Search

In popular discourse, it is not uncommon to highlight the distinctiveness of systems of "Eastern thought" (e.g., Daoism) in contrast to so-called "Western" systems. However, there is an interesting congruence between Daoism and Meister Eckhart's mystical theology, particularly in regard to the concepts of the Dao and the Godhead. Like the Dao, the Godhead is the "ground" of all being, simultaneously radically transcendent and immanent, considered as distinct from all things and yet the enfolded totality of them. Both these concepts are also dynamic principles, continually manifesting in the flux of the ever-changing universe. In both systems, nature at its fundamental level is characterized by namelessness, emptiness, encompassment, and dynamism. Nature as "ground" is also a religio-ethical concept. Humans are called to align with this ground and enter into a state of wandering joy, called wuwei (non-action) in Daoism and the "wayless way" for Eckhart. Through reverting to their indeterminate source, the person is able to become detached from rigid teleological norms. Thus is laid the foundation for an ethics of non-attachment, wherein individuals dwell in an existential flow and are attuned to all yet anchored unquestionably to none. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focusing on the Christian side, the author applies Bernard Lonergan's three-fold structure of progress, decline, and redemption to Christian-Muslim history. The author identifies moments of each vector in the wider history—Arab-Christian apologetics (progress), demonization of Islam (decline), nonviolent witnesses (redemption). The author then highlights a twentieth-century example of development-progress and redemption, namely the cumulative insights of Charles de Foucauld, Louis Massignon, and Christian de Chergé, which led to and built upon the Vatican II statements about Muslims-Islam. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Even though we encounter a common exchange between the categories of God and Īśvara or the Brahman in both scholarly works and faith communities, there are deeper and irreconcilable differences in these absolutes from two different cultures. A naive approach to flatten the cultural horizons has engendered more confusion than has created a cultural harmony. Any cultural acceptance based on misconceptions is destined to fail and if we seek to ground cultural understanding, we have to acknowledge their underlying differences. This paper seeks to underscore the central difference in two cultures by examining their absolutes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dialogue between and comparative research into Christianity and Buddhism theoretically involve the issues of self and other. Faced with the cultural reality of religious diversity, theologies of religions provide four modes of dialogue through which Christianity can interface with religious others. The exploration of the infinite and transcendent traits of otherness in contemporary phenomenological philosophy, as well as the emphasis on differences in postmodern philosophy, contributes to maintaining a clear awareness of otherness and self-identity in the Buddhist–Christian dialogue. Following the dialogical path in comparative theology, which leads one out of oneself, into the other, and back into oneself, in experimental Buddhist-Christian dialogue activities, both Christianity and Buddhism figure as the self and the other. If they openly accept each other's otherness and heterogeneity, view each other as mirrors, and criticize and reflect on themselves, then creative insights into themselves will ultimately be generated. Their selves will be rediscovered, and their understanding and expression will be updated. Reflecting on the Buddhist–Christian dialogue from four aspects, namely, ultimate realism, cosmology, ethics, and religious ideals, can eliminate some misunderstandings and deepen both parties' understandings of themselves and others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comparative theology aims at seeing one's own tradition and the other in light of each other, which calls for a solid methodological foundation. Comparative theology can benefit from a global historical approach that involves the hermeneutic project of tracing historical trajectories of reinterpreting ancient traditions comparatively and the postcolonial project of enhancing non-Western voices of self-articulation. This essay shows how modern reinterpretations of Augustinian Christianity and Tiantai Buddhism can reframe their ancient doctrines, drawing on relevant philosophical strands from Martin Heidegger, Hannah Arendt, Teruji Ishizu (石津 照璽), and Keiji Nishitani (西谷 啓治). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aims to supplement the work of previous scholars on Mahāyāna Theology by expanding the sources we use to compare Buddhist and Christian notions of embodiment. It advances three arguments: (i) Early Christian doctrines of the Holy Trinity and the Incarnation, especially so-called angelomorphic conceptions of the Son and the Spirit, are closer to classic notions of the Buddha's three bodies than many Christian theologians have realized; (ii) these similarities compel the Christian theologian to recognize the significance of conciliar definitions after Nicaea and Chalcedon for comparisons of Buddhist and Christian notions of embodiment; and (iii) the Franciscan-Augustinian tradition of Robert Grosseteste (1175–1253), St. Bonaventure of Bagnoregio (1221–1274), and Bl. John Duns Scotus (ca. 1266–1308) allows one to unite the pre-Nicaean and post-Nicaean traditions with a Christology sufficiently maximalist to interpret many Buddhist notions of embodiment favorably without losing sight of the identity of nature between the Trinitarian persons mandated by the logic of Nicaea and the difference in divine and human natures mandated by Chalcedon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In medieval India, the desire for "the unity of Brahman and Self" was present in the Vedānta tradition of Hinduism. Adi Śaṅkara, the master of Vedānta philosophy, proposed the six-fold sādhana: mind control, sense control, mental tranquility, endurance, potential faith, and concentration. These six-fold practices can help Vedānta followers realize unity with Brahman. In medieval Christianity, mysticism was regarded as an important path for Christians to seek a closer relationship with God. Pursuing "the unity of God and man" became the goal and direction of Christians at that time, which could be achieved through spirituality. Bonaventure, known as the Seraphic Doctor, was a representative figure of medieval Christian mysticism. He proposed six stages of spirituality: Sense, Imagination, Reason, Intelligence, Understanding, and Spark of Conscience, through which one can achieve unity with God. This article attempts to compare Bonaventure's theory of six stages of spirituality with Śaṅkara's idea of six-fold practice and discover the similarities and differences between Eastern and Western religious spirituality in the Middle Ages. Through this comparison, we can further explore the medieval religious believers' desire for ultimate reality and try to find the possibility of dialogue between Christianity and Advaita Vedānta. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides a brief background of how Comparative Theology is understood today, to point out features of how it is practiced that are responsive to issues peculiar to contemporary Catholicism, and to suggest how a version of CT might be developed that is more consistent with Islamic traditions of thought on related issues. In order to accomplish this last goal, a brief introduction to the traditional “Islamic sciences” is provided. It will be suggested that an Islamic Comparative Theology (ICT) can be understood as a multidisciplinary field that draws on several Islamic sciences, as well as research in religious studies. I argue in favor of a blurring of the distinction between Comparative Religion and Comparative Theology, and point out that relevant discussions are to be found across a variety of traditional Islamic sciences, but that it would be advantageous to collect these discussions together and to augment them with information gleaned from both secular and Islamic approaches to the teachings of Muslim thinkers about theological issues, broadly understood, in comparison with what is found in non-Islamic traditions in such a manner to enrich our own understandings of the issues and those with whom we engage in dialogue.

