The Jewish people trace their history back to Abraham. In Judaism, Christianity and Islam, Abraham is revered as the Saint, the ancestor who abandoned paganism for God. Abraham's God is one God.

The life of Abraham is described in the first book of the Bible - Genesis. Let's find out who Abraham was, when he lived, what the names of Abraham's wives were, and what the name of Abraham's son was.

The beginning of the spiritual path - Abraham against paganism

Terah, Abraham's father, was a craftsman in the Chaldean city of Ur. He skillfully carved wood and his main products were wooden idols.

Young Abraham often wondered which of the wooden images created the earth, the sky, man, and the stars. Gradually he came to monotheism, that is, he believed in the true one God.

After this, Abraham and Terah had arguments. One day the son, when his father was not at home, cut up the wooden figurines. He wanted to show that the gods that Terah believed in were false. “How could these idols create the earth and the stars if they cannot save themselves?” - Abraham asked his father.

One day the Almighty ordered Abraham to circumcise his foreskin, and he did it. He also circumcised his male household members. This was a sign that from Abraham would come great people, faithful to God.

Circumcision is a visible sign of the covenant between Abraham and God. Therefore, Orthodox Jews still adhere to this custom.

Abraham and his family go to the land that God promised them

Paganism prevailed in the homeland of our hero, so the Lord ordered Abraham to leave native land and go to the lands that God has chosen.

Abraham, at 75 years old, gathered his wife Sarah, nephew Lot, wealth and servants for a journey to the fertile land of Canaan, on both banks of the Jordan River.

After they arrived in this land, Abraham made a sacrifice to God. God called Abram Abraham, that is, the father of many, and Sarah became Sarah.

Over time, Abraham's flocks multiplied and in order to avoid conflicts, Abraham's nephew Lot separated from the family and settled nearby, in the city of Sadom.

Abraham himself remained in the land of Canaan, his tent and altar were located under the Mamre oak. Abraham made a generous sacrifice to the Lord, and God, in gratitude for this, promised Abraham a large offspring, a people from whom all nations would come and the Savior would be born.

Abraham's wife Sarah was childless and gave him her maid as his wife so that they could have a child.

Sarah, Abraham's wife, could not become pregnant and give her husband an heir. Therefore, she gave Abraham a maid from Egypt, Hagar, as his wife. Hagar became pregnant and after that began to treat Sarah with disdain.

Sarah oppressed Hagar in every possible way, and received permission from her husband to do with the maid as she wanted. Hagar got scared and fled into the desert. In the desert, near an oasis, the Lord appeared to her in the guise of an Angel and commanded her to return to the house of Abraham and bear him a son. Hagar returned and soon gave birth to a son, Ishmael.

Three Angels told Abraham that his real wife Sarah would give birth to a son.

One day, Abraham met three travelers who were tired from the road. Abraham, being a hospitable host, washed the nights of the travelers and invited them into the house. He treated them to veal, milk and butter. Having eaten and rested, one of the travelers asked Abraham where his wife Sarah was?

Sarah at that moment was at the entrance to the tent and heard the men talking. One of the travelers was the Lord himself in the guise of an Angel. He told Abraham that in a year He would return and Sarah would become pregnant, and subsequently give birth to a son, an heir. Sarah heard this and chuckled in her heart. The Holy Angel said: “Why are you laughing, Sarah? The Lord is omnipotent. Nothing is impossible for God."

Abraham at that time was already 99 years old, and his wife Sarah was 89. God kept his word and, a year later, Sarah and Abraham had a son, Isaac. Therefore, the answer to the question “how old was Abraham when Isaac was born” is 100 years.

Ishmael, the son of Abraham by the Egyptian woman Hagar, mocked the little heir. Sarah, seeing this, became furious and ordered Hagar and Ishmael to be driven out of the house. Abraham, being a kind-hearted man, initially wanted to appease the wives, but God confirmed Sarah's desire.

Hagar and Ishmael began to live separately, and from Ishmael came the Ishmaelites - they are considered the ancestors of modern Arabs.

God tested Abraham's obedience and told him to sacrifice his son Isaac

Abraham was devoted to God and obediently followed all His instructions. One day the Lord decided to test the faith and devotion of his best servant. He ordered Abraham to sacrifice his only and long-awaited heir, Isaac.

Abraham was heartbroken, but did not dare to disobey. He gathered a bundle of firewood and went with Isaac to Mount Moriah, as God directed him to do.

