Women's images of the Bible.Sarra. Abraham the righteous

And the Lord said to Abram, Get out of your country, out of your kindred, and out of your father's house, to a land that I will show you.(Gen 12:1).

Patriarch Abraham - the founder of the chosen people— occupies a special place in the economy of our salvation. The call of Abraham was not only the first step in the realization of the Divine plan for the salvation of mankind, but also established its main focus. From his calling until his death, he is under special Divine care. God guides his life. Abraham, having perfect faith, unconditionally accepts the Divine plan and obeys in everything the will of God. Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness(Rom 4:3). With Patriarch Abraham begins the history of the people from which Holy Virgin Mary who gave birth to the Savior of the world.

Data-driven Greek bible the dates of the life of Patriarch Abraham should be considered 2165-1940 BC.

Pagan false belief at that time was ubiquitous. It even infected the race from which Abraham came. The Lord calls Abraham to keep intact the true worship of God, which distinguished Abraham from other contemporaries. His homeland was Ur. It was first a Sumerian and then a Chaldean city. It was located in the south of Mesopotamia, near the Persian Gulf. In ancient times, the Euphrates flowed here, the waters of which have now moved away from this place almost five kilometers to the east. Archaeological excavations carried out in 1922-1934 by the British archaeologist L. Woolley showed that Ur was one of the most civilized cities ancient world, highly cultured and well-maintained. It is easy to see the spiritual greatness of Abraham, the mighty faith and amazing obedience to the all-good Divine will. He leaves a rich, refined life in a flourishing city and becomes a wanderer, not having an inch of his land. In the face of the forefather of our faith, the Lord, many centuries before the advent of Christianity, revealed to people the lofty idea that in this life we ​​all wanderers and that our whole life should be filled sweet longing for the Heavenly Fatherland.

By birth, he was called Abram (see: Gen 11, 31; 12, 1), which means, according to the etymology accepted by researchers, tall father, tall father(av - father, ram - high). Later, when the Lord established His Covenant with the ninety-nine-year-old patriarch, He said: you will no longer be called Abram, but your name will be Abraham, for I will make you the father of many nations(Gen 17:5). Naming is up to the parents. However bible story gives many examples convincing that their choice was guided by Divine Providence. So it was with the ancestor of the chosen people.

The biblical account of Abraham is divided in the book of Genesis into four periods, each of which focuses on the appearances of the Lord to the patriarch and the divine blessings that accompanied them. The first appearance to Abraham was in Ur. The Lord commanded to leave his native city and relatives and go to the land that he would show (see: 12, 1). The holy apostle Paul says that Abraham by faith obeyed the call to go to the country he had to receive.

Patriarch Abraham settled in Hebron, at the oak forest in Mamre. This famous grove was named after the Amorite Mamri, who, as an ally of Abraham, is mentioned in the book of Genesis (see: Gen 14, 24).

When Abraham learned that four Mesopotamian kings had raided the kingdom of Sodom and taken his nephew Lot captive, he armed his 318 servants and defeated the Mesopotamian kings, pursuing them to Dan. Upon the return of the patriarch, an event took place in the valley of Shave, which, in its symbolic meaning, is one of the most important in the Old Testament sacred history: Abraham met King of Salem Melchizedek who took out Bread and Wine. He was priest of God Almighty. Melchizedek blessed him. Abraham gave him a tenth of everything he had.

The personality of Melchizedek is quite exceptional. In the entire Old Testament, he is mentioned twice: in the book of Genesis (see: Gen. 14, 18) and in the 109th psalm, in which the prophet David speaks of the high priestly ministry of Christ according to the “order of Melchizedek” (see: Ps 109, 4) . Melchizedek is mentioned nine times in the New Testament: in the Epistle to the Hebrews (see: 7, 1-15), where the holy apostle Paul places Melchizedek into a mysterious relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. We can confidently make two statements: first, Melchizedek is a historical figure. He lived and reigned in the time of Abraham. Secondly, this personality is representative. In Hebrew, his name is pronounced "Malkitzedek" ("king of righteousness"). Salim (in Hebrew - peace) is identified by biblical scholars with the city of Jerusalem. The bread and wine with which Melchizedek blessed Abraham are prototype of the New Testament Sacrament of the Eucharist.

After these events, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a night vision. He was told: do not be afraid, Abram; I am your shield your reward [will be] very great(Gen 15:1). In response, the patriarch said that he was childless. God told him: look at the sky and count the stars if you can count them. And he said to him: so many offspring will you have(15, 5). Abram believed the Lord, and He counted it to him as righteousness.

Abram was seventy-five years old when the Lord first promised to make from him great people. When Ishmael was born, Abram was already eighty-six years old. St. John Chrysostom writes: “God tested the patience of the righteous for another thirteen years, and only then fulfilled His promise. He knew well that, like gold refined after a long time in a furnace, the virtue of the righteous will appear (in temptation) purer and brighter” (Conversations on the book of Genesis. 39.2).

God commanded Abraham to make circumcision on the eighth day male babies like a sign of the covenant between God and the descendants of Abraham. Circumcision was visible, a hallmark of belonging to God's chosen people. IN spiritual sense circumcision, which consisted in cutting off the foreskin of the genital organ, symbolized the cutting off of carnal lusts and impure desires. In a mysterious sense, circumcision foreshadowed the New Testament sacrament of baptism washing away this hereditary ancestral damage.

Soon Abraham was honored with a new epiphany, which is recognized as one of the most significant in the history of the Old Testament. The Lord appeared to him at the oak forest of Mamre when he sat at the entrance to the tent during the heat of the day. In a vision of three strangers, Abram was shown a secret three Persons of the Divine Trinity. Abraham ran towards the three, but bowed as one: Lord! if I have found favor in Your sight, do not pass by Your servant. The biblical story of the appearance of three men to Abraham found expression in iconography.

Patriarch Abraham arranged a meal for three visitors, showing hospitability. After the meal, two angels went to Sodom, but one remained. The inhabitants of the city were infected with vile sin. The patriarch turns to the remaining Angel, as to the Lord, with a plea to save the city in which his nephew lived with his family. The whole conversation of the patriarch with God, which can also be called a prayer, is extremely instructive. It shows the great condescension of God and the meaning of the highest Divine truth, which does not allow the undeserved death of the righteous. This conversation also testifies to the prayerful boldness of Abraham.

The Lord promised: If I find fifty righteous in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.(Genesis 18:26). Strengthened by these words, Abraham continues his intercession with even greater perseverance, while calling himself humbly dust and ashes. Realizing how few the righteous are in Sodom, he dares to reduce the number to forty. Since there were not so many righteous people there, he asks to spare the city for the sake of thirty. Then he reduces the number to twenty, and then to ten. But even so many righteous were not found in the corrupted city.

Lot showed hospitality to two angels. The vicious inhabitants of Sodom showed the full measure of their disgusting sinfulness. They made their own judgment. When the dawn rose, the angels brought Lot, his wife and two daughters out of the city. They told him not to look back to rush to the mountain, so as not to die. Lot was afraid that he would not have time to climb the mountain. He asked permission to flee to the city of Sigor. God's mercy and indulgence again manifested itself, for Sigor was also destined for destruction, but for the sake of the righteous Lot, God saved him.

When the sun rose and Lot and his family were already at Segor, the Lord poured sulfuric rain and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah.

After the destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham moved south and settled between Kadesh and Sur. Here God's promise to Abraham was fulfilled. Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son. The patriarch was already a hundred years old. The born son was named Isaac as the Lord commanded Abraham. On the eighth day, as God commanded him, Abraham circumcised his son.

When Isaac reached the age of adolescence, God sent Abraham great test of faith. The chronicler does not indicate the age of the patriarch's son, but it can be seen from the text that he had grown up enough to be able to carry firewood for the altar himself. God commanded to take his son, go to the land of Moriah and sacrifice him. When the bound Isaac was lying on the wood, and Abraham took a knife in his hands, the Angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven and said: do not raise your hand against the child and do nothing to him. St. John Chrysostom remarks: “Do you see the love of God? And the sacrifice was made, and the forefather showed the piety of his soul, received a crown for his one intention ”(Conversations on the book of Genesis. XLVII). This is an event of sacred history represents the great sacrifice on the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. The only begotten Son of God, out of obedience to God the Father, offered Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of people. Isaac, appointed to death, found life. It is a symbol of the resurrection of Christ.

