Pursuing Veritas

John’s engagements with Islamic theology and practice demonstrate his commitment to accurate representation, even when his ultimate goal was to refute these beliefs.

John provides a detailed and accurate account of Islamic teachings. On God and Christ, he writes that, ‘[Muhammad] says that there is one God, creator of all things, who has neither been begotten nor has begotten. He says that Christ is the Word of God and His Spirit, but a creature and a servant, and that He was begotten, without seed, of Mary the sister of Moses and Aaron’ (Peri Haereson §17-20). Where other commentators would later dive into refutation or overstatement, John begins with a simple report of Muslim belief. Likewise, John reveals a thorough knowledge of Islam’s belief that the Word and Spirit of God are things-created, the heart of the disagreement between Muslim and Christian theology. In fact, his theological responses are so theologically correct that he actually anticipates (or himself influences) the rise of the Mu’tazilite position on the attributes and essence of God (Sahas 1972: 83-4). John consistently reveals a nuanced understanding of the Islamic and Qur’anic conception of God.

John also properly situates Islam within its historical context, recognizing its traditional claims as monotheistic reform movement originating from the Ishmaelites, who through the work of Muhammad came back to monotheism from idolatry. Likewise, John refers to the tradition of the monk Bahira not in order to discredit Islam’s origins (as later polemicists would), but to simply to identify a source of Muhammad’s prophetic calling (Peri Haereson §12-3). These historical frameworks are significant, as they reflect an attempt to contextualize Islam’s emergence rather than dismiss it outright. Theologically and historically, then, John attempted to accurately recount what Muslims believe.