Source: cmcsoxford.org.uk

This coming Saturday, December 7th, the Centre is holding a one-day symposium entitled ‘Muslim Views of the Bible: Past and Present’. But why hold a symposium on this topic? What can be gained?

It is one of those issues that runs like a thread through the history of Muslim-Christian and Muslim-Jewish relations, but does not get the attention it deserves. It is not an area so commonly studied compared with Christian or other non-Muslim views of the Qur’an, but has lots of implications for interreligious relations today. As an academic study centre, one of our roles is to put the data on the table, so to speak, so that more people can think about issues known to a few specialists. Often this uncovers half-examined assumptions which are very influential, but do not always stand up to scrutiny.

How the past shapes the thinking of people today always needs examining, for the past and the present are rarely wholly separate.

The Qur’an itself mentions the scriptures of the Jews and Christians, and I am looking forward to hearing an analysis of what some early Muslim writers …continue reading at cmcsoxford.org.uk