Abraham - Father of Three Faiths

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Each of the three religions claim Abraham as their patriarch. However, their relationships with Abraham are very different. I recommend this book to anyone interested in the study of Abraham, and his relationship to each of these major religions. So let's stop quibbling over who's got it right This book explains the Middle East years ago and why all the turmoil.

Purely academic, lacking the spirit that would give it life. It was totally uninspiring to me. I anticipated so much more. Father of the Jewish, Christian and Moslem religions; can we members of the same family live in God's peace. We love the author having read his story of "Walking the Bible"; prior to our trip to Israel. This story is about the whole family tree of Abraham. Bruce Feiler has a host of Jewish, Christian, and Moslem friends, scholars, and teachers of the respective religions that shed light on their respective visions of the father of three of the worlds most important faiths.

To me, God's love and joy, shined thru our father Abraham. I enjoyed this book as a brief overview of Abraham, the first man who could hear God speaking to him. While we know little about this icon, it was interesting to note how people claim the broad promises of God and co-opt them for their own purposes. Sadly, most of the claims on this father of monotheism separates and causes conflict. What a great goal to use the same texts to unify and create peace. See all reviews. Amazon Giveaway allows you to run promotional giveaways in order to create buzz, reward your audience, and attract new followers and customers.

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Abraham: A Journey to the Heart of Three Faiths

Amazon Rapids Fun stories for kids on the go. Amazon Restaurants Food delivery from local restaurants. ComiXology Thousands of Digital Comics. East Dane Designer Men's Fashion. Shopbop Designer Fashion Brands. Withoutabox Submit to Film Festivals. Mar 12, Paul added it. While it was an interesting piece looking at the shared aspects of the three major faiths, i found it to be a little bit more of a follow-up book than a stand-alone piece of art.

With that being said, this guy's life is completely awesome. So i've graduated from the Ivy League, what to do now? Couple years teaching English in Japan? Grad school at Oxford? Year in the circus? Explaining the Bible in a way that anyone can understand it without a particular bent to While it was an interesting piece looking at the shared aspects of the three major faiths, i found it to be a little bit more of a follow-up book than a stand-alone piece of art.

Explaining the Bible in a way that anyone can understand it without a particular bent toward one faith or another? And a book deal for each of these experiences to boot.

Abrahamic religions

By the time he's done, he'll be averaging a memior for every 3 years of his life. Apr 04, Lee Harmon rated it it was amazing. With no archaeological evidence whatsoever to explore, he embarks on his journey to learn about Abraham by interviewing members of various faiths, and finds himself enmeshed in a bewildering array of legends and claims.

Abraham begins life as a polytheist in Ur, but is called by a foreign god, Yahweh, to journey to a new land. The promise by this strange god? In this new land, two sons are born to Abraham, and God asks Abraham to sacrifice one of them as a test of his faith. So diverse are the legends about Abraham that there is not even agreement over which son is the requested sacrifice, but the Biblical account favors Isaac.

This sacrifice—of whichever son—plays a major role in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The Jewish religion appears to have seniority. Suddenly, Israel had scripture that described their ancestors, but what difference did that make? They still needed to make that text relevant to their lives. Qumran provides excellent examples of Jewish midrash, and how Abraham was molded into their image.

Some years later, Christians entered the scene. Abraham, says John, knew about Jesus thousands of years before Jesus was born. Abraham has been appropriated to the Christian side. Ibn Kathir accuses Jews of dishonesty and slander, claiming they introduced Isaac into the story, even though the Bible says Abraham went to sacrifice his only son, his favored son. For Muslims, Ishmael was the favored son, so he was the one Abraham took to sacrifice. Thoroughly rattled, Feiler retreats. His book has become something entirely different than what he set out to write.

