Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Great read, but soft conclusion......
-First of all, Bruce Feiler is clearly a great adventurer who walks deserts to descend into caves in the midst of war-torn countries. Additionally, he has an intense and admirable passion for this subject and writes an engaging book that ends up being part history, part travel literature, and part theology.-However Feiler seems to stretch at times in making his case that Abraham 'unites' the three religions of Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. On the contrary, Abraham is more a point of contention than one of unity. I wish Feiler had made the statement that all three positions on Abraham cannot be equally true since they often directly contradict each other. A worthy goal is always to divide truth from error in order to understand which position, if any, is accurate. Instead of taking this path, Feiler seems to desire peace at the expense of truth as he places religious harmony higher than a right understanding of theology. -Feiler is correct that 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. This is surely the case as Christianity sees Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac as a foreshadowing of the substitutionary atonement of Jesus. However, this is a radically different interpretation of the event from either Judaism or Islam. -Feiler states that Abraham, is a character who has shape-shifted over the millennia to the extent that the religions don't even agree on which son he tried to kill. This is true, and the interpretation may have shape-shifted, but that does not mean the scriptural documents were changed. That is, with the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the claim that documents had been changed in order to fit with dogma, has little foundation. -Feiler claims that Abraham is a type of metaphor and that this historically elusive man embodies three religions. That's a difficult claim to back up. Abraham 'embodies' all three religions? Certainly Christian scholars would not make that claim. They would claim that only Jesus would fit this role. Abraham was the one to whom the promise was made and Jesus was the fulfillment of that promise. Abraham's role would be significantly secondary. -Feiler concludes with a passionate and prayerful argument for peace between faiths. This is a valiant attempt and his motives are surely good. However, it would have been refreshing if he would have explained that when two people theologically disagree with each other that does not mean that they necessarily hate each other. The existence of truth means that at least one party is wrong, but that does not mean that the parties cannot respect each other as people, even though they may not respect all theological positions. Grace, peace, and love can and do exist side by side with truth - and if truth exists, so does error. One party being 'wrong' is part of the package and it is the reality. I wish Feiler's final sentence had been, "Call your brother wrong and love him with those words."
Rating: - Not scholarly, but a good read
Do NOT expect this book to answer your questions about Abraham and his relationship to Christianity, Judaism or Islam. This is a chatty, pleasant, first person account of the author's views on Abraham and the middle east. This is most emphatically NOT a scholarly book and should not be purchased or read with that expectation. It is, however, a good primer on Abraham and the three faiths of the middle east. You can move on to more informative and informed books from this one or not, as you choose.
Rating: - Interesting, Enjoyable And Informative -Read it!
In this intelligent and engaging book, Feiler a gifted story-teller, digs into the books, explores the land, and meets the clerics, then spins different stories of Abraham, his children (Ishmael and Isaac) and his people (Jews, Christians and Muslims) that are sure to enrich the reader's mind and spirit.It was very interesting to notice that the details of the stories differed not only between the 3 religions, but also in the same religion during different historical periods. Interpreters looked at the same text and made different conclusions that helped them deal with the circumstances of their lives at a given time. It shows that we (Jews, Christians and Muslims) are only human after all. As a Muslim, I've only come to know our father Abraham as described in the Qur'an and it was enlightening to see him from the perspective of the other two religions. If we look beyond the details, the essence and morals of the stories are the same: surrendering to one God. Unfortunately throughout history all the people of Abraham never tried to emphasize their similarities but concentrated on their differences, demonizing and killing one another while trying to attain God's blessings as the sole heirs of Abraham.
Ignorance breeds intolerance, and this book is an honest and unbiased attempt at teaching us about one another and is hopefully a step towards bringing the people of the 3 faiths to common grounds. This is not impossible since the essence is one: surrendering to one God, believing in the Day of Judgment and doing good deeds. God tells us in the Qur'an," Those who have attained to faith [in this divine writ], as well as those who follow the Jewish faith, and the Christians, and the Sabians (probably means the followers of John the Baptist)-all who believe in God and the Last Day and do righteous deeds- shall have their reward with their Sustainer; and no fear need they have, and neither shall they grieve."(2:62)(Translation from: the Message of the Qur'an by Mohammad Asad) Reading the chapter on Islam, I thought it was good however, the author seemed to imply that Islam is a religion invented by Mohammad, and some of the statements were without any foundation, for example:" The Koran says...During Noha's Flood the Ka'ba had been taken up to heaven, where angels fluttered around it,.." Actually, nowhere in the Qur'an is this statement made or even implied! Another important point that the author failed to clarify (although he mentioned it in passing) is that Islam has 2 meanings. The original meaning is: surrendering to one God, later it came to mean the religion revealed to Prophet Mohammad. So when the Qur'an says" The only true faith in God's sight is Islam." It means that the only true faith is surrendering to one God. If you read the Qur'an its all about that. Mohammad, Jesus, Moses, Abraham, all the prophets are only men who delivered the message of "worship one God" to mankind, they are all secondary to God. And since they all delivered this message of one God they are all "Muslims" or in other words believers in one God. To be honest not all Muslims understand this concept in this way and the majority interprets the verse differently. Finally, one thing I personally found shocking is the way the author talked about God at times, as if God was human: with needs and whims! Overall, an interesting, enjoyable and informative book that everyone should read.
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