The Historical Jesus as Peacemaker between Judaism, Christianity and Islam

The present-day world is marked by religious conflict (especially amongst the monotheistic "Abrahamic" religions) to such an extent that it is often asserted (especially by neo-atheists like Dawkins and Harris) that the world would be a better place without religion. It is argued in this contribution that focus on the historical Jesus and his "religion" (especially his teaching on peacemaking and religious inclusivity), constitutes the key to the elimination of religious conflict. In this regard the work of Jewish (e.g., Buber, Lapide, Vermes, Moore) and Christian (e.g., Theissen, Borg, Crossan, Charlesworth et al.) historical Jesus scholars will be interfaced with the image of the (historical) Jesus that one encounters in the Qur'an (cf. Parrinder, Mourad). A hermeneutical reflection that endeavours to appropriate Jesus's call to peacemaking in the present-day world concludes the article.