The Discovery of God
Chapter One
A Palace in Flames
Reaching us like pulses of ancient light from a star in a distant galaxy, the circumstances of Abraham's birth are obscure. His world-so different from our own, where the worship of one God at most is taken for granted-might as well be a different galaxy. However, this much is clear: no sooner had the child been born than the enemies of God set out to kill him.
In that year, according to tradition, knowledge of the Lord was scarce among men, and certain forces in the Near East wished to keep things that way. Stories collected in medieval times, later published under the title Ma'asei Avraham Avinu ("Deeds of Abraham Our Father"), recall his birth as being marked by a star rising in the east, consuming other stars. At this fearful wonder, priests at the court of a Mesopotamian tyrant, Nimrod, prophesied that a child was to be born whose descendants would seize the spiritual future of mankind, condemning the old gods to the ashes, to be replaced by the One God. Nimrod trembled at this. Almost alone among his contemporaries, who were ignorant of the Almighty, he knew God and hated Him. The Bible itself mentions Nimrod ... read full excerpt from The Discovery of God: Abraham and the Birth of Monotheism ebook
