Defending Christian Faith

Abjar Bahkou

Open Access Published by De Gruyter Open Poland 2014

Defending Christian Faith

The Fifth Part of the Christian Apology of Gerasimus

Abjar Bahkou

https://doi.org/10.2478/9783110375817

Overview
Contents

About this book

Open Access

The book by Abjar Bakhou presents Medieval Christian author Gerasimus and his discussion with Islam. His aim was to show that Christian teachings are not irrational, but rather subtle and complex. As a Christian philosopher and theologian, Gerasimus used the experiences of those of the past to facilitate his own response to critics. However, two important differences separated him from earlier apologists, which demand his own insight and innovation. First, the new language of intellectual discourse was Arabic, which was not accommodating for expressing traditional Christian doctrine, and required the development of a vocabulary out of terms already heavily influenced by the Qur'anic worldview. Second, the new religion challenging Christianity was one of absolute monotheism, which shared neither a common scriptural nor cultural heritage, and rejected the very possibility of a Trinity and Incarnation.
Although a common theme in early Christian apologetics was the refutation of Judaism, the debate generally centered on the interpretation of the Old Testament, showing that Jesus was indeed the Messiah. The Qur'an, while acknowledging Jesus as the Messiah, explicitly rejects the Christian doctrines of the Incarnation and the Trinity, and presents itself as the revelation, which supersedes all previous revelation. Thus, although Christians and Muslims share certain themes and figures (such as Creation and the Last Judgement, Abraham, Moses, Mary and Jesus), Muslims refuse evidence contrary to the Qur'an, leaving Christians without recourse to traditional scripture-based arguments. Gerasimus, as a Christian apologist and mutakallim, accepted these challenges and began the process of explaining and translating his faith in the new milieu to make it coherent and rational. In his treatise, Gerasimus reveals himself to be a full participant in this important period of intellectual history; he sets down the basic points of controversy and outlines a response to them in a form that would be an excellent introduction to Christian theology written for the Muslim environment.
Gerasimus was also a mutakallim in his own right, the Christian counterpart to those Islamic scholars who sought to defend their faith through rational arguments. In an effort to argue the legitimacy of Christianity, Gerasimus attempts to create a common language that influences the meaning of terminology and concepts of intellectual development in Muslim - Christian debates. Such language would set the stage for centuries to come. This is certainly his greatest contribution.

Medieval Arab Christians and Muslim Debates

Author information

Abjar Bakhou, Baylor University, Waco Texas, USA

Reviews

"The major achievement of the volume is the edition of the Arabic text (67—102) and its English translation (103—140). B[ahkou] organizes and systematically numbers the entire text, thus providing a sound basis for future research, including an Arabic »Index of the Most Important Words in Arabic» (148—160). Through his laudable efforts, B. has made this witness of Christian-Muslim relation accessible to a broader range of readers. [...] his book represents a welcome contribution to the facilitation of our knowledge of the textual sources, that will futher aid in our understanding of the historical roots behind the ongoing interreligious dialogue between Muslims and Christians."
Manolis M. Ulrbicht in: Theologische Literaturzeitung 142 (2017), 11, 1211-1213

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	I
Acknowledgments Publicly Available Download PDF	VI
Foreword Publicly Available Download PDF	VII
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	IX
General Introduction Publicly Available Download PDF	1
1 Author and Manuscripts Publicly Available Download PDF	5
2 An Overview of the Apology Publicly Available Download PDF	11
3 Analysis of the Analogies Used in the Apology Publicly Available Download PDF	28
4 An Analysis of Part 5 Publicly Available Download PDF	41
The Text in Arabic Publicly Available Download PDF	67
English Translation Publicly Available Download PDF	103
General Conclusion Publicly Available Download PDF	141
Index of the Most Important Words in Arabic Publicly Available Download PDF	148
Bibliography Publicly Available Download PDF	161

(Deutsch)

Language: English
Publisher: De Gruyter Open Poland
Audience: Scholars and ordinary readers interested in the History of Muslims Christian dialogue and Arabic Christian Studies
Pages
- Main content: 178

eBook

Published: May 19, 2015
ISBN: 9783110375817

Hardcover

Published: March 19, 2015
ISBN: 9783110375800