A Real and Significant Biblical Contradiction?

[Lion IRC]

Like Min said, Ur of the Chaldees was at earliest founded at 1,000BC. It is not the same Ur as the ancient city of Sumer. Also, even if Abraham/Ibrahim was from Ur where writing was invented, it's very improbable that he would've been able to write. Writing was mainly used for records and by the wealthy denizens of Sumer, not by random goat herders. This was still the case around 200 years ago, let alone over 4,000.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ur

Ur is mentioned four times in the Torah or Old Testament, with the distinction "of the Kasdim/Kasdin"—traditionally rendered in English as "Ur of the Chaldees".

Exactly how many different cities called Ur do you think there were scattered around Mesopotamia in biblical times?

What makes you think running a pastoral agri-business, feeding hungry city dwellers is incompatible with being wealthy?

I suppose you're gonna claim that he could count the number of animals in his flock either.

The bible records Abraham as being very wealthy. The dude hung out with Kings and Pharaohs. Do you really think he had no wealth? No ability to reckon financial matters?
His father Terah had years and years and years (205?) to teach Abraham how to read and write.

Here's some commerce for you - book keeping.

"And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold."(Genesis 13:2)

...so wealthy in fact that Abraham had herdsmen to do his work.