ESSENTIAL BIBLE DICTIONARY - Saint Mary's Press

ABOMINATIONABOMINATION: A defilement causedby a major offense against God’s Law.Sacrificing unclean animals in worshipor committing idolatry, blasphemy, orsinful behaviors caused religious impurities(Deut 7:25, 17:1, 25:16, 27:15).Other abominations included eatingwith nonbelievers (Gen 43:32; Acts10:28) or inappropriate interaction withlower classes such as socializing withshepherds (Gen 46:34).ABOMINATION OF DESOLA-TION: Phrase used in the Bible to describethe worst offenses against theJewish or Christian faith. The title wasfirst used in the Old Testament Book ofDaniel to condemn the Syrian WarlordAntiochus Epiphanes, who persecutedthe people, forbade the Torah, and murderedthousands of Jewish people (167BC). His dedication of an altar to Zeusin the holy Temple of Jerusalem wascalled an abomination of desolation(Dan 9:27, 11:31; 1 Macc 1:54, 6:7).In New Testament times, a number ofRoman Emperors (Caligula [AD 41],Nero [65], Domitian [90–95]) demandedby law that the people revere them asdivine. Jesus used the phrase “desolatingabomination” or “desolating sacrilege” asa condemnation of this blasphemy (Mk13:14; Lk 21:20).ABORTION: The killing of a babywithin the womb. Abortion ends the lifeand the earthly potential of one of God’slittle ones. From ancient times, theprophets condemned as evil those whohad “no mercy on the fruit of thewomb” and no pity on children (Isa13:18).From within the sacred safety of thewomb, God has called us to life andnamed and formed us from the momentof conception (Jer 1:5; Job 31:15; Ps1022:9). Scripture reveals the heart ofGod, who loves so infinitely that even ifa mother were to “show no compassionfor the child of her womb” (Isa 49:15),God would never forget the little one.ABRAHAM (ay´bruh-ham): The fatherof monotheism. His original name wasAbram, the eldest son of Terah (Gen11:27) of Ur of the Chaldeans ofMesopotamia. Abram was husband toSarai—to whom he was related, maybeeven as a half brother—and kept herEgyptian slave Hagar as concubine. Thebiblical account says the family wentnorth to the village of Haran (Gen11:31). There, Abram encountered Godand accepted the call to enter his legendaryjourney of faith, to leave everythinghe knew, and to go to the land ofCanaan (Gen 12:1–6). God promisedold Abram and barren Sarai that theywould become the ancestors of a multitude,a great nation, would receive theland of Canaan, and become a blessingto the whole earth (Gen 12:2, 17:1–22).This first patriarch of the Old Testamentresponded to God’s call and enteredinto a covenant relationship withGod. God changed Abram’s name toAbraham and Sarai’s name to Sarah. Becauseof his faith in God, Abrahamchanged the world forever (Rom 4; Gal3:9; Heb 11:8–22).Abraham and Sarah were the parentsof Isaac, a patriarch of the Twelve Tribesof Israel. Isaac’s son Jacob fathered thetribes who were the ancestors of the Jewishpeople. Abraham and Hagar are theparents of Ishmael and the ancestors ofthe Arab peoples who embraced the Islamicreligion. Christians consider themselvesadopted children of Abraham andSarah because Jesus Christ was a Jew.Thus, Abraham is the spiritual parent ofthree great world religions: Judaism, Islam,and Christianity. See also Covenant;Isaac; Lot; Patriarch; Sarah.