This comparative theological article expands on John Thiel's article on aporias in theological method. Through an Islamic theo-poetics, it complements the import of hermeneutics in theological method with poetics. In an Islamic theo-poetics, aporias are inverted: they are not impassable walls, but "liminal spaces" through which creative imagination and revelation emerge. Reading Eriugena's Periphyseon through two Persian love lyrics by Ḥāfiẓ (and a later commentary) draws out the poetics of the former, a dialogue often described as an exercise in dialectical reasoning. Attention to the poetics of aporetics offers another way to understand the role of aporia in theology: to cultivate (infinite) desire for God. Theology is a theo-poetic reflection on the mystery of our communal theo(poïe)sis. Along the way, I indicate how theology construed as poetics—not merely hermeneutics—makes theological aesthetics possible, underscores the role of affective knowledge, and reveals how Eriugena the poet shaped Eriugena the dialectician. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the nature of "asceticism" (rīyāḍat) in Sufism, revolving around the works of the 13th century Persian Sufi Mawlānā Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī Balkī and exploring two critical inquiries: Firstly, it seeks to determine whether Rūmī's mystical perspective on asceticism is world-rejecting or world-affirming. Secondly, it investigates potential parallels and divergences between Rūmī and Meister Eckhart's stances—specifically, through the Dominican's Sermons and Treatises—and assesses the implications for the two figures. In examining Rūmī's works, the current research primarily relies on secondary sources within the Persian intellectual tradition to provide an intracultural context. Utilizing horizontal and vertical interpretations, this study examines critical themes in Rūmī's works, such as love, detachment (zuhd), the world's deceptive nature, and seclusion. The findings reveal that Rūmī's asceticism is not "monastic" (ruhbānī); instead, it balances moderate abstinence and worldly engagement, underpinned by the Quran and the ḥadīth teachings. Rūmī and Eckhart underscore asceticism as an inner transformation rather than mere physical austerity, emphasizing inner purification, self-transcendence, and spiritual detachment as routes to divine unity. The two thinkers' teachings are catalysts for profound personal transformation and a more fulfilling life in today's world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Zeitschrift für Religionswissenschaft is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The new comparative theology is a branch of contemporary Christian theology that takes a different view of the ‘religious other’ and the theology of other religions. This tendency seeks to explore, re-read, and reinterpret the categories of faith with a comparative view, and to give a deep understanding of religious faith. Comparative theology faces a variety of approaches, and this diversity itself has raised the issue of the type of approach to this theology and the adoption of an appropriate position despite the ‘religious other’. Historical, confessional, and meta-confessional approaches can be identified in this theology that differ in method and purpose. The historical approach is the study of how theological transformations are formed in the context of interfaith relations in a historical way. The confessional approach is a way of deepening or enriching the truth of faith manifested in a particular tradition. The meta-confessional approach is a way of achieving a more universal understanding of religious truth. The main objective of the present study is to introduce and analyze the diversity of approaches in the new comparative theology and to examine which approach to comparative theology is successful. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides a brief background of how Comparative Theology is understood today, to point out features of how it is practiced that are responsive to issues peculiar to contemporary Catholicism, and to suggest how a version of CT might be developed that is more consistent with Islamic traditions of thought on related issues. In order to accomplish this last goal, a brief introduction to the traditional "Islamic sciences" is provided. It will be suggested that an Islamic Comparative Theology (ICT) can be understood as a multidisciplinary field that draws on several Islamic sciences, as well as research in religious studies. I argue in favor of a blurring of the distinction between Comparative Religion and Comparative Theology, and point out that relevant discussions are to be found across a variety of traditional Islamic sciences, but that it would be advantageous to collect these discussions together and to augment them with information gleaned from both secular and Islamic approaches to the teachings of Muslim thinkers about theological issues, broadly understood, in comparison with what is found in non-Islamic traditions in such a manner to enrich our own understandings of the issues and those with whom we engage in dialogue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current war waged by Russia against Ukraine once again sheds light on the ambivalent role of religion in violent conflicts, and especially the use of religious figures for imperialist political strategies. In this context, Mary is of particular interest, as she serves in Christian history (and presence) as the Queen of Peace, but could also take on characteristics of a warrior goddess. I suggest that investigating the complex use and abuse of Mary for imperialist strategies in the context of Christian–Muslim encounters can give some hints for overcoming the ever-present seduction of theopolitical imperialism, especially with regard to the current developments in parts of (Orthodox) Christian theology. Thus, I will first outline the premises of a political theology dedicated to peace that can only be worked out in a permanent polylogue of religions. Second, a historical overview shows the deep ambivalence of Mary as a theopolitical figure, particularly in the context of Christian–Muslim encounters. Thus, it is even more surprising that, thirdly, a close comparative reading of the Qur'anic Maryam can help to overcome the imperial theopolitical seduction. Finally, I will draw some conclusions about a theology of peace with particular regard to our conflictive times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous Christian assessments of the Prophet Muḥammad generally fall within two