Rumi Forum held its monthly circle on December 5, 2024, to study Abrahamic scriptures on “Lament” with Dr. Ori Z. Soltes, our study leader from Georgetown University.

Scriptural Reasoning (SR) allows Christians, Jews, and Muslims to study each other’s sacred texts. SR participants meet monthly to read short passages from their respective scriptures on a topic. Facilitated by a study leader, each session is an opportunity to listen and share various perspectives. SR sessions help participants reflect on a curious list of topics within the Abrahamic tradition. The result is often a deeper understanding of others and one’s scriptures and the development of strong bonds across faith communities.

        Scriptural Reasoning: Introduction                       Islamic Scripture: Quran

       Christian Scripture: New Testament                Jewish Scripture: Hebrew Bible

This Month`s Study Leader

Ori Z. Soltes teaches at Georgetown University across a range of disciplines, from art history and theology to philosophy and political history. He is the former Director of the B’nai B’rith Klutznick National Jewish Museum, and has curated more than 85 exhibitions there and in other venues across the country and overseas. He has authored or edited 25 books and several hundred articles and essays. Recent volumes include Our Sacred Signs: How Jewish, Christian and Muslim Art Draw from the Same Source; Searching for Oneness: Mysticism in Judaism, Christianity and Islam; Untangling the Web: Why the Middle East is a Mess and Always Has Been; Tradition and Transformation: Three Millennia of Jewish Art & Architecture; God and the Goalposts: A Brief History of Religion, Sports, Politics, War, and Art; and Between Thought and Action: An Intellectual Biography of Fethullah Gulen.