Kirjahaku

Award-winning professor John Kaltner's new work offers a general introduction and orientation to the Qur'an. It surveys the origin, structure, contents, study, and use of Islam's sacred text. Offering selective rather than comprehensive coverage, the work allows for discussion and analysis of specific themes and issues of interest to modern readers.Following an introduction that describes and situates how the Qur'an is both studied and experienced, Kaltner's book takes up the following themes by chapter to foster a contemporary understanding and appreciation of the Qur'an: the natural environment, Muslim life, gender and sexuality, non-Muslims and the Other, jihad, war and peace, and life after death. Significant passages from the Qur'an are identified and analyzed, with a special focus on how modern scholars, both Muslim and non-Muslim, understand them. Kaltner intersperses his book with numerous photographs and textboxes to emphasize and highlight important elements of the Qur'an, its history, and its relevance to contemporary life.Check out the audio glossary on the Student tab to hear the author pronounce the Arabic words!

Why is there crime-scene tape on my Bible? Elementary, my dear reader.There is an element of detective work to biblical scholarship that entails sniffing out and interpreting clues that often escape the notice of readers. John Kaltner and Steven L. McKenzie introduce the art of sleuthing the Bible, providing the necessary training to hunt for clues and piece them together to understand the larger picture.Sleuthing the Bible helps answer questions that occur during thoughtful examination of the Bible and provides exercises enabling readers to work through biblical passages on their own. Kaltner and McKenzie analyze two kinds of clues: (1) Smoking Guns-- those that are obvious upon any close reading of biblical texts, and (2) Dusting for Prints--those that are more subtle or hidden from nonspecialists because of their unfamiliarity with the languages, culture, and larger content of the Bible.Written in a jargon-free and accessible style, Sleuthing the Bible is an ideal resource for anyone who wants to dig deeper into the biblical text.

Jews, Christians, and Muslims trace their roots to Abraham and yet it is a shock to many Bible readers that some of the characters and stories in their sacred text are also found in the pages of Islam's sacred text, the Qur'an. By exploring the relationship between the Bible and the Qur'an in Ishmael Instructs Isaac, John Kaltner challenges Bible readers to think about their sacred book in new, exciting ways. In doing so, he leads all to a better appreciation of Islam.After a brief overview of the text, themes, structure, and use of the Qur'an, Kaltner focuses on traditions that are shared with the Bible. He explains that the Bible and Qur'an contain many of the same themes, figures, and episodes. However, at times, there are significant differences in their descriptions of the same event or figure. By discussing such topics and figures as God, humanity, prophecy, creation, life after death, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Mary, Kaltner examines the similarities and differences between the two texts. This comparative method allows readers to better appreciate both what is distinctive about Islam and what it shares with Judaism and Christianity.Jews and Christians view Isaac as the son of Abraham in whom the family line continued. Muslims, on the other hand, view Isaac's brother Ishmael as the rightful heir. This difference must not obscure what is held in common: a belief in the one God and a family - albeit distant - relationship.Written for undergraduate and seminary courses on Islam, the Qur'an, comparative religions, inter-religious dialogue, world scriptures, and biblical interpretation, Ishmael Instructs Isaac is also a useful resource for discussion groups in churches, synagogues, and mosques.Includes English translations of the Qur'anic texts discussed.John Kaltner, PhD, is assistant professor of religious studies at Rhodes College where he teaches courses in the Bible and Islam. He has worked in the Middle East with the Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America.

Recent events have focused attention on Islam, the often - misunderstood faith of one billion people. Westerners are showing a new curiosity about Islam and other religions, in part, perhaps, because religion is arguably the single most important and volatile factor in geopolitics today. Islam needs to be understood on its own terms, apart from extreme expressions, John Kaltner argues. This revised and expanded edition of a trusted text offers updated information about Islam in an accessible and sympathetic presentation. Kaltner presents Islam as first and foremost a religion of practices. Showing the deep humanism of Islam and its most cherished commitments, Kaltner presents Islam through assertions that counter frequent misconceptions of the faith.

One of the common ways biblical scholars attempt to uncover the sense of Hebrew words with unknown meanings, or to propose new meanings for well-attested words, is through appeal to cognate languages. Among the languages used for such purposes none has been more frequently cited than Arabic. This dissertation studies the methodology employed by Hebraists drawing upon the Arabic sources, points out some of the flaws occasionally found in their work, and suggests ways of avoiding such pitfalls in the future.

One of the common ways biblical scholars attempt to uncover the sense of Hebrew words with unknown meanings, or to propose new meanings for well-attested words, is through appeal to cognate languages. Among the languages used for such purposes none has been more frequently cited than Arabic. This dissertation studies the methodology employed by Hebraists drawing upon the Arabic sources, points out some of the flaws occasionally found in their work, and suggests ways of avoiding such pitfalls in the future.