Later, under King Solomon, on Mount Moriah was erected Jerusalem temple.

After living one hundred and twenty-seven years, Sarah died in Hebron. As the mother of all believers, she is the only one of the Old Testament women whose years of life are indicated in Holy Scripture. The Holy Apostle Peter sets Sarah as an example to women: So Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him master. You are her children if you do good and are not embarrassed by any fear.(1 Pet 3:6).

Abraham
[Jewish Abraham]

I. The name of the patriarch originally sounded like Abram, but then was changed by God to Abraham(Gen 17:5). Both forms correspond in meaning to the original aviram- "(my) father is exalted", and the word "father" may mean God. In Genesis 17:5 Abraham is interpreted as "the father of a multitude" [Hebrew av-hamon]. There is evidence of the existence of this name in the Middle East in the II millennium BC.

II. According to the data contained in the history of the forefathers, between the birth of Abraham and the resettlement of Jacob in Egypt, 290 years passed (Gen. 21:5; Gen. 25:26; Gen. 47:9); The people of Israel lived in Egypt for 430 years (Ex 12:40). The Bible does not say anything about specific contemporaries of Abraham that would allow them to be identified with famous historical figures. Archaeological finds of recent decades (especially texts from Mari and Nuza) still shed some light on the way of life, legal relations, customs and religious ideas that existed in the time of the patriarchs. However, a more accurate dating of the time of the forefathers in general and the period of Abraham's life in particular is impossible. Tentatively, this time can be limited to the first half of the II millennium BC; Abraham lived from about 2000 to 1800 B.C.

III. Abraham was the son of Terah of the line of Shem. Abraham had brothers Nahor and Aran. The latter, Lot's father, died in Ur of the Chaldees while Terah was still alive (Gen. 11:27 et seq.). Abraham's wife, Sarah (later Sarah), by whom he had no children (verse 29ff), was his half-sister (Genesis 20:12). Terah, along with Abraham, Sarah, and Lot, left Ur for Canaan. On their way up the Euphrates, they first settled in Harran, a crossroads for caravan routes. From there, at the age of 75, Abraham went on to the original destination of his wandering, Canaan (Genesis 12:4). According to Stephen (Acts 7:4), this happened after the death of Terah.

IV. Abraham left Haran, obeying the call of the Lord (Gen 12:1-3), who brought him out of Ur of the Chaldees (compare Gen 15:7; Neh 9:7 and Acts 7:2-4). Calling Abraham, God gave him a triple promise: to give him land, to make him a great nation, and to bless him, and in him “all the families of the earth” (Genesis 12:3). Probably Abraham followed from Harran via Damascus (it is noteworthy that his servant Eliezer was from Damascus, Genesis 15:2) along the usual route that connected Mesopotamia with Canaan. With the exception of Terah, he was accompanied by all who left Ur with him, which also indicates that his father Terah died in Harran. But even in Canaan, Abraham did not find a permanent residence. He sets up his camp in Shechem (Genesis 12:6), where the Lord gives him a promise to give the land of Canaan to his descendants (verse 7). After that, Abraham goes to the area located between Bethel and Ai, and from there goes south, but hunger makes him go to Egypt. Out of fear of Pharaoh, he passes Sarah off as his sister (verses 10-20). Returning to the south of Canaan, Abraham again goes to Bethel (Genesis 13:1,3). Here he parted ways with Lot, giving him the right to settle in the fertile Jordan Valley, which he himself had chosen (verses 5-12). Following this, God again promises to give the whole land of Canaan to Abraham and his descendants (verses 15-17), and Abraham settles down at the oak forest of Mamre in Hebron (verse 18). Abraham makes an alliance with the Amorites living here (Genesis 14:13). When Lot is captured during a raid by four kings from the east, Abraham frees him. The victor returning home is blessed by Melchizedek, and Abraham gives him a tithe of his spoils of war (chapter 14).

v. Abraham receives a promise from God that he will be given a numerous offspring. Abraham believed the promise, and God reckoned it to him as righteousness (Genesis 15:5 et seq.). The promise to give the land is confirmed by the solemn conclusion of the covenant between God and Abraham (verses 7-21). Abraham tries by his own efforts to fulfill the promise concerning his descendants, and, on the advice of Sarah, produces a son from her servant Hagar. According to the law (which is also evidenced by the texts from Ur and Nuza), this child was considered the son of the mistress (Gen. 16:2); thus, when Abraham was 86 years old, his son Ishmael was born (Gen. 16:15 et seq.). After 13 years (Genesis 17:1 and following), the Lord repeats His promise: not Ishmael, but Isaac, the son of Sarah, who from now on should be called Sarah ("princess / mistress"), will be Abraham's heir (verse 15 and following). At the same time, Abraham accepted the sign of the covenant - circumcision, and God changed his name to "Abraham". Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed for their sins, but as a result of the intercession of Abraham. Lot was saved (chapter 18 et seq.). Abraham goes south. In Gerar, he again passes off Sarah as his sister, this time before King Abimelech (chapter 20). As in Egypt, he was overcome by fear of people, and he again showed weakness. Then a hundred-year-old Abraham had a son, Isaac. At Sarah's request and God's command, Abraham sent Hagar and Ishmael away (Genesis 21:1-21). In Beersheba (“the well of the oath”) Abraham made an alliance with the Gerar king Abimelech (verses 22-32) and remained in these places for a long time (verse 33 and following). Here God commanded him to sacrifice Isaac. Abraham obeyed in the hope that God would raise his son from the dead (Heb 11:17-19). At the last moment, the Lord intervenes in what is happening and finally confirms all the promises given to Abraham, who again returns to Bathsheba (Genesis 22).

VI. When Sarah died at the age of 127, Abraham bought the cave of Machpelu from Ephron the Hittite and buried her there (chapter 23). The description of this event resembles in form a bill of sale, similar to the Hittite ones. The price of 400 shekels of silver was considered considerable. This plot was the only land property acquired by Abraham. At the same time, this was the first plot of the promised land, received into the possession of the forefather of the Israelites. After Sarah's death, when Abraham was 140 years old, he sent his servant Eliezer (see section IV) to Mesopotamia with a mission to find a wife for Isaac among Abraham's relatives in order to avoid marriage with a pagan Canaanite. Eliezer found in the city of Nahor (Gen 24:10), located near Haran, Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel, and brought her with him. Subsequently, Abraham married Keturah, who gave him 6 more sons (Gen. 25:1 et seq.). Abraham sent all his concubines (and their sons) away (verse 6). Abraham died at the age of 175. Isaac and Ishmael buried him next to Sarah in the cave of Machpeleh (verses 7 and 9).

VIII. The Lord has chosen Abraham to be the ancestor of Israel (Gen 12:2; Gen 17:4-8; Is 51:2), God's people among other nations. Abraham responds to this election with obedience (Gen 12:4) and faith (Gen 15:6; Heb 11:8), setting an example for all believers (Gal 3:29). Abraham's faith is subjected to an unprecedented test, and he becomes "God's friend" (Is 41:8; Jas 2:23) and the father of those who obey in faith (Rom 4; Gal 3:6-14; Heb 11:8-19; Jas 2:21-24). → .

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First of three biblical patriarchs who lived after the Flood.

According to the book of Genesis, the first Jew and the founder of all Jewish people. Descendant of Eber (Ever), great-grandson of Shem (Shem), the first son of Noah.

In the scriptures

In the Old Testament

The story of the life and work of Abraham is contained in the book of Genesis (11:26-25:10).

Abraham, original name who was Abram (אַבְרָם), was born in the Sumerian city of Ur in the XXI-XX century BC. e. (in the Bible "Ur Kasdim" - "Ur-Chaldean"), one of the oldest and most important cities in southern Mesopotamia.

There he married his half-sister Sarah (Saray) (Gen. 20:12), whom God later gave the name Sarah (Sarah). Abram's father Terah (Terah) left Ur and, taking with him his children: Abram and Nahor, Sarah and Lot (his grandson from the early deceased brother Aran), went to Canaan as God told him (Gen. 12: 4). On the way, in the city of Haran (Northern Mesopotamia), Terah died.

After that, God told Abram to leave his father's house and follow where he indicated. God also promised that he would make a great nation from Abram, bless and exalt Abram himself and through him all the peoples on Earth. Then Abram, who at that time was 75 years old, together with his wife Sarah, nephew Lot, with all the property and people that he had, left Haran for the land of the Canaanites.

