Humanities

Joachim Wach kendi Religionswissenschaft  anlayışı kapsamında pek çok farklı dinî geleneğin yanı sıra İslamiyet’i de anlamaya çalışmıştır. Wach’ın kitaplarında ve yayımlanmamış ders notlarında İslam dininden bahsederken başlıca üç mevzu dikkat çekmektedir: Birincisi, Hıristiyan bir topluluğa İslam’ı anlatırken kullandığı dikotomi ve mukayeseler; ikincisi, Hz. Muhammed’i bir din kurucusu ve siyasi lider olarak tasvir edişi; üçüncüsü, İslam dini hakkında dayandığı kaynaklar. Wach’ın bu üç kalemde ortaya koyduğu yaklaşımlarından hareketle İslamiyet’i tanıtırken zamanının indirgemeci oryantalist anlayışını yansıttığı ortaya çıkmaktadır. Religionswissenschaft’ın içeriği ve metotlarının postmodern eleştiriye maruz kalıp yeniden yapılandırıldığı günümüzde Türk akademisinin hala Joachim Wach’ın tanım ve yönergesine bağlı kalması onun da köklü bir değişim zamanının geldiğini göstermektedir.

Anahtar Kelimeler: Joachim  Wach, Religionswissenschaft, oryantalizm, Joahim  Wach  yazmaları, dikotomi  ve  mukayese.

Abstract: Among various other religious traditions Joachim Wach sought to understand Islam within his own approach of Religionswissenschaft. There are three basic issues that attract attention when Joachim Wach talks about Islam: First is the dichotomy and comparison he employs when he teaches Islam to a Christian audience. Second is his depiction of the Prophet Muhammad as the founder of a religion and as a political leader. Third is the sources Wach is dependent upon when he relates Islam. Based upon these three instances of Wach’s attitude, we may conclude that he reflects the contemporary reductionist and orientalist approach towards Islam. Recently, the nature and methods of Religionswissenschaft has been subject to postmodern critique and it is being reconstructed accordingly. It is also vital for the Turkish academia, who still adheres to the definition and guidelines of Jocahim Wach, to reconsider its approach to Religionswissenschaft.

Keywords: Joachim Wach, Religionswissenschaft, orientalism, Joachim Wach Papers, dichotomy and comparison.

Günümüz dinler tarihi disiplininin kurucularından sayılan Joachim Wach (1898-1955) aslında çok katmanlı bir yaklaşıma sahiptir. Bunlardan ilki, dinler tarihi disiplininin sınırlarını çizmeye ve metodunu belirlemeye çalışan bir dinler tarihçisi; ikincisi, din ve toplumun birbiriyle ilişkisini tipolojiler yoluyla sistemleştirmeye çalışan bir din sosyoloğu ve fenomenoloğu; üçüncüsü ise Tanrı'nın kendini İsa Mesih'te en üstün şekilde açımladığına inanan Hıristiyan bir imanlı ve Hıristiyanlık dışı dinlere nasıl yaklaşılması gerektiği üzerinde düşünen bir teolog. Elinizdeki bu yazıda Wach'ın "din sosyolojisi" adı altında nasıl bir din fenomenolojisi yaptığı, yarattığı tipolojiler ve mukayeseler vasıtasıyla nasıl bir teoloji ortaya koyduğunu ele alacağım. Üstelik bilimsel, otonom ve objektif metodolojiyi önceleyen bir dinler tarihçisi olma iddiasında olan Wach, ne tam bir dinler tarihçisi ne de tam bir teolog gibi davranabilmiştir.

Abstract: Joachim Wach (1898-1955), considered one of the founding fathers of the contemporary history of religions, has a multilayered personality: In order, he is a historian of religions who tries to demarcate the field's boundaries and determine its methods, a phenomenologist of religion as he attempts to systematize the relationship between religion and society via typologies, and a faithful Christian who believes in the superior revealing of God in the person of Jesus Christ as well as a theologian who reflects upon how to approach non-Christian traditions. Within the scope of this paper, I will argue that Wach's attempt to establish the history of religions as an autonomous, objective, and scientific discipline failed even in his own eyes as he is involved in the phenomenology of religion under the name of the "sociology of religion." In addition, he acts as a quasi-theologian when he is involved in the phenomenology of religion and when he provides us with comparisons and typologies. Moreover, although Wach seems to be a historian of religions who prioritizes methodology, he does not fit into either the field of the history of religions or theology.

