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The Oxford Handbook of the Abrahamic Religions includes authoritative yet accessible studies on a wide variety of topics dealing comparatively with Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, as well as with the interactions between the adherents of these religions throughout history. The comparative study of the Abrahamic Religions has been undertaken for many centuries. More often than not, these studies reflected a polemical rather than an ecumenical approach to
the topic. Since the nineteenth century, the comparative study of the Abrahamic Religions has not been pursued either intensively or systematically, and it is only recently that the comparative study of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam has received more serious attention. This volume contributes to the
emergence and development of the comparative study of the Abrahamic religions, a discipline which is now in its formative stages.
This Handbook includes both critical and supportive perspectives on the very concept of the Abrahamic religions and discussions on the role of the figure of Abraham in these religions. It features 32 essays, by the foremost scholars in the field, on the historical interactions between Abrahamic communities; on Holy Scriptures and their interpretation; on conceptions of religious history; on various topics and strands of religious thought, such as monotheism and mysticism; on rituals of
prayer, purity, and sainthood, on love in the three religions and on fundamentalism. The volume concludes with three epilogues written by three influential figures in the Christian, Jewish, and Muslim communities, to provide a broader perspective on the comparative study of the Abrahamic religions. This
ground-breaking work introduces readers to the challenges and rewards of studying these three religions together.
List of contents
- Preface
- List of Contributors
- Part I: The Concept of the Abrahamic Religions
- 1: Reuven Firestone: Abraham and Authenticity
- 2: Adam Silverstein: Abrahamic Experiments in History
- 3: Guy G. Stroumsa: Three Rings or Three Impostors? The Comparative Approach to the Abrahamic Religions and its Origins
- 4: Mark Silk: The Abrahamic Religions as a Modern Concept
- 5: Rémi Brague: Philosophical Perspectives
- 6: Gil Anidjar: Yet Another Abraham
- Part II: Communities
- 7: Richard Bulliet: Islamo-Christian Civilization
- 8: David Abulafia: The Abrahamic Religions in the Mediterranean
- 9: Uriel Simonsohn: Justice
- 10: John Tolan: Jews and Muslims in Christian Law and History
- 11: Dorothea Weltecke: Beyond Exclusivism in the Middle Ages: On the Three Rings, the Three Impostors, and the Discourse of Multiplicity
- Part III: Scripture and Hermeneutics
- 12: Nicolai Sinai: Historical-Critical Readings of the Abrahamic Scriptures
- 13: Carol Bakhos: Interpreters of Scripture
- 14: David Powers: The Finality of Prophecy
- 15: Lutz Greisiger: Apocalypticism, Millenarianism, and Messianism
- 16: Yuri Stoyanov: Religious Dualism and the Abrahamic Religions
- Part IV: Religious Thought
- 17: Peter E. Pormann: The Abrahamic Religions and the Classical Tradition
- 18: Sidney Griffith: Confessing Monotheism in Arabic (at-Taw¿¿d): The One God of Abraham and His Apologists
- 19: Carlos Fraenkel: Philosophy and Theology
- 20: William E. Carroll: Science and Creation: The Mediaeval Heritage
- 21: Moshe Idel: Mysticism in the Abrahamic Religions
- 22: Anthony Black: Political Thought
- Part V: Rituals and Ethics
- 23: Prayer: Clemens Leonhard and Martin Lüstraeten
- 24: Moshe Blidstein: Purity and Defilement
- 25: David Freidenreich: Dietary Law
- 26: Harvey E. Goldberg: Life-Cycle Rites of Passage
- 27: Yousef Meri: The Cult of Saints and Pilgrimage
- 28: David Nirenberg: Religions of Love: Judaism, Christianity, Islam
- 29: Malise Ruthven: Religion and Politics in the Age of Fundamentalisms
- Part VI: Epilogues
- 30: Peter Ochs: Jewish and other Abrahamic Philosophic Arguments for Abrahamic Studies
- 31: David F. Ford: Christian Perspectives: Settings, Theology, Practices, and Challenges
- 32: Tariq Ramadan: Islamic Perspectives
About the author
Adam J. Silverstein lehrte islamische Geschichte an den Universitäten in Cambridge und Oxford. Er war Forschungsdozent für nah- und mittelöstliche Studien und Fellow für jüdisch-muslimische Beziehungen am Zentrum für hebräische und jüdische Studien in Oxford. Seit 2011 ist er Senior Lecturer für Jüdische Studien und Religionsgeschichte des Nahen Ostens am King's College in London.
Summary
This Handbook offers a comprehensive discussion of Abrahamic Religions, providing comparative study of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Report
The Handbook is a useful tool for students and scholars alike that gives a comprehensive insight into the current state of research as well as the desiderata in the field of Abrahamic studies. Dennis Halft, Trier University, Medieval Encounters
