Answer:
Question: In reading an article on modern religious practices, I noticed the word “Abrahamic.” I thought it would be cool if you did an article that explained this word, and also explained the fundamental commonalities of these religions. Too much time is perhaps spent on the differences.
Answer: Today’s question comes to me from a local student, who is apparently doing some research. Let us hope that she writes her own term paper and does not hand in this article, but I am glad to reply.
“Abrahamic” is the term used by a number of recent writers to refer collectively to the Jewish, Christian and Islamic faiths, because all three of these claim either biological or spiritual descent from the patriarch Abraham. There are problems with this term, as we shall see, but it is a useful phrase.
The Jewish understanding of Abraham is drawn from the book of Genesis, Chapters 11:26 to 25:18. According to this tradition, Abraham was born as Abram in Ur of the Chaldees, but left when God called him to leave his father’s country and moved to Canaan, where he had many adventures, including visiting Egypt to escape famine.
In Genesis, his wife Sarai is barren, but to produce an heir she allows him to take her servant Hagar as a concubine, who conceives the son Ishmael. God intervenes in Abram’s life and establishes a covenant with Abram and his wife, who conceives a son, Isaac. As part of the covenant, their names are changed to Abraham and Sarah, and they are promised that through Isaac their posterity will be vast.
Explanation:
