Table of Contents

Preface
1 Introduction 
        A sensitive question 
        The status of Christology in Christian-Muslim dialogue 
        Bibliographical introduction 
        Methodological considerations
2. Christ in the Qur'an and in Hadith 
        Christ in the Qur'an 
        Jesus in Hadith 
        The understanding of 'gospel' (injil) 
        Muhammad and Jesus in Hadith and legend
3. Jesus in Muslim legend and Qur'anic exegesis 
        Jesus in Muslim legend and storytelling I
        Classical exegesis of the Qur'an (tafsir)
4. Jesus in Shi'ite tradition 
        Jewish in Shi'ite Hadith and Tafsir
        The brethren of purity
        The significance of suffering
5. Jesus in Sufism 
        Various representations of Jesus in Sufism
        Summarising central features of Sufi images of Jesus 
        The mystical perfection: Muhammad
6. Encounters and confrontations: dialogue, apologetics, polemics 
        The role of Christ in early intra-Muslim polemics 
        Christian apologetics under Muslim rule 
        Muslim polemics, directed towards submitted Christians
        Muslim polemical refutations and sympathetic reinterpretations in the medieval era 
        Christian polemics against Islam in the medieval era: enemy images and attempts at understanding
7. Twentieth-century tendencies and discussions 
        Christ in nineteenth and twentieth-century Muslim theology: reinterpretation, polemics and dialogue 
        Jesus in twentieth-century Muslim poetry 
        Christ in Egyptian Muslim literature, from 1950 onwards
8. Issues of dialogue 
        Why Christology? 
        Jesus and Muhammad 
        Christology, anthropology, theology 
        Rethinking Christology in dialogue with Islam 
        Christology and human experience: from miracles to cross? 
        The ethical connection 
        Doing theology
Postscript: Knowing with oneself, knowing with the other: A 'conscientous' dialogue between religions?
Bibliography
Index of authors

Promotional Information

Comprehensive and contemporary exploration of the role of Jesus in both Islam and Christianity and issues of dialogue in Christian-Muslim relations.

About the Author

Oddbjørn Leirvik is Professor of Interreligious Studies at the University of Oslo, Norway. He is co-initiator of the European Society of Intercultural Theology and Interreligious Studies, and has written extensively in English and Norwegian on Christian-Muslim Relations and Interreligious Dialogue.

Reviews

"The person of Jesus Christ is cherished and venerated by both Muslims and Christians. Many works have shown how respect for him has brought division, and some try to show how it could bring unanimity. This is one of the few that succeeds in showing both why he is crucial to Muslims as well as Christians, and also how he has set the faiths apart and might bring them closer. The variety of approaches to Jesus it includes and the broad range of works on him it examines make it a leader in this field and a key to understanding why Jesus retains his potency for agreement and disagreement in the two largest world religions." - David Thomas, Professor of Christianity and Islam, University of Birmingham, UK

‘This is an excellent book, with a wide range of material to ponder and digest.'
*Theology*

‘It is a relatively easy read and can be read from cover to cover, although it is not a light read it is certainly most informative.'
*Faith and Thought*

The strength of [this book] lies in [its] articulation of a practical theology: metaphysics are entirely absent... One looks forward to more from Leirvik...who certainly [has] the experience and insight to join this newly refreshed debate between the two largest world religions.
*Modern Believing*