Oct 12, Steven Colborne rated it it was amazing. Abraham is a hugely important figure in the three major monotheistic religions Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. This book would have taken a lot of time, and courage, to write. Conflict in the Middle East at the time of writing conflict which is of course ongoing means that as the author explored the Holy Land he was never far away from conflict and danger. Perhaps the most famous story related to Abraham is where he is instructed by God to go up a mountain and offer up his son as a sacrifice.

However, it is a point of contestation amongst the Abrahamic religions which son was with Abraham, and also the reasons why and the manner in which the imminent sacrifice was halted by an angel from God. The book is relatively short pages and not heavily academic, although there is a lot of detail and a lot of depth. And I mean that in a positive way — I found it to be an excellent read. In a world where peace seems so unlikely, I found it refreshing to read about a figure who could perhaps be at the centre of a coffee table discussion between Jews, Muslims, and Christians.

Apr 28, Ron Tenney rated it really liked it. I listened to this book on Audible a while back. I found the narrative to be a fascinating tour through the Genesis account and very eye-opening in helping me to understand the claim the three great world religions have on this patriarch. This is an easy read.

It is not designed as a scholarly book with extensive footnotes. It is more conversational. There is a short bibliography at the back that provides sources for further reading for those so inclined. Mormon doctrine has a very different int I listened to this book on Audible a while back. Mormon doctrine has a very different interpretation of the Abraham based on the words in the Pearl of Great Price, books of Moses and Abraham. I found it hard to set aside the teachings of the church in reading about all of these other traditions.

I think the best part of the book for me is to open my eyes to the stories of Hagar and Ismael. They are really compelling figures right in the Hebrew Bible. I like this book. I like the light, conversational tone and the great story-telling talent of Bruce Feiler. It is a "good read" in my book. Sep 06, Kathryn Bashaar rated it it was ok. I thought I would love this book, but I was disappointed. The author's premise is his search for the truth of the Biblical Abraham. I thought his analysis was thin and disorganized.

He lets each faith stand on its own instead of comparing and contrasting. And he's all over the place with stories from his childhood and character studies of people he interviews and his own analysis, and I thought I would love this book, but I was disappointed. And he's all over the place with stories from his childhood and character studies of people he interviews and his own analysis, and limited reference to actual sources. It just didn't work for me.

And OK just one more thing: Yeah, the book's about Abraham, he's the guy that got the Call, but Sarah is just a non-entity in this analysis and I think that does her a disservice. Jun 12, Judy rated it really liked it. Abraham has been claimed as the patriarch of three faiths and Bruce Feiler looks at both the way Abraham has been portrayed by each faith--how his story has been expressed and interpreted--and also how each faith has attempted to claim him exclusively.

It was fascinating to see how Abraham has been presented throughout history. His reputation and the portions of his story that were historically highlighted and debated said as much about the period in which they were written as it did about evolv Abraham has been claimed as the patriarch of three faiths and Bruce Feiler looks at both the way Abraham has been portrayed by each faith--how his story has been expressed and interpreted--and also how each faith has attempted to claim him exclusively.

His reputation and the portions of his story that were historically highlighted and debated said as much about the period in which they were written as it did about evolving religious traditions. A very well written book. Most interesting were Feiler's interviews with clerics and scholars and their reflections about the role and pivotal importance of Abraham to the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim traditions. Jul 29, Kkraemer rated it really liked it. Beginning with the hints and allusions of the oldest stories, Feiler explores how this one man, Abraham, becomes the father of all of the Jews, Christians, and Muslims worshipping today.

There are few details in these bits and snippets, nothing about Abraham's early life before he receives the Call to leave his home and venture elsewhere. We then learn of the older wife, the child, the newer wife, another child, the binding. Over the millennia, all of these stories have been told by many voices.

Some are the voices of the clergy who hear and tell them through the lens of their faith; others are simply people who hear and tell the stories to prove a point, entertain the masses, bring solace. And the two sons: And stories about them as well. From this set of stories have arisen countless interpretations that both guide humans to embrace all of Abraham's children as brethren and to despise all of his children have different understandings of the stories, different ways of submitting to God.

