196 BARTON— THE HISTORICAL VALUE [April 17, 



Abraham was in Babylonia a personal name. This evidence comes 

 from Dilbad, a little place about eight miles south of Borsippa, and 

 consists of some contracts in which an Abraham figures. Three of 

 the documents are here translated : 



^I ox, broken to the yoke, ^an ox of Ibni-Sin son of Sin-imgurani, ^from 

 Ibni-Sin ^through the agency of Kishti-Nabium, °son of Eteru, "Abarama, 

 son of Awel-Ishtar, 'for i month has hired. *For i month ^i shekel of silver 

 "he will pay. "Of it >^ shekel of silver "from the hand of ^'Abarama "Kishti- 

 Nabium ''has received. 



The names of the witnesses then follow and the date, which is the nth 

 year of Ammizadugga, or 1967 B. C. 



11.^ 



'To the patrician 'speak ^saying, Gimil-Marduk (wishes that) *Shamash 

 and Marduk may give thee health ! ^Mayest thou have peace, mayest thou 

 have health ! "May the god who protects thee 'keep thy head in good luck ! 

 (To inquire) ^concerning thy health I am sending. "May thy welfare before 

 Shamash and Marduk '"be eternal ! "Concerning the 400 shars of land, the 

 field of Sin-idinam, "which to Abarama, "to lease, thou hast sent; "the 

 land-steward and scribe '^appeared and '"on behalf of Sin-idinam "I took that 

 up. '^The 400 shars of land to Abarama '^as thou hast directed '°I have 

 leased. ^Concerning thy dispatches I shall not be negligent. 



111.=' 



'i shekel of silver, 'the rent of his field ^for the year that Ammizadugga, 

 the king, (set up) *a lordly, splendid statue {i. e. Ammizadugga's 13th year), 

 "brought "Abarama; 'received (it) *Sin-idinam ^and Iddatum. "Month Siman, 

 (May-June) 28th day, "the year Ammizadugga, the king (set up) '=a lordly, 

 splendid statue. 



These documents are conclusive proof that Abarama, or Abraham, 

 was a personal name in Babylonia. The name apparently meant, 

 " He {i. e., some god) loves the father." The Abraham revealed in 

 these documents was not the patriarch, but was a small farmer in 

 Babylonia. His father was Awel-Ishtar, not Terah ; his brother, 

 Iddatum, not Nahor. His existence, however, shows that, just as 



^ Vorderasiatische Schriftdenkmaler der konigliche Museen cu Berlin, 

 VII., No. 92. 



=* Ibid.. No. 198. 

 ^ Ibid., No. 97. 



