The last 20 years or so have thrust to the fore of evangelical consciousness our great need to share the gospel with Muslims.
But Christian concern about the salvation of those devoted to the teachings of Muhammad is nothing new. One ancient vista from which to see the way that Christians responded to Islam during the very earliest period of Muslim expansion in the seventh and eighth centuries are the writings of the theologian John of Damascus (c.655/675 – c.749). John had clearly taken the time to understand Islamic views and thinking, and was quite familiar with the Qur’an in Arabic, though his language about Islam could at times be somewhat intemperate.
A biographical sketch
John is often described as the last of the so-called Church Fathers of the ancient church. An Arab by ethnicity, his grandfather had played a key role in the surrender of Damascus in 635 to the Muslim army of Khalid ibn al-Walid, a great early Muslim general. The Muslim rulers of Syria were tolerant of the presence of Christians and John’s grandfather became a key administrator in the Muslim government of the region. John’s father, Ibn Mansur, was known as an extremely devout Christian, but also one of the most trusted officials in the Muslim regime.
John succeeded his father as a key advisor to the Muslim ruler, Caliph Abd al-Malik. After a long life of service in the public realm, John left his position early in the eighth century in order to embrace life in a monastery near Jerusalem. He was a prolific writer and among his writings there are two that specifically address Islam: On Heresies, a work that catalogues various heresies that had and were afflicting the church – chapter 101 is devoted especially to Islam – and A Dialogue Between a Saracen and a Christian.
Identifying key differences
In On Heresies chapter 101, John locates Muhammad historically and then identifies some of his main theological teachings. According to John, Muhammad asserts that ‘there is one God’ and that ‘Christ is the Word of God and His Spirit, only a creation and servant, and that he was born without seed from Mary, the sister of Moses and Aaron.’ John also notes that according to Muhammad ‘Christ…was not crucified nor did he die, for God took him to himself into heaven because he loved him’, an accurate rendition of what is said in Qur’an 4.157. Obviously this assertion strikes at the heart of biblical Christianity in which the death of Christ for sinners is absolutely central for their salvation.
After mentioning the fact that the revelation of Muhammad, though it claims to be in succession to the Old and New Testaments, was not foretold by these earlier witnesses, John proceeds to deal with the Muslim critique of the Trinity: ‘they call us Associaters, because, they say, we introduce an associate to God by saying Christ is the Son of God and God.’ John is responding here to a fierce monotheistic declaration like this – one of many in the Qu’ran: ‘People of the Book, do… not say anything about God except the truth: the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, was nothing more than a messenger of God… So believe in God and His messengers and do not speak of a “Trinity”…God is only one God, He is far above having a son…’ (4.171).
How to answer
John’s response must ultimately be our response: the teaching of the deity of Christ, and the Trinity, is what is found in the Scripture. Though the doctrine of the Trinity is indeed difficult to comprehend, it is biblical truth. As John writes about the triumph of Christianity in the Roman Empire in another work, The Orthodox Faith: ‘Altars and temples of idols have been overthrown. Knowledge of God has been implanted. The consubstantial Trinity, the uncreated Godhead is worshipped… Hope of the resurrection has been granted through the resurrection of Christ. … Yes, and most wonderful of all is that all these things were successfully brought about through a cross and suffering and death. The gospel of the knowledge of God has been preached to the whole world and has put the adversaries to flight not by war and arms and camps. Rather, it was a few unarmed, poor, unlettered, persecuted, tormented, done-to-death men, who, by preaching One who had died and was crucified in the flesh, prevailed over the wise and powerful, because the almighty power of the Crucified was with them.’
As was the triumph of the gospel then, may it be so again, and that among the followers of Muhammad!
