Three Testaments: Torah, Gospel, and Quran

by Brian Arthur Brown (Editor), Amir Hussain (Foreword), Laleh Bakhtiar (Contributor)

From disagreement over an Islamic Center in New York to clashes between Christians and Muslims in Egypt, tension between the three Abrahamic faiths often runs high. Yet for all their differences, these three traditions—Judaism, Islam, and Christianity—share much in common. Three Testaments brings together for the first time the text of the Torah, the New Testament, and the Quran, so that readers can explore for themselves the connections, as well as the points of departure, between the three faiths.

Notable religion scholars provide accessible introductions to each tradition, and commentary from editor Brian Arthur Brown explores how the three faiths may draw similarities from the ancient Zoroastrian tradition. This powerful book provides a much-needed interfaith perspective on key sacred texts.

Genres: Religion, Nonfiction

656 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Brian Arthur Brown has authored and edited the monumental Three Testaments: Torah, Gospel and Quran, the scriptures of Abraham's family together for the first time. It is now followed by Four Testaments: Tao Te Ching, Analects, Dhammapada, Bhagavad Gita, making a two volume set of the Seven Testaments of World Religions.

Purchased separately in many formats, this interfaith set has the seven sacred texts in their entirety, expert commentary and endorsements by eminent scholars you will recognize. Both volumes have won numerous awards.

Previous books by Canada's Brian Arthur Brown include several on Native-White history, French-English relations, Western alienation, US-Canada relations and two prequels on Jewish-Christian-Muslim tensions. Brown has lived and worked in all parts of Canada, consulted broadly in the United States, taught briefly in the Caribbean, and travelled frequently in the Middle East in media, learning and teaching roles.

Brown holds a bachelor's degree in Classics from Dalhousie University in Halifax, a master's degree in Theology from McGill University in Montreal, a doctorate in Ecclesiastical Organizational Behaviour from the San Francisco Theological Seminary in association with the University of California, and has done post doctoral Studies in Executive Leadership at Harvard University. He is currently a member of the Oxford Round Table at Oxford University and in 2015 he was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts. Married for over fifty years, Brian and Jenny Brown live in Canada within earshot of the thunderous Niagara Falls.

Reviews

[Paul Rack · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a revolutionary book based on the premise that a significant factor in the monotheism of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam is Persian Zoroastrianism. The book includes the full texts of the Torah, New Testament, and Quran, with excellent introductory and connective essays. First, the authors have to redate Zoroaster to the 5th century BCE. The previous orthodoxy on this question made him considerably earlier. Then there is the idea that Zoroaster had some kind of contact with the Jewish exilic community in Babylon, where they resonated with a common monotheism. The Persian conquest sent the Jews back to Jerusalem with the unique blessing of Cyrus. The Persians, of course, were Zoroastrian, and their influence pervaded the whole region. The thesis is that there was this cross fertilization that influenced the editing of the Torah. The book makes a case for Jesus legendary traveling to India, or at least Babylon, Persia, or just picking up Zoroastrian ideas in Syria. Then Mohammad, centuries later, also had some Zoroastrian connections. Finally, we have actual writings of Zoroaster, which do reflect many themes that appear in the three Abrahamic faiths. It's a fun book with lots of new ideas. They're not going for a blending of these religions in which differences are dissolved, but pointing out that there are deep connections and commonalities here. They even make the assertion that Zoroaster may have influenced Gautama in India. Thus every major religious development in the region is tied together. Cool book. Moves towards interfaith understanding.

[Nešo Shonery · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tora, Novi zavet i Kur’an u jednoj knjizi. Takođe, tu su i dodatni tektovi (istorija, filozofija) koji pomažu u razumevanju ovih knjiga, koje su okosnica tri najvwće religije. Iako nisam vernik, zanimljivo mi je bilo čitati sva tri teksta i videti sličnosti i razlike. Istovremeno je i lkaše dokučiti zašto je svaka od tih knjiga napiasana na taj način i zbog kakvog cilja. Zanimljivo.

[Mills College Library]

208.2 B87739 2012