The Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam

In the book of Genesis, Abraham leaves his homeland in obedience to God, who promises to make him the father of a great nation and a blessing to all peoples. Each tradition reads this story in its own way.

In Judaism, Abraham is the first patriarch of the Jewish people and the first party to God’s covenant, continued through Isaac and Jacob. In Christianity, Abraham is the model of faith, and the apostle Paul calls him the father of all who believe. In Islam, Ibrahim is a great prophet and a hanif, a pure monotheist, who with his son Ishmael built the Kaaba in Mecca.

The term “Abrahamic religions” became common in modern interfaith dialogue. Some scholars criticize it for suggesting more agreement than really exists, but it remains a useful label for a shared family of ideas.

All three religions teach that one God created the universe, is just and merciful, and is involved in human history. All three accept that God communicates through prophets, and many prophets are shared, including Noah, Abraham and Moses.

All three teach that human beings are morally accountable and that God will judge the world. Prayer, charity, repentance and care for the poor are central in each.

Judaism and Islam emphasize God’s absolute unity, expressed in the Shema and the shahada. Most Christians understand the one God as a Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Jews and Muslims generally regard this doctrine as a departure from strict monotheism; Christians regard it as a deeper account of the one God.

Jesus is central to Christianity as the Messiah and Son of God, crucified and risen. In Islam, Jesus is a major prophet and the Messiah, born of a virgin, but not divine, and Islam teaches that he was not crucified. In Judaism, Jesus is not regarded as the Messiah or as a prophet.

Muhammad is, for Muslims, the final prophet who received the Quran. Neither Judaism nor Christianity recognizes him as a prophet.

Judaism’s scripture is the Tanakh, especially the Torah, interpreted through the Talmud and rabbinic tradition. Christianity’s Bible contains the Old Testament, which overlaps with the Tanakh, and the New Testament. Islam’s scripture is the Quran, understood as the literal word of God, supplemented by hadith reports about Muhammad.

Islam acknowledges the Torah and Gospel as earlier revelations, while many Muslims believe they were altered over time. Christians accept the Jewish scriptures but read them in light of Jesus. Judaism does not accept the New Testament or the Quran as scripture.

Judaism and Islam both centre religious life on divine law, halakhah and sharia, covering prayer, food, family and daily conduct. Christianity generally emphasizes grace and faith over ritual law, though Christians follow moral commandments and many churches have their own canon law and disciplines.

Each tradition has its sacred time: Shabbat for Jews, Sunday for most Christians and Friday congregational prayer for Muslims. Each has its own calendar of festivals and fasts.

Jerusalem is sacred to all three. For Jews it is the site of the ancient Temple, and the Western Wall remains a central place of prayer. For Christians it is the city of Jesus’ death and resurrection, marked by the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. For Muslims, the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock form the third holiest site after Mecca and Medina.

Each religion contains many branches: Orthodox, Conservative and Reform Judaism; Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant Christianity; Sunni and Shi’a Islam, among others. Generalizations about “the Abrahamic religions” always need to be checked against these internal differences.

Judaism, Christianity and Islam share Abraham, belief in one creator God, prophecy, scripture, moral law and final judgment. They differ on the Trinity, the identity of Jesus, the prophethood of Muhammad, their sacred texts and the role of religious law.