Sacred Books of the Three Faiths – Book Review
Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Explored in British Library Catalogue
May 26, 2009
Sacred Books of the Three Faiths, Judaism, Christianity, Islam (British Library, 2007), was published to accompany an exhibition, of the same name, recently mounted by the British Library. The catalogue stresses the vital importance of re-visiting the sacred texts and traditions of three of the world's major religions to obtain a better understanding of their values and customs.
Sacred Books of the Three Faiths – the Structure of the Catalogue
The catalogue features more than 200 manuscripts, books and objects, from the British Library's comprehensive collection, and from other lenders. Rare and beautiful manuscripts including: the Lisbon Bible, Lindisfarne Gospels, Codex Sinaiticus, Sultan Baybars' Qur'an, North French Miscellany and many others, are examined.
Sacred opens with essays by Karen Armstrong, Everett Fox and F. E. Peters.
The Idea of a Sacred Text – Karen Armstrong
In the first essay, Karen Armstrong, author of several books including, Muhammad: Prophet of Our Time, discusses the following questions:
- What do the three faiths have in common?
- How has each religion created or received their holy texts?
- How have they become standardised?
- What do they mean to us in the 21st Century?
Living with Sacred Jewish Texts – Everett Fox
The second essay is written by Everett Fox, Professor of Judaic and Biblical Studies and Director of the Program in Jewish Studies, Clark University, Worcester, MA, USA.
Fox looks at how sacred texts form the basis of Jewish expression and how study of those texts is a regular part of Jewish worship. He also discusses the Jewish tradition of passing on the teachings and values orally, and of studying texts with a teacher or friend. The continual study and re-interpretation helps create a strong community of shared beliefs.
The Poet in Performance: The Composition of the Qur'an – F. E. Peters
F. E. Peters has recently retired as Professor of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at New York University. In his essay he asks: "whose book is this?" and "who is the author?" He sets out the most common answers according to each faith.
He explores the Qur'an as oral poetry and the concept of Mohammad as the poet and performer. The physical creation of a written text, whether at the moment of Mohammad's first recitation, or at a later time, is also discussed. The author stresses that there are no definitive answers to his earlier questions.
The remainder of the catalogue is divided into five sections:
- The Sacred Texts – presents a brief look at three rare texts to give the reader a taster of what comes next.
- Dissemination, Division and Difference highlights the similarities and differences between the three faiths, through articles from around the world including a16th-century Indian Qur'an and a 17th-century Chinese Torah scroll.
- Establishing the Sacred Texts discusses how the texts were received and passed down over time.
- Illuminating the World in Colours and Gold looks at shared elements such as the use of gold and coloured inks to create stylized calligraphy, the use of gold leaf in illuminations, page borders and decoration.
- Religious Life: Encountering the Sacred features religious objects to explore everyday religious practises, including chalices, communion spoons, mosque lamps, Jewish Sabbath lamps and wedding canopies.
This is a fascinating and thought-provoking publication. Its language is scholarly, yet accessible to the general reader. Excellent colour reproductions allow a detailed examination of the many beautiful manuscripts and books.
Sacred Books of the Three Faiths, Judaism, Christianity, Islam is published by the British Library, (2007). It is available in both Hardback, £25.00, ISBN: 978 0 7123 4975 8, and Paperback, £14.99, ISBN: 978-0-7123-4955-0.
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