The familiar and heart-warming story of Christmas is one of hope, encapsulated by the birth of the infant Jesus. It is also a story which unites two faiths which have so often been at odds with one another. The accounts of the Nativity given by the Evangelists Luke and Matthew find their parallels in surahs 3 and 19 of Qur'an which take up of the Annunciation to Maria, the Incarnation from the Holy Spirit and the Nativity - reason enough to investigate these parallel narratives further. From this starting point, Karl-Josef Kuschel begins to look for Christmas in the Qur'an, a challenge for both Christians and Muslims to engage in a deeper dialogue about the fundamental questions of their faiths. By going back to basics, the holy Word, this detailed analysis of the original texts in both the New Testament and the Qur'an is both revealing and thought provoking.

The familiar and heartwarming story of Christmas is one of hope, encapsulated by the birth of the infant Jesus. It is also a story that unites Christianity and Islam--two faiths that have often been at odds with each other. The accounts of the Nativity given by the Evangelists Luke and Matthew find their parallels in Surahs 3 and 19 of the Qur'an, which take up the Annunciation to Mary, the Incarnation from the Holy Spirit, and the Nativity. Christmas and the Qur'an is a sensitive and precise analysis of the Christmas story as it appears in the Gospels and the Qur'an. Karl-Josef Kuschel presents both scriptures in a convincing comparative exegesis and reveals startling similarities as well as significant differences. Kuschel explores how Christians and Muslims read these texts and reveals an intertwining legacy that serves as a base for greater understanding. Without leaving the realm of theology, Kuschel approaches his analysis in a theocentric way by emphasizing the shared belief that God is almighty, which, he argues, can act as a healing suture between Christianity and Islam. Christmas and the Qur'an gives the reader the chance to remember the message of hope that the birth of Jesus brings and invites to a dialogue between Muslims and Christians.

As it explores the issues of the pre-existence of Christ - the doctrine found in the New Testament, enshrined in the classic creeds of the Christian Church, and proclaimed in every celebration of the Eucharist - this brilliant work turns back to the origins of the doctrine in Scripture, examines every relevant text in the Old Testament and the New Testament, and identifies inconsistencies, improbabilities, and weak points. Foreword by Hans Kung.

The lectures collected in this volume shed some fascinating light on Hans Kung's career and present a moving picture of one of the greatest theologians of our time.

An international journal of theology; a catholic journal in the widest sense: rooted in Roman Catholicism yet open to other Christian traditions and the world's faiths. Promotes discussion in the spirit of Vatican II. Annual subscriptions available.

This book presents the text of the Declaration, which had been drafted after a thorough process of interreligious and international consultation by Hans Kung, with a commentary explaining how it came to take its present form and what it sets out to do. Dr. Karl-Josef Kuschel, Hans Kung's Tubingen colleague, describes the historical background to the Parliament and gives an account of its proceedings.

An international journal of theology; a catholic journal in the widest sense: rooted in Roman Catholicism yet open to other Christian traditions and the world's faiths. Promotes discussion in the spirit of Vatican II. Annual subscriptions available.

In a world where there is all too much hostility, latent or manifest, between Christians and Muslims, Muslims and Jews, Christians and Jews, and an increase in fundamentalism and extremism, this book sets out to present a new vision for peace between the religions. It centres on Abraham, a figure who has an important place in Jewish, Christian and Muslim tradition, and thus forms a common point of reference. First Karl-Josef Kuschel analyses the role Abraham has been made to play in each of the three great religions in connection with politics, ideals, laws: the non-Jew who was made a Jew, then a Christian and then the model Muslim. Since he is the possession of all these religions, a future relationship between them could be an Abrahamic ecumenism'. The second part of the book then sets out the presuppositions for such an ecumenism; with a universalistic perspective, and the third section outlines the contribution that this ecumenism could make in the world of our day. In his two previous books, Born Before All Time and Laughter, Karl-Josef Kuschel has shown a rare gift for providing a refreshing, lucid and highly readable approach to important subjects. This new work is no exception and has much to say to Jews, Christians and Muslims alike. Karl-Josef Kuschel teaches ecumenical theology and theological aesthetics in the University of Tubingen.