Three Messengers for One God.
Omar, Irfan
Roger Arnaldez, Tr. Gerald W. Schlabach with Mary Louise Gude and
David B. Burrell. Notre Dame, IN, and London: University of Notre Dame
Press, 1994 (orig. - Trois Messagers Pour Un Seul Dieu [Paris: Editions
Albin Michel, 1983]). Pp. 219. $29.95.
The author of this book needs no introduction in the world of
Islamic scholarship, having taught Islamics at the Sorbonne for many
years until his recent retirement. Arnaldez's main concern here is
to distinguish between faith and the general practice of religious
rituals. He is emphatically drawn toward the mystical dimension and the
language that attempts to express it religiously. Although the main
theme of this book (comparative religion) is not the author's
immediate area of expertise, he presents an interesting analysis of the
three monotheistic traditions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, in a
comparative mode in settings of mysticism and philosophy. The book is
not particularly concerned with the three messengers implied in the
title - Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad - but dwells upon the
"messages" the three traditions seem to represent, albeit at
the level of their liberal interpretation. This is where one might
differ from Arnaldez on the specificity and parameters of these
messages.
In places this reads like a book of Christian theology or a
statement of faith rather than a scholarly analysis. Christianity is
essentially seen as the "interiorization" of the Law of Moses;
it is, therefore, the Law of Love. However, for the most part, it is a
comparative study of Islam on the one hand and Judaism and Christianity
on the other. The author makes it clear that these three
"messages" are in fact different, despite their similarities.
Christianity and Judaism naturally come out very similar - affinitive as
well as dependent upon each other's existential bases - while Islam
is analyzed for its polemical stance against them. The author ignores
the many denominational differences that characterize all three
traditions, especially Christianity and Judaism. In a postmodern
analysis of religious traditions it is increasingly difficult to speak
of "one" Christianity or Islam or Judaism that operates upon a
single creed and adheres to a singular set of values.
This work is an honest reflection based on lifelong study on points
of difference and convergence among the three faiths. It is far removed
from the relativistic approach of the nineteenth century that
highlighted the limitations of all religions ("they are all bad and
therefore unworthy"). Neither does it perceive the traditions
discussed in that syncretistic mode that also relativizes, but in a
different way, by invoking the "common essence" theory
("all are good, pick any"). This book goes further than mere
acknowledgment of differences in that it attempts to engage in a
critical dialogue between specific aspects of each tradition. At the
same time, its appreciation of these traditions appears to vindicate the
philosophical/mystical dimensions of these traditions, which have in
common the "life-giving values that correspond and harmonize with
each other" (p. 23). Since Arnaldez seeks an essential
"communion" of these values in order to create the religious
experience of the heart (p. 51), the ultimate comparison is in the realm
of experience. By common experience, the mystically inclined in all
three traditions have provided us with the "religious
humanism" that also promises spiritual values (p. 179).
Though there is no index, the selected bibliography and annotated
list of authors cited will prove very helpful for a nonspecialist in
Islamic, Jewish, and Christian mysticism.
Irfan Omar, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA
