The Bible is full of fathers - starting with Adam, or perhaps even starting with God, in the metaphoric sense! In the Old Testament, fatherhood is so important that we refer to Abraham, Jacob, and Isaac as the "patriarchs" of Genesis, who founded the nation of Israel. None of them had an easy time as fathers. Abraham did not father a child until late in life when he fathered Ishmael and Isaac, whose peoples would be longtime enemies. Isaac had twin sons, Esau and Jacob, who fought over the birthright of the firstborn. Then Jacob was tricked into marrying a woman he did not love - Leah, instead of her sister Rachel. He eventually married both women; his sons would become the founders of the Twelve Tribes of Israel.

In contrast, the New Testament is pretty low on fathers, chiefly because of the importance the early Christian church placed on celibacy. Staying unmarried and childless was considered the best path to serving Christ. However, there's a big exception in the gospels - Joseph, who is perhaps the perfect stepfather. He did not reject the pregnant Mary but had faith that she was, in fact, carrying the son of God. He raised that son as his own and taught Jesus his trade of carpentry. 

Which Biblical father do you most mirror? We've created a quiz to help you find out. Don't worry, though: "God the Father" is not one of the answer options. Some standards are too high for anyone to live up to!