Towards a Mutual Understanding of Christian and Islamic Concepts of Revelation

Abstract

"The Christian looking at the Qur’an will naturally approach it with a pre-understanding shaped by his knowledge of the Bible; and the Muslim will approach the Bible with a preunderstanding shaped by his knowledge of the Qur’an. Because there exist similarities between the two religions, and in particular because of the Muslim contention that Islam is a continuation and completion of the Judaeo-Christian tradition, it is sometimes assumed that similar criteria can be validly used in considering the two revelations. It is my contention, however, that there is a wide gulf between understandings of revelation in these two faiths, so that such an assumption leads inevitably to misunderstandings."