How did Louis Massignon help popularize the idea of Abrahamic brotherhood?

French scholar Louis Massignon played a pivotal role in popularizing the concept of Abrahamic brotherhood by framing Abraham as the common "father" of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Motivated by a desire to foster interfaith reconciliation amidst religious acrimony in French colonial territories and the geopolitical shifts following the 1948 formation of Israel, Massignon published influential essays on this shared heritage, most notably his 1949 work, Les trois prières d’Abraham, père de tous les croyants ("The Three Prayers of Abraham, Father of All Believers").1

Massignon’s intellectual framework significantly influenced the Second Vatican Council, particularly the document Nostra aetate, which formally recognized Abraham as a common ancestor. By bridging his deep Catholic faith with his expertise in Islam, Massignon provided a theological foundation for interfaith dialogue that moved beyond earlier, more limited "Judeo-Christian" classifications, ultimately shaping modern discourse on religious coexistence.1