International Islamic University Islamabad-Pakistan Faculty of Islamic Studies Department of Comparative Religions CRITICISM OF CHRISTIANITY: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF AL-MADRASSAH AL-NI╙└MIYYAH OF BAGHDAD AND THE MODERN WEST A STUDY OF AL-GHAZ└L├ AND BULTMANN AND THEIR METHOD OF INTERPRETATION SUPERVISOR: PROF. M. M. DHEEN MOHAMED SUBMITTED by: Drakshan Azam Registration No. 38-FU/PhD/97 A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of Islamic Studies (Usuluddin) in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department Of Comparative Religion Date of Submission: 30/07/2010 The viva voce was held in Islamabad On the ________ of ______________________ 1434 Hijri, corresponding to the ________ of ____________________ 2013 C.E. EXAMINATION COMMITTEE Supervisor: Prof. M. M. Dheen Mohamed External Examiner: _________________________________________________ Internal Examiner: _________________________________________________ ii To my parents With Love and gratitude iii CONTENTS EXAMINATION COMMITTEE ................................................................................. ii CONTENTS................................................................................................................. iv ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................ viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .......................................................................................... x INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................... xii Literature Review ................................................................................................. xvi Methodology ........................................................................................................ xix CHAPTER ONE........................................................................................................... 0 AL-GHAZ└L├ AND BULTMANN: LIFE AND BACKGROUND ......................... 0 LIFE OF Al-GHAZ└L├ ............................................................................................. 1 Education ................................................................................................................ 3 Professional Career ................................................................................................. 3 Leaving Baghdad and the Spiritual Crisis................................................................ 4 Journeys in search of Truth ..................................................................................... 5 Death ...................................................................................................................... 5 Major Threads of his Thought .................................................................................... 6 Works of al-Ghaz┐l┘ .............................................................................................. 10 Status of Al-Radd Al-Jam┘l .................................................................................... 10 The Age of al-Ghaz┐l┘ ........................................................................................... 16 Al-Mad┐ris al-Ni╘┐miyyah .................................................................................... 22 Objectives of al-Ni╘┐miyyah................................................................................. 23 iv Appraisal of al-Ni╘┐miyyah .................................................................................. 24 Study of ‘religions’ and the role of al-Ni╘┐miyyah ............................................... 27 BULTMANN ............................................................................................................... 46 LIFE AND THE BACKGROUND ............................................................................ 46 Life of Rudolf Bultmann ........................................................................................... 47 Education .............................................................................................................. 48 Professional Life .................................................................................................... 49 Major threads of his thought..................................................................................... 51 Works of Bultmann ............................................................................................... 51 The Age of Bultmann ........................................................................................... 52 Status of Bible ....................................................................................................... 65 Interpretation of Bible .......................................................................................... 68 Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 87 CHAPTER TWO ........................................................................................................ 89 PRINCIPLES OF INTERPRETATION:.................................................................... 89 Meaning and Principles of al-Ta’w┘l ............................................................................. 89 Etymology of al-Ta’w┘l and Related Terms ............................................................... 90 Al-╘┐hir and al-B┐═in ............................................................................................. 95 Al-Ghaz┐l┘ on al-╙┐hir and al-B┐═in .................................................................... 102 Definition of al-Ta’w┘l ........................................................................................ 105 Implementation of al-ta’w┘l ................................................................................ 107 Principles of al-Ta’w┘l ......................................................................................... 110 Mystical Dimension ............................................................................................ 110 v Reason and Revelation ........................................................................................ 116 Semantics ............................................................................................................ 123 Status of al-Ta’w┘l ................................................................................................ 127 Characteristics of an interpreter ......................................................................... 130 MEANING AND PRINCIPLES OF DEMYTHOLOGIZATION ........................ 133 The Term Demythologization ................................................................................ 134 Myth and Demythologization ............................................................................ 135 Myth and Science ................................................................................................ 141 The Concept of Interpretation ............................................................................ 148 Interpretation and History .................................................................................. 152 Outer and Inner .................................................................................................. 173 Existential Interpretation .................................................................................... 176 Conclusion.......................................................................................................... 180 CHAPTER THREE .................................................................................................. 182 APPLICATION OF THEIR PRINCIPLES OF INTERPRETATION ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN AND ITS COMPARISON .................................................... 182 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 183 Al-Ghaz┐l┘ and the Gospel of John..................................................................... 188 Bultmann and the Gospel of John ...................................................................... 196 Al-Ghaz┐l┘ and the Early Christianity ................................................................ 201 Bultmann and the Primitive Christianity ........................................................... 206 Al-Ghaz┐l┘ and the Rational Interpretation ........................................................ 210 Bultmann and the Rational Interpretation ......................................................... 218 vi linguistic interpretation and al-Ghaz┐l┘ .............................................................. 229 Textual Implication ............................................................................................ 236 Bultmann and the Interpretation of Mythical Language………………………………243 Theological Interpretation and al-Ghaz┐l┘ .......................................................... 254 Theological Interpretation .................................................................................. 260 Biblical Theological Context .............................................................................. 265 Theological Interpretation and Bultmann .......................................................... 268 Mystical interpretation by al-Ghaz┐l┘ ................................................................. 283 Philosophical Interpretation by Bultmann ......................................................... 290 Conclusion .........................................................................................................