"Children of Abraham"?

"You Are I Am" by Mercy Me

Exodus 3:14-15, "God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM'; and He said, 'Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, "I AM has sent me to you."' God, furthermore, said to Moses, 'Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, "The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you." This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name to all generations.'"

Isaiah 48:12, "Listen to Me, O Jacob, even Israel whom I called;
            I am He, I am the first, I am also the last."

"Abraham"--in the New Testament there is another wealth of verses wherein this name appears. I cannot, right now, look at them all with the length they deserve. But let me see what I find. What came to mind when people in the New Testament wrote or spoke of Abraham?

• Matthew 1:1-17, "The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham: Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers . . . Eliud was the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob. Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, by whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah. So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the Messiah, fourteen generations."
• Abraham - portrayed as a historical man.
• Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob--the genealogical list remains identical in the New Testament.
• How could the Messiah, Jesus, be the descendant of Abraham, if Abraham was only figurative/imaginary/theological?
• Why would the historical deportation/exile of the Israelite people be noted in a merely figurative genealogy?
• Why would the generations be counted, if some of the individuals were simply figurative? Who would count a figurative generation?
• John 8:37-40, "'I know that you [Jews] are Abraham’s descendants; yet you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. I speak the things which I have seen with My Father; therefore you also do the things which you heard from your father.' They answered and said to Him, 'Abraham is our father.' Jesus said to them, 'If you are Abraham’s children, do the deeds of Abraham. But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did not do.'"
• Abraham - portrayed as a historical man.
• Why would Jesus contradict Himself by saying that these Jews were figurative descendants of Abraham, but did not act as his children/descendants?
• Why would Jesus tell the Jews to "do the deeds" of an imaginary man, whom they might object was too idealized to imitate?
• How would the Jews feel rebuked by being called antagonists toward the truth in a manner that their merely figurative forefather never was?
• When you say someone doesn't follow in their parents' footsteps, you are talking about their real-life parents--in the Jews case, this was a well-remembered ancestor.
• John 8:52-59, "The Jews said to Him, 'Now we know that You have a demon. Abraham died, and the prophets also; and You say, "If anyone keeps My word, he will never taste of death." Surely You are not greater than our father Abraham, who died? The prophets died too; whom do You make Yourself out to be?' Jesus answered, 'If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing; it is My Father who glorifies Me, of whom you say, "He is our God"; and you have not come to know Him, but I know Him; and if I say that I do not know Him, I will be a liar like you, but I do know Him and keep His word. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.' So the Jews said to Him, 'You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?' Jesus said to them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.' Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple."
• Abraham - portrayed as a historical man.
• The Jews believed Abraham died/tasted death. How could a merely figurative man die?
• Why would the Jews respect the name of Abraham if they believed the stories about him were made up?
• How could a figurative man rejoice to foresee the real coming of Christ?
• Why would the Jews point out Jesus' apparently young age in arguing that he couldn't have lived during the time of a figurative Abraham?
• How could a figurative person be born?
• Why would Jesus claim to be in existence before a figurative ancestor?
• Acts 7:2-8, "And he [Stephen, defending himself before the Jewish Council] said, 'Hear me, brethren and fathers! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, and said to him, "LEAVE YOUR COUNTRY AND YOUR RELATIVES, AND COME INTO THE LAND THAT I WILL SHOW YOU." Then he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. From there, after his father died, God had him move to this country in which you are now living. But He gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot of ground, and yet, even when he had no child, He promised that HE WOULD GIVE IT TO HIM AS A POSSESSION, AND TO HIS DESCENDANTS AFTER HIM. But God spoke to this effect, that his DESCENDANTS WOULD BE ALIENS IN A FOREIGN LAND, AND THAT THEY WOULD BE ENSLAVED AND MISTREATED FOR FOUR HUNDRED YEARS. "AND WHATEVER NATION TO WHICH THEY WILL BE IN BONDAGE I MYSELF WILL JUDGE," said God, "AND AFTER THAT THEY WILL COME OUT AND SERVE ME IN THIS PLACE." And He gave him the covenant of circumcision; and so Abraham became the father of Isaac, and circumcised him on the eighth day; and Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs.'"
• Abraham - portrayed as a historical man.
• Why would Stephen say that the real God appeared to a figurative man living in a real land?
• How could a figurative man move to the real land in which the Jews of Stephen's day were living?
• Why would Stephen take note of promises to a figurative ancestor--as if these promises were somehow translated into reality and passed onto the people of Israel?
• Why would Stephen and the Jewish people revere the God of a figurative ancestor?
• Romans 9:3-8, "For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren . . . who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons . . . and the promises, whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen. But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; nor are they all children because they are Abraham’s descendants, but: 'THROUGH ISAAC YOUR DESCENDANTS WILL BE NAMED.' That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants."
• Abraham - portrayed as a historical man.
• Why would Abraham's descendants be called "children of the flesh"/natural birth if Abraham was merely figurative?
• Why would one say that the descendants of a figurative Abraham were not really all figurative children of Abraham? How can you contrast figurative with figurative?
• What meaning is there in saying that the children of God are children of a figurative promise (i.e. a promise to a figurative Abraham about his descendants being named through Isaac)?

  

"Names, names . . . come now, you can find legends in any culture."

How do you know what is legend and what is truth? Is truth not known by first-hand witness, trustworthy reports, or present-day fact? So how does one search out the truth in a list of names? Surely finding out the truth of a matter requires being willing to do a little research--going back to those primary sources, as students and researchers are encouraged to do in writing good papers.

