Analysis and Critique of the Reductionist Approaches of John Wansbrough and Patricia Crone Regarding Prophecies of the Final Prophet in the Old and New Testaments.

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Assistant Professor, Department of Quran and Hadith, Al-Mustafa International University, Qom, Iran.

2 Gholam Hassan Moharrami - Assistant Professor, Department of Progress and Civilization, Islamic Research Institute for Culture and Thought, Qom, Iran.

10.22108/coth.2026.146543.2030

Abstract

Here is the precise academic translation of your text:



The glad tidings of the Old and New Testaments regarding the advent of the Seal of the Prophets (PBUH) have always served as one of the fundamental pillars for proving the authenticity of Islam in comparative theology and interfaith polemics. However, the emergence of skeptical views from revisionist Orientalist currents, which undermine the historical authenticity of these prophecies, has redoubled the necessity for a critical rereading and scholarly defense of the theological foundations of Islam.



The present study seeks to answer this fundamental question: Upon what assumptions is the reductionist approach of John Wansbrough and Patricia Crone based in their encounter with the prophetic glad tidings (*testimonia*) of the Two Testaments, and what are the historical and theological shortcomings of these claims? Employing a descriptive-analytical method and a critical approach, this research investigates the views of these two Orientalists and evaluates their claims by relying on foundational Islamic texts.



The findings of the research indicate that:



1. By ignoring the theological perspicacity and authentic faith-driven motivations of early Muslims, Wansbrough and Crone have reductionistically interpreted the prophetic glad tidings merely as belated, instrumental constructs intended for political legitimization.

2. Wansbrough’s claim that the Muslims’ utilization of concepts such as lexical matching, the application of *Abjad* calculations (gematria), and polemical techniques indicates retrospective borrowings, stands in contradiction to explicit Quranic and Hadith evidence regarding the alteration (*tahrif*) of sacred texts.

3. The ident

Keywords

Main Subjects

Comparative Theology

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 06 September 2026

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics