Hi, I'm Ms. Minton, and welcome to this lesson on "Becoming Abraham." Now, by the end of this lesson, you'll be able to explain how Abram became Abraham through his covenant with God, and we'll be using some of our prior knowledge on the Abrahamic covenant throughout this lesson.

So let's get started by looking at our keywords.

We have Abram, Brit Milah, circumcision, covenant and offspring.

Abram is the original name of Abraham.

Brit Milah is the ceremony of circumcision within Judaism.

Circumcision refers to the removal of part of the skin of the penis called the foreskin.

A covenant is an agreement between God and people.

And offspring refers to a person's child or children.

Our lesson today will have three parts.

We will look at the call of Abraham.

We will then look at how Abram went from Abram to Abraham.

And finally, we'll look at circumcision as the sign of the covenant.

So let's get started with the call of Abram.

Now, Abram is actually considered to be the first person to introduce monotheism, which is the belief in one God, in the way that we are familiar with today.

The Abrahamic religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are all rooted in Abram's monotheism.

And we find out about Abram's monotheism in the Book of Genesis.

Time to check your learning so far.

Finish Laura's sentence.

"Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are rooted in Abram's" blank.

Is it A, polytheism; B, monotheism; or C, atheism? Fantastic, the correct answer is B, monotheism.

So Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are all rooted in Abram's monotheism.

Now, Abram's monotheism grew when he was called by God.

And we learn about this call in the Book of Genesis.

The Book of Genesis says that "The Lord had said to Abram, 'Go from your country, your people, and your father's household to a land I will show you.

'" This passage shows God calling Abram and asking Abram to leave his home and his people and go to a destination that God will show him.

God also says, "I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you.

I will make your name great and you will be a blessing.

I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you, I will curse.

And all people's on earth will be blessed through you." And it's in this part of Genesis that we see God promising Abram rewards for following God's command.

So let's check your learning on Genesis.

What did God ask Abram to do in Genesis 12? A, sacrifice his son; B, leave his home and people; or C, stay and protect his homeland.

Well done, the correct answer is B.

God asked Abram to leave his home and his people.

Now Abram obeyed God's command and he took his wife, Sarai, and his nephew, Lot, and they set out on the journey together.

But during the journey, Lot and Abram parted ways, which left just Abram and Sarai to continue their journey together.

After Lot and Abram parted ways, God actually called to Abram again and He reminded him of the rewards for being faithful.

And we see this in Genesis 13 when God said to Abram, "All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever.

I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted." I'd like you to pause the video and either have a think to yourself or talk to a partner about what God is promising Abram in this passage.

So you may have discussed that in this passage God is reminding Abram of the reward of land and offspring that he will be blessed with, and God says that He will give Abraham many offspring, and He actually compares the number of offspring to specks of dust on the earth.

So in other words, God is promising Abram many, many children.

Now this promise of children was very special for Abram because Abram and Sarai hadn't managed to have their own children yet.

So let's check your learning so far.

True or false? God promised Abram three children.

Fantastic, that is false.

And why is it false? Well, it's because God promised Abram as many offspring as there are specks of dust on the earth, which is far more than just three children.

So well done for identifying that that's false and well done for identifying the reason why.

Okay, so it's time for a task.

In this task, I would like you to put the story of Abram's call from God in order starting with the first event.

So the events are A, God asks Abram to leave his home.

B, God speaks to Abram again and promises him offspring.

C, God describes the number of offspring as specks of dust.

And D, Abram leaves his home with his wife, Sarai, and nephew.

So put those events in order starting with the first.

Pause the video and have a go.

Well done for your hard work during that task.

Your answer should look like this.

The first event is A, God asks Abram to leave his home.

The second event is D, Abram leaves his home with his wife, Sarai, and nephew.

The third event is B, God speaks to Abram again and promises him offspring.

And finally, the fourth event is C, God describes the number of offspring as specks of dust.

So again, a big well done for all of your hard work during that activity.

So now we're moving on to the second part of our lesson which is looking at how Abram went from Abram to Abraham.

