0
What positive evidence is there that Abraham existed as a real historical person?
Wiki User
∙ 9y ago
Answer:
Positive historical/archaeological and even scientific data point to the existence of Abraham as a real person.
Historically, Abraham is regarded as a real person by Jews, Muslims and Christians alike, in terms of their faith, based on their sacred writings, which in quite a number of cases have hard historical evidence which backs them up as being legitimately historical.
In terms of ethnicity both the Jews and the Arabs trace their descent from Abraham. The Jews through Abraham's son Isaac and the Arabs through his son Ishmael.
The historian Josephus quotes Berosus the Babylonian historian as mentioning Abraham (without actually naming him) when he stated "In the tenth generation after the Flood, there was among the Chaldeans a man righteous and great, and skilful in the celestial science." Scholar of ancient writings Bill Cooper agrees with Josephus' assessment of this as being a reference to Abraham. (Bill Cooper BA Hons: "After the Flood: The Early post-flood history of Europe traced back to Noah", New Wine Press, 1995. Appendix 2 page 180). Josephus also mentions that Hecataeus wrote a whole book about Abraham.
Further to the above, Josephus quotes from Nicolaus of Damascus, from the fourth book of his history as saying, "Abram reigned at Damascus, being a foreigner, who came with an army out of the land of Babylon, called the land of the Chaldeans. But after a long time he got him up, and removed from that country also with his people, and went into the land then called the land of Canaan, but now the land of Judea....Now the name of Abram is even still famous in the country of Damascus..." (Josephus, The Antiquities of the Jews, chapter 7, paragraph 2 (159, 160); William Whiston, translator.
The historical details from Josephus relate evidently to the time when Abraham (then called Abram) was en-route to Canaan (from the biblical Old Testament record in Genesis) and stayed some time in what the Old Testament refers to as Haran, before later entering Canaan. Obviously all of the above is referring to a person who actually existed, all references being from outside the bible itself.
Scientific studies in the field of the Y-chromosome pattern in males have confirmed that both Jews and Arabs have likely descended from one single man, as mentioned above.
The bible itself, from around the time of Abraham, has numerous archaeological data which back it up in terms of the customs and setting of the bible time of Abraham. These details also show that Abraham belongs in the setting in which the bible puts him and no later. The name Abraham is mentioned in the Ebla tablets, and also in a tablet from Babylon. Another Ebla tablet mentions Sarai. While some may rightly contend these are not necessarily direct references to Abraham himself, it does show the existence and use of the name in the relevant time period.
Summary: In view of all this, and in consideration of the 'ancientness' of the time there is a remarkable amount of positive evidence for the existence of Abraham as a real historical person.
Wiki User
∙ 9y ago
One of the main pieces of evidence for the existence of Abraham as a real historical person comes from the religious texts that mention him, such as The Bible, the Quran, and the Torah. Additionally, some archaeological discoveries in the Middle East have been interpreted to support the idea of Abraham as a historical figure, though these findings are not definitive. Overall, the evidence for Abraham's existence is largely based on religious texts and interpretations.
Add your answer:
Earn +20 pts
Why is Josephus important for proving that Jesus existed?
Josephus, a Jewish historian from the first century, mentions Jesus in his work "Antiquities of the Jews." This mention provides extra-biblical, historical evidence of Jesus' existence, which is important for scholars and researchers studying the historical Jesus. While there is some debate over the authenticity of the specific mention of Jesus in Josephus' writings, it is still an important piece of historical documentation.
Was St. Christopher really a saint?
St. Christopher is a legendary figure who may or may not have actually existed. Because there is so little evidence or information about him, he was removed from the Church Calendar of Saints several decades back. His cult has not been surpressed so veneration is still allowed.
Was Saint Christopher real?
The historical existence of Saint Christopher is debated among scholars. While there are stories and legends about a man named Christopher who carried Christ across a river, there is limited reliable historical evidence to confirm his existence.
Who is the earliest historical person in the Old Testament?
A:We can not be certain who was the earliest historical person in the Old Testament. There are good grounds for believing that King David was a real, historical person and King Saul is also quite likely to have existed, although neither of them was the great king of all Israel portrayed in the Bible. Prior to this, history becomes murky. Some of the Judges were probably historical, others not. The order in which the Judges are presented in the Book of Judges is clearly artificial, so we can not be sure in which order any historical Judges really lived. We can be sure that Gideon was a real, historical person since his real name, Jerubbaal, is also used in the Book of Judges, reflecting the early polytheism of Israel. The Song of Deborah (Judges 5), which mentions a battle that probably did happen, is thought to have been one of the earliest passages in the Old Testament so Deborah is also likely to have been historical.We should exclude Joshua, Moses, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, as well as all members of their families, as being legendary, not historical people.
How did St. Ursula become a saint?
St. Ursula is a legendary Christian virgin martyr who allegedly was martyred along with 11,000 companions. The story of her martyrdom became popular in medieval Europe, leading to her veneration as a saint. However, historical evidence for her existence is lacking, and she is considered a legendary figure by many scholars.
Is tyga a Illuminati?
No one is Illuninati. There is no historical evidence they ever existed or exist today. They are fiction used to make a story better.
Did Robin Hood exsist?
Maybe. Historians have traced him back to 1226 to when oral stories were told in rhyme, but there is no true historical evidence he really existed.
What evidence did the archaeologist find to suggest that the tainos existed?
What evidence did the archaeologist find to suggest that the Tainos existed
What evidence did the archaeologists find to suggest that the tainos existed?
Archaeologists found artifacts such as pottery, tools, and petroglyphs in various excavation sites across the Caribbean region where the Taino people once lived. These artifacts provide physical evidence of the Taino culture and way of life, confirming their existence. Additionally, historical accounts and oral traditions from other indigenous groups and European colonizers also mention the Taino people, further supporting their existence.
At what age did Robin Hood start fighting?
Robin Hood was not real and the story began as a oral poem in the 1200's.. He was not real and there is no historical evidence he existed.
Was there Buddhism before Abraham's time?
A:If Abraham was a real, historical person, then he lived long before the time of the Buddha. On that view, Buddhism did not exist at the time of Abraham. However, there is no archaeological evidence that Abraham ever existed, and in fact the biblical account is contradicted in some important ways by what we now know about the ancient world. The consensus of historians and Old Testament scholars is that the Abraham of the Bible was not a real person. On that view, it is meaningless to talk about the time of Abraham and therefore meaningless to think of him living before Buddhism. Judaism, as we understand it today, and Buddhism both arose during the Axial Age.
What book did prophet Ibrahim have?
AnswerThere is no real evidence that Abraham really existed, so it is unlkely that he wrote any books; no books have been found that were written by him.
Who is the first historic person in the Old Testament?
A:The first Old Testament character actually known probably to have existed historically was King David. The Mesha Stele and the Tel Dan Stele both seem to refer to David or the House of David, making it very likely that he was a historical person. There is no evidence that Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses and the other early biblical characters ever existed, and good reason to believe that they did not.
What is a town on the river Usk said to location of Camelot?
Caerleon - but remember King Arthur and Camelot is a story/legend not a historical fact and there is no evidence that Camelot existed or if it did exist where it really was.
How old is makkah?
Makkah established during prophet Ibraham time about 4000 years ago Prophet Ibraham and his son Ishmael built Al Kaaba there in compliance with God orders
What is the evidence that he normans existed in Lancaster?
the castles
What evidence did Dalton have that atoms existed?
postulate
