Abraham is an important figure in Christianity, Islam and Judaism. The story of Abraham can be found in the Book of Genesis - the first book in the Christian Bible and in the Torah of Judaism.

Shaye Cohen: The biblical narrative gets going with Abraham in Genesis ... is the sign of the covenant. Circumcision is the mark of the covenant between God and Israel embodied on the male Jew.

Both the old and the new covenants were sealed by blood: The pact between God and Abraham was sealed by the circumcision (Genesis 17); the pact between God and the Jewish people, by the sprinkling ...