Isaac asked his father along the way where the lamb for the sacrifice was, to which Abraham replied that God would show him at the top. Upon arriving at the indicated place, Abraham built a sacrificial fire, tied up Isaac, and was about to stab him, when an Angel stopped him, saying that the Lord was confident in Abraham’s devotion and fidelity. IN Once again God blessed Abraham, promising to give him numerous descendants.

Abraham begged God not to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah

In the east of the land of Canaan there were two cities - Garden and Gomorrah, inhabited by Canaanites. The cities are rich and prosperous, but inhabited by evil and sinful people who angered the Lord.

God appeared to Abraham and told him that his patience with the atrocities of the Canaanites was coming to an end and he wanted to destroy Garden and Gomorrah. To which Abraham, being a merciful man, began to beg God. He said that if there are at least 10 righteous people in these cities, then God may have mercy.

God agreed to this. But the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah were so evil that even 10 righteous people were not found among them. Abraham's nephew Lot lived in Sodom. And even when the Angels of the Lord came to take Lot from the city before punishment fell on him, the inhabitants of Sodom abused them. The Lord devastated the place where Sodom and Gomorrah stood, and in their place arose salty Dead sea.

Abraham's last wife, Keturah, bore him 6 sons.

Sarah died at the age of 127. Abraham married for the third time in Keturah's ripe old age. Keturah gave birth to more heirs for Abraham. The children of Abraham are Ishbak, Zimran, Jokshan, Midian, Shuach and Medan.

Each of Abraham's sons gave rise to Arab tribes. The main heir was the son of Abraham and Sarah - Isaac, who gave birth to Jacob. Abraham's grandson, Jacob, continued the family line, which grew into a great nation.

Abraham died at 175 and was buried with Sarah

Abraham died when he was 175 years old, having outlived Sarah by 50 years; he was buried next to her in the cave of Machpelah near Hebron.

Abraham stayed in Canaan for several years, calling people to God, until famine forced him and Sarah to go to Egypt. Pharaoh, the despotic ruler of that country, was known for his desire to possess married women. Christian-Jewish sources claim that Abraham married Sarah to his sister in the hope of saving himself from a merciless ruler. For this, Pharaoh honored Abraham, but still took Sarah into the harem. When Pharaoh's house began to suffer one disaster after another, he learned that Sarah was the wife of the prophet Abraham and expelled them from Egypt as punishment.

The Koran tells a different story. Abraham knew that Sarah would attract Pharaoh's attention, so he told her to call herself his sister. As soon as they set foot on the territory of his kingdom, Pharaoh wanted to know about the relationship between Sarah and Abraham. Abraham introduced himself as her brother. The pharaoh, although slightly disappointed, nevertheless took Sarah. But the Lord does not abandon true believers. He stayed with Sarah and saved her from the base desires of the treacherous Pharaoh. When he wanted to get closer, she turned to God with a prayer to protect her, and the Pharaoh’s body froze like stone. Out of surprise and pain, Pharaoh prayed for Sarah to ask God for his salvation and promised to free her. Sarah did so, but Pharaoh did not keep his words and wanted to get closer to her again. Sarah again appealed to the Almighty, and the pharaoh’s body again turned into stone. This was repeated three times until the wicked man gave up and, realizing the special essence of this woman, released her to her imaginary brother.

Sarah brought the great news to Pharaoh and the rest of the pagans of Egypt.

Abraham was praying when his wife returned with gifts from Pharaoh, one of which was his own daughter Hajar (Hagar). Christians and Jews believe that Hagar was a servant.

Abraham, Sarah and Hagar returned to Palestine. The Lord promised to give Abraham a son, but he continued to be childless. Sarah, according to the custom of those times, gave her slave Hajar to her husband to continue the family line. According to one of the Christian scholars, Abraham married Hajar. According to Jewish and Babylonian tradition, the child of a concubine was considered the child of the former mistress of the concubine and received appropriate care, education and inheritance. Be that as it may, Hajar soon gave birth to a son, Ismail.

Abraham in Mecca

Ishmael was still a baby when the Lord wanted to test Abraham's faith again. He ordered his son and Hajar to be taken to the desert valley of Bakka, more than 1000 kilometers southeast of Hebron province. Later this land will be called Mecca.

Such a difficult test befell Abraham at the moment when he finally found the long-awaited heir and enjoyed every moment spent with him. Now he had to leave his son in the merciless desert.

The Bible tells this story somewhat differently. Sarah's anger was the reason for the expulsion of Hajar and Ismail. Abraham held a great feast on the day Sarah weaned Isaac. Then she saw (or it seemed to her) that Ismail was mocking his younger brother. Angered by Ishmael's behavior, she asks Abraham to drive out Hagar and Ishmael. According to Jewish traditions, the age of excommunication is 3 years, which means that Ismail was then approximately 17 years old. As Christian traditions describe, all long way Hajar carried her son on her shoulders and lowered her to the ground, only reaching the land called Paran. It is not entirely clear how a woman could carry a 17-year-old boy on her shoulders. The fact is that the Bible verses describing this moment call Ishmael a baby, whereas during the exile he was spoken of as a young man.

So, Abraham took Hajar and Ismail into the desert and left them with a vessel of water and a wineskin filled with dates. Seeing Abraham leaving, Hajar caught up with him and said: : “O Ibrahim, where are you going, leaving us in this valley, where there is no one and nothing?” Abraham silently quickened his pace.

Finally, the woman asked: “Did Allah command you to do this?” Suddenly Abraham stopped, turned around and answered: "Yes".

This answer calmed the worried woman. She asked again: “Who are you leaving us with?”

"I entrust you to the Lord", said Abraham.

“Then He will not leave us!” – said Hajar and returned to Ismail.

“Our Lord, verily, I settled part of my descendants in a valley where nothing grows, near Your reserved house. Our Lord, let them pray, and incline the hearts of (some) people towards them and give them fruits so that they thank (You)!” (Quran 14:37)

Soon the dates ran out and the water container was empty. The Hajar's despair grew. Unable to suppress the feeling of thirst and feed her child, Hadjar rushed to look for water. Leaving Ismail in the shade of a tree, she began to climb the rocky slope of a nearby hill, hoping to see a caravan passing by. She ran seven times between the hills of Safa and Marwa in search of water and help. Subsequently, overcoming these seven paths between the hills will become one of the rituals of Hajj (pilgrimage) among Muslims.

Hajar was exhausted and was ready to lose her mind from grief when she heard a voice, but could not understand where it was coming from. She looked down and saw an angel next to Ismail (angel Gabriel (Gabriel) - in Islamic sources). The angel kicked the ground and water gushed out. A miracle happened! Hajar began to fence off the source, while simultaneously filling her skin. The angel told her: “Do not be afraid of death, for, truly, here will be the House of Allah, which this boy will build with his father, and Allah does not abandon those close to Him!” This spring, called Zamzam, still flows to this day in the city of Mecca on the Arabian Peninsula.

Some time later, the Jurkhum tribe passed by this area. People's attention was attracted by a bird soaring over the valley. This meant there was water there. They subsequently settled in Mecca, and Ismail grew up among them.

The Bible tells a similar story (Genesis:21), although there are a few differences. For example, Hagar distanced herself from the baby so as not to see him die, and not at all in search of help. When the baby began to cry heavily from thirst, she asked God not to let her see the torment and death of her son. The appearance of the source appears not as an answer to Hagar's prayer, but as an answer to Ishmael's cry. The Bible also makes no mention of Hagar's attempts to find help, and states that the source was in the wilderness of Paran, where they later settled. Christian-Jewish scholars believe that Paran is located somewhere in the northern Sinai Peninsula, due to the mention of Mount Sinai in Deuteronomy 33:2. Modern biblical archaeologists, however, say that Mount Sinai is located in modern-day Saudi Arabia, which means Paran is there too.

Abraham is the patriarch after the Flood, a biblical character who was born, according to traditional biblical chronology, in 1812 BC. e. According to the Bible, Abraham lived 175 years and died in 1637 BC. e. Abraham is translated from Hebrew as “father of many.” Abraham is the ancestor of many nations, including the Jewish, and the spiritual ancestor of all Abrahamic religions.

Biblical biography of Abraham.

The story of Abraham is the story of one of the patriarchs after the Flood. Abraham's story- the story of a true monotheist. For the sake of his faith, Abraham is ready to endure any hardship.

The biography of Abraham (Abram) is described in detail in (chapters 11 - 25). From the Book of Genesis it follows that Abraham was born in Ur of the Chaldeans.

Ur of the Chaldeans from the time of Abraham, reconstruction

Here is Terah's genealogy: Terah gave birth to Abram, Nahor and Aran. Haran gave birth to Lot.

And Haran died under Terah his father, in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldeans. ()

Ur or Ur of the Chaldeans- the oldest Sumerian city-state. Today it is the territory of Iran.

It is known that Abraham had two brothers - Haran and Nahor. Aran died early, while his father was still alive. Aran is survived by a son. Abraham took Sarah as his wife, who turned out to be childless. Abraham's father took...

… Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, the wife of his son Abram, and went out with them from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan; but, having reached Harran, they stopped there... (Genesis, chapter 11).

Terah, the father of Abraham, died in Haran at the age of two hundred and five years. Abraham, his wife Sarah and his nephew Lot spent some time in Haran, until God called him to leave Haran for another Land that God would indicate. God promises Abraham to make from him a great nation and to bless and magnify his name.

Abraham leaves Haran at the age of 75 with his family and goes to the land of Canaan. Upon his arrival in the land of Canaan, the Lord appeared to Abraham and bequeathed these lands to the descendants of Abraham. Abraham built an altar to the Lord here.

Abraham's itinerary

Abraham went east from the land of Canaan and pitched his tent there and built another altar to the Lord. After this, Abraham went south. The lands through which he walked suffered from famine. Abraham reached Egypt and stayed there.

Upon his arrival in Egypt, Abraham asked his wife Sarah, who was very beautiful woman, to call himself his sister, because he was afraid that he would be killed for the sake of Sarah’s beauty. Sarah was taken to Pharaoh's house. Abraham lived in Egypt without poverty. God was angry with Pharaoh because he took Abraham's wife and destroyed his house and himself.

And Pharaoh called Abram and said: Why have you done this to me? Why didn’t you tell me that she is your wife? Why did you say: she is my sister? and I took her as my wife. And now here is your wife; take [it] and go. ().

Abraham and his family leave Egypt and return to the tent that Abraham had built earlier. During the time spent in Egypt, both Abraham and his nephew Lot became rich and they had a lot of livestock and many people. The Bible says that disputes began between the people of Abraham and the people of Lot, as well as between the Canaanites and the Perizzites, who lived in these lands before Abraham came. Then Abraham told Lot to find another land for himself so that there would be no discord between them. Lot went east, and Abraham continued to live in the land of Canaan.

Soon the Lord ordered Abraham to walk through the land that He was giving to Abraham. Abraham went to Mamre and built another altar to the Lord. In the lands bequeathed to Abraham there lived many tribes and there were many kings who fought with each other. During such civil strife, Lot, Abraham's nephew, who settled near Sodom, was captured. Having learned about this, Lot armed the slaves and began to pursue the enemies, and defeated them at night. Abraham saved Lot and returned all his property.

Returning home, Abraham met the king of Salem and the priest of the Most High God. Melchizedek blessed Abram from the Most High God.

Abraham's offspring.

At night Abraham had a vision in which God promised to protect him. Abraham asked God why he had no offspring. God promised...

...the one who comes from your loins will be your heir... ()

The Lord said that Abraham's descendants would be like the stars in the sky. However, Sarah did not have children and she advised her husband to go to her maid from Egypt. The maid's name was Hagar. Abraham took Hagar as his wife. Hagar conceived from Abraham, but began to despise Sarah, Abraham's first wife. Sarah turned to Abraham for help, to which he replied that Hagar was Sarah’s servant and she was free to do as she wished. Sarah began to oppress Hagar and she ran away.

Sarah gives her maidservant to Abraham as a wife

The angel of the Lord found Sarah at a spring in the desert and ordered her to return to her mistress and submit to her, promising to multiply her descendants. The angel ordered to name the firstborn Ishmael. Hagar gave birth to Ishmael when Abraham was 86 years old.

Covenant of the Lord and Abraham.

When Abraham was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to him again and made a Covenant. The Lord promised Abraham to become the father of many nations. And the Lord gave him a name Abraham(before that, according to the Bible, his name was Avram). God commanded Abraham's wife to be called Sarah. The Lord blessed her and said that there would be descendants from her, and nations and kings would come from her. God commanded that Sarah's firstborn be named Isaac. It was to the descendants of Isaac that, according to the Lord, the Covenant should have extended, and not to the descendants of Ishmael, the son of Abraham from the maidservant Hagar.

God promised Abraham:

• Give him and his descendants the land of Canaan as an eternal possession,
• To be God to all nations who will come from Abraham,

In response, Abraham and his descendants should have:

• Circumcise all males on the eighth day from birth, as well as all infants purchased with silver;

That same day Abraham circumcised the foreskin of all the men and boys in his house.

The Lord's Appearances to Abraham

Soon the Lord appeared to Abraham again, and again they talked about how Sarah would bear Abraham a son. And they also talked about Sodom. The Lord said that he is great. And God wanted to destroy Sodom, Abraham asked God if he would destroy the righteous along with the wicked. And then the Lord promised to spare the city if there were at least 50 righteous people in it. Abraham asked, if there are 45 righteous people there, will the Lord really destroy them? The Lord replied that he would spare him. So they talked about 40, 30, 20, 10 righteous people, until finally the Lord promised not to destroy the city even for the sake of 10 righteous people.

