Published by De Gruyter

Key Concepts in Interreligious Discourses

Edited by: Georges Tamer
Scientific consultation: Asma Afsaruddin, Christoph Böttigheimer, Patrice Brodeur, Nader El-Bizri, Ghassan El-Masri, Elisabeth Gräb-Schmidt, Assaad Elias Kattan, Manfred Pirner and Kenneth Seeskin

ISSN: 2513-1117

e-ISSN 2513-1125

Overview
Volumes

The book series Key Concepts in Interreligious Discourses (KCID) brings together academic studies of essential concepts and discourses in Judaism, Christianity and Islam. It offers a new approach to the study of these religions by investigating the original understandings and major developments of the central concepts responsible for shaping each one of these traditions. It also pays attention to the ways in which these concepts are related to one another. The aim of the series is to establish an archeology of religious knowledge, which can enable a new understanding of religious concepts as evolving products of living discourses that emerge under diverse historical and cultural circumstances. The series intends to create a new conceptual platform capable of engendering further interreligious discourses and fruitful interreligious exchange.

https://www.bafid.fau.de

Supplementary Materials

Topics

Book 2024

The Concept of Body in Judaism, Christianity and Islam

Christoph Böttigheimer, Konstantin Kamp

Volume 12 in this series

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This volume of the series "Key Concepts in Interreligious Discourses" investigates the roots of the concept of "body" in Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
The Body and being a created being stands in the focus of all the thre major monotheistic faiths. It is not just by the christian idea of man's likeness to God that indicates that the human body is a central object of religious thinking, both culturally and theologically charged. Here, the body stands in the crossfire of terms like "pure" and "unpure", "sacred" and "profane", "male" and "femal". And besides the theological controversies, everyday experiences like sexuality, gender equality and how to dispose of the own body (and that of others) are undoubtly recent and highly contentious discussion points in the debate of a peaceful living together of different religions and cultures.
The volume presents the concept of "body" in its different aspects as anchored in the traditions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. It unfolds commonalities and differences between the three monotheistic religions as well as the manifold discourses about peace within these three traditions. The book offers fundamental knowledge about the specific understanding of the body in each one of these traditions, their interdependencies and their relationship to secular world views.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110748246
ISBN:: 9783110748246
ISBN:: 9783110748284
ISBN:: 9783110748178
Subject:: Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies
Subject:: Introductions and Overviews
Subject:: Jewish Studies
Subject:: Judaism
Subject:: Overviews and Introductions
Subject:: Theology and Religion
Subject:: Religious Studies
Subject:: Introductions and Overviews
Subject:: Comparative Studies
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book 2023

The Concept of Soul in Judaism, Christianity and Islam

Christoph Böttigheimer, Wenzel Maximilian Widenka

Volume 11 in this series

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This volume of the series "Key Concepts in Interreligious Discourses" investigates the roots of the concept of "soul" in Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
The human soul fascinates not only believers in the three monotheistic faiths. Believing in an immortal entitiy, surpassing body, materia and their temporality and thus seeming to be closer to the creator that the mere body was and remains to be a vividly discussed theme in theological and practical debates. Even our secular, postreligious environment is unable to disengage from the key concept of the soul. Numerous proverbs, undefined concepts and hopes prove this fact. Asking for the soul means asking fundamental questions like life after death and therefor asking for one of the most fundamental and uniting hopes of human beings, be they secular or religious.
The volume presents the concept of "soul" in its different aspects as anchored in the traditions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. It unfolds commonalities and differences between the three monotheistic religions as well as the manifold discourses about peace within these three traditions. The book offers fundamental knowledge about the specific understanding of the soul in each one of these traditions, their interdependencies and their relationship to secular world views.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110748239
ISBN:: 9783110748239
ISBN:: 9783110748277
ISBN:: 9783110748185
Subject:: Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies
Subject:: Introductions and Overviews
Subject:: Jewish Studies
Subject:: Judaism
Subject:: Overviews and Introductions
Subject:: Theology and Religion
Subject:: Religious Studies
Subject:: Introductions and Overviews
Subject:: Comparative Studies
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book 2023

