The Children of Abraham

by Peters, F. E.

• ISBN13: 9780691120416
• ISBN10: 0691120412
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2004-08-24
• Publisher: Princeton Univ Pr

Summary

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 classicThe Children of Abrahamfor 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 ofThe Children of Abraham.

Author Biography

F. E. Peters is Professor of Middle Eastern Studies, History, and Religion at New York University.

Table of Contents

Foreword by John L. Esposito	ix
Preface to the New Edition	xv
Preface	xvii
INTRODUCTION The Scriptures: Some Preliminary Notions	1	(6)
CHAPTER ONE The Promise and the Heirs	7	(14)
CHAPTER TWO A Contested Inheritance	21	(20)
CHAPTER THREE Community and Hierarchy	41	(26)
CHAPTER FOUR The Law	67	(18)
CHAPTER FIVE Scripture and Tradition	85	(18)
CHAPTER SIX The Worship of God	103	(13)
CHAPTER SEVEN Renunciation and Aspiration	116	(22)
CHAPTER EIGHT Thinking and Talking about God	138	(29)
EPILOGUE Sacred History	167	(6)
Notes	173	(40)
Glossary	213	(14)
Index	227