Apology Of Patriarch Timothy
Throughout the history of Christian religion, Apology of Patriarch Timothy remains one of the primary and the most interesting sources of theological thoughts. Designed in the form of an argument with Caliph Mahdi, Apology not only opens the gateway to better understanding of the Christian religion, but lays the foundation for the subsequent comparative analysis of the two religions. Generally, the text of Apology confirms the relevance and value of both religions, and the equal praised status of Christ and Muhammad, but at the same time, Timothy implies that religion is something the human mind should follow regardless of the laws of books and nature, to which it is used.
Generally, and in the course of religious development in the world, the Muslim and the Christian religion were considered as dramatically different and even opposite. At the same time, “the Islamic courts were centers of scholarly enterprise and cross-cultural religious dialogue” , of which the dialogue between Timothy and Caliph Mahdi is the bright example. The basic contours of the argument are about Caliph’s desire to understand the major postulates of the Christian religion and the norms that make it different from Islam. The whole apology is about trying to explain the essence of Christianity to Muslims: “Let it be known to your wisdom, O God-loving Lord, that before these days I had an audience of our victorious King, and according to usage I praised God and his Majesty” , and the major task of Timothy is in trying to explain the importance and role of Christ in the system of Christian religious beliefs without undermining the dominant nature of Islam for the Muslim people.
That Timothy was able to engage Caliph Mahdi into a long continuous dialogue is justified by (a) Caliph’s desire to look deeper into the essence of Christianity, (b) Timothy’s profound knowledge of the subject, and (c) Timothy’s desire to establish reciprocal connections with the representative of a different religion and to recognize religious differences without making them discriminative. At the same time, Timothy is able to theologically engage Caliph into discussion by trying to erase the criticisms of Christianity and by utilizing the benefits of apologetic method in justifying difficult principles and norms of Christianity, as well as while trying to explain the most controversial meanings of Christian writings. Moreover, Timothy’s knowledge of Christianity and Islam create a vision of Timothy being the bright example of religious wisdom, the force of which Caliph cannot withstand: “If Muhammad were the Paraclete, since the Paraclete is the Spirit of God, Muhammad, would, therefore, be the Spirit of God; and the Spirit of God being uncircumscribed like God, Muhammad would also be uncircumscribed like God”.
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