Muslims and Christians hold much in common by way of their beliefs and yet so often it is as if a great chasm divides us. The Muslims in the news seem so alien and yet that lovely Muslim doctor at the hospital seems so friendly and sincere. Nowadays there is much talk of identity, of what it means to belong and of shared values, but sometimes it seems that it is assumed that we must all trace our values back to Hellenic roots as if this were the foundation of civilisation. My heart however has always felt comfort in the Semitic pathway. As a child, the Parables spoke to me, but Paul's Epistles did not. As an agnostic it was the Letter of James.

My burgundy-bound Bible from those days before faith is filled with scribbles in pencil, with scruffy underlining and highlighter ink: the etchings of a searching soul--but one book stands out. On the title page of the Letter of James there is a handwritten note which reads, "The most beautiful book in the Bible." I was yet to learn of Islam--yet to tread this path--but looking back now it seems clear to me that the author was a Muslim of the era before Muhammad. I am not alone in reaching this conclusion. James' address of the twelve tribes dispersed throughout the land nods to the Judaic-Christian world, whose resemblance to another tradition has been widely noted over the years. Hans Kung et al point out in their work on the world religions that "the traditional and historical parallels between early Judaic-Christianity and Islam are inescapable." Meanwhile, while I would naturally dispute the case of dependence given my belief in revelation, Hans-Joachim Schoeps writes in Theology and History of Jewish Christianity:

Though it may not be possible to establish exact proof of the connection, the indirect dependence of Mohammed on sectarian Jewish Christianity is beyond any reasonable doubt. This leaves us with a paradox of truly world-historical dimensions: the fact that while Jewish Christianity in the Church came to grief, it was preserved in Islam and, with regard to some of its driving impulses at least, it has lasted till our own time.

When I put the teachings of the Letter of James and the teachings of Islam side by side, the similarities are striking. Several years ago I began work on a small text that would do just that, for I felt that the parallel presentation conveyed meanings that have sadly escaped many. Much is made of difference when we encounter the Other, but there is a great deal to be gained from highlighting the common ground.

The reality of the focus on identity, on what it means to belong, on shared values, is that what defines our present is a hugely diverse past. While the phrase "our Judeo-Christian heritage" has emerged over recent years, that old focus on Hellenic and Grecian ancestry remains dominant. The truth, however, is that Semitic pathways have had a huge influence on our culture. Indeed, there is ample evidence that Europe would not have advanced as it has in science and philosophy had Semitic peoples not translated those ancient works held in such esteem.