However, not a single righteous person was found in Sodom except Lot, Abraham's nephew, whom God spared. Sodom was destroyed by the Lord.

John Martin. Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. (Lot's flight with his daughters)

Abraham and his family settled between Kadesh and Shur. And again, this time fearing for Sarah’s fate, Abraham called her his sister. The local king Abimelech took Sarah, after which God appeared to him and threatened him with death. God ordered the king to return Abraham's wife. Abimelech returned Sarah to Abraham and with her gave Abraham cattle and slaves and land.

Birth of Isaac and death of Sarah

Soon after these events, as the Lord promised, Sarah conceived from Abraham and bore him a son, Isaac. Abraham, according to the Covenant of the Lord, circumcised Isaac on the eighth day.

One day, Hagar’s son began to mock Sarah’s son, and Sarah kicked out Hagar and her son. Abraham was saddened, but the Lord promised him that he would make a great nation from the son of a slave. Hagar and his son lived in the desert. Ishmael married an Egyptian woman.

Abraham settled in the land of the Philistines and lived here for many days. God began to tempt Abraham, ordering him to sacrifice his son Isaac. Abraham was God-fearing and prepared to sacrifice his son. Then the Angel told Abraham that he now saw that he truly feared God.

Abraham's wife, Sarah, died at 127 years old in the land of Canaan. Abraham asked the sons of Heth for a place to bury Sarah. The sons of Heth promised him the best of burial places. Then Abraham began to ask Ephron for the cave of Machpelah to bury Sarah. The land of Ephron was located between the lands of the sons of Heth. Abraham received this land for four hundred shekels of silver.

The Last Years of Abraham.

Before his death, Abraham ordered his servant to swear by the Lord that he would not allow his son Isaac to marry one of the daughters of the Canaanites. Abraham sent his servant to his homeland to find a bride for his son. Abraham's servant met Rebekah, the great-granddaughter of Abraham's brother. Rebekah became Isaac's wife.

Abraham married again. His name last wife- Keturah. She bore Abraham six more sons - Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak and Shuach. However, Isaac became Abraham's only heir.

Abraham died at the age of 175 and was buried next to Sarah in the Cave of Machpelah.

As you can see, the biography of Abraham is described in the Bible in great detail, and the role of this patriarch in biblical history is truly great.

Mentions of Abraham in the New Testament.

Abraham is often mentioned in the New Testament; only Moses is mentioned more often among the Old Testament characters. Abraham is also mentioned as the ancestor of Jesus, and it is this fact that emphasizes the divinity of Christ. The birth of Christ is seen as the fulfillment of the Covenant between God and Abraham. Patriarch Abraham in the New Testament- a prototype of the highest piety and righteousness. Abraham is the keeper and teacher of the faith.

Abraham in different cultures.

IN Koran Abraham operates under the name Ibrahim and is revered as one of the greatest prophets. The story of Ibrahim as described in the Koran is very similar to the biblical story of Abraham. IN Jewish midrashim Abraham is the author of the idea of ​​monotheism. Allegedly, he realized that there is one God at the age of three, after which he smashed all his father’s idols and began to pray to one God. In Jewish tradition, Abraham is also credited with authorship of the Book of Creation - the ancient source according to Kabbalah.

God of Abraham.

We often hear the expression “B og Abraham" or " Abraham's god", but do we always understand its meaning?

In the time of Abraham, people did not doubt the existence of some supernatural force, or rather forces. Pagan beliefs imply the existence of mysterious and powerful beings. However, the gods of the pagan world are different from the God of Abraham: they are not omnipotent, and need people and sacrifices. Pagans view their gods as more powerful allies with whom relationships can be beneficial.

Pagan gods stand outside the concept of morality. They do not care about how and what their followers live. They are not interested in the moral side, but in the pragmatic side - that is, sacrifices. The faith of the pagans does not require rethinking their behavior and repentance.

The God of Abraham is completely different. It is no longer possible to establish a relationship with Abraham’s God according to the “you tell me - I tell you” scheme. The God of Abraham is omnipotent and demands moral obedience. Abraham's god created the Earth. The God of Abraham is otherworldly, he is not in the realm of Being. The God of Abraham is God Almighty, God Almighty. Abram's faith is not just faith in the existence of God, it is personal trust and hope in the Lord.

