Jesus' Prophethood and Islam: Insights from the Risale-i Nur

Jesus’ Prophethood and Islam: Insights from the Risale-i Nur • Kristin Johnston Largen 203

Jesus’ Prophethood and Islam:Insights from the Risale-i Nur1

By Kristin Johnston Largen

Abstract: While Jesus’ prophethood is an indisputable component of his identity in the Christiantradition, it has been marginalized for centuries in favor of his identity as savior. In this article, I arguethat an engagement with an understanding of Jesus’ prophethood in Islam, particularly as explicated bythe Turkish thinker Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, can help Christians recover a more robust interpretation ofJesus as prophet that has a positive impact on a Christian articulation of the church and of discipleshiptoday.

Key Terms: Prophethood, Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, Christian-Muslim dialogue, comparative theology,Jesus Christ

Sola What?

The classic Lutheran confession of sola Christusrefers, of course, to the unique character of Je-sus’ saving work, and the human dependence uponChrist alone for our salvation. There is nothing wecan contribute to this gift and no one else whoparticipates in the work of human freedom andforgiveness. Christ, and Christ alone, is our savior.Yet, this is not all Jesus is to us. In fact, Jesushas other facets and titles that complement—ratherthan threaten—his identity as savior; and one ofthe most important of these is “prophet.”

Unfortunately, however, Jesus’ prophetic identityhas been all but lost in the Western church, suchthat most Christians would not even include Jesuson a list of biblical prophets, defaulting instead tosuch names as Jonah, Isaiah and Amos.

However, there is no need to assume thatprophet and savior are contrary titles, even if theypoint to different functions. In fact, the loss ofJesus’ prophetic identity is a loss for the Chris-tian church as a whole; and unnecessarily restricting

Kristin Johnston Largen is associate professor of systematic theology at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg and the editor ofDialog. Her most recent book is Finding God Among our Neighbors: An Interfaith Systematic Theology (Fortress Press, 2013).

Jesus’ identity also unnecessarily restricts Christians’own identity as Jesus’ disciples. As a response tothis challenge, I argue that engagement with Islamon the concept of Jesus’ prophethood creates freshpossibilities to see both Jesus and ourselves withnew eyes, and understand our Christian vocationin the world in new ways.

Who Do You Say That I Am?

It is indisputable that one of the key points ofcontention—if not the key point of contention—between Christians and Muslims is the person andwork of Jesus of Nazareth. While Jesus is highlyvalued and esteemed as a prophet by Muslims, heis worshipped as the Christ by Christians and un-derstood as not merely a human messenger fromGod but the divine son of God, and indeed, GodGodself. This is, of course, a critical theologicaldifference that both stems from and leads to differ-ing understandings of God, human beings, humanagency and the afterlife. I want to be very clear

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204 Dialog: A Journal of Theology • Volume 53, Number 3 • Fall 2014 • September

that in what follows I am neither trying to mini-mize these very real and essential distinctions, norexplain them away. However, at the same time, Ihope to demonstrate that Christians and Muslimsdo agree on some important points of interpreta-tion regarding both Jesus’ identity and the purposeof his life; and, what’s more, in learning aboutthe way in which Muslims view Jesus, Christianscan gain a new appreciate for who Jesus is andwhat his life means for us today. Central in thisrespect is the Muslim understanding of Jesus as aprophet.

At the start of such an investigation, it is im-portant to remember that Christians and Muslimsalike revere Jesus son of Mary as a great prophet;and this prophetic identity is witnessed to in boththe Qur’an and the New Testament. However, inthe Christian tradition, Jesus’ prophetic identity of-ten is obscured by the emphasis on his divine na-ture and his work as savior. This limits Christiantheology in three ways. First, it hampers a full un-derstanding and appreciation of who Jesus is andthe interpretation of his life and work; second, itrestricts the way in which an understanding of Je-sus’ life and ministry Jesus can positively impactcontemporary Christian life and discipleship; andfinally, it hinders the positive ways in which Chris-tians and Muslims can be in constructive dialoguearound the person of Jesus.