The Concept of Environment in Judaism, Christianity and Islam

Christoph Böttigheimer, Wenzel Maximilian Widenka

Volume 10 in this series

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On the seventh day, God rested and thus completed his creation. Likewise, man should rest on the seventh day and every seven years leave the fields fallow to rest. If you like, a divine economic and environmental programme is encountered here. "Subdue the earth" is not to be misunderstood as a mandate to subjugate and exploit, but on the contrary as a call to preserve God's "very good" creation. Its current explosiveness illustrates precisely this fundamental relationship. Even secular circles now speak of the "integrity of creation" as a matter of course. And in Muslim countries, scholars and activists are preparing to launch a "green Islam", based of course on Quranic principles. At the same time, faith communities and churches with their commitment to nature and to a just world of work are moving into the concrete focus of public attention and are serious players in the current discourse. Reason enough, then, to get to the bottom of the concept of "environment" in the world religions. How do religions position themselves on the ecological question? What are the foundations of their decisions? And can they make a significant contribution to the current problem and to the enquiries of many people?

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110782455
ISBN:: 9783110782455
ISBN:: 9783110782691
ISBN:: 9783110782318
Subject:: Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies
Subject:: Introductions and Overviews
Subject:: Jewish Studies
Subject:: Judaism
Subject:: Overviews and Introductions
Subject:: Theology and Religion
Subject:: Religious Studies
Subject:: Comparative Studies
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book 2023

The Concept of Economy in Judaism, Christianity and Islam

Christoph Böttigheimer, Wenzel Maximilian Widenka

Volume 9 in this series

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The present volume of Key Concepts in Interreligious Discourses offers a fascinating insight into the history, the main ideas and current developments in economic thought from the perspective of the three major monotheistic faiths Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The reader encounters topics such as price control in rabbinic Judaism, Christian monks elaborating the foundations of modern accounting, and the latest innovations in Islamic banking. Each article has been written by a renowned expert on the subject and offers a historical overview over the development of the concept, the theological and philosophical principles in the Holy Scriptures of each faith, an outline of the practical application of the concept in the present, its significance for the future, and many more.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110782486
ISBN:: 9783110782486
ISBN:: 9783110782684
ISBN:: 9783110782301
Subject:: Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies
Subject:: Introductions and Overviews
Subject:: Jewish Studies
Subject:: Judaism
Subject:: Overviews and Introductions
Subject:: Theology and Religion
Subject:: Religious Studies
Subject:: Comparative Studies
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book 2021

The Concept of Peace in Judaism, Christianity and Islam

Georges Tamer

Volume 8 in this series

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The eighth volume of the series "Key Concepts of Interreligious Discourses" investigates the roots of the concept of "peace" in Judaism, Christianity and Islam and its relevance for the present time.

Facing present violent conflicts waged and justified by religious ideas or reasons, peace building prevails in current debates about religion and peace. Here the central question is: How may traditional sources in religions help to put down the weapons and create a society in which everyone can live safely without hostilities and the threat of violence? When we take the Sacred Scriptures of Judaism, Christianity and Islam into consideration it becomes obvious that the term "peace" and its equivalents in Hebrew, Greek and Arabic describe, at first, an ideal state based on the "love" / "mercy" of God to his creation. It is a divine gift that brings inward peace to the individuum and outer peace resting upon justice and equality. One main task of Jews, Christian and Muslims in the history is to find out how to bring down this transcendent ideal upon earth.

The volume presents the concept of "peace" in its different aspects as anchored in the traditions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. It unfolds commonalities and differences between the three monotheistic religions as well as the manifold discourses about peace within these three traditions. The book offers fundamental knowledge about the specific understanding of peace in each one of these traditions, their interdependencies and their relationship to secular world views.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110682021
ISBN:: 9783110682021
ISBN:: 9783110682229
ISBN:: 9783110681932
Subject:: General Interest
Subject:: Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies
Subject:: Introductions and Overviews
Subject:: Jewish Studies
Subject:: Judaism
Subject:: Overviews and Introductions
Subject:: Theology and Religion
Subject:: Religious Studies
Subject:: Introductions and Overviews
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book 2023

The Concept of Person in Judaism, Christianity and Islam

Georges Tamer

Volume 6 in this series

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The sixth volume of the series "Key Concepts of Interreligious Discourses" investigates the roots of the concept of "person" in Judaism, Christianity and Islam and its relevance for the present time.

The concept of "person" lies at the core of central ideas in the modern world, such as the value and development of personal identity, the sanctity of human person and the human rights based on that. In societies that are shaped by a long Christian tradition, these ideas are associated often with the belief in the creation of man in the image of God. But although Judaism shares with Christianity the same Biblical texts about the creation of man and also the Qurʾān knows Adam as the first human being created by God and his representative on earth, the focus on the concept of "person" is in each one of these religions a different one. So, the crucial question is: how did the concept of "person" evolve in Judaism, Christianity and Islam out of the concept of "human being"? What are the special features of personhood in each one of these traditions?

