4thace reviewed Who are the Real Chosen People? by Reuven Firestone
Good for readers interested in Western religions
4 stars
This scholarly yet accessible book explores how the concept of chosenness crops up in the three Abrahamic religions, each considered unitarily. Judaism emerged from Caananite polytheism and shows influences from this early phase, while the other two, Christianity and Islam, have been monotheism from their starts, sometimes militaristically so. In each there is a story of how God has chosen the followers in a specific fashion, and the author digs into how this is tied in to the belief in a single deity. The author is a Jewish scholar and Rabbi but one who makes the effort to understand the basis for the concept in all three faiths on their own terms. He is scrupulous about not arguing for one in favor of the others.
It was as though the idea of chosenness came to the early believers of each faith, not thinking of how it could lead to conflict …
This scholarly yet accessible book explores how the concept of chosenness crops up in the three Abrahamic religions, each considered unitarily. Judaism emerged from Caananite polytheism and shows influences from this early phase, while the other two, Christianity and Islam, have been monotheism from their starts, sometimes militaristically so. In each there is a story of how God has chosen the followers in a specific fashion, and the author digs into how this is tied in to the belief in a single deity. The author is a Jewish scholar and Rabbi but one who makes the effort to understand the basis for the concept in all three faiths on their own terms. He is scrupulous about not arguing for one in favor of the others.
It was as though the idea of chosenness came to the early believers of each faith, not thinking of how it could lead to conflict with the wider world but instead for the strength it brought to the fledgling group. When it did cause debate with opposing teachers they would each draw from their own scriptures to make the case for a special relationship with the divine. The languages used were of course different and the specific terms underpinning their doctrine meant different things, sometimes making for misunderstandings. Also, when new groups within the faith communities formed, these would take their own sense of chosenness using a different emphasis to help distinguish their belief.
I did like how the author would identify the nuances without prejudice and without glossing over the differences. This book was good to spark thought within an individual about what it means to be chosen, in a fair-minded way.