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Isaiah 41:8 calls Abraham God's friend. In the Testament of Abraham, during Abraham's death, God refers to him as friend as he sends the angel Michael to summon him to heaven.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Isaiah 41:8
Hebrew Bible
7 The craftsman encourages the metalsmith, the one who wields the hammer encourages the one who pounds on the anvil. He says of the welding, ‘It is good’18, and nails it down so it won’t fall over. 8 “You, my servant Israel, Jacob, whom I have chosen, offspring of Abraham my friend, 9 you whom I am bringing back from the earth’s extremities and have summoned from the remote regions—I told you, ‘You are my servant.’I have chosen you and not rejected you.
Testament of Abraham 1:3
Pseudepigrapha
2 Even upon him, however, there came the common, inexorable, bitter lot of death, and the uncertain end of life. Therefore the Lord God, summoning his archangel Michael, said to him: Go down, chief-captain Michael, to Abraham and speak to him concerning his death, that he may set his affairs in order, for I have blessed him as the stars of heaven, and as the sand by the sea-shore, and he is in abundance of long life and many possessions, and is becoming exceeding rich. 3 Beyond all men, moreover, he is righteous in every goodness, hospitable and loving to the end of his life; but go, archangel Michael, to Abraham, my beloved friend, and announce to him his death and assure him thus: You shall at this time depart from this vain world, and shall quit the body, and go to your own Lord among the good.
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Notes and References
"... God repeatedly referred to Abraham as his friend or beloved friend (A1.6; 4.7; 8.4). Abraham’s righteousness was later exaggerated by God during Abraham’s heavenly ascension when God commanded Michael to stop the chariot lest Abraham destroy everything ‘for behold, Abraham has not sinned’ (A10.13). Michael’s interactions with Abraham continued the focus on Abraham’s righteousness and status as friend of God (A2.3, 11; 8.2; 9.7; 12.15; 13.2, 4, 14; 14.2; 15.6, 9, 12). Even in his initial veiled greeting to Abraham, a delightful example of ironic speech (hidden from Abraham but known to the reader), he stated that he was ‘sent from the great king to provide for the succession of a true friend of his, for the king summons him’ (A2.6). ..."
Ludlow, Jared W.
Abraham Meets Death: Narrative Humor in the Testament of Abraham
(pp. 57-58) Sheffield Academic Press, 2002
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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