Explaining the Trinity to Muslims

Carlos Madrigal

Description

This book is a culturally relevant presentation of the truth of the Trinity to the Muslim mindset. Originally it was issued through a Turkish secular publishing house and had a countrywide repercussion, even in Islamic circles. It is a useful presentation for both Muslim and Christian readers, providing fundamental keys for understanding and explaining the Trinity

Sujets

• Religion
• Christianisme
• Philosophie et théologie
• Growth
• Christian Church

Informations

• Publié par: William Carey Publishing
• Date de parution: 01 septembre 2011
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781645080701
• Langue: English

Extrait

Explaining
the Trinity
to Muslims
A Personal Reflection on the Biblical Teaching in Light of the Theological Criteria of Islam
Carlos Madrigal


Explaining the Trinity to Muslims: A Personal Reflection on the Biblical Teaching in Light of the Theological Criteria of Islam Copyright © Carlos Madrigal, 1994, 1998, 2011 All rights reserved.
Original title in Turkish: Üçlübirlik ne demek? (What is the Christian Belief of the Trinity?) Original title in Spanish: Explicando la Trinidad al Islam! (Explaining the Trinity to Muslims!)
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher, except brief quotations used in connection with reviews in magazines or newspapers.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc™. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com
Published by William Carey Library 1605 E. Elizabeth Street Pasadena, CA 91104 | www.missionbooks.org
Kelley K. Wolfe, editor Brad Koenig, copyeditor James and Joyce Phillips, translators Rose Lee-Norman, indexer Amanda Valloza, graphic designer
William Carey Library is a ministry of Frontier Ventures Pasadena, CA | www.frontierventures.org
Digital eBook release Primalogue 2015 ISBN: 978-0-87808-977-2
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Madrigal, Carlos. Explaining the trinity to Muslims : a personal reflection on the biblical teaching in light of the theological criteria of Islam / by Carlos Madrigal ; English translation by James Joyce Phillips. p. cm. Revised edition of: Üçlübirlik ne demek. 1994 Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-87808-525-5 1. Trinity. 2. Missions to Muslims. 3. Christianity and other religions--Islam. 4. Islam--Relations--Christianity. I. Madrigal, Carlos. Üçlübirlik ne demek. II. Title. BT111.3.M29 2009 231’.044--dc22 2010048054

Contents
Preface to the Spanish and English Versions
Preface to the Turkish Version
Introduction
1 Is It Possible to Know God?
The Unity of God
The Character of God
2 Towards a Correct Understanding
The Conclusions of Islamic Scholars
Three Qualities of Divinity
Anthropomorphic Adjectives
3 Illustrations and Definitions
“Unfolding” into Three Persons
The Concept of “Son of God” ( Ibnu’llah , )
The Divine Being, Word, and Action
The Word Takes on Bodily Form
The Son: Using the Terminology of Islamic Theologians
The Definition of the Trinity
4 Trinitarian Declarations in the Bible
Unicity of God
Plurality within the Divinity
God the Father
God the Son
God the Holy Spirit
The Three Are One and the Same God
The Three Persons Are Clearly Distinct
5 The Theological Approach
What Does “Divine Person” Mean?
Theological Enunciation
God the Father
God the Son
God the Holy Spirit
Relationship between the Three Divine Persons
6 The Incarnation
The Logos Is Uncreated
The Logos Is Eternal
The Logos Is the Almighty
Jesus Said He Was God
The Apostles Said Jesus Is God
Jesus Talks with God
The Son Is Yahweh Himself
The God-Man
7 Clues to Understanding the Trinity
Eternal Love Makes the Trinity an Imperative
The Incommensurable God
Let’s Recapitulate
Fullness and Self-submission within God
The Triune Condition and Its Mystery
Appendix: Toward the Creeds of the Early Church
The Apostolic Church Fathers and the Trinity
Writings by Clement (AD 95–115)
Letters by Ignatius of Antioch (AD 105–115)
Writings by Barnabas (AD 96–98 or 130–140)
Epistle to Diognetus (AD 150)
The Trinity in the Apocryphal Writings
Ignatian Apocrypha
The Nicene Creed (AD 325)
The Apostles’ Creed (AD 340)
The Chalcedonian Creed (AD 451)
Conclusion
Glossary
Bibliography
Index of Terms
Index of Biblical References
Index of Qur’anic References
End Notes