Jozsef Molnár (1821–1899), Public Domain

The Lord said that he would give this land to the descendants of Abram. Raising altars to God, Abram continued to move south, but there was a famine in that land, and therefore, wanting to avoid it, Abram went to Egypt. Approaching this state, he ordered his wife Sarah to call herself a sister, fearing that because of her beauty, people who were seduced by Sarah could kill him. The Egyptian nobles really considered Sarah very beautiful and reported this to the pharaoh. Pharaoh took her as his wife, and thanks to this, Abram "was fine: he had large and small cattle, donkeys, male and female slaves, mules and camels." However, God struck down Pharaoh and his house because of Sarah. Pharaoh called Abram to him and asked why he did not tell that Sarah was his wife. Then he let Abram go with all his property, Sarah and Lot, and Pharaoh's people saw them off (Gen. 11-12).

unknown , Public Domain

Abram and Lot were so rich in cattle, silver, and gold that there was not enough room for their possessions. Therefore, so that there would be no contention between their shepherds, they divided. Lot went east - to the Jordanian region - and Abram began to live in the land of Canaan. After that, God once again confirmed that he would give these lands to Abram and his descendants, of which there would be a huge number (a lot, “like the sand of the earth”).

Abram settled at the oak forest of Mamre in Hebron (Gen. 13). One day, Abram was informed that Sodom, where Lot lived at that time, was attacked by the combined army of Chedorlaomer, the king of Elam and his allied kings, who plundered and took the Sodomites into captivity. Then Abram immediately armed 318 of his slaves, that is, servants, caught up with the enemy and attacked him at night, defeating and pursuing to Hoba, thanks to which he rescued Lot from captivity, and returned his and his property, as well as women and people.

Dieric Bouts (circa 1420-1475), Public Domain

Returning from the campaign, Abram received the blessing of Melchizedek (Malki-Tzedek, Heb.), King Salem (Shalem) and "priest of the Most High God." When the king of Sodom suggested that Abram take all the spoils of war for himself, Abram refused so that no one could say that he enriched Abram. However, he gave the shares belonging to his people to Aner, Eshkol and Mamri (Gen.14).

After these events, God once again confirmed his promise to give Abram a numerous offspring, to whom the land from the “river of Egypt” to the Euphrates river would be given, and which would be first enslaved, but then freed and rich. Abram, at the request of God, sacrificed to him a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old goat, a three-year-old ram, as well as a turtledove and a young dove. All of them, except for the birds, were cut in half (Gen.15). However, Sarah was barren and gave her husband her slave, the Egyptian Hagar. Hagar, who became pregnant by Abram, began to despise her mistress, and Sarai accused Abram of this. Then Abram gave his wife the right to do whatever she wanted with the maid. Hagar fled from the oppression that began after that, into the desert, and at the source she met an angel who told her to return, and also said that God had heard her suffering, that Hagar would give birth to a son and call him Ismail. When Hagar gave birth to Ishmael, Abram was 86 years old (Gen. 16).

Thirteen years later, God appeared to Abram to establish a covenant with Abram. God renamed Abram as Abraham and again promised - now to Abraham - that he would become the father of many descendants (and peoples), that kings would come from him, and that God would give them the land of Canaan as an eternal possession and be their God. God commanded that every male be circumcised on the eighth day from birth, including babies born in the home and bought for silver from foreigners. The soul of those who do not circumcise, according to God, will be destroyed. The ninety-year-old Sarah was renamed Sarah by him. God also promised that Sarah would give birth to Abraham's son, Isaac. Abraham obediently did the will of God. All male members of the household, both born in the house and purchased, were circumcised. Abraham was 99 years old when his foreskin was circumcised (Gen. 17).

Abraham and the Three Angels, James Tissot, 1896-1902 James Tissot (1836–1902), Public Domain

Shortly after circumcision, God appeared to Abraham in the form of three traveling husbands. Abraham asked for the opportunity to serve God, since he was his slave, offered to wash the feet of their husbands, bring bread, butter and milk, cook a calf. God said that in a year he would again appear to Abraham and give a son to Sarah. Sarah, hearing Abraham's conversation with God, did not believe, because she was already too old to conceive, and laughed. God asked Abraham why Sarah was laughing, and Abraham told her that she was barren. However, God confirmed that at the appointed time he would be with Sarah and give her a son. After that, God shared his plans with Abraham: about the election of Abraham to command his sons to do the will of the Lord, and that God wants to know if Sodom and Gomorrah are doing exactly as they say about their sins.

And the two men went to Sodom and Gomorrah, and Abraham began to bargain with God, not wanting the righteous to perish in those cities along with the unrighteous. Having reduced the number of the righteous, at which these cities will be spared, from fifty to ten, the Lord left (Gen.18).

Abraham Sees Sodom on Fire, James Tissot (1836-1902) James Tissot (1836–1902), Public Domain

After the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and Lot's departure from Sodom, Abraham passed through the city of Gerar. And again, out of fear that he would be killed in order to possess his wife, he called Sarah his sister. Sarah again got to the local king - Abimelech - as a wife, and again God appeared to Abimelech in a dream and said that he would kill the king - Abimelech - since he married a woman who has a husband. However, Abimelech did not touch Sarah and was innocent. Sarah herself called Abraham her brother. Therefore, God ordered Abimelech to return the wife to her husband, threatening otherwise with death. Waking up, King Abimelech called Abraham and asked why he brought a great sin on his state and acted as they do not act. Abraham confessed that he thought that there was no fear of God in this city and that he would be killed for his wife. Also, Sarah is indeed Abraham's sister, as she is his father's daughter by another woman. And they agreed to hide behind this in their travels at the behest of God. Then the king of Gerar gave Abraham many slaves, cattle and a thousand shekels of silver, returned his wife to him and justified her before everyone, and also allowed him to live freely on his land. Abraham prayed to the Lord, and God restored the ability of the generation of Gerar to bear children (Gen. 20).

The Lord kept his word and Sarah conceived and gave birth to a son, despite the fact that she was already old. Hundred-year-old Abraham named his son Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day from his birth. On the day that Isaac was weaned from his mother, his father gave a great feast. However, Ismail - the son of Abraham from Hagar - mocked Isaac. Seeing this, Sarah told Abraham to drive out the slave girl along with her son. This seemed very unpleasant to Abraham, but God confirmed the words of Sarah. And Abraham gave Hagar bread and a skin of water and let her go with Ishmael.

Gheorghe Tattarescu (1820–1894), Public Domain

After that, Abraham made an alliance with Abimelech about a well in Beersheba, giving him small and large livestock, planted a grove near Beersheba and wandered for a long time in the Philistine land (Gen. 21).

Rembrandt (1606–1669), Public Domain

After that, God decided to test Abraham's obedience and told him to sacrifice Isaac. Abraham, together with Isaac and two more youths, took firewood chopped for a burnt offering and sat on his donkey, went to the land of Moriah, where God directed him - to the mountain. Arriving there on the third day of the journey, Abraham left the donkey and the youths and together with his son went up the mountain, saying that he would bow there and return back with Isaac. On the way to the mountain, to his son’s question about where the lamb for the burnt offering was, Abraham answered that God would indicate, but on the spot On the top of the mountain, Abraham gathered an altar, spread out the firewood and, having tied Isaac, laid it on top of the firewood. When he raised his hand with a knife to stab his son, an angel called to him from heaven. Through him, God informed Abraham that he now knew of his fear of God, and also repeated his promises to Abraham of many descendants and blessings, also promising them military victories. After these events, Abraham returned to (Gen. 22).

Sarah died at the age of 127 in Kiryat Arba (Kiryat Arba), near. For her burial, Abraham asked the Hittite to own Efron (Efron) (“double cave”) near Hebron. The Hittites recognized Abraham as the prince of God and sold him this cave with a field for four hundred shekels of silver (Gen.23).

Having grown old, Abraham sends his elder slave to his relatives in northern Mesopotamia in search of a bride for Isaac in order to avoid marriage ties with the Canaanites. A slave messenger with ten camels and treasures given by Abraham, near the city of Nahor, met a virtuous girl who gave him and all the camels a drink. This girl turned out to be Rebecca (Rivka) - the daughter of Abraham's nephew Bethuel (Bethuel). The slave bowed to God, who led him to the right place. In the house where Rebecca lived, the slave told about the life of Abraham and why he had come. Rebecca's relatives said that this was from the Lord, and they gave Rebecca without objection. The slave made rich gifts to her, her brother and mother, and the next day took her to Abraham and Isaac. Having met Rebecca, Isaac married her. Having received a beloved wife, Isaac was comforted in sorrow for his mother (Gen. 24).

