Abraham lived in the land of the Chaldees. He was a descendant of Shem and, with all his family, retained the true faith in God. He was rich, had a lot of cattle, silver, gold and many servants, but he had no children and grieved about it.
God chose righteous Abraham to preserve the true faith through his offspring for all mankind. And in order to protect him and his offspring from his native pagan people (because among his native people - pagans it was more likely to learn idolatry), God appeared to Abraham and said: “Go out of your land ... and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you; and I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and magnify your name ... and all the tribes of the earth will be blessed in you, ”that is, in this people - in its offspring, in time the Savior of the world promised to the first people, Who will bless all the peoples of the earth, will be born .
Abraham was seventy-five years old at the time. He obeyed the Lord, took his wife Sarah, his nephew Lot, and all the property that they had acquired, all his servants, and moved to the land that the Lord showed him. This land was called Canaan and was very fertile. The Canaanites lived there then. It was one of the most wicked peoples. The Canaanites were the descendants of Canaan the son of Hamov. Here the Lord appeared again to Abraham and said: "All the land that you see, I will give to you and your offspring." Abraham built an altar and offered a sacrifice of thanksgiving to God. After that, the land of Canaan began to be called the promised land, that is, the promised one, since God promised to give it to Abraham and his offspring. And now it is called Palestine. This land is located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea, and the Jordan River flows through its middle.
When the flocks of Abraham and Lot multiplied so much that they became crowded together and incessant disputes began to occur between their shepherds, then they decided to disperse amicably. Abraham said to Lot, “Let there be no strife between us, for we are kindred. Is not the whole earth before you? Separate yourself from me: if you are to the right, then I am to the left. Lot chose the Jordanian valley for himself and settled in Sodom. And Abraham remained to live in the land of Canaan and settled near Hebron, near the oak forest of Mamre. There, near the Mauryan oak, he pitched his tent and built an altar to the Lord.
Once, on a hot day, Abraham was sitting under the shade of an oak, at the entrance to his tent, and he saw: three strangers were standing opposite him. Abraham loved to receive strangers. He immediately got up and ran to meet them, bowed to the ground and began to call them to him to rest under a tree and refresh themselves with food.
The strangers came to him. According to the custom of that time, Abraham washed their feet, served bread, immediately prepared by his wife Sarah, served butter, milk and the best roast calf, and began to treat them. And they ate. And they said to him, "Where is Sarah your wife?" He replied: "Here, in the tent."
And one of them said, "In a year I will be with you again, and Sarah your wife will have a son." Sarah, standing at the back of the tent door, heard these words. She laughed to herself and thought, "Should I have such consolation when I am already old?" But the stranger said, “Why did Sarah laugh? Is there anything difficult for the Lord? At the appointed time, I will be with you, and Sarah will have a son.” Sarah was afraid and said, "I didn't laugh." But he told her, "No, you laughed." Abraham then realized that before him were not simple wanderers, but that God Himself was speaking to him. Abraham was 99 at the time, and Sarah was 89.
Departing from Abraham, God revealed to him that He would destroy the neighboring cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, since they are the most wicked cities on earth. Abraham's nephew, the righteous Lot, lived in Sodom. Abraham began to beg the Lord to have mercy on these cities if there were fifty righteous people there. The Lord said, "If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will have mercy on the whole city for their sake." Abraham again asked: “Maybe fifty righteous people will not get five?” The Lord said: “I will not destroy if I find forty-five righteous people there.” Abraham, however, continued to speak with the Lord and implore Him, decreasing the number of the righteous, until he reached ten; he said: “May the Master not be angry, what shall I say one more time: maybe there will be ten righteous people there?” God said, "I will not destroy even for the sake of ten." But in these unfortunate cities the inhabitants were so evil and depraved that even ten righteous people were not found there. These wicked even wanted to abuse the two angels who came to save the righteous Lot. They were about to break down the door, but the angels struck them with blindness and took Lot and his family - with his wife and two daughters - out of the city. They told them to run and not look back, lest they die.
And then the Lord poured a rain of brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah and destroyed these cities and all the people in them. And he devastated the whole place so that in the valley where they were, a salt lake was formed, now known as the Dead Sea.
NOTE: See Gen. 12-20.
There was a mixture of languages and people settled in different countries. Faith in one God began to be forgotten, paganism reigned in the world - the worship of many gods, heavenly bodies and even inanimate objects. But there was one man named Abraham who, while living among the Gentiles, maintained faith in the true God. Here history of Abraham and Sarah, his wife.
Abraham is a descendant of Shem and the ancestor of the Jewish and Arab peoples.
When Abraham was 75 years old, God appeared to him and said: “Go out of your country, from your kindred, and from your father’s house to a land that I will show you. yours, and you will be blessed."
Abraham obeyed the command of God. He took his wife Sarah, servants, slaves and, leaving the city of Ur, where he was born and lived all his life, set off on his journey.
God brought Abraham to the land of Canaan. Nomadic shepherds, descendants of Canaan, lived there. The land of Canaan was vast and fertile, but sparsely populated. God promised Abraham that in time all this land would belong to his descendants. Thus the land of Canaan became the promised land.
Abraham settled with his family in the land of Canaan and began to lead the usual life of a pastoralist. God appeared to Abraham several more times to confirm the prophecy about the large number and greatness of the future Abraham's offspring. But Abraham's wife, Sarah, was barren, and Abraham had no children.
Then, following the ancient custom, Sarah chose among her slaves a concubine for her husband, an Egyptian named Hagar, in order to bring up the child she had born as her own. Hagar soon became pregnant. She immediately became proud and stopped paying respect to Sarah, her mistress. Sarah complained to her husband: "I gave my maidservant into your bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, she began to despise me."
Abraham said to his wife: "Your maid is in your hands - do with her what you please." Sarah began to oppress Hagar, and she, unable to stand it, ran away from home. Not knowing where to go, Hagar wandered all day in the wilderness, and at night she fell asleep in the open. In a dream, an angel appeared to her and said: "Return to your mistress and submit to her!" Hagar obeyed the angel, returned to Sarah and in due time gave birth to a son, who received the name Ishmael, which means "God hears." Several years have passed.
One day, three strangers passed by Abraham's dwelling. Following the laws of hospitality, Abraham invited them to rest and eat.
Sarah baked bread for the guests. Abraham stabbed and ordered the calf to be roasted. Having had their fill, the strangers thanked the hospitable hosts, and one of them said to Abraham: "I will again be with you at the same time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son."
On hearing these words, Sarah, who was 90 years old at the time, thought, "Where I am old, shall I have this consolation? And my lord is old." But the stranger, guessing her thoughts, edifyingly said that nothing is impossible for the Lord. Then the strangers left.
These three wanderers were actually angels in whom God himself was incarnated. (Their image - the so-called "Old Testament Trinity" - is one of the most common subjects of Russian icons, including the famous "Trinity" by Andrei Rublev).
A year later, as predicted, a son was born to ninety-year-old Sarah and a hundred-year-old Abraham. Sarah was happy and confused at the same time. She said: "God made me laugh; whoever hears of me will laugh." Sarah named her son Isaac, which means "laughter."
Isaac was legitimate son Abraham, but Ishmael, although born of a slave, was the eldest and, according to custom, had more rights. Sarah's dislike for Hagar flared up with new force, and she turned to her husband, demanding: "Drive out this slave woman and her son, for the son of this slave woman will not inherit with my son Isaac."
“It seemed to Abraham very unpleasant,” he did not want to part with his eldest son, but God commanded him to do as Sarah requires, and not to worry about the fate of Ishmael, who, like Isaac, was destined to become the founder of a great nation.
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In the places of the appearance of the Lord, Abram builds altars to Him, which later became shrines - in Shechem (Gen 12, 7, in Bethel Gen 12, 8 and later - in the oak forest of Mamre near Hebron) Gen 13, 8.
Passage to Egypt and return to Canaan
At the head of an armed detachment, Abram defeated the Elamite king and his allies, who attacked the kings of the Siddim valley and captured his nephew Lot (Genesis 14, 13-16). In this story about Abram, the word “Jew” appears for the first time in the Old Testament (Genesis 14:30). Upon returning from the war, there was a meeting between Abram and Melchizedek, king of Salem, the priest of the Most High God, who brought bread and wine to Abram and blessed him, while Abram, in turn, gave Melchizedek a tithe from the booty (Genesis 14, 17-24).
The Promise of an Inheritance and the Making of a Covenant
To the childless, aged Abram, who is already ready to appoint his steward Eliezer as the heir, God gives the promise of an heir and an increase in offspring, which will be as numerous as the stars in the sky (Genesis 15, 5). Abram believed this promise, and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness.
The Lord made a covenant with Abram, which was accompanied by a sacrifice, predicted to him the fate of his descendants, up to their return to Canaan from Egyptian slavery, and determined the boundaries of the future Israeli state - "from the river of Egypt to the great river Euphrates ..." (Genesis 15, 7 -21).
Birth of Ishmael
Repetition of the covenant, name change, circumcision and the promise of a son from Sarah
After 13 years, the Lord again appeared to Abram and informed him of the demand that applies to his whole life: “Walk before me and be blameless” (Genesis 17:1). He made an “eternal covenant” with Abram, promising that he would become the father of many nations, and the Lord would be the God of Abram and his descendants born of Sarah (Genesis 17:8).
The entry into the eternal covenant was accompanied by a change in the names of Abram (father is high) and Sarah to Abraham (i.e., the father of many nations - Genesis 17, 5) and Sarah. In addition, as a sign of the covenant, God established the circumcision of every male baby (vv. 9-14) and blessed Sarah, predicting that it was her son Isaac who would be the heir of the covenant, and not the son of Hagar Ismail, who, however, also received a blessing (v. 16 -21).
The Appearance of the Three Wanderers. Relocation to Gerar
God once again appeared to Abraham in the form of three strangers (Genesis 18), whom Abraham and Sarah hospitably met. The Lord again promises Abraham that Sarah will bear a son. Travelers set out from Abraham to punish the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham, on the other hand, intercedes before the Lord for mercy on the city, in which there are at least 10 righteous people (Genesis 18, 22-33).
Birth of Isaac
The most difficult test of Abraham's faith was the command of the Lord to sacrifice the promised heir Isaac: "Take your only son, whom you have loved, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah and offer him there as a burnt offering"(Gen 22:2). Abraham obeyed, hoping that God would raise his son from the dead (Heb 11:17-19), but at the last moment the Angel of the Lord stops the sacrifice, and instead of Isaac, a ram is sacrificed. As a reward for the faith and obedience of Abraham, the Lord confirmed with an oath the promises made earlier: blessings, multiplication of offspring and blessings in the seed of Abraham of all the peoples of the earth (Genesis 22, 15-18). After this, Abraham returned to Beersheba and lived there (Genesis 22:19).
Death of Sarah. Marriage of Isaac
Abraham died at the age of 175 "in good gray hair, aged and saturated [with life]" and was buried by Isaac and Ishmael in the cave of Machpelah - the burial place of Sarah (Gen 25, 7-10).
Abraham had many herds and flocks and enough workers (Gen. 24:35). When he left Haran, he took with him the slaves he had acquired there (Gen. 12:5). Later, slaves are reported given to him (Gen. 12:16; Gen. 20:14), bought by him, or born as his slaves (Gen. 17:23, 27). Of these slaves, 318 men were at his disposal, tested in battle against four kings (Genesis 14:14). The leaders of the Hittites treated him as "the prince of God" (Gen. 23:6), the Amorites and the Philistines made alliances with him (Gen. 14:13; Gen. 21:22-32). Given the origin and wealth of Abraham, it can be assumed that among his slaves there were also scribes, because. known about the widespread use of writing in Ur of the Chaldees in the time of Abraham. It is possible that the written testimonies of people around Abraham could become a source for the book of Genesis.
Later biblical authors and intertestamental literature, restoring faith in the Jews (Is 51:2), recalls God's love for Abraham (Abraham is "a friend of God": 2 Chronicles 20:7; cf. Is 41:8) and the Lord's oath promise that He will give the offspring of Abraham the land (Ex 32, 13; Ex 33, 1; Deut 1, 8; Deut 6, 10; Deut. 7, 2, etc.), about the election of Abraham (Neh. 9, 7-8) . For the Hellenized Jews, Abraham remains an example of obedience to the Lord's commandments (Sir 44, 20; 1 Mac 2, 52; Jub 6.19; 4 Mac 16, 20, etc.), the embodiment of the Hellenistic ideal of virtue (Wis 10, 5; 4 Mac 16, 20; Philo. De Abrahamo. 52-54).
The Significance of Abraham in the Light of the New Testament
The salvific advantage of the promise of Abraham over the Law of Moses is emphasized (Gal 3.17-18), for the promise of Abraham is regarded as a “covenant about Christ”, and under the “seed” of ap. Paul understands Christ Himself (Gal 3:16), but thereby also all those who believe in Christ, who are members of the one Body of Christ (1 Cor 6:15; 12:27). James 2:21-24 calls Abraham, who was justified by his works, a model of obedience to the will of God.
The Significance of Abraham in Christian Theology
In the subsequent Christian tradition, the ideas of New Testament theology found their development: the Old Testament patriarchs learned the mystery of the Law, which consists in the fact that the promise of Abraham was fulfilled in Christ, and Christians thus. the right to call Abraham his father, and himself - the chosen people.
Church Fathers and Christian writers used the story of Abraham for instruction in virtue, as an edifying lesson in piety, they see in it prototypes pointing to the New Testament truth of Christ, and even an allegorical depiction of the procession of a fallen soul under divine protection along the path of perfection. Belief that in the events of the life of the patriarchs a future was foretold. the sacrament of Christ, is also expressed in liturgical hymns: “In the father, God foreshadowed you, mysteriously wanting to be on the earth of God, the mysterious appearance of Your eternal Son from the Virgin, in Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Judas and others, Jesse and David, and the prophet of all, foreshadowing in the Spirit in Bethlehem Christ appeared, existing in the world all appealing". According to church writers, God called Abraham thanks to his personal piety, which was testified before in the fight against Chaldean idolatry, while Abraham was to become a guardian and teacher of faith and morality among the surrounding pagans.
The covenant with Abraham did not exclude the former covenants with the human race, and the pagans, therefore, were not deprived of participation in the covenant of God. The promise of the multiplication of offspring and the blessing of all the tribes of the earth (Genesis 12) refers to all mankind, on which the blessing of God should descend through the Descendant of the patriarchs.
The justification of (uncircumcised) Abraham by faith remains a constant argument in the controversy with the Jews in order to prove the superiority of the Christian faith over the ritual law of Moses.
In edifying preaching, Abraham's faith, his obedience to God, and his willingness to pass the test of faith remain a role model.
The prototype of the New Testament sacrament of Baptism was seen by some interpreters in the circumcision of Abraham.
In the appearance of three strangers to Abraham (Genesis 18), many saw the mystery of the revelation of the entire Holy Trinity in the Old Testament; "You see... Abraham meets three, but worships one? such an understanding of this event was also reflected in Orthodox liturgical texts: “You saw, how powerful it is for a person to see the Trinity, and you treated Toya as a friend of the most blessed Abraham: the same bribe you received a strange meal, if you were countless tongues to your father by faith” , "Anciently, the holy Abraham accepts the Deity as one trinity" .
Mostly Western Fathers saw in the three wanderers the appearance of angels, in whom God was present and was known, as in their prophets, some liturgical texts Orthodox Church support this interpretation. "Mamvrian oak having established Patriarch Angela, inheritance in old age of the promise of catching" , "To the hospitable of old, Abraham the God-seer, and the glorious Lot, establishing the Angels, and having found fellowship with the Angels, calling: Holy, holy, holy are the God of our fathers" .
A representative meaning was seen in the scene of the sacrifice of Isaac (Genesis 22). Already for St. Meliton Sardis ram represents Christ, freed from the chains of Isaac - the redeemed humanity. The tree symbolizes the Cross, the place of sacrifice is compared with Jerusalem. Isaac going to the sacrifice is also a type of Christ and his suffering. St. Irenaeus of Lyons compares Abraham, who is ready to sacrifice his son, with God the Father, who sends Christ for the redemption of mankind. This interpretation of Isaac as a type of Christ becomes the common opinion of the Fathers.
According to the Holy Fathers, the Lord Himself testified to the figurative significance of the sacrifice of Isaac in relation to the Calvary Sacrifice, when He said: “Abraham, your father, was glad to see My day; and he saw and rejoiced” (Jn 8:5-6). The hymns testify to the symbolic meaning of this sacrifice. Orthodox worship: "Abraham sometimes eats his son, imagining the slaughter of all that contains, and now in the den of the vainly born" , "Prefiguring your slaughter, Abraham Christ, whose son you give birth to, on the mountain, obeying Thee, Lord, like a sheep, cry out to devour at least by faith: but return, I rejoice with him, and glorifying and exalting Thee the deliverer of the world" , "The image of Christ's passion was Thou Isaac, erect by the stepfather's good obedience hedgehog" .
The sacrifice of Abraham is often interpreted as a prototype of Hagar in the anaphoras of the Eucharistic Sacrifice in the Liturgies of the East and West - for example, the Liturgies of St. Mark, Roman Mass.
In Christian euchological and hymnographic texts, the image of the "bosom" or "bowels" of Abraham is found as a synonym for paradise (cf. Mt 8.11; Lk 16.22-26): “Remember, Lord… the Orthodox… Thyself give them rest… in Your Kingdom, in the delight of paradise, in the bowels of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob…” , "Sweet is paradise: Abraham's bowels of the patriarch warm you in the villages of eternity, martyrs forty" and etc.
The name Abraham is often used in Jewish and Christian prayers as an integral part of the appeal to God (“God of Abraham”, “God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob”, “God of Abraham and Israel”, etc.) cf. the beginning of the prayer of Manasseh "Lord Almighty, the God of our fathers, Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, and their righteous seed" .
Biblical criticism
Along with this, in the apologetic tradition of the 19th - centuries, which defended the testimonies of St. Scriptures from the Objections of Negative Criticism, ap. and Orthodox scholars have argued for the historicity of the stories of the Old Testament patriarchs.
Historians in most cases do not doubt the historicity of the persons of the Old Testament patriarchs. In favor of the historicity of Abraham is the fact that the name Abraham is not a fictitious name of a mythical character and not an eponym of an ethnic group, but a personal name found in other extra-biblical sources as well. The name Abram (from Genesis 11:26 to Genesis 17:5), probably a short form of the name Aviram (Heb., - [my] father is high, exalted) and is found in 1 Kings 16:34, in its meaning, perhaps, is a theophoric epithet emphasizing the greatness of the Lord.
The name Abraham is a dialect variant of Avram, which is found in Egypt. 18th century texts BC in the form of Aburahana. The name Abraham was compared with Akkad. personal names: e.g. Aba(m) rama (during the first Babylonian dynasty) or Assir. Aba-rama (love your father; VII century BC) - the name of the daughter-in-law of King Sennacherib. According to W. Albright, the meaning of the name Abraham is “he is great in regard to his father” (i.e., the name indicates the noble origin of its bearer). Theophoric meaning is Western Semite. named after A. emphasized M.: “[my] Father (i.e., patron God) is exalted.”
The historical analysis of the biblical stories about the religion of the Old Testament patriarchs (with the involvement of archaeological and epigraphic material) showed that the biblical reports about it reflect the most ancient pre-state tradition of Israel and, consequently, in the case of the Old Testament patriarchs, we are talking about real historical figures, regardless of how specific historians imagine their image and connection with the subsequent history of Israel.
Archaeological discoveries 2nd half. in. (especially in Nuzi and Mari) showed that the tradition of the Old Testament patriarchs reflected the historical realities of the Middle Bronze Age (1st half of the 2nd millennium BC) and reveals certain parallels with the customs, mores and legal ideas of the ancient East. cultures of this time, etc. confirm the messages of the Bible.
Attempts by scientists to accurately date the time of the Old Testament patriarchs using archeological data do not lead, however, to a consensus, dates are offered: XX / XXI century. BC; between the 20th and 16th centuries ; 19th/18th century .
Iconography
The plot of Abraham's sacrifice (Gen. 22), symbolizing the New Testament sacrifice, became widespread in early Christ. art; one of the earliest depictions is found in a synagogue painting at Dura Europos, c. 250. This story is found in the paintings of the catacombs, reliefs of sarcophagi, decorates the Eucharistic vessels. Sometimes Abraham is depicted as a beardless young man in a short tunic (for example, a glass bowl of the 4th century, found in 1888 in Boulogne-sur-Mer), but usually Abraham is a man with a beard, in a tunic and pallium (in Dura-Europos - with dark hair; in the paintings of the catacombs, the mosaics of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, 432-440, with short gray hair).
