The night Abraham was born, a star appeared in the sky and swallowed four other stars from the four corners of heaven. Nimrod's astrologers saw it and rushed to the king with a warning: a child had been born who was destined to inherit both this world and the world to come. They urged Nimrod to pay off the parents and kill the boy immediately.
But Terah, Abraham's own father, was standing right there in court. He deflected with a parable about a mule offered barley in exchange for its head. "If you kill the son," he said, "who will enjoy the reward you give his parents?" The astrologers saw through him at once. Terah rushed home and hid his son in a cave for three years.
When Abraham emerged, he searched for the true God. He prayed to the sun all day, then switched to the moon at night. By the next morning, watching both rise and set, he concluded that neither was lord of the world—both were servants of a higher power. His father pointed him to the household idols instead. Abraham brought offering after offering to the stone figures. They did not eat. They did not drink. They did not answer.
The spirit of prophecy fell on him. Abraham set the idols on fire and burned them all. When Terah demanded an explanation, Abraham told him the large idol had attacked the smaller ones. "Fool," his father said, "how can a statue that cannot see or move do anything?" Abraham replied: "Then why do you worship them?"
Terah dragged Abraham before Nimrod, who demanded to know who created the heavens. "I did," Nimrod declared. Abraham challenged him: "Then command the sun to rise in the west." Nimrod was struck silent. His astrologers heated a furnace for seven days and threw Abraham in. The angels competed to rescue him, but God insisted on going Himself—"I am One in My world, and he is one in his generation." God descended in His own glory and brought Abraham out without a single burn.
XXXIV. (1) The sages tell that when our forefather
Abraham was born a star appeared, which swallowed up
fom- other stars from the four sides of the heavens. When
the astrologers of Nimrod saw this they forthwith went to
Nimrod and said, * Nimrod, of a certainty there is born
to-day a lad who is destined to inherit both this world and
the world to come. Now, if it is thy wish, let us give his
father and mother a large sum of money, and then kill him.
Whatever his father and mother wish shall be given to them.'
* What kind of child is he whom ye seek to kill ?' asked
Nimrod. 'A boy,' said they, 'was born to-day, and a
star appeared which swallowed up four stars of the
heavens, and he is destined to inherit this world and the
world to come.'
(2) Then said Terah, for Terah, the father of Abraham,
was present there, ' This thing which you suggest is to be
compared to a mule, to which man says, " I will give thee
a quantity of barley, as much as a houseful, on condition
that I cut off thy head." The mule replies, ''Fool that
thou art; if thou cuttest off my head, of what use will the
barley be to me, and who will eat it when thou givest it to
me r' Thus I say unto you, if ye slay the son, who will
inherit the goods and the money which ye give to his
parents ?' To this they answered, ' From thy words we
perceive that a son has been born to thee.' ' A son has
been born to me, but he is now dead.' ' But we speak of a
living son, and not of one dead,' added they.
(3) When Terah heard their words he immediately went
home, and hid his son Abraham in a cave for three years.
After that time he brought him forth. As soon as Abraham
saw the rising sun in the east he said to himself, ' Of a
certainty this is the lord of the whole world, and to him
I pray; he created me and the whole world.' When he
saw the moon he said, ' This is the lord of the whole
world, and to him I shall supplicate; he created me and
74 [xxxiv. 3
the whole world.' Thus when evenmg came, and the sun
had set and the moon had risen, he prayed to the moon the
whole night. When, however, the morning came, the moon
set and the sun rose. As soon as he saw the sun on the
morrow Abraham said, ' Now do I know that neither the
one nor the other is lord of the world, but that both of them
are servants of another Master, and that is Lord who
created the heavens and the earth and the whole world.'
(4) Then Abraham forthwith asked his father, ' Who
created this world, the heavens, and the earth V And
Terah, his father, replied, ' This great image is our god.'
' If this is true,' said Abraham, ' I shall bring a sacrifice to
him, and he will be pleased with me, as he is with other
people.' He thereupon went to his father, and said, ' Make
for me a cake of fine flour that I may offer it to him.' His
father, complying with his request, made him a cake of fine
flour, w^hich Abraham took and offered before the great idol,
saying, ' Accept this offering from me;' but he neither took
it nor ate it nor drank it. (6) When Abraham saw this he
went to his mother, and said, ' Make me a meal offering
better than this, that I may offer it to the god of my
father.' When she made it Abraham took the meal
offering to the little image, saying, ' Accept thou this
meal offering from my hand, and be pleased with me as
thou art with other men.' Seeing that he did not reply,
Abraham said, ' This offering has not been made to his
liking.' (7) Then going once more to his mother, he said,
' Prepare a meal offering better still than this.' She did
so, and Abraham presented the offering to the image.
