Pierre michel beck biography of abraham

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. Further, Abimelech gave Abraham a thousand pieces of silver to serve as Sarah's vindication before all.

Abraham then prayed for Abimelech and his household, since God had stricken the women with infertility because of the taking of Sarah. After living for some time in the land of the Philistines, Abimelech and Phicolthe 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. As had been prophesied in Mamre the previous year, [ 46 ] 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. During the celebration, however, Sarah found Ishmael mocking; an observation that would begin to clarify the birthright of Isaac. Ishmael was fourteen years old when Abraham's son Isaac was born to Sarah. 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. 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 archer living in the wilderness of Paran. Eventually his mother found a wife for Ishmael from her home country, the land of Egypt. 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. 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.

He died at ageand was buried in the cave of Machpelah by his sons Isaac and Ishmael. 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 pierre michel beck biography of abraham matriarchs were either real individuals or believable composites of people who lived in the " patriarchal age ", the 2nd millennium BCE.

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.

Abraham's story, like those of the other patriarchs, most likely had a substantial oral prehistory [ 71 ] he is mentioned in the Book of Ezekiel [ 72 pierre michel beck biography of abraham and the Book of Isaiah [ 73 ]. As with MosesAbraham's name is apparently very ancient, as the tradition found in the Book of Genesis no longer understands its original meaning probably "Father is exalted" — the meaning offered in Genesis"Father of a multitude", is a folk etymology.

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. According to Nissim Amzallagthe Book of Genesis portrays Abraham as having an Amorite origin, arguing that the patriarch's provenance from the region of Harran as described in Genesis 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. 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 Marisuggesting that the Genesis stories retain historical memories of the ancestral origins of some of the Israelites.

He also suggests that the Patriarch's name corresponds to a form typical of the Middle Bronze Age and not of later periods. The earliest possible reference to Abraham may be the name of a town in the Negev listed in a victory inscription of Pharaoh Sheshonq I biblical Shishakwhich is referred as "the Fortress of Abraham", suggesting the possible existence of an Abraham tradition in the 10th century BCE.

Furthermore, many interpreted blood ties between tribe members as common descent from an eponymous ancestor i. Abraham's Journey from Ur to Harran could be explained as a retrospective reflection of the story of the return of the Jews from the Babylonian exile. Indeed, Israel Finkelstein suggested that the oldest Abraham traditions originated in the Iron Age monarchic period and that they contained an autochthonous hero story, as the oldest mentions of Abraham outside the book of Genesis Ezekiel 33 and Isaiah 51 : do not depend on Genesis 12—26; 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.

Abraham is given a high position of respect in three major world faiths, JudaismChristianityand 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.

In Legends of the JewsGod created heaven and earth for the sake of the merits of Abraham. 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 Chaldeans into pieces. Abraham is generally credited as the author of the Sefer Yetzirahone of the earliest extant books on Jewish mysticism.

According to Pirkei AvotAbraham underwent ten tests at God's command. In ChristianityAbraham is revered as the prophet to whom God chose to reveal himself and with whom God initiated a covenant cf. Covenant Theology. Throughout history, church leaders, following Paul, have emphasized Abraham as the spiritual father of all Christians. He is also commemorated in the calendars of saints of several denominations: on 20 August by the Maronite Church28 August in the Coptic Church and the Assyrian Church of the East with the full office for the latterand on 9 October by the Roman Catholic Church and the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod.

The first time is on 9 October for those churches which follow the traditional Julian Calendar9 October falls on 22 October of the modern Gregorian Calendarwhere he is commemorated together with his nephew "Righteous Lot". The other is on the "Sunday of the Forefathers" two Sundays before Christmaswhen he is commemorated together with other ancestors of Jesus.

Abraham is also mentioned in the Divine Liturgy of Basil the Greatjust before the Anaphora, and Abraham and Sarah are invoked in the prayers said by the priest over a newly married couple. A popular hymn sung in many English-speaking Sunday Schools by children is known as "Father Abraham" and emphasizes the patriarch as the spiritual progenitor of Christians.

