In the Book of Genesis, God makes a covenant with Abram, changes his name to “Abraham,” and promises to make him the “father of many nations.” Abraham then becomes the progenitor of the Biblical patriarchs. In Judaism, the Jewish people are traditionally understood to be his descendants through his son Isaac. While in Islam, Arabs claim descent from Abraham through his son Ishmael. However, like so many characters in Genesis, no extra-Biblical evidence for Abraham as a historical figure exists. John Hamer of Toronto Centre Place will review the portrayal of Abraham in Genesis to consider what these stories and references by other Biblical authors can tell us about the earliest understanding of the character.