Luis Dizon | University of Toronto (original) (raw)

Papers by Luis Dizon

The Falsification of the Qur'an in Shi'i Commentaries

One of the main themes in the Gospel of John is its Christology. Of the four Gospels, it is John ... more One of the main themes in the Gospel of John is its Christology. Of the four Gospels, it is John who speaks with the greatest amount of clarity on the nature of the person of Jesus Christ. This includes, for example, the most explicit statements on the incarnation and the divinity of Christ. This is especially true of John’s prologue. The significance of this prologue lies in the fact that John does not wait until the end to reveal the identity of the Person of Whom he writes. In Kruse’s terms: “The Prologue introduces this one to the readers before the story proper begins so that they will know the true identity of the central character.” 1 This eighteen verse introduction to the Gospel provides the window through which the rest of the Gospel is to be interpreted. Central to this prologue is the concept of the “Word” (Gk. λόγος), which is the term by which John describes the eternally begotten son of God. The prologue sets forth the nature, identity and activities of this Word, whi...

Logos, 2018

Published in LOGOS: A Journal of Eastern Christian Studies Vol. 59, Nos. 1-4 (2018). For publishe... more Published in LOGOS: A Journal of Eastern Christian Studies Vol. 59, Nos. 1-4 (2018). For published version of this paper, email me at luis.dizon@mail.utoronto.ca

SUMMARY: During the ninth century C.E., one of the greatest theological controversies in Islamic history took place. This controversy pertained to the nature of God as it related to God's attributes. This debate encompassed such important topics as how to relate free-will to predestination, how anthropomorphic language in the Qur'an was to be interpreted, and whether such attributes as God's speech are, in fact, eternal. The last of these issues proved to be the most divisive, and lead to polemics and inquisitions over whether or not the Qur'an was eternally pre-existent. It is interesting that many of these theological debates have parallels in similar debates that took place among Christians over the nature of Christ in the fourth century C.E. Those familiar with church history are aware that during that century, the Arian controversy raged throughout Christendom as various groups debated over how to understand the person of Christ and whether he is to be seen as a creature of God or as being of the same substance as God. Many of the arguments and concepts that were put forward during the Arian controversy closely mirrored similar arguments and concepts that would arise five centuries later in the Islamic context. The goal of this article is to look at the debates regarding the nature of God during the Islamic middle ages (8 th to 13 th centuries C.E./2 nd to 6 th centuries A.H.), as they were participated in by the Mu'tazilis and Ash'aris. We will look at the arguments and issues that were raised during the debate. Also, we will look at parallels with early Christian controversies regarding Christology, showing how similar theological issues arose in both traditions, and were resolved in surprisingly similar ways.

In surat Āl ‘Imrān (3.52-55) and surat al-Saff (61.14), reference is made to the disciples (Ar: ٱ... more In surat Āl ‘Imrān (3.52-55) and surat al-Saff (61.14), reference is made to the disciples (Ar: ٱلۡحَوَارِيُّونَ) of Jesus. These disciples are presented in the text as submitters to God who are aided against those Jews who disbelieved in Jesus. This raises various exegetical questions, such as who the disciples in question are, how they were made superior over those who disbelieved, and what relation they have to the apostles of early Christianity. Such questions are relevant because of how they shape Islamic attitudes towards Christians and the Bible.

Two medieval commentators on the Qur’an stand out in particular in their treatment of this text: 1) al-Qurtubī, who notably mentions several of the apostles from the New Testament by name in his tafsīr, and 2) al-Biqā'i, who is known for his use of biblical material to explain the Qur’ānic text in his tafsīr. This essay will look at the exegesis of these two commentators on 3.52-55 and 61.14 to see how they answer the questions that have been raised above, what sources are informing their exegesis, and why they chose to interpret the text the way they do.

