Jason Welle | Boston College (original) (raw)

Books by Jason Welle

Edited Books by Jason Welle

The Muslim World, 2019

This special issue of The Muslim World (109, no. 1-2) is dedicated to the eight hundredth anniver... more This special issue of The Muslim World (109, no. 1-2) is dedicated to the eight hundredth anniversary of the encounter between Francis of Assisi and the Ayyūbid sultan al-Malik al-Kāmil in 1219. Co-edited by Jason Welle, O.F.M., and Fareed Z. Munir, the issue approaches the encounter with an interdisciplinary perspective, containing articles from the fields of medieval studies, art history, international relations, philosophy, and more. Contributors include Michael Cusato, O.F.M., Michele Campopiano, Kurt Werthmuller, Nirit Ben‐Aryeh Debby, and an afterword by Asma Afsaruddin.

Palgrave Macmillan, 2018

This book assesses how Vatican II opened up the Catholic Church to encounter, dialogue, and engag... more This book assesses how Vatican II opened up the Catholic Church to encounter, dialogue, and engagement with other world religions. Opening with a contribution from the President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, it next explores the impact, relevance, and promise of the Declaration Nostra Aetate before turning to consider how Vatican II in general has influenced interfaith dialogue and the intellectual and comparative study of world religions in the postconciliar decades, as well as the contribution of particular past and present thinkers to the formation of current interreligious and comparative theological methods. Additionally, chapters consider interreligious dialogue vis-à-vis theological anthropology in conciliar documents; openness to the spiritual practices of other faith traditions as a way of encouraging positive interreligious encounter; the role of lay and new ecclesial movements in interreligious dialogue; and the development of Monastic Interreligious Dialogue. Finally, it includes a range of perspectives on the fruits and future of Vatican’s II’s opening to particular faiths such as Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism.

Palgrave Macmillan, 2018

This volume explores how Catholicism began and continues to open its doors to the wider world and... more This volume explores how Catholicism began and continues to open its doors to the wider world and to other confessions in embracing ecumenism, thanks to the vision and legacy of the Second Vatican Council. It explores such themes as the twentieth century context preceding the council; parallels between Vatican II and previous councils; its distinctively pastoral character; the legacy of the council in relation to issues such as church-world dynamics, as well as to ethics, social justice, economic activity. Several chapters discuss the role of women in the church before, during, and since the council. Others discern inculturation in relation to Vatican II. The book also contains a wide and original range of ecumenical considerations of the council, including by and in relation to Free Church, Reformed, Orthodox, and Anglican perspectives. Finally, it considers the Council’s ongoing promise and remaining challenges with regard to ecumenical issues, including a groundbreaking essay on the future of ecumenical dialogue by Cardinal Walter Kasper.

Journal Articles by Jason Welle

Islamochristiana, 2022

This article discusses the references to Jesus Christ and Christians in the works of the Nishapur... more This article discusses the references to Jesus Christ and Christians in the works of the Nishapurian Ṣūfī Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Sulamī (d. 412/1021). Without attempting to fully catalog the few references present in al-Sulamī's oeuvre, some representative examples are given, with a special focus on al-Sulamī's Qurʾān commentary. To the extent that one can detect a distinctive element in his portrait of Jesus vis-à-vis the larger Islamic tradition, al-Sulamī foregrounds the Nazarene's esoteric wisdom. Since Christians were a very small minority in Nishapur, it seems that this Ṣūfī master did not see an urgent reason to address the issue. Al-Sulamī's general lack of interest is consistent with the approaches of some other major Ṣūfī texts that emerged from Nishapur and its region in the period, thus challenging the notion that normative characteristics of the Ṣūfī path promote an openness to other religions or a curiosity about them. His literary corpus does not suggest any hostility on the part of al-Sulamī; it merely indicates a Ṣūfī master totally dedicated to cultivating Islamic adab according to the Sunna of Muḥammad.

Studies in Interreligious Dialogue, 2022

This article examines two different categories of human relationships in Pope Francis’s discourse... more This article examines two different categories of human relationships in Pope Francis’s discourse: fraternity and friendship. The central question is simple: what is the difference between calling someone a “brother” and calling someone a “friend”? By extension, should Christians think about their relationships with non-Christians as oriented toward fraternity, toward friendship, or both? This article will examine three sets of data: first, the speeches and homilies of Pope Francis at ecumenical and interreligious encounters; second, the Document on Human Fraternity; third and finally, the encyclical Fratelli Tutti, suggesting some hypotheses about why Pope Francis in recent years has preferred “brotherhood” in his discussion of interreligious relationships, particularly with Muslims.

Islamochristiana, 2019

This article explores the encounter between Francis of Assisi and the Ayyūbid sultan al-Malik al-... more This article explores the encounter between Francis of Assisi and the Ayyūbid sultan al-Malik al-Kāmil, an event that many proponents of Muslim-Christian dialogue – including Pope Francis – have invoked as a sign of hope for interreligious relations today. The first section of the article consists of a narrative summary of the encounter between saint and sultan. The second describes the effects of the voyage on Francis, particularly in transforming his understanding of the mission of the friars minor. The third discusses Arabic sources for the encounter and the effects of the event on the Sultan, arguing that the event likely left no mark on his governance, behavior, or piety. The final section explores three lenses with which to view the encounter: dialogue, friendship and kinship. The author notes the limitations of each interpretive lens but favors kinship as the key to understanding this encounter, discussing this in light of the Document on Human Fraternity signed by Pope Francis and Ahmad al-Tayyeb in 2019.

Islamochristiana, 2018

This brief article revisits a piece written a year ago about the Ṣūfī master ‘Alī al-Ḫawwāṣ (d. 9... more This brief article revisits a piece written a year ago about the Ṣūfī master ‘Alī al-Ḫawwāṣ (d. 939/1532), whom Pope Francis cited in his encyclical letter Laudato si’. The article identifies the Arabic source for the passage Pope Francis cited, explains its context, and offers the English translation alongside the Arabic original.

Islamochristiana, 2017

Pope Francis's Encyclical Letter Laudato si' caught the attention of the world not only due to it... more Pope Francis's Encyclical Letter Laudato si' caught the attention of the world not only due to its provocative content but also due to the breadth of the sources the pope drew together to make his urgent case for the care of our common home. Theologians noticed Francis's recognition of the authority of local bishops' conferences and the Muslim community around the world took note of Francis's citation of a Ṣūfī master. While the pope's citation of a Muslim did not go unnoticed, the identity of the Muslim cited generally did. Laudato si' refers to an obscure figure; the present note summarizes this Ṣūfī's contribution and indicates the principle primary sources about him as well as helpful secondary scholarship in anticipation of a fuller presentation at a later time.

The Muslim World, 2017

This article revisits the legends about Friar Anselm Turmeda / ʿAbdullāh al-Tarjumān (d.ca. 1427)... more This article revisits the legends about Friar Anselm Turmeda / ʿAbdullāh al-Tarjumān (d.ca. 1427), drawing upon the historical method and the argument of John Tolan’s Saint Francis and the Sultan. First, the essay recalls Tolan’s work, including the crucial notion of lieux de mémoire. Second follows a sketch of Turmeda’s life and the internal contradiction in his writings. The third and longest section examines the development of the Turmeda legend, noting stages in the evolution of that legend that parallel Tolan’s observations about the memory of Francis of Assisi. Fourth and finally, the essay revisits the matter of historical method and suggests some ways in which the life and work of Turmeda provides helpful guidance for Muslim-Christian dialogue today, both in Muslim-majority lands and in the West.

Islamochristiana, 2013

SUMMARY: This article focuses on the ethics manifest in the correspondence of Ibn 'Abbād of Ronda... more SUMMARY: This article focuses on the ethics manifest in the correspondence of Ibn 'Abbād of Ronda (d. 792/1390), particularly the theme of adab. The essay situates Ibn 'Abbād within Ṣūfī discourse on adab and within Islamic ethics generally by sketching his work as a director of conscience primarily interested in the inner spiritual forces at work in particular disciples. The problem of scruples in one disciple presents a test case for Ibn 'Abbād's general approach to moral discernment: the mandates of revelation provide a field in which the Ṣūfī disciple follows God's call, but perfection lies in the proper demeanor connected to tasting certainty, or yaqīn. Investigation of the relationship between šarī'a and ḥaqīqa forecloses any attempt to cast Ibn 'Abbād as antinomian but permits the term " hypernomian " with certain qualifications. Ibn 'Abbād of Ronda (b. 733/1333, d. 792/1390) has been called the director of conscience of his times, a moniker frequently reaffirmed by Western scholars who have studied his writings 1. In particular, his epistolary correspondence manifests his role as a spiritual mentor both for those disciples gathered around him and those living further away. This article will focus on the ethics at work in that correspondence, especially his letters to yaḥyā ibn Sarrāǧ, and consider it against the backdrop of Sufi morality in general, particularly the theme of adab. Ibn 'Abbād's letters show that while he willingly answers questions about the proper ḥukm in certain circumstances, his primary interest lies in the spiritual forces at work within the disciple. Put more strongly, he often cares less about the decision itself than about the forces which give rise to the decision and he investigates these forces in the context of the particular disciple's personality. Ibn 'Abbād's heavy criticism of jurists cannot be taken as evidence of antinomianism, although his ethics could be considered hypernomian with certain qualifications.

LOGOS: A Journal of Eastern Christian Studies (Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Institute, Ottawa) , 2014

The article examines relations between Christian monastics (firstly Copts and then Franciscans) a... more The article examines relations between Christian monastics (firstly Copts and then Franciscans) and Muslims in Egypt during the Mamlūk period (c. 13–14th centuries), concentrating in particular on the controverted and changing status of monastics according to various Islamic legal sources. The questions debated by jurists were especially economic: the taxation of monastics, the ability of Christians generally to set up endowments for broadly social-charitable but not explicitly religious purposes, and the Christian use of lands conquered by Muslims. These questions grew more complex with the arrival of Franciscan mendicants, whose pattern of life did not follow the more stable and residential forms of monastic life common in Coptic practice. Ibn Taymiyya’s Fatwā on monks is analyzed closely, aided by the author’s translation of the same at the end of the article, to shed light on why relatively wealthy Christian endowments were, from 1354 onward, widely confiscated.

Journal of Ecumenical Studies, 2013

This essay examines the evolution of the various meetings of religious leaders in Assisi convened... more This essay examines the evolution of the various meetings of religious leaders in Assisi convened by Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI and what this evolution signifies about interreligious dialogue and interreligious prayer. From their inception, these events depended upon theological distinctions such as the difference between “praying together” and “coming together to pray,” but concerns about syncretism led to precise revisions in the format of the Assisi Gathering. This essay focuses on Assisi 2011, particularly Benedict’s decision to include secular humanists among the invitees and how this expressed his understanding of interreligious dialogue, intercultural dialogue, and the meaning of “religion.” Practical rather than speculative concerns prompted this inclusion, as Benedict saw sincere agnostics as a force that could purify religious practice and reorient dialogue toward concrete questions of coexistence. Julia Kristeva, the spokesperson for the humanists in Assisi, is the perfect example of a desirable dialogue partner for Benedict, because, though an unbeliever, she has accorded positive value to religious belief and tacitly favors Christianity over the other major world religions.

Book Chapters by Jason Welle

Christian Perspectives on Transforming Interreligious Encounter, 2024

Il Documento sulla fratellanza umana: una riflessione interdisciplinare, 2022

Questo articolo esamina due diverse categorie di relazioni sociali che compaiono nel discorso di ... more Questo articolo esamina due diverse categorie di relazioni sociali che compaiono nel discorso di Papa Francesco: la fraternità e l’amicizia. La questione centrale è semplice: dal punto di vista cristiano, qual è la differenza tra chiamare qualcuno “fratello” e chiamare qualcuno “amico”? Per estensione: i cristiani dovrebbero pensare alle loro relazioni con i non cristiani come orientate alla fraternità o all’amicizia? O ad entrambe? Il contributo esaminerà tre serie di dati: primo, i discorsi e le omelie di Papa Francesco negli incontri ecumenici e interreligiosi; secondo, il Documento sulla fratellanza umana; terzo, l’enciclica Fratelli tutti, traendone alcune conclusioni provvisorie sul modo in cui Papa Francesco considera la questione dell’amicizia

