My Recommended Reading List

Here is a list of books I value greatly and wish to share with others.

CHRISTIANITY

The Historical Figure of Jesus by E.P. Sanders, published by Penguin Books 1995.

America’s most distinguished scholar in the field of Jesus-research provides a generally convincing picture of the real Jesus set within the world of Palestinian Judaism.

The Changing Faces of Jesus by Geza Vermes, published by Penguin Books 2001.

Vermes gives an equal voice to both the New Testament and non-biblical Jewish writings to uncover the historical figure of Jesus hidden beneath the oldest gospels, showing how and why a charismatic holy man was elevated into the divine figure of Christ. Essential reading.

The Authentic Gospel of Jesus by Geza Vermes, published by Penguin Books 2004. The first Professor of Jewish Studies at Oxford, he almost single-handedly brought to the attention of New Testament scholarship the significance of Jesus as a Jew.

Christology in the Making: A New Testament Inquiry into the Origins of the Doctrine of the Incarnation by James D.G.Dunn, Second Edition, published by SCM Press 1989. This work (and Unity and Diversity below) has made me think harder and more rigorously than any other book on Jesus. This classic text is crucial reading for scholars and public alike. An advanced work, but it repays the effort.

Unity and Diversity in the New Testament: An Inquiry into the Character of Earliest Christianity by James D.G.Dunn, Third Edition, published by SCM Press 2006.

Dunn is an author who simply must be read by all serious students of early Christianity. Like his other work on Christology mentioned above, it assumes the reader is familiar with the basic critical issues of NT scholarship.

The Brother of Jesus & the Lost Teachings of Christianity by Jeffrey J. Butz

Written for a popular audience Butz successfully condenses recent academic writing about James the brother of Jesus for the general reader. Reading this book will change forever one’s understanding of early Christianity and the forgotten figure of James.

Escaping from Fundamentalism by James Barr, published by SCM Press 1990.

Barr is vital reading for those trapped in the rigid world of fundamentalism as so many Christians are these days. I owe him a personal debt of gratitude.

How Jesus Became Christian by Barrie Wilson, published by Phoenix 2009.

Discusses the early Christians and the transformation of a Jewish teacher into the Son of God.

Jesus of Nazareth An Independent Historian’s Account of his Life and Teaching by Maurice Casey, published by T &T Clark 2011

A new ‘life’ of Jesus written by one of the outstanding scholars of his generation, it offers a complete resource on the ‘Historical Jesus’ debate.

The Metaphor of God Incarnate by John Hick, published by SCM press, second edition 2005.

A penetrating insight into contemporary discussion of incarnational theory and will be essential reading in Christology for many years to come.

Forged: Writing in the Name of God – Why the Bible’s Authors Are Not Who We Think They Are by Bart D. Ehrman published by HarperCollins 2011

Written for the general public (rather than academia) Ehrman exposes one of the greatest ironies of the early church: the use of deception to establish the truth. Christian forgeries were widespread in the ancient world and Ehrman shows how some of them ended up in the New Testament.

A New History of Early Christianity by Charles Freeman, published by Yale University Press 2009

The relevance of Christianity is as hotly contested today as it has ever been. ‘A New History of Early Christianity’ shows how our current debates are rooted in the many controversies surrounding the birth of the religion and the earliest attempts to resolve them. Charles Freeman’s meticulous historical account of Christianity from its birth in Judaea in the first century A.D. to the emergence of Western and Eastern churches by A.D. 600 reveals that it was a distinctive, vibrant, and incredibly diverse movement brought into order at the cost of intellectual and spiritual vitality. Against the conventional narrative of the inevitable ‘triumph’ of a single distinct Christianity, Freeman shows that there was a host of competing Christianities, many of which had as much claim to authenticity as those that eventually dominated. A great read!

Jesus and his Jewish Context by Geza Vermes, published by SCM press 2003.

In this stimulating work, one of the most renowned scholars of ancient Judaism explores how Jesus’ proclamation of the kingdom and the earliest Jesus movement fit into the Jewish world of Judea and Galilee. Very useful for Muslim apologetics.

