Critical Re Reading of Historical Critical Approaches to Qur’anic Christology in the Seventh Century: A Study of The Other Prophet

This study employs an analytical-critical approach to the book “The Other Prophet” by Khurshideh and Stosch, offering a critical reexamination of the historicist perspective on Quranic Christology within the context of the seventh century CE. The significance lies in the authors’ reliance on historical and Judeo-Christian theological frameworks, portraying the Quranic depiction of Jesus (ʿĪsā) as a reflection of Prophet Muhammad’s interaction with emerging divergent sects in the Arabian Peninsula. They further characterize the Quranic rhetorical style as confined to oral traditions lacking independent identity. The central question addresses whether the Quranic image of Jesus possesses theological autonomy and a distinctive rhetorical style, contrary to historicist views, and critiques such reductionist approaches to his persona. The study aims to provide a framework for understanding and affirming the Quran’s theological and rhetorical independence in dialogue with Christian theology, thereby challenging reductionist tendencies in religious scholarship. Utilizing an interdisciplinary methodology grounded in analytical-critical study, historical criticism, and Quranic stylistics, the findings reveal that historicist approaches diminish Quranic concepts and overlook its novel, autonomous style. In contrast, the Quran explicitly critiques extrahistorical Christian misconceptions and elucidates Jesus’ prophetic role, presenting terms such as kalima (word), āyah (sign), and mubārak (blessed) as markers of his exalted divine status. The affirmation of the Gospel as a divinely revealed scripture, along with the call for the convergence of Abrahamic faiths, emerges as another salient Qur’anic element within this framework. Accordingly, the Quran maintains theological and rhetorical independence, offering a novel, extrahistorical portrayal of Jesus.