Judaism, Christianity, and Islam: The Classical Texts and Their Interpretation, Volume I: From Convenant to Community

by F.E. Peters

Book Overview

Invoking a concept as simple as it is brilliant, 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 skillful connective commentary, the three traditions are shown with their...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0691020442
• ISBN13: 9780691020440
• Release Date: October 1990
• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Length: 440 Pages
• Weight: 1.48 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.2" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

3-4 books/vols

Note: Under the same title "Judaism, Christianity, and Islam" there are 4 different books: (1st paperback)Vol. 1 "From Covenant to Community" (ISBN#0691020442); (2nd paperback) Vol.2 "The Word and the Law and the People of God" (ISBN#069102054x; yes x); (3rd paperback)Vol.3 "The Works of the Spirit" (ISBN#0691020558); and the earlier large hardback containing all 3 vols (ASIN#0691073562). As all covers look similar in the small display photos, you should order by the # in "advanced search" mode.

Great as a textbook but...

I took Peters' class at NYU and found this book to be an excellent companion for studying the monotheistic traditions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. His commentary is brief and informative and one is impressed with his ability to translate the relevant languages: Greek, Latin, Hebrew, Aramaic and Arabic. The organization of the book is also perfect for this sort of study.The question is... what else is the book good for? It certainly can't replace having a Bible, a Torah, a Koran and all the other relevant texts that are excerpted. Most people who come to this book will probably be from one of the three faiths. For them, I think this book will be profitable in putting passages they know very well next to passages from the other faiths of which they know little. For those outside the monotheistic tradition, this is an excellent primer.For those who have studied religion and theology already, this book may not be as useful. Perhaps as a resource? Also, it's a big book. You have to really be interested in the comparison of the three faiths to tackle it. Bottom line: even though Peters is a lucid writer, this book is not beach-reading. And it's not quite encyclopedic enough to be a reference. I can't recommend it for all.PS. I managed to find a used hard-cover very cheap on this site. The hardcover is nice but not very portable (as a textbook). If you are going paperback, get the three separate volumes. Then maybe you can take it to the beach.

An absolute necessity...

If you are interested in comparing the three largest monotheistic faiths, what better way is there than to have the words -- Holy Writ, 'traditions' and/or the words of the earliest and more well known exegetes -- as they are recorded?Mr. Peters does a marvelous job in compiling the words of the three faiths in thematic arrangement with some, but not much, commentary. In other words, the words themselves, and not commentaries on these words, speak.One may argue with some of the selections but on the whole this is an incredible and unique compilation.The one-volume unit is thick and a bit pricey but well worth the investment.