Among the options for depicting the sacrifice of Abraham, the composition is most often found, where Abraham holds the kneeling Isaac by the hair with his left hand, and a raised knife in his right hand; to the left of Abraham near the tree is a ram, in the heavenly segment is the right hand of God. Sometimes an angel is depicted behind Abraham (the relief of the sarcophagus of Junius Bass, 359 (Vatican Museums) - the angel is presented in the form of a young man without wings). This type of iconography was retained in Byzantium. and in Old Russian. art.
From the 9th century Abraham begins to be depicted with a halo. Instead of the right hand of God in the heavenly segment or near it, an angel is more often placed (Chludov Psalter. IX century); fresco of St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv, ser. XI century, mosaics of the Palatine Chapel in Palermo, 50-60s. 12th century, and cathedral in Montreal (Southern Italy), 1180-1190; painting on the altar Nativity of the Virgin of the Snetogorsk Monastery in Pskov, 1313).
From the 12th century Abraham is usually depicted as an old man with long gray hair. From the 16th century the scene of the sacrifice of Abraham in Russian manuscripts, in addition to the illustrations of the Psalms, is known in the miniatures of Paley, Chronographs, the Obverse Chronicle, the Bible (Pskov Paley. 1477: miniatures of the middle of the 16th century); and in the brands of icons (for example, the Holy Trinity with an act, the middle of the 16th century (RM); the Holy Trinity in Genesis, 1580-1590 (SIHM), etc.).
Along with the Old Testament scenes in Byzantium. In art, iconography is being developed based on the gospel parable of the rich man and poor Lazarus (Lk 16:22), which received the name "Abraham's Bosom". The earliest known image is a miniature of Homilies by Gregory of Nazianzus (880-882), where Abraham sitting on the throne holds the figure of Lazarus on his knees, symbolizing his soul. In the Barberini Psalter (1092) A. with a figurine in his hands sits under the trees. In the illustrations of the Psalms there are numerous images of Abraham, illustrating various texts about the righteous, paradise, the righteous sacrifice. The composition "Bosom of Abraham", symbolizing paradise, is included as one of the elements in the cycle of "Last Judgment" (Gospel. XI century). Together with Abraham in paradise, the Old Testament patriarchs Isaac and Jacob are depicted sitting on the throne, in whose bosoms there are children's figures - the souls of the righteous (for example, the frescoes of the Dmitrievsky Cathedral in Vladimir, the end of the 12th century). In the XVI century. in Russian In temple paintings, the “Bosom of Abraham” is placed in the deacon’s room (the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, the Church of the Holy Trinity in Vyazemy), which is associated with the tradition of performing funeral services here (Stoglav, Ch. 13). In paleologian art, the image of Abraham among the Old Testament righteous is found in the temple paintings of the monastery of Chora (Kahrie-Jami) in Constantinople, 1316-1321, c. Theodore Stratilates in Novgorod, 80s XIV century
Abraham in Judaism
Both in the pre-Christian Jewish tradition and in the later one, the exceptional dignity of Abraham among the forefathers is emphasized.
One of the clearest examples of this is in the treatise Bamidbar Rabba 2, where the appearance of Abraham “after twenty generations from which there was no benefit” is compared to how a fruitful and sprawling tree meets a spring on the way of a wanderer in the desert. The main merits of Abraham are also noted here, which practically outline the entire theme of the Aggadic narratives about Abraham: Abraham selflessly served the Lord (passed the test, being thrown into a fiery furnace); he was distinguished by special hospitality (he kept a hotel, where he gave food to every traveler); Abraham - the teacher of the true faith ("brought people under the wings of the Shekinah"); proclaimed the glory of the Lord to all the world. Abraham is reported to have grown up among idolaters (based on Jos 24:2).
Coming to true faith, Abraham began to preach the One God and fight against idolatry. At first he tried to convince his father, brothers and buyers of idols of the senselessness of worshiping them, then he broke and burned the idols made by his father. For this he was captured, from which God Himself saved him. Trial by fire is one of 10 trials (barrenness of Sarah, war with kings, circumcision, sacrifice of Isaac, etc.) that befell Abraham.
Abraham's special righteousness lay in the fact that he kept all the commandments and ordinances of the Torah even before they were given at Mount Sinai. When Abraham was converted, he received from God the book. Law and established the order of pronunciation morning prayer and some rules. Abraham's special closeness to God ("friend of God") is also reflected in the fact that he is His "first prophet".
Apocalyptic literature tells that Abraham had a chance to see many secrets, incl. and afterlife. The angel of God Hagar teaches Abraham Hebrew so that he can unravel the secrets of all the ancient books.
On the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), God looks to Abraham's circumcision blood for which He forgives sins. Abraham and the forefathers were considered the guarantors of the salvation of their descendants, since God made a covenant with Abraham that would exist forever (Quran 2. 124). Muslims consider him, along with Ismail, the builder of their main shrine -.
Literature
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- Weidmann H. Die Patriarchen und ihre Religion im Lichte der Forschung seit J. Wellhausen. Gott., 1968. (FRLANT; 98);
- Lord J. R. Abraham: A Study in Ancient Jewish and Christian Interpretation. Duke, 1968;
- Clements R. Abraham // ThWAT. bd. 1. S. 53-62;
- Svetlov E. [Men' A.] Magic and monotheism. Brussels, 1971, vol. 2, pp. 171-193;
- Thompson T. L. Historisity of the Patriarchal Narratives: The Quest for the Historical Abraham. b.;
- N.Y., 1974. (BZAW; 133);
- Martin-Achard R. Abraham I: Im Alten Testament // TRE. bd. 1. S. 364-372 [bibliogr.];
- Berger K. Abraham II: Im Frühjudentum und Neuen Testament // Idem. S. 372-382 [bibliography];
- Leineweber W. Die Patriarchen im Licht der archäologischen Entdeckungen: Die krit. Darstellung einer Forschungsrichtung. B., 1980;
- Betz O. Abraham // EWNT. bd. one;
- Roldanus J. L "héritage d" Abraham d "après Irénée // Text and Testimony: Essays on New Testament and Apocryphal literature in honor of AFJ Klijn / Ed. Baarda T., Hilhorst A., et al. Kampen, 1988. P 212-224;
- Berton R. Abraham est "il un modèle? L" opinion des Pères dans les premiers siècles de l "Èglise // Bull. de littérature ecclésiastique. 1996. T. 97. P. 349-373;
- Kundert L. Die Opferung/Bindung Isaaks. Neukirchen-Vluyn, 1998. Bd. 1: Gen 22, 1-19 im Alten Testament, im Frühjudentum und im Neuen Testament. (WMANT; 78) [bibliography];
- JoestChr. Abraham als Glaubensvorbild in den Pachomianerschriften // ZAW. 1999. Bd. 90, 1/2. S. 98-122;
- Müller P. Unser Vater Abraham: Die Abrahamrezeption im Neuen Testament - im Spiegel der neueren Literatur // Berliner theol. Ztschr. 1999. Bd. 16. S. 132-143.
