Revelation in the Muslim, Christian, and Jewish Traditions: A Critical Analysis of Muhammad Abduh’s Notion of Revelation through the Lens of Joseph Ratzinger and Benedict De Spinoza

Abstract

This research investigated one of the foundational notions of religion, i.e., revelation, as presented by Muhammad Abduh (d. 1905) in Risālatal-Tawḥīd and Risālatal-Wāridāt, through a comparison with the understanding of revelation in the Catholic tradition, as elucidated by Pope Ratzinger (b. 1927), and in Judaism, as presented by the Jewish scholar B. D. Spinoza (d. 1677). This research closely considered Abduh’s works to reveal whether the notion of revelation in the Islamic tradition is different from or analogous to its counterparts in Catholicism and Judaism. Although these authors’ religious backgrounds are diverse, their understandings of revelation are analogous in the sense that revelation is understood as beyond the linguistic realm. However, they each have different religious and intellectual stances regarding the valid interpretation and knowledge of revelation; where Ratzinger relies on the Church’s authority, Spinoza believes in the efficacy of holy scripture, and Abduh has more confidence in the use of reason in understanding revelation. By delineating the commonalities and differences of the ideas of these three scholars from different religious backgrounds, a more open and fruitful interreligious conversation can be further cultivated.