WHY READ THIS?

Why you should read: ONE STORY: THREE RELIGIONS

The Timeline of Scripture and the Place of Jesus

To understand the shared roots and differences between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, it helps to look first at when their sacred texts were written, and where Jesus appears within them.

 The Tanakh

The Tanakh also called the Hebrew Scriptures, or known to Christians as the Old Testament was written and compiled gradually over many centuries, from roughly 900 BCE to 200 BCE. By around 200 BCE, its final form was fixed. This means it was completed more than 200 years before Jesus was even born.

 Because it was finished so much earlier, Jesus does not appear in the Tanakh at all. There is no direct mention of his life, his teachings, or his mission. For Jewish people, the Tanakh stands as their complete scripture, telling the story of God’s covenant with the people of Israel, their laws, history, and wisdom. For Christians, it is seen as the foundation of their faith, containing prophecies they believe point toward the coming of the Messiah but those texts were written long before Jesus himself arrived.

Why the New Testament Was Written

Since the older scriptures were finalised centuries earlier, they could not record what happened during Jesus’ lifetime. This is exactly why the New Testament came into being.

Written between approximately 50 CE and 110 CE, the New Testament is the first set of writings to describe Jesus directly. The earliest texts, letters written by the Apostle Paul date from around 50 CE, just 20 years after Jesus’ death and departure. The first full account of his life, the Gospel of Mark, was written around 70 CE, with the remaining Gospels and other books completed by about 110 CE. Together with the Tanakh (as the Old Testament), these form the complete Christian Bible.

The Quran: A Later Perspective

The Quran also speaks of Jesus whom it calls *Isa ibn Maryam*, meaning “Jesus son of Mary” and honours him as a righteous prophet and messenger of God. However, it was revealed and written much later: beginning around 610 CE, with the full text compiled into its official final form by 650 CE.

This places the Quran roughly 580 to 620 years after Jesus lived, and crucially more than 500 years after the New Testament was already written. A common point of confusion is thinking the Quran records Jesus earlier than the Bible; in fact, the opposite is true: the New Testament contains the earliest written records of Jesus, centuries before the Quran.

Bringing It All Together: One Story, Three Perspectives

This timeline helps explain why these three sacred texts belong to the same broad spiritual story, yet tell it in different ways. The Tanakh lays the foundation of faith, covenant, and divine purpose long before Jesus. The New Testament builds upon that foundation, adding the life and teaching of Jesus as its central figure. The Quran, arriving centuries later, reaffirms the same core message of one God, while also recognising Jesus as a key part of that shared heritage. Seen in this order, the texts are not competing accounts, but successive chapters in what each tradition understands to be a single unfolding story of God’s relationship with humanity.

Now you need to read the book.