Feiler is a fascinating writer who envelops each set of stories in his tales of being somewhere, of talking with someone. He follows the various branches of the people of Abraham, noting both their similarities and their differences, and even includes some incidents that are based on such logic that their terror grips the absolute core of the reader. Mar 17, Samuel Neff rated it liked it. I really enjoyed the first half of this book. The first half really dove into the history of Abraham and the role that he played in being such an important figure in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.

The second half of the book seemed to be more about the author's own personal religious journey, which I was not as interested in. If the entire book was focused on the historical aspects of Abraham, I would of enjoyed much more. Oct 17, Georgia Herod rated it really liked it. Because I have been a student and teacher of the Bible, I read with great interest Feiler's book, particularly because I knew I was limited in my understanding of the perceptions of Abraham by adherents of Judaism and Islam.

Feiler goes in search of the real Abraham, history's first monotheist and the father of twelve million Jews, two billion Christians, and one billion Muslims. Feiler allows the reader to participate in his quest as he seeks out the documents related to the many legends about Because I have been a student and teacher of the Bible, I read with great interest Feiler's book, particularly because I knew I was limited in my understanding of the perceptions of Abraham by adherents of Judaism and Islam. Feiler allows the reader to participate in his quest as he seeks out the documents related to the many legends about Abraham.

Feiler expresses his surprise, shock, and disappointment in his findings.

He expresses his confusion along the way. He learned that proof doesn't matter. Separate chapters trace the necessity of each faith for Abraham in order to establish its legitimacy. Feiler uses interviews with experts, renowned scholars, theologians, and archaeologists and others to introduce each segment of his subject matter.

That contributed a sense of immediacy for the reader.

In addition, the reader journeys with Feiler as he walks the streets of Jerusalem, stands near the Wailing Wall, visits ancient shrines, climbs to the caves of Qumran and the Dead Sea Scrolls, and enters Hebron under high security. Because I have traveled in Israel, these forays helped make Feiler's search even more personal to me. Abraham's story stands at the root of the Middle Eastern conflict today. Can the religions co-exist? Historically, they have become geo-political. As I read Feiler, I often turned to Genesis to verify his presentation. Because I've looked at Abraham from the Christian perspective, I was interested in the other vantage points, even differences in the narrative.

Abraham "represents the basic desire all people have to form a union with God. Feiler provides an overview of Abraham in the three faiths. As a result, brevity and absence of more specific detail could be a weakness. Jan 04, Karen Powell added it. The world's three major religions - Judaism, Christianity, and Islam - have many major differences that cause conflict all over the world. But the three are united in their devotion to Abraham, the folk hero of years ago who predates all the modern religions, but is claimed by each as their "father.

Along the way, he talks to followers of The world's three major religions - Judaism, Christianity, and Islam - have many major differences that cause conflict all over the world. Along the way, he talks to followers of the three different religions in order to grasp a better understanding of Abraham, and ultimately to wonder if through their love of Abraham, can their ever be peace among dissenters?

For one, Jews and Christians agree that Jacob was the son to be sacrificed by Abraham, while Muslims insist that it is Ishmael. Also, Abraham himself was largely forgotten after his time until a revival designed to reignite the Jewish faith after the destruction of the Second Temple.

ABRAHAM - Father of Three Faiths

Flaws in each belief are exposed, but Muslims in particular come off partcualrily harsh when the chosen representative of Islam in an interview with the author gives a defense of suicide bombers. This is explained away as the unfortunate current representation of Islam today, saying that the hope for this religion lies in its Western believers, who live in more peaceful areas. I don't know if that's patronizing or naive. That the author, and many others, can maintain a positive hope for understanding is very heartening after being confronted with some disturbing views. Feb 13, Charlie Kim rated it really liked it.