In extreme old age, Abraham married Khetturah (Kturah), who bore him several more children: Zimran, Yokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak and Shuah. All of them, like the eldest son of Abraham - Ishmael - became the founders of various Arab tribes, which explains the meaning of the name Abraham, as "the father of many tribes" (Gen.17:5). Abraham gave everything he had to his son Isaac, and gave gifts to the sons of the concubines that he had and sent them to the east. Abraham died at the age of 175, elderly and full of life, and was buried by Isaac and Ishmael next to his wife Sarah in the cave of Machpelah in Hebron (Gen. 25).

In the New Testament

In the New Testament, Abraham, along with Moses, is the most frequently mentioned Old Testament righteous man. The genealogy of Jesus is traced back to Abraham, the progenitor of all Jews: Genealogy of Jesus Christ, Son of David, Son of Abraham(Matthew 1:1). In the birth of Jesus, Christian tradition sees the fulfillment of the promise to Abraham that in his seed (which, according to the word of the Apostle Paul, is Christ (Gal. 3:16)) all the nations of the earth will be blessed (Gen. 22:18).

In the Gospel of John, and later in the Christian theological tradition, references to Abraham are used to justify the divinity of Jesus Christ. Chapter 8 describes Jesus' dispute with the Pharisees, who doubt that he was sent from God. The Pharisees call themselves "the seed of Abraham"(John 8:33) and claim that they do not need "liberation" through the knowledge of the truth, which, in his own words, Christ brings. Jesus recognizes their bodily origin from Abraham (John 8:37), but denies the spiritual: the Pharisees do not fulfill the precepts of the patriarch, intending to kill a person proclaiming the word of God (John 8:39); because of this, they do not have the right to be called the children of Abraham, their father is the devil, whose “lusts” they fulfill (John 8:44). Angry Pharisees consider Jesus to be possessed by a demon (John 8:48) and accuse him of "glorifying himself" and placing himself above the long-dead and revered patriarch Abraham (John 8:53). To this Jesus replies: (John 8:56) - that is, according to the theological interpretation, he knew about the coming coming of Christ the Messiah. The Pharisees are perplexed, having understood these words in such a way that Jesus, who “is not yet fifty years old”, as if lived at the same time as Abraham (John 8:57). To this Jesus says: "Before Abraham was, I am"(John 8:58), thereby asserting that he existed forever.

Meister des Codex Aureus Epternacensis, Public Domain

Abraham's bosom is mentioned in the parable of " Richer and Lazarus”, told by Jesus Christ (Luke 16:22). After this, a dialogue takes place between Abraham and the rich man, who asks to send Lazarus to his house to warn his brothers about the punishment of sinners:

“Abraham said to him: They have Moses and the prophets; let them listen. He said: No, Father Abraham, but if anyone from the dead comes to them, they will repent. Then he said to him: if they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, then if someone rose from the dead, they will not believe.
(Luke 16:29-31)

In the episode with the evangelist, Luke describes the condemnation of Jesus for entering the house of a publican, who was considered a sinful person. Zacchaeus repents and Christ tells him: "Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is the son of Abraham"(Luke 19:9).

Abraham is mentioned by John the Baptist in his sermon of repentance: “Bring forth fruit worthy of repentance, and do not think to say within yourselves, Abraham is our father, for I tell you that God is able of these stones to raise up children to Abraham.”(Luke 3:8). John with these words reminds his compatriots that the mere fact of belonging to the descendants of Abraham will not save them from God's wrath if they do not repent. That "not all the children of Abraham, who are of his seed"(Rom. 9:7), writes the apostle Paul.

In a letter to the Christian community of Galatia, which consisted of former pagans, Paul says that “The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, foretold to Abraham: in you all nations will be blessed.”(Gal. 3:8). Abraham's blessing extends to the Gentiles through Jesus Christ (Gal. 3:14). According to Paul, the promises were made to Abraham and his seed, "Which is Christ...but if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise"(Gal. 3:16-29). Based on the Old Testament story about Abraham, whose faith was reckoned to him as righteousness (Gen. 15:6) before receiving the covenant of circumcision, Paul in the Epistle to the Romans puts the righteousness of faith above the righteousness of the law:

“And he received the sign of circumcision, the seal of righteousness through faith, which is in uncircumcision, so that he became the father of all believers in uncircumcision, so that righteousness would be reckoned to them, and the father of the circumcised, not only circumcision, but also walking in the footsteps of the faith of our father Abraham, which is uncircumcised. For the promise was not a law to Abraham, or to his seed, to be an heir of the world, but the righteousness of faith. If those who establish themselves in the law are heirs, then faith is vain, the promise is ineffectual; for the law produces wrath, because where there is no law, there is no crime. Therefore, according to faith, so that according to mercy, so that the promise may be unchangeable for all, not only according to the law, but also according to the faith of the descendants of Abraham, who is the father of us all.
(Rom.4:11-17)

At the same time, in the Epistle of the Apostle James, it is on the example of Abraham that it is proved that “ faith without works is dead»:

“Wasn’t Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith worked with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? And the word of Scripture was fulfilled: "Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him for righteousness, and he was called the friend of God." Do you see that a man is justified by works, and not by faith alone?
(James 2:21-24)

In the Quran

In the Qur'an, Abraham appears under the name of Ibrahim, the 14th sura of the Qur'an, sent down in Mecca (except for the Medina verses 28 and 29) after the Nuh sura and consisting of 52 verses, is named after him. It got its name because of the mention in it of the prayer of the prophet Ibrahim to Allah. In Islam, Ibrahim is one of the greatest prophets (rasul) of Allah, about whom the Qur'an says: “ Is there anyone more beautiful in his faith than that virtuous one who completely surrendered to Allah and followed the faith of Ibrahim Hanif? But Allah made Ibrahim a friend» (4:125).

unknown, photo: Evgenia Kononova , CC BY-SA 3.0

The Quran's story about Ibrahim partially repeats the biblical story in its details (Sarra's barrenness, the Egyptian king's encroachment on her, the birth of a son from the maid Hagar, etc.). The Koran describes in particular detail the struggle of Ibrahim against the idolatry of the Chaldean tribes (21:63-67). For this sermon, he was thrown into the fire by the order of King N'Amrud, but Allah made the fire cool for him (21:69).

The story of the sacrifice of Ibrahim (Abraham) of his son is also described in the Koran, but only in a few verses (37, 100-106):

“When the son reached to share the zeal with him, he said: “O my son! Verily, I saw in a dream that I was sacrificing you with a slaughter. What do you think?" The son replied, “O my father! Do as you are commanded. If it is Allah's will, you will find me patient." When they both submitted and threw him down… Truly, this is a clear test. And We replaced him with a great sacrifice.

The son of Ibrahim in this episode is not named by name in the Koran, but in the Muslim tradition Ismail (Ishmael), and not Isaac was " dabih alla

Traditional lore

In Jewish tradition

In Jewish traditions (midrashim), Abraham is credited with the merit of discovering the idea of ​​monotheism and its development. As a three-year-old child, when he sees the sunset and the disappearance of the moon and stars, he realizes that " There is a Lord over them - I will serve Him and offer up my prayers". According to the midrash, Abraham breaks the idols of his father Terah (Terach).

The "Land of Moriah", mentioned in the story of the sacrifice of Isaac, is identified in Jewish tradition with Mount Moriah in Jerusalem, on which Solomon built the Temple. Therefore, it is believed that the Temple was erected on the very spot where Abraham built the altar for burnt offering.

In the Christian tradition

The image of Patriarch Abraham serves as a prototype of the highest piety and righteousness, both in the Old and in the New Testament. According to John Chrysostom, Abraham was the guardian and teacher of the faith and morality of his people among the pagans around him. Augustine the Blessed wrote that God's promise to Abraham about the multiplication of offspring and his blessing (Gen. 12:1-3) refers to all mankind, on which God's blessing should descend. In the bread and wine presented to Abraham by Melchizedek (Gen. 14:18), the Fathers of the Church saw a prototype of the Eucharist.