Regarding the latter, as I noted previously, toooften the person of Jesus is seen as a stumblingblock to conversation and a point of disagreement,rather than an area in which rich and fruitful dia-logue can occur. As a way of moving beyond thatoften contentious stalemate, I argue that using thelens of Bediuzzaman Said Nursi’s thought, partic-ularly his understanding of the role and functionof prophets in his major work, the Qur’anic com-mentary titled the Risale-i Nur, Christians can cometo a deeper appreciation of what it means that Je-sus is not only savior, but also prophet; and thatthis new appreciation can positively impact the wayChristians understand their own lives as followersof Jesus.

The argument unfolds as follows. First, I offera brief summary of some of the primary Christianclaims around Jesus’ identity as prophet. As noted

previously, while Jesus’ prophetic identity is oftenmarginalized by Christians, certainly it is not un-known; and it is helpful at the beginning to providea context in which to interpret Nursi’s thought.That is, it is helpful to get a picture of what Chris-tians mean when they call Jesus a prophet beforeturning to Islam.

Second, I explore Nursi’s understanding ofprophethood, looking particularly at his more gen-eral statements about prophethood that can be di-rectly applied to Jesus. This means that the exam-ination of Nursi will be quite focused: of course,Nursi’s discussion of prophethood is a key aspectof his thought, and connects deeply to his analy-sis of the Qur’an, his affirmation of God’s unityand the Divine Names, and obviously, his treat-ment of Muhammad. However, for the purposes ofthis article, I focus primarily on Nursi’s analysis ofprophethood in general, so that Nursi’s thought canbe most clearly and directly related to Jesus. Thisallows me to use Nursi’s thought as a lens throughwhich to gain a fresh look on Jesus, specifically hisprophetic identity. Finally, I suggest a few prelimi-nary insights and challenges Nursi’s understandingof prophethood offer to Christians and their inter-pretation of Jesus’ life and work.

Jesus’ Prophethood: A ChristianPerspective

So, to begin: when Christians call Jesus a prophet,what do they mean? Perhaps the most longstandinginterpretation of Jesus’ prophethood comes in thecontext of what commonly is called Jesus’ “three-fold office,” the munus triplex, as it is known in theWestern Christian tradition. This refers to Jesus’identity as prophet, priest, and king. Concerningthe latter two descriptors, Jesus is considered “highpriest” in the tradition of the Jewish priesthood,where the priest had the capacity to perform sac-rifices and forgive sins: Christians use the languageof Jesus offering himself as an atoning sacrificingfor the sins of humanity. Jesus also is considereda king, particularly in his resurrected glory, whereChristians speak of Jesus sitting at the right hand


of God, ruling over heaven and earth. However, itis the first of the three offices that concern us here:Jesus as prophet.

Perhaps the earliest use of the munus triplexframework can be found in the writings of JustinMartyr, particularly his Dialogue with Trypho theJew, written around 150 CE. He writes, “’Jesus re-ceived from the Father the title of King and Christand Priest and Messenger’” among other honors.”2

However, John Calvin is the Christian theologianmost associated with this concept. In the Institutesof the Christian Religion, Calvin writes, “Therefore,that faith may find in Christ a solid ground of sal-vation, and so rest in him, we must set out withthis principle, that the office which he receivedfrom the Father consists of three parts. For he wasappointed both Prophet, King, and Priest . . . ”3

John Wesley utilized this idea, too, writing atone point:

We are by nature at a distance from God,aliened from [God], and incapable of a freeaccess to [God]. Hence we want a mediator,an intercessor, in a word, a Christ, in hispriestly office. This regards our state withrespect to God. And with respect to our-selves, we find a total darkness, blindness,ignorance of God, and things of God. Nowhere we want Christ in his prophetic office,to enlighten our minds, and teach us thewhole will of God. We find also within usa strange misrule of appetites and passions.For these we want Christ in his royal char-acter, to reign in our hearts, and subdue allthings to himself.4

What is especially important about Wesley’s useof the concept is the way in which he saw it con-nected to one’s own life of faith and discipleship.Fred Guyette writes, “Wesley’s desire to ‘proclaimChrist in all his offices’ moves us decisively in thedirection of a faith that is engaged both in per-forming deeds of loving service to others and theshaping of public life.”5 For example, “In the Lord’sSupper . . . Christ must be proclaimed not only asa true Priest, but also as Prophet. We cannot trulycelebrate the Lord’s Supper without finding our-selves called upon to feed the hungry, as Jesus didon so many occasions.”6

