Scriptural Reasoning

Course Description

Scriptural Reasoning is an interfaith practice where small groups of people from different religious traditions meet to read and discuss passages from their sacred scriptures together. It is not a debate aimed at proving one religion right or another wrong. It is also not a form of syncretism that seeks to blend religions into one. Instead, scriptural reasoning is an intellectual space where participants explore their own and each other’s texts to deepen their understanding, build relationships, and engage in meaningful dialogue across deep differences. It is a form of cultural dialogue that starts in reading scriptures together. 

Islam and Christianity are ideologically and discursively grounded in a common prophetic heritage. The scriptural heritages of Islam and Christianity, above all, their founding scriptures, the Quran and the Gospel, emerged in a process of dialogue with the scriptural heritage of Judaism. In the case of Islam, being chronologically the last, of the three, a similar dialogue process occurred with Christian faith and its scriptural heritage. Scriptural Reasoning is a practice, that developed in the 1990s, primarily among Jewish, Christian, and Muslim academics in the UK and the US. It emerged from Textual Reasoning, a practice that engages with traditional texts from a modern context, equipped with the philological and historical knowledge that has been accumulated by modern scholars. This act of ‘reasoning with the text’ was enriched by interfaith engagement, and the desire to improve interfaith dialogue and understanding.  No curious mind wants a polite but superficial conversation, and no self-respecting person wants a contentious debate. The practice, then is a form of Interfaith Engagement, with the purpose of building peace and understanding between religious communities that is based on academic study; namely, to study sacred texts in a new, comparative, and dialogical way.

Purpose: The second part of the course seeks to explore the theological, historical, and narrative intersections between the Bible and the Qur’an through the lens of prophetic traditions, with a special focus on the figure of Jonah/Yunus. It aims to encourage both Christians and Muslims to engage deeply with their sacred texts, fostering mutual understanding and respectful dialogue. Through academic inquiry and shared reflection, participants will be invited to discover fresh insights into the prophetic witness in both traditions.

Knowing (Cognitive)

• Understand the diversity of Christian perspectives on the Qur’an and its theological implications.
• Analyze the reception and transformation of prophetic narratives in the Qur’an, especially in relation to the biblical account of Jonah.

Being (Character/Identity Formation)

• Cultivate humility and openness in engaging with sacred texts from another faith.
• Develop a deeper appreciation of the shared prophetic heritage as a platform for constructive engagement and dialogue.
• Overcome negative or prejudiced attitudes when approaching the other’s sacred texts.

Doing (Practical Engagement)

• Individuals from different faith backgrounds are able to read prophetic narratives in both the Bible and the Qur’an using tools from reception history.
• Apply principles of respectful interfaith dialogue in Christian-Muslim encounters, especially when discussing shared prophetic figures.

Syllabus

Part I of Scriptural Reasoning  by Ghassan El Masri, Dr. Phil., M.A

Session 1 Why Roots and Etymologies are Important for Scriptural Reasoning

Session 2 Semantic and Historical Etymologies

Session 3 Biblical Vocabulary I

Session 4 Biblical Vocabulary II

Session 5 In the Quran

Session 6 Eschatology and Theology

Session 7 The Eschatological Message of the Quran

Part II of Scriptural Reasoning  by Emad Botros, PhD

Session 8 The Reception History of the Prophetic Traditions  in the Qur’an

Session 9 The Reception History of Jonah in the Qur’an Yūnus: The Impatient Prophet : Al-Qalam (68:48–50)

Session 10 The Reception History of Jonah in the Qur’an  Yūnus, the Rescued Prophet: Al-Sāffāt (37:139–48)

Session 11 The Reception History of Jonah in the Qur’an The Belief of the People of Yūnus (10:98)

Session 12  The Reception History of Jonah in the Qur’an  The Prophet of Prayer: Al-Anbiya’ (21:87–88)

Session 13 Reading the Biblical Narrative of Jonah:  What Do We Learn?