Revelation

Revelation attempts to tell the story of divine prophecy-the times the Almighty has broken through mundane human existence with messages for mankind-first to the Jews, then to the Christians, and finally to the Muslims-as one unified story, comparing where they agree and where they differ.

This narrative spans from the beginning of time to the present. The earliest records of Revelation are found in the Old Testament, the Jewish Bible, which tells the story of Abraham. When Sarah was barren, Abraham fathered Ishmael through Sarah's handmaiden, Hagar, and later Isaac through Sarah.

Because of Sarah's jealousy, Abraham was obliged to take Ishmael and Hagar far away to the land of Arabia, where they constructed the Ka'bah, the first house of worship for Muslims. The descendants of Isaac became the Jewish nation, while the descendants of Ishmael became the Muslims.

Thus, Abraham stands as the patriarch of both the Jews and the Muslims-and, by extension, the Christians through Jesus. Muslims did not become a distinct people until the advent of Mohammed in the seventh century AD.

The New Testament records the Revelation given to Jesus and his disciples, while the Koran records the Revelation given to Mohammed. Ms. McCabe traces the biblical references found in the Koran, drawing from both the Old and New Testaments.

The Koran may be viewed as a correction to what some see as the exaggeration of the nature of Jesus established at the Nicene Council in 325 AD, where it was declared that Jesus was "very God of very God, being not made, of one being with the Father."

Both Jews and Muslims strongly discourage equating Jesus with God. However, the concept of the Trinity-God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit-is central to Christianity, making reconciliation among the three great monotheistic religions nearly irresolvable.