Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are often called “Abrahamic” religions because they each claim to worship the same god and trace their lineage to Abraham in the biblical book of Genesis. If they share this common origin, why has their history been marked by so much conflict? This class explores how each tradition uses Abraham in shaping its identity. We will examine key passages from the Hebrew Bible, New Testament, and Qur’an to understand how and why claims to be “children of Abraham” emerged in specific historical contexts. Finally, we’ll discuss what this history means for Jewish, Christian, and Muslim relations today.
