Where Did the Idea of Three “Abrahamic Faiths” Come From?

In the Jewish world whose annual cycle of Torah readings recommenced last month, these are the weeks of Abraham. Last week was the reading of Lekh-L’kha, which tells of Abraham’s peregrinations after God’s summons to him to set out for “the land that I will show you.” This week it’s Vayera, which culminates in the trial of the near-sacrifice of Isaac.

And in the world of interfaith discourse with its books, programs, lectures, conferences, convocations, and proclamations, these have been the years of Abraham. The phrase “Abrahamic religions,” or “Abrahamic faiths,” rarely heard at the start of this century, can now hardly be avoided.