Back to "Iconography"
- Lucchesi Palli E. // LCI. bd. 1 Sp. 20-35;
- Pokrovsky N.V. The Gospel in Iconographic Monuments. SPb., 1892. S. 216, 221;
- Ainalov D. The Hellenistic Origins of Byzantine Art. New Brunswick, 1961, pp. 94-100;
- Speyart van Woerden I. The Iconographie of the Sacrifice of Abraham // VChr. 1961 Vol. 15. R. 214-255.
Jewish tradition
- Talmud. Mishnah and Tosefta / Per. N. Pereferkovich. SPb., 1899-1904. T. 1-6;
- Smirnov A. The Book of Jubilees, or Small Genesis. Kaz., 1895;
- Haggadah: Tales, parables, sayings of the Talmud and Midrash / Per. S. G. Fruga. Berlin, 1922. M., 1993;
- Testaments of the twelve patriarchs, sons of Jacob // Apocryphal Apocalypses: (Antique Christianity: sources). SPb., 2000. S. 46-128;
- Testament of Abraham // Ibid. pp. 156-184.
- Beer B. Das Leben Abrahams nach der Auffassung der jüdischen Sage. Lpz., 1859;
- Porfiryev I. Apocryphal legends about the Old Testament persons and events. Kaz., 1873;
- Korsunsky I. Jewish interpretation of the Old Testament. M., 1882;
- Buber M. Zur Erzählung von Abraham // Monatsschr. f. Geschichte u. Wissenschaft des Judentums. Breslau, 1939. Bd. 83. S. 47-65;
- Botte B. Abraham dans la liturgie // Cah. Sion. 1951. T. 5/2. P. 88-95;
- Menasce P. J. Traditions juives sur Abraham // Idem. 1951. T. 5/2. P. 96-103;
- Glatzer N. N. The Judaic Tradition. Boston 1969
- Urbach E. E. The Sages - Their Concepts and Beliefs. Jerusalem, 1969
- Sandmel S. Philós Place in Judaism - A Study of Conceptions of Abraham in Jewish Literature. N.Y., 1971;
- Schmitz R. P. Abraham III: Im Judentum // TRE. bd. 1. S. 382-385 [bibliogr.];
- Billerbeck P. Commentary. bd. 3. S. 186-201; bd. 4. S. 1231;
- Kundert L. Die Opferung/Bindung Isaaks. Neukirchen-Vluyn, 1998. Bd. 2: Gen 22, 1-19 in frühen rabbibnischen Texten. (WMANT; 79);
- Gellman J. The figure of Abraham in Hasidic literature // HThR. 1998 Vol. 91. P. 279-300.
Islamic tradition
- Mashanov M. Essay on the life of the Arabs in the era of Muhammad as an introduction to the study of Islam. Kaz., 1885;
- Wensinck A. J. Ibrahim // EI. Leyden;
- L., 1913-1914. Vol. 2. P. 458-460;
- Beck E. Die Gestalt des Abraham am Wendepunkt der Entwicklung Muhammeds // Muséon. 1952. T. 65. P. 73-94;
- Moubarac Y. Abraham dans le Koran. P., 1958 [bibliography];
- Schützinger H. Ursprung und Entwicklung der arabischen Abraham-Nimrod-Legende. Bonn, 1961;
- Hjärpe J. Abraham IV: Religionsgeschichtlich // TRE. bd. 1. S. 385-387 [bibliogr.];
- Piotrovsky M. Ibrahim // Islam: Encyclopedia. dictionary. M., 1991. S. 87-88.
Used materials
- E. N. P., N. V. Kvlividze, A. K. Lyavdansky, R. M. Shukurov "Abraham" // Orthodox Encyclopedia, vol. 1, p. 149-155
- http://www.pravenc.ru/text/62850.html
Gregory of Nyssa, St. Refutation of Eunomius // Creations. Part 6. S. 300-302
Ambrosius mediolanensis. De Abrahamo // PL. 14.Col. 438-524
Triode Lenten. Part 1. L. 299.
Triode Color. L. 201rev.
John Chrysostom, St. Conversations on the Book of Genesis. Conversation 35 and others // Creations. Part 2. S. 290-291; Theodoret of Cyrus, blzh. Interpretations on the Book of Genesis. Question 65 // Creations. Part 1. S. 64; Augustine, blj. About the City of God. XIV 22; Epiphanius of Cyprus, St. On 80 heresies Panary, or the Ark. LV and others // Creations. Ch. 2 and others.
Troparion of the 7th ode of the canon on the Sunday of St. father // Minea (ST). December. L. 132
Irenaeus of Lyon, St. Against heresies. II 190; Cyril of Alexandria, St. Skillful Explanations on Selected Places from the Book of Genesis // Creations. T. 4. S. 116; cf.: Augustine, blj. About the City of God. XVI 23; John Chrysostom, St. Discourses on the Epistle to the Romans. Ch. 4. Conversation 8. S. 155 next; Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians. Ch. 3. S. 95-121. M., 1842
Justin Martyr, St. Apology. I 46.3; 63.17; Clement of Alexandria. Stromata. I 32.2; Hippolytus. Commentarium in Danielem. II 37, 5
Cyril of Alexandria, St. Skillful Explanations on Selected Places from the Book of Genesis // Creations. T. 4. S. 138-139; Ambrosius mediolanensis. De Abrahamo. II 11.79
Ambrosius mediolanensis. De Abrahamo. I 5.33; De Spiritu Sancto II; Athanasius Alexandrinus. De Trinitate. 3
Augustin. Detempore. Serm. 67, no. 2; 70, no. 4; cf.: Macarius. Orthodox dogmatic theology. T. 1. S. 169
Troparion of the 5th ode of the canon on the Sunday of St. forefathers // Menaion (ST). December. L. 79ob.
Troparion of the 1st ode of the canon on the Sunday of St. father // Minea (ST). December. L. 128v.
Justin Martyr, St. Conversation with Tryphon the Jew; Tertullian. against Marcion. III 2.27; 5.9; About the flesh of Christ. 17; against the Jews. nine; Irenaeus of Lyon, St. Against heresies. IV 23; Eusebius of Caesarea. Church. ist. I 2; John Chrysostom, St. Conversations on the Book of Genesis. Conversation 42 and others.
Joseph Flavius. Jude. ancient XI 169; ZavLevi 15:4
Genesis Rabbah 4:6; Shemot Rabbah 28:1
Shemot Rabbah 44:4 etc.
Koran 2. 119-121; 3.90-91
The Bible is a sacred book for adherents of the Christian direction in religion. The meaningful meaning of the stories described, the 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 embedded 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 a 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 God after 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 moment when the last Jew left Egypt.
Today, sacrifices seem wild, although for Old Testament times it was 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 a special relevance to the plots. For example, Mount Moriah, where Abraham slaughtered a ram instead of his son, is in fact the location of the Temple in Jerusalem. raised it up in honor of the Lord.
