"...the Imagination (or love, or sympathy, or any other sentiment) induces knowledge, and knowledge of an 'object' which is proper to it..."
Henry Corbin (1903-1978) was a scholar, philosopher and theologian. He was a champion of the transformative power of the Imagination and of the transcendent reality of the individual in a world threatened by totalitarianisms of all kinds. One of the 20th century’s most prolific scholars of Islamic mysticism, Corbin was Professor of Islam & Islamic Philosophy at the Sorbonne in Paris and at the University of Teheran. He was a major figure at the Eranos Conferences in Switzerland. He introduced the concept of the mundus imaginalis into contemporary thought. His work has provided a foundation for archetypal psychology as developed by James Hillman and influenced countless poets and artists worldwide. But Corbin’s central project was to provide a framework for understanding the unity of the religions of the Book: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. His great work Alone with the Alone: Creative Imagination in the Sufism of Ibn ‘Arabi is a classic initiatory text of visionary spirituality that transcends the tragic divisions among the three great monotheisms. Corbin’s life was devoted to the struggle to free the religious imagination from fundamentalisms of every kind. His work marks a watershed in our understanding of the religions of the West and makes a profound contribution to the study of the place of the imagination in human life.

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Tuesday, March 31, 2009

New Book: The Crucifixion and the Quran

The Crucifixion and the Qur'an
A Study in the History of Muslim Thought

by Todd Lawson
(whose graduate seminar on Henry Corbin
I have mentioned before)

from Oneworld Publications


This book will be of some interest to students of Henry Corbin. From the publisher:

According to the majority of modern Muslims and Christians, the Qur’an denies the crucifixion of Jesus, and with it, one of the most sacred beliefs of Christianity. However, it is only mentioned in one verse and contrary to popular belief, its interpretation has been the subject of fierce debate among Muslims for centuries. This innovative work is the first book devoted to the issue, delving deeply into largely ignored Arabic sources, which suggest that the origins of the denial may lie within the Christian Church. Arranged along historical lines, and covering various Muslim schools of thought, from Sunni to Sufi, The Crucifixion and the Qur’an will fascinate anyone interested in Christian-Muslim relations.

Todd Lawson is Associate Professor at the Department of Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations, University of Toronto. He is the author of Reason and Inspiration in Islam: Theology, Philosophy and Mysticism in Muslim Thought.

“With admirable lucidity the book takes us chronologically through all the main interpretations of the key verse where crucifixion is explicitly mentioned.” Michael Carter, Professor of Medieval Studies and Arabic, University of Sydney

“Compelling reading for all those interested in comparative Christian-Muslim theology and its implications for contemporary inter-faith relations. This important, thought-provoking book harbingers fruitful new trajectories for conversations between Christians and Muslims.” Asma Afsaruddin, Associate Professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies at the University of Notre Dame

Posted by Tom Cheetham at 12:00 PM

1 comment:

  1. AnonymousMarch 31, 2009 at 5:27 PM

    You will be interested to know that Professor Lawson is to publish a book this year which will be of even greater interest to Corbin scholars: Gnostic Apocalypse in Islam: The Literary Beginnings of the Babi Movement. http://www.routledge.com/books/Gnostic-Apocalypse-in-Islam-isbn9780415495394. Similalry Nader Saiedi has recently published Gate of the Heart: Understanding the Writings of the Bab. http://www.wlupress.wlu.ca/press/Catalog/saiedi.shtml

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