daughter, Rebecca, and a son, Laban.

CHAPTER 7.

How Abram Our Forefather Went Out Of The Land Of The Chaldeans,
And Lived In The Land Then Called Canaan But Now Judea.

1. Now Abram, having no son of his own, adopted Lot, his brother
Haran's son, and his wife Sarai's brother; and he left the land
of Chaldea when he was seventy-five years old, and at the command
of God went into Canaan, and therein he dwelt himself, and left
it to his posterity. He was a person of great sagacity, both for
understanding all things and persuading his hearers, and not
mistaken in his opinions; for which reason he began to have
higher notions of virtue than others had, and he determined to
renew and to change the opinion all men happened then to have
concerning God; for he was the first that ventured to publish
this notion, That there was but one God, the Creator of the
universe; and that, as to other [gods], if they contributed any
thing to the happiness of men, that each of them afforded it only
according to his appointment, and not by their own power. This
his opinion was derived from the irregular phenomena that were
visible both at land and sea, as well as those that happen to the
sun, and moon, and all the heavenly bodies, thus: - "If [said he]
these bodies had power of their own, they would certainly take
care of their own regular motions; but since they do not preserve
such regularity, they make it plain, that in so far as they
co-operate to our advantage, they do it not of their own
abilities, but as they are subservient to Him that commands them,
to whom alone we ought justly to offer our honor and