The volume presents the concept of "person" in its different aspects as anchored in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. It unfolds commonalities and differences between the three monotheistic religions as well as the manifold discourses about the meaning of "person" within these three religions.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110756715
ISBN:: 9783110756715
ISBN:: 9783110756838
ISBN:: 9783110756647
Subject:: Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies
Subject:: Introductions and Overviews
Subject:: Jewish Studies
Subject:: Judaism
Subject:: Overviews and Introductions
Subject:: Theology and Religion
Subject:: Religious Studies
Subject:: Introductions and Overviews
Subject:: Comparative Studies
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book 2021

The Concept of Just War in Judaism, Christianity and Islam

Georges Tamer, Katja Thörner

Volume 5 in this series

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For Jews, Christians and Muslims, as for all human beings, military conflicts and war remain part of the reality of the world. The authoritative writings of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, namely the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament and the Koran, as well as the theological and philosophical traditions based on them, bear witness to this fact. Showing the influence of different historical political situations, various views – sometimes quite similar, sometimes more divergent -- have developed in the three religions to justify the waging of war under certain circumstances. Such views have also been integrated in different ways into legal systems while, in certain cases, theologies have provide legitimation for military expansion and atrocities.

The aim of the volume The Concept of Just War in Judaism, Christianity and Islam is to explore the respective understanding of “just war” in each one of these three religions and to make their commonalities and differences discursively visible. In addition, it highlights and explains the significance of the topic to the present time. Can the concepts developed in the Jewish, Christian and Islamic traditions in order to justify war, serve as a foundation for contemporary peace ethics? Or do religious arguments always add fuel to the fire in armed conflict? The contributions in this volume will help provide answers to these and other socially and politically relevant questions.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110733136
ISBN:: 9783110733136
ISBN:: 9783110738056
ISBN:: 9783110733266
Subject:: Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies
Subject:: Introductions and Overviews
Subject:: Jewish Studies
Subject:: Judaism
Subject:: Overviews and Introductions
Subject:: Theology and Religion
Subject:: Religious Studies
Subject:: Comparative Studies
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book 2019

The Concept of Freedom in Judaism, Christianity and Islam

Georges Tamer, Ursula Männle

Volume 3 in this series

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The third volume of the series "Key Concepts of Interreligious Discourses" investigates the roots of the concept of freedom in Judaism, Christianity and Islam and its relevance for the present time.

The idea of freedom in terms of personal freedoms, which include freedom of conscience, freedom of speech and bodily integrity, is a relatively new one and can in some aspects get into conflict with religious convictions. At the same time, freedom as an emancipatory power from outer oppression as well as from inner dependencies is deeply rooted in Judaism, Christianity and Islam. It is still a vital concept in religious and non-religious communities and movements. The volume presents the concept of freedom in its different aspects as anchored in the traditions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. It unfolds commonalities and differences between the three monotheistic religions as well as the manifold discourses about freedom within these three traditions. The book offers fundamental knowledge about the specific understanding of freedom in each one of these traditions, their interdependencies and their relationship to secular interpretations.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110561678
ISBN:: 9783110561678
ISBN:: 9783110560633
ISBN:: 9783110560558
Subject:: Jewish Studies
Subject:: Jewish History
Subject:: Jewish Thought
Subject:: Philosophy
Subject:: Ethics
Subject:: Theology and Religion
Subject:: Religious Studies
Subject:: Comparative Studies
Subject:: Islam
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book 2023

The Concept of Human Rights in Judaism, Christianity and Islam

Catharina Rachik, Georges Tamer

Volume 2 in this series

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The second volume of the series "Key Concepts in Interreligious Discourses" points out the roots of the concept of ''human rights'' in Judaism, Christianity and Islam. It shows how far the universal validity of ''human rights'' opposes in some crucial points with religious traditions. The volume demonstrates that new perspectives are introduced to the general discussion about human rights when related to religious traditions. Especially the interreligious viewpoint proves that a new kind of debate about human rights and its history is necessary.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110561579
ISBN:: 9783110561579
ISBN:: 9783110560640
ISBN:: 9783110560534
Subject:: Jewish Studies
Subject:: Jewish History
Subject:: Jewish Thought
Subject:: Social Sciences
Subject:: Political Science
Subject:: Human Rights
Subject:: Theology and Religion
Subject:: Religious Studies
Subject:: Comparative Studies
Subject:: Islam
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book 2020

The Concept of Revelation in Judaism, Christianity and Islam

Georges Tamer

Volume 1 in this series

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The idea that God reveals himself to human beings is central in Judaism, Christianity and Islam, but differs in regard of content and conceptualization. The first volume of the new series Key Concepts in Interreligious Discourses points out similarities and differences of “revelation”. KCID aims to establish an archeology of religious knowledge in order to create a new conceptual platform of mutual understanding among religious communities.

