Unity Of God Research Articles

Początek i zarys dogmatu o Trójcy

The present article outlines the beginnings of the dogma of one God in three Persons. Albeit its germ was already present in Jesus' teaching, its growth happened in conditions that were sometimes adverse. This is also testified to by the fact that the very notion and word “Trinity” ( Trinitas ) – as one more precise and distinguished from “Triad” ( Trias ) that was a little older – appeared only at the end of the 2 nd century. This development resulted from the Christians' absolute necessity, for they had to find a plane, on which faith in Jesus Christ as God's Son is in accordance with the truth that there is one God. The early twilight, or even disappearance of the Jewish Christianity current that was more sensitive to confessing a strict – that is numerical, and not only qualitative – unity of God, was marked by an influence of Greek philosophy. Its popular form was Middle Platonism combined with Stoicism that was mainly characterized by the teaching about the Word ( ho Logos ), that is a divine intermediate being between God and the world that, by the way, was supposed to be created by Him. Its way to the Biblical theology was cleared by an Alexandrian Jew whose name was Philo, a Jesus's peer, and this way influenced the Christian thought as soon as the middle of the 2 nd century thanks to Justin, and then – to Origen and the Cappadocian Fathers. Even today it is a feature of history of Eastern theology, where the verdict of the First Council of Nicaea is an exception; and the verdict is not without a connection with the thought of Tertullian who worked in the Latin Carthage at the turn of the II and III centuries.

The Beginning and Outline of the Dogma of the Trinity

The present article outlines the beginnings of the dogma of one God in three Persons. Albeit its germ was already present in Jesus' teaching, its growth happened in conditions that were sometimes adverse. This is also testified to by the fact that the very notion and word “Trinity” ( Trinitas ) – as one more precise and distinguished from “Triad” ( Trias ) that was a little older – appeared only at the end of the 2 nd century. This development resulted from the Christians’ absolute necessity, for they had to find a plane, on which faith in Jesus Christ as God's Son is in accordance with the truth that there is one God. The early twilight, or even disappearance of the Jewish Christianity current that was more sensitive to confessing a strict – that is numerical, and not only qualitative – unity of God, was marked by an influence of Greek philosophy. Its popular form was Middle Platonism combined with Stoicism that was mainly characterized by the teaching about the Word ( ho Logos ), that is a divine intermediate being between God and the world that, by the way, was supposed to be created by Him. Its way to the Biblical theology was cleared by an Alexandrian Jew whose name was Philo, a Jesus’s peer, and this way influenced the Christian thought as soon as the middle of the 2 nd century thanks to Justin, and then – to Origen and the Cappadocian Fathers. Even today it is a feature of history of Eastern theology, where the verdict of the First Council of Nicaea is an exception; and the verdict is not without a connection with the thought of Tertullian who worked in the Latin Carthage at the turn of the II and III centuries.

Islam in Africa, Islam in Globalization

On October 15, 2105, the International Institute of Islamic Thought commemoratedAli Mazrui’s (1933- 2014) first death anniversary by convening a seminarto honor their mutual close and lasting relationship. Mazrui served as theeditor-in-chief of the American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences (2009-14),participated in many of the institute’s events, and was awarded the IIIT DistinguishedScholar Award in 2011. In addition, he bequeathed his collectionof papers and publications to IIIT.His widow Pauline Utimazrui opened the seminar by recalling how herlate husband always spoke the truth regardless of the consequences, how hedecided to attend Columbia University because so many African students weregoing there, and how he sought to bring up controversial issues to force peopleto think outside the box. She said that he was a very happy and grateful manwho appreciated others, liked to live a simple life and be in the moment, anddid not believe in accumulating wealth.Keynote speaker Ebrahim Rasool, former ambassador of South Africa tothe United States and a long-time activist who was jailed for his anti-apartheidactivities, spoke on “Ali Mazrui: Beacon at the Intersection of Islam andAfrica.” He described Mazrui as follows:Standing for justice is the point of the triangle which is least populated, orif it is populated it may well be populated in the absence of understandingthe implications of belief in the unity of God or the understanding of the dynamismof knowledge. Professor Ali Mazrui will be remembered for epitomizingthe completeness and perfection of this golden triangle [of belief,knowledge and justice], for indeed his knowledge was founded in his unflinchingcommitment to Tauhid or unity and this, in turn, impelled him towardsutilizing his intellect both towards identifying the sources of injusticein the world and positing theoretical and practical solutions towards justice.He reminded his audience how Mazrui never shied away from controversy,as can be seen in his battle with National Public Radio (NPR) in termsof his production and defense of “The Africans: The Triple Heritage,” disagreementswith much of post-colonial Africa’s ideological or philosophicalthinking, and assertion of a distinction between theological Islam and historicalIslam. On a more personal level, in 1969 he rejected an invitation extended ...

