Shared Stories, Rival Tellings : Early Encounters of Jews, Christians, and Muslims

Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are considered kindred religions-holding ancestral heritages and monotheistic belief in common-but there are definitive distinctions between these "Abrahamic" peoples. Shared Stories, Rival Tellings explores the early exchanges of Jews, Christians, and Muslims, and argues that their interactions were dominated by debates over the meanings of certain stories sacred to all three communities. Robert C. Gregg shows how Jewish, Christian, and Muslim interpreters--artists as well as authors--developed their unique and particular understandings of narratives present in the two Bibles and the Qur'an. Gregg focuses on five stories: Cain and Abel, Sarah and Hagar, Joseph and Potiphar's Wife, Jonah and the Whale, and Mary the Mother of Jesus. As he guides us through the often intentional variations introduced into these shared stories, Gregg exposes major issues under contention and the social-intellectual forces that contributed to spirited, and sometimes combative, exchanges among Jews, Christians, and Muslims. Offering deeper insight into these historical moments and their implications for contemporary relations among the three religions, Shared Stories, Rival Tellings will inspire readers to consider--and reconsider--the dynamics of traditional and current social-religious competition. Judaism, Chritianity, And Islam Are Considered Kindred Religions--holding Ancestral Heritages And Monotheistic Belief In Common--but There Are Definitive Distinctions Between These 'abrahamic' Peoples. Shared Stores, Rival Tellings Explores The Early Exchanges Of Jews, Christians, And Muslims, And Argues That Their Interactions Were Dominated By Debates Over The Meanings Of Certain Stories Sacred To All Three Communities--dust Jacket. Part I. Cain And Abel/qabil And Habil. Preview, Chapters 1-3: The First Murder -- Cain's Fratricide: Rabbis And Other Early Jewish Writers Judge The Case -- Cain And Abel Christianized -- Tell Them The Story Of The Two Sons Of Adam As It Really Was -- Comparative Summary: Cain And Abel/qabil And Habil -- Part Ii. Sarah And Hagar: Mothers To Three Families. Preview, Chapters 4-6: Abraham's Rival Wives -- Sarah And Hagar: Jewish Portrayals -- Sarah And Hagar In Christian Retellings -- Hagar And Ishmael, Abraham's Family In Mecca -- Comparative Summary: Sarah And Hagar: Mothers To Three Families -- Part Iii. Joseph's Temptation By His Egyptian Master's Wife. Preview, Chapters 7-9: Joseph/yusuf And The Temptress -- Joseph And Potiphar's Wife: Jewish Interpretations -- Joseph Put To The Test: Christian Sermons And Art -- Yusuf With Zulaykha -- Comparative Summary: Joseph's Temptation By His Egyptian Master's Wife -- Part Iv. Jonah The Angry Prophet. Preview, Chapters 10-12: The One Of The Fish -- Jonah, Nineveh, The Great Fish, And God: Jews Ponder The Story -- Jonah And Jesus: In One Story, Two -- Islam's Yunus: From Anger To Praise -- Comparative Summary: Jonah The Angry Prophet -- Part V. Mary, Miriam, Maryam. Preview, Chapters 13-15: Mary Through The Eyes Of Three Religions -- Mary In Christian Imagination: From Jewish Maiden To Ever-virgin To Heavenly Advocate -- Miriam, Mother Of Yeshu The False Messiah: Jewish Counterstories -- Maryam, Mother Of `isa: Chosen ... Over The Women Of All Peoples -- Comparative Summary: Mary, Miriam, Maryam -- Epilogue. Robert C. Gregg. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Cover Shared Stories, Rival Tellings Copyright Dedication Contents Acknowledgments Note on Citations Prologue PART I Cain and Abel/Qabil and Habil Preview, Chapters 1–3: The First Murder 1 Cain’s Fratricide: Rabbis and Other Early Jewish Writers Judge the Case 2 Cain and Abel Christianized 3 “Tell Them the Story of the Two Sons of Adam as It Really Was” Comparative Summary: Cain and Abel/Qabil and Habil PART II Sarah and Hagar: Mothers to Three Families Preview, Chapters 4–6: Abraham’s Rival Wives 4 Sarah and Hagar: Jewish Portrayals 5 Sarah and Hagar in Christian Retellings 6 Hagar and Ishmael, Abraham’s Family in Mecca Comparative Summary: Sarah and Hagar: Mothers to Three Families PART III Joseph’s Temptation by His Egyptian Master’s Wife Preview, Chapters 7–9: Joseph/Yusuf and the Temptress 7 Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife: Jewish Interpretations 8 Joseph Put to the Test: Christian Sermons and Art 9 Yusuf with Zulaykha Comparative Summary: Joseph’s Temptation by His Egyptian Master’s Wife PART IV Jonah the Angry Prophet Preview, Chapters 10–12: “The One of the Fish” 10 Jonah, Nineveh, the Great Fish, and God: Jews Ponder the Story 11 Jonah and Jesus: In One Story, Two 12 Islam’s Yunus: From Anger to Praise Comparative Summary: Jonah the Angry Prophet PART V Mary, Miriam, Maryam Preview, Chapters 13–15: Mary Through the Eyes of Three Religions 13 Mary in Christian Imagination: From Jewish Maiden to Ever-Virgin to Heavenly Advocate 14 Miriam, Mother of Yeshu the False Messiah: Jewish Counterstories 15 Maryam, Mother of `Isa: “Chosen ... Over the Women of All Peoples” Comparative Summary: Mary, Miriam, Maryam Epilogue Abbreviations Notes Bibliography Art Credits Modern Authors Cited Index Subject Index Part I. Cain and Abel/Qabil and Habil. Preview, chapters 1-3: the first murder Cain's fratricide: rabbis and other early Jewish writers judge the case Cain and Abel christianized "Tell them the story of the two sons of Adam as it really was" Comparative summary: Cain and Abel/Qabil and Habil part II. Sarah and Hagar: mothers to three families. Preview, chapters 4-6: Abraham's rival wives Sarah and Hagar: Jewish portrayals Sarah and Hagar in Christian retellings Hagar and Ishmael, Abraham's family in Mecca Comparative summary: Sarah and Hagar: mothers to three families part III. Joseph's temptation by his Egyptian master's wife. Preview, chapters 7-9: Joseph/Yusuf and the temptress Joseph and Potiphar's wife: Jewish interpretations Joseph put to the test: Christian sermons and art Yusuf with Zulaykha Comparative summary: Joseph's temptation by his Egyptian master's wife part IV. Jonah the angry prophet. Preview, chapters 10-12: "The one of the fish" Jonah, Nineveh, the great fish, and God: Jews ponder the story Jonah and Jesus: in one story, two Islam's Yunus: from anger to praise Comparative summary: Jonah the angry prophet part V. Mary, Miriam, Maryam. Preview, chapters 13-15: Mary through the eyes of three religions Mary in Christian imagination: from Jewish maiden to ever-virgin to heavenly advocate Miriam, mother of Yeshu the false messiah: Jewish counterstories Maryam, mother of Ìsa: "chosen ... over the women of all peoples" Comparative summary: Mary, Miriam, Maryam Epilogue. "Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are considered kindred religions--holding ancestral heritages and monotheistic belief in common--but there are definitive distinctions between these 'Abrahamic' peoples. Shared Stores, Rival Tellings explores the early exchanges of Jews, Christians, and Muslims, and argues that their interactions were dominated by debates over the meanings of certain stories sacred to all three communities"--Jacket Provides an extensive yet accessible guide to many ancient texts Includes artwork as well as historical writings to illuminate religious interpreters' genius and impact Explores the historical contexts of the divides between Jews, Christians, and Muslims In Shared Stories, Rival Tellings, Robert Gregg performs a comparative investigation of how Jewish, Christian, and Muslim interpreters developed their distinctive and exclusionary understandings of narratives common to their three Holy Books