Liturgical Exegesis: Genesis 1-11 as Sung in the Qur'an

Abstract

Past efforts of interreligious dialogues can be categorized as relativist, irenicist, and systematic. None of these attempts have led to genuine concord and mutual understanding amongst lay religious populations. This project seeks to tread down a new pathway for interreligious dialogue based upon a particular philosophy that emphasizes the aesthetic life. In particular, I argue that the liturgical narrative forum presents the ideal medium for inter-faith understanding. Herein I attempt what I have coined a “liturgical exegesis” of Genesis 1-11 as portrayed in the Qur’an. The primary content of this thesis—comparing some of the shared stories within the Qur’an and the Bible— stands as short examples of the model proposed in the first chapter. The thesis weds together a theological examination of the Holy Texts with an experiential reading of them. This thesis is designed as a preview to a promised religion curriculum particularly designed for Bethlehem University in the Palestinian Territories and for the consideration of His Excellency Fouad Twal for his municipal schools throughout his patriarchate of Jerusalem.