Pemaknaan Kalimat Lâ Ilâh Illâ Allâh Menurut Said Nursi

<p>This article explores the ideas of Said Nursi meaning of the phrase “Lâ ilâh illa Allâh”. The article concludes that God is perfect and He is there without a cause, because if there is a reason for him that means the dependency does not make perfect. God was the first manifestation of the most sublime. Therefore, God is the substance most original and ever-present. His essence itself be a sufficient cause for the manifestation of His eternity. For Said Nursi, the human mind may not be able to understand God directly. Therefore, there needs to be an explanation of God’s creation. Nursi interpret the phrase la ilaha illallah which makes everything that exists in this universe like a meaningful pieces that reflect the unity of God as <em>Rabb al-</em><em>‘Â</em><em>lam</em><em>î</em><em>n</em>. By knowing his creation, it will be easy to know God.</p>

İSLÂM DÜŞÜNCESİNDE İSBÂT-I VÂCİB PROBLEMİ: CELÂLEDDÎN ED-DEVVÂNÎ'NİN MESELEYE YAKLAŞIMI VE KATKISI

In his the book, named as Risâletu Isbâti'l-vâcibi'l-cedide, Jalaladdin Dawani (d.908/1502) discusses about some topics such as the evidence of existence and unity of God, the relation between essence and attributes of God, the attributions of God, and the generosity of God (cud) in relation with the perfectness of the universe, and the wisdom of God. Dawani uses both the evidence of possibility and the evidence of creation (hudus). Moreover, he deals with the issue of circularity (dawr) and backward chain (teselsul) in terms of argumentation and brings about some types of demonstration to cancel the backward chain such as burhân-i tatbik, burhân-i muzâyefe and burhân-i arsi. Accepting as one or the same the essence and attributions of God, Dawani accepts that there is a perfect order in the universe. According to Dawani, the perfect order of the universe stems from wajib al-wujud, the authority of asset or God.

Regula fidei as confession of faith before the fourth Century

이 논문의 목적은 2세기 중반에서 3세기 중반 사이에 신앙고백이었던 레굴라 피데이의 내용과 형태를 소개하고, 이것에 대한 분석과 그 의미를 밝히는 논문이다. 그 당시에 쓰여 졌던 리옹의 이레네우스와 알렉산드리아의 클레멘스, 테르툴리아누스, 오리게네스, 로마의 히폴리투스, 노바티아누스의 저서들 가운데 나타나 있는 신앙고백의 내용은 ‘신앙규범’ 즉 ‘레굴라 피데이’라는 이름과 함께 나타나고, 이러한 신앙규범에 대한 명칭은 레굴라 피데이 뿐만 아니라, 진리규범(레굴라 베리타티스), 교회규범(카논 테스 에클레시아스), 교회의 선포(에클레시아스티카 프레디카티오), 경건의 규범(레굴라 피에타티스) 등 다양한 이름을 가지고 있었다. 이러한 고백들을 통하여 교부들은 지중해 연안에 거대한 이단 세력, 즉 영지주의와 마키온 사상이 기독교의 진리를 훼손하고 왜곡하고 있는 상황에서 일반적인 교회 신앙의 핵심요소들을 표현하기 시작하였다. 뿐만 아니라 이들은 잘못된 성서해석으로 인한 폐단을 없애기 위해 신앙규범을 올바른 성서해석의 판단기준으로 간주하였으며, 신앙규범의 권위를 사도성에 두었다. 이러한 신앙규범은 이단과 성서, 전통, 이 세 가지의 요소들이 서로 간의 반작용과 상호작용의 관계를 통하여 출현하게 되었고, 세례 상황에서 나온 세례문답서가 아니었다. 신앙규범은 다양하게 표현된 고백들 가운데 일곱 가지의 공통된 내용들을 가지고 있었다. 첫째는 창조자로서 하나님의 비분리성, 둘째는 하나님의 유일성, 셋째는 구약의 하나님과 예수 그리스도의 신성의 동질성, 넷째는 그리스도 예수의 성육신, 다섯째는 그리스도사건에 대한 계시의 일치성, 여섯째는 그리스도의 육체적 부활, 일곱째는 심판이었다. 위의 신앙규범은 훗날에 사도신경으로 발전되는 선언적인 고백, 공의회의 신앙고백, 그 외의 신조들로 이어지게 되는데, 신앙규범은 4세기 신앙고백의 전단계로서의 모습을 갖춘 신앙고백이었다.