Gregory of Nyssa in his essay " ” considers the voice of an angel to Abraham during the sacrifice of Isaac as one of the proofs of the trinity of God:

... who was talking with Abraham? Is it Father? But you can't say that the Father is anyone's angel. Therefore, the Only Begotten Son of whom the prophet speaks: "His name is called the Great Council Angel"(Isaiah 9:6).

Gregory Nyssky. Word about the deity of the Son and the Spirit and praise righteous Abraham

anonimus, Public Domain

In early Christian doctrine, the sacrifice of Isaac is seen as a prediction of the martyrdom of Christ. According to the Fathers of the Church, Jesus himself pointed to this story as a prototype of his forthcoming sacrifice on Golgotha: “Abraham your father was glad to see my day; and saw and rejoiced"(John 8:56). This opinion is already contained in the writings of Irenaeus of Lyons (II century), Gregory the Theologian (IV century) and is developed by subsequent theologians. They compare Isaac's obedience to the will of Abraham and Jesus to the will of God the Father, Isaac's carrying firewood to the mountain is called a prototype of Jesus' carrying the Cross, and his way to the mountain is the way of the cross to Golgotha.

St. John Chrysostom, commenting on the sacrifice of Isaac, admires the courage of Abraham and the humility of his son, shown during this temptation of God:

“But who here is more surprised and amazed? Is it the courageous spirit of the forefather, or the obedience of the son? He did not run away, was not upset by his father's act, but obeyed and submitted to his intention and, like a lamb, silently reclined on the altar, waiting for a blow from his father's hand. When everything was already prepared and there was nothing more left, then the good Lord, wanting to show that He gave him such a command not for the actual slaughter of his son, but for the discovery of all the virtue of the righteous, finally shows his own philanthropy, crowning the righteous for the very will, then is the very determination of the forefather, taking it for a truly sacrificed.

John Chrysostom. Discourses on the book of Genesis (Conversation 48)

In the ancient tradition

According to Nicholas of Damascus, Abraham was the king of Damascus who came from the land of the Chaldeans. Then he moved to Canaan.

According to legend, Abraham was engaged in natural sciences, knew astronomy, chemistry and other knowledge that he inherited in his homeland from the Chaldeans and subsequently distributed among the Phoenicians and even Egyptians. Abraham is considered by some to be the inventor of alphabetic script and calendar calculations.; others even attribute to him the composition of some books.

In Muslim tradition

In the Muslim tradition, Ismail (Ishmael), and not Isaac, was " dabih alla"- a sacrifice chosen by Allah.

In religious tradition

In Judaism

The image of Abraham occupies a central place in the historical memory of the Jewish people. The description of his life and his trials is considered in the Jewish tradition as an instructive example, symbolically reflecting the subsequent history of the Jewish people.

Abraham is considered in the Jewish tradition not only as the founder of the Jewish people, but also as a forerunner of monotheism, which brought people faith in a single invisible God, the creator of earth and sky and the ruler of the world. Abrahamic religions, as well as many philosophical ideas underlying modern civilization, go back to the ideas and postulates proclaimed by Abraham. However, nowhere in the text of the Pentateuch is it mentioned that Abraham proclaimed faith in the One God for the first time. Jewish commentators emphasize that, although personally for Abraham this faith was really the discovery of something new, however, objectively, it was a restoration of a very old and almost forgotten truth that was known to Adam, Noah (Noah) and his descendants Shem (Shem) and Ever (Ever). Thus, Abraham really put forward something completely new for the society in which he lived, calling to return to the One God, to revive the faith of the distant past. His ideas probably seemed barbaric and primitive to his contemporaries, and Abraham should have been perceived by them not as an innovator, but as an ultra-conservative, an adherent of a forgotten ancient cult. One of the proofs that faith in the One God already existed at the time of Abraham is contained in the Pentateuch itself: this is a story about a meeting with Melchizedek, the king of Salem, "Priest of the Most High God"(Gen. 14:18). Thus, Abraham was not alone - he had like-minded people, isolated from each other, scattered in different places, but who retained faith in the One God.

Abraham's merit lies in the fact that he was the first to take seriously the original religious concept of God. In fact, Abraham was the first prophet of the ancient faith. He sought to inspire his adherence to this faith to a small group of people - the community he formed, which was supposed to become a special tribe (and later - a nation) that keeps this idea. For the same purpose, Abraham wandered around Canaan, tirelessly calling on the name of the Most High, building altars, attracting those who believed in the One God, and trying to induce others to believe in Him.

The biblical narrative vividly expresses Abraham's unparalleled loyalty and devotion to God. Despite all the trials, he unquestioningly carries out the orders of God. The climax of these trials is the sacrifice of Isaac. Jewish tradition considers the sacrifice of Isaac as a symbol of readiness for the heaviest sacrifices in the name of devotion to God.

The Mishna testifies that already in the I-II centuries. the theme of the sacrifice of Isaac was contained in the prayer read during fasting days. The Talmud prescribes the reading of the story of Isaac's sacrifice in the synagogue on the second day of Rosh Hashanah and explains the custom of blowing a shofar (made from a ram's horn) on Rosh Hashanah as a reminder that a ram was sacrificed instead of Isaac.

The Bible emphasizes the exclusive relationship between God and Abraham. This connection later took the form of a union (covenant; Heb. brit) concluded between God and Abraham. This union is of paramount importance in Jewish history and in the development of human culture. It includes three main elements:

1. the chosenness of Abraham's descendants through the line of his son Isaac;
2. a promise to give ownership of the land of Canaan to these chosen descendants of Abraham;
3. command to follow God's commandments, which include both cult commandments and ethical standards behavior.

The narrative of the book of Genesis about Abraham contains only a general ethical prescription to be blameless (Gen. 17: 1), but the behavior of Abraham, no doubt, indicates the presence of a certain system moral principles. So, Abraham becomes famous for his hospitality, stands up for the inhabitants of Sodom, refuses to appropriate booty in the war and categorically rejects the offer of the "sons of Hitt" to receive the cave of Machpelah as a gift.

In Christianity

In Orthodoxy

The Orthodox Church venerates Abraham in the face of the righteous and commemorates him twice a year: on October 9 (according to the Julian calendar) together with his nephew Lot and in " Week of the Forefathers on the second Sunday before Christmas.

The name of Abraham and the Old Testament images associated with him are often found in Orthodox hymnography. The most common reference in chants is bosom of Abraham, which is already found in the ancient liturgy of the Apostle James: “ Remember, O Lord… the Orthodox… Give them rest yourself… in Your Kingdom, in the delight of paradise, in the bowels of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob…". The very name of Abraham in prayer appears as component invocation to God: Lord Almighty, the God of our fathers, Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the seed of their righteous ...».

The Orthodox Church uses the Old Testament texts that tell about the life of Abraham as proverbs:

• the story of the appearance of God to Abraham in the form of three travelers under the oak of Mamre is read at the service on the day of memory of the priest Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth
• the story of the sacrifice of Isaac is read on Friday Vespers of the fifth week of Great Lent and Great Saturday.

The expression "father of many nations" (Gen. 17:5) is interpreted in the sense that Abraham, through Jesus, became the father of the Christian nations. In the 318 households of Abraham (Gen. 14:14), the compilers of the liturgical order of the Orthodox Church saw a prototype of the number of participants in the First Ecumenical Council.

The appearance of God to Abraham in the form of three travelers (Gen. 18) is considered Orthodox Church as a symbol of the trinity Deity, which was reflected in the icons of the Trinity. This iconic plot was called " Hospitality of Abraham”(traditionally, the icon depicts Abraham himself, slaughtering the calf, sometimes there may be an image of his wife listening to the speech of angels).

In Islam

Muslims consider Ibrahim the builder of the Kaaba. He built it in Mecca with his son Ismail on the same spot where it stood in the time of Adam. Upon completion of construction, Ibrahim taught Ismail the rites of the Hajj and made him the guardian of the Kaaba.

Ibrahim died in Jerusalem at the age of 175. Muslims built a mosque over the cave of Machpelah, in which Abraham is buried, and protect it as one of the greatest shrines.

According to the Koran, the son of Abraham (Ibrahim) - Ismail was the ancestor of the Arab people.

Photo gallery

Years of life: XXI-XX century BC. e.

