The Words and Will of God Volume II (Monotheists: Jews Christians and Muslims in conflict and competition / F.E. Peters 2)

About this book

The worlds three great monotheistic religions have spent most of their historical careers in conflict or competition with each other. And yet in fact they sprung from the same spiritual roots and have been nurtured in the same historical soil. This book--an extraordinarily comprehensive and approachable comparative introduction to these religions--seeks not so much to demonstrate the truth of this thesis as to illustrate it. Frank Peters one of the worlds foremost experts on the monotheistic faiths takes Judaism Christianity and Islam and after briefly tracing the roots of each places them side by side to show both their similarities and their differences. Volume I The Peoples of God tells the story of the foundation and formation of the three monotheistic communities of their visible historical presence. Volume II The Words and Will of God is devoted to their inner life the spirit that animates and regulates them. Peters takes us to where these religions live: their scriptures laws institutions and intentions; how each seeks to worship God and achieve salvation; and how they deal with their own (orthodox and heterodox) and with others (the goyim the pagans the infidels). Throughout he measures--but never judges--one religion against the other. The prose is supple the method rigorous. This is a remarkably cohesive informative and accessible narrative reflecting a lifetime of study by a single recognized authority in all three fields. The Monotheists is a magisterial comparison for students and general readers as well as scholars of the parties to one of the most troubling issues of today--the fierce sometimes productive and often destructive competition among the worlds monotheists the siblings called Jews Christians and Muslims.