"Abraham: Father of Faith and Works" is one of 10 documentary films in a video series called "The Footprints of God." These films were produced by St. Joseph Productions and Ignatius Press between 2003 and 2015. They tour the lands and places of the Bible, including many out-of-the way, lesser known or little visited locales. The films include ancient historic sites, archaeological sites and digs, old ruins, and shrines and Christian churches. Aerial photography spans the lands and various terrains of the Bible.
"The Footprints of God" presents the story of salvation, from Abraham to Augustine with modern visuals Biblical and ancient Church sites. Host Steve Ray leads these visual tours. He provides historical notes and commentary, with occasional explanations of significant events from Catholic teaching. Whether or not one has been to the Holy Land or any of the places in the Bible, people of varied interests should enjoy this film and series. The films will have meaning for many. Christians, Bible scholars, those interested in archaeology and geology, people who like history, and all who like to travel should enjoy this series.
This film was the last one made but the first in the chronology of the time covered. By automobile, with supplemental aerial photography, Steve Ray follows in the footsteps of Abraham. The film begins in modern day Iraq, and goes to Turkey and through Syria to Jordan and Israel. It follows Abraham's journey across ancient Babylonia and Mesopotamia to Canaan. It also includes stops at other places noted in the Book of Genesis, before Abraham's time. Thus, near Babylon, Ray stops to view and discuss the remains of an ancient ziggurat. If not the real one as indicated, it resembles the Biblical Tower of Babel.
The journey follows the Fertile Crescent. This area of the Middle East was so named by American archaeologist James Breasted in 1914. The Crescent is the area in that shape that runs from northeast Egypt up the Mediterranean Coast, then curves East across lower Turkey and upper Syria, and then curves south along the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers through Iraq to the Persian Gulf. This is the arable land that receives adequate rainfall near the great sea or water from the rivers in the east. It is a sharp contrast with the arid lands of the Arabian Desert that reach North and fill in the area between the arms of the crescent.
Ray's journey takes viewers to Haran then Shechem, Bethel, Hebron, and Beer-sheba. Then, after Abraham's return from Egypt to Salem (Jerusalem). Ray rides a camel, donkey, or horse at times to give a sense of what that travel was like, and he huffs and pants his way up high places. The quality of this film and all of these videos is excellent.
Most people should find this and other films of "The Footprints of God" series interesting. I enjoy and have read many history and historical novels in much of my adult life. I have traveled to, walked and visited many of the places in the Bible. It was on an Eastern Mediterranean cruise in 2007 to Biblical sites in Turkey, Greece and Rome that I met Steve and Janet Ray, and learned about their project. We watched part of the film they were working at the time.