Now when Abram and Sarai reached Canaan, the land that God had led them to, God declared His covenant with Abram.

So when they reached this destination that God had told them to go to, that's when God established and declared His promise, His agreement with Abram.

This is actually when Abram becomes Abraham, and Sarai also had a name change and she became Sarah.

The covenant that God made with Abram consisted of three parts.

Part one was the promise of land.

Part two was the promise of descendants.

And part three was the promise of blessings and redemption.

It's the second part of the covenant, which is the promise of descendants, that links closely to Abram becoming Abraham.

Now we're going to have a look at the new name, Abraham, and we're going to have a look what this name means and why it's important to the role that Abraham will play now the covenant with God has been established.

So the first part of the name Abraham means father in Hebrew.

And the final part of the name Abraham comes from the Hebrew word hamon, meaning multitude.

And the word multitude means many.

So what we're seeing in the name Abraham is that he's going to be a father of many.

And this shows that his new name means that he will be a father of many nations through the offspring that God has promised.

So let's check your understanding.

Which promise links to Abram becoming Abraham? Is it A, the promised land; B, the promise of descendants; or C, the promise of blessing and redemption? Fantastic, the correct answer is B.

The promise that links to Abram becoming Abraham is the promise of descendants, well done.

Time for another check.

What does the name Abraham reflect? Is it A, that he's a father of many children; B, that he's a father of many nations; or C, that he's a father of many queens? Well done, the correct answer is B, the name Abraham reflects Abraham as a father of many nations.

So we're now going to have a look at where this promise that Abraham will be a father of many nations comes from, and that's from the Book of Genesis in the Torah and the Old Testament.

Now we first see God make this promise in Genesis 12 when God tells Abram, "I will make you into a great nation." In Genesis 17, God reiterates that promise and He says, "As for me, this is my covenant with you.

You will be the father of many nations." So here we are seeing God reiterate this promise to Abram.

God then says, "No longer will you be called Abram.

Your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations." So it's in Genesis 17 that we see God rename Abram to Abraham, and this is because he's a father of many nations.

So let's check your understanding.

True or false? God changed Abraham's name to Abram.

Fantastic, that is false.

And why is it false? Well, it's because Abram was actually the original name, which God then changed to Abraham.

So well for recognising that that statement is false and for recognising why.

So I would like you to complete a task now.

Sam, Jun, and Sofia are discussing how Abram became Abraham.

I want you to read their explanations and decide who is showing an accurate understanding and why.

Pause the video and have a go.

Well done for your work during that task.

You were asked who was showing an accurate understanding and why.

Your response may have looked something like this.

Both Jun and Sofia are showing some accurate understanding.

Jun is correct because he recognises that Abram's name was changed to Abraham to reflect that he is a father of many nations.

But Sofia is also correct because she recognises that the change in name happened within the covenant that Abraham made with God.

Abraham's name did not change because he left his homeland, and that's why Sam's answer is not accurate.

So well done again for your work during that task.

Okay, so we're now moving on to the final part of our lesson, which is circumcision as the sign of the covenant.

Now, when an agreement is made, there will usually be a clear sign that each person has entered into the agreement.

So for example, if the agreement involves a written contract, each person will be required to sign the agreement using their signature.

Now in the agreement that God and Abraham made, so in the covenant that God and Abraham made, the sign of the covenant was circumcision, and circumcision is removal of part of the skin on the penis called the foreskin.

Now we learn about the sign of the covenant in Genesis 17.

Genesis 17 says, "This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you.

The covenant you ought to keep.

Every male among you shall be circumcised.

You are to undergo circumcision and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you." What I'd like you to do now is pause the video and either talk to a partner or think to yourself, what does God tell Abraham in this passage? So you may have noticed that God tells Abraham that the sign of the covenant is circumcision, and it's not just Abraham that has to undergo circumcision.

It's every male descendant that comes after Abraham.

Okay, so let's check your learning.

True or false? Only Abraham was required to undergo circumcision.

Fantastic, that is false.

And why is it false? Well, Genesis 17 actually tells us that Abraham and all of his male descendants should undergo circumcision.

