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It is a rather fascinating task to approach the character study of a biblical figure with the comparatively new tool of psychoanalysis. So much has been written over hundreds of years in the area of biblical commentary that one may well ask if there is anything new to be added. That is the challenge which psychoanalysis offers in this field as in so many others. It often indicates a new perspective and thus leads to a different integration of old material.
An intriguing problem presents itself in regard to Abraham, the first Patriarch of the Hebrews in ancient days, who is popularly known as the founder of ethical monotheism. According to tradition, Abraham took the momentous step of discarding many gods and identifying himself with One God, Who, moreover, had two unique qualities — He was not embodied in material form and He made morality the basis of His relationship with men.
The question to be considered here is whether there was any connection between the personality of Abraham as revealed in biblical and Midrashic (*) literature and the achievements with which he is credited in the field of religion. Such an approach is commonly followed in efforts to understand the creative products of artists and writers. It seems logical to assume that in the area of religion, too, great personalities