نشریه معرفت ادیان
سال دوازدهم شماره 3 (پیاپی 48، پاییز 1400)

According to verse 29 of Surah Al-Fath, the Holy Prophet and his companions are mentioned in the previous scriptures. The absence of the names of the Messenger of God and the Ahl al-Bayt in the present Bible has led scholars to decipher some of the verses of the Testaments on this subject. The article "Imam Hussein in the Qur'an, the Torah and the Bible" written by the Iraqi scholar Ms. Zuhour Kadhem Zaeimian in Al-Sabat journal has tried to investigate the symbols referred to in the mentioned verses of the Bible. Believing in the symbolic nature of the biblical verses, which contain the signs of the Companions of Kesa, she argues that the word "Shat’ " (bud) indicates Imam Hussein and the word "Shakhe “ (branch) is its corresponding symbol in the Torah. While her interpretive point of view is innovative and thought-provoking, there are methodological flaws in her work that diminish its validity. The present article has been written with the aim of reviewing and criticizing the mentioned article on the subject of mentioning the name of Imam Hussein in the Torah. Adopting a descriptive-analytical method, the paper has tried to present some examples of common mistakes in such articles and create methodical and sound scientific works.

According to the verses of the Qur'an, Sarah, the wife of Prophet Ibrahim, is a woman who has been blessed with God's divine mercy and has even reached a level of perfection that has made her worthy of speaking to the divine angels. The position of this lady has been discussed in many holy books and narrations. In the Bible and the Qur'an and some Islamic traditions, there is a huge difference in the expression of the characters. The Bible has not been able to portray Sarah's status as it is; moreover, it has tarnished the character of Sarah and Ibrahim by fabricating stories such as the crossing Egypt, jealousy and harshness, the persecution of Ibrahim, and so on. This attitude towards her has also penetrated in some Islamic traditions. In this study, nine narrations have been reviewed and evaluated, most of which contradict the Qur'an and are strangely consistent with the Torah. Based on evaluations, the documents of these narrations are all weak and unreliable in terms of narrations and authentication.

The story of the battle of David in the army of Saul with Goliath is also mentioned in the Qur'an with some differences in the Old Testament. The Syriac Christians of the Age of Revelation have also narrated the story in more detail and presented an apocalyptic interpretation of it. Such an interpretation was reflected in the discourse of the Christian community of the age of revelation and was used to the benefit of the rulers of the time. A comparison of the story of the Qur'an with its Christian version reveals differences in the positions it held in the Christian view of apocalyptic teachings. The Qur'an has narrated the story of the battle in such a way as to guide the Muslims and correct the views formed in that period regarding the character of David and the subject of the battle. In the Qur'an, the prophethood of David is independent of the prophethood of Jesus; and his kingdom is not an eternal issue, rather, it is established after his trial and struggle in the path of God. In the Qur'an, the battle of David refers to the innate principle of repelling corruption, not the advent of Christ. Besides, the power and signs of God have been emphasized, not the power and mystery of Christ.

Christianity is an Abrahamic religion and believes in monotheism on the one hand, and constantly emphasizes the three concepts of Father, Son and Holy Spirit on the other hand. Determining the nature of the relationship between these three concepts has been one of the most important issues in classical Christian theology. With regard to these three essential foundations, Arius, one of the theologians of the Patriarchal Age, holds a view which has been regarded heresy and has been condemned by the Council of Nicaea since (325 AD). Drawing on the historical-analytical method, this article seeks to identify related intellectual contexts and reconstruct his theology based on the reliable works of Arius. This study shows that Arius believed that the father is transcendent and the other, and in terms of eternity and essence, he is alone and unique. By his own will, the Father created the Son out of nothingness to mediate the creation of time and the universe. The Son is not the same as the Father in terms of eternity and essence; the Father-Son relationship is the creator’s relationship with the creature; and the Holy Spirit is the first creation of the Son, and these three essential foundations are different in essence and glory.

Suffering in the Christian tradition is a term that refers to the esoteric suffering or physical pain of the Christ in the last week of his life, as well as to the whole rite of his resurrection. Passion is the first term used in the second century Christian texts to accurately describe the sufferings of Christ. The term has many uses and is also used today to describe the account of Christian martyrs. Suffering is one of the most important challenges for human beings. For a religious person, it indicates the relationship of the person with God. The deeper the suffering, the closer one's relationship with God. This relationship is causes so much pain that not suffering any pain is considered secularity. Thus, the Christian’s belief in Jesus Christ is one of the most fundamental principles in the doctrine of Christian suffering. It seems that one of the factors of salvation in this religious tradition is concentration, reflection and adherence to the suffering of Jesus Christ. In this article, an attempt has been made to examine the issue of the passions of Jesus Christ in Christianity.

Throughout history, Spain has been one of the countries known as the defender of Catholic Christianity. The Spanish Catholicism was able to expand the realm of Christianity in various countries, especially Latin America, by empowering Christian kings. Political, social, and religious necessities require that Latin American Christianity be recognized, and this recognition would not be possible without an understanding of Spanish Christianity. This article examines the nature and characteristics of Spanish Catholic Christianity from the beginning to the time of the conquest of Latin America in the 15th century. During this period, Catholic Christianity went through three periods, including: the arrival in Spain; the Catholicization of Christianity in Spain and the period of the establishment of Catholic Christianity. Catholic Christianity entered Spain with a Roman nature and, with the struggle against Aryan Christianity, spread to all parts of Spain. Finally, in the 15th century, with the help of Catholic kings, Catholicism became an undisputed Christian and religious power in Spain and around the world.

The claim that Jesus did not have a physical body and was not crucified was first made by Christian Gnostic denominations, such as the Manichaeans who joined the Christian denomination. This is the fundamental difference between Manichaean Christianity and traditional Christianity. This descriptive-qualitative article firstly summarizes the process of designing the divine incarnation in the body of Jesus Christ based on the Christian Gospels and Epistles, and then introduces the three Jesus that the Manichaeans believed in. Next, the interplay of the two religions in the design of the image of Jesus as Savior was examined based on the texts found in Africa in early centuries. The Manichaean debate with St. Augustine about the material or divine incarnation of Jesus at the time of creation and crucifixion, based on the Gospel, the Epistles of Paul, and the Manichaean texts, was the basis of the analysis and showed that the process of forming the abstract concept of salvation was a reciprocal influence among Christians and Manichaeans in the first centuries AD.

Armenian Christians are among the most active and influential religious communities in Iran. Knowing and interacting with this group constructively can be considered as one of the priorities of interfaith and intercultural discourse within Iran. Discussions of the principles of religion are certainly one of the earliest and most basic levels of discourse with this group, among which theology is of the utmost importance and must be given precedence. Using analytical artistic content analysis method and based on murals of Vanak Church in Isfahan, this article seeks to address this issue. The special sanctity and respect of religious painting in Orthodox settings, along with the consistency between artistic codes and the themes of the biblical context, make the research findings valid and reliable. Finally, it can be seen that art codes instill some themes such as being kind, superior, supervising, wise and even one and only, along with characteristics such as incarnation and humanity in the audience's mind. The identification and possible analysis of some hidden and obscure artistic codes, such as a dove in the eye-like space in the image, is one of the new findings of this research that can be an incentive for further research.