Abraham and Moses are fundamental figures in both Judaism and Christianity. They each played an integral role in the development of these religious traditions.
The most basic differences between Abraham and Moses are the facts that they were two very different men living hundreds of years apart.
Biblical scholars date Abraham's lifetime to sometime around 2000 BCE. Most of what is known of Abraham's life comes from the book of Genesis in the Christian Old Testament of the Bible. These writings are also included in the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible). Interestingly, Moses is traditionally given credit for the authorship of Genesis, along with the other books that comprise the Pentateuch (first five books of the Bible). In other words, Moses may have been Abraham's biographer.
According to the Genesis account, Abraham was called by God (Yahweh) out of Ur in what is now Iraq. Abraham entered a covenant with God in which his descendants would be the "chosen people" (Hebrew people) and would demonstrate their unique relationship with God through the outward act of circumcision. This is know as the Abrahamic Covenant.
According to Biblical tradition, Abraham became the patriarch of the Hebrew (Jewish) people through his son, Isaac, by his wife, Sarah, as well as the patriarch of the Arab people through his son Ishmael, by his Egyptian concubine, Hagar.
The book of Genesis contains many details of Abraham's life and deeds, the most famous of which is his attempted sacrifice of Isaac. Abraham is commanded to kill his son as a sacrifice to the Lord, but is prevented from completing the act at the last moment. God provided a ram for a sacrifice instead. Most Hebrew and Christian scholars regard this event as either a test of Abraham's faith and obedience, or as possibly a prelude to the coming of Christ--when God sacrificed His own Son.
Because of his obedience and faithfulness to God, Abraham is rewarded with many descendants, great wealth, and a long life.
Moses was the son of a Hebrew slave in Egypt. According to Genesis, the Hebrew people moved to the land of Goshen in Egypt during a terrible famine. This was during the time of Joseph, Abraham's great-grandson. Over time, the Hebrews were enslaved by their Egyptian hosts.
Scholars believe that Moses lived around 1300 or 1200 BCE. Moses is saved from death (Hebrew boys were being thrown into the Nile) by the quick thinking of his mother and sister and the compassion of an Egyptian princess. In order to save her baby, Moses' mother hides him in a basket among the reeds. While bathing in the river, an Egyptian princess finds the baby and decides to raise him as her own. Moses' older sister was keeping watch nearby and when she learns the princess intends to adopt her brother, fetches her mother to serve as a wet nurse.
According to the account of Moses' life, found in the book of Exodus, Moses was raised as an Egyptian prince. When he is a young man he is told of his true origins and ends up murdering an Egyptian who is beating a Hebrew slave. After this, Moses is exiled to the desert. He eventually rescues and marries the daughter of the priest of Midian. Moses spent several years as a shepherd before being called by God.
According to the Biblical account, Yahweh appeared to Moses in the form of a burning bush and revealed his name to him. He commanded him to return to Egypt and convince Pharaoh to let the Hebrew people go. Moses was reluctant but eventually agreed. The book of Exodus gives the dramatic story of Moses and the ten plagues, the last of which was the death of every firstborn male, that finally convince the Pharaoh to let the Hebrews go.
Through a series of miraculous events Moses eventually leads his people on a 40+ year journey to the promised land of Israel. Most significnt during this journey is the giving of the law (the Ten Commandments) and the instructions to buid the ark or the tabernacle (God's dwelling on earth). The giving of the law and the covenant it represented between Yahweh and the Hebrew people is known as the Mosaic Covenant.
Moses' relationship with the Lord was more turbulent than that of Abraham. Moses was not allowed to enter the promised land due to a lack of faith he had shown many years previous. Moses is credited with writing the first five books of the Bible/ Tanakh and with laying the foundation of Hebrew and Christian morality through the Ten Commandments.
Both Abraham and Moses are considered men of deep faith, and both have strong devotion to the Hebrew God. Other than simple time period differences or differences in the events that they lived through, there is a difference in their initial faith and willingness to serve God's call. Abraham is a man of incredible devotion to God. He rarely, if ever, argues with God, and he is always willing to do what God tells him to do. There might be times when he takes matters in to his own hands, but he is still going to where God called him. Abraham's faith and devotion to God is so deep that he unquestioningly took his son, Isaac, up a mountain to be sacrificed. God eventually supplies an animal to be sacrificed, but Abraham was willing to let his long awaited for son die instead.
On the other hand, Moses is not as quick to obey God's commands. A good example of this is when God appears to Moses in the burning bush. God tells Moses that he is being called to help free the people of Israel from their Egyptian masters. Moses argues against God and claims that he won't be an effective enough communicator to deliver God's message to the Egyptians. Unlike Abraham, Moses struggled with taking God at his word and doing things exactly the way that God said to do them. A good example of this is in Numbers 20. God told Moses to speak to a rock in order to get water to spring forth from the rock; however, Moses struck the rock with his staff instead. As punishment, God would not allow Moses to enter the promised land.
7The Lord said to Moses, 8“Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink.”
9So Moses took the staff from the Lord’s presence, just as he commanded him. 10He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?” 11Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.
12But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.”
No comments:
Post a Comment