Theologians associate the parable of Abraham with the sacrifice of Jesus. A peculiar type 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 time of waiting 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 the most precious thing as a token 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
Abraham's date of birth is 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 the multitude". His story is a legend about the life of a patriarch who had a dialogue with the Lord after the Flood. A true God-lover was ready to do anything for the sake of faith.
The biography of the character is contained in the Book of Genesis. Abraham was born in the ancient Sumerian state, Ur of the Chaldees, located in the present territory of Iran. The character had two brothers: Aran and Nahor. Terah, the father of the hero, died at the age of 205. Abraham was married to Sarah, who was incapable of procreation. Together with her and her nephew, he went on the instructions of the Lord to the land, which the Almighty should point to. God promised Abraham that he would become the progenitor of a great nation, receive the blessing of the Lord, and forever keep his name through the ages.
At the age of 75, Abraham and his family left Harran and went to Canaan, where God appeared to him, bequeathing the land to the offspring of the hero. In honor of this good deed, the man erected an altar in the city in the name of the Lord. Then Abraham went east, and subsequently south, reaching Egypt. The scripture separately tells that Sarah, the wife of Abraham, was taken to the house of the pharaoh, for which the Egyptian ruler suffered punishment. Having become rich in Egypt, Abraham returned to one of the points of his route, leading people and cattle. The travelers met with obstacles in the face of people who lived before them in this area, and decided to look for other lands.
The issue of procreation was resolved by Abraham with the help of Sarah's servant, whose name was Hagar. The first-born was named Ismail (or Ishmael). When Abraham was 99 years old, he made a covenant with the Lord. The first-born from Sarah God ordered to name Isaac. The rules of the covenant 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 the veneration of Abraham's descendants. Many events are described in Scripture, telling about 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.
The “burnt offering” was offered by Abraham without hesitation. At the moment of bringing 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 fidelity. Abraham was convinced that 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 Machpele Cave, where his wife Sarah also 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 has become a symbol through which the audience realizes the divinity of Jesus Christ and his sublimity. The birth of Christ is the fulfillment of the covenant Abraham made 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 broadcasts its main principles. By his example, he is a model of righteousness and piety.
- Abraham is a character that appears in different religions. In the Koran, he is the prophet of Islam, bearing the name Ibrahim. His biography is similar to the biography from the Bible. It is curious that in the Jewish midrash Abraham owns the idea of monotheism, monotheism. According to legend, the hero is 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 who were worthy of his faith, and 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 direction.
- The hero's sacrifice is interpreted by scholars and philosophers in different ways. Scholars of biblical texts adhere to the idea that the sacrifice of the innocent Isaac becomes an example of the refusal to give to the Lord in the form of human life. There is an opinion 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 cancellation of the sacrifices, the text was edited.
- Initially, the name of the hero was Abram, which 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 mankind is significant. Subsequently, the interlocutor of God was called Abraham. The name is interpreted as "father of the multitude". The name of the prophet's wife was Sarah, "the lady of the multitude." This technique in literature and the plot twist in writing testify to the exaltation of the character in the eyes of believers and in religion.
ABRAAM AND SARAH
Many generations after Shem, Abram was born in Ur of the Chaldees. His wife Sarah was beautiful but childless. And God said to Abram:
Go out of your land and from your father's house to a land that I will show. I will make a great nation from you, and in you all the tribes of the earth will be blessed.
Abram took his wife, his nephew Lot, and set off from Haran in Mesopotamia to the land of Canaan. They came to Shechem to the oak forest Mor E and God appeared there to Abram.
I will give all this land to your offspring, - said God.
And Abram built an altar to God.
From there Abram moved to the mountain east of Bethel and set up an altar between Bethel and Ai.
Famine was everywhere in the land of Canaan, Abram continued to move south until he came to Egypt.
And Abram said to Sarah:
When the Egyptians see your beauty, they will kill me. Say that you are not my wife, but my sister, and I will be saved.
In fact, at the sight of Sarah, the nobles ran to praise her to the pharaoh, and Sarah was immediately taken to his house.
Abram was well: he had small and large cattle, and donkeys, and slaves, and horses, and camels.
But things have gone wrong in Pharaoh's house since Sarah was taken there. Over time, the pharaoh guessed that Sarah was not a sister, but the wife of Abram.
Why didn't you tell me about it? - Pharaoh asked Abram. - I almost made her my wife.
I thought that in your places they are not afraid of God and they will kill me because of her, ”Abram answered.
Take it and leave, - Pharaoh ordered.
ABRAM AND LOT
Abram went up from Egypt to the place where he had previously set up an altar to God, between Bethel and Ai. Lot was with him with his tents and flocks. The property of both was so great that the land seemed small to them. The shepherds of Abram and the shepherds of Lot quarreled among themselves.
And Abram said to Lot:
Aren't we related?! Why strife? Go right and I go left, or go left and I go right. Is not the whole earth before us?
Lot raised his eyes, saw the land, watered with water, like God's garden, and went to the east.
He pitched his tents to Sodom, though the people of Sodom were evil. Abram remained in the land of Canaan.
Again, God promised Abram the land of Canaan.
Your offspring will be as numerous as the sand of the earth. Get up, walk this land in all its breadth - all will be yours, - God said.
PROMISE OF OFFERING
After these events, Abram fell asleep, and God appeared to him in a dream.
I am your shield, Abram, said the Lord, and your reward is great.
I have no children, Abram complained. Eliezer from Damascus is the heir in my house.
You will have as many descendants as there are stars in the sky. And I give you all this land, - God said.
SARAH AND HAGAR
But Avramov's wife Sarah remained childless. She had an Egyptian maid named Hagar. And Sarai said to Abram:
If it is not given to me to have children, let Hagar bear you a son.
As soon as Hagar became pregnant, she began to rise above her mistress.
It's all your fault," Sarah said to Abram.
Your servant, and do with her what you please, - answered Abram.
And Sarah began to oppress Hagar. She was so tormented that the maid ran away.
An angel found her in the desert at the source and ordered her to return to Sarah, to submit to her.
And the angel said:
A son will be born to you, name him Ishmael.
Hagar bore a son to Abram, and they named him Ishmael. Abram was then eighty-six years old.
A NEW PROMISE OF OFFERING
Abram was ninety-nine years old when God appeared to him again and said:
I will make you the father of many nations, kings will come from you. And you will no longer be called Abram, but Abraham will be your name. And call your wife no more Sarah, for her name is now Sarah. I will bless her and in a year at this very time I will give you a son from her, whom you will call Isaac.
Abraham prostrated himself and laughed:
Is it possible that a hundred-year-old will have a son and a ninety-year-old Sarah will she really give birth? May Ishmael be alive and well.
Ishmael is destined to have a large offspring. Twelve princes will be in his family, - said God. - But Sarah will bear you a son.
GUESTS
In the hot part of the day, Abraham was sitting by his tent, and suddenly he saw three men in front of him. Abraham rushed to them and bowed to the ground.
Lord! - said Abraham, because all three were one God. - If I have found a blessing in your eyes, do not pass by the house of your servant!
Abraham hurried to Sarah, ordered her to take the best flour and bake unleavened bread. And he himself ran to the herd and chose a calf for a treat.
Abram went to Hebron and set up an altar there to God.
Soon there was a war in those places, and Lot and his family were captured. As soon as Abram learned about this, he armed his slaves in number of three hundred and eighteen and attacked the enemy at night. So Abram returned Lot, his kinsman, and preserved his property.
Soon he took butter, milk and a cooked calf, set it before the guests, and he himself stood by the tree when they ate.
Where is Sarah your wife? they asked him.
Here, in the tent, Abraham answered.
When I come here next time, your Sarah will have a son, one of them said.
Sarah laughed: “Shall I, an old woman, have a child?”
Why is your Sarah laughing? - God asked. - As I said, so be it.
Sarah was frightened and said from the tent:
I didn't laugh.
No, I laughed, - God said.
INTERCEPTION OF ABRAHAM
The men got up and went to Sodom. Abraham went to see them off.
People complain a lot about the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah, - God said. - I'll go and see if they act as they say about them. And if so, then I will destroy them.
As the two continued on their way to Sodom, Abraham stood before God and asked him:
Will you destroy the righteous along with the wicked? Maybe fifty righteous people are found in that city. If you are the judge of all the earth, how can you destroy the innocent?
And God said to Abraham:
If there are fifty righteous in Sodom, I will spare the whole city.
Forgive me for saying this, I myself am dust and ashes, - insisted Abraham. - And if five does not reach fifty?
And for the sake of forty-five I will not touch anyone.
Well, what if there will be forty righteous people? Abraham continued.
And for the sake of forty the city will remain intact.
Do not be angry, Vladyka, at my words, but what if there will be thirty of them?
I won't do it even if there are thirty of them.
Do you regret twenty? Abraham asked.
I'm sorry, God replied.
Do not be angry, Vladyka, let me say, - Abraham said quietly. - And if there are only ten of them?
And God answered him:
I will not destroy even for the sake of ten.
God did not speak to Abraham anymore.
There were not even ten righteous people in Sodom.
SODOM AND GOMORRAH
The angels came to Sodom at the evening hour, when Lot was sitting at the city gates. Lot saw them, stood up and bowed:
Come into my house!
No, we will stay on the street, - answered the angels.
Lot begged for a long time, and they finally agreed to enter and accept the refreshment.
Before they went to bed, all the Sodomites, both young and old, surrounded Lot's house.
Lot, get out! they shouted.
Lot came out, and the Sodomites began to demand that his guests also come out.
We want to see them! people shouted.
Lot closed the entrance to his house and addressed the crowd:
My brothers, do no harm! Do not touch these people, because they came under the roof of my house.
You yourself are an alien, it's not for you to argue! the crowd shouted. “You can’t save them and you yourself will suffer.”
They dragged Lot aside and rushed to break the door.
Then the doors of the house opened and the angels appeared. They took Lot by the hands, led him into the house, and the people who were at the threshold suddenly became blind.
Take all your people and leave, - the angels said to Lot. - We are sent here to destroy the city.
Lot went to the husbands of his daughters, began to say that the city would be destroyed, but they did not believe - they thought he was joking. Lot begged them for a long time, but in vain.
When the dawn broke, the angels began to hurry Lot, but he still hesitated. Then the angels took Lot, his wife and his two unmarried daughters by the hands and led them out of the city.
Go to the mountain and do not look back at Sodom, otherwise you will perish, the angels told them.
The sun rose, and brimstone and fire rained down on Sodom and Gomorrah. Houses disappeared from the face of the earth, and the people of those cities, and everything that grows from the earth.
The destruction of Sodom and the salvation of Lot
Lot's wife, walking behind, could not stand it and looked around and immediately turned into a pillar of salt.
Abraham got up early in the morning and went to the place where he had spoken with God the day before. He looked towards Sodom and Gomorrah and saw smoke, as if from a furnace.
THE BIRTH OF ISAAC
What God said was fulfilled. Sarah bore Abraham a son, and they named him Isaac.
Sarah grumbled:
Anyone who hears about me will laugh. An old woman is breastfeeding a baby!
When the child was weaned, Abraham called a great feast. And Sarah saw that Ishmael, the son of the Egyptian Hagar, was mocking Isaac.
Drive this slave girl out of the house with her son, she said to Abraham. It will not happen that he inherits with Isaac.
AGAR
Abraham did not want to drive out his firstborn, but God told him to obey Sarah.
Abraham got up early in the morning, took bread and water, put everything on the shoulders of Hagar and sent her away with the lad.
Hagar soon got lost in the desert. She wandered, wandered, until the water ran out.
She left her son under a dry bush, and she herself stepped aside so as not to see how he would die.
Hagar wept for a long time until an angel appeared and said:
Open your eyes! There is a well in front of you!
They began to live in the desert. Ishmael grew up and learned to shoot a bow well. His mother later found a wife for him in the land of Egypt.
Everything that was said about Ishmael was fulfilled. He had twelve sons who became the heads of the tribes.
SACRIFICE OF ABRAHAM
God said to Abraham:
Take your son Isaac and offer him as a burnt offering on the mountain, which I will let you know about.
Abraham got up early in the morning, saddled a donkey, took two slaves, his son Isaac, firewood for a burnt offering, and went where God commanded.
On the third day they came to that place. And Abraham said to his servants:
You wait here, and my son and I will be back shortly.
Abraham laid firewood on his son, took fire and a knife in his hands, and they went together.
And Isaac asks:
Here is the fire, here is the wood, where is the lamb?
God will provide for himself a lamb for a burnt offering, Abraham answered.
They came, Abraham laid out the firewood, tied his son Isaac and laid him on the altar on top of the firewood. Abraham took a knife and wanted to stab his son, but at that time the voice of an angel was heard:
Abraham! Abraham!
Here I am,” said Abraham.
Don't raise your hand to the boy. Now I know that you do not feel sorry for your son for God.
Abraham raised his eyes and saw a ram, whose horns were tangled in a thicket. Abraham took a ram and sacrificed it instead of his son. Again a voice came from the sky:
For your obedience, Abraham, you will have many descendants - like stars in the sky, like sand on the seashore.
SARAH'S DEATH
Sarah died at the age of one hundred and twenty-seven. She died in the land of Canaan, where Abraham was a stranger. To bury her, Abraham bought a field and a cave for burial in that field. And the field became Abraham's possession.
Burial of Sarah
THE MARRIAGE OF ISAAC
Abraham became a star, and the weight of his years was palpable to him. He called the servant who was in charge of everything in the house and said:
Swear that you will not marry my son from the locals, but you will go to my homeland, to Mesopotamia, and there you will choose a wife for him.
And if the girl does not want to come here, do I need to return Isaac to your homeland? - asked the slave.
