Abstract
Miroslav Volf's Allah: A Christian Response is an important book that advances Christian–Muslim dialogue. This article outlines Volf's thesis, critically evaluates some key claims made in the book, and examines some of the methodological presuppositions in Volf's project. It also seeks to situate Volf's claim about the “same God” within a Christian typology of “revelation” so that the significance of his claims might be better understood.
Keywords:
Acknowledgement
I am grateful to Reza Shah-Kazemi for his generous critical response to this paper. I am also indebted to Sven Ensminger, Rev. Dr Damian Howard, Rev. Dr David Marshall, and especially Prof. Miroslov Volf, who engaged in his customary generous and charitable exchange regarding two early drafts.
Notes
This had already been argued by Nicholas of Cusa Citation(1995), and more recently by authors such as Rowan Williams Citation(2004), Christian Troll (Citation2012, 25–29), Robert Caspar Citation(1992) and others.
Detailed accounts of this view and the complexities involved can be found in Capéran Citation(1912), Daniélou Citation(1957), and Dupuis (Citation1977, 53–157). Not all Christians would be happy to subscribe to it and it does not have a dogmatic status as such, but it seems a helpful way to proceed.
See the Vatican II document Lumen Gentium (Paul VI Citation1964, 14–16); and further elaboration in D'Costa Citation(2011); and, for the working out of the salvific implications of this, D'Costa (Citation2010, 161–211).
See, for example, Ruether Citation1980. See also my questioning of this position in D'Costa Citation(2012), with two responses.
These are the terms used in Dominus Iesus, a formal document of the Roman Catholic Church (Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith Citation2000, 22).
See, for example, Pope John Paul II, Veritatis Splendor (1993, 4, 12, 40).
And see also the excellent discussion in Marshall (Citation1999, 78–88).