Spartans And Jews

Abstract

This chapter discusses three non-biblical Scrolls in which Abraham appears, one of which may provide a clue that Gen 12:3 was ignored deliberately as a result of an exclusivist perspective on who was to possess the land. It gives a brief overview of early Jewish Abraham traditions and shows that the theme of Abraham and the blessing of the nations was not a major issue in other early Jewish texts outside the Qumran collection. The chapter looks at two texts from Qumran in which Abraham and the nations possibly appear together and that give expression to the idea that the nations are excluded from the benefits of the covenant with Abraham. From a survey presented here it is evident that the absence of the theme of Abraham and the blessing of the nations in the Dead Sea Scrolls was not an isolated phenomenon at the time. Keywords:Abraham; Dead sea scrolls; Gen 12:3; Jewish Abraham traditions; Qumran