Good reading and an excellent tool for interfaith dialogue.
A unique comparison of the Bible and the Qur’an.
Pulitzer Prize winner Miles (Emeritus, English and Religious Studies/Univ. of California, Irving; Christ: A Crisis in the Life of God, 2001, etc.) approaches the Qur’an with respect and curiosity while acknowledging the fact of his roots as a Christian believer and scholar. He sets out to discover who God is in the context of the Qur’an and how God interacts with humanity. Part of the author’s motivation is to bring readers closer to an understanding of their Muslim neighbors and how they may view Allah through scripture. Miles studies the Qur’an alongside the Jewish/Christian Bible, comparing and contrasting how the two holy books—and, by extension, the religions they undergird—view deity. “We must learn,” he writes, “to read one another’s scriptures, be they secular or sacred, with the same understanding and accommodating eye that we turn upon our own.” The author focuses on characters familiar to Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike: Adam, Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, and Jesus, all of whom appear in the Qur’an with stories far different from those that appear in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles. Miles discovers an author, Allah, who is interested above all else in the conversion of individuals and nations. His all-consuming interest is for his creation to believe in him; to that end, he “corrects” prior scriptures that record the tales of the precursors to Muhammad in a differing manner. Noah is not singled out to be saved so much as he preaches the message of Islam to unbelievers. Abraham is less the father of a nation than he is an ultimate example of a good Muslim, submitting to God’s word. Jesus is not a figure of redemption, sacrificing himself for others, but instead a prophet and an example of submission. Ultimately, the author has produced a thoroughly readable, literary, and astute approach toward understanding Allah, as God, through basic literary criticism.
Good reading and an excellent tool for interfaith dialogue.Pub Date: Nov. 14, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-307-26957-7
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Aug. 20, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
This a book of earlier, philosophical essays concerned with the essential "absurdity" of life and the concept that- to overcome the strong tendency to suicide in every thoughtful man-one must accept life on its own terms with its values of revolt, liberty and passion. A dreary thesis- derived from and distorting the beliefs of the founders of existentialism, Jaspers, Heldegger and Kierkegaard, etc., the point of view seems peculiarly outmoded. It is based on the experience of war and the resistance, liberally laced with Andre Gide's excessive intellectualism. The younger existentialists such as Sartre and Camus, with their gift for the terse novel or intense drama, seem to have omitted from their philosophy all the deep religiosity which permeates the work of the great existentialist thinkers. This contributes to a basic lack of vitality in themselves, in these essays, and ten years after the war Camus seems unaware that the life force has healed old wounds... Largely for avant garde aesthetes and his special coterie.
Pub Date: Sept. 26, 1955
ISBN: 0679733736
Page Count: 228
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Sept. 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1955
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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