Abraham's Sacrifice

Abraham's sacrifice was the offering of his son Isaac as a sacrifice to God. According to the Bible, God called Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac as a “burnt offering.” Abraham obeyed without hesitation. Abraham built an altar in the land of Moriah, tied up his son, laid him on top of the firewood and raised his hand with a knife over him, when an angel appeared to him and said that this sacrifice was no longer needed, since Abraham had confirmed his faith.

IN Christian tradition Abraham's sacrifice is regarded both as an act of the highest manifestation of faith and fidelity, and as proof that faith is not self-sufficient and must be supported or justified by works. In , the Apostle Paul gives the example of Abraham's sacrifice as an example of unshakable faith. Abraham believed so much in the Lord and in his Covenant that he knew that one way or another he would have large descendants through Isaac, which means that the Lord would resurrect him.

Abraham's Sacrifice also seen as a prediction of the martyrdom of Jesus. Early Christian theologians draw attention to a similar motive for Isaac's obedience to the will of Abraham and Jesus to the will of God the Father. Isaac carried wood to his own altar, just as Jesus carried the cross on which he was crucified to the mountain.

There are a number of other, no less interesting views on the sacrifice of Abraham. Some biblical scholars believe that the story of the sacrifice of Isaac explains the practice of abandoning human sacrifice. It is also believed that this story has undergone changes over time, in the original version Isaac was sacrificed, but when human sacrifices were abolished, the text about the sacrifice of Abraham was corrected.

Be that as it may, the paradox of the story of Abraham is that where the patriarch was once ready to sacrifice his son, the Temple was built, and not far away the sacrifice was made on Calvary.

Abraham is the father of nations and religions.

It is often said about Abraham that he is the father of three religions - Judaism, Christianity and Islam - and this is true. They also say about Abraham that he is the progenitor of the Jewish and Arab peoples - this is also true. Abraham is the ancestor Abrahamic religions, that is, monotheistic religions originating from the religious tradition going back to Abraham. The Abrahamic religions, in addition to the already mentioned Christianity, Judaism and Islam, also include:

• Karaimism (a religion based on the idea that each believer independently determines the application of the Law of Moses),
• Babism or Vera Babi,
• Baha'i Faith,
• Mandaeism,
• Yezidism,
• Rastafarianism.

Abraham as a historical figure.

Like any story in the Bible, the story of Abraham is taken on faith by some, while others doubt the authenticity of biblical stories and even the very fact of the existence of certain stories.

What can we say about Abraham? Scientists have proven that Abraham is not only a biblical character, but also a very real person.

Archaeological excavations conducted in the city of Ur, which is listed in the Book of Genesis as the birthplace of Abraham, as well as recent discoveries of ancient tablets that contain the names of Abraham, his relatives and even enemies, confirm that Abraham is a real historical figure.

Excavations in the city of Ur

Apparently, Abraham was the leader of the Habiru tribe of nomads (later these tribes became known as the Jews). The Habiru tribes did not have their own land and moved from place to place. This historical fact does not contradict the Bible, because Old Testament we find a description of Abraham's many wanderings.

After God mixed up the languages ​​in Babylon, people, dividing into many nations, forgot the is-tin But God and began to worship idols. Then the Lord commanded Av-ram: “Get out of your land. I will make you into a great nation, I will bless you and bring you your name" With faith and humility, having accepted the message of God, Av-ram left Ur of Chaldean and with his wife Sa -roy and pl-myan-no-kom Lo-tom settled in the land of Ha-na-an-skaya. Soon Lot left Ab-rama, but the city where he settled was captured by enemies, and Lot fell captured Av-ram armed his slaves, defeated the enemy and freed Lot. When Av-ram was returning with victory, the kings came to meet him. Mel-hi-se-dec, king of Salim, priest of the God of the All-highest, brought bread and wine and blessed Av-ra -ma. The Lord Himself was with Abram and made a covenant with him, saying: “Look at the sky and look at the stars, if only “You eat, that’s how much you’ll have.” (Under the fact that he is under the Church of the Lord). When Av-ram was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to him and said: “I am God Almighty; walk before My Face and be innocent: and I will establish My covenant with you and give you many descendants . Now you will not call yourself Av-ra-am, but let your name be Av-ra-am; for I will make you the father of many nations. (The name Av-ra-am means “father of many”). Let your wife's name be Sarah. And she will give birth to a son, and his name will be Isaac.”