Reformation : Europe’s House Divided 1490-1700 by Diarmaid MacCulloch published by Penguin 2004.

MacCulloch, professor of Church History at Oxford University, has written what is widely considered to be the authoritative account of the Reformation. “It is impossible to understand modern Europe without understanding these 16th-century upheavals in Latin Christianity” he writes. “They represented the greatest fault line to appear in Christian culture since the Latin and Greek halves of the Roman Empire went their separate ways a thousand years before; they produced a house divided.” The resulting split between the Catholics and Protestants still divides Christians throughout the Western world. It affects interpretations of the Bible, beliefs about baptisms, and even how much authority is given to religious leaders.  What makes MacCulloch’s account rise above previous attempts to interpret the Reformation is the breadth of his research. Rather than limit his narrative to the actions of key theologians and leaders of the era -Luther, Zingli, Calvin, Loyola, Cranmer, Henry VIII and numerous popes – MacCulloch sweeps his narrative across the culture, politics and lay people of Renaissance Western Europe. This broad brush approach touches upon many fascinating discussions surrounding the Reformation, including his belief that the Latin Church was probably not as “corrupt and ineffective” as Protestants tend to portray it.

ISLAM

Islam and the Destiny of Man by Gai Eaton, published by the Islamic Texts Society 1994. This beautifully written book  converted me to Islam, alhamdulillah.

Muhammad, his life based on the earliest sources by Martin Lings. The book is a work of art and utterly enthralling. Probably the finest biography of the prophet (pbuh) in the English language.

Purification of the Heart, signs, symptoms and cures of the spiritual diseases of the heart by Hamza Yusuf. A profoundly wise and liberating book.

What God said about Eating Pork, & Issues for Muslim/Christian Dialogue, by Shabir Ali, published by Al-Attique Publishers Inc, 2003. A short work (32 pages) written with clarity and intelligence, and unusually for a Muslim apologist, Ali has a firm grasp of the New Testament material.

An Introduction to the Sciences of the Qur’an by Yasir Qadhi, published in 1999 by Progress Co. Ltd. An excellent foundational work introducing the basics for understanding the Qur’an.

Understanding The Qur’an, Themes and Style by Muhammad Abdel Haleem, published by I.B. Tauris 2005. The tenets of Islam cannot be understood without a proper understanding of the Qur’an. This new book by a professor of Islamic Studies at London University is accessible and erudite. In the second edition of the book Professor Haleem kindly mentions me…

The Quran and the Secular Mind, A Philosophy of Islam by Shabbir Akhtar, published by Routledge 2008. Fascinating reading.

Hadith: Muhammad’s Legacy in the Medieval and Modern World by Jonathan A. C. Brown.  ”A must read and a great read. The combination of impeccable, critical scholarship with a story teller’s style has produced an introductory volume that is both substantive and remarkably engaging.” John L. Esposito, Founding Director of the Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University, and Editor of The Oxford Dictionary of Islam

The Book of Hadith, Sayings of the Prophet Muhammad from the Mishkat al-Masabih Selected by Gai Eaton and published by The Book Foundation 2008. For me, this collection of beautiful gems is evidence of why the teaching of Muhammad and Jesus (peace be upon them both) came from the same divine source.

Islam in Victorian Britain, The Life and Times of Abdullah Quilliam by Ron Greaves, published by Kube 2010.

Muhammad: A Very Short Introduction, by Jonathan A.C. Brown published by Oxford University Press 2011. Accessible and scholarly introduction to one of the greatest figures of mankind, and perfect for Dawah!

Islam as Political Religion: The future of an imperial faith by Shabbir Akhtar, published by Routledge 2011. More fascinating reading from the author of The Quran and the Secular Mind, A Philosophy of Islam

PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE

God’s Undertaker: Has Science Buried God? By John C. Lennox. A brilliant discussion of the nature and scope of evolution and the limits of science. Highly recommended.

* Finally see the Recommended Reading List by Timothy Winter, Sheikh Zayed Lecturer in Islamic Studies at the University of Cambridge