The primary intention in Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) is the loving relationship between God and His people. In fact, the whole Bible reminds us that the story of the loving relationship between God and us is far greater than the difficulties caused by the passing of time. And so, if we want to explore further studies on the Bible, it is good to begin where that relationship with God was formed. Beginning with chapter 12 of Genesis, the focus of the Bible that was on the origins of the world and its people began to narrow down to a chosen people called Israel and their neighboring nations.
The religion of the Hebrews, which is Judaism (that dates back nearly four thousand years), traces its origin back to the covenant or a formal agreement that God established with Abraham (originally called Abram and the son of Terah in Ur). It was Abraham who established the belief that there is only one God who is the creator of everything and who relates to His creatures.
Therefore, in Judaism Abraham became the founding father of the covenant that God established between Him and Israel. God also made a promise to Abraham stating that if he and his descendants would be faithful to Him, He would guide them and make them a sacred nation, give him and his wife (Sarai) a son, and also give them a land of Canaan (which is now Israel and Palestinian territories). Hence, Abraham marks the beginning of the journey of faith of Israel (Gen 12:1-3).
Abraham plays a role as a common patriarch of faith in all three monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. He is considered as the founding patriarch of Jews and Arabs alike. Jews, Christians, and Muslims revere him as the “father of all nations.” In Hebrew Scriptures, his response to God’s call is referred to as a model of how human life should be lived. They also referred to him as a way how humans should respond to the call of God through a journey of faith.
Since the accounts in the Bible are so ancient, not much external evidences are there to confirm the exact time of the events that had occurred. In the case of Abraham, there are no specific proofs outside the Bible about him. Most scholars accept that Abraham lived sometime in the second millennium BCE. One of the reasons can be that the stone tablet from the period of the second millennium BCE showing that “Ibrahim” as a common name. Also, the name “Ibrahim” was roughly contemporary with one of the most famous kings of ancient Babylon called Hammurabi who is best known for a code of law.
All three major monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam have a common reverence for Abraham as a model for true human response to the call of God. Abraham has become the prime link between Jews, Christians, and Muslims. The life of Abraham is told as a journey of faith in the Bible. With the story of Abraham, the whole bible invites us to walk with God in a journey of faith. For St. Paul, Abraham is a model for our faith and friendship with God (Rom. 4).
— Fr. Niranjan Rodrigo, Ph.D.
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