The Science of Letters and Alchemy in Ibn ʿArabī’s Jesus
This article briefly presents what the science of letters and alchemy meant for Ibn ʿArabī and explains why this Sufi mystic attributes the highest degree of these sciences to Jesus. We will see how the science of letters is a knowledge of God’s creation, which He creates with His Word, where the ex...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-07-01
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| Series: | Religions |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/14/7/897 |
| _version_ | 1797587674646708224 |
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| author | Jaime Flaquer |
| author_facet | Jaime Flaquer |
| author_sort | Jaime Flaquer |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This article briefly presents what the science of letters and alchemy meant for Ibn ʿArabī and explains why this Sufi mystic attributes the highest degree of these sciences to Jesus. We will see how the science of letters is a knowledge of God’s creation, which He creates with His Word, where the existentiation verb, <i>Kun</i> (Be!), plays a fundamental role. This imperative pronounced by God when He wants something to exist appears in the Qurʾān in reference to Jesus. This prophet, being a word and a breath that have their origin in God, receives the knowledge of every word, which is formed by letters. Through this knowledge, Jesus can participate in God’s creative power with His permission, and with the knowledge of alchemy, he will have transformative and healing powers. As this is a science of healthy proportions, Ibn ʿArabī credits Jesus with the knowledge of alchemy due to the impeccable balance he maintained between his human and spiritual natures. This article results from reading his immense work, approached from both theological and religious science methodologies. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T00:42:14Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a3cd09c65e9440a0a00400c90bfa8df1 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-1444 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T00:42:14Z |
| publishDate | 2023-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Religions |
| spelling | doaj.art-a3cd09c65e9440a0a00400c90bfa8df12023-11-18T21:10:13ZengMDPI AGReligions2077-14442023-07-0114789710.3390/rel14070897The Science of Letters and Alchemy in Ibn ʿArabī’s JesusJaime Flaquer0Faculty of Theology, Universidad Loyola, 18011 Granada, SpainThis article briefly presents what the science of letters and alchemy meant for Ibn ʿArabī and explains why this Sufi mystic attributes the highest degree of these sciences to Jesus. We will see how the science of letters is a knowledge of God’s creation, which He creates with His Word, where the existentiation verb, <i>Kun</i> (Be!), plays a fundamental role. This imperative pronounced by God when He wants something to exist appears in the Qurʾān in reference to Jesus. This prophet, being a word and a breath that have their origin in God, receives the knowledge of every word, which is formed by letters. Through this knowledge, Jesus can participate in God’s creative power with His permission, and with the knowledge of alchemy, he will have transformative and healing powers. As this is a science of healthy proportions, Ibn ʿArabī credits Jesus with the knowledge of alchemy due to the impeccable balance he maintained between his human and spiritual natures. This article results from reading his immense work, approached from both theological and religious science methodologies.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/14/7/897SufismChristologyIslaminterreligious dialoguealchemy |
| spellingShingle | Jaime Flaquer The Science of Letters and Alchemy in Ibn ʿArabī’s Jesus Religions Sufism Christology Islam interreligious dialogue alchemy |
| title | The Science of Letters and Alchemy in Ibn ʿArabī’s Jesus |
| title_full | The Science of Letters and Alchemy in Ibn ʿArabī’s Jesus |
| title_fullStr | The Science of Letters and Alchemy in Ibn ʿArabī’s Jesus |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Science of Letters and Alchemy in Ibn ʿArabī’s Jesus |
| title_short | The Science of Letters and Alchemy in Ibn ʿArabī’s Jesus |
| title_sort | science of letters and alchemy in ibn ʿarabi s jesus |
| topic | Sufism Christology Islam interreligious dialogue alchemy |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/14/7/897 |
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