Bible & Christianity › Creation & the patriarchs
Abraham, father of many nations
c. 2000–1700 BC (traditional); from Ur (Genesis 11:31)· Person· People
Faith & scriptureHeld by believers on faith and scripture; history can neither confirm nor rule it out.
Genesis tells of Abram of Ur, whom God called to Canaan; he is the ancestor of the Jews and spiritual father of Christians and Muslims.
See it on the Bible & Christianity map →What it is
Genesis 12 tells how God calls Abram to leave his country for a land God will show him. With his wife Sarai he travels through Haran to Canaan, living as a herder in tents. God renames them Abraham ('father of many') and Sarah. Earlier he has Ishmael by Sarah's servant Hagar; at 100 he has Isaac by Sarah. He buys the cave of Machpelah at Hebron as a family tomb.
Why it matters
Judaism, Christianity and Islam, together more than half the world's people, trace their faith to him. Paul holds him up as the model of faith (Romans 4).
Life, legacy and sources
No outside record names Abraham. Some details fit the 2nd millennium BC; others, like camels and Philistines, fit much later times. Many scholars see a remembered ancestor, not a provable figure.
Questions and debates
Whether Abraham was a real person, and which Ur he came from (Ur in southern Iraq, or a northern site near Haran such as Urfa), is debated.
Inside this (4)
Connections (4)
▸Tower of Babel gives way in Genesis to Abraham, father of many nationsFaith & scripture
The connection
Babel ends Genesis's story of all humanity in scattering and confusion. The very next family tree (Genesis 11:10–26) traces Shem's line to Abram, and God calls him in Genesis 12. Where Babel's builders sought to 'make a name', God promises Abraham, 'I will make your name great.'
When and where
Genesis 11–12, moving from Shinar (Babylonia) to Ur, Haran and Canaan.
How do we know?
The wordplay on 'name' (Hebrew shem) between Genesis 11:4 and 12:2 is widely noted by scholars as a deliberate literary link.
Questions and debates
Whether the opening history (Genesis 1–11) and the Abraham stories were once separate collections, joined later, is debated by scholars.
▸Abraham, father of many nations received God's covenant with AbrahamFaith & scripture
The connection
God approaches Abraham with promises that grow more formal: a call promising a nation and blessing (Genesis 12), a solemn covenant ritual over the land (Genesis 15), and circumcision as its lasting sign, with new names for Abram and Sarai (Genesis 17).
When and where
In Haran and Canaan, according to Genesis; Abraham builds altars at Shechem, Bethel and Mamre near Hebron.
How do we know?
A matter of faith and scripture. Genesis 15:6, 'he believed the Lord, and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness', became central to Paul's teaching on faith.
Questions and debates
Scholars think the accounts come from different sources (Genesis 17 is usually assigned to the 'Priestly' writer), retelling one covenant rather than separate events.
▸Abraham, father of many nations was the father of Isaac and the binding of IsaacFaith & scripture
The connection
Isaac is the long-promised heir through whom the covenant passes. Sarah, childless and about 90, gives birth after God's visitors foretell it (Genesis 18, 21). Abraham then sends away Ishmael, his older son by Hagar, and the covenant line runs through Isaac.
When and where
In southern Canaan, around Beersheba in the Negev, by the Genesis account; Abraham is said to be 100.
How do we know?
Scripture only; no outside record names either man. Genesis 17:21 makes the point: 'my covenant I will establish with Isaac.'
Questions and debates
Islamic tradition honors Ishmael as Abraham's heir and ancestor of the Arabs. The great ages given are read literally by some, symbolically by others.
▸Letter to the Romans holds up the faith of Abraham, father of many nationsHistorical record
The connection
In Romans 4 Paul argues that Abraham was counted righteous for trusting God (Genesis 15:6) before he was circumcised. So Abraham is 'the father of all who believe', Gentiles included, not only of those who keep the Law. Faith, not ancestry or ritual, makes someone his heir.
When and where
Romans 4, written from Corinth about AD 57; Paul had made the same argument a few years earlier in Galatians 3.
Historical evidence
Explicit in the text: Paul quotes Genesis 15:6, 'Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness', and Genesis 17:5.
Questions and debates
James 2:21–24 cites Abraham for a different emphasis, faith shown by works. Whether James is answering Paul himself, or misreadings of him, is debated.