Islam: A Guide for Jews and Christians - Electric Scotland

GOD’ S WAY t 161
tural pronouncement, derived from an authoritative source, validated
by trustworthy eye- or earwitnesses, transmitted by an authenticated
chain of reporters, and so absolutely binding on believers
as a standard of belief or conduct.
In Judaism, the tradition originated in the body of instruction or
explanation given orally to Moses on Mount Sinai and then transmitted,
again orally, through various groups in the community until
it was finally committed to writing by Rabbi Judah circa 200
c.e. In that latter form it is called the Mishnah or, embedded in
one of its two canonical sets of commentary, the Talmud. In Christianity,
the tradition originated in the private teachings of Jesus to
his immediate circle of followers (the Apostles), who then passed it
on, in general fashion (what they passed on is called the Apostolic
Tradition) to their immediate spiritual descendants (the linkage
process is called the Apostolic Succession) who were then identified
as the “overseers” (episkopoi, bishops) of the various Christian
communities. This teaching (Lat. doctrina) becomes specific
when it is defined, and it becomes dogma when it is prescribed, as
is done most often in Christianity but only rarely in Judaism and
Islam. In Islam, the tradition resides in the body of reports (hadith)
that record, on the testimony of contemporary eyewitnesses (the
Companions of the Prophet), the customary practice (sunna) of
Muhammad and so serve as an authoritative guide to Muslim belief
and practice.
This is what may be called the great tradition of the three monotheistic
communities, a foundation stone in the construction of
what we call Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Adherence to the
tradition as a standard of belief is part of what constitutes orthodoxy,
and, as a standard of action, orthopraxy. Indeed, tradition in
this sense—and it is used in this sense throughout—is so much a
part of orthodoxy and orthopraxy that the great reform movements
in Christianity and Judaism, which essentially attacked both
the authority and authenticity of the great tradition, ended by recasting
not only the content of prescribed belief and behavior but
also the manner in which orthodoxy and orthopraxy were to be
defined.
The authority of this elemental religious tradition derives in the