The Flowering of Muslim Theology

by Josef van Ess

Josef van Ess is the world's most distinguished scholar of classical kalam, the Muslim theology that was the precursor to, and foundation for, modern Islam. This book makes available, for the first time in English, the fruit of van Ess's thirty-five years of work in the field. A lucid and authoritative introduction to classical Islam, it opens a window on the intellectual world that gave rise to Muslim theology. A sustained look at important issues in early kalam, The Flowering of Muslim Theology discusses the emergence of theology in the classical period and offers acute and illuminating comparisons with the Christian (and Jewish) traditions. Van Ess looks at the issue of heresy, at early ideas about straying from true belief. In a substantial and original instance of Koranic exegesis, he considers a problem much debated among classical whether it is possible to see God. He examines the different ways in which early Muslim thinkers appropriated atomism, a natural philosophy that was originally materialistic and atheistic, for their own theological purposes. He explores the explosive mix of theology and political thought, in an analysis of the development of ideas about the role and authority of a ruler. And he considers the relationship, or contradiction, between faith and the enduring question of how one can know whether something is right or true. A work of intellectual history enlivened by vivid examples, The Flowering of Muslim Theology gives a wider audience rare insight into Islam's rich classical past.

Genres: Islam, Philosophy, Religion, Nonfiction

240 pages, Hardcover

First published May 31, 2006

About the author

Josef van Ess (born April 18, 1934 in Aachen) is a German Islamic scholar. Until his retirement in 1999, he taught at the University of Tübingen.


In 1959, van Ess graduated in Bonn with a thesis on Islamic mysticism. The Habilitation took place in 1964 in Frankfurt with a thesis on epistemological theory in the Islamic scholasticism. He has held guest professorships at the University of California Los Angeles (1967) and at the American University of Beirut (1967/1968). In 1968 he followed Rudi Paret as a professor at the Oriental Seminary at the University of Tübingen at the chair of "Islamic Studies and Semitic studies".

His published work includes : theology and society in the 2nd and 3rd century Hijrah. A history of religious thought in early Islam, in whose six volumes he reconstructed the thought buildings of former Islamic theologians, which were usually only handed down to later authors.

Reviews

[Daniel Diaz · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very short yet incredibly dense introduction to Muslim theology. This book is a translation from a series of lectures in French professor Van Ess. Although the author does have a historical approach to tracing the development of how some Muslim doctrines came to be what they are today, the chapters are divided topically. The books has the following chapters:

Introduction -
Theology in its Own Eyes - Division and Heressy in Islam
Theology and the Koran - The Mir'aj and the Debate on Anthropomorphism
Theology and Science - Mu'tazilite Atomism
Theology and Human Reality - Historical Images and Political Ideas
Theology and its Principles - Hermeneutics and Epistemology

Each chapter took a general category and used a particular topic to illustrate the point. For example,

the first chapter talked about the competing parties and their definition of what constitutes heresy,
the second was on the different stances Muslims had on anthropomorphization of God,
the third was on the variety of philosophical traditions that Islam inherited as the early empire expanded,
the fourth was on the relationship between theology and government,
and the last one dealt with classic paradoxes in theological problems, such as the relationship between faith and reason.

The central argument behind this book seems to be summed up in the idea that theological debates "may be eternal, but not static", and the book does a wonderful job at tracing these shifts throughout Islam's early history and as it expanded and absorbed other philosophical traditions.

This book is not very friendly to readers without a background in philosophy. It wasn't as accessible as I hoped it would be--the chapter on Theology and Science was particularly difficult for me to get through. The biggest setback of this book is its extensive use of Latin, German, and French concepts in philosophy that go undefined for the lay person. It would be great if later editions either translated them as much as possible or at least included a glossary in the footnotes or in the back of the book. However, I would keep this book on my shelf as a reference.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

a series of lectures, transcribed. you can imagine him explaining to you over a cup of tea... he has an intimate yet highly refined tone, and a fluidity of thought and expression that can only come from someone who knows a subject matter so well