This is an incredibly informative book; Bruce Feiler does a great job at explaining Abraham's relevance to each big monotheistic religion and writes about each belief system in a style that a person of any faith can understand. Jun 04, Mike rated it really liked it Shelves: One of my favorite passages from this fascinating bibliographic adventure i. Bruce Feiler's Abraham highlights the virtue and value of modesty or humility as far as our personal faith is concerned.

In this conversation, Feiler discusses the archetypal tale as related in the 3 major monotheistic scriptures with Hanan Eschel, one of the leading archaeologists of the first millenium B. This excerpt appears on p. Hanan explains to the author: To explain to them that they don't have all the answers.

If you'll be modest, you'll probably understand the text better, and there's much less chance that you'll do awful things in the name of God. Leave your family, leave what you know.

Think of when God tells Abraham to follow what Sarah says in regard to Ishmael. We know Abraham felt bad about this; he had to send Ishmael away. But he knew he didn't understand everything. We don't know our destination. And we certainly don't know everything about God.

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It's hard to put it better Jan 10, Scott rated it liked it. The author explores the influence of the Patriarch on the 3 major, monotheistic faiths. While listening to this book, I learned several things that I didn't know previoulsy, but a couple insights stood out to me. I was aware that Abraham was raised in the land of the Chaldeans, but what I didn't realize was that these people were big-time astronomers. Abraham Chapter 3, in the Pearl of Great Price, expresses this as well in no uncertain terms, though I hadn't realized the connection of this to the Chaldean astronomers before.

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It was also interesting to learn of the ancient Jewish tradition that Abraham acutally went through with the sacrifice of Isaac saying that the angel didn't stop Abraham quick enough, and that this is why the angel proclaimed Abraham as blessed for not withholding his son and why only Abraham came down from the mountain and that Isaac came back to life was resurrected 3 days later. If you'd like to gain a deeper understanding of who Abraham is to Christians, Jews, and Muslims, you may learn some interesting things from Feiler's book. View all 3 comments. Apr 02, Ron rated it really liked it.

The story of Abraham marks the emergence in human history of monotheism, and idea that represents a major shift in human consciousness. For believers in a single deity, it's an idea whose simplicity gives it an integrity that is self-evident. Three thousand years later, the complexity of not one but myriad Abrahams confounds understanding of the one God he believed in. Feiler's informative book gives us in broad brushstrokes an account of how that transformation took place. His search for common The story of Abraham marks the emergence in human history of monotheism, and idea that represents a major shift in human consciousness.

His search for common ground between competing belief systems takes him on a perplexing journey to sacred sites in the Holy Land, where he interviews men and women who have devoted their lives to study of God and the descendants of Abraham. The answers he gets to his questions illuminate his subject and raise even further questions. At first I didn't think I was going to like this book. I expected something scholarly, and this seemed more like magazine writing - breezy and superficial. Then as Feiler wades into deeper theological and political waters, the subject became compelling and full of unexpected surprises.

I recommend this very readable book for readers with even a passing knowledge of Abraham, the ancestral father of three world faiths, and who wonder at the current ferocity of religious beliefs that haunts our days. Apr 20, Karen Mcintyre rated it it was amazing Shelves: This book was the first of the Feiler books I read. I read it in response to wanting a better understanding of the relationship among the three peoples of the Book. I found hope in this book written by a Jew that good could come from such monumental evil.

As a result I attended a salon locally where a Rabbi, an Imam and a Christian Minister shared their experiences with the Abrahamic stories in the "old testament" -- there that shows This book was the first of the Feiler books I read. As a result I attended a salon locally where a Rabbi, an Imam and a Christian Minister shared their experiences with the Abrahamic stories in the "old testament" -- there that shows my particular bias!

It is well worth reading as are his other books. But each is a call to change one person at a time. A change in our hearts toward one another and recognizing that God speaks to all! Something missing from our discourse is Feiler's call - "The message of Abraham is to be alone, to be quiet, and to listen. If you never hear the call in the first place, you will never know which way to go.

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