The Abrahamic family tree and what the traditions share
Who descends from whom, and what the traditions hold in common: the family of Abraham and the beliefs Judaism, Christianity and Islam share, in…
Journal
Explainers and essays on the history, scripture and thought of the Abrahamic traditions. Browse every topic.
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The Sabians in classical Muslim scholarship
Three classical Muslim scholars on the Sabians, and why al-Shahrastani read Abraham’s argument with the stars as a case against them.
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Whales: Giants of the Ocean
Whales: Giants of the Ocean Whales are among the largest and most remarkable animals on Earth. These marine mammals live in oceans around the…
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Apostasy in the Abrahamic traditions
Rabbinic law, Christian empire, classical Islamic jurisprudence and modern reconsideration: how each tradition has treated those who leave.
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Paul and Peter: two missions in the early church
Paul’s own letters describe a real conflict with Peter at Antioch. A later letter, in Peter’s name, makes peace.
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The population of the Abrahamic religions
Pew Research projects Islam and Christianity nearing parity by 2050, and Islam becoming the largest religion by 2060 or later.
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Whales: Giants of the Ocean
Whales: Giants of the Ocean Whales are among the largest and most remarkable animals on Earth. These marine mammals live in oceans around the…
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Haman in the Qur’an
Was the Qur’an’s Haman borrowed from the Bible’s Esther, or is his name an Egyptian priestly title?
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The Cairo Genizah
A synagogue storeroom in Cairo yielded 400,000 medieval fragments and reshaped the study of Jewish history.
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The Amman Message and A Common Word
Two landmark declarations: a modern Muslim consensus on who is a Muslim, and an open letter to Christian leaders.
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Al-Ghazali, Ibn Rushd and the limits of reason
The medieval argument over whether philosophy could be trusted, and why it mattered more in Europe than in Islam.
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The preservation and transmission of scripture
How the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament and the Qur’an were each copied, checked and handed down across centuries.