In this book, Robert C. Gregg takes on the impressive task of analyzing five similar narratives (Cain and Abel/Qabil and Habil; Sarah and Hagar; Joseph/Yusuf; Jonah/Yunus; and Mary/Miriam/Maryam) found in the Sacred Scriptures of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The book is divided into five sections, each dealing with one of the above-mentioned narratives. Each section begins with a “preview” of the following three chapters (one chapter dedicated to each of the three religion's interpretations of their respective narratives) and concludes with a “comparative summary” of the preceding chapters.
As can be imagined in a work of this breadth, there are valuable insights and a few misfires with respect to structure and approach. Gregg provides useful and succinct background information regarding the sacred books of each tradition. He also highlights the main issues involving provenance and dating for the convenience of readers who may not be familiar with all three traditions. Additionally, throughout the work, Gregg defines terms that the audience may not know (e.g., targum, tafsir, isnad, etc.).
The book exhibits a wide range and depth of knowledge; however, there are moments in which the presentation of the material can be confusing or inconsistent. While each section contains a chapter devoted specifically to each of the three religions, at times the interpretations of the target religion are interspersed with the contrasting or similar interpretive foci of the other two religions. This is unavoidable to a certain extent in this type of undertaking, but at times it was difficult to distinguish elements that were specific to Judaism and not a reaction to or interaction with Christianity and Islam, and vice versa, if such existed.
An interesting feature of Gregg's approach is the use of artwork and archeological finds in his discussion of each tradition's interpretation of its respective texts. The incorporation of art in this analysis provides a unique perspective and approach to the text, and quite often illuminates aspects of the narrative that would have remained obscure to the reader. On the other hand, the need to utilize art in each of the chapters at times adds to the confusion and possible conflation of interpretive decisions made by the artist. This is especially the case in the chapters covering the Jewish interpretations of Cain and Abel, Jonah, and Joseph in which Christian art is studied in order to trace Jewish interpretive motifs that may have influenced the depictions of the narratives. In my view, this still falls under Christian interpretation of the text rather than representing a definitive example of Jewish visual exegesis. To his credit, Gregg makes it clear that these are Christian works, and goes so far as to plainly state that he will not incorporate any discussion of art in the chapter dealing with Mary and Jewish interpretations of the Christian story, simply because there are none in existence.
The comparative summaries at the end of each section provide helpful highlights of the preceding chapters. Although the summary for Cain and Abel gives numerous details on the Jewish interpretations while perhaps oversimplifying the Islamic interpretations, the other summaries are well balanced. The most helpful summary is in the section on Jonah, offering in its first three sentences a succinct and clear synopsis of the distinct “Jonahs” of each tradition.
This book is a good resource for scholars interested in doing comparative work or who simply want a better understanding of the divergences and convergences among the three religions. I would not recommend this book as a tool for undergraduates precisely because of the occasional confusion elicited by the interweaving of the interpretive approaches of the three religions, as discussed above. The bibliography Gregg provides is another valuable resource. I also appreciated Gregg's mindful treatment of each tradition's sacred text within the context of its respective belief system. The epilogue successfully tied the entire work together and provided a wider context for the use and value of this book.