When he perceived that it neither ate nor drank nor
answered him a word he went once more to the large image,
and said, ' I entreat thee to receive this offering from me;
do thou eat and drink and be pleased with me as thou art
with other men.' But as neither of them replied to him,
Abraham waxed very angry, and the spirit of prophecy
rested upon him, and he said, ' They have eyes, but see
not; ears, but hear not; they have hands, but do not
move them; and feet, but do not walk; nor do their throats
give utterance. Like them are their makers and all those
who trust in them.' He then kindled a fire and burned
them.
(9) "When Terah arrived home and found his idols
burnt, he ^Yent to Abraham, and said, 'Who has burnt
my gods ?' And Abraham replied, ' The large one picked
a quarrel with the little ones, and burnt them because
he was angry with them.' ' Fool that thou art,' said his
father, ' how canst thou say that he who cannot see nor
hear nor walk, that he who has no power could burn
them ?' Then said Abraham to his father, ' 0 my father,
hear what thy mouth utters; why dost thou forsake
the living God who created the heavens and the earth,
and servest gods that neither see nor hear?' (10) There-
upon Terah took Abraham, our ancestor, and went with
him to Nimrod. And Terah said to Nimrod, ' 0 my lord the
king, judge this my son who has burned my gods, and find
out who is the God which he makes for himself.' ' Who is
this man'?' said Nimrod. ' My son.' Then added Nimrod,
' Why hast thou acted thus and burned the idols ?' ' I did
not do this, nor did I burn them,' said Abraham. ' Who,
then, did act thus and burn them ?' ' The great idol burnt
them,' said he. 'Fool that thou art,' replied Nimrod.
'how canst thou say that that which cannot stand by
itself, cannot hear nor see, nor hath any power could
burn them?' 'Hear thou, my lord, what thy mouth
utters. Why dost thou forsake the living God, who
created the heavens and the earth and who created thee,
and in whose hand is the Spirit of all living, and worshippest
other gods of wood and stone, which do not hear nor see
nor speak ?' (11) * Who, then,' said Nimrod, ' created the
heavens and the earth, if not I ?' ' Art thou he ?' queried
Abraham. ' I am,' replied he. ' Then by this I shall know
that thou art the creator of everything. Behold, the sun
rises in the east and sets in the west: if thou canst by thy
command cause the sun to rise in the west and to set in
the east, I shall then know and believe that thou didst
create all.' When Nimrod heard Abraham's words he was
76 [XXXIV. 12
dumbfounded; he put his hand to his beard and was wonder-
struck at his words.
(12) As soon as the astrologers saw Abraham they
recognised him at once, and said to Nimrod, * 0 lord the
king, this is the child of whom we spoke on the day of his
birth, and whom thou didst desire to slay. If it be thy
will, we shall bring thee wood and burn him to death, and
then compensate his parents with a large sum of money.
Now, 0 lord, since he has come into our hands, let us burn
him in the fire.' ' Do then your will,' said Nimrod. They
forthwith went away, and having heated the furnace for
seven (whole) days, cast him into it.
(13) Then spake the angels to God, saying, * 0 Lord of
the universe, let us go and deliver this man from the fiery
furnace.' At that moment a dispute arose among the
angels who said, ' Let us descend and deliver this man
from the furnace.' One said, ' I shall go down to deliver
him,' and another said, ' I shall go down to deliver him.'
Michael said, ' I shall go down,' and Gabriel said, ' I shall
go down.' Then spake God himself to Gabriel, and said,
' I am One in My world, and so is this man, who was the
first to declare the unity of My name in the world. It is,
therefore, meet that I the One should go down and rescue
him who is also one in his generation. It is pleasing to Me
to descend and rescue him from the fiery furnace.' At that
moment God descended in His glory and in His strength,
and delivered him from the furnace of fire. He brought
him forth without a blemish. When all the nations saw
that Abraham was thus delivered from the burning furnace,
they forthwith sanctified the name of God, and some of
them were made proselytes through the means of Abraham
our ancestor.