Helpful information

Abraham
Hebrew אַבְרָהָם‎
translit. Abraham
Arab. ابراهيم‎‎
translit. Ibrahim
other Greek Ἀβραάμ
lat. Abraham

Legends and folklore

Slavic apocrypha

In Slavic literature, the legends about Abraham were reflected in two translated apocrypha based on Greek translations of Jewish legends.

• The Revelation of Abraham - says that Abraham is convinced of the impotence of the idols that his father Terah makes and comes to the idea of ​​God who created everything. Then he heard a voice from heaven commanding him, after a 40-day fast, to offer a sacrifice to God, and the angel Joel assigned to Abraham leads him to Mount Horeb. Here Abraham sacrifices and is assassinated by the devil Azazil, but an angel orders him to leave Abraham. At sunset, Abraham, along with Joel, ascends to heaven, sitting on the wing of a dove. He sees an indescribable light, then a throne standing on four animals, seven heavens and everything that is done on them, earth, hell and Eden, in which Adam, Eve and Azazil are.

• Death of Abraham (Testament of Abraham) - Archangel Michael appears in the form of a traveler to Abraham's house to announce to him the onset of death, but does not dare to announce the sad news to him and asks God to send Abraham a mortal memory so that he himself guesses about the onset of death. The will of God is revealed to Abraham through the dream of Isaac. Before his death, Abraham wished to see all the works of God, and the archangel took him up to heaven. There he saw two gates: wide leading people to death and narrow - to eternal life. Adam sat at the gate, weeping at the sight of those going through the wide gates and laughing at the sight of those going through the narrow ones (he wept seven times more than he laughed). Further, Abraham, together with Michael, visited the place of judgment, where Abel performs judgment, and Enoch searches for sins in books, which he keeps a record of. Here Abraham himself pronounces a sentence on sinners still living on earth, showing such severity that God, who expects repentance from people until the end of his life, orders the archangel to return Abraham to earth. Then follows the story of Sarah's death, the marriage of Isaac, and the second marriage of Abraham. At the end of the Apocrypha, Abraham's death is told. Death appears to him adorned with great beauty, but, at the request of Abraham, it is shown to him in its present form, with many heads made of snakes, knives, and fires. The burial of Abraham is told according to the Bible.

In Russian translation, these apocrypha have been known since the 14th century (Sylvester collection), and were also included in the Palea.

Muslim traditions

Muslims claim that Abraham was in Mecca and founded there, together with Ishmael, the sanctuary of the Kaaba (Koran II, 119, etc.). Jewish tradition also speaks of Abraham's visit to his son Ishmael in Arabia. See the details of all the legends about A. in Beer's book "Leben Abrahams". The latest criticism has also touched the faces of the patriarchs with its analysis. Some critics identify Abraham with Brahma, others with Zoroaster, still others, like the ancient Philo of Alexandria, allegorized the history of the patriarchs, seeing in them only the personification of well-known abstract concepts. Critical-historical illumination of the legends about Abraham.

Historical analysis

The world in which Abraham lived was a relatively enlightened and intellectual world of polytheistic religion. It was a polytheistic (idolatrous) urban civilization, the pinnacle of the culture of its era, putting forward brilliant ideas and sophisticated concepts in science, philosophy, and art.

Migration to Canaan

According to a number of researchers, the biblical story about the migration of Abraham's family to Canaan reflects what happened in XIX-XVIII centuries BC e. intensive migration of West Semitic tribes, called the Amorites or the Suti, from Upper Mesopotamia to the Syro-Palestinian region. The connection with Upper Mesopotamia was reflected, in particular, in the names of Abraham's father, grandfather and great-grandfather (Tarah (Terah), Nahor, Serukh), which are the names of cities and localities in the Haran region, where Terah's family moved from Ur. The name of their ancestor Ever (Ever), meaning "the other side" or "District", is associated with the Ivri epithet - "(man) from Ever", that is, the District. This epithet (from which the word "Jew" comes) is first used in the Bible in relation to Abraham (Gen. 14:13), and then to the Israelites in general. Initially, it could be called all the tribes that crossed the Euphrates on the way from Upper Mesopotamia to Syria and Canaan. Some researchers believe that there is some connection between the Ivri epithet and the name Khabiru (variants: hapiru or apiru), which is found in Akkadian and Egyptian sources from the end of the third millennium BC. e. Meanwhile, Dyakonov's point of view is disputed by Western researchers, who point to numerous evidence of the nomadic nature of the hapiru.

Ivrim were strangers who penetrated into Canaan and remained, apparently, alien to the religion, cult and life of the Canaanite peoples. Really, feature Abraham is a complete break with the culture of his country of origin, Mesopotamia, on the one hand, and estrangement from the beliefs, worship and way of life of the Canaanites, on the other. Abraham, as then his son and grandson - the patriarchs Isaac and Jacob - does not have his own land in Canaan and is dependent on the Canaanite kings - the rulers of the cities. He maintains peaceful relations with the surrounding tribes, but retains his isolation in everything related to beliefs, worship, and even the purity of the clan. He sends his slave to his relatives in Northern Mesopotamia in order to bring his wife to Isaac.

According to another hypothesis, the era of Abraham falls on the XXI-XX centuries BC. e. This hypothesis is based on the message of the Second Book of Kings (1 Kings 6:1), according to which 480 years elapsed between the Exodus from Egypt and the beginning of the construction of the Temple by Solomon. Based on intrabiblical chronology, it can be calculated that Abraham left Haran around 2091 BC. e. However, according to most researchers, the period of 480 years is rather symbolic (12 generations of forty years each). In addition, archaeologists have not found evidence of the existence on the territory of Canaan in the XXI-XX centuries BC. e. cities like those mentioned in the biblical story of the patriarchs.

It has also been suggested that Terah's family may have left Ur around 1740 BC. e., during the suppression of the uprising against the Babylonian ruler Samsu-iluna, in which Ur. In 1739 B.C. e. the city was destroyed by the troops of Samsu-iluna, who massacred a significant part of the population, and became depopulated for a long time. It should also be noted that the naming of Ur "Ur of the Chaldees" (Gen. 11:31) is an anachronism, since the Chaldeans appeared in Babylonia only in 1100-1000. BC e. Apparently, such a designation of the city arose during the rise of Ur during the reign of the last king of the Neo-Babylonian (Chaldean) dynasty Nabonidus (556-539 BC) and was included in the story of Abraham.

Union "between dissected parts"

In the story about the conclusion of the covenant between God and Abraham (Gen.15:9-18), the practice of concluding an alliance was reflected, in which the contracting parties passed between the parts of the dissected animal. IN Hebrew making a covenant is often described by the idiom "cut the covenant". A similar expression is found in a text from the Syrian Qatna (15th century BC), as well as in the Amorite texts from Mari, where the conclusion of the union is described by the expression "kill the colt."

Date of writing

Most modern historians have come to the conclusion that not only the legends about the patriarchs, but also their record in the literary form that has come down to us, are very ancient period, although, in all likelihood, they were recorded during the period of the kings (after the 10th century BC).

Names

The personal names Abram and Abraham are first found in 3-2 millennium BC. e. Mesopotamian cuneiform tablets, Egyptian texts, as well as in texts found in the Syrian Ebla. The etymology of the name Abram is not exactly known. Perhaps it means "father is exalted", "father is magnificent", and is a form of the early Semitic proper name Av(i)ram. Received by Abram after the conclusion of the covenant (Gen. 17:5), the name Abraham means "father of a multitude" (nations). Unlike the names of Isaac, Jacob-Israel and his sons, the name Abraham is never used in the Bible to refer to localities or tribes.

The name of Abraham's mother is not mentioned in the Pentateuch, according to Arabic sources (see Herbelot I, 64) her name was Adna, and in Hebrew (Talmud, Bava-Batra 91a) - Amatleya, probably Amatsula - ancient Chaldean female name, found in cuneiform inscriptions, and not the later Greek Amalthea, as suggested by Kagut (Plenus Aruch s. v.) and others.

In philosophy

The story of the sacrifice of Isaac, as an example of the clash of moral norms and divine command, was considered by a number of philosophers of modern and recent times, who somehow solved the problem of the relationship between morality and religion. Immanuel Kant, whose ethics declares the complete autonomy of morality “by virtue of pure practical reason” and its independence from religion (and, moreover, the dependence of faith in God on the prescriptions of morality), cites in the treatise “The Dispute of the Faculties” the answer that Abraham had to give to the order to sacrifice his son:

I'm sure I shouldn't kill my good son. But the fact that you, who appeared to me, is really God, I am not sure, and I cannot be sure.