Les enjeux de l’écriture mystique, 2020

Since the publication of his biographical dictionary of Ṣūfī women (Dhikr al-niswa al-mutaʿabbidā... more Since the publication of his biographical dictionary of Ṣūfī women (Dhikr al-niswa al-mutaʿabbidāt al-ṣūfiyyāt), Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Sulamī (d. 412/1021) has been hailed for recognizing the spiritual capacities of women in ways that exceeded his contemporaries. Rkia E. Cornell describes early women’s Ṣūfism, about which little was known until recently, as a “veiled tradition.” But apart from this biographical dictionary, al-Sulamī’s other writings manifest the presumptions of his male scholarly contemporaries : he describes women as deficient in intellect and religion and encourages pious men to avoid their company, which jeopardizes men’s spiritual progress. This chapter explores the path of spiritual progress for women, examining the “gap” in al-Sulamī’s writings between women honored as spiritual elites worthy of companionship and “ordinary” women who stand as potential threats to men’s religious growth. The author argues that Cornell’s “theology of servitude” remains the least inadequate descriptor for the spiritual path of early Ṣūfī women but that Dhikr al-niswa presents neither an unambiguous way to articulate a gendered difference between male Ṣūfism and female Ṣūfism nor a clear set of concrete practices women used to overcome their supposed weakness and deficiency.

Depuis la publication de son dictionnaire biographique des femmes soufies (Dhikr al-niswa al-mutaʿabbidāt al-ṣūfiyyāt), Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Sulamī (m. 412/1021) a été encensé pour avoir su reconnaître les capacités spirituelles des femmes suivant des voies bien différentes de celles de ses contemporains. Rkia E. Cornell décrit le soufisme féminin des débuts, dont on ne savait pas grand-chose jusqu’à récemment, comme une « tradition voilée ». Mais en dehors de ce dictionnaire biographique, les autres écrits d’al-Sulamī manifestent les mêmes préjugés de ses contemporains masculins dans le monde du savoir : il décrit les femmes comme déficientes sur le plan intellectuel et religieux et encourage les hommes pieux à éviter leur compagnie qui compromet leur propre progrès spirituel. Ce chapitre explore le chemin du progrès spirituel des femmes, en examinant le décalage dans les écrits d’al-Sulamī entre les femmes honorées comme membres de l’élite spirituelle, qui sont dignes de compagnie, et les femmes « ordinaires », qui représentent des menaces potentielles pour la croissance religieuse des hommes. L’auteur soutient que la « théologie de la servitude » proposée par Cornell reste l’outil le moins inadéquat pour décrire le cheminement spirituel des premières femmes soufies, mais que le Dhikr al-niswa ne présente ni une manière non ambiguë d’articuler une différence de genre entre le soufisme masculin et le soufisme féminin, ni un ensemble clair de pratiques concrètes que les femmes ont utilisées pour surmonter leur faiblesse et leur déficience supposées.

Le vie della mistica. Tra ricerca di senso ed esperienza religiosa, 2020

This essay examines the benefits of the Ṣūfī practice of samāʿ – “audition sessions,” or spiritua... more This essay examines the benefits of the Ṣūfī practice of samāʿ – “audition sessions,” or spiritual concerts – by means of one specific modern scholarly construct: the concept of the pious sensorium. The piece sketches some recent theoretical developments, and then brings this theoretical frame into dialogue with one important figure from the formative period of Ṣūfism, Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Sulamī (d. 412/1021), identifying some of the benefits and limitations of these modern analytic categories. The chapter concludes by indicating a connection between the themes at play here and the reference to samāʿ by Pope Francis in his encyclical Laudato si’, who affirms the connection between the Ṣūfī ideal of “listening” to all of creation and a Christian sacramental understanding of the world that fosters a healthy ecological consciousness.

The Muslim World, 2019

This special issue of The Muslim World (109, no. 1-2) is dedicated to the eight hundredth anniver... more This special issue of The Muslim World (109, no. 1-2) is dedicated to the eight hundredth anniversary of the encounter between Francis of Assisi and the Ayyūbid sultan al-Malik al-Kāmil in 1219. Co-edited by Jason Welle, O.F.M., and Fareed Z. Munir, the issue approaches the encounter with an interdisciplinary perspective, containing articles from the fields of medieval studies, art history, international relations, philosophy, and more. Contributors include Michael Cusato, O.F.M., Michele Campopiano, Kurt Werthmuller, Nirit Ben‐Aryeh Debby, and an afterword by Asma Afsaruddin.

Palgrave Macmillan, 2018

This book assesses how Vatican II opened up the Catholic Church to encounter, dialogue, and engag... more This book assesses how Vatican II opened up the Catholic Church to encounter, dialogue, and engagement with other world religions. Opening with a contribution from the President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, it next explores the impact, relevance, and promise of the Declaration Nostra Aetate before turning to consider how Vatican II in general has influenced interfaith dialogue and the intellectual and comparative study of world religions in the postconciliar decades, as well as the contribution of particular past and present thinkers to the formation of current interreligious and comparative theological methods. Additionally, chapters consider interreligious dialogue vis-à-vis theological anthropology in conciliar documents; openness to the spiritual practices of other faith traditions as a way of encouraging positive interreligious encounter; the role of lay and new ecclesial movements in interreligious dialogue; and the development of Monastic Interreligious Dialogue. Finally, it includes a range of perspectives on the fruits and future of Vatican’s II’s opening to particular faiths such as Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism.

Palgrave Macmillan, 2018

This volume explores how Catholicism began and continues to open its doors to the wider world and... more This volume explores how Catholicism began and continues to open its doors to the wider world and to other confessions in embracing ecumenism, thanks to the vision and legacy of the Second Vatican Council. It explores such themes as the twentieth century context preceding the council; parallels between Vatican II and previous councils; its distinctively pastoral character; the legacy of the council in relation to issues such as church-world dynamics, as well as to ethics, social justice, economic activity. Several chapters discuss the role of women in the church before, during, and since the council. Others discern inculturation in relation to Vatican II. The book also contains a wide and original range of ecumenical considerations of the council, including by and in relation to Free Church, Reformed, Orthodox, and Anglican perspectives. Finally, it considers the Council’s ongoing promise and remaining challenges with regard to ecumenical issues, including a groundbreaking essay on the future of ecumenical dialogue by Cardinal Walter Kasper.

Islamochristiana, 2022

This article discusses the references to Jesus Christ and Christians in the works of the Nishapur... more This article discusses the references to Jesus Christ and Christians in the works of the Nishapurian Ṣūfī Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Sulamī (d. 412/1021). Without attempting to fully catalog the few references present in al-Sulamī's oeuvre, some representative examples are given, with a special focus on al-Sulamī's Qurʾān commentary. To the extent that one can detect a distinctive element in his portrait of Jesus vis-à-vis the larger Islamic tradition, al-Sulamī foregrounds the Nazarene's esoteric wisdom. Since Christians were a very small minority in Nishapur, it seems that this Ṣūfī master did not see an urgent reason to address the issue. Al-Sulamī's general lack of interest is consistent with the approaches of some other major Ṣūfī texts that emerged from Nishapur and its region in the period, thus challenging the notion that normative characteristics of the Ṣūfī path promote an openness to other religions or a curiosity about them. His literary corpus does not suggest any hostility on the part of al-Sulamī; it merely indicates a Ṣūfī master totally dedicated to cultivating Islamic adab according to the Sunna of Muḥammad.

Studies in Interreligious Dialogue, 2022

This article examines two different categories of human relationships in Pope Francis’s discourse... more This article examines two different categories of human relationships in Pope Francis’s discourse: fraternity and friendship. The central question is simple: what is the difference between calling someone a “brother” and calling someone a “friend”? By extension, should Christians think about their relationships with non-Christians as oriented toward fraternity, toward friendship, or both? This article will examine three sets of data: first, the speeches and homilies of Pope Francis at ecumenical and interreligious encounters; second, the Document on Human Fraternity; third and finally, the encyclical Fratelli Tutti, suggesting some hypotheses about why Pope Francis in recent years has preferred “brotherhood” in his discussion of interreligious relationships, particularly with Muslims.

Islamochristiana, 2019

This article explores the encounter between Francis of Assisi and the Ayyūbid sultan al-Malik al-... more This article explores the encounter between Francis of Assisi and the Ayyūbid sultan al-Malik al-Kāmil, an event that many proponents of Muslim-Christian dialogue – including Pope Francis – have invoked as a sign of hope for interreligious relations today. The first section of the article consists of a narrative summary of the encounter between saint and sultan. The second describes the effects of the voyage on Francis, particularly in transforming his understanding of the mission of the friars minor. The third discusses Arabic sources for the encounter and the effects of the event on the Sultan, arguing that the event likely left no mark on his governance, behavior, or piety. The final section explores three lenses with which to view the encounter: dialogue, friendship and kinship. The author notes the limitations of each interpretive lens but favors kinship as the key to understanding this encounter, discussing this in light of the Document on Human Fraternity signed by Pope Francis and Ahmad al-Tayyeb in 2019.

