The Battle of the Books - the Bible vs. the Koran
My friend, Chad, sent to me this article published in The Economist, titled, “The Battle of the Books.” It is a fascinating comparison. Thanks, Chad. Not a week goes by in my life without a person misquoting either the Bible or the Koran to me. Often I speak to individuals who speak dogmatically against Christianity or Islam yet they have read little to none of either of the holy books. If you are a Christian, pick up a copy of the Koran and read it in 2008. I assure you that you will discover a huge difference between it and the Christian Bible. If you are Muslim, then I encourage you to pick up a copy of the Christian Bible and read at least the New Testament, or read the Five Books of Moses. (You may read the whole Bible, but it is roughly three times as long as the Koran.) I assure you that you will discover it to be quite different than the Koran. The first difference most readers of these two books notice is the literary difference. Literarily, the two are quite different. To notice this difference one does not have to read the Koran in Arabic or the Bible in Hebrew and Greek. The beauty and some of the meaning is diminished when any of us read these books in English or another vernacular. Christians believe that the words of God speak clearly even when translated faithfully into other languages. Muslims often insist on the Koran being read in Arabic. The second difference most readers notice is the redemptive theme and thread in the Bible in contrast to the wisdom/moral/legal thread in the Koran. (By the way, the photo was taken by my fourteen year old son. The photos on my blog have been taken by my children, and occasionally by me.)
On March 15 I began to read the Koran again (using the online browser I have provided at this site. In the comments below I supply a few notes concerning each sura. I do not read Arabic and so, I realize that many Muslims would discount any of my observations. Nevertheless I welcome any responses to my comments, especially from Muslims who would correct my understanding of what I have read in this English translation.
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“The Opening” is grand in scope and introduces the clear structure of most of the Koran, namely the stark difference between the two groups of humanity: the good and the evil.
“The Cow” like the rest of the suras is presented in a prophetic voice, the structure being sermonic and loosely organized. A large portion of it seems to be a sermon about the division between Jew and Christian even though they harken to the same Holy Scriptures. The prophetic voice presents Islam as the solution to this division and the only way to the favor of the divine.
nathan.