Appropriating Christian scriptures in a Muslim refutation of Christianity: the case of Al-radd al-jamīl attributed to al-Ghazālī

Al-radd al-jamīl li-ilāhiyyat ‘Isā bi-sarīh al-injīl (A fitting refutation of the divinity of Jesus from the evidence of the Gospel) attributed to Abū ?āmid al-Ghazālī (d. 1111) shares with previous Muslim refutations of the divinity of Christ in referring to texts from the gospels that clearly show...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Islam and Christian-Muslim relations
Main Author: Beaumont, Ivor Mark (Author)
Format: Electronic/Print Article
Language:English
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Published: Routledge [2011]
In: Islam and Christian-Muslim relations
Further subjects:B humanity of Jesus
B union with God
B Miracles
B prophethood
B Muslim polemicists
B Divinity of Christ
B fatherhood of God
B Metaphorical Language
B sonship of Christ
Online Access: Volltext (doi)
Description
Summary:Al-radd al-jamīl li-ilāhiyyat ‘Isā bi-sarīh al-injīl (A fitting refutation of the divinity of Jesus from the evidence of the Gospel) attributed to Abū ?āmid al-Ghazālī (d. 1111) shares with previous Muslim refutations of the divinity of Christ in referring to texts from the gospels that clearly show a human Jesus differentiated from God. Unlike most of the others, however, this refutation quotes passages that appear to support a divine Christ, and argues that they should be read metaphorically. Moreover, it also appeals to the preaching of Peter from the Acts of the Apostles and to the letters of Paul and John to substantiate these claims arising from this reading of the gospels. This appropriation of the apostolic witness to Jesus beyond the gospels contrasts with earlier Muslim polemic, which largely attacked apostolic writing for betraying the true prophetic teaching of Jesus. A fitting refutation demonstrates both a broader and a deeper use of Christian scripture to support a proper Islamic perception than any other work of anti-Christian polemic in the Abbasid period.
ISSN:0959-6410
Contains:Enthalten in: Islam and Christian-Muslim relations
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1080/09596410.2011.543596