categories. The first asks whether or how he may be considered a post-canonical prophet. In the second, both Christians and Muslims sidestep the inquiry and advocate for the 'two Words' analogy (comparing Muḥammad to Mary and the Qur'an to Jesus the incarnate Word). However, attending to Muslim lived religion in postcolonial and diasporic contexts reveals an alternative, emic account of the meaning of prophecy and revelation in Islam: the embodied, emplaced and enacted experience of Muḥammad through poetry in praise of the Prophet and Prophetic beauty. Theological aesthetics prepares us for decolonizing Christian assessments of the Prophet Muḥammad through Muslim popular piety and vernacular traditions. A decolonial understanding of the experience of the Prophet suggests that his place in the experience of Muslims is unlike the way Christians relate to prophets, generally, and more akin to how Christians relate to Jesus--in both lived religion and elite discourse. While the 'two Words' analogy still has an important role to play, Christians would do well to rethink and decolonize their assessments of the Prophet Muḥammad through the lived religion--and elite discourses--of poetry in praise of the Prophet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Österreichisches Religionspädagogisches Forum (ÖRF) is the property of Osterreichisches Religionspadagogisches Forum and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In Laudato Si', Pope Francis highlights the oceans as integral to our threatened common home and stresses the need for more effective ocean governance. Theologians can help to meet that need. By turning their attention to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and its further development, and by practicing "ocean empathy," they can join ocean scientists, NGOs, international lawyers, and others in caring for the oceans by shoring up the law of the sea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Much depends on questions of belonging and home. If one must, by definition, belong to a single home community to do theology, then the use of the term "theology" in both comparative theology and Theology Without Walls is equivocal. Transreligious theologians refuse to stipulate that theology must be done for a theologian's home community. But the term "theology" might be understood in another sense—the existentially invested quest for religious truth that does not require a primary religious home. With this understanding, theology is existentially serious and committed reflection, whereas truth-seeking that entails no existential commitment (with or without a home) might go by another label, such as "philosophy of religion." After all, the philosopher of religion may well be agnostic or atheist. But two further sets of distinctions must follow: 1) the distinction between a) transformative truth accessed through the specific therapeutic regimes of a particular home tradition and b) public truth that requires no transformation but only publicly defensible epistemological warrants; and 2) the means of arriving at a) transformative truth on the one side and b) publicly available truth claims on the other. What I know by way of experience (anubhava) or a scriptural revelation (śruti) is particular to how my tradition accesses transformative truth. When I seek to publicly defend the content of that experience or scripture, I must engage all comers by means of knowing and disputation that are acceptable to all and do not depend on belonging to or accepting the internal norms of a home tradition. Avoiding muddled debates between comparative theology and TWW requires keeping these distinctions in view. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article looks at the contrasting senses of home in comparative theological engagement that launches from a home tradition, with norm-driven accountability, and transreligious theology that creates home on the fly as a shifting matrix of meaningful touch points in conversation with endless others, with a more dynamic and transactional form of accountability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay addresses the question of the home of the comparative theologian, arguing that it is not inappropriate for a theologian to have a home, whence the comparative theological work is undertaken, and to which one returns after deep inter-religious learning. Inter-religious learning impresses upon us the value of having a home; certain poetic traditions make it almost impossible to imagine writing from nowhere, without a strong sense of personal place and of the place one visits in study. "Having a home" is also a matter of being willing to be accountable, explaining oneself to the community to which one belongs. The essay speaks of the author's many visits to India, showing how they have accentuated the dynamics of home, going abroad, and returning home. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is the last in a series that discuss the importance of the notion of "home" in comparative theology. It discusses the ambiguity of identifying a religious tradition as home and focuses on the notion's epistemological, ontological, and experiential aspects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dialogue between and comparative research into Christianity and Buddhism theoretically involve the issues of self and other. Faced with the cultural reality of religious diversity, theologies of religions provide four modes of dialogue through which Christianity can interface with religious others. The exploration of the infinite and transcendent traits of otherness in contemporary phenomenological philosophy, as well as the emphasis on differences in postmodern philosophy, contributes to maintaining a clear awareness of otherness and self-identity in the Buddhist–Christian dialogue. Following the dialogical path in comparative theology, which leads one out of oneself, into the other, and back into oneself, in experimental Buddhist-Christian dialogue activities, both Christianity and Buddhism figure as the self and the other. If they openly accept each other’s otherness and heterogeneity, view each other as mirrors, and criticize and reflect on themselves, then creative insights into themselves will ultimately be generated. Their selves will be rediscovered, and their understanding and expression will be updated. Reflecting on the Buddhist–Christian dialogue from four aspects, namely, ultimate realism, cosmology, ethics, and religious ideals, can eliminate some misunderstandings and deepen both parties’ understandings of themselves and others.