Some Christian theologians equate the "three visitors" with the Holy Trinityseeing in their apparition a theophany experienced by Abraham [ ] see also the articles on the Constantinian basilica at Mamre and the church at the so-called " Oak of Mamre ". Islam regards Ibrahim Abraham as a link in the chain of prophets that begins with Adam and culminates in Muhammad via Ismail Ishmael.

In Islam, Abraham holds an exalted position among the major prophets and he is referred to as "Ibrahim Khalilullah", meaning "Abraham the Friend of God ".

Pierre michel beck biography of abraham

Besides Ishaq and YaqubIbrahim is among the most honorable and the most excellent men in sight of God. The Druze regard Abraham as the third spokesman natiq after Adam and Noahwho helped transmit the foundational teachings of monotheism tawhid intended for the larger audience. 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.

No one supported him except his nephew Lot and "one or two other individuals of no consequence". Abraham then came to "these regions", that is, to the Holy Land. The purpose of God, moreover, was to sacrifice him as a ransom for the sins and iniquities of all the peoples of the earth. 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.

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 This sarcophagus has been described as "probably the single most famous piece of early Christian relief sculpture.

Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. The Old Testament scenes depicted were chosen as precursors of Christ's sacrifice in the New Testamentin an early form of typology. Just to the right of the middle is Daniel in the lion's den and on the left is Abraham about to sacrifice Isaac. George Segal created figural sculptures by molding plastered gauze strips over live models in his 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 Abraham can sometimes be identified by the context of the image — the meeting with Melchizedekthe three visitorsor 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.

The Bible describes him as an pierre michel beck biography of abraham person. 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 MaggioreRome, 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 Trinitywhich shows only the three visitors as beardless youths at a table. In some Orthodox iconsAbraham is portrayed as one of the biblical figures waiting for the Christians in Heaven after the Final Judgement. Kierkegaard wanted to understand the anxiety that must have been present in Abraham when God asked him to sacrifice his son.

Hardy 's novel Father Abraham tells the fictionalized life story of Abraham. InSteve 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.

Bob Dylan 's " Highway 61 Revisited " [ ] is the title track for his album Highway 61 Revisited. In each stanza, someone describes an unusual problem that is ultimately resolved on Highway In Stanza 1, God tells Abraham to " kill me a son ". God wants the killing done on Highway Abram, the original name of the biblical Abraham, is also the name of Dylan's own father.

Contents move to sidebar hide. Article Talk. Read View source View history. Tools Tools. Download as PDF Printable version. In other projects. Wikimedia Commons Wikiquote Wikisource Wikidata item. Hebrew patriarch according to the Hebrew Bible. Several terms redirect here. For other uses, see Abraham disambiguationAbram disambiguationAvraham disambiguationand Avram disambiguation.

Ur of the ChaldeesMesopotamia. HebronCanaan. Sarah Hagar concubine Keturah. Oldest to youngest:. Abraham is presented as an example of how our faith should result in our doing good things James The life of Abraham included both faith in God and works motivated by that faith. Our Christian walk should have both those elements also. Much more could be written about Abraham, but space does not permit it here.

Abraham was not a perfect man; however, the overall direction of his life was towards God. We will not always walk perfectly in our Christian life either, but we should remember that, just as God was with Abraham even when he struggled, God loves us and will gladly forgive us if we fail. The New Testament presents Abraham as a model of faithful life; a life that believes the truths of God and lives out those truths in day-to-day living.

This is the kind of faith we should seek to duplicate; and with the help of the Holy Spirit, we are able. Job Bible Story Summary. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Tagged as: abrahamAbramBible Story. He is convinced that the hope of the world lies in men and women having a saving relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ. Robert believes that the Bible contains the truth that God wants us to base our lives upon.

He is passionate about understanding the Bible and helping others do the same. Only when one views life through the lens of the Bible can one arrive at a worldview based on truth. Robert is happily married and lives in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Read them in the archive below. If you like what you're reading, you can get free daily updates through the RSS feed here.

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