The word, meaning "fathers," is used regularly in biblical studies to refer to the ancestors of Israel, i.e., Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The patriarchal periods is generally set in the early 2nd Mill BC.
Resources:
Augustine Pagolu, "Patriarchal Religion as Portraryed in Genesis 12-50" Tyndale Bulletin 47.2 (1996): 375-378.☰
M. E. J. Selman, "The Social Environment of the Patriarchs," Tyndale Bulletin 27 (1976): 114-136.☰
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