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Abraham: A Journey to the Heart of Three Faiths (Paperback)

by Bruce Feiler (Author) "THEY START WALKING just after dawn ..." (more)

3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (55 customer reviews)

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Product Details

Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: HarperCollins Canada / Non-Fiction; New edition edition (Feb 5 2004)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0060525096
ISBN-13: 978-0060525095
Product Dimensions: 19.8 x 14 x 2 cm
Shipping Weight: 227 g

Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (55 customer reviews)

Amazon.ca Sales Rank: #365,614 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

From Amazon.com

At a time when conflicts among three of the world's major religions--Islam, Judaism, and Christianity--are in the global spotlight, Bruce Feiler offers a stunning biography of the one man who unites all three religions: Abraham. "The most mesmerizing story of Abraham's life--his offering a son to God--plays a pivotal role in the holiest week of the Christian year, at Easter," writes Feiler. "The story is recited at the start of the holiest fortnight in Judaism, on Rosh Hashanah. The episode inspires the holiest day in Islam, 'Id al-Adha,' the Feast of the Sacrifice, at the climax of the Pilgrimage. And yet the religions can't even agree on which son he tried to kill." Herein lies the irony and perfection of Feiler's timing. As we struggle to find a path to peace among these three religions, all warring in Jerusalem, near the stone where Abraham brought his son for sacrifice, this captivating biography speaks to Abraham as the metaphor he is: the historically elusive man who embodies three religions, a character who has shape-shifted over the millennia to serve the clashing goals and dogma of each religion.

Anyone seeking to understand the roots of tension in the Middle East need look no further than the final half of this book, where Feiler interprets the meaning of Abraham as seen through the prism of each religion. Surprisingly, the book is as entertaining as it is thoughtful: Feiler is a masterful writer with a warm, humorous voice, a dazzling way with metaphors, and an underlying intelligence that comes through in every passage. Abraham deserves the highest of recommendations. --Gail Hudson --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly

Feiler, who penned last year's bestseller Walking the Bible, once again offers a winning combination of history, travel and spiritual memoir. Arguing that Abraham, the purported "father" of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, "holds the breadth of the past and perhaps the dimensions of the future in his life story," Feiler sets out to recover Abraham as he is portrayed in all three religions. The book's first half addresses what the Bible and Koran say about Abraham, his call to monotheism, and his sons Isaac and Ishmael. Particularly fascinating are Feiler's discussions of how the three religious traditions invented stories about Abraham to supplement the rather skeletal canonical version and even borrowed these stories from one another, as when Muslim traditions about Abraham and Ishmael began appearing in eighth-century Jewish commentaries. The second half very poignantly delves into each faith tradition and discusses how the Abraham narratives relate to contemporary religious and political conflicts. No one writes description quite like Feiler. His claim, for example, that "the Holy Sepulcher is to a church what Picasso is to a portrait a cubist vision of fractured beauty" is an arresting and perfectly imagined analogy, and he mellifluously depicts the Arabic language as "flowing, evolved, [and] sculpted, like a dune." More important than Feiler's masterful wordsmithing is his passionate engagement of the subject matter. Italics are everywhere, yet they don't feel overused; Feiler has a keen sense of what is at stake when these three religions claim Abraham as their father. This is a joy to read.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Inside This Book (Learn More)

First Sentence
THEY START WALKING just after dawn. Read the first page

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Concordance

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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover

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	97% buy the item featured on this page: Abraham: A Journey to the Heart of Three Faiths 3.6 out of 5 stars (55)
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Customer Reviews

55 Reviews

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(7)

Average Customer Review

3.6 out of 5 stars (55 customer reviews)

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Most helpful customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Find Awe Along The Journey!, Dec 12 2007

By	James Gallen (St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.A.) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Abraham: A Journey To The Heart Of Three Faiths (Paperback)

Author Bruce Feiler again takes his readers on an enchanting journey into the Biblical past. In "Abraham: A Journey To The Heart Of Three Faiths" he studies the role of Abraham as reflected in the traditions and scriptures of the three great monotheistic faiths which claim to be his children, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The map for this journey is drawn from the Old and New Testaments as well as the Koran. For anyone with a less than a thorough immersion into these scriptures, this book will be very educational. It certainly brought new concepts to my mind. Coming from a Christian background, I had always thought that it was clear that Abraham had taken his son Isaac to sacrifice, but that, at the urging of angel, Isaac was saved. Feiler introduces the traditions that it was Ishmael who was to be sacrificed and that the one was offered was actually killed. This is just one example of the traditions brought out which broaden ones understanding of these ancient works.

Perhaps the greatest gift of this work is an enhanced appreciation of the crucial role that Abraham plays in the history of civilization. Abraham's great gift was the realization that there is only one God. This we share with our Jewish and Moslem brethren. It boggles the mind to think that this ancient wanderer has played such a role in the history of our world and in our own lives as well. I finished this journey in awe of this man. This, alone, makes the journey worthwhile.

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2.0 out of 5 stars Oh gosh -- the voice, May 30 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Abraham CD: A Journey to the Heart of Three Faiths (Audio CD)

This is a review of the audio book, not the book itself. It's hard for me to evaluate the book itself because Bruce Feiler's reading was rendered so horribly.

Memo to Bruce: Leave the reading to the professionals. Just because we can endure your voice for a few minutes on NPR does not mean we want to hear you for six hours on the audio book. Feiler has an odd, whiney voice that is painful to listen to. I don't recommend this audio book

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4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting, May 13 2004

By	Joseph Valentine Dworak "JVD" (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I picked this book up at a local store and read it while I had some down time between homework assignments. Feiler takes an ecumenical look at three faiths, Islam, Judaism and Christianity - starting with Abraham. Of note are the interviews Feiler performed with leading Islamic, Jewish and Christian scholars and holy men. While the book does not draw any really solid conclusions it is a good place to start when looking at the religions originating out of the Torah.

I am sure Muslims will take issue with how they are portrayed by a Jewish author, and Christians may tend to do the same. But, this does not mean it is not worth reading. A good place to start when having a conversation about faith with someone outside your own tradition is to find common ground. Feiler tries to do this in his book, and does it with some success.

Joseph Dworak

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Most recent customer reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars Unfettered political correctness
Unfortunately, the author seems intent on re-inventing Abraham as some sort of ecumenical superstar. Read more

Published on April 19 2004

4.0 out of 5 stars Feiler Again Gives Readers Much Food for Thought
In late 2002, The Miami Book Fair was broadcast on C-Span. One segment had a panel which included Bruce Feiler. Read more

Published on April 8 2004 by Timothy Kearney

5.0 out of 5 stars All About Abraham
Abraham is the great progenitor of the world's three interrelated but independent monotheistic faiths: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Read more

Published on Feb 12 2004 by JAD

1.0 out of 5 stars Western viewpoint portraying Islam--a carbomonoxidy-moron!
How can a non-Muslim write about Islam? This book would've been in a more harmonized equilibrium if at least three staunch believers in their own respective faiths (Islam,... Read more