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3 6 4 I n t e r p r e t a t i o n Volume 41 / Issue 3But, as Brague notes, there are problems with this claim. First, other religionssimilarly present themselves as final and definitive as well. In particular, “allthe religions that appeal to Abraham attempt to present themselves as finaland definitive” (87). Recognizing the fact that many religions make such aclaim—although one wonders where such a claim to present itself as final anddecisive is found in Judaism—how does one determine which religion is thecorrect one? Which, among the various divine law codes, is the right way? Isit simply the case that “Christian boys [grow] up only to be Christians, Jewishboys only to be Jewish, and Muslim boys only to be Muslim”? 1 Brague doesnot attempt to answer this problem in relation to other religions, but limitshimself to exploring Christianity’s claims to be definitive. God has expressedHimself through history, preparing the way for Christ. And “with the deathof Christ, God has said all He has to say” (115). But even within Christianity,the claim that God has finished speaking to humankind is controversial.In addition to parts of the New Testament recounted after Christ’s death—including the resurrection, the works of the Holy Spirit recounted in Acts ofthe Apostles, Paul’s epistles, and John’s revelation—many Christians believein the possibility of continued private revelation to this day.Chapters 6 and 7 are devoted to showing that God asks nothing of us andpardons us for our sins. The movement of the book gives the impression thatwe have arrived at the most significant attribute of the God of the Christiansin the final chapter. God is responsible for the meaning in our lives and forgivesus when we depart from the right way. God does not demand that weconduct ourselves in an overly rigid manner, but he reveals to us rules to live amoral life. There are, of course, more rules for how we ought to live in the OldTestament in contrast with the dictates of the New Testament, but Brague,following in the spirit of Jesus’s claim that Jewish scripture commands us,above all, to love God and to love one’s neighbor (Mark 12:30–31), reducesthe teaching of the Hebrew Bible to the exhortation of the prophet Micah:“do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God” (Mic. 6:8). This does notmean that rules or laws are useless, Brague asserts, but rather that “in principlewe have in ourselves what is needed to satisfy the need” of being clearabout law and morality (120). Not law itself, but Christianity, the fulfillmentof the law, unveils the meaning of life (138). God is willing to forgive us whenwe depart from the right way, and in this context, Brague discusses importantterms, including “remission,” “pardon,” and “sin.” Regarding sin, Brague1Al-Ghazālī, The Rescuer from Error, in Medieval Islamic Philosophical Writings, ed. and trans.Muhammad Ali Khalidi (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005), 60.