Was Abraham a real historical figure, or is he a figment of the imagination, a product of a literary tradition? Abraham is not mentioned in any of the extra biblical documents from the third and second millennia BCE. This led scholars to the conclusion that many details in the book of Genesis are fiction that project later romantic ideals and faith. The stories describe an imaginary past that were created to fulfill political needs of a later period. Is there validity to these assertions, or are these stories about Abraham firmly based in history? The author surveys epigraphic and archeological material that includes names of nations, people, sites, as well as legal and social customs to find the historical and ethnic background of these stories. The study provides provocative and useful insights into the life and image of the patriarch Abraham and his period.

Shaul Bar is Bornblum Chair of Excellence in Judaic Studies at the University of Memphis. He is the author of A Letter That Has Not Been Read: Dreams in the Hebrew Bible (2001), I Deal Death and Give Life (2010), God's First King: The Story of Saul (2013), Daily Life of the Patriarchs (2014), A Nation is Born: The Jacob Story (2016), The Samson Story, Love, Seduction, Betrayal, Violence, Riddles, Myth (2018), Isaac: The Passive Patriarch (2019), Samuel: The Man of God (2022), and Here Comes the Dreamer: The Joseph Story (2023).