Hebrews has a message appropriate for converts from Islam which can be best communicated to them through the idea of religious pilgrimage. The message is appropriate because Muslim converts face pressure to deny their faith similar to the pressure felt by the recipients of Hebrews. Both groups share many religious ideas. The prominence of the hajj in Islam and the use of the pilgrimage motif as a description of the Christian life in Hebrews form a communication bridge. The hajj can be used to explain Hebrews' description of the Christian life and the various rituals which constitute the hajj can help explain the Christology which supports the description.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Abdul-RaufMuhammad1978“Pilgrimage to Mecca.”National Geographic154 (November): 581–607
2.
AttridgeHarold W.1990The Epistle to the Hebrews. Hermeneia. Philadelphia, PA: Fortress Press
3.
BruceF. F.1963“‘To the Hebrews’ or ‘To the Essenes’?”New Testament Studies9(2): 217–232
4.
BruceF. F.1990The Epistle to the Hebrews. Revised edition. New International Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans
5.
CraggKenneth1975The House of Islam. Encino, CA and Belmont, CA: Dickenson Publishing Co.
6.
CraggKenneth1990Readings in the Qur'an: Selected and Translated with an Introductory Essay. London, UK: Collins
7.
EliadeMircea1983 [1961] The Sacred and the Profane: The Nature of Religion. TaskWillard R., trans. Magnolia, MA: Peter Smith
8.
EspositoJohn L.1988Islam: The Straight Path. New York: Oxford University Press
9.
GibbH. A. R.KramersJ. H.1991 [1953] Shorter Encyclopedia of Islam. Leiden, The Netherlands: E. J. Brill
10.
GlasséCyril1989Concise Encyclopedia of Islam. San Francisco, CA: Harper & Row
11.
GreenDenis1989“Guidelines from Hebrews for Contextualization.” In Muslims and Christians on the Emmaus Road. WoodberyJ. Dudley, ed. Pp. 233–250. Monrovia, CA: MARC
12.
HagnerDonald A.1990Hebrews. New International Biblical Commentary. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson
13.
HurstL. D.1990The Epistle to the Hebrews: Its Background of Thought. Society for New Testament Studies Monograph Series. No. 65. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press
14.
JohnssonWilliam G.1978“The Pilgrimage Motif in the Book of Hebrews.”Journal of Biblical Literature97(2): 239–251
15.
KäsemannErnst1984The Wandering People of God: An Investigation of the Letter to the Hebrews. HarrisvilleRoy A.SandbergIrving L., trans. Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg
16.
KosmalaHans1959Hebräer-Essener-Christen: Studien zur Vorgeschichte der frühchristlichen Verkündigung. SPB 1. Leiden, The Netherlands: E. J. Brill
17.
LaneWilliam L.1991Hebrews 1–8. Word Biblical Commentary 47a. Dallas, TX: Word Books
18.
LewisB.1971“Hadjdj.” In The Encyclopedia of Islam. New edition. Vol. 3. LewisB.MenageV. L.PellatChSchaftJ., eds. Leiden, The Netherlands: E. J. Brill
19.
LindarsBarnabas1991The Theology of the Letter to the Hebrews. New Testament Theology. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press
20.
NewbyGordon Darnell1988A History of the Jews of Arabia from Ancient Times to Their Eclipse Under Islam. Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina Press
21.
ParrinderGeoffrey1977Jesus in the Qur'an. New York: Oxford University Press
22.
PartinH. B.1967“The Muslim Pilgrimage: Journey to the Center.” Ph.D. dissertation, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
23.
RoffWilliam R.1985“Pilgrimage and the History of Religions: Theoretical Approaches to the Hajj.” In Approaches to Islam in Religious Studies. MartinRichard C., ed. Tuscson, AZ: University of Arizona Press
24.
TurnerEdith1987“Pilgrimage: An Overview.” In The Encyclopedia of Religion. EliadeMircea, editor in chief. 11: 328–330. New York: Macmillan
25.
TurnerHarold W.1979From Temple to Meeting House: The Phenomenology and Theology of Places of Worship. Religion and Society. No. 16. The Hague, Paris, New York: Moulton Publishers
26.
WattM. Montgomery1974 [1961] Muhammad: Prophet and Statesman. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press