Islamochristiana, 2018

This brief article revisits a piece written a year ago about the Ṣūfī master ‘Alī al-Ḫawwāṣ (d. 9... more This brief article revisits a piece written a year ago about the Ṣūfī master ‘Alī al-Ḫawwāṣ (d. 939/1532), whom Pope Francis cited in his encyclical letter Laudato si’. The article identifies the Arabic source for the passage Pope Francis cited, explains its context, and offers the English translation alongside the Arabic original.

Islamochristiana, 2017

Pope Francis's Encyclical Letter Laudato si' caught the attention of the world not only due to it... more Pope Francis's Encyclical Letter Laudato si' caught the attention of the world not only due to its provocative content but also due to the breadth of the sources the pope drew together to make his urgent case for the care of our common home. Theologians noticed Francis's recognition of the authority of local bishops' conferences and the Muslim community around the world took note of Francis's citation of a Ṣūfī master. While the pope's citation of a Muslim did not go unnoticed, the identity of the Muslim cited generally did. Laudato si' refers to an obscure figure; the present note summarizes this Ṣūfī's contribution and indicates the principle primary sources about him as well as helpful secondary scholarship in anticipation of a fuller presentation at a later time.

The Muslim World, 2017

This article revisits the legends about Friar Anselm Turmeda / ʿAbdullāh al-Tarjumān (d.ca. 1427)... more This article revisits the legends about Friar Anselm Turmeda / ʿAbdullāh al-Tarjumān (d.ca. 1427), drawing upon the historical method and the argument of John Tolan’s Saint Francis and the Sultan. First, the essay recalls Tolan’s work, including the crucial notion of lieux de mémoire. Second follows a sketch of Turmeda’s life and the internal contradiction in his writings. The third and longest section examines the development of the Turmeda legend, noting stages in the evolution of that legend that parallel Tolan’s observations about the memory of Francis of Assisi. Fourth and finally, the essay revisits the matter of historical method and suggests some ways in which the life and work of Turmeda provides helpful guidance for Muslim-Christian dialogue today, both in Muslim-majority lands and in the West.

Islamochristiana, 2013

SUMMARY: This article focuses on the ethics manifest in the correspondence of Ibn 'Abbād of Ronda... more SUMMARY: This article focuses on the ethics manifest in the correspondence of Ibn 'Abbād of Ronda (d. 792/1390), particularly the theme of adab. The essay situates Ibn 'Abbād within Ṣūfī discourse on adab and within Islamic ethics generally by sketching his work as a director of conscience primarily interested in the inner spiritual forces at work in particular disciples. The problem of scruples in one disciple presents a test case for Ibn 'Abbād's general approach to moral discernment: the mandates of revelation provide a field in which the Ṣūfī disciple follows God's call, but perfection lies in the proper demeanor connected to tasting certainty, or yaqīn. Investigation of the relationship between šarī'a and ḥaqīqa forecloses any attempt to cast Ibn 'Abbād as antinomian but permits the term " hypernomian " with certain qualifications. Ibn 'Abbād of Ronda (b. 733/1333, d. 792/1390) has been called the director of conscience of his times, a moniker frequently reaffirmed by Western scholars who have studied his writings 1. In particular, his epistolary correspondence manifests his role as a spiritual mentor both for those disciples gathered around him and those living further away. This article will focus on the ethics at work in that correspondence, especially his letters to yaḥyā ibn Sarrāǧ, and consider it against the backdrop of Sufi morality in general, particularly the theme of adab. Ibn 'Abbād's letters show that while he willingly answers questions about the proper ḥukm in certain circumstances, his primary interest lies in the spiritual forces at work within the disciple. Put more strongly, he often cares less about the decision itself than about the forces which give rise to the decision and he investigates these forces in the context of the particular disciple's personality. Ibn 'Abbād's heavy criticism of jurists cannot be taken as evidence of antinomianism, although his ethics could be considered hypernomian with certain qualifications.