Moreover, according to Kant, Abraham could be sure that the voice he heard did not belong to God. An order to do something contrary to the moral law cannot, according to Kant, come from God, that is, a higher moral being, whose idea is a derivative, and not the basis of morality.

Soren Kierkegaard, who devoted the book Fear and Trembling to the problem of interpreting the sacrifice of Isaac, admits, following Kant, that from an ethical point of view, such a sacrifice would be just murder. But Abraham, according to Kierkegaard, "steps over everything ethical, and outside of it he acquires a higher goal, in relation to which he eliminates the ethical." Kierkegaard speaks of the "teleological abolition of the ethical" possible for a person living religious life(as opposed to people living, in Kierkegaard's terminology, aesthetically or ethically). “The paradox of faith is this: the individual individual is higher than the universal” (that is, universal moral norms); "there is an absolute duty to God," in comparison with which "the ethical is reduced to the relative." Abraham is a "knight of faith", a believer by "the power of the absurd". At the same time, his faith is not a belief that God will cancel his command, or a belief in future life: Abraham was going to make a sacrifice and at the same time "believed in a contradiction" - that he "will grow old on this earth, revered by his people, blessed in his kind, unforgettable in Isaac - the beloved in his life."

Developing Kierkegaard's ideas, Jean-Paul Sartre in his famous essay "Existentialism is Humanism" uses the expression "Abraham's anxiety" introduced by him to affirm the absolute freedom and at the same time the absolute responsibility of man:

I do not have to be Abraham, and yet at every step I am forced to do things that serve as an example for others. For each person, everything happens as if the eyes of all mankind are turned to him and as if everyone conforms their actions to his actions. And every person must say to himself: do I really have the right to act in such a way that humanity takes an example from my actions? If he does not tell himself this, then he hides his anxiety from himself. We are not talking here about the feeling that leads to quietism, to inaction. This is an anxiety known to all who have taken any responsibility.

In art and literature

In fine arts

• Peter Lastman: "The Sacrifice of Abraham" (1616, Louvre), "Abraham on the Road to Canaan" (1614).
• Gustave Doré: "Three Angels Visit Abraham" (1852).

The Bible tells its readers many interesting and moving stories. We meet interesting characters who perform feats, sometimes finding themselves in fantastic or difficult circumstances, but with the help of God, remain unscathed.

The story of Abraham, the progenitor of the Jewish race, and his wife is a story of deep trust in the Almighty. The life of these ancient people was full of trials, difficulties, passions, mistakes, but they always followed God, even when it was hard and they did not believe that the Lord would fulfill his promises.

One of the hottest female characters old testament was the wife of the forefather of the Jewish people. What was the name of Abraham's wife, the story of her life, behavior, character, purpose and fate will be shown in this article.

How it all started

The Bible tells that Abram lived with his father and brothers in the Sumerian city of Ur, located on the banks of the Euphrates River. Ur was famous for its ports, in which there were many ships. This large city quickly grew rich in trade with other lands, including Canaan. Abram's father - Terah - decided to leave Ur and go the hard way to Canaan. When they reached a place called Haran, the father died, and Abram became the head of the family.

At this time, God appeared to Abram and said that he should leave the house in Haran and go to the lands that the Lord would show him. This choice was difficult for Abraham. He loved life in the city, but did not want to run away from God, he listened to the voice of the Creator and trusted Him. The Lord said that Abram would become the forefathers of an entire nation if he obeyed Him. God changed his name to Abraham, which means "parent of many". In the 12th chapter of the book of Genesis we read the following lines:

And the Lord said to Abram, Get out of your country, out of your kindred, and out of your father's house, to a land that I will show you; and I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.

In Harran, Abraham left the farm to his brother, Nahor, and he himself chose the path of a Bedouin cattle breeder. With Abraham, his nephew Lot and his faithful wife left the rich lands. The name of Abraham's wife is Sarah.

The meaning of the name and appearance of Sarah

Let us dwell on the image of the wife of Abraham. Abraham's wife in the biblical tradition was called Sarah. Translated from the Hebrew name Sarah means “princess”, “mistress of many”. At birth, Sarah had a different name - Sarah or Sarai, which meant "noble." But God, when he added the second letter a to Abram, did the same with Sarah, only added the second r to the name. This began to mean that Sarah would be the mother of a large nation.

Sarah married Abraham in Ur of the Chaldees, where they grew up and lived until they decided to go to the land of Canaan. She was the half-sister of her husband. Abraham's wife Sarah accompanied her husband on all his travels and was about 10 years younger than him. Sarah is considered the founder of the Jewish people. But at the time when she left Ur, the nationality of Abraham's wife was not yet Jewish. Jews began to call their descendants. With a greater degree of probability, we can conclude that Sarah was a Chaldean, as she grew up in Mesopotamia, on the right bank of the Euphrates River, where the Chaldeans lived in those days.

It is clear from Scripture that Sarah was a very beautiful woman. There are no verses in the Bible that would praise the beauty of Sarah, however, if we take the narrative context, we can conclude that Abraham's wife was beautiful.

Looking ahead, let's say that his girlfriend was so beautiful that Abraham, fearing for his life, tried to pass Sarah off as his own sister when they lived at the court of the Egyptian pharaoh and the king of Gerara - Abimelech. Abraham had something to fear. Then there were many cases when the rulers, without hesitation, could kill a person, and take a beautiful wife to him. Abraham's wife dutifully obeyed her husband's orders and obeyed him in everything.

Character of Sarah

Abraham's wife Sarah was not an obedient puppet in the hands of her husband.

Yes, she obeyed Abraham, but she had a harmful, and at times stubborn character, thanks to which she could insist on her decision. In Genesis 21, verse 12, God personally tells Abraham to listen to his wife's voice:

whatever Sarah tells you, listen to her voice.

Abraham regularly turned to his wife for advice or advice, and also considered it important for him to get Sarah's approval in order to make this or that decision.

As described in the Bible, Sarah, Abraham's wife, pointed out what her husband needed to do, and he fulfilled her requests. An example is the relationship between Sarah and Hagar. Sarah asked Abraham to cast out the maid who bore him a son. Abraham did not want to expel Hagar, but Sarah showed a tough character, and he was forced to obey his wife. Abraham sent the maid with her son into exile, although he did it against his will.

Sarah in Egypt

When Abraham left his home in Haran and wandered around the land of Canaaan, there was a severe famine in these parts, there was no food. So he went to Egypt to provide for his family and servants.

When Abraham was in Egypt, he gave Sarah to Pharaoh's palace. A logical question arises. Why Abraham Gave His The answer lies in Abraham's character. He was afraid that he would be killed. Even in Canaan, from travelers who met on his way, he heard that the Egyptian pharaohs, if they see a beautiful wife with her husband, they will do everything so that the woman becomes an adornment of their court. Many men suffered from the desire of the rulers to possess their wives, and were killed. For this reason, Abraham gave his wife to Pharaoh - to stay alive.

In the 12th chapter of the book of Genesis we read that on the way to Egypt, Abraham asked Sarah not to tell anyone that they were spouses. He persuaded him to say that she is his sister, then he will be left alive and the pharaoh may well give him gifts:

Sarah obeyed her husband, as she had done before. She realized that such a move could lead to family enrichment and prosperity. Abraham was a savvy man, before his cunning brought them only benefits.

And so it happened. In Egypt, the pharaoh's nobles liked the beauty of Sarah, they took her to serve in the palace, and "brother" Abraham was given small and large cattle, slaves and slaves.

But God did not want Abraham to live in deception, and did not fulfill his destiny. The Lord struck Pharaoh and his family with a terrible disease, and then the deception on the part of Abraham was revealed.

One day Pharaoh called Sarah and Abraham to him. He asked why they deceived him, because soon the pharaoh thought to marry Sarah and take her as his wife. The ruler of Egypt was very upset, but was merciful and drove the deceivers out of the palace, and his servants escorted them to the border with Canaan.

After Egypt, Abraham returned to Canaan with his family, livestock, and slaves. Between Bethel and Ai, at the sacrificial stone he made long ago, Abraham thanked God for keeping him on the road and keeping him from Pharaoh's wrath. In this place, Abraham parted with his nephew Lot, who decided to separate from his uncle and live independently.

