Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Pages: 240
•
Trim: 6 x 8¾
978-1-5381-0944-1 • Hardback • January 2018 • $36.00 • (£28.00) - Currently out of stock. Copies will arrive soon.
978-1-5381-0945-8 • eBook • January 2018 • $34.00 • (£26.00)
The Reverend Canon Andrew Thompson MBE is senior chaplain of St. Andrew’s Anglican Church in Abu Dhabi. He has served the church in the United Kingdom and throughout the Middle East and the Gulf. Previously a youth worker, he was featured recently in the documentary One on Christian-Muslim dialogue shown at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival. He was awarded an MBE by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II for services to human rights and interfaith dialogue. He is a Canon of Bahrain Cathedral in the Anglican Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf.
Acknowledgments
Foreword
Introduction
Section 1 – Family, Tribe & Possessions
Camel
Majlis
Wedding
Section 2 – Religion
Fast
Pearl
Feet
Section 3 - Women
Scent
Water
Hospitality
Section 4 – Poet & Story Teller
Shepherd
Bread
Run
Conclusion
Section 5 – The Elephant in the Room
Appendix A Corruption of Scriptures?
Appendix B Muslim Understanding of the Crucifixion
Appendix C The Identity of Jesus
Appendix D The Bible and Arabs of the Arabian Peninsula
Bibliography
Offers engaging perspectives on Gospel stories that are rarely considered by Western readers.
— Publishers Weekly
Thompson’s treatise is so ingratiating that anyone seeking to understand Jesus better may cherish it.
— Booklist
Jesus of Arabia is one of those rare books that has both a theological depth and an inviting accessibility. Thompson has written a gem about the Jesus most of us in the West never meet—the real one. A brown-skinned, short, Middle Eastern man. I highly recommend both this book and its author.
— Carl Medearis, author of Muslims, Christians, and Jesus: Gaining Understanding and Building Relationships
Andrew Thompson brings a wealth of experience and insight to this contemporary and engaging contribution to the dialogue between Christianity and Islam. He writes with integrity as someone with a commitment to all the peoples of Arabia: honest about the challenges, but hopeful about the bridges that can be built and the discovery of common ground that can lead to mutual flourishing. Thompson provides lively and incisive analysis as a critical friend and commentator respected by Christians and Muslims alike.
— Mark Poulson, Secretary for Inter Religious Affairs to the Archbishop of Canterbury, National Inter Religious Affairs Adviser for the Church of England
The Reverend Canon Andrew Thompson, from his varied and always reflective experience in the lands of the Gulf and the Arabian peninsula, makes a thought-provoking contribution to Christian–Muslim friendship and understanding.
— The Right Reverend Michael Lewis, Anglican Bishop of the Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf
In his book Andrew Thompson helps Muslims and Christians understand the Middle Eastern heritage of Jesus. It’s a must-read for anyone seeking to grasp the words of Jesus as they applied to his day, and now apply to ours.
— Pastor Jim Burgess, Lead Pastor, Fellowship of the Emirates
. . . .I would like to propose that Thomson’s work is a stimulating reflection available to those readers who are interested in interfaith dialogues between the monotheistic religions. Moreover, the book is highly recommended to all who are interested in religious topics.
— Andrews University Seminary Studies
Introduces Jesus in the context of his home in the Middle East
Offers essential background information about Middle Eastern life and culture that deepens our understanding of Jesus and his message
Asks provocative questions, such as whether the message of Jesus, as originally understood by a Middle Eastern audience, has changed as a result of having been filtered through Western culture
Works to build connections and understanding between Christianity and Islam, across cultures
Originally published in the United Arab Emirates, now available worldwide for the first time