Erratum: Wenzel Maximilian Widenka is co-author of the epilogue (pp. 195-206).

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110476057
ISBN:: 9783110476057
ISBN:: 9783110425185
ISBN:: 9783110474794
Subject:: Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies
Subject:: Theology
Subject:: Jewish Studies
Subject:: Jewish History
Subject:: Jewish Thought
Subject:: Theology and Religion
Subject:: Religious Studies
Subject:: Comparative Studies
Subject:: Christianity
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book Ahead of Publication 2025

The Concept of Sin in Judaism, Christianity and Islam

Key Concepts in Interreligious Discourses

Christoph Böttigheimer, Konstantin Kamp

Volume 14 in this series

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It is asserted by Judaism, Christianity and Islam alike that sin is a central part of human life. Where sin comes from, however, is answered differently in the respective religions. While both the Bible and the Qur’an agree that there was a kind of "fall" of Adam at the beginning of human history, this fall is interpreted solely in classical Christian theology in terms of an "original" or "ancestral sin." Moreover, the classical doctrine of original sin is becoming increasingly called into question in today's Christian theology. This example already shows that the concept of sin is anything but clear. What does sin mean? Is sin primarily a violation of God's commandments? Or does the term "sin" refer to a radical corruption of man’s nature? How does sin relate to man’s redemption, toward which all three religions aim? The book "The Concept of Sin in Judaism, Christianity and Islam" addresses these and related questions. It analyzes how "sin" has been understood in the three religions in the past and the present and points out similarities and differences.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.0000/9783111319452
ISBN:: 9783111319452
ISBN:: 9783111319728
ISBN:: 9783111303949
Subject:: Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies
Subject:: Introductions and Overviews
Subject:: Jewish Studies
Subject:: Judaism
Subject:: Overviews and Introductions
Subject:: Theology and Religion
Subject:: Religious Studies
Subject:: Introductions and Overviews
Publisher:: De Gruyter

Book Ahead of Publication 2024

The Concept of "The Grammar of 'God'" in Judaism, Christianity and Islam

Farid Suleiman, Mira Sievers

Volume 15 in this series

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Engendering an intimate and deep relationship with God is at the heart of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. This relationship manifests, among other things, in worshipping Him with sincerity, talking to (and about) Him, and being conscious of Him in every moment of life. For believers, God himself plays also an active role in pursuing this relationship by, for example, answering prayers and making the believer know and feel His uninterrupted presence. Many would consider this as common knowledge about the religions mentioned above. However, only few are aware that the meaning of the above differs significantly based on how one thinks that religious language works. Rather, it is taken for granted that the word ‘God’ refers to a metaphysical being with personal traits and plays a similar role in structure as words in empirical language. This has several implications such as the following: God can be talked about in an abstract and theoretical manner; His existence can be subject to inquiry like that of any other being such as planets or unicorns; and calling God good, while creation is obviously full of evil, is a proposition that needs rational justification. The famous 20th century thinker Ludwig Wittgenstein has famously stated that his goal in philosophy essentially amounts to "showing that things which look the same are really different". By his insistence to pay close attention to the grammar of a word – that is its use in language – he has opened up new perspectives on (not only religious) language that challenges the prevalent view outlined above. The goal of this volume is to pick up on Wittgenstein’s insights about language and religion and to bring them in fruitful relation to the three mentioned religious traditions respectively in an attempt to reassess the grammar of the word ‘God’.

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.0000/9783111501611
ISBN:: 9783111501611
ISBN:: 9783111502311
ISBN:: 9783111501369
Subject:: Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies
Subject:: Introductions and Overviews
Subject:: Jewish Studies
Subject:: Judaism
Subject:: Overviews and Introductions
Subject:: Theology and Religion
Subject:: Religious Studies
Subject:: Introductions and Overviews
Publisher:: De Gruyter