Communicating the Word

There are very few people, specialist or otherwise, who will not learn much from this rich and varied volume. It is rare for interreligious exchange to take place at such a sustained level of quality, and much of the authors' contributions manage to feel both erudite and direct. -- Caner K. Dagli, assistant professor, Department of Religious Studies, College of the Holy Cross Holy writings, received as revealed, are central to both Islam and Christianity. This welcome collection will open the debate. -- Janet Soskice, professor of philosophical theology, Cambridge University

A collection of essays that focuses on key scriptural texts and engage with both classical and contemporary Islamic and Christian thought. It addresses issues such as: the different ways in which Christians and Muslims think of their scriptures as the Word of God, the possibilities and challenges of translating scripture, and more."Communicating the Word" is a record of the 2008 Building Bridges seminar, an annual dialogue between leading Christian and Muslim scholars convened by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Featuring the insights of internationally known Christian and Muslim scholars, the essays collected here focus attention on key scriptural texts but also engage with both classical and contemporary Islamic and Christian thought. Issues addressed include, among others, the different ways in which Christians and Muslims think of their scriptures as the "Word of God," the possibilities and challenges of translating scripture, and the methods - and conflicts - involved in interpreting scripture in the past and today. In his concluding reflections, Archbishop Rowan Williams draws attention to a fundamental point emerging from these fascinating contributions: "Islam and Christianity alike give a high valuation to the conviction that God speaks to us. Grasping what that does and does not mean ...is challenging theological work".