Preface to the Spanish and English Versions
Explaining the Trinity to Muslims was originally written and published in Turkish in 1994 under the title: What is the Christian Belief of the Trinity? The author, Carlos Madrigal, has been living and working in Turkey since 1985 as an evangelical worker. He has established several indigenous churches in Turkey, is the author of several widely read books in Turkish, and the director of studies and professor at the Ephesus Bible School. He is very knowledgeable about the controversial topics between the “religions of the book” (Christianity and Islam) and offers solid biblical and theological bases for explaining the Trinity both to the Muslim and Christian communities.
After witnessing the impact of this subject among discerning readers with a Muslim background (university departments of Islamic theology, etc.), and having seen the interest that the Lord is awakening throughout the English-speaking world towards people groups that are faithful to the Qur’an, the publication of this book, fırst in Spanısh (1998) and now in English, will prove to be a useful tool to those individuals wishing to explore the subject in depth. It will also provide them with fundamental keys for explaining the Trinity to our Muslim brethren who, by the way, are avid to know the truth.
For this reason, much of the religious Islamic terminology has been retained, highlighting it within parentheses alongside our terms. We must bear in mind that Turkish is not a Semitic language like Arabic, but rather Ural-Altaic, closely related to Far Eastern languages such as Korean or Japanese. Regarding religious terminology, however, Arabic continues to be the canonical language par excellence. In the translation to Spanish of this book, Arabic terms were used as they are expressed in Turkish, since the Latin alphabet has been used officially in the Republic of Turkey from prior to the cultural revolution of the 1930s and ’40s. However, for this translation into English, we have used one of the commonly accepted transliterations of the Arabic terms into the Latin alphabet. See the glossary at the end of the book.
Additional explanatory footnotes have also been added, when appropriate, to explain the reasoning behind specific examples or ways of approaching the subject.
From our perspective as Christians, to consider this doctrine—one of the pillars of our faith—through the eyes of a culture and religion unfamiliar with and thus antagonistic toward this teaching brings a new and fresh dimension to any believer who wants to reflect on the fundamental truths of the Trinity and our relationship with the triune God.
In addition, this book serves as discussion material to help explain the doctrine to pseudo-Christian sects in the West that deny and refute the Trinity.
It is therefore a recommended resource for anyone wishing to serve the Islamic people, to pray for them from the “rear guard,” or to simply explore the subject in greater depth from another point of view.
It is our prayer that the Lord will use this simple tool to communicate the love of Christ with even more strength to all who are deprived of his light.
The Publishers Barcelona, April 1998; Pasadena, September 2011

Preface to the Turkish Version
The book What is the Christian Belief of the Trinity? has taken on the difficult task of explaining this highly relevant subject to the Turkish reader. The first edition (1994) sold out quickly. The reviews received from readers, both Christian and Muslim, were very positive and have encouraged us to publish this second edition.
The new edition has been revised and expanded; certain sections have been written with more clarity, and some suggestions made by readers have been incorporated.
Our intention is to explain the faithful teaching of biblical revelation on this subject. It is not an issue of defending Christianity or of criticizing Islam, but rather of bringing into the light a truth that is faithfully registered in the Holy Scriptures.
In general, and unfortunately, when it comes to researching God’s truth in cultures that confront the Christian and Islamic faiths, dialogue is taken to the realm of argument in order to defend controversial or sectarian religious interests. And in the battle to see who is right, the main purpose of all theological exposition becomes obscured—that of knowing and honoring God.
The reasons that have led the author to approach this subject are to correct disregard for and misunderstanding of the Trinity. But above all, the purpose of this book is to honor the one and only God and give testimony to the truth. All who are directly or indirectly in favor of truth ( haqiqah: ) are also in the service of the one who is true ( haqq: ). We know it to be true that every lover of truth will give careful study to these pages without prejudice and will, in return, receive new light on the subject. From here we wish to express our sincere gratitude to all of them.
The Publishers Istanbul, August 1995

Introduction
“How can Christians believe that ‘God is three’? 1 Why do they say that Jesus is the Son of God and at the same time they make him equal to God?” Every reader living within a Muslim culture has been asked questions like these more than once. Muslims say: “Never! This is the sin of association! 2 Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and the Virgin Mary are nothing more than servants of Allah!”
The criticism against “the Trinity” ( tathlith: ) stems from a mistaken understanding of this doctrine. And it is a holy obligation of every believer ( mumin: ) and of every impartial inquirer, to make the effort to understand the subject correctly.
Those who reject the Trinity do so based on two main errors. The first error consists in thinking that the Holy Scriptures 3 (Taurat: ; Zabur: ; Injil: have been adulterated, 4 and therefore the verses that support the Trinit