Question

Which most accurately describes he role of Abraham in the Hebrew scripture

Answer 1

Abraham was the original patriarch of Judaism, recognized as the "father of faith" by Christianity, and an extremely important prophet in Islam. The story of his life is told in the Book of Genesis and in the Quran. In both scriptures, Abraham is characterized as having exemplary faith, a living relationship with the personal God who directs his life. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are sometimes referred to as the "Abrahamic religions" because of the role Abraham plays in their holy books and beliefs. The Hebrew Bible describes Abraham as the first patriarch of the Israelites. He is the one to whom God gave the blessing of descendants "like the sands of the sea" and the promise of a nation that would keep the ways and commandments of God. Abraham's journeys through the land of Canaan mark out the territory that would later become the land of Israel. In the Qur'an Abraham is a prophet blessed by God, and it is he who established the Kabbalah in Mecca as a holy sanctuary. His son Ishmael is said to be the father of the Arabs. Both Judaism and Islam credit Abraham with being the first monotheist, who, living amidst a polytheistic culture, had the revolutionary insight that there is but one God, the Creator of the universe. In Christian belief, Abraham is a model of faith, and his intention to obey God by offering up Isaac is seen as a foreshadowing of God's offering of his son, Jesus of Nazareth.

Answer 2

Abraham was the first patriarch of the Hebrew people, that is, the chief, judge and father of the Hebrews. This patriarch was chosen by God to lead his people to the promised land by God, or Canaan. He is the first character in the Bible to give up everything he knows in the name of the Lord, with his blind faith that God would give him a son. His faith made Abraham "the father of all believers."