strongly suggested that they were
Iron Age creations. Van Seters' and Thompson's works were a
paradigm shift in biblical scholarship and archaeology, which gradually led scholars to no longer consider the patriarchal narratives as historical.
Some conservative scholars attempted to defend the Patriarchal narratives in the following years, but this has not found acceptance among scholars.
[: "There are a few sporadic attempts by conservative scholars to "save" the patriarchal narratives as history, such as Kenneth Kitchen ... By and large, however, the minimalist view of Thompson's pioneering work, The Historicity of the Patriarchal Narratives, prevails."] By the beginning of the 21st century, archaeologists had stopped trying to recover any context that would make Abraham, Isaac or Jacob credible historical figures.
Origins of the narrative
Abraham's story, like those of the other patriarchs, most likely had a substantial oral prehistory (he is mentioned in the Book of Ezekiel
and the Book of Isaiah
). As with
Moses, Abraham's name is apparently very ancient, as the tradition found in the Book of Genesis no longer understands its original meaning, which is likely "father is exalted" – the meaning offered in , "Father of a multitude", is a
folk etymology. At some stage the
became part of the written tradition of the
Pentateuch; a majority of scholars believe this stage belongs to the Persian period, roughly 520–320 BCE. The mechanisms by which this came about remain unknown, but there are currently at least two hypotheses. The first, called Persian Imperial authorisation, is that the post-Exilic community devised the Torah as a legal basis on which to function within the Persian Imperial system; the second is that the Pentateuch was written to provide the criteria for determining who would belong to the post-Exilic Jewish community and to establish the power structures and relative positions of its various groups, notably the priesthood and the lay "elders".
The completion of the Torah and its elevation to the centre of post-Exilic Judaism was as much or more about combining older texts as writing new ones – the final Pentateuch was based on existing traditions. In the Book of Ezekiel,
Amorite origin hypothesis
According to
Nissim Amzallag, the Book of Genesis portrays Abraham as having an
Amorites origin, arguing that the patriarch's provenance from the region of
Harran as described in associates him with the territory of the Amorite homeland. He also notes parallels between the biblical narrative and the Amorite migration into the
Southern Levant in the 2nd millennium BCE.
Likewise, some scholars like Daniel E. Fleming and Alice Mandell have argued that the biblical portrayal of the Patriarchs' lifestyle appears to reflect the Amorite culture of the 2nd millennium BCE as attested in texts from the ancient city-state of Mari, suggesting that the Genesis stories retain historical memories of the ancestral origins of some of the Israelites.
argues that the name Abram is of
Amorite language origin and that it is attested in Mari as
ʾabī-rām. He also suggests that the Patriarch's name corresponds to a form typical of the Middle Bronze Age and not of later periods.
Canaanite origin hypothesis
The earliest possible reference to Abraham may be the name of a town in the
Negev listed in the
Bubastite Portal inscription of Pharaoh
Sheshonq I (biblical
Shishak), which is referred as "the Fortress of Abraham", suggesting the possible existence of an Abraham tradition in the 10th century BCE. The orientalist
Mario Liverani has proposed to see in the name Abraham the eponymous ancestor of a 13th-century BCE
tribe, the Raham, mentioned in a stele of
Seti I found at
Beth-Shean and dating back to around 1289 BCE. The tribe probably lived in the area surrounding or close to Beth-Shean, in
Galilee (the stele in fact refers to battles that took place in the area). Liverani hypothesized that the members of the tribe of Raham called themselves "sons of Raham" (
*Banu-Raham), so that the name of their eponymous ancestor would have been "father of Raham" (
*Abu-Raham), that being the name of the patriarch Abraham.
Israel Finkelstein and Thomas Römer suggested that the oldest Abraham traditions originated in the Iron Age (monarchic period) and that they contained an hero story, as the oldest biblical references to Abraham outside the book of Genesis ( and ) do not have an indication of a Mesopotamian origin of Abraham and present only two main themes of the Abraham narrative in Genesis—land and offspring.
Finkelstein and Römer considered Abraham as ancestor who was worshiped in Hebron, with the oldest tradition of him possibly being about the altar he built in Hebron.
Religious traditions
Abraham is given a high position of respect in three major world faiths,
Judaism,
Christianity, and
Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father of the covenant, the special relationship between the Jewish people and God—leading to the belief that the Jews are the chosen people of God. In Christianity, Paul the Apostle taught that Abraham's faith in God—preceding the
Mosaic law—made him the prototype of all believers, Jewish or
gentile; and in Islam, he is seen as a link in the chain of prophets that begins with
Adam and culminates in
Muhammad.
Judaism
In Jewish tradition, Abraham is called
Avraham Avinu (אברהם אבינו), "our father Abraham", signifying that he is both the biological progenitor of the Jews and the father of Judaism, the first Jew. His story is read in the weekly
Torah reading portions, predominantly in the
parashot: Lech-Lecha (לֶךְ-לְךָ), Vayeira (וַיֵּרָא), Chayei Sarah (חַיֵּי שָׂרָה), and Toledot (תּוֹלְדֹת).
