Autorentext

MARIA DAKAKE is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at George Mason University, where she directs programs in Islamic Studies and Middle East Studies. She holds a PhD from Princeton University and is widely published in Islamic intellectual history, Qur'anic studies, Shiism, Sufism, and women's spirituality She is co-author and co-editor of The Study Quran (HarperOne 2015) and co-editor of The Routledge Companion to the Qur'an (Routledge, 2022). TOM GREGGS is Director of the Center of Theological Inquiry, Princeton, New Jersey. He previously held the Marischal Chair of Divinity at the University of Aberdeen, UK. A Methodist preacher and international ecumenical leader, his many publications include Dogmatic Ecclesiology, The Breadth of Salvation, and Barth and Bonhoeffer as Contributors to a Postliberal Ecclesiology. STEVEN KEPNES is Professor of Religion and Jewish Studies at Colgate University. A prominent voice in Jewish theology, he is the author of Jewish Liturgical Reasoning, Reviving Jewish Theology, and editor of the Cambridge Companion to Jewish Theology. He has also taught at the Jewish Theological Seminary and the Gregorian University in Rome, Italy.

Klappentext

Fosters deep inter-faith understanding through shared scriptural study and mutual religious hospitality Scriptural Reasoning: Abrahamic Inter-faith Practice provides an accessible and practical introduction to a unique form of inter-faith engagement centered on shared sacred text study. Rather than minimizing deep commitments to one's own faith, this approach encourages participants to enter more fully into their own traditions while offering and receiving hospitality across religious boundaries. Focusing on the Abrahamic faiths-Judaism, Christianity, and Islam-this book equips students and lay practitioners to participate meaningfully in Scriptural Reasoning (SR) groups, where members of different faiths read and reason together from their respective Scriptures. The authors-scholars and practitioners from the three traditions-guide readers through the origins, aims, and methods of SR while offering theological context, practical guidance, and real-world examples. Chapters explore common questions about the nature of Scripture, revelation, interpretation, and the challenges and promises of inter-religious study. Designed for classroom use, religious institutions, or community initiatives, this concise and clear resource helps participants "hit the ground running." By grounding the practice in deep respect, conviction, and curiosity, the authors position Scriptural Reasoning as a tool not only for dialogue, but for healing and reconciliation across difference. Encouraging cross-faith understanding in a world marked by religious plurality and social fragmentation, Scriptural Reasoning:

• Provides the foundation for understanding, practicing, and reflecting on Abrahamic Scriptural Reasoning
• Contains tools and texts for launching SR in classroom, religious, and civic settings
• Includes foundational background on the Scriptures and interpretive traditions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
• Addresses common questions and misconceptions about inter-faith engagement and religious pluralism

• Features real-world examples of SR used in diverse contexts, from prisons to hospitals to inter-faith dialogue programs Combining theological reflection with practical instruction for first-time SR facilitators and participants, Scriptural Reasoning: Abrahamic Inter-faith Practice is ideal for undergraduate and graduate students in theology, religious studies, and interfaith engagement programs. It can be used in courses such as Interfaith Dialogue, Comparative Religion, and Abrahamic Traditions, and is appropriate for degrees in divinity, religious studies, and civic leadership.

