Louay Fatoohi's writing addresses a dilemma I have been struggling with; how one can approach religion and science with the same methodology. Science gathers evidence through systematic observation. I have always been interested in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, but to approach this topic as a scientist one would a need an extensive background in the Old and New Testaments, the Quran, and history. Fortunately, we are indebted to Fatoohi for his systematic methodology in his scholarly writings analyzing the Old and New Testaments as they compares to the Quran and history.

Before reading his current book "The Mystery of the Messiah," I had read the much larger text "The Mystery of the Historical Jesus: The Messiah in the Qur'an, the Bible, and Historical Sources." Fatoohi's books are like an academic text with extensive references. Thus, as a scientist, I spent time going back to the primary sources he quotes for my own education and as a critical reviewer. His earlier Jesus book is packed with information, so I was delighted to find his much smaller current text focused just on the concept of the Messiah addressing this mystery from the various perspectives discussed above.

There is also one other prevailing theme I find very appealing in Fatoohi's writing; how his rigorous methodology also assumes that underlying this work is the existence of one God who revealed universal truths to humans. The real mystery which the reader will need to explore is what was the original truth, how was it changed, and what are the implications for today? Enjoy his books, but keep the Bible, The Quran, and a dictionary near by (the internet is also very helpful).

Howard Hall, Ph.D., Psy.D.
Associate Professor, Case Medical Center