علاقة الذات بالصفات الإلهية في فكر محيي الدين بن عربي

The relationship between Divine Self and Attributes in the thought of Ibn Arabi The Oneness of Allah is the most important belief in the Islamic faith. Allah SWT is one in His Self, His attributes, and His acts. His self is neither composite nor divisible in any way. The effort to understand how the unity and uniqueness of God is compatible with the diversity of His attributes produced many explanations and doctrines throughout the Islamic History. The most famous doctrine is the Asha’riah position, that the attributes are neither identical to the self of Allah nor different from it. The Mutazilah deny the divine qualities in order to maintain the unity of God. This article attempts to explain the position taken on this question by Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi – one of the most famous Sufi scholars. He tried to resolve the problem in his own way, based on his conception of “nisab”.

Measuring Islamic Business Ethics Within Indonesia Islamic Banks

The business characteristic of Islamic banks is the implementation of Islamic business ethics. Parallel with the trend of increasing preference to ethical institution, Islamic banks should put this as its competitive edge toward its competitor conventional competitor banks. However, only few previous studies discussed about the implementation of Islamic business ethics within Islamic banks and none suggested how to measure such implementation. This paper is a study of the literature on ethics and Islamic business ethics as the first step in developing a measurement tool of Islamic business ethics implementation within Islamic banks. This paper synthesizes the dimensions of Islamic business ethics that is excavated from the Quran and Sunna, being proposed by previous studies. There are seven dimensions, namely unity of God, benevolence, justice and equity, sincere, equilibrium, trusteeship and responsibility. Subsequently, this paper outlines these dimensions into 21 items. The opportunity of future empirical study is recommended at the end of this paper.

“But Me No Buts”: The Theological Debate Between the Hasidim and the Mitnagdim in Light of the Discourse-Markers Theory

The linguistic theory of discourse markers may often help us to decipher the roots of theological controversies in traditional cultures, where both of the parties declare loyalty to the same doctrines. According to this theory, if two sentences are coupled by “but,” the conjunction bears the implicature that the statement that comes after the “but” is the one that the speaker wishes to emphasize, or grant salience over the statement that comes before it. Examined on the theological texts of the Hasidim and the Mitnagdim, the theory is proved useful: for the Hasidim, statements on the Simple Unity of God are placed after “but,” while the Mitnagdim place statements on the multiplicity in which it appears in our world.

Ideality, Divine Reality, and Realism

Ideality, Divine Reality, and Realism

Activities of Mosques in Amavids Period

Archeological and historical records show that human being , according to his belief , from his appearance on the earth has built a place for worshipping a sacred and exalted object which can meet his needs. Therefore, numerous, temples such as fire temples, churches, synagogues, idol-temples mosques, and so on were built. Quran introduces Kabba for worshipping the unique God , and Islam as the last Divine Religion considers mosques for these purposes .Since they have been fulfilled numerous functions in different era of Islamic history .They have been paid attention.

The Gospel of John and Early Trinitarian Thought: The Unity of God in John, Irenaeus and Tertullian

ABSTRACTThis paper discusses the question of God's unity in the Gospel of John and two early Trinitarian thinkers, Irenaeus and Tertullian. It argues that in formulating the relationship of the Father, Son and Spirit, the Gospel of John makes explicit statements and evinces implicit judgments that preserve God's unity. This reading takes seriously John's first-century context, arguing that the continued conviction of God's oneness shapes the Christological formulations of the Gospel. Irenaeus and Tertullian similarly take pains to affirm the unity of God. In doing so, they made judgments about the relationship of Father and Son similar to those of the Gospel of John, while introducing new concepts or imagery to do so.

