Abraham

Definition and Meaning

Abraham is a patriarch who appears in the Book of Genesis in the Old Testament. The patriarchs were the ancestors who lived before the people of Israel took shape as a nation. His original name was Abram. In Genesis 17:5, God changed his name to Abraham, meaning "father of many nations." Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all regard him as a forefather of their faith.

Biblical and Historical Background

According to Genesis, Abraham left Ur of the Chaldees with his father Terah and moved to Haran. At the age of seventy-five he received the call, "Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house," and went to Canaan (Genesis 12:1–4). God made a covenant with him promising many descendants, land, and blessing (Genesis 15 and 17), and commanded circumcision as its sign. Circumcision is a rite in which a male's foreskin is cut away to mark him as a member of the covenant people.

Abraham fathered Ishmael by the maidservant Hagar, and at the age of one hundred he fathered Isaac by his wife Sarah. He was later tested by the command to offer Isaac as a sacrifice (Genesis 22). He died at the age of 175 and was buried in the cave of Machpelah (Genesis 25:7–10). Scholars disagree about the historical period in which he lived.

The New Testament also refers to Abraham frequently.

• Romans 4 and Galatians 3: On the basis of Genesis 15:6, "he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness," these chapters explain justification, the teaching that a person is justified by faith rather than by the works of the law.
• Hebrews 11: Presents him as an example of faith.
• James 2:21–23: Cites his offering of Isaac to show that faith is made evident through works.

Practice in Korean Churches

In Korean churches, the expression "Abraham, the father of faith" is widely used. His obedience in leaving his homeland and the account of his offering of Isaac are staple texts for sermons and Sunday school lessons.

Understandings of the Abrahamic covenant differ by denomination and theological tradition.

• Presbyterian and other Reformed traditions: Following covenant theology, they view the Abrahamic covenant as the covenant of grace, which continues into the New Testament. This position holds that, just as Abraham's circumcised descendants belonged to the covenant community, so do the children of believers, and it cites this as one of the grounds for infant baptism.
• Baptists: Holding that New Testament baptism is to be administered to those who have personally professed faith, they reject the interpretation that links circumcision with infant baptism. This difference is discussed in the infant baptism debate.
• Dispensationalism: Tends to hold that the land promise made to Abraham will be literally fulfilled for ethnic Israel.

In addition, Abraham's giving of a tenth to Melchizedek (Genesis 14:20) is frequently cited in the tithing debate. Those who emphasize tithing cite this event as evidence that the tithe existed before the law, while others regard it as a one-time occurrence.