This essay aims to analyze comparatively similarities and differences found in Christian and Zen Buddhist forms of "mysticism." Drawing on the works of Evelyn Underhill and D. T. Suzuki, it explores how the Christian prayers of Recollection, Quiet, and Contemplation can be paralleled by various aspects of Zen meditation, such as koan and zazen. The main comparative analytical tool critically adapts two connected but distinct methodologies from Donald Mitchell and Michael Washburn. It also draws on aspects of New Comparative Theology. While maintaining a critical stance toward syncretism, it argues that the mysticism of Underhill and Suzuki provides multidimensional and interreligious paths to spiritual transformation, contributing positively to creative exercises in comparative theology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines and explores the importance of interreligious dialogue within the multireligious and multicultural communities. The dialogical tool to be used in this endeavor is Comparative Theology. Through the literature review, the scenario of religiously diverse communities, especially in South Africa, is painted both historically and sociologically. Comparative Theology is defined and historically identified. Theology of dialogue is brought forth as a method that Comparative Theology can use towards social harmony in pluralistic South Africa. Social harmony as a sociological anticipation is defined and related to theology. Social harmony is presented as the form of collective philosophy, which means working together for the greater good, and putting the societal or organisational needs above and ahead of the needs of an individual. The intention is not to convert but to understand and see how harmonious coexistence can be initiated and achieved. Interreligious dialogue is not an initiative of weighing error from truth. It is an engagement with the other, and as dialogical partners coming from different traditions, Comparative Theologians provide guidelines towards this dialogue. Reflective suggestions are highlighted, and these are networking and partnership development for human survival. Christ's example of crossing the cultural and religious barriers is elaborated as a model to follow. Contact without contamination is the driving force. Disengagement and personal insulation are not an ideal option. Christian theologians are encouraged to engage dialogically with people of different religions, as dialogue is the better option towards understanding of the other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In medieval India, the desire for “the unity of Brahman and Self” was present in the Vedānta tradition of Hinduism. Adi Śaṅkara, the master of Vedānta philosophy, proposed the six-fold sādhana: mind control, sense control, mental tranquility, endurance, potential faith, and concentration. These six-fold practices can help Vedānta followers realize unity with Brahman. In medieval Christianity, mysticism was regarded as an important path for Christians to seek a closer relationship with God. Pursuing “the unity of God and man” became the goal and direction of Christians at that time, which could be achieved through spirituality. Bonaventure, known as the Seraphic Doctor, was a representative figure of medieval Christian mysticism. He proposed six stages of spirituality: Sense, Imagination, Reason, Intelligence, Understanding, and Spark of Conscience, through which one can achieve unity with God. This article attempts to compare Bonaventure’s theory of six stages of spirituality with Śaṅkara’s idea of six-fold practice and discover the similarities and differences between Eastern and Western religious spirituality in the Middle Ages. Through this comparison, we can further explore the medieval religious believers’ desire for ultimate reality and try to find the possibility of dialogue between Christianity and Advaita Vedānta.