Abraham settled in Hebron, near the oak forest of Mamre. God's promise that Sarah would give birth to a child from whom Abraham's offspring would come was still not fulfilled. The Lord repeatedly confirmed his covenant with Abraham that he would give them a child. Time passed, Sarah grew old, and no heir was born. Then Sarah decided to take matters into her own hands and thought that if she was not destined to give birth to a child, let the maid give them offspring with Abraham.

Sarah brought to her husband a maidservant she had brought with her from Egypt. The maid's name was Hagar. She told Abraham to spend the night with her so that Hagar could conceive a child. Interestingly, Abraham obeyed Sarah. In Genesis 16:2 we read:

behold, the Lord has shut up my womb, that I should not bear; come in to my maid: perhaps I will have children by her. Abram listened to Sarah's words.

Sarah assumed that when Hagar gave birth to a child, she would be able to take the child to her, so that her husband would have a long-awaited heir, to whom all the property could be left.

Abraham followed his wife's advice without question and went to the maid's tent in order to conceive a child. They spent a pleasant night, after which Hagar realized that she was carrying a child within her.

When Hagar found out she was pregnant, she hated her mistress, Sarah. It follows from the biblical context that Sarah ran to her husband and began to scold him, express her claims to him, declare Abraham guilty of her position: what is it, I let you spend the night with my maid, and she despises me. Of course, a very strange female act: she herself became the organizer, allowed her husband to cheat with a maid, and then looks for the guilty on the side. In chapter 16, verse 6, we read Abraham's answer:

behold, your maid is in your hands; do with her what you please.

Abraham washed his hands and left the fate of Hagar to his wife, because she is her servant, let Sarah deal with her herself. And Sarah began to oppress, insult and humiliate Hagar. Most likely, the maid was brought to such a state that she could no longer endure the insults of the mistress, and left the oak forest of Mamre, ran away.

When Hagar was in the desert, an angel of God appeared to her. He told her to return to Abraham and Sarah and become obedient to her mistress. An angel gave a message to Hagar from God that a great nation would come from her (Genesis 16:10):

multiplying I will multiply your offspring, so that it will not be possible to number them from the multitude.

Hagar returned to Sarah and gave birth to a son, whom she named Ishmael. He is considered the ancestor of the Arab tribes.

Sarah in this episode is a grumpy, vindictive woman with a sinful human nature. Sarah - a common person. She does not see her mistakes, but tries to blame others for the misfortunes that occur in her life.

Abraham's guests

When Abraham was sitting at the entrance to the tent, like a true Bedouin, he noticed that three people were approaching him. Abraham ran up to these people and bowed, he somehow knew that one of the guests was the Lord. He rejoiced that God had come to visit him. The owner of the house began to fuss to feed the guests. Women were in charge of the household. Abraham ran to Sarah and asked her to bake unleavened cakes for dear guests, and asked the servant to take the best calf and cook it.

The guests told Abraham that God would give him offspring, fulfill His covenant, what He promised would be fulfilled. Sarah overheard her husband talking to the guests and laughed. It was funny to her that she could still have a baby. Sarah understood that she was old, and usually all the reproductive functions of the body at this age are already inactive.

The Lord reacted with incomprehension to Sarah's laughter. The answer is described in the Bible: Abraham's wife, Sarah, shared her doubt that it was impossible to give birth to a child in old age. To which the Lord told Abraham that the child would be born next year.

When Sarah, Abraham's wife, heard what one of the guests said, she lied about not laughing. But nothing can be hidden from the Lord, He knows the heart of every person. Sarah was afraid that she doubted the words of God, and therefore she told a lie.

Abraham, Sarah and Abimelech

Abraham wandered in the land of Canaan and on his way stopped in the city of Gerar, whose king was Abimelech.

The same scenario happened to Abraham in Gerar as in Egypt. Abraham does not learn from mistakes, or vice versa, he realized that passing off his wife as a sister, one can benefit.

When they saw in Gerar that Abraham's wife was very beautiful woman, told the king about this, and he, in turn, ordered to bring her to the palace along with her man. Abraham, appearing before Abimelech, deceived the king, declaring that this was not his wife, but his sister. Sarah was silent and obeyed her husband in everything.

At night, the Lord came to Abimelech in a dream. He warned Abimelech not to touch Sarah and sent her back to her husband in the morning. God warned the king that if he did otherwise, He would kill him and all of Abimelech's family.

At dawn, the king called Abraham and his wife to him. Abimelech was indignant why Abraham did this to him, he asked him what prompted him to such an act. Abraham stood before the king and honestly confessed everything. He said that he was afraid that for the beautiful Sarah he might be killed. Abraham explained to Abimelech that he and his wife agreed that wherever they came, Sarah should say that Abraham was her brother. The forefather of the Jewish people partly lied. Sarah was his wife, but they were brother and sister by father, but their mothers were different.

Abimelech returned his wife to Abraham, gave him money (silver shekels), livestock and slaves. The king of Gerar told Sarah that now she was justified before the people and clean.

Fulfillment of the covenant

As God promised, the next year Sarah gave birth to a child, and they named him Isaac. The birth was not easy, Sarah was old.

After the birth, Sarah looked at the baby and grumbled that people would laugh when they learned that the old woman not only gave birth to a child, but also was able to feed milk. In Genesis 21 we read:

And Sarah said, God made me laugh; whoever hears of me will laugh. And she said: who would say to Abraham: Sarah will breastfeed her children? for in his old age I gave birth to a son. The child has grown and weaned; and Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned.

Abraham rejoiced that an heir promised by God was born, a child from whom a large nation would come. On this occasion, when Sarah stopped breastfeeding the child, he arranged a rich feast.

Farewell Hagar

Sarah began to notice that Ishmael, the son of Hagar from Abraham, fell in love with mocking the young Isaac - teasing and laughing at him. Sarah did not like this behavior of Ishmael. She came to Abraham and sternly declared that her husband should drive out the slave and her son.

Sarah was cunning. She took advantage of the moment to get rid of the hated maidservant, Abraham's firstborn, Ishmael, so that her son would receive all the property that would come to him from his father.

Abraham submitted to his wife. He remembered the words of the Lord that he should listen to the voice of Sarah.

Early in the morning, Abraham gathered bread and water, gave it all to the maid, and sent her and Ishmael away from his tent. It was hard for Abraham to part with his firstborn, whom he loved, but he did not want to go against the will of his wife and God.

Hagar and her son wandered in the wilderness and got lost. When water and food ran out, Ishmael was close to dying. Desperate, Hagar laid her son under a tree, and she herself went away so as not to see the death of her beloved child. Hagar sat down on a rock and wept. But God did not leave the Egyptian. An angel came and pointed her to a source of water. Happy Hagar and Ishmael ran and drank from the well. They settled near a water source. When Ishmael grew up, Hagar found him an Egyptian wife, from whom he had 12 sons.

Death and burial of Sarah

There is a hypothesis that says that Sarah died before Abraham, because the mother's heart could not stand it when she learned that her husband almost sacrificed his son. Abraham passed the test from God, his faith was strong, but Sarah could not survive such an act of her husband, she was old and her heart began to hurt a lot. But this is just the opinion of a number of Bible scholars.

Genesis 23 tells us how Sarah died and where she was buried.

Sarah died at the age of 127 in Kiriath Arba, this area is now called Hebron. Abraham wept for a long time that his beloved wife was gone, and when the time came to bury Sarah, it turned out that the land for her burial could not be found anywhere.

Abraham went to the sons of Heth and began to ask them for a place to bury his wife. They gave a positive answer, saying that Abraham could choose the best piece of burial ground for Sarah. Abraham wanted to bury his wife in the cave of Machpelah, which belonged to Ephron. But Ephron sold Abraham not only the cave, but also the field for 400 shekels. Sarah was buried in Machpelah, and Abraham said goodbye to his wife.

Abraham had a second wife after Sarah - Keturah, from whom he had other children. But Abraham gave his wealth, livestock and slaves to Isaac.

Abraham died at 175 and was buried next to Sarah.

Now we know the name of Abraham's wife, it is clear from the Bible what kind of character she had. She lived a long life, fulfilled her destiny on earth, giving birth to Abraham's heir - Isaac. Sarah was an ordinary person: an obedient wife, economic, grouchy, vengeful, envious, proud, but strong and faithful to God and her husband.

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 land, 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 the legitimate son of 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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