Filozofska istraživanja, Vol. 26 No. 4, 2006.
Review article
Global Ethics on the Tradition of Judaism, Christianity and Islam
Krunoslav Pranjić
Abstract
André Chouraqui, an Israelite, born in 1917 in Algeria, who studied law at the Sorbonne, is an expert in Hebrew and Oriental studies, an ecumenist, belletrist, co-founder of the “Fraternity of Abraham” in France, has been translated in 20 European and 3 Far-Eastern languages. His namesake (André) Malraux once said that Chouraqui’s translations are “a grandiose adventure of the spirit”… In his respective book Chouraqui examines, one by one, the Ten Commandments in all three monotheistic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) up to the present day. Chapter after chapter, taking into consideration the evolution of customs, societies, sciences, and technologies, the author gives us a new perspective on applying and breaking of each of the Commandments. The Ten Commandments/Sayings have been, and still are, the first and foremost, the one and only Declaration of the Duties of Man. The author advocates the belief that the great world religions are the basis for a global ethics, the only foundation for establishing a world without war, a world of peace, tolerance, equilibrium with Mother Nature, with all her beings, animate and inanimate. Chouraqui does not propose an amalgamation (syncretism) of the world religions, but advocates an ideal based on their common ethics (declared in the Ten
Commandments) – which would establish a new era by using the synergy and the united spiritual energies, believing that this is the only chance for survival of the human race. Throughout the human history, A. Chouraqui is the one and only translator of all three sacred books from their originals: The Old Testament from Hebrew, The New Testament from Greek, Qur’an from Arabic. His book The Ten Commandments Today is a masterpiece of the French scholarly expression, sharp thinking, and universal relevance; the Croatian translation has strived, with meticulous attention, to convey these rare qualities.
Keywords
André Chouraqui; global ethics; synergy vs. syncretism of religious; Decalogue (VIth & VIIIth Commandment/Saying); Judaism; Christianity; Islam
Hrčak ID:
12023
URI
Publication date:
20.12.2006.
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