<p><br> Imagine a world saturated with ignorance and hatred, a lonely, brutish place without any hope of redemption. Now, picture a man—Abram, the Bible calls him—who hears a command from God: Leave behind the life you know, and I will one day bless the entire world through you. How this will happen, and why, is a mystery to this man, but he sets out. In time God gives him a new name: Abraham. In time he will become the patriarch of three monotheistic faiths—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. And history will be forever transformed by his story.<br> <br> <i>These photos and captions were published in the December 2001 </i>National Geographic <i>article "Abraham: Journey of Faith."</i></p>