Theology of Prophecy in Dialogue. Christian Prophetology responsive to Judaism and Islam

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Klaus von Stosch
• Subject Area: Roman Catholic Theology
• Term: from 2019 to 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 433540482

The NT and the Fathers of the Church referred intensively to the Old Testament prophets and interpreted them typologically to Christ. This kind of prophetic interpretation, however, has fallen into crisis in modern times for various reasons. Thus there is currently no systematic theological attempt to develop a prophetology that associates the proprium of Christian theology with the prophets and at the same time keeps in mind the intrinsic value of prophecy by continuing the insights of Israel-theology. The Jewish understanding of prophecy and the question why from the Jewish point of view the messianic hopes of the prophets have not yet been fulfilled have already been researched. On the other hand, little attention has been paid to Koranic prophetology in the context of Christology. Therefore our research project should start here.The Koranic approach to prophetology challenges us because it has a critical relationship to Christology. But at the same time it also points out possibilities how the peculiarity of the prophets can be maintained within a typological approach without a promise-fulfilment scheme. Therefore it could be inspiring for Christian theology especially when it wants to find out from a supersessionist attitude towards Judaism. Through grant of the BMBF, we in Paderborn will be able to re-found Muslim prophetology in Koranic terms and to develop it systematically in the next few years. The aim of the present proposal is to accompany this inner-Islamic research from a Christian theological perspective and to use it in the sense described for an israeltheologically sensitive Christian prophetology.Since we also want to take up the hypothesis developed by Sidney Griffith which states that the selection of the prophets in the Koran can be explained by the dialogue with the Syriac Mêmrê, the comparison of the Koranic passages and the relevant Mêmrê is planned by cooperation with Syriac Orthodox theologians. At the same time, the corresponding rabbinical discourses and intertexts will be examined in order to reconstruct the historical references of the Koran in both directions. The contours of a Koranic prophetology will serve as a starting point for the Christian response. In this project a first group of selected figures (Mary, Joseph and David), who function as prophets in the Koran, are to be newly appreciated from a Christian systematic-theological point of view. An exemplary Christian prophetology is to be developed, which leaves the prophetic speech in its function of reference to Christology, but at the same time is open for enrichment of one's own Christology through the Old Testament, rabbinical and Koranic mediated speech of the prophets.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: Iran, United Kingdom, USA
• Cooperation Partners: Professor Sidney Griffith; Professor Dr. Ahmad Pakatchi; Professorin Dr. Azam Puyazadeh; Professorin Dr. Fatima Tofighi; Professor Dr. Holger Zellentin
• Co-Investigators: Professor Dr. Christian Blumenthal; Professor Dr. Daniel Krochmalnik