Research Article

How Could Early Christians Be Wrong? The Role of Fahm al-Salaf in the Biblical Hermeneutics of Ibn Taymiyyah and Michael Servetus

Volume: 10 Number: 2 December 31, 2019
  • Mohammad Abu Shareea
EN

How Could Early Christians Be Wrong? The Role of Fahm al-Salaf in the Biblical Hermeneutics of Ibn Taymiyyah and Michael Servetus

Abstract

This study comparatively examines the centrality of the argument about early authorities’ understanding of scripture within the biblical hermeneutics of Ibn Taymiyyah (d. 728/1328) and Michael Servetus (d. 1553). It concludes that both figures aimed to examine mainstream Christianity through similar ante-Nicene biblical hermeneutics. The topics of this hermeneutics include linguistic analysis, scriptural usage of a term, historical contexts of a term, scriptural harmony, and early authorities’ understanding of scripture. However, they had different interpretations of the whole Christian tradition for two main reasons. First, they had two different faith commitments, namely, Ibn Taymiyyah was a Muslim and Servetus was a Christian. The second reason is their different scopes of examining the Christian tradition when approaching the testimonies of the ante-Nicene fathers, which is understood in this study as fahm al-Salaf. Accordingly, the study argues for three conclusions. First, the logical conclusions of Servetus’s hermeneutics should have led to Joseph Priestley’s concept of God. Second, if Ibn Taymiyyah had access to the writings of the ante-Nicene fathers, then he would have argued for the Ebionites. Third, that a critical question could be presented by Christians to the Muslim audience regarding the divinity of Jesus is the argument from tawātur maʿnawī (thematic recurrent mass transmission).

Keywords

References

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Religious Studies

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

Mohammad Abu Shareea This is me
0000-0003-1762-6352
United Kingdom

Publication Date

December 31, 2019

Submission Date

July 29, 2019

Acceptance Date

October 27, 2019

Published in Issue

Year 2019 Volume: 10 Number: 2

APA
Abu Shareea, M. (2019). How Could Early Christians Be Wrong? The Role of Fahm al-Salaf in the Biblical Hermeneutics of Ibn Taymiyyah and Michael Servetus. Ilahiyat Studies, 10(2), 183-228. https://doi.org/10.12730/13091719.2019.102.195
AMA
1.Abu Shareea M. How Could Early Christians Be Wrong? The Role of Fahm al-Salaf in the Biblical Hermeneutics of Ibn Taymiyyah and Michael Servetus. IS. 2019;10(2):183-228. doi:10.12730/13091719.2019.102.195
Chicago
Abu Shareea, Mohammad. 2019. “How Could Early Christians Be Wrong? The Role of Fahm Al-Salaf in the Biblical Hermeneutics of Ibn Taymiyyah and Michael Servetus”. Ilahiyat Studies 10 (2): 183-228. https://doi.org/10.12730/13091719.2019.102.195.
EndNote
Abu Shareea M (December 1, 2019) How Could Early Christians Be Wrong? The Role of Fahm al-Salaf in the Biblical Hermeneutics of Ibn Taymiyyah and Michael Servetus. Ilahiyat Studies 10 2 183–228.
IEEE
[1]M. Abu Shareea, “How Could Early Christians Be Wrong? The Role of Fahm al-Salaf in the Biblical Hermeneutics of Ibn Taymiyyah and Michael Servetus”, IS, vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 183–228, Dec. 2019, doi: 10.12730/13091719.2019.102.195.
ISNAD
Abu Shareea, Mohammad. “How Could Early Christians Be Wrong? The Role of Fahm Al-Salaf in the Biblical Hermeneutics of Ibn Taymiyyah and Michael Servetus”. Ilahiyat Studies 10/2 (December 1, 2019): 183-228. https://doi.org/10.12730/13091719.2019.102.195.
JAMA
1.Abu Shareea M. How Could Early Christians Be Wrong? The Role of Fahm al-Salaf in the Biblical Hermeneutics of Ibn Taymiyyah and Michael Servetus. IS. 2019;10:183–228.
MLA
Abu Shareea, Mohammad. “How Could Early Christians Be Wrong? The Role of Fahm Al-Salaf in the Biblical Hermeneutics of Ibn Taymiyyah and Michael Servetus”. Ilahiyat Studies, vol. 10, no. 2, Dec. 2019, pp. 183-28, doi:10.12730/13091719.2019.102.195.
Vancouver
1.Mohammad Abu Shareea. How Could Early Christians Be Wrong? The Role of Fahm al-Salaf in the Biblical Hermeneutics of Ibn Taymiyyah and Michael Servetus. IS. 2019 Dec. 1;10(2):183-228. doi:10.12730/13091719.2019.102.195

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