In recent years, martyrdom and political violence have been conflated in the public imagination. Rubén Rosario Rodríguez argues that martyr narratives deserve consideration as resources for resisting political violence in contemporary theological reflection. Underlying the three Abrahamic monotheistic traditions is a shared belief that God requires liberation for the oppressed, justice for the victims and, most demanding of all, love for the political enemy. Christian, Jewish and Muslim martyr narratives that condone political violence - whether terrorist or state-sponsored - are examined alongside each religion's canon, in order to evaluate how central or marginalized these discourses are within their respective traditions. Primarily a work of Christian theology in conversation with Judaism and Islam, this book aims to model religious pluralism and cooperation by retrieving distinctly Christian sources that nurture tolerance and facilitate coexistence, while respecting religious difference.
Examines the foundational scriptures of Christianity, Judaism and Islam to reveal what they have in common, facilitating discussion of controversial and divisive issues among the three Abrahamic religions.
Engages in a 'theological' reading of martyrdom in all three Abrahamic traditions to encourage public and interreligious dialogue from a confessional point of view, a much-needed corrective to the dominant discourse in the media that ignores or marginalizes religious perspectives.
Through engaging the contributions of Latin American liberation theology - specifically God's preferential option for the poor and oppressed - this work defends a Christian biblical theological perspective that has profound parallels with Judaism and Islam, and should facilitate interfaith dialogue on political violence.