The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (25 page)

 
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Abidatsumaz
.

Jap. for
Abhidhammapi
aka
, one of the three (
sanz
) or five (
goz
) divisions of Buddhist texts or ‘scriptures’.

 
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(date uncertain, 19th–16th cents. BCE).
King of Gerar, whom both
Abraham
and
Isaac
tried to deceive by presenting their wives as their sisters (Genesis 20, 26. 1–11). He also appears in connection with both
patriarchs
in disputes over wells (Genesis 21. 25, 26. 15–21). Because of the similarities between the stories, most scholars regard them as different versions of the same incidents. According to the
aggadah
, Abmilech is described as a
‘righteous gentile’
(
Mid. Ps.
34).

 
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(12th cent. BCE).
In the Jewish scriptures, the son of
Gideon
by his Shechemite concubine (Judges 8. 31). He slaughtered sixty-nine of the seventy sons of Gideon and became ruler of the city of Shechem (Judges 9. 1–5). Subsequently he destroyed the city, but was mortally wounded during the siege of Thebez (Judges 9. 39–54). Although Abimelech is not counted as one of the judges, his story may reflect the changing attitude of Israelites towards the institution of monarchy at that time.

 
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Abjad
.

Muslim method of calculating from the numerical value of letters—alif = 1, ba’ = 2, etc. The letters are moved on squares, or the numbers are substituted for letters, to gain secret meanings, predictions, and the like. In that respect it resembles Jewish
gematria
.

 
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