| Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary 3,895,029,040 visitors served. |
Dictionary/ thesaurus | Medical dictionary | Legal dictionary | Financial dictionary | Acronyms | Idioms | Encyclopedia | Wikipedia encyclopedia | ? |
Abraham |
Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Acronyms, Wikipedia | 0.01 sec. |
|
|
Abraham [according to the Book of Genesis, Heb.,=father of many nations] or Abram (ā`brəm) [Heb.,=exalted father], in the Bible, progenitor of the Hebrews; in the Qur'an, ancestor of the Arabs. As the founder of Judaism Judaism , the religious beliefs and practices and the way of life of the Jews. The term itself was first used by Hellenized Jews to describe their religious practice, but it is of predominantly modern usage; it is not used in the Bible or in Rabbinic literature and ..... Click the link for more information. , he is said to have instituted the rite of circumcision as a sign of the covenant between God and the Jews, who are descended from Isaac Isaac [Heb.,=laughter], according to the patriarchal narratives of the Book of Genesis, Isaac was the only son of Abraham and Sara. He married Rebecca, and their sons were Esau and Jacob. Ishmael was his half brother. ..... Click the link for more information. , son of Abraham's old age. Abraham also received the promise of Canaan for his people. In response to divine command, Abraham left Haran, taking his wife Sara Sara or Sarah, in the Bible, wife of Abraham and mother of Isaac. With Rebekah, Rachel, and Leah, she was one of the four Hebrew matriarchs. Her name was originally Sarai [Heb.,=princess]. ..... Click the link for more information. and his nephew Lot Lot, in the Book of Genesis, the son of Abraham's brother Haran. Lot settled in Sodom and received a warning of its destruction. As he fled with his family, his wife, disobeying God's orders, looked back at the city and was turned into a pillar of salt. ..... Click the link for more information. to Canaan, where God promised him many descendants who would become a great nation. His devotion and trust in God and his promises are exemplified pre-eminently in Abraham's preparedness to sacrifice his son Isaac. The Book of Joshua confesses Abraham as a one-time worshiper of other gods before he entered Canaan. Muslims believe that Arabs are descended from Abraham and Hagar through their son Ishmael Ishmael [Heb.,=God hears], in the Bible. Other Abraham traditions are to be found in the Old Testament Pseudepigrapha Pseudepigrapha [Gr.,=things falsely ascribed], a collection of early Jewish and some Jewish-Christian writings composed between c.200 B.C. and c.A.D. 200, not found in the Bible or rabbinic writings. BibliographySee T. L. Thompson, The Historicity of the Patriarchal Narratives (1974); J. van Seters, Abraham in History and Tradition (1975); A. R. Millard and D. J. Wiseman, ed., Essays on the Patriarchal Narratives (1983). Abraham(flourished early 2nd millennium BC) First of the Hebrew patriarchs, revered by Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Genesis tells how Abraham, at 75, left Ur with his barren wife, Sarai (later Sarah), and others to found a new nation in Canaan. There God made a covenant with him, promising that his descendants would inherit the land and become a great nation. Abraham fathered Ishmael by Sarah's maidservant Hagar; Sarah herself bore Isaac, who inherited the covenant. Abraham's faith was tested when God ordered him to sacrifice Isaac; he was prepared to obey but God relented. In Judaism he is a model of virtue, in Christianity he is the father of all believers, and in Islam he is an ancestor of Muhammad and a model (in Sufism) of generosity. Abraham 1. Old Testament the first of the patriarchs, the father of Isaac and the founder of the Hebrew people (Genesis 11--25) 2. Abraham's bosom the place where the just repose after death (Luke 16:22) Abraham initiated rite in covenant with God. [O.T.: Genesis 17:11–14] See : Circumcision Abraham in obedience to God, would sacrifice his only son. [O.T.: Genesis 22:1–18] See : Faithfulness Abraham progenitor of a host of nations. [O.T.: Genesis 17:3–6]
See : Fatherhood Abraham graciously receives and treats three wayfarers. [O.T.: Genesis 18:1–15] See : Hospitality Abraham promised countless descendants by God. [O.T.: Genesis 13:16] See : Prolificness Abraham his faith is tested when God demands the sacrifice of his son Isaac. [O.T.: Genesis 22:13] See : Test Abraham (also Abram). Mythological forefather of the Hebrews. Biblical tradition (Genesis 11–25) gives Ur as Abraham’s homeland and tells of his wanderings in Mesopotamia, Palestine, and Egypt. Abraham is credited with the victory over the Elamites and their ally the Babylonian king Hammurabi (Amraphel). The story of Abraham’s unsuccessful attempt to kill his son Isaac as a sacrifice to the god Yahweh testifies to the incipient transition away from human sacrifice and is comparable to the ancient Greek myth about Iphigenia. In the Koran, Abraham (Ibrahim) is considered the forefather of both the Hebrews and the Arabs and one of the precursors of Muhammad. In the Mandaean sect Abraham is one of the false prophets. Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content. |
|
| Encyclopedia |
| Free Tools: |
For surfers:
Free toolbar & extensions |
Word of the Day |
Help
For webmasters: Free content | Linking | Lookup box | Double-click lookup |
|---|