“Teaching” is not “Saving”

However, in the context of this article—andChristian-Muslim dialogue in general—what ismost important to note is that on its own, Jesus’prophetic role is only one aspect of his full identity,and, by itself, it is insufficient for salvation accordingto orthodox Christian doctrine. The primary reasonfor this is that the aspect of Jesus’ prophetic rolethat has been primarily emphasized is the teach-ing aspect, which is edifying but not redeeming.Again, looking at the work of John Calvin, he citesas proof of Jesus’ prophetic office the account ofthe transfiguration, where, as Jesus is seen standingwith Moses and Elijah, a voice speaks from heavensaying, “this is my Son, my Chosen, listen tohim” [Luke 9:35]. Calvin says that this voice “gave[Jesus] a special privilege above all other teachers.”7

And further, Calvin writes: “The purpose of thisprophetical dignity in Christ is to teach us, that inthe doctrine which he delivered is substantially in-cluded a wisdom which is perfect in all its parts.”8

There is no question that this teaching aspect ofJesus’ prophetic office is of central importance forunderstanding who Jesus is; however, Christian tra-dition has overwhelming asserted that it is not Je-sus’ teaching role that is salvific: that is, teacher doesnot equal savior. To be savior, it is not enough to bea human prophet—even one sent by God. Instead,divinity is required. Thus, while other prophets aresaid to speak the word of God, Christians believethat Jesus is the word of God—as recorded inthe Gospel of John: “In the beginning was theWord . . . .and the Word became flesh and dweltamong us.” Emphasizing this distinction, GeorgeStroup writes, “ . . . Jesus is not simply . . . anotherprophet, priest and king. He significantly redefinesthe meaning of each of these offices. Unlike the restof Israel’s prophets, for example, he not only speaksYahweh’s Word, but according to New Testamentnarrative he is God’s Word.”9

In my view, it is exactly this opposition—teacherversus savior—that has led to a marginalization ofJesus’ prophetic identity in the Christian tradition,for two specific reasons: first, Jesus’ prophetic activ-ity seems to emphasize his human identity at theexpense of his divine identity, and it is his divinity


that is of crucial importance in his role as savior;and second, since there are other prophets sent byGod, to call Jesus a “prophet” does not adequatelyconvey his unique identity. For these reasons, then,among others, it is fair to say that in the twentiethcentury, not only Jesus’ prophetic office in particu-lar, but also this munus triplex framework, has beencritiqued.10

Bediuzzaman Said Nursi

Bediuzzaman Said Nursi [Bediuzzaman means“wonder of the age”] is an extraordinary SunniMuslim theologian who lived from 1878–1960. Helived through the ending of the Ottoman Em-pire and the rise of a secular Turkish state, whichwas founded in 1923 by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.Nursi’s life was complicated and he faced manychallenges, including time in a Russian prison campin 1915. Most notably, however, was his long pe-riod of exile and imprisonment that began in 1925and marked the last years of his life: it was onlyafter 25 years that he was pardoned and able tolive freely the last 10 years before his death.

His major work is called the Risale-i Nur [whichmeans “treaty of light”], a vast, multi-layered com-mentary on the Qur’an, which he began writingin 1926. The Risale-i Nur is considered to be atafsir—an Islamic qur’anic exegesis—but it is quitedifferent from most traditional exegetical works onthe Qur’an. Typically, such works are organized ac-cording to the different surahs, with commentaryon the various verses. The Risale, however, is or-ganized thematically, and treats various questionsabout basic doctrines of Islamic teaching, as foundin the Qur’an. The advantage of this format isthat it makes it more accessible to non-scholars,both Muslim and non-Muslim.