LOGOS: A Journal of Eastern Christian Studies (Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Institute, Ottawa) , 2014

The article examines relations between Christian monastics (firstly Copts and then Franciscans) a... more The article examines relations between Christian monastics (firstly Copts and then Franciscans) and Muslims in Egypt during the Mamlūk period (c. 13–14th centuries), concentrating in particular on the controverted and changing status of monastics according to various Islamic legal sources. The questions debated by jurists were especially economic: the taxation of monastics, the ability of Christians generally to set up endowments for broadly social-charitable but not explicitly religious purposes, and the Christian use of lands conquered by Muslims. These questions grew more complex with the arrival of Franciscan mendicants, whose pattern of life did not follow the more stable and residential forms of monastic life common in Coptic practice. Ibn Taymiyya’s Fatwā on monks is analyzed closely, aided by the author’s translation of the same at the end of the article, to shed light on why relatively wealthy Christian endowments were, from 1354 onward, widely confiscated.

Journal of Ecumenical Studies, 2013

This essay examines the evolution of the various meetings of religious leaders in Assisi convened... more This essay examines the evolution of the various meetings of religious leaders in Assisi convened by Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI and what this evolution signifies about interreligious dialogue and interreligious prayer. From their inception, these events depended upon theological distinctions such as the difference between “praying together” and “coming together to pray,” but concerns about syncretism led to precise revisions in the format of the Assisi Gathering. This essay focuses on Assisi 2011, particularly Benedict’s decision to include secular humanists among the invitees and how this expressed his understanding of interreligious dialogue, intercultural dialogue, and the meaning of “religion.” Practical rather than speculative concerns prompted this inclusion, as Benedict saw sincere agnostics as a force that could purify religious practice and reorient dialogue toward concrete questions of coexistence. Julia Kristeva, the spokesperson for the humanists in Assisi, is the perfect example of a desirable dialogue partner for Benedict, because, though an unbeliever, she has accorded positive value to religious belief and tacitly favors Christianity over the other major world religions.

Christian Perspectives on Transforming Interreligious Encounter, 2024

Il Documento sulla fratellanza umana: una riflessione interdisciplinare, 2022

Questo articolo esamina due diverse categorie di relazioni sociali che compaiono nel discorso di ... more Questo articolo esamina due diverse categorie di relazioni sociali che compaiono nel discorso di Papa Francesco: la fraternità e l’amicizia. La questione centrale è semplice: dal punto di vista cristiano, qual è la differenza tra chiamare qualcuno “fratello” e chiamare qualcuno “amico”? Per estensione: i cristiani dovrebbero pensare alle loro relazioni con i non cristiani come orientate alla fraternità o all’amicizia? O ad entrambe? Il contributo esaminerà tre serie di dati: primo, i discorsi e le omelie di Papa Francesco negli incontri ecumenici e interreligiosi; secondo, il Documento sulla fratellanza umana; terzo, l’enciclica Fratelli tutti, traendone alcune conclusioni provvisorie sul modo in cui Papa Francesco considera la questione dell’amicizia

Les enjeux de l’écriture mystique, 2020

Since the publication of his biographical dictionary of Ṣūfī women (Dhikr al-niswa al-mutaʿabbidā... more Since the publication of his biographical dictionary of Ṣūfī women (Dhikr al-niswa al-mutaʿabbidāt al-ṣūfiyyāt), Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Sulamī (d. 412/1021) has been hailed for recognizing the spiritual capacities of women in ways that exceeded his contemporaries. Rkia E. Cornell describes early women’s Ṣūfism, about which little was known until recently, as a “veiled tradition.” But apart from this biographical dictionary, al-Sulamī’s other writings manifest the presumptions of his male scholarly contemporaries : he describes women as deficient in intellect and religion and encourages pious men to avoid their company, which jeopardizes men’s spiritual progress. This chapter explores the path of spiritual progress for women, examining the “gap” in al-Sulamī’s writings between women honored as spiritual elites worthy of companionship and “ordinary” women who stand as potential threats to men’s religious growth. The author argues that Cornell’s “theology of servitude” remains the least inadequate descriptor for the spiritual path of early Ṣūfī women but that Dhikr al-niswa presents neither an unambiguous way to articulate a gendered difference between male Ṣūfism and female Ṣūfism nor a clear set of concrete practices women used to overcome their supposed weakness and deficiency.

