Islam and Christianity

Abstract

"Islam and Christianity have much in common, but also some differences and the more obvious may be somewhat superficial. Besides, who would be foolish enough to dare speaking of Islam and Christianity as if there were only one Islam and one Christianity? Even official adherence to a specific branch of Islam or Christianity does not necessarily guarantee unity of views. Often there is a gap between official tenets or attitudes and popular views and sensibilities. Still worse, my field is medieval philosophy rather than theology or religious studies. My only excuse is that I am also a believer, fascinated by the theme of language in general, the peculiarities of the various idioms and the impact these peculiarities have on our thinking. Anyone ever involved in translating or interpreting will know that there is no smooth transition from one language to another. [2] Despite all my “caveats,” I am now embarking with fear and trembling in tackling a not so obvious difference between Islam and Christianity, i.e., their attitude to language and how it leads both traditions to face some common questions. As philosophers dream of avoiding ambiguity, when the context is not clear, I shall use the term “language” to refer to the general human ability to express oneself in articulated speech and the term “idiom” to refer to one of the particular languages used by a group of human beings."(pg 1)