At the oak-ra-va Ma-m-re, where Av-ra-am sat, the Lord appeared to him in the guise of three countries (pro-image Pre -Holy Trinity). Having received the guests with honor and generosity, Av-ra-am found the blessings of God. One of the guests said: “Next year, when I will be with you again at this time, your wife will have a son.” . It was opened to Av-ra-am and about the on-me-re-tion of the State-to-gu-beat the inhabitants of the cities of So-do-ma and Go- seas, dirty in sin. Av-ra-am is-pro-strength from the bo-le-niy from the k-ry of his ple-my-ni-ka Lo-ta, who lived a righteous life new in So-do-me. Two An-ge-la came to Lo-ta's house in the form of countries. So-the-house-lians began to demand you-yes them. Then An-ge-ly ra-zi-li co-dom-lian left, and Lo-tu and his relatives left mountains to the mountains. “Save your soul and don’t look behind you,” they said. After their departure, So-dom and Go-mor-ra were once again descended from the sky with fire and brimstone, and the whole country was the same -ti-was in the salty lake (now the Dead Sea). Lo-ta's wife did not use An-ge-la's ve-le-niya. Turning around, she turned into a pillar of salt.

When Av-ra-am was half a hundred years old, Sar-ra gave birth to his son Isa-a-ka. Then Av-ra-am ordered his servant Hagar, from whom he had a son, Is-ma-il, to leave the house. Love Av-ra-am, the Lord brought forth from Is-ma-i-la many Ar-avian peoples. And now, after many years of life, the Lord gives Ab-ra-am the last test, a superior one. -you are usually a ven-no-go person. Testing the faith of Av-ra-am, God called out to him: “Take your only son, who you love, Isa-a-ka, go to the land of Moriah and there, bring him with all the burning on one of the mountains that I am I’ll show you.” Despite the great sorrow, Av-ra-am remained in the presence of the Lord under her. Having come with his son to Mount Moriah (in the center of now-nesh-ne-go Yeru-sa-li-ma), he built a fire. And Isaac said to Av-ra-am: “My father! Here is the fire and the wood, where is the lamb to burn everything?” Av-ra-am answered: “God will provide for the lamb, my son.” Having tied Isa-a-ka, Av-ra-am laid him on the altar and, taking a knife, stretched out his hand to stab him. But at that moment he heard the voice of God: “Ah-ra-am! Don’t put your hand on your hand, for now I know that you fear God and don’t spare your son. the only one for Me.” Av-ra-am once-knitted Isa-a-ka and, seeing the ov-na, s-pu-tav-she-yu-s-in-the-bu-sts, brought him all-hot -nie. And the Lord said: “I swear that since you did this deed and did not spare your son, your only one for Me- Nya, then I bless you, and all the nations of the earth say bliss in yours, because you I listened to Mo-e-go’s voice.”

A few years later, Sarah died, and Av-ra-am entered into a new marriage with Heth-tu-roy, from whom he had even six more sons. Having lived one hundred and seventy-five years, Av-ra-am gave up his spirit to the Lord God in peace. From him, as the birth of the Jews, Christ Himself came into the flesh, and all the truth Those who are in Christ are called the sons of Av-ra-ama.

See also: "" in the text of St. Di-mit-ria of Ro-stov.

The Bible is a holy book for adherents of the Christian school of religion. The significant meaning of the described plots, moralistic background and eternal relevance make biblical stories interesting for generations of any era. The chapters of the Old and New Testaments are reread by Christians from time to time, since the message contained in them is rarely revealed immediately and acquires new colors over time.

History of appearance

The parable describing the sacrifice of Isaac by Father Abraham tells how the biblical character, as a sign of love for God, gave him the most valuable thing in life. The significance of this legend cannot be overestimated. Abraham was the first to speak to the Almighty after the Flood. The father of many nations and spiritual ancestor made a covenant that helped save humanity. From the moment Abraham is mentioned in the Bible, the patriarchal period begins, which lasts until the last Jew left Egypt.

Today, sacrifices seem savage, although for Old Testament times it was a necessary action and a normal occurrence. Innocent souls sacrificed were considered the most precious gift from humanity. The description of the nuances that exist in reality adds special relevance to the stories. For example, Mount Moriah, where Abraham killed a ram in place of his son, is actually the site of the Jerusalem Temple. erected it in honor of the Lord.

Theologians connect the parable of Abraham with the sacrifice of Jesus. A kind of prototype of the salvation of mankind lies in the act of the prophet. Like him, God sacrificed his son, who did not resist the will of his father.

Abraham's action is also viewed from a different angle. They see it as a way to get what they want from God, despite the waiting time for the promised. According to the logic of believers, it will be granted in a timely manner. God must know that a person is ready to give his most precious things as a sign of love for him. Divine mercy is revealed to biblical heroes and followers of Christianity in an individual way, and this is worth remembering when rereading the lines of sacred texts.