The Risale quickly became popular, and evenduring Nursi’s exile it was copied and distributed.Its popularity only grew over time, and today thenumbers of his followers, who make up what isknown as the “Nur community,” is said to be over6 million world-wide.11 Perhaps the most impor-tant thing to know about Nursi’s thought—whichis one of the main reasons he continues to be so

popular in modern Turkey—is that he was com-mitted to the idea that religion had a role to playin a modern secular state, and that one could bea faithful Muslim and still celebrate all the techno-logical and scientific advancements modernity her-alded. According to Nursi:

One can be a Muslim and an advocate fortechnology and science; one can be a Mus-lim and operate effectively in a secular state;and one can be a Muslim and commit topeaceful co-existence with those who disagreewith Islam. Furthermore the arguments forthese positions are all found in the Qur’an.The embrace of science, pluralism and dia-logue are not, for Nursi, a betrayal of theteachings of the Qur’an and the ProphetMuhammad.12

In this way, Nursi offers a way, not only forMuslims but all people of faith, to live out theirreligious commitments in ways that constructivelycontribute to society as a whole, and offer an im-portant contribution to its thought and practice.

Prophethood and the Qur’an

In An Introduction to Said Nursi, the authors arguethat there are four major themes within the Qur’anitself that organize and focus all the other topicsof discussion: “tawhid, oneness of God, prophet-hood, afterlife and the significance of justice andworship.”13 Accordingly then, these four themesalso are in evidence in the Risale, where “A strongemphasis is placed on faith, ways to obtain knowl-edge of God, the purpose of creation, and hu-mankind’s responsibility in relation to this cosmicpurpose.”14 It should be obvious that for each oneof these, prophethood plays a critical role.

At this point, it is important to note that whilethis article does not focus on Muhammad specif-ically, the importance of Muhammad for Nursi’sunderstanding of prophethood in general cannotbe overstated. Nursi writes, “Prophet Muhammad,upon him be peace and blessings, is the mostdecisive and undeniable proof of the Maker, ofthe institution of mission of Prophethood, of the


Resurrection and the afterlife, and of the truth.”15

This is not surprising of course; in fact, it is so ob-vious it is hardly worth mentioning. Yet, I do men-tion it here because it is an important reminder forChristians that, for Muslims, an understanding ofprophethood cannot be separated from the personof Muhammad, and thus Muhammad also must berespectfully studied and considered when thinkingabout Jesus’ prophetic nature. To put it bluntly,Christians must remember that for Muslims,Jesus is not the paradigmatic prophet, Muhammadis; and thus, he is the lens through which Jesus’person and work is properly understood.

A Guide for Humanity

For Nursi, the primary function of a prophet isto act as a guide for humanity. In “Seeds of Re-ality,” he writes, “Pre-eternal power, which doesnot leave ants without a prince or bees without aqueen, certainly does not leave [hu]mankind with-out prophets . . . ”16 Similarly, in The Reasonings, hewrites, “The Maker does nothing without a pur-pose . . . Nothing is neglected in creation, and hu-manity needs a guide on its way to eternity. Allthese realities demonstrate the necessity of the in-stitution of Prophethood.”17 Nursi goes on to elab-orate the specific aspects of guidance offered by aprophet, of which I want to mention two: first isthe understanding of the order of the universe; andsecond is the reminder of humanity’s innate uniquequalities, which separate humans from other ani-mals, and the mandate to live in accordance withthose qualities. Let me elaborate briefly on each ofthese.

Understanding the Universe

Markham and Pirim note that in Islam “worship”has a broader definition than the one most Chris-tians use. They write, “In Islam, worship is notonly understood in its formal forms of prescribedprayers, fasting, or giving charity. Pondering onGod’s creation and the channels of His revela-

tions, pursuing knowledge to gain better insightsof His names, and having reflecting thought abouthis creation are all considered within the range ofworship.”18 For Nursi, this type of worship fallsunder the category of “reflection,” and the prophethas a key role to play here.