Hüsn ü Aşk (Beauty and Love) is not solely acknowledged as the major work of Şeyh Gâlib (d. 1799), but is an acclaimed masterpiece of Ottoman lyric poetry. Written in the Indian style (Sebk-i Hindî), Hüsn ü Aşk is a story of spiritual advancement, a romance in over two thousand couplets, combining complex imagery with rich mystical symbolism. In the romance, the use of personifications is quite remarkable, offering an abundance of personified abstractions such as İsmet (Chastity), Gayret (Zeal), as well as paradoxical functions to be found in the character of Hayret (Dazzle). Moreover, Sühan stands as a key persona combining a multilayered functionality. As I will seek to demonstrate in this article, Sühan is a complex figure who merges different layers of the significance of kalima (word) utilized in Islamic theology and Sufi terminology, particularly in the thought of Ibn Arabî (d. 1240). Furthermore, I will endeavor to illustrate that Şeyh Gâlib not only represents the significance of the concept of kalima (word), but also personifies it as a concrete entity when Sühan appears as the caretaker, the old physician and as various birds. Additionally, I will argue that Gâlib employs this character as an embodiment of kalima (word) as a reference to the Word of God, the Perfect Human Being and the Reality of Muhammad. Such an interpretation, as above described, constitutes a valuable alternative to a major approach presented by Victoria Holbrook, who translates Sühan into English as “poetry.” However, as I will argue, Gâlib’s Sühan encompasses various significances of the concept of kalima (word), only one of which is poetry. Furthermore, this article provides the opportunity to argue that Şeyh Gâlib’s Sühan, in its multifaceted nature and multiple functions, bears strong similarities to Ibn Arabî’s kalima (word). Questions can be raised concerning the influence of Ibn Arabî on Ottoman Sufi poetry, through significant parallelisms between the two. Thus, I trust that this phenomenological-textual study will serve as a humble, preliminary attempt to substantiate the issue concerning the extent to which Ibn Arabî was influential on Ottoman Sufi poetry, particularly on Şeyh Gâlib.

Fulfilment theology is one of the main approaches of (Christian) theology of religions. According to Fulfilment theology, non-Christian religions and faiths–although not fully as in Christianity– holds elements of God’s saving plan and of truth. Moreover, as the Old Testament was fulfilled with the Incarnation of Christ, non-Christians religions and faiths have been and will be fulfilled by him. Within the scope of this paper, I will present the ways in which Fulfilment theology deals with the period before the Incarnation, with the Law and Greek philosophy. It will be noted that the basic features of Fulfilment theology, inspired by the Bible and developed by the early Church Fathers, are as follows: First, idea of the fullness of Christian revelation by the Incarnation; second,
comparison between the Incarnation of Christ with the pre-Incarnation period; third, fulfillment of the Law by Christ; fourth viewing the pre-Incarnation period as a preparation stage within which “divine pedagogy” was active. The last but not least is the Logos theology that completes Fulfilment theology as articulated by Justin Martyr, Irenaeus and Clement of Alexandria.

“A Common Word Between Us and You,” dated 13 October 2007, is an open letter with one hundred and thirty-eight Muslim signatories. Since then both the letter and the events related to it have been among the most significant contemporary interreligious initiatives between Muslims and Christians. The genesis of “A Common Word” (ACW) dates back to “The Amman Message,” “The Three Points of the Amman Message” and “Open Letter to His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI.” ACW calls for peace between Muslims and Christians. For such an end, while not ignoring theological differences between the two traditions, it suspends them. ACW shies away from polemics and focuses on a common ground for a greater good. Hence, ACW sets out to quote sections from the Qur’an and the Bible that are both related to the unity of God, love of God and the love of neighbor. Consequently, the ACW text is not free from problems and it contains certain weaknesses. However, ACW should be
assessed in respect to its context and impact rather than being considered solely as a text. Therefore, ACW is an attempt from Muslims that seeks to establish a common ground between themselves and
their Christian neighbors. It is both a theological and political hand stretched to the Christian world as an answer to the “clash of civilizations” thesis. Thus, ACW brings together Muslims from various schools of thought and initiates dialogue with the Christian world for the first time in ages. Moreover, ACW’s emphasis upon a “common wisdom” and spirituality against secularization, also stressed by the Traditionalist school, is significant.

