Biblical character Abram and his significance in religious tradition

Abraham was the son of Terah and the descendent of Noah's son Shem. Many scholars estimate the span of his life to fall somewhere within the second millennium BCE. The story of Abraham begins in the ancient Sumerian town of Ur in southern Mesopotamia when his father, Terah, decides to leave the town with his family (Gen. 11.31). The family eventually settles in Horan, and it is here where Abraham receives God's call (Gen. 12.1-2). Essentially, God makes two promises to Abraham and to the ancestors: first, they will possess the land of Canaan; and second, that they will become a great nation. After receiving the Lord's word Abraham leaves Horan together with his wife Sarah and his nephew Lot; they journey to Canaan. Abraham erects alters and invokes Yahweh at Shechem and Bethel. By doing this, Abraham attempts to lay a foundation for their eventual occupation of Canaan, and also to sanction the newcomers to maintain the holy places of the former inhabitants of their own worship.

However, Abraham, Sarah, and Lot are eventually forced to move on from Canaan and into Egypt as a result of famine. It is during this time that Abraham attains moderate wealth as a merchant. Largely, this is the result of Pharaoh's patronage after Sarah enters his household. Following this period, the group once again returns to Canaan but Lot chooses to settle in another area of the Jordon valley. This parting exemplifies the trouble facing Abraham concerning the naming of a direct heir. The Bible repeatedly states that his wife, Sarah, is infertile and this threatens the promise God made to Abraham; that he would be the founder of "a great nation." (Gen. 11.30). However, God reassures Abraham that his wife will bear him a son even though -- by this time -- she is ninety and he, ninety-nine. Upon this assurance Abraham, who up until this point is called "Abram," is given his true name and his wife is no longer known as Sarai. God says that Sarah "shall give rise to nations; kings of peoples shall come from her." (Gen. 17.16). In Genesis 18 three divine messengers come to Abraham in human form and one of them announces, "I shall return to you in due season and your wife shall have a son." When Sarah hears this she laughs; accordingly, when the son is born she names his Isaac, which means "he laughs."

Yet, Abraham's troubles in securing an heir do not end with the birth of Isaac. The famous story in Genesis 22, "the Sacrifice of Isaac," tells of how God requests that Abraham give up his own beloved son to prove his faith. Overwhelmed by grief, Abraham obeys; but at the last moment God halts the sacrifice and provides him with a ram to slaughter instead. This is perhaps the most compelling and interesting episode in the story of Abraham. The event raises many questions about the nature of faith. Most obviously, the fact that God requests Abraham commit a grievous sin to prove his faith appears nonsensical. Certainly, it took a substantial amount of faith for Abraham to believe that somehow following God's commands would save his son and his lineage. After all, how could a good and righteous God demand that someone perform such a heinous act? It is difficult to imagine an individual not questioning the voice he heard under such circumstances; it is equally difficult to imagine an individual possessing a will strong enough to sacrifice the thing he loved most. This makes Abraham one of the most fascinating characters in the entire Bible and serves as an example of what it means to hold true faith: Abraham was forced to believe that by killing his son he would somehow save him. Similarly, faith could be likened to simultaneously possessing two contradictory notions that will be somehow rectified through divine intervention.