This paper examines the nature of “asceticism” (rīyāḍat) in Sufism, revolving around the works of the 13th century Persian Sufi Mawlānā Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī Balkī and exploring two critical inquiries: Firstly, it seeks to determine whether Rūmī’s mystical perspective on asceticism is world-rejecting or world-affirming. Secondly, it investigates potential parallels and divergences between Rūmī and Meister Eckhart’s stances—specifically, through the Dominican’s Sermons and Treatises—and assesses the implications for the two figures. In examining Rūmī’s works, the current research primarily relies on secondary sources within the Persian intellectual tradition to provide an intracultural context. Utilizing horizontal and vertical interpretations, this study examines critical themes in Rūmī’s works, such as love, detachment (zuhd), the world’s deceptive nature, and seclusion. The findings reveal that Rūmī’s asceticism is not “monastic” (ruhbānī); instead, it balances moderate abstinence and worldly engagement, underpinned by the Quran and the ḥadīth teachings. Rūmī and Eckhart underscore asceticism as an inner transformation rather than mere physical austerity, emphasizing inner purification, self-transcendence, and spiritual detachment as routes to divine unity. The two thinkers’ teachings are catalysts for profound personal transformation and a more fulfilling life in today’s world.

This article examines and explores the importance of interreligious dialogue within the multireligious and multicultural communities. The dialogical tool to be used in this endeavor is Comparative Theology. Through the literature review, the scenario of religiously diverse communities, especially in South Africa, is painted both historically and sociologically. Comparative Theology is defined and historically identified. Theology of dialogue is brought forth as a method that Comparative Theology can use towards social harmony in pluralistic South Africa. Social harmony as a sociological anticipation is defined and related to theology. Social harmony is presented as the form of collective philosophy, which means working together for the greater good, and putting the societal or organisational needs above and ahead of the needs of an individual. The intention is not to convert but to understand and see how harmonious coexistence can be initiated and achieved. Interreligious dialogue is not an initiative of weighing error from truth. It is an engagement with the other, and as dialogical partners coming from different traditions, Comparative Theologians provide guidelines towards this dialogue. Reflective suggestions are highlighted, and these are networking and partnership development for human survival. Christ’s example of crossing the cultural and religious barriers is elaborated as a model to follow. Contact without contamination is the driving force. Disengagement and personal insulation are not an ideal option. Christian theologians are encouraged to engage dialogically with people of different religions, as dialogue is the better option towards understanding of the other.

In this paper, a conversation is initiated about the relationship between religious education (RE) and comparative theology (CT). It is the first time that these are both addressed explicitly in an international academic discourse. The authors are colleagues in a university setting of RE teacher education and are both involved in local RE research programs. Our approach is theological, and our shared interest is the existential lifeworld of children and young people. Firstly, we wish to bring RE and CT into conversation with each other, based on five common characteristics. Secondly, we describe how this conversation can possibly stimulate discussion on new pathways of intercultural encounters in the RE classroom, and this not only from a German (mainly confessional) perspective but also in light of other forms of non-confessional RE. After a (1) contextualization of RE in Germany, the authors describe (2) five central features of contemporary RE, followed by (3) five CT observations, connecting to these features. In (4), the relationship between the two is discussed as common ground for intercultural encounters and as a promising praxis and research field awaiting further development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paul was a mystic. So claimed scholars from Adolf Deissmann to Albert Schweitzer. Others disagreed, figures no less significant than Rudolf Bultmann, Karl Barth and Ernst Käsemann. The pro-mystic group argued that Paul's theological message was best understood if set within the context of Hellenistic or Jewish mysticism. The anti-mystic group could not tolerate any similarity of that sort, which, in their opinion, would damage Paul's uniqueness. The disagreement among biblical scholars can be traced back to more general misgivings about mysticism in European thought. After surveying the reception history of Paul's mysticism, and relying on the ideological critique of religious studies, I argue that the discomfort with a 'mystical' Paul may be attributed to the construction of a rational Christian self, where the 'mystical' is othered altogether. In addition to a historical reading of Paul in the context of Jewish mysticism, it may be helpful to read him in comparison with Islamic mysticism. Hence some Pauline passages are compared with passages from Sufi literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prophet Yaḥyā (John the Baptist) is