Mystical Perspectives in Interreligious Dialogue

Kees Waaijman

doi:10.4314/actat.v28i2.105814

Abstract

This article discusses the distinction that is being made between the unknowability of God, the source of all that is, and Jesus of Nazareth, the body language of God, from the viewpoint of spirituality with Paul’s address at the Areopagus in Athens (Acts 17:16-32) as point of departure. This speech virtually represents the oldest Christian interfaith meeting in which there is a dialogue between religious Athenians and Paul. The article reflects, first of all, on Paul’s reaction to the questions and challenges of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers in his audience that relates to this distinction. A second part will investigate the mystical unity of the unknowable God and his body language in Christ. In a third part some mystical perspectives on this distinction in Islam will be analysed.

Highlights

In The New SCM Dictionary of Christian Spirituality, recently edited by Philip Sheldrake, the Images of God have their own entry
A Christian believes in Christ as God’s own body language just as Jews believe in the Tora as the self expression of God and the Islam believes in Mohammed and the Koran as God’s message
One of the oldest Christian interfaith dialogues is the discussion of Greek phi losophers with Paul at the Areopagus, the Hill of Ares where the Counsel of Athens met in the Royal Colonnade (Stoa Basileios)

Summary

INTRODUCTION

In The New SCM Dictionary of Christian Spirituality, recently edited by Philip Sheldrake, the Images of God have their own entry. The opening sentence of this lemma reads: Christianity lives between the recognition, shared with the other Abra hamic traditions and beyond, of the profound unknowability of God, the infinite, inexhaustible source of all that is, and its defining belief in Jesus of Nazareth as the expressed image (Col. 1:15) and uttered Word of God (John 1:18), God’s own body language as it were (Murray 2005:325). In this sentence a distinction is articulated which is important from the viewpoint of interfaith dialogue. In the third part some aspects of the mystical perspective in Islam will be analysed

THE UNKNOWN GOD — PAUL AT THE AREOPAGUS

TRANSFORMED IN GOD WITHOUT FORM — THROUGH CHRIST

THE NON-EXISTENCE AS OUR REAL BEING

CONCLUSION