ABRAHAM,

THE CITY OF UR,

AND THE
PATRIARCHAL
PERIOD
Part II
 UR III PERIOD
• UR III PERIOD LASTED FROM CA. 2180-2000 BC
• SUMERIANS MADE A SHORT-LIVED COME-BACK AND DROVE
OUT THE GUTI PEOPLE IN CA. 2180 BC
• FOUNDER OF THE DYNASTY WAS UR-NAMMU
• UR-NAMMU BUILT THE FAMOUS ZIGGURAT OF UR
• UR-NAMMU ALSO ISSUED AN EARLY LAW CODE
• ONLY FIVE KINGS IN THIS DYNASTY
• ENDED WHEN THE AMORITES INVADED IN CA. 2000 BC.
• ROYAL TOMBS IN UR YEILDED RICH GRAVE GOODS.
• ABRAHAM PROBABLY LIVED IN UR DURING THE EARLY
YEARS OF UR III PERIOD
KING UR-NAMMU
OF UR BEING
PRESENTED TO
THE MOON GOD
NANNA BY HIS
DAUGHTER THE
GODDESS
INANNA
 WHY DID GOD SEND ABRAHAM
AWAY FROM THE CITY OF UR?
• THERE WAS NO SEPARATION OF “CHURCH AND
STATE” IN ANCIENT SUMER
• SUMERIAN CITIES WERE ORGANIZED AROUND
THE CULT OF THE PRIMARY GOD OF THE CITY
• THE PRIMARY GOD OF UR WAS THE MOON GOD
NANNA
• MOST OF FARM LAND WAS OWNED BY NANNA’S
TEMPLE
• BUSINESS AND TRADE IN UR WAS CONTROLLED
BY PRIESTS FROM THE TEMPLE OF THE MOON
GOD NANNA
 RUINS OF THE
ANCIENT
CITY OF HARAN
RUINS OF THE TEMPLE
OF THE MOON GOD SIN
IN THE ANCIENT CITY
OF HARAN
 MUSLIM
VILLAGE OF HARRAN
TODAY
ABRAHAM, ISHMAEL, AND ISAAC
• ABRAHAM WAS MARRIED TO HIS HALF-SISTER SARAH, WHO FOR MANY
YEARS HAD NO CHILDREN.
• IN THE ANCIENT WORLD, MARRIAGES WERE MADE BY A WRITTEN
CONTRACT WHICH LATER JEWS CALLED KETUBBAH.
• THIS CONTRACT WAS MADE BETWEEN THE FATHER OF THE BRIDE AND
THE GROOM. THE BRIDE DID NOT SEAL (SIGN) IT.
• A LESSER WIFE, A CONCUBINE, WOULD NOT HAVE A WRITTEN
MARRIAGE CONTRACT.
• ONE MARRIAGE CONTRACT FROM THE ANCIENT KINGDOM OF THE
HITTITES HAS A PROVISION THAT WHEN A WIFE CANNOT PRODUCE AN
HEIR, THE HUSBAND COULD TAKE A SLAVE GIRL AND HAVE A MALE
CHILD BY HER. THE SLAVE GIRL WAS THEN SUPPOSED TO BE GIVEN
HER FREEDOM, IF SHE WISHED IT.
• IT IS HIGHLY LIKELEY THAT THERE WAS SUCH A PROVISION IN THE
MARRIAGE CONTRACT OF ABRAHAM AND SARAH.
• SARAH THUS WAS FORCED TO GIVE HAGAR TO ABRAHAM WHICH
RESULTED IN THE BIRTH OF ISHMAEL.
 ABRAHAM, ISHMAEL, AND ISAAC
• A MALE CHILD BORN OF A SLAVE WOMAN OR OF A CONCUBINE COULD
ONLY BE THE HEIR IF NO MALE CHILD WAS BORN FROM THE PRIMARY
WIFE.
• IF THE PRIMARY WIFE LATER PRODUCED A SON, THEN HE BECAME THE
HEIR EVEN IF HE HAD AN OLDER HALF-BROTHER BORN OF A SLAVE
WOMAN OR A CONCUBINE.
• IN OTHER WORDS, ONCE HE WAS BORN, ISAAC REPLACED ISHMAEL AS
THE HEIR OF ABRAHAM.
• GENESIS 16:15 “ABRAHAM WAS 82 YEARS OLD WHEN HAGAR BORE
HIM ISHMAEL.”
• GENESIS 21:5 “ABRAHAM WAS 100 YEARS OLD WHEN HIS SON ISAAC
WAS BORN TO HIM.
• GENESIS 25:1-2 “ABRAHAM TOOK ANOTHER WIFE AND HER NAME WAS
KETURAH. SHE BORE HIM ZIMRAN, JOKSHAN, MEDAN, MIDIAN, ISHBAK,
AND SHUAH.”
• NOTE THAT THE YEARS OF ABRAHAM FOR THE BIRTH OF HIS SONS BY
KETURAH ARE NOT GIVEN. GIVING THE YEAR OF THE FATHER AT THE
BIRTH OF A SON WAS A MEANS OF DESIGNATING THE HEIR.
WE WILL DEAL A LITTLE
MORE WITH ABRAHAM IN
THE PRESENTATION ON
SODOM AND GOMORRAH
AND ALSO IN THE
PRESENTATION ON THE
PHILISTINES.
 END OF THE
PRESENTATION
ON ABRAHAM
AND
THE CITY OF UR