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Guerre sainte, jihad, croisade: Violence et religion dans le christianisme et l'islam. By Jean Flori. (Paris: Editions du Seuil. 2002. Pp. 342. Paperback.)
In this timely and useful survey, Professor Flori offers a comparative study of the character and development of the idea of holy war in Christianity and Islam from the foundation of these religions. In their earliest days, they provide a study in contrasts; by the late eleventh century and with the First Crusade, the two religions reached similar stages in the sacralization of warfare. This assimilation, substantial but not complete, forms the conclusion of this study, though Flori rightly hints at its current relevance: his final observation is that we have perhaps not yet ceased to pay the price of the fateful and...