Early Christian-Muslim Debate on the Unity of God: Three Christian Scholars and Their Engagement With Islamic Thought (9th Century C.E.)

254 Pages·2014·0.96 MB·English

by  Sara Leila Husseini

Early Christian-Muslim Debate on the Unity of God
History of Christian-Muslim Relations
Editorial Board
David Thomas (University of Birmingham)
Tarif Khalidi (American University of Beirut)
Gabriel Said Reynolds (University of Notre Dame)
Mark Swanson (Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago)
VOLUME 21
Christians and Muslims have been involved in exchanges over matters of faith and morality
since the founding of Islam. Attitudes between the faiths today are deeply coloured by the
legacy of past encounters, and often preserve centuries-old negative views.
The History of Christian-Muslim Relations, Texts and Studies presents the surviving
record of past encounters in authoritative, fully introduced text editions and annotated
translations, and also monograph and collected studies. It illustrates the development
in mutual perceptions as these are contained in surviving Christian and Muslim writings,
and makes available the arguments and rhetorical strategies that, for good or for ill, have
left their mark on attitudes today. The series casts light on a history marked by intellectual
creativity and occasional breakthroughs in communication, although, on the whole beset by
misunderstanding and misrepresentation. By making this history better known, the series
seeks to contribute to improved recognition between Christians and Muslims in the future.
The titles published in this series are listed at brill.com/hcmr
Early Christian-Muslim Debate
on the Unity of God
Three Christian Scholars and Their Engagement with
Islamic Thought (9th Century C.E.)
By
Sara Leila Husseini
LEIDEN | BOSTON
Cover illustration: Mar Saba Monastery, Palestine. Photograph by Enas al-Muthaffar, 2014.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Husseini, Sara Leila.
 Early Christian-Muslim debate on the unity of God : three Christian scholars and their engagement with
Islamic thought (9th century c.e.) / by Sara Leila Husseini.
  pages cm. — (History of Christian-Muslim relations ; 21)
 Includes bibliographical references and index.
 ISBN 978-90-04-27838-7 (hardback : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-90-04-27969-8 (e-book) 1. God—
Simplicity—History of doctrines. 2. God (Islam). 3. Christianity and other religions—Islam.
4. Islam—Relations—Christianity. I. Title.
 BT148.H87 2014
 231’.04409175927—dc23
2014020987
This publication has been typeset in the multilingual ‘Brill’ typeface. With over 5,100 characters covering
Latin, ipa, Greek, and Cyrillic, this typeface is especially suitable for use in the humanities.
For more information, please see brill.com/brill-typeface.
issn 1570-7350
isbn 978 90 04 27838 7 (hardback)
isbn 978 90 04 27969 8 (e-book)
Copyright 2014 by Koninklijke Brill nv, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Koninklijke Brill nv incorporates the imprints Brill, Brill Nijhoff, Global Oriental and Hotei Publishing.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system,
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This book is printed on acid-free paper.
To my mother Mary Elizabeth and my father Rafiq Haidar Husseini
For their unwavering love, unending support and utter faith.
∵

Contents
Acknowledgements  xi
Introduction  1
Part 1
Three Arabic-Speaking Christian Theologians and Their
Writings on the Doctrine of the Trinity (c. 800–850)
1 Historical and Intellectual Environment  11
Christians in the Islamic Empire: Historical Social and Linguistic
Contexts  11
Historical Context  11
Social Context  12
Linguistic Environment  17
Christian Theologising on the Trinity  21
Philoxenus of Mabbug (d. 523)  24
John of Damascus (c. 675–c. 754)  26
Muslim Theologising on the Nature and Unity of God  30
Abū al Hudhayl (c. 750–c. 840)  33
Ibn Kullāb (d.c. 855)  35
Nature of kalām  37
Muslim Criticisms of the Doctrine of the Trinity  40
2 Theodore Abū Qurra (c. 750–c. 830)  47
Background  47
Biography  47
Historical Context  48
Intellectual Context  51
Works Relating to the Trinity  53
Setting the Context  55
Relationship between Faith and Reason  55
Christianity as the True Religion  56
Explanation of the Trinity  58
Scriptural Proofs  59
Rational Analogies  61
Attributes of God  64
viii contents
Response to Muslim Questions  68
Theodore Abū Qurra’s Understanding of the Nature of God  74
3 Abū Rāʾiṭa Al-Takrītī (c. 755–c. 835)  77
Background  77
Biography  77
Historical Context  78
Intellectual Context  79
Works Relating to the Trinity  80
Setting the Context  83
Agreement that God is One  83
Explanation of the Trinity  86
Types of Oneness  86
Absolute vs. Relative Names  88
Response to Muslim Questions  97
Abū Rāʾiṭa’s Understanding of the Nature of God  99
4 ʿAmmār al-Baṣrī (d.c. 840)  105
Background  105
Biography  105
Historical Context  105
Intellectual Context  107
Works Relating to the Trinity  109
Setting the Context  112
What can be Known about God  112
Criticism of the Teaching that God has no ‘Word’ or ‘Life’  115
God’s Relationship to His Word and Life  118
Explanation of the Trinity  120
Four ‘Categories’  120
‘One and Three’ is Not a Numerical Issue  123
Al-uqnūm and the Relationship Between Substance and
Hypostases  124
Biblical Proofs  128
Response to Muslim Questions  131
ʿAmmār’s Understanding of the Nature of God  136
contents ix
Part 2
The Role and Function of Christian Explanations of the
Trinity in Arabic
5 The Tools of Christian Arabic Apologetic and Polemic  143
Analogy and Metaphor  143
Scriptural Proofs  154
Terminology  161
Rational and Logical Proofs  174
‘The Unity of Species’  174
‘A Question for the Muslims’  179
‘The Headship of God’  179
‘Three is the Perfect Number’  180
The “Attribute-Apology”  181
6 Christian Theologians Employing Muslim Theology  187
Priorities, Emphases and Engagement with Islamic Thought  187
Abū Qurra  187
Abū Rāʾiṭa  193
ʿAmmār al-Baṣrī  198
The Role of Christian Arabic Works  203
Audience and Purpose  203
The Place of Early Christian Theology in Arabic  205
Conclusion  212
Bibliography  217
Bible of Qur’an Citations  228
Index of People and Places  229
Subject Index  233