Hüsn ü Aşk (Beauty and Love) is not solely acknowledged as the major work of Şeyh Gâlib (d. 1799), but is an acclaimed masterpiece of Ottoman lyric poetry. Written in the Indian style (Sebk-i Hindî), Hüsn ü Aşk is a story of spiritual advancement, a romance in over two thousand couplets, combining complex imagery with rich mystical symbolism. In the romance, the use of personifications is quite remarkable, offering an abundance of personified abstractions such as İsmet (Chastity), Gayret (Zeal), as well as paradoxical functions to be found in the character of Hayret (Dazzle). Moreover, Sühan stands as a key persona combining a multilayered functionality. As I will seek to demonstrate in this article, Sühan is a complex figure who merges different layers of the significance of kalima (word) utilized in Islamic theology and Sufi terminology, particularly in the thought of Ibn Arabî (d. 1240). Furthermore, I will endeavor to illustrate that Şeyh Gâlib not only represents the significance of the concept of kalima (word), but also personifies it as a concrete entity when Sühan appears as the caretaker, the old physician and as various birds. Additionally, I will argue that Gâlib employs this character as an embodiment of kalima (word) as a reference to the Word of God, the Perfect Human Being and the Reality of Muhammad. Such an interpretation, as above described, constitutes a valuable alternative to a major approach presented by Victoria Holbrook, who translates Sühan into English as “poetry.” However, as I will argue, Gâlib’s Sühan encompasses various significances of the concept of kalima (word), only one of which is poetry. Furthermore, this article provides the opportunity to argue that Şeyh Gâlib’s Sühan, in its multifaceted nature and multiple functions, bears strong similarities to Ibn Arabî’s kalima (word). Questions can be raised concerning the influence of Ibn Arabî on Ottoman Sufi poetry, through significant parallelisms between the two. Thus, I trust that this phenomenological-textual study will serve as a humble, preliminary attempt to substantiate the issue concerning the extent to which Ibn Arabî was influential on Ottoman Sufi poetry, particularly on Şeyh Gâlib.

This paper examines the relationship between Comparative Theology, Religious Studies and Theology of Religions and questions whether Comparative Theology is an alternative to the last two. Comparative Theology, a faith seeking understanding practice, may be viewed as an alternative to the Enlightenment ideal of Religious Studies, which seeks " impartiality " and " scientific objectivity " in contrast to Comparative Theology's enquiry into " truth " and " meaning. " I suggest, however, that the comparative method employed by both Religious Studies and Comparative Theology is not a neutral space. Hence, the new comparativism in Religious Studies reinstates its search for understanding and its political stand, which blurs the boundaries between Comparative Theology and Religious Studies. Likewise, while Comparative Theology is distinct from the Theology of Religions, it does not pose an alternative to it because Comparative Theology, too, often embodies either a pluralist or an inclusivist approach.

In this paper, I examine Comparative Theology (CT) and Scriptural Reasoning (SR), two distinctive interreligious learning practices, in relation to each other. I propose that these practices, with respect to their dialogical features and transformative power, represent two of the most noteworthy current modes of interreligious dialogue. They achieve this by their ability to explicitly understand the " other. " This is also because they serve not only as tools in service of understanding in academic circles, but also as existentially/spiritually transformative journeys in the exotic/familiar land of the " other. " In respect to religious particularity and (un)translatability, I argue that both CT and SR have certain liberal and postliberal features, as neither of them yields to such standard taxonomies. Finally, I deal with Muslim engagement with CT and SR and present some initial results of my current comparative questioning/learning project. Consequently, I plan for this descriptive work to stand as a preliminary to, first, an SR session that focuses on some Qur'anic verses and biblical accounts with a probable progressivist view of history and, second, an in-depth study of the Islamic tradition in that light.

In this paper, I examine Comparative Theology (CT) and Scriptural Reasoning (SR), two distinctive interreligious learning practices, in relation to each other. I propose that these practices, with respect to their dialogical features and transformative power, represent two of the most noteworthy current modes of interreligious dialogue. They achieve this by their ability to explicitly understand the “other.” This is also because they serve not only as tools in service of understanding in academic circles, but also as existentially/spiritually transformative journeys in the exotic/familiar land of the “other.” In respect to religious particularity and (un)translatability, I argue that both CT and SR have certain liberal and postliberal features, as neither of them yields to such standard taxonomies. Finally, I deal with Muslim engagement with CT and SR and present some initial results of my current comparative questioning/learning project. Consequently, I plan for this descriptive wo...