considered to be a bridge between Islam and Christianity. Both traditions emphasize that he is a 'rightly-guided' figure and among the company of 'the righteous' such as Abraham and Moses. The story of Yaḥyā is included in two chapters (Q. 3: 39 and Q. 19: 12–14) in the Qur'an. Canonical Gospels also provide various aspects of John the Baptist. Muslim commentators have used biblical and other sources in their interpretation of the Qur'an, elaborating some aspects of his life within the Qur'anic theological framework. Whereas various similarities may be seen in narratives of Islamic sources and the biblical sources regarding Prophet Yaḥyā, some differences are present. Therefore, this article seeks to provide an analysis on the story of Prophet Yaḥyā through Qur'anic narratives. It also investigates the classical exegetical approach to such a comparative reading (isrā'īliyyāt, biblical materials) and a modern tendency of direct citations from the Bible. Relying on the framework of comparative theology, considered as "welcoming wisdom wherever it exists" and "faith seeking understanding" in light of truth seen deeply in other religious tradition, such mutual close readings and interactions across religious traditions could be a good model for the Muslim world, instead of a fully rejectionist fundamentalist discourse against other traditions. Such a pluralist approach emphasizes a global raising of awareness and mutual understanding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current war waged by Russia against Ukraine once again sheds light on the ambivalent role of religion in violent conflicts, and especially the use of religious figures for imperialist political strategies. In this context, Mary is of particular interest, as she serves in Christian history (and presence) as the Queen of Peace, but could also take on characteristics of a warrior goddess. I suggest that investigating the complex use and abuse of Mary for imperialist strategies in the context of Christian–Muslim encounters can give some hints for overcoming the ever-present seduction of theopolitical imperialism, especially with regard to the current developments in parts of (Orthodox) Christian theology. Thus, I will first outline the premises of a political theology dedicated to peace that can only be worked out in a permanent polylogue of religions. Second, a historical overview shows the deep ambivalence of Mary as a theopolitical figure, particularly in the context of Christian–Muslim encounters. Thus, it is even more surprising that, thirdly, a close comparative reading of the Qur’anic Maryam can help to overcome the imperial theopolitical seduction. Finally, I will draw some conclusions about a theology of peace with particular regard to our conflictive times.

This essay explores Henri de Lubac's encounter with Buddhism as a pioneering exercise in comparative theology. It has been established that his interest in Japanese Buddhism was influenced by his interest in grace. After an overview of de Lubac's lifelong interest in Buddhism and the influence of his interest in grace on his Buddhist studies, the essay identifies the Buddhist themes and parallels in de Lubac's "temptations of the church." Whether he was explicitly influenced by Buddhism in his reflections on the church cannot be determined, but it offers a fruitful exercise in comparative theology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A cursory reading of Rūmī's Maṯnawī suggests that the author follows the dominant Qur'ānic interpretation denying Jesus Christ's Crucifixion. Closer analysis demonstrates, however, that Rūmī interprets the Cross and considers its spiritual significance in a subtle and symbolic way. This study addresses this contradiction by developing a synthesis that clarifies Rūmī's spiritual anthropology. In the Islamic context, his writing constitutes a significant attempt to understand and interpret the Christian Scriptures and overcome sensitive points of conflict that are considered dividing lines between the faiths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Divine freedom is reviewed with respect to three important themes: fate, revisions in divine decisions, and divine obligations. A study of the first theme yields the conclusion that God is free because He has absolute power and authority. In addition, God is free in relation to human beings in the sense that He can do what they do not expect. This theme is found under the heading of decree and measure, qaḍāʾ and qadar. Theologians have also grappled with the problem that the divine decrees appear to change, and on the tablet containing the divine decrees, there can be changes and erasures. This leads to the second topic, badāʾ, the apparent revision of divine decisions, which the theologians treat as abrogations of commands. God can be understood to foster a relationship with us in which He will appear to us as free to respond to our changing conditions, especially prayer and repentance. Finally, the obligations God sets for Himself and reveals to us through scripture are considered. This indicates a kind of divine freedom that only has meaning in the loving relationship between God and His servants that is cultivated through divine revelation. It is then suggested that these various dimensions of divine freedom can best be understood through complementing philosophical and scriptural approaches to the issues and that the understanding of this kind of synthetic hermeneutics can be deepened through comparative theology.