No, - answered Abraham. - God bequeathed this land to my offspring. If the girl resists, you will be free from this oath.
The slave swore, took ten camels, all kinds of jewelry for gifts and set off. He came to the city of Haran in Mesopotamia in the evening and stood at the well at the time when the women went out to draw water.
“Here I am standing at the source,” thought the slave, “and women with jugs are walking past. Is there a bride of Isaac among them and how to recognize her? I’ll ask you to get drunk, and the one who says: drink yourself and give your camels to drink, that will be the bride.
Before he had time to think these words to the end, Rebekah, the daughter of Abraham's nephew, came out, beautiful and young. She took water, and the slave ran out to meet her.
Let me drink from your pitcher.
Drink, sir, - said Rebekah and tilted the jug.
The slave got drunk, and she says:
I will also draw water for your camels, let them drink.
And then she began to fetch water for the camels.
The astonished slave watched her in silence, and when the camels had finished drinking, he gave her a golden earring and gold wrists.
Whose daughter are you? - he asked. - And is there a place to sleep in your house?
Rebekah told him whose daughter she was and that they had somewhere in the house to sleep and feed the camels.
The slave was surprised that he had reached the house of his master's brother by a direct route.
Rebekah ran into the house, told everything, showed her earring and wrists, and immediately her brother Laban went to meet the guest. He unsaddled the camels, gave them food, brought water for the guest to wash, and meanwhile they prepared supper.
I won't eat until I tell you why I came, - said the guest.
And he told about Abraham, about what he thought at the well.
Now tell me, do you intend to show favor to my master, or should I leave with nothing? - asked the guest.
This is the work of God, - Rebekah's brother and father answered him. - Here is Rebekah, take her and go.
The guest bowed to them to the ground, took out gold and silver things, as well as clothes, and generously bestowed them on everyone.
Then everyone ate and drank, and in the morning the guest began to get ready for the journey.
Let Rebekah stay with us for a dozen days, - said her mother.
But the guest did not want to stay. Then Laban brought Rebekah, and they asked her:
Will you go with this person?
I'll go, said Rebekah.
She received her father's blessing, took her maid, all sat on camels and set off.
In the evening, Isaac went out into the field, looked up and saw a small caravan.
Rebekah and the slave
And Rebekah saw Isaac. She quickly got down from the camel.
Who is it? Rebekah asked the servant.
My lord, said the slave.
Rebekah took a handkerchief and covered herself.
The servant told Isaac all that he had done, and Isaac brought Rebekah into the tent of his mother Sarah. So Rebekah became the wife of Isaac.
ABRAHAM
Abraham took a second wife, named Keturah, and had many more children with her. But everything he had, he gave to Isaac. Abraham lived one hundred and seventy-five years and was buried next to Sarah, his wife.
From the book The Newest Book of Facts. Volume 2 [Mythology. Religion] author Kondrashov Anatoly PavlovichWhy did Abraham, once in Egypt, and then in the Philistine Gerar, hide the fact that Sarah was his wife? Going to Egypt to endure a famine caused by a long drought in Canaan (Palestine), Abraham was afraid of becoming a victim of some influential Egyptian,
From the book Explanatory Bible. Volume 1 author Lopukhin Alexander17. And Abraham fell on his face, and laughed, and said to himself: Will there be a son from a hundred years old? and Sarah, ninety years old, will she really give birth? "And Abraham fell on his face and laughed?..." "As a token of reverence and gratitude to God, who spoke the promise, Abraham bows down before Him.
From the book Biblical Legends. Legends from the Old Testament. author author unknown9 And they said to him, Where is Sarah your wife? He answered: here, in the tent. 10. And one of them said: I will be with you again at the same time (next year), and Sarah your wife will have a son. And Sarah listened at the entrance to the tent, behind him, "And one of them said ..." Even in the previous verse, it was about
From the book Biblical Legends author author unknown11. But Abraham and Sarah were old and advanced in years, and Sarah’s habit of women ceased. “But Abraham and Sarah were old…”
From the book of the Bible. New Russian translation (NRT, RSJ, Biblica) author bible12. Sarah laughed inwardly, saying, Shall I, when I am old, have this consolation? and my lord is old. 13. And the Lord said to Abraham, Why did Sarah laugh (into herself), saying: "Is it really possible for me to give birth when I am old?" And the Lord said to Abraham:
From the book of the Old Testament with a smile author Ushakov Igor AlekseevichChapter 20 Abraham and Sarah settle in Gerar 1. Abraham went up from there to the south and settled between Kadesh and between Sur; and was for a while in Gepape "Abraham went up from there to the south."
From the book of the Lives of the Saints. Old Testament Forefathers author Rostov Dimitri19 And Abraham returned to his servants, and they got up and went together to Beer-sheba; and Abraham lived in
From the book Explanatory Bible Lopukhin. OLD TESTAMENT. GENESIS of the author2. And Sarah died in Kiriath Arba, (which is in the valley,) which is now Hebron, in the land of Canaan. And Abraham came to weep for Sarah and mourn her 2. "And Sarah died in Kiriath Arba, which is now Hebron ..." Resolving some misunderstanding why Sarah died in Hebron, and not in Beersheba, where he lived
From the book of Forty Biblical Portraits author Desnitsky Andrey Sergeevich9. And Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is opposite Mamre, 10. in the field (and in the cave) that Abraham acquired from the sons of Heth. Abraham and Sarah his wife were buried there. 11. After the death of Abraham, God blessed Isaac,
From the author's book From the author's bookABRAAM AND SARAH Many generations after Shem, Abram was born in Ur of the Chaldees. His wife Sarah was beautiful but childless. And God said to Abram, “Go out of your land and from your father’s house to a land that I will show you. I will make a great nation from you, and all will be blessed in you
From the author's bookAbraham and Sarah at Abimelech 1 From there Abraham moved to the Negev region and settled between Kadesh and Sur. He lived as a stranger in Gerar 2 and there he said of his wife Sarah: "She is my sister." Abimelech, king of Gerar, sent for Sarah and took her to him.3 But God appeared to Abimelech at night
From the author's book From the author's bookRighteous ABRAHAM and SARAH (October 9/22) Terah, the son of Jahor and the grandson of Serug, while staying in the same Chaldean city called Ur, in which both his father and his grandfather were, gave birth to Abram (see: Gen. 11, 26- 27), later called by God the name Abraham, that is, the father of all the faithful in the heavenly
From the author's bookChapter 20. 1. Abraham and Sarah settle in Gerar. 1. Abraham went up from there to the south and settled between Kadesh and between Sur; and was for a while in Gepape. “Abraham went up from there to the south ..” When staying in the valley of Mamre became inconvenient, probably due to heavy, suffocating gases,
From the author's book3. Abraham and Sarah: the path of the called "Get out of your land" Three world religions based on the belief in the One Creator God - Judaism, Christianity and Islam - are sometimes called "Abrahamic". Indeed, all of them, one way or another, count precisely from Abraham (Muslims