  Inhalt

  Acknowledgments xii

  Chapter 1 Introduction: Come; Let Us Reason Together 1

  The History of SR 4

  Muslim Engagement in SR (Mahan Mirza) 8

  The Practice of SR and How to Use This Book 11

  Texts to Use for an SR Session 16

  Chapter 2 Delving Deeper: Guidelines and Practical Advice 17

  Fifteen Guidelines of SR 18

  What Is Abrahamic SR? 18

  Scriptures as Living Texts 18

  Scripture's Surplus of Meaning 19

  Scriptural Warrants for SR 19

  Bringing Your Internal Library-Nothing Is Alien, The Text Is Judge 20

  SR Space as a Tent of Meeting 20

  SR and Prophetic Critique 21

  SR, Religion and Conflict Resolution 22

  Preserve Difference, Establish Relations 22

  Themes, Hypotheses, and the Interrogative Mood 23

  SR and Commentary Texts 23

  SR Theory and Scholarship 24

  Monotheism and Beyond 24

  Our Time and the End Time 25

  How SR Is Done 26

  Texts to Use for an SR Session 32

  Chapter 3 But Isn't Religion the Problem? 34

  Isn't Religion Just a Problem? 35

  The Reassertion of Religion 40

  Shouldn't Religious People Just Become a Bit Less Religious, Then? 42

  The Detriments of Maximal Secularism and Attraction of Religion 46

  SR As Another Way 47

  Texts to Use for an SR Session 51

  Chapter 4 So What Are the Jewish, Muslim, and Christian Scriptures? 53

  What Is Scripture: A Jewish View 54

  Torah as Holy 56

  Torah as Holy Object 57

  What Is Scripture: A Christian View-The Bible 58

  The Old Testament 59

  The New Testament 61

  How Christians Read and View Scripture 64

  What Is Scripture in Islam? 66

  The Qur'an 66

  Muslim Belief Regarding the Qur'an 67

  The Qur'an and Muhammad 68

  The Structure and Content of the Qur'an 72

  Texts to Use for an SR Session 76

  Chapter 5 Are Scripture and Revelation the Same Thing for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam? 78

  What Is Revelation in Judaism? 79

  What Happened at Sinai? 81

  Revelation in the Torah 84

  Revelation of God's Self 86

  What Is Revelation in Christianity? 88

  Natural and Special Revelation 89

  Revelation and the Incarnation of God in Jesus Christ 91

  Revelation Today Through the Holy Spirit 92

  What Is Revelation in Islam? 94

  Texts to Use for an SR Session 103

  Chapter 6 Why "Reasoning"? 105

  Reason in Scripture 107

  SR Through Metaphors 108

  Contemporary Philosophies of Metaphor and Religious Language 108

  Interpretation: The Reason That Is Brought to Scripture 111

  The Attitude of I-Thou 112

  The Group Reasoning Process 115

  Reflective SR 116

  Application: SR as Healing 117

  Texts to Use for an SR Session 119

  Chapter 7 But Don't We Read with Commentaries and Traditions? 121

  Jewish Practices of Reading Scripture 123

  Hebrew Language and the Hebrew of Torah 124

  Bereshit-Genesis 125

  Pshat 126

  Beyond One Study Partner 127

  Rashi 129

  Modern Biblical Criticism 130

  Commentary and Tradition in Christianity 131

  Creeds, Symbols, and Definitions 131

  The Authority of Tradition in Christianity 135

  Traditional Approaches to Scripture 138

  Higher Biblical Criticism 140

  Challenges for SR of Christian Uses of Tradition 141

  What Is Commentary in Islam? 143

  Complexity and Clarity in Reading Scripture 143

  Tradition and Commentary 144

  Tafsir 147

  Tafsir and Ta'wil 148

  Texts to Use for an SR Session 151

  Chapter 8 Are Our Religions Allowed to Engage in This Kind of Practice? 153

  Some Suggested Jewish Warrants 157

  Hagar and Ishmael as Other and Same 157

  Hagar and the Ger 162

  Christian Warrants 164

  Jesus and the Samaritans 166

  Jesus and the Gentiles 169

  Warrants for SR from an Islamic Perspective 172

  The Qur'an on People of the Book 174

  Engaging Scriptures 176

  Texts to Use for an SR Session 178

  Chapter 9 What Kinds of Discussions and Insights Happen in SR Sessions? 181

  Reflections by Jewish Participants 182

  A Jewish Participant Reflecting on Their First Exposure to SR 182

  A Jewish Participant Reflecting on Mark 4 183

  A Jewish Participant Reflecting on Surah 6, Isaiah 6, Deuteronomy 6, and Mark 4 …