Nursi uses the metaphor of the “two books” ofdivine revelation [an image also found in Christianthought], endorsing the lines from Hoja Tahsin:

The pages of the Book of the Universe—they are dimensions limitless;The lines written through the events hap-pening within time—They are works countless.Printed on the press of the Supreme Pre-served Tablet,Everything in the universe is a meaningful,embodied word.19

Specifically, Nursi describes the universe as the“embodied Qur’an”—that is, “the Qur’an that islooked at, felt, and experienced.”20 Nursi writesthat parallel to how the Qur’an shows forth theglory and perfection of its author:

Just the same is the mighty book of theuniverse; we see with our eyes a pen at workwhich writes on the face of the earth, whichis a single of its pages, and on the spring,which is a single folio, the three hundredthousand plant and animal species, which arelike three hundred thousand different books,all together, one within the other, withoutfault or error, without mixing them up orconfusing them, perfectly and with completeorder . . . .21

In this way, the universe “makes known the In-scriber and Author of the book of the universetogether with His infinite perfections. Proclaiming‘God is Most Great!’ it makes Him known. Ut-tering words like ‘Glory be to God!’, it describesHim. Uttering praises like ‘All praise be to God!’,it makes Him loved.”22 This in itself is a won-derful affirmation of the goodness of the physi-cal world, and the connection between the Cre-ator and the creation; and clearly this is a placewhere Christians and Muslims both can engage inconversations involving religion and science. It is


obvious why Nursi is such a rich resource in thisregard.

However, Nursi also says that the universe isnot self-interpreting; in order to properly dis-cern the signs and read them correctly, a prophetis needed. In The Words, Nursi emphasizes theProphet Muhammad’s role in particular in this re-gard, writing: “He solves and expounds the strangeriddle of the mystery of the world’s creation; hediscovers and solves the abstruse talisman which isthe mystery of the universe; and he provides con-vincing and satisfying answers to the three awesomeand difficult questions that are asked of all beingsand have always bewildered and occupied minds:‘Where do you come from? What are you doinghere? What is your destination?’”23

It is clear that all prophets share in this responsi-bility, given the compromised state of human facil-ities. Nursi writes that while humanity has the ca-pacity to see connections between cause and effect,and understand the laws of the universe, both hu-man capacity and abilities are restricted and flawed.

Thus, together with these defective and lim-ited capacities and abilities, the desire tosatisfy all of humanity’s needs, and human-ity’s innate ignorance and powerlessness, aswell as the fancies, caprices, suspicions, andwhims what pester it constantly, cause usto be in absolute need of the guidanceof Prophethood. Only through Prophethoodcan the perfect orderliness of the universe,with whatever is in it and whatever occursin it, be perceived adequately. The balanceand order of human life depend on the abil-ity to perceive this universal order.24

Prophethood and Naming

Related here is the connection between prophet-hood and naming—specifically naming of twosorts. First is the naming of the animals byAdam, which symbolizes divine knowledge—that is,knowledge given to human beings by God, as writ-ten in the Qur’an: “He taught Adam the names,all of them” [2:31]. Second is the knowledge of the

divine names, an important theme for Nursi. Thisknowledge bears witness to the unique role humanbeings have been given by God—God’s “viceregent”on earth.25 Knowledge of both sets of names, givenfirst to Adam, testify to humanity’s distinct identity,inspired by the spirit of God, over and against therest of creation, and the special knowledge that hasbeen given to humanity alone by God, throughall the prophets, symbolized here by Adam. Thisleads to the second important work of a prophet—reminding humans of their uniqueness.

Human Uniqueness

A central function of a prophet is to remind hu-man beings who they are, who God has createdthem to be, and teach them how to act in accor-dance with the nature and abilities given to themby God. In this way, a prophet is a conduit be-tween God and humanity, making clear the will ofGod to humans, and interpreting the law of Godfor them. Nursi writes that “A Prophet inculcatesthe Creator’s grandeur in the minds and spirits ofhuman beings.”26

This work of a prophet is of critical impor-tance for humanity, because, simply put, on theirown, human beings do not know how to live. Theycontinually stray from the path God calls them towalk, and continually rebel against their innate wis-dom and goodness. As Nursi writes, “individualslack sufficient knowledge, accurate viewpoints, andthe ability to know themselves in all aspects anddimensions of their existence, and they lack theability to lead their lives in a proper way that willenable happiness in both their individual and col-lective lives. In addition, they suffer whims, fancies,and errors, and are often defeated by their carnalimpulses which require discipline. Therefore, hu-man desperately need a perfect guide and teacher;this guise is a Prophet.”27 Without a prophet, peo-ple are unable to know the will of the one unifyingmind of the Creator, and are thus also unable tobe assisted by divine guidance. Left to its own de-vices, humanity languishes in purposelessness andvanