James E. Montgomery
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- May 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780748683321
- eISBN:
- 9780748695072
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9780748683321.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Islam
This chapter sets the scene by drawing a picture of the electric decade in which The Book of Living was written, between 847 and 857. The decade was characterized by the certainty of the imminence of ...
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This chapter sets the scene by drawing a picture of the electric decade in which The Book of Living was written, between 847 and 857. The decade was characterized by the certainty of the imminence of the End Time and by political turmoil and unrest, with the death of caliph al-Wāthiq, the accession of Caliph al-Mutawakkil, and the termination of the Caliphal Inquisition (Mi?na). The decade witnessed a turning away from Kalām theology. In terms of al-Jā?i?’s view of how his society should be organized this turning away from Kalām was tantamount to a threat to its security and was reflected in the prevalence of dissent and disagreement around him. The chapter also reviews the personal cataclysms experienced by al-Jā?i? during this decade: his stroke; the death of his patrons; and his sponsorship by al-Mutawakkil. It also highlights two key features so typical of elite writing: the close connection between eristics and salvation; the practice of self-chronicling.Less
This chapter sets the scene by drawing a picture of the electric decade in which The Book of Living was written, between 847 and 857. The decade was characterized by the certainty of the imminence of the End Time and by political turmoil and unrest, with the death of caliph al-Wāthiq, the accession of Caliph al-Mutawakkil, and the termination of the Caliphal Inquisition (Mi?na). The decade witnessed a turning away from Kalām theology. In terms of al-Jā?i?’s view of how his society should be organized this turning away from Kalām was tantamount to a threat to its security and was reflected in the prevalence of dissent and disagreement around him. The chapter also reviews the personal cataclysms experienced by al-Jā?i? during this decade: his stroke; the death of his patrons; and his sponsorship by al-Mutawakkil. It also highlights two key features so typical of elite writing: the close connection between eristics and salvation; the practice of self-chronicling.
James E. Montgomery
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- May 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780748683321
- eISBN:
- 9780748695072
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9780748683321.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, Islam
This chapter explores what it means for al-Jāḥẓ’s readers to appreciate design according to the theories he presents in The Book of Living. The chapter does this by reverting to a consideration of ...
More
This chapter explores what it means for al-Jāḥẓ’s readers to appreciate design according to the theories he presents in The Book of Living. The chapter does this by reverting to a consideration of al-Jāḥẓ’s dispute with the Addressee which was explored in Chapters 3 and 4. A translation of the debate that rounds off the Introduction to The Book of Living is provided, with commentary and analysis of the principal arguments involved. Chapter 6 unearths one of the fundamental features of the disagreement — the tendency of some Kalām Masters to debate the principal topics of theology by means of subjects which seem at first sight to have nothing to do with these topics. It emerges from this argument that the maligned Debate of the Dog and the Cock that so upset the Addressee and that dominates the first two volumes of The Book of Living was really a debate about human responsibility and capacity for action.Less
This chapter explores what it means for al-Jāḥẓ’s readers to appreciate design according to the theories he presents in The Book of Living. The chapter does this by reverting to a consideration of al-Jāḥẓ’s dispute with the Addressee which was explored in Chapters 3 and 4. A translation of the debate that rounds off the Introduction to The Book of Living is provided, with commentary and analysis of the principal arguments involved. Chapter 6 unearths one of the fundamental features of the disagreement — the tendency of some Kalām Masters to debate the principal topics of theology by means of subjects which seem at first sight to have nothing to do with these topics. It emerges from this argument that the maligned Debate of the Dog and the Cock that so upset the Addressee and that dominates the first two volumes of The Book of Living was really a debate about human responsibility and capacity for action.
