Francis E. Peters Knihy

F.E. Peters has taken the basic texts of the three related--and competitive--religious systems we call Judaism, Christianity, and Islam and has juxtaposed them in a topical and parallel arrangement according to the issues that most concerned all these "children of Abraham." Through these extensive passages, and the author's connective commentary, the three traditions are shown with their similarities sometimes startlingly underlined and their well-known differences now more profoundly exposed. What emerges from this ambitious work is a panorama of belief, practice, and sensibility that will broaden our understanding of our religious and political roots in a past that is, by these communities' definition, still the present. Throughout the work we hear an amazing variety of voices, some familiar, some not, all of them central to the primary and secondary canons of their own tradition: alongside the Scriptural voice of God are the words of theologians, priests, visionaries, lawyers, rulers and the ruled. -- From publisher description.

The Quran, a sacred text, resonates deeply with themes from the Old and New Testaments. It emerged during a rich period of interaction among monotheists, where Jews, Christians, and Muslims shared worship of the same God and often lived in close proximity, indistinguishable by culture or language. In contrast to this historical commonality, contemporary understanding of Islam is often limited, especially among non-Muslims. This book serves as an entry point for readers with Christian or Jewish backgrounds, introducing them to one of the world's largest and most active religions. Frank Peters, a leading authority on monotheistic faiths, emphasizes the Quran's central role and its familiar narratives involving figures like Adam, Noah, and Jesus. He highlights the Quran's unique interpretations of biblical events and addresses aspects that may be foreign to Western audiences, including its didactic elements and poetic nature. Peters further elucidates key features of Islam, such as the significance of Mecca, Muhammad's revelations, and the formation of the Muslim community, all in relation to Judeo-Christian traditions. He compares the figures of Jesus and Muhammad, outlines Islamic commandments and rituals, and details the structures of Sunni and Shi'ite communities. The book provides a crucial and accessible understanding of Islam, especially relevant in today's context.

F.E. Peters, a scholar without peer in the comparative study of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, revisits his pioneering work after twenty-five years. Peters has rethought and thoroughly rewritten his classic <i>The Children of Abraham</i> for a new generation of readers-at a time when the understanding of these three religious traditions has taken on a new and critical urgency. He began writing about all three faiths in the 1970s, long before it was fashionable to treat Islam in the context of Judaism and Christianity, or to align all three for a family portrait. In this updated edition, he lays out the similarities and differences of the three religious siblings with great clarity and succinctness and with that same remarkable objectivity that is the hallmark of all the author's work. Peters traces the three faiths from the sixth century B.C., when the Jews returned to Palestine from exile in Babylonia, to the time in the Middle Ages when they approached their present form. He points out that all three faith groups, whom the Muslims themselves refer to as People of the Book, share much common ground. Most notably, each embraces the practice of worshipping a God who intervenes in history on behalf of His people. The book's text is direct and accessible with thorough and nuanced discussions of each of the three religions. Updated footnotes provide the reader with expert guidance into the highly complex issues that lie between every line of this stunning and timely new edition of <i>The Children of Abraham.</i> ?