Quranic Christology in Late Antiquity. ‘Isa ibn Maryam and His Divine Power (Energeia) in the Islamic Revelation

Christology and monotheism have been dogmatically linked in the long history of Islam-Christian dialogue since the beginning of the 8th century. The Qur’an, in an analytical perception of religious otherness, specifically in relation to Christianity, assumed a dual discernment: on the one hand, it adopts a sceptical position because Christians are assimilationist (2: 120, 135, 145; 5: 51), sectarian and made Jesus the son of God (4: 171; 5: 14–19, 73; 9: 30; 18: 4–5; 21: 26); on the other hand, they are commended over the Jews and ‘Isa ibn Maryam has been strengthened with the Holy Spirit by God himself (2: 59, 62, 87, 253; 3: 48; 5: 47, 73, 82, 85, 110). The importance of enforcing the consciousness of a Quranic Christology, specifically where it concerned the potential influence that Christological doctrines such as adoptionism and monoenergism had on early Islam in late antiquity, where it was based on the proto- Islamic understanding of Jesus, and where it was rooted in Patristic orthodox-unorthodox debates, fell into oblivion. How was the Quranic canonization process affected by the ongoing Christological debates of the 7th century? Could Heraclius’ monoenergism have played a concrete influence on Quranic Christology? And in which way did early Kalam debates on God’s speech and will remain linked to Quranic Christology?

Hikmat Dalam Misi Israel Menurut Ulangan 4: 5-8

The wisdom of Israel is linked to its mission. Another unique thing is that wisdom which is usually associated with divine power, intellect, spirituality, practical skills, and the meaning of life apparently is also associated with missions for all nations. Israel as God's chosen nation with a royal priesthood carries out a noble task to fulfill His promise to Abraham that his descendants will be a blessing to all tribes. In carrying out these responsibilities, Israel needed wisdom. Through exegesis studies of Deuteronomy 4: 5-8 and supported by literature studies, it can be found that the wisdom of Israel was implemented in obedience to the law of God. From this obedience, the nations will see the quality of their lives, hear their preaching about the LORD and His decrees, and recognize that Israel is a special nation until finally they are expected to give praise to God and even follow Him. This review also reveals the fact that the mission carried out by Israel is either centripetal or centrifugal. The results of this study can also be applied in the missionary task of believers today.

What is God's Power?

Theists claim that God can make a causal difference in the world. That is, theists believe that God is causally efficacious, has power. Discussion of divine power has centered on understanding better the metaphysics of creation and sustenance, special intervention, governance, and providing an account of omnipotence consistent with other divine attributes, such as omnibenevolence. But little discussion has centered on what, deep down ontologically, God’s power is. I show that a number of prominent accounts of power fail to model what divine power could be, and then develop an account based on teleological and primitivist accounts of power.

Spiritual and religious beliefs and behaviour: data collected from 27/28-year-old offspring in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, 2019-2020.

Religious/spiritual belief and practices have sometimes been demonstrated to have positive associations with outcomes such as coping with serious illness, anxiety, depression, negative life events and general well-being, and therefore warrants consideration in many facets of health research. For example, increasing secularisation evidenced, particularly in the West, may reflect increasing rates of depression and anxiety. Very few studies have charted the ways in which religious/spiritual beliefs and practices of parents and their offspring vary longitudinally or between generations. Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) is one such study that can relate belief and practices with aspects of physical and mental health and/or distinguish the different facets of the environment that may influence the development, or inter-generational loss, of belief and behaviours. This paper describes the 2019-2020 data collection in the ALSPAC on the religious/spiritual beliefs and behaviours (RSBB) of the study offspring (born 1991/1992) at ages 27-28 years. Previously collected and new data on the offspring are described here and comparisons are made with identical data completed by their parents (mothers and their partners) in early 2020. The most striking observations are that in almost all aspects of RSBB the offspring of both sexes are more secular, especially when compared with their mothers. For example, 56.2% of offspring state that they do not believe in God, or a divine power compared with 26.6% of mothers and 45.3% of mothers’ partners. When asked about their type of religion, 65.4% of participants stated ‘none’, compared with 27.2% of mothers and 40.2% of partners. This confirms previous research reporting increasing secularisation from one generation to the next. As with the mothers and their partners, female offspring were more likely than males to believe in a divine power and to practice their beliefs.

The Lord of Angel Armies and the Centurion of Capernaum in Matthew 8:5–13

This study of Jesus’ healing of the centurion’s servant (Matthew 8:5–13) draws attention to some neglected Christological details. This study offers a fresh explanation of how Matthew uses ambiguity and clarity about who Jesus is in various levels of narrative context. Specifically, Matthew’s characterization of the centurion uses the ambiguous title of ‘Lord’ alongside clear actions of faith to reveal Jesus’ identity. This study concludes that Jesus participates in the identity of Yahweh, who has absolute and divine power to command his army of angels to heal people and remove demons, even without his presence.

The Matter of Kinship

Alongside natural matter, the ‘matter of kinship’ was a channel through which to negotiate divine power in the cosmos. Objects were integral to constituting kinship and forming devotional communities before God. Gifts exchanged between kith and kin on the occasion of baptism, marriage, and death reveal the dynamic nexus of objects and kinship within the cosmos, to which love was central. Gifts, bequests, trades, transfers, and exchanges of all kinds acted to create and sustain kinship bonds as an important part of devotion. Such objects were not only important during the moment of their initial production and use, but also as they were embedded in the daily life of the family and became constant reminders of the Christian lifecycle. Over time such items were woven more deeply into the fabric of daily family life by being given, used, or inherited down the generations.

Evil and Divine Power: A Response to James Sterba’s Argument from Evil

In this article, I offer a response to James P. Sterba’s moral argument for the non-existence of God. Sterba applies to God the so-called Pauline Principle that it is not permissible to do evil in order that good may come. He suggests that this is the underlying element in discussions of the Doctrine of Double Effect, a doctrine that has been largely overlooked by philosophers of religion. Although, as hypothetical trolley cases demonstrate, human beings sometimes cannot avoid doing or permitting evil in order to prevent a greater evil, Sterba argues that the same cannot be said of an omnipotent God and that, since our world contains horrendous evils, the existence of a God who is both omnipotent and good is therefore logically impossible. I argue that, if God is thought to be a conscious being with unlimited power to prevent horrendous evils, Sterba’s argument might be valid. I also argue, however, that divine power need not be construed in this way. Drawing on some ideas derived from the work of Charles Hartshorne, I suggest that God is not a kind of divine micromanager and that it is more coherent and, indeed, helpful to think of God as a social influencer whose power is a source of positive energy for the promotion of goodness.

Are asylum seekers more militant than domestic inhabitants: the case of Serbia?

This study investigates group differences in Militant Extremist Mindset (MEM) measures of Pro-violence, Divine Power, Utopianism, Vile World, and West, together with several variables building its nomological network. The study was based on groups from domicile population living within and outside the conflict zone and a sample of refugees/asylum seekers. We hypothesize that refugees as a group do not present a higher risk for engagement in militant extremism and, consequently, terrorism. Therefore, they do not present security risks for the host countries. Findings show that groups living in a conflict zone tend to endorse all aspects of militant extremism and conservative ideology. Furthermore, our results do not support the widely held belief that refugees are a security threat, as they tend to reject violent extremism as a means to achieve goals.