Depuis la publication de son dictionnaire biographique des femmes soufies (Dhikr al-niswa al-mutaʿabbidāt al-ṣūfiyyāt), Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Sulamī (m. 412/1021) a été encensé pour avoir su reconnaître les capacités spirituelles des femmes suivant des voies bien différentes de celles de ses contemporains. Rkia E. Cornell décrit le soufisme féminin des débuts, dont on ne savait pas grand-chose jusqu’à récemment, comme une « tradition voilée ». Mais en dehors de ce dictionnaire biographique, les autres écrits d’al-Sulamī manifestent les mêmes préjugés de ses contemporains masculins dans le monde du savoir : il décrit les femmes comme déficientes sur le plan intellectuel et religieux et encourage les hommes pieux à éviter leur compagnie qui compromet leur propre progrès spirituel. Ce chapitre explore le chemin du progrès spirituel des femmes, en examinant le décalage dans les écrits d’al-Sulamī entre les femmes honorées comme membres de l’élite spirituelle, qui sont dignes de compagnie, et les femmes « ordinaires », qui représentent des menaces potentielles pour la croissance religieuse des hommes. L’auteur soutient que la « théologie de la servitude » proposée par Cornell reste l’outil le moins inadéquat pour décrire le cheminement spirituel des premières femmes soufies, mais que le Dhikr al-niswa ne présente ni une manière non ambiguë d’articuler une différence de genre entre le soufisme masculin et le soufisme féminin, ni un ensemble clair de pratiques concrètes que les femmes ont utilisées pour surmonter leur faiblesse et leur déficience supposées.

Le vie della mistica. Tra ricerca di senso ed esperienza religiosa, 2020

This essay examines the benefits of the Ṣūfī practice of samāʿ – “audition sessions,” or spiritua... more This essay examines the benefits of the Ṣūfī practice of samāʿ – “audition sessions,” or spiritual concerts – by means of one specific modern scholarly construct: the concept of the pious sensorium. The piece sketches some recent theoretical developments, and then brings this theoretical frame into dialogue with one important figure from the formative period of Ṣūfism, Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Sulamī (d. 412/1021), identifying some of the benefits and limitations of these modern analytic categories. The chapter concludes by indicating a connection between the themes at play here and the reference to samāʿ by Pope Francis in his encyclical Laudato si’, who affirms the connection between the Ṣūfī ideal of “listening” to all of creation and a Christian sacramental understanding of the world that fosters a healthy ecological consciousness.

Changing the Church Transformations of Christian Belief, Practice and Life, 2020

This essay examines the role of friendship in ecclesiology, particularly vis-à-vis interreligious... more This essay examines the role of friendship in ecclesiology, particularly vis-à-vis interreligious dialogue and ecclesial change. Many philosophers, both ancient and modern, assume that authentic friendship changes a person and leaves a mark on one’s character. By extension, when Christians befriend non-Christians, this bond not only affects those individuals but also changes the Church. The essay takes as a test case the encounter between St. Francis of Assisi and the Ayyūbid Sultan al-Malik al-Kāmil in 1219. Francis returned from his sojourn in Egypt with a novel vision of the friars’ mission among Muslims. The author questions whether Francis and al-Kāmil can be accurately described as “friends,” but notes the positive ecclesial change as a result of their encounter and the potential for interreligious friendship to yield further change in the Church.

In Changing the Church: Transformations of Christian Belief, Practice and Life, ed. by Mark Chapman and Vladimir Latinovic (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2020), 217-223.

The Routledge Companion to the Qur’an, 2022

Pontificia Università Antonianum 18-27 febbraio 2019

مائدة مستحيرة حول موضع البعد الجمالي في الأديان, 2019

This short talk summarizes the aesthetic element of St. Francis's conversion in his encounter wit... more This short talk summarizes the aesthetic element of St. Francis's conversion in his encounter with the leper. Rather than merely an act of charity on the part of Francis, the encounter transformed the saint's sense of taste, when "what had seemed bitter to me was turned into sweetness of soul and body." This talk was published in the proceedings of a study day on beauty in religion in Abū l-Jaʿd, Morocco, on 7 July 2018.

The Cord: A Franciscan Spiritual Review, 2014

Some reflections on modern communications technology for The Cord, a Franciscan Spiritual Review,... more Some reflections on modern communications technology for The Cord, a Franciscan Spiritual Review, based on retreat talks I have given.