Hanan bar Rava taught in Abba Arikha's name that Abraham's mother was named ʾĂmatlaʾy bat Karnebo.
In Legends of the Jews, God created heaven and earth for the sake of the merits of Abraham. After the biblical flood, Abraham was the only one among the pious who solemnly swore never to forsake God, studied in the house of Noah and Shem to learn about the "Ways of God", and continued the line of Kohanim from Noah and Shem, assigning the office to Levi and his seed forever. Before leaving his father's land, Abraham was miraculously saved from the fiery furnace of Nimrod following his brave action of breaking the idols of the into pieces. During his sojourning in Canaan, Abraham was accustomed to extend hospitality to travelers and strangers and taught how to praise God also knowledge of God to those who had received his kindness.
Along with Isaac and Jacob, he is the one whose name would appear united with God, as God in Judaism is called Elohei Avraham, Elohei Yitzchak, vEilohei Ya'akov ("God of Abraham, God of Isaac, and God of Jacob"). He was also mentioned as the father of thirty nations.
Christianity
In
Christianity, Abraham is revered as the prophet to whom God chose to reveal himself and with whom God initiated a covenant (cf.
Covenant Theology).
Paul the Apostle declared that all who believe in Jesus (
Christians) are "included in the seed of Abraham and are inheritors of the promise made to Abraham." In , Abraham is praised for his "unwavering faith" in God, which is tied into the concept of partakers of the covenant of grace being those "who demonstrate faith in the saving power of Christ".
[Firestone, Reuven. "Abraham." Encyclopedia of World History.]
Throughout history, church leaders, following Paul, have emphasized Abraham as the spiritual father of all Christians. Augustine of Hippo declared that Christians are "children (or "seed") of Abraham by faith", Ambrose stated that "by means of their faith Christians possess the promises made to Abraham", and Martin Luther recalled Abraham as "a paradigm of the man of faith."
The Roman Catholic Church, the largest Christian denomination, calls Abraham "our father in Faith" in the Eucharistic prayer of the Roman Canon, recited during the Mass. He is also commemorated in the calendars of saints of several denominations: on 20 August by the Maronite Church, 28 August in the Coptic Church and the Assyrian Church of the East (with the full daily office for the latter), and on 9 October by the Roman Catholic Church and the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod.
Islam
Islam regards (Abraham) as a link in the chain of prophets that begins with Adam and culminates in
Muhammad via (Ishmael). Abraham is mentioned in 35 chapters of the Quran, more often than any other biblical personage apart from Moses. He is called both a (
monotheist) and (one who submits), and Muslims regard him as a
prophet and
patriarch, the archetype of the perfect
Muslim, and the revered reformer of the
Kaaba in
Mecca. Islamic tradition considers Abraham the first "pioneer of Islam" (which is also called , the 'religion of Abraham'), and that his purpose and mission throughout his life was to proclaim the
Tawhid. In Islam, Abraham holds an exalted position among the major prophets and he is referred to as , meaning 'Friend of God'.
Besides and (Isaac and Jacob), Abraham is among the most excellent and honorable men in the view of God.
He is also mentioned in Quran as the "Father of Muslims", and is put forward as a role model for the community.
[; ]
Druze
The
Druze regard Abraham as the third spokesman (
natiq) after
Adam and
Noah, who helped transmit the foundational teachings of monotheism (
tawhid) intended for the larger audience. He is also among the seven prophets who appeared in different periods of history according to the Druze faith.
Mandaeism
In
Mandaeism, Abraham () is mentioned in of the
Right Ginza as the patriarch of the Jewish people.
Mandaeans consider Abraham to have been originally a Mandaean priest, however they differ with Abraham and Jews regarding circumcision which they consider to be bodily mutilation and therefore forbidden.
Baháʼí Faith
Baháʼís considered Abraham as a Manifestation of God, and as the originator of
monotheistic religion. ʻAbdu'l-Bahá states that Abraham was born in
Mesopotamia, and Bahá'u'lláh states that the language which Abraham spoke, when "he crossed the
Jordan", is
Hebrew language (
'Ibrání), so "the language of the crossing." To ʻAbdu'l-Bahá, the Abraham was born to a family that was ignorant of the oneness of God. Abraham opposed his own people and government, and even his own kin, he rejected all their gods, and, alone and single-handed, he withstood a powerful nation. These people believed not in one God
Polytheism, to whom they ascribed miracles, and hence they all rose up against Abraham. No one supported him except his nephew Lot and "one or two other individuals of no consequence". At last the intensity of his enemies' opposition obliged him, utterly wronged, to forsake his native land. Abraham then came to "these regions", that is, to the
Holy Land. To Bahá'u'lláh, the "Voice of God" commanded Abraham to offer up
Ishmael as a sacrifice, so that his steadfastness in the faith of God and his detachment from all else but him may be demonstrated unto men. The purpose of God, moreover, was to sacrifice him as a ransom for the sins and iniquities of all the peoples of the earth.
In the Baháʼí texts, like the Islamic texts, Abraham is often referred to as "the Friend of God". 'Abdu'l-Bahá described Abraham as the founder of monotheism.
ʻAbdu'l-Bahá also suggested the "holy manifestations who have been the sources or founders of the various religious systems" were united and agreed in purpose and teaching, and the Abraham, Moses, Zoroaster, the Buddha, Jesus, Muhammad, the Báb and Bahá'u'lláh are one in "spirit and reality".
Artistic depictions
Painting and sculpture
Paintings on the life of Abraham tend to focus on only a few incidents: the sacrifice of Isaac; meeting Melchizedek; entertaining the three angels; Hagar in the desert; and a few others. Additionally, Martin O'Kane, a professor of Biblical Studies, writes that the parable of Lazarus resting in the "Bosom of Abraham", as described in the Gospel of Luke, became an iconic image in Christian works. According to O'Kane, artists often chose to divert from the common literary portrayal of Lazarus sitting next to Abraham at a banquet in Heaven and instead focus on the "somewhat incongruous notion of Abraham, the most venerated of patriarchs, holding a naked and vulnerable child in his bosom". Several artists have been inspired by the life of Abraham, including Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528),
Caravaggio (1573–1610),
Donatello,
Raphael, Philip van Dyck (Dutch painter, 1680–1753), and
Claude Lorrain (French painter, 1600–1682).
Rembrandt (Dutch, 1606–1669) created at least seven works on Abraham, Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640) did several,
Marc Chagall did at least five on Abraham, Gustave Doré (French illustrator, 1832–1883) did six, and
James Tissot (French painter and illustrator, 1836–1902) did over twenty works on the subject.
The Sarcophagus of Junius Bassus depicts a set of biblical stories, including Abraham about to sacrifice Isaac. These sculpted scenes are on the outside of a marble Early Christian sarcophagus used for the burial of Junius Bassus. He died in 359. This sarcophagus has been described as "probably the single most famous piece of early Christian relief sculpture." The sarcophagus was originally placed in or under Old St. Peter's Basilica, was rediscovered in 1597, and is now below the modern basilica in the Museo Storico del Tesoro della Basilica di San Pietro (Museum of St. Peter's Basilica) in the Vatican City. The base is approximately .
George Segal created figural sculptures by molding plastered gauze strips over live models in his 1987 work Abraham's Farewell to Ishmael. The human condition was central to his concerns, and Segal used the Old Testament as a source for his imagery. This sculpture depicts the dilemma faced by Abraham when Sarah demanded that he expel Hagar and Ishmael. In the sculpture, the father's tenderness, Sarah's rage, and Hagar's resigned acceptance portray a range of human emotions. The sculpture was donated to the Miami Art Museum after the artist's death in 2000.[ Abraham's Farewell to Ishmael. George Segal. Miami Art Museum. Collections: Recent Acquisitions.. Retrieved 10 September 2014.]
Christian iconography
Abraham can sometimes be identified by the context of the image the meeting with
Melchizedek,
the three visitors, or
the sacrifice of Isaac. In solo portraits a sword or knife may be used as his accessory, as in
this statue by Giovanni Maria Morlaiter or
this painting by
Lorenzo Monaco.
As early as the beginning of the 3rd century, Christian art followed Christian typology in making the sacrifice of Isaac a foreshadowing of Christ's sacrifice on the cross, and its memorial in the sacrifice of the Mass. See for example this 11th-century Christian altar engraved with Abraham's and other sacrifices taken to prefigure that of Christ in the Eucharist.
Some early Christian writers interpreted the three visitors as the triune God. Thus in Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome, a 5th-century mosaic portrays only the visitors against a gold ground and puts semitransparent copies of them in the "heavenly" space above the scene. In Eastern Orthodox art, the visit is the chief means by which the Trinity is pictured (example). Some images do not include Abraham and Sarah, like Andrei Rublev's Trinity, which shows only the three visitors as beardless youths at a table.
Literature
Fear and Trembling (original
Danish language title: Frygt og Bæven) is an influential philosophical work by Søren Kierkegaard, published in 1843 under the pseudonym Johannes de silentio (
John the Silent). Kierkegaard wanted to understand the anxiety that must have been present in Abraham when God asked him to sacrifice his son. W. G. Hardy's novel
Father Abraham (1935) tells the fictionalized life story of Abraham.
In her short story collection
Sarah and After, Lynne Reid Banks tells the story of Abraham and Sarah, with an emphasis on Sarah's view of events.
Music
In 1681, Marc-Antoine Charpentier released a Dramatic motet (Oratorio),
Sacrificim Abrahae H.402 – 402 a – 402 b, for soloists, chorus, doubling instruments and continuo.
Sébastien de Brossard composed a
cantata Abraham ou le sacrifice d'Isaac between 1703 and 1708.
In 1994, Steve Reich released an opera named The Cave. The title refers to the Cave of the Patriarchs. The narrative of the opera is based on the story of Abraham, and his immediate family, as it is recounted in religious texts, and understood by individuals from different cultures and religious traditions.
The eponymous track on Bob Dylan's 1965 album Highway 61 Revisited
See also
Footnotes
Bibliography
External links