An exegetical consideration of four passages from the book of Acts in light of their usage in deb... more An exegetical consideration of four passages from the book of Acts in light of their usage in debates between Credobaptists and Paedobaptists, and a rebuttal to arguments made by Dr. Gregg Strawbridge in defense of the latter view, based on the aforementioned passages, against the arguments of Dr. Fred Malone By J. Luis Dizon, almost M.T.S.

This essay traces the relationship between Luther's soteriology and Augustine's, showing that the... more This essay traces the relationship between Luther's soteriology and Augustine's, showing that there is a fundamental continuity between the two. Special attention is given to Luther's Heidelberg Disputation and the Anti-Pelagian treatises that Luther quotes from therein.

A historical survey and assessment of various views on the presence of Christ in the sacrament of... more A historical survey and assessment of various views on the presence of Christ in the sacrament of the Eucharist, with an appendix on historic Baptist Eucharistic theology.

Saeculum Undergraduate Academic Journal, Apr 15, 2014

Ever since the rise of Feminism, there have been several debates concerning Biblical teachings of... more Ever since the rise of Feminism, there have been several debates concerning Biblical teachings of gender roles in church and family life. These debates have cut across denominational boundaries and led to the creation of a large body of literature which addresses this issue. The roles discussed concern such practical issues as what it means for a wife to "submit" to her husband as well as whether it is acceptable to ordain women as clergy. Within conservative Evangelical Protestant traditions in particular, the ongoing debate has led Evangelicals to be divided into two main camps. The first camp is Egalitarianism, which takes a more Constructivist view of gender roles, arguing that "hierarchical" gender roles were 1 formed after the fall and that the redemptive work of Christ is meant to eliminate such roles from the Christian Church. They thus allow for women to take on a greater variety of roles, such as being members of the clergy, and are more flexible regarding the roles of men and women in the family life. On the other hand is Complementarianism, the second camp within Evangelical Protestantism. This camp takes a strongly Essentialist view of gender roles, stating that "hierarchical" gender roles were established by God at creation and that this institution does not allow for female members in the clergy or for family structures that do not place the man as the head of the household.

Few books on theology that have been written in the past thirty years have the distinction of bei... more Few books on theology that have been written in the past thirty years have the distinction of being hailed as modern classics. One such book is The Cross of Christ by John R.W. Stott.

Review of "The Reformation Debate"

A comparison of Ancient Near-Eastern vassal treaties and their relationship to the Deuteronomy, d... more A comparison of Ancient Near-Eastern vassal treaties and their relationship to the Deuteronomy, demonstrating how Deuteronomy matches the structure of Hittite vassal treaties from the 16th to 13th centuries B.C.E.

A critique of Multiculturalism as it is practiced in Canada

An examination of the the debate on gender roles between the Complementarian and Egalitarian posi... more An examination of the the debate on gender roles between the Complementarian and Egalitarian positions within Evangelical Protestantism.

The Falsification of the Qur'an in Shi'i Commentaries

Logos, 2018

Saeculum Undergraduate Academic Journal, Apr 15, 2014

Review of "The Reformation Debate"

A critique of Multiculturalism as it is practiced in Canada

A revision of Keach's Catechism

A review of "The Quran with Christian Commentary: A Guide to Understanding the Scripture of Islam... more A review of "The Quran with Christian Commentary: A Guide to Understanding the Scripture of Islam," edited by Dr. Gordon Nickel and featuring the translation of A.J. Droge.

In this thesis, I argue that early Christian reverence for Jesus, which included not only attribu... more In this thesis, I argue that early Christian reverence for Jesus, which included not only attribution of divine honours and prerogatives, but even divine worship, has its roots in late Second Temple Jewish developments in Messianic thought. When one considers Jewish Messianism in Jewish literature in the century leading up to Christ, there emerges a growing tendency to regard the Messiah in exalted terms. Thus, when the Gospels attribute divine honours and powers to Jesus, they do so in a context where such thinking is already prevalent.