The Voice, the Word, the Books: The Sacred Scripture of the Jews, Christians, and Muslims (Hardcover)

by F. E. Peters (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Peters, professor of Middle Eastern and Islamic studies at NYU and author of The Children of Abraham, lucidly explains how Jewish, Christian and Muslim communities understand and interact with their sacred texts—the Tanakh, the Bible and the Qur'an. Unsurprisingly, he opens with discussions of authorship and canonization: who wrote the books, how did the sacred texts achieve their final form, and how do religious authorities discern what counts as "the Word of God"? He also takes up the question of translation, elucidating the theology that underlies the Islamic belief that "a translated Qur'an is not really a Qur'an." But the truly fascinating sections of the book investigate quirkier topics, such as the different religions' regulations about the conditions under which people are allowed to handle sacred books. One of the most interesting chapters addresses the relationship between art and text, examining how various scribes and calligraphers have illustrated holy books; Peters makes an intriguing claim about the Qur'an, suggesting that despite Islamic insistence that the meaning of the text lies solely in the words, "Qur'anic decoration"—geometric and floral imagery—may "add another layer of meaning." This is undoubtedly one of the best single volumes on the history of sacred text in the Abrahamic faiths, and many readers will find it an invaluable resource. (May)
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From Booklist
That God revealed himself to Abraham, Jews, Christians, and Muslims all agree. But Peters' concern here is to explain how each of the three Abrahamic communities came to gaze back on the great patriarch through its own sacred book. Mere scholarship cannot penetrate the mystery of revelation, but careful scrutiny of scripture does expose clues as to how theophanies survived in oral traditions until fixed in a written text, later edited, collated, and ratified by each religious community. To be sure, the process that produced scripture looks different in each of the three faiths in view. As Peters transports his readers to first-century Yabneh, fourth-century Nicea, and eighth-century Medina, in turn, he opens to view the complex labors of often-forgotten scribes, editors, and translators. Some devout readers may view Peters' work suspiciously, distrustful of often-conjectural explanations of how fallible humans shaped and collated the word of God. But many readers will appreciate this probing interfaith investigation for the insight it offers into sacred books that both link and divide the world of faith. Bryce Christensen
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Princeton University Press; illustrated edition edition (April 3, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0691131120
• ISBN-13: 978-0691131122
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
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• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #652,747 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)