So it's not just Abraham who has to undergo circumcision, it's all of his male descendants as well.

So well done for identifying that that is false.

Abraham followed God's command and he took all of the males in his household to be circumcised.

And it's here that Abraham fully takes on his new identity as Abraham from Abram, as he's completed the sign of the covenant.

So let's check your understanding again.

What did Abraham do when God declared circumcision as the sign of the covenant? A, he changed his name from Abram to Abraham.

B, he waited for God to fulfil the promise of a child.

Or C, he was circumcised along with the males of his household.

Fantastic, the correct answer is C.

When God declared circumcision as the sign of the covenant, Abraham was circumcised along with all the males of his household.

Now, although the Abrahamic religions are all rooted in Abraham's monotheism, they each have differing attitudes towards circumcision today.

For many Jews, circumcision is the sign that a male has entered into the covenant with God.

Now we're going to hear from Ian, who is an Orthodox Jew, and he's going to explain why he thinks circumcision is still a really important part of religious life today.

He says that, "As an Orthodox Jew, I believe that circumcision is the sign that a Jewish boy has entered into the covenant with God, like Abraham did.

I also believe that it follows the command that God gave to Abraham when He instructed him to have all of his male descendants circumcised." Now, many Jewish boys today undergo circumcision when they're eight days old, and this happens during a ceremony called Brit Milah.

And during the Brit Milah ceremony, the baby boy will be blessed, named, and circumcised.

And this is still a really significant event in the lives of many Jewish boys today.

Now, we mentioned that the Abrahamic religions have differing attitudes to circumcision.

And within Islam, some Muslims believe that circumcision follows the example of Prophet Ibrahim, but it can also be performed for other reasons such as cleanliness and purity.

And within Christianity, circumcision is not usually seen as a religious requirement.

In fact, early Christian leaders actually deemed circumcision unnecessary, and this is because they believe that humans are saved through God's grace alone rather than by entering into the Abrahamic covenant through circumcision.

And this means that even though Jesus was Jewish, most male Christians today won't participate in the Jewish tradition of Brit Milah.

So let's check your understanding.

True or false? Brit Milah is an important part of religious life for many Jewish males because it's the sign of entering into the covenant.

Well done, that statement is true.

Brit Milah is an important part of religious life today for many Jewish males because it's considered to be the sign of entering into the Abrahamic covenant.

So another check.

Fill in the missing word.

Early leaders of blank deemed circumcision unnecessary.

Is it A, Judaism; B, Islam; or C, Christianity? Fantastic, the missing word is Christianity.

So it was early leaders of Christianity that deemed circumcision unnecessary.

So we're now going to move on to a task.

I'd like you to explain the impact that Abraham's circumcision has on Jews, Muslims, and Christians.

But I'd like you to include the following words in your response.

Circumcision, requirement, purity, Brit Milah, and leaders.

So pause the video and have a go.

Well done for your hard work during that task.

Your response may have looked something like this.

For many Jews and Muslims, circumcision is still an important part of religious life.

Within Judaism, circumcision takes place during Brit Milah, which is a special ceremony signifying that a baby boy has entered into the Abrahamic covenant.

In Islam, some Muslim males may practise circumcision to follow the example of the Prophet Ibrahim, but it can also be done for other reasons such as cleanliness and purity.

For the majority of male Christians, circumcision is not seen as a religious requirement.

This is because early Church leaders deemed it unnecessary because they believe that they're saved through God's grace alone and not through circumcision.

So a huge well done for your work on that task, particularly for including the word circumcision, Brit Milah, purity, requirement, and leaders.

Now we've reached the end of our lesson, but before we finish let's summarise some of the key things that we've learned.

So we've learned that Abraham was the first person to introduce monotheism as we know it today.

And we looked at how Abraham was called by God to leave his homeland and is promised land, descendants, also known as offspring, and blessings in reward.

God changed Abraham's name from Abram to reflect the promise that he would be a father of many nations.

And God declared that the sign of the covenant was to be circumcision, which is enacted by many Jewish boys today during the Brit Milah ceremony.