Christmas and the Qur'an
Christmas and the Qur'an
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Publisher: GINGKO
ISBN: 9781909942387
Number of Pages: 240
Published: 15/10/2020
The familiar and heartwarming story of Christmas is one of hope, encapsulated by the birth of the infant Jesus. It is also a story that unites Christianity and Islam--two faiths that have often been at odds with each other. The accounts of the Nativity given by the Evangelists Luke and Matthew find their parallels in Surahs 3 and 19 of the Qur'an, which take up the Annunciation to Mary, the Incarnation from the Holy Spirit, and the Nativity. Christmas and the Qur'an is a sensitive and precise analysis of the Christmas story as it appears in the Gospels and the Qur'an. Karl-Josef Kuschel presents both scriptures in a convincing comparative exegesis and reveals startling similarities as well as significant differences. Kuschel explores how Christians and Muslims read these texts and reveals an intertwining legacy that serves as a base for greater understanding. Without leaving the realm of theology, Kuschel approaches his analysis in a theocentric way by emphasizing the shared belief that God is almighty, which, he argues, can act as a healing suture between Christianity and Islam. Christmas and the Qur'an gives the reader the chance to remember the message of hope that the birth of Jesus brings and invites to a dialogue between Muslims and Christians.
Foreword to the English edition xiii
PROLOGUE: CHRISTIANS AND MUSLIMS MEET AT CHRISTMAS 1
I. THE BIRTH OF JESUS IN THE NEW TESTAMENT 7
1. The primary sources 8
God’s peace on Earth: the story according to Luke 9
A child of the Holy Spirit: the story according to Matthew 17
2. How the birth stories differ 21
Christmas Oratorios: Heinrich Schu¨tz and Johann Sebastian Bach 22
Different settings 24
Different chronology 25
The differing roles of John the Baptist 29
Differing versions of the birth of Jesus 30
3. The primary message 34
Nothing is impossible for God 35
Disruption: the power of the spirit of God 37
A signal to Israel and the Gentiles 42
4. No world peace without world justice 45
A Messiah in the manger 45
What sets Jesus apart from Buddha and Lao-tzu 48
Roman domination seen from Bethlehem 49
Jerusalem’s hegemony from the perspective of
the babe in the manger 53
II. THE BIRTH OF MUHAMMAD 58
1. How Muslims read the New Testament 59
Muslims criticise Christian contradictions 59
Contra the missionary propagandists 64
2. The origins of the Prophet 65
The first biography of the Prophet 65
Miraculous signs during the conception and
pregnancy 67
Miraculous signs during and after the birth 72
Muhammad – a historic event 74
Muslim ‘Christmas’ 76
III. THE BIRTH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST IN THE QUR’AN 80
1. The ‘John’ sura in Mecca: 19:2–15 81
The primary message of the Qur’an 82
John’s miraculous birth 86
Comparing John in Luke’s Gospel and the Qur’an 88
2. The ‘case of John’ – a new interpretation in
Medina: Sura 3 92
Conflict with the Jews in Medina 93
Comparing the ‘John’ suras 94
3. Comparing John in the New Testament and the Qur’an 96
Not a ‘forerunner’ but a parallel figure to Jesus 97
A demonstration of the power of the Creator 98
IV. MARY, GOD’S CHOSEN ONE 101
1. Mary as the mother of Jesus: Sura 19 101
The spirit of God appears to Mary 103
Comparing the birth stories in Luke and the Qur’an 104
Mary’s withdrawal – making herself available for God 106
Spiritual, rather than sexual, conception 111
Palm-tree and stream: Mary in Egypt? 114
Re-enacting the fate of Hagar 116
2. Mary’s birth and childhood: Sura 3 120
Mary as a means of criticising the Jews 121
Early Christian parallels 124
Mary’s election by God 127
Spiritual conception and virgin birth 130
The only woman mentioned by name in the Qur’an 132
3. The cult of Mary in Islam 134
Reflecting on Mary with Muslims 134
The legendary House of Mary at Ephesus 136
A place of pilgrimage for Christians and Muslims 138
Benedict XVI’s visit to the House of Mary in 2006 141
How modern Muslim women see Mary 143
V. THE BIRTH OF JESUS IN THE QUR’AN 146
1. The birth of Jesus as a ‘sign of God’: Mecca, Sura 19 147
Conceived by God’s creative power 147
Consoling words from the new-born baby to its mother 148
What is meant by Jesus being ‘a servant of God’? 150
Not ‘domineering or graceless’ 154
It would not befit God to have a child 157
An heir to the great Prophets 161
2. Controversy about Jesus: Medina, Sura 3 162
What the angels tell Mary about Jesus 162
How the Qur’an interprets Jesus’ miracles 164
A short summary of the Qur’an’s representation of Jesus 168
3. Comparing the birth stories 172
What the New Testament and the Qur’an have in common 172
Where the New Testament and the Qur’an differ 176
VI. A CALL FOR DIALOGUE 183
1. A common word 184
The key passage in the Qur’an: Sura 3:64 184
A model of understanding 186
2. The Document of the 138 188
Conclusions for Muslims and Christians 189
Suspicions about the document 192
Critical questions 195
Consensus about Jesus? 198
3. Christians and Islam’s Holy Night 201
Common tasks for the future 202
The Night of Decree 204
Exchanging messages of peace 205
EPILOGUE: THE ‘MARY’ SURA AND THE
EXAMPLE OF ETHIOPIA 207
References 215
BIBLIOGRAPHY 216
NOTES 221
