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What Does It Mean to Be "Chosen"? Why Did God Have to Choose? “To
be chosen can have a range of meaning from the mundane to the holy,
but in all cases it means to be singled out and preferred over
others. In a deep sense that permeates much or most of Western
culture, having been chosen communicates a sense of something that
is extraordinary, is transcendent, and entitles a reward. What is
assumed in this sense of the term is that God has done the choosing
and the reward is something that is unequaled, for what could
possibly equal divinely ordained eternal happiness?” —from the
Introduction Religious people who define themselves as monotheists
have often advanced the idea that their relationship with God is
unique and superior to all others. Theirs supersedes those who came
before, and is superior to those who have followed. This phenomenon
tends to be expressed in terms not only of supersessionism, but
also “chosenness,” or “election.” Who is most beloved by
God? What expression of the divine will is the most perfect? Which
relationship reflects God's ultimate demands or desire? In this
fascinating examination of the religious phenomenon of chosenness,
Reuven Firestone explores the idea of covenant, and the expressions
of supersessionism as articulated through the scriptures of the
three major monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity and
Islam. He explores how and why the ongoing competition and friction
between these religions came about, and offers thoughts about how
to overcome it.
This title helps Jews understand Islam - a reasoned and candid
view. Muslim-Jewish relations in the United States, Israel, and
Europe are tenuous. Jews and Muslims struggle to understand one
another and know little about each other's traditions and
beliefs.Firestone explains the remarkable similarities and profound
differences between Judaism and Islam, the complex history of
Jihad, the legal and religious positions of Jews in the world of
Islam, how various expressions of Islam (Sunni, Shi'a, Sufi,
Salafi, etc.) regard Jews, the range of Muslim views about Israel,
and much more. He addresses these issues and others with candor and
integrity, and he writes with language, symbols, and ideas that
make sense to Jews.Exploring these subjects in today's vexed
political climate is a delicate undertaking. Firestone draws on the
research and writings of generations of Muslim, Jewish, and other
scholars, as well as his own considerable expertise in this field.
The book's tone is neither disparaging, apologetic, nor triumphal.
Firestone provides many original sources in translation, as well as
an appendix of additional key sources in context. Most importantly,
this book is readable and reasoned, presenting to readers for the
first time the complexity of Islam and its relationship toward Jews
and Judaism.
Constructive interreligious dialogue is only a recent phenomenon.
Until the nineteenth century, most dialogue among believers was
carried on as a debate aimed either to disprove the claims of the
other, or to convert the other to one's own tradition. At the end
of the nineteenth century, Protestant Christian missionaries of
different denominations had created such a cacophony amongst
themselves in the mission fields that they decided that it would be
best if they could begin to overcome their own differences instead
of confusing and even scandalizing the people whom they were trying
to convert. By the middle of the twentieth century, the horrors of
the Holocaust compelled Christians, especially mainline Protestants
and Catholics, to enter into a serious dialogue with Jews, one of
the consequences of which was the removal of claims by Christians
to have replaced Judaism, and revising text books that communicated
that message to Christian believers.
Now, at the beginning of the twenty-first century, many branches of
Christianity, not least the Catholic Church, are engaged in a
world-wide constructive dialogue with Muslims, made all the more
necessary by the terrorist attacks of September 11. In these new
conversations, Muslim religious leaders took an important
initiative when they sent their document, ''A Common Word Between
Us, '' to all Christians in the West. It is an extraordinary
document, for it makes a theological argument (various Christians
in the West, including officials at the Vatican, have claimed that
a ''theological conversation'' with Muslims is not possible) based
on texts drawn from the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament and the
Qur'an, that Jewish, Christian, and Muslim believers share the
God-given obligation to love God and each other in peace and
justice.
The Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies brought together an
international group of sixteen Jewish, Catholic, and Muslim
scholars to carry on an important theological exploration of the
theme of ''learned ignorance.''
Reuven Firestone traces the origin and evolution of Islamic holy war through the changes affecting the new community of Muslims in their transition from ancient Arabian culture to the religious civilization of Islam. He demonstrates that, at base, Islamic holy war is a product of the mixture of old Arabian culture with innovations engendered by the introduction of monotheism.
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