So, the first primary source, in this case, would be the document making the claim/putting forward genealogical list (i.e. Scripture).

How does Adam figure in the rest of Scripture (outside of Genesis, I Chronicles, and Luke)?

• Hosea 6:4-7, "'What shall I do with you, O Ephraim?
              What shall I do with you, O Judah?
              For your loyalty is like a morning cloud
              And like the dew which goes away early.
        Therefore I have hewn them in pieces by the prophets;
              I have slain them by the words of My mouth;
              And the judgments on you are like the light that goes forth.
        For I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice,
              And in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
        But like Adam they have transgressed the covenant;
              There they have dealt treacherously against Me.'"
  

• Ephraim - One of Joseph's sons, a tribe of Israel, and one of the tribes identified with the Northern Kingdom of Israel (conquered by the Assyrians).

• Judah - One of Israel/Jacob's sons, a tribe of Israel, and first tribe associated with the Southern Kingdom (conquered by the Babylonians), later joined by the tribe of Benjamin.

• Adam - In context, a historical figure against whom the historical tribe of Ephraim/the Northern Kingdom and the historical tribe of Judah/the Southern Kingdom could be compared.

• I Timothy 2:12-15, "But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet. For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve. And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression. But women will be preserved through the bearing of children if they continue in faith and love and sanctity with self-restraint."

• I realize this is a controversial passage, both within and without Christian circles. But surely I cannot be accused of bigotry against women, as a woman myself, who is pursuing a Ph.D. in Materials Science & Engineering. Why would I be my own antagonist?

• Adam - Apparently a historical figure, alongside Eve, since historical New Testament Christian men and women are compared to them. Would men and women truly be compared to and be held accountable for the imaginative deeds of imaginative ancestors?

• Creation of mankind is given in the same sequence as in Genesis--first Adam, and then Eve.

• Again, as in Genesis, Eve was the one deceived (by the serpent).

• Jude 1:14, "It was also about these men that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, 'Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones, to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.'"

• Adam - Apparently a historical figure, as he was named the forefather of one who foretold of coming events. It would be self-defeating to say that imaginary characters were given Word from God which was "later" fulfilled in the time of real New Testament Christians.

• As in Genesis, Adam is identified with the starting point generation, while Enoch is identified with the 7th generation.

• I Corinthians 15:42-47, "So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. So also it is written, 'The first MAN, Adam, BECAME A LIVING SOUL.' The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual. The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven."

• Adam - Understanding the larger context of I Corinthians, the first Adam is referring to Adam in the Garden of Eden, while the last Adam refers to Christ. Apparently, the first Adam was an earthly, historical, living person, just as much as Christ, the 2nd Adam, was the Son of God from heaven. 

• The first Adam set the example of what it means to have an earthly body.

• Romans 5:12-15, "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned— for until the Law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many."

• Adam - Apparently a historical figure, as Christ's counterpart--noted for bringing death and sin into the world, unlike Christ who brought life and righteousness.

• Just as Christ acted as representative for mankind in the form of a historical man, so Adam in the Garden of Eden could only have acted as representative for mankind as a historical man.

 

Ancestry.Bible

Passing over "The Fall" and Cain and Abel, one comes to Genesis 5:

Genesis 5:1-5, "This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day when God created man, He made him in the likeness of God. He created them male and female, and He blessed them and named them Man in the day when they were created. When Adam had lived one hundred and thirty years, he became the father of a son in his own likeness, according to his image, and named him Seth. Then the days of Adam after he became the father of Seth were eight hundred years, and he had other sons and daughters. So all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years, and he died."

Tracing one ancestral line, you find the following names:

Adam - Seth - Enosh - Kenan - Mahalalel - Jared - Enoch - Methuselah - Lamech - Noah - Shem

Transition to Genesis 10:

Noah - Shem - Arpachshad - Shelah - Eber - Peleg - Reu - Serug - Nahor - Terah - Abram (Abraham)

Transition to I Chronicles 1-3:

Abraham - Isaac - Israel (Jacob) - Judah - Perez - Hezron - Ram - Amminadab - Nahshon - Salma - Boaz - Obed - Jesse - David - Nathan

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Compare in reverse to Luke 3:

(Jesus) - Joseph - Eli - Matthat - Levi - Melchi - Jannai - Joseph - Mattathias - Amos - Nahum - Hesli - Naggai - Maath - Mattathias - Semein - Josech - Joda - Joanan - Rhesa - Zerubbabel - Shealtiel - Neri - Melchi - Addi - Cosam - Elmadam - Er - Joshua - Eliezer - Jorim - Matthat - Levi - Simeon - Judah - Joseph - Jonam - Eliakim - Melea - Menna - Mattatha -

Nathan - David - Jesse - Obed - Boaz - Salmon - Nahshon - Amminadab - Admin - Ram - Hezron - Perez - Judah - Jacob - Isaac - Abraham - Terah - Nahor - Serug - Reu - Peleg - Heber - Shelah - Cainan - Arphaxad - Shem - Noah - Lamech - Methuselah - Enoch - Jared - Mahalaleel - Cainan - Enosh - Seth - Adam, "the son of God".

Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III

Some Supporting Archaeology & Historical Records:

• Israelite & Judaic Kings: "House of David", 10th Century B.C. Seals, King Omri of Israel, King Ahab of Israel, King Jehu of Israel

• Context of Jesus' Birth: Governor Quirinius of Syria - See Luke 2:2, Caesar Augustus - See Luke 2:1, Herod the Great

• Context of Jesus' Death: Pontius Pilate, Pontius Pilate & Christ, Herod Antipas