This entry examines the way Christian theology has responded to the challenge of non-Christian religions in the last century. Key topics central to this response have been ecclesiology, the use of scripture, Christology and trinitarian theology, revelation, mission, and dialogue. It is the application and exploration of these doctrines as they bear upon non-Christian religions that constitutes theology of religions. Theology of religions is contestably internal to the logic of Christian doctrines: it has asked questions about whether revelation is present in non-Christian religions, whether this ‘revelation’ is salvific or not, corrupted or not, or enough to damn or preserve the non-Christian. It has led to debates about the status of non-Christian religions and their value. It has led to discussions about the nature of the church and of mission. When non-Christians respond to these theologies, as is increasingly the case, it requires Christian theologians to refine, adapt, and develop their theories to take account of questions and difficulties; but the voice of non-Christians as such does not have dogmatic or doctrinal ‘authority’ within Christian discourse. All these theological claims are contested in the literature. This entry examines inclusivism, exclusivism, pluralism, and particularism as Christian theological responses to non-Christian religions. It also introduces some later developments arising out of Christian theology of religions: comparative theology, scriptural reasoning, intercultural theology, and dual/multiple belonging. These have tended to move away from soteriocentric and truth questions, enquiring into forms of learning from engagement with non-Christians and the internal plurality that constitutes ‘religious’ identity. These new developments have an underlying theology (which can vary) and their focus is not always ‘theological’ in the way traditionally construed. This entry is not primarily focused on the phenomenology of religions – that is, on an interest in the world religions in themselves and the scientific tools required for that task. Rather, it is centred on intra-Christian theological issues.

Dialogue has the power to calm the conflicts, misunderstandings and prejudices among people of different cultures, religions, theologies and worldviews. This article points out that theology and dialogue are inseparable. It endeavours to find a definition of dialogue and its role in theology and how theology expresses itself through dialogue. The church speaks through dialogue, and theology’s voice is heard mostly from and through the church. It is a dialogue that spearheads the shape and formation of theology. All the biblical dialogues are theological in content. The role played by the biblical text during the dialogical processes is very important. A theologian affirms and embraces the text through communicating with it. He or she must always attempt to engage the movements and the thoughts of the text. Texts are primarily powerful instruments of groups and only second-line power tools of individuals. The principles of comparative theology are ideal in any dialogue. Dialogues are the meeting points of theology and dialogist as the confessors express themselves to God through dialogue. The dialogical spaces become sacred spaces because it is where dialogue partners encounter a common commitment to justice. Dialogues are not necessarily theological because non-Christian religions and natural sciences are encountered in and through dialogues. Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: This article acknowledges the realities of civil strife in the communities and that this strife creates walls between the people. A solution to this tension is that theology through dialogue should engage all sciences, natural or social, for harmonious co-existence within humanity.

Copyright of Naqd Va Nazar is the property of Islamic Sciences & Culture Academy and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

For Christian theology to learn from Muslims, it cannot simply cross over into Islamic thought by reading Muslim texts or appropriating Islamic ideas. The Christian theologian must find a way to attend to the history of Christian-Muslim polemics in a non-confrontational fashion that still accounts for disagreement and difference. Many Muslim voices offer profound and challenging questions concerning Christian theology. This essay proposes that Christian theology can engage with Islamic thought as a key resource in the theological quest for a more truthful and just witness to God. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]