Abraham in religion

The date of birth of Abraham is considered to be 1812 BC. According to legend, the hero lived for 175 years and found peace in 1637 BC. The meaning of the character's name is “father of many.” His story is a legend about the life of a patriarch conducting a dialogue with the Lord after the Flood. A true lover of God was ready to do anything for the sake of faith.

The character's biography is contained in the Book of Genesis. Abraham was born in the ancient Sumerian state, Ur of the Chaldeans, located in what is now Iran. The character had two brothers: Aran and Nahor. Terah, the hero's father, died at 205 years old. Abraham was married to Sarah, who was unable to reproduce. Together with her and his nephew, he went, according to the instructions of the Lord, to the land to which the Almighty should point. God promised Abraham that he would become the progenitor of a great nation, receive the blessing of the Lord and forever preserve his name throughout the ages.

At the age of 75, Abraham and his family left Harran and headed to Canaan, where God appeared to him, bequeathing the lands to the hero’s descendants. In honor of this good deed, the man erected an altar in the city in the name of the Lord. Abraham then headed east and then south, reaching Egypt. The scripture separately tells that Sarah, the wife of Abraham, was taken into the house of Pharaoh, for which the Egyptian ruler suffered punishment. Having become rich in Egypt, Abraham returned to one of the points on his route, leading people and livestock. The travelers encountered obstacles in the form of people who had lived in this area before them, and decided to look for other lands.

The issue of prolongation of the family line was resolved by Abraham with the help of Sarah's servant, whose name was Hagar. The firstborn was named Ismail (or Ishmael). When Abraham was 99 years old, he made a covenant with the Lord. God ordered the firstborn from Sarah to be named Isaac. The covenant rules were to apply to the descendants of Isaac, not to the children of Ishmael. God's friend promised to circumcise the boys of their family in exchange for the land of Canaan and honor by the descendants of Abraham. Scripture describes many events in the life of Abraham, but the main point of his biography is that he kills his son Isaac. The sacrifice made to God becomes his only heir.

Abraham offered the burnt offering without hesitation. At the moment of raising the knife over his son on the altar, which was located on Mount Moriah, Abraham saw an angel. He said that the prophet’s faith was confirmed, and the sacrifice was not needed.

This action of a man is explained by his boundless faith and loyalty. Abraham was convinced: if the Lord promised to produce offspring from Isaac, then providence would find a way to resurrect his beloved son.

Abraham died at 175 years old. The burial place of the biblical character is the Machpeleh cave, where his wife Sarah rests.

• Abraham is a hero whose name is often mentioned in the Old and New Testaments. Only Moses enjoys the same popularity. The ancestor of Jesus became a symbol through which the audience became aware of the divinity of Jesus Christ and his exaltedness. The birth of Christ is the fulfillment of the covenant made by Abraham with God. At the same time, his death repeats the sacrifice made by his father in the name of faith. In the New Testament, Abraham is considered the bearer of faith and the teacher who transmits its main principles. By his example, he sets a model of righteousness and piety.

• Abraham is a character featured in different religions. In the Koran, he is the prophet of Islam, named Ibrahim. His biography is similar to the biography from the Bible. It is curious that in Jewish midrashim the idea of ​​monotheism and monotheism belongs to Abraham. According to legend, the hero was the first to understand that God is one. At the age of three, he received his sight, realizing that the idols of his ancestors were not those worthy of his faith, and he became a follower of the Lord. In the tradition of Jewish beliefs, Abraham is considered the creator of the Book of Creation. This literary source turned out to be the basis of the Kabbalistic movement.
• The hero's sacrifice has been interpreted in different ways by scholars and philosophers. Scholars of biblical texts adhere to the idea that the sacrifice of the innocent Isaac becomes an example of the refusal of tribute to the Lord in the form human life. It is believed that over time the Bible has undergone changes and modifications. It is likely that in the original version of the plot Isaac was killed, but after the sacrifices were abolished, the text was edited.

• Initially, the hero’s name was Abram, which translated means “high father.” His wife's name is Sarah, which means lady. The Lord commanded the couple to change their names at the moment when he announced that their role for the future of humanity was significant. Subsequently, God's interlocutor was called Abraham. The name is interpreted as "father of multitudes." The prophet's wife began to be called Sarah - "the lady of the multitude." This technique in literature and the plot twist in scripture indicate the exaltation of the character in the eyes of believers and in religion.