Crossing confessional boundaries : exemplary lives in Jewish Christian and Islamic traditions Arguably the single most important element in Abrahamic cross confessional relations has been an ongoing mutual interest in perennial spiritual and ethical exemplars of one anothers communities. Ranging from Late Antiquity through the Middle Ages Crossing Confessional Boundaries explores the complex roles played by saints sages and Friends of God in the communal and intercommunal lives of Christians Muslims and Jews across the Mediterranean world from Spain and North Africa to the Middle East to the Balkans. By examining these stories in their broad institutional social and cultural contexts Crossing Confessional Boundaries reveals unique theological insights into the interlocking histories of the Abrahamic faiths