About SoS

A couple things to know about this blog:

• This is a class assignment. I am a student at an ecumenical Jesuit seminary and I am enrolled in a class called Religions of the Book which is, according to the syllabus, "an introduction to the historical environment and central traditions of the Hebrew Bible, New Testament and Qur’ān." One of the requirements of this class is to keep a blog about it. 
• My name is Alissa - I'm a white, heterosexual, female resident of the Pacific Northwest. I am a Christian by faith and Episcopalian by tradition. I am studying to become a priest. 
• This class is, I think, about exploring and dialoguing with faith traditions that are different than mine - but whose holy texts share themes, narratives, and characters with the Scripture I have studied until now. I expect that I'll feel some tension as I encounter and attempt to dialogue with new ideas and information, both with and about Judaism and Islam as well as my own religious tradition, Christianity. I'm looking forward to this because in my experience dialogue with a person, idea, or tradition that is very different from me or mine often results in deep learning not only about the other that I am engaging but in deep learnings about myself. 
• Feel free to comment whether or not you are one of my classmates (who are sort of required to comment). I do ask, however, that you treat all of the subject matter with respect. I reserve the right to moderate and delete comments that could be interpreted as offensive by someone of any of the three religions being discussed here.
• I named the blog after a poem by Yakov Azriel, from his book of Threads from a Coat of Many Colors: Poems on Genesis.