Appeal to Tradition. Celsus on Jews, Christians, and the Roman Empire

In his True Discourse, Celsus characterizes Judaism and Christianity as religions that are born out of opposition to another religious tradition. But if for Celsus Judaism has recovered some elements of the ancient religions, notably their ethnic dimension and attachment to tradition, Christianity is still a revolutionary religion: the Christians enact a separation, a rupture with the social and political order, while their God is responsible for a stasis in the cosmic order. Celsus was the first to establish a relation between “polytheism” and the Roman Empire as a response to the political threat and the potential for subversion of Christian “monotheism”. It is the unique God of the Jews and the Christians who compels the pagan intellectual to reflect on the plurality of his gods and to utilize that plurality to justify the political order.

Pemikiran Zakiah Daradjat Tentang Pendidikan Anak dalam Keluarga

<p>A family constitutes the first and the main educational institution to form a child having an Islamic personality, being obedient to worship God and having a broad knowledge which is useful for this life. Rampaging various moral degradations and <em>akhlak</em> of children and teenagers are indeed started from the misled education in the family. A family education is started from pregnancy to the end of life. Thus, it is needed a deep study toward the concept of children education in the family. The thought of Zakiah Daradjat as the figure of educator and <em>muslim</em> intellectual related to the concept of children education in the family which is become the object of this research, especially in her book entitled <em>Pendidikan Islam dalam Keluarga dan Sekolah</em>. The goals of this research are to (1) Know the Concept of Human Being in Education<em> </em>according to Zakiah Daradjat, (2) Know The Goal of Islamic Education in a Family according to Zakiah Daradjat, (3) Know the Concept of Islamic Education in a Family according to Zakiah Daradjat, (4) Know the Concept of Family as the Media of Education according to Zakiah Daradjat, (5) Know the Effort to Form Children Personality in a Family according to Zakiah Daradjat. This research constitutes a kind of library research, meaning a research using descriptive data and explored from various relevant literatures. As for the primary data are explored from the work of Zakiah Daradjat entitled <em>Pendidikan Anak dalam Keluarga dan Sekolah</em>, and the secondary ones are explored from other Zakiah Daradjat�s books as well as some relevant literatures and supporting the problems discussed in this research. The result of this dissertation denotes that Zakiah Daradjat constitutes a figure having comprehensive point of view and thought related to children education in a family. Children education in a family which is operationally performed by a mother should touch seven dimensions completely and systematically. Zakiah Daradjat offers a concept of religious education in a family by using a psychological approach namely from children moral and conduct. The goal of children education in a family according to Zakiah Daradjat�s thought is to form a child having Islamic personality by the indications having strong <em>iman</em> (faith) and <em>tauhid</em> (unity of God), being obedient to worship God, having a noble character, having a broad knowledge which is useful and having life skill as a foothold to have a role in society. All of these should be applied through education in a family by using love and affection approach, parents� teaching and exemplary at home as well as a positive environment around the house.</p>

Rethinking Prophecy

Rethinking Prophecy

SISTEM PEMBELAJARAN PENDIDIKAN AGAMA ISLAM PADA PERGURUAN TINGGI UMUM: Studi Kasus di Universitas Nusantara PGRI Kediri

The study describes the implementation of Islamic teaching at UNP Kediri. This is qualitative in nature. The findings are as follows. Firstly, the teaching materials of Islamic teaching at UNP consist of main topics and some others developed to meet the characteristics of the students. Secondly, the specific competences required are the unity of God, character, and problem solving. Thirdly, the strategies used by the teachers are the flexibility of classroom rules, providing models, and contextual teaching. And fourthly, the evaluation is mainly affective evaluation. Key words: System, Islamic teaching, UNP

THE ORIGINS OF THEKALĀMMODEL OF DISCUSSION ON THE CONCEPT OFTAWḤĪD

AbstractThe concept oftawḥīd(unity of God) is a central issue inKalāmtheological treatises. The discussion devoted to this concept follows a typical structure, a fact that has been recognized by scholars in the past. Shlomo Pines points to the similarity between theKalāmmodel of discussion and the structure of John Damascene's (d. 750)De Fide Orthodoxa. Pines suggested that it may indicate the profound impact of Christian theology on MuʿtaziliteKalām. Ulrich Rudolph adds two important pieces of evidence to the discussion: He analyzes Abū Manṣūr al-Māturīdī al-Samarqandī's (d. 944)Kitāb al-Tawḥīdand the Jacobite Moses bar-Kepha's (d. 903) introduction to his Hexaemeron, and argues that the structural and conceptual affinity between them actually indicates an opposite direction of influence than the one suggested by Pines. According to Rudolph, the similarity of the two treatises shows they were written as an imitation of an older Muʿtazilite book, which constituted a prototype for the discussion on the concept oftawḥīd. This paper will challenge Rudolph's thesis in two ways, first by questioning his arguments concerning the sources of theKitāb al-Tawḥīd, and second by suggesting an alternative assumption, which will strengthen Pines's theory regarding the development of theKalāmmodel of discussion. Through a comparative structural analysis of the works of Māturīdī and bar-Kepha, together with some fragments of earlier Jewish and Christian commentaries on Genesis, will rise the possibility that this model of discussion existed first in the Christian exegetical treatises assigned to Genesis and had already developed before it appeared in theKalāmworks.

Relation absolue et relation relative. La Trinité selon Basile de Césarée et Marius Victorinus

In which manner do two of the most speculative theologians of the first Nicaean tradition, a Greek and a Latin, almost contemporary, use the Aristotelian category of “relation” in respect of both the Neoplatonic definition of the monadic God and the necessity to conceive, inside the divine identity, relations corresponding to the generation of the Logos-Son and to the act of presence proper to the Holy-Spirit? Around 360, Marius Victorinus says that “the Father is existence which has actual value, i.e. substantiality (actualis exsistentia, id est substantialitas), while the Son is act with existential value (actus exsistentialis)”. Around 375, Basilius of Caesarea says that only equal honour (homotimon) attached to the three Persons of the Trinity can demonstrate the validity of the Nicaean proclamation defining the essential unity and existential distinction of divine identities. Based on “identity”, “equality” and “similitude”, the concept of equal honour (homotimon) is considered as the condition for the possibility of conceiving the unique God in three hupostaseis; it also shows the possibility to conceive divine image and divine knowledge. Both kinds of relation - absolute relation inside identity and relations between correlative items - used by Basilius and Victorinus to design the Trinitarian structure are based on the Aristotelian use of “similitude” and “equality” in the Categories and in Metaphysic Delta. Equality, called “pure relation”, expresses unity and is particularly important in the conception of the intra-trinitarian relations topical (by means of the particles) to both definitions of the Trinity. Although their definitions are not similar, Basilius and Victorinus use the same philosophical instruments. Two kinds of theological arguments derive from the category of “relation”: (1) one, together with the heritage of Plato and Plotinus, develops reflexivity and argues for divine image; (2) the other is basically indebted to the ontological categories of Aristotle and uses their philosophical virtues to demonstrate that act and potentiality can reflect reciprocal relation and that relatives and correlatives can reflect simultaneous being inside One.

Christian Mysticism and Science: The Phenomenological Dimension

In this second of three papers, I identify three fundamental phenomenological themes that have informed Christian mystical theology and then explore how these themes might be given further understanding via natural science. The first theme, detachment, minimizes any association with the secular world in favor of humility and openness to God. Detachment is chosen in consciousness using a resonant global workspace linked through the hippocampus to reconstructions of both declarative and emotional memory. The second theme, infused contemplation, is concerned with God's top-down revelation to the recollected mind of the mystic. The resulting top-down resonance creates an appropriate theory of mind for infused contemplation, as the human mind is now more perfectly linked with the mind of God. The third theme is mystical union, which both theology and science claim occurs within consciousness. Starting in intentional consciousness, the mystic undergoes an unmediated surrender beyond cognition to non-intentional consciousness. Because God fills the center of our being, a resonating luminosity can thus occur arising from the union of God and self within pure consciousness.

The Perichoresis of Light

We argue that light, as it is described in physics (quantum mechanics and special relativity), embodies the mystery of perichoresis. This is to propose that physics offers helpful metaphors in grasping perichoresis. Our major theological point is that light expresses the perichoretic union of God and humankind. We acknowledge that perichoresis also entails the interpenetration of Christ's two natures and the mutual indwelling of God, Son, and Holy Spirit, and these are, for us, supporting instances of perichoresis. After elaborating three light-related instances of perichoresis, we liken light's perichoretic nature, particularly as it finds expression in Albert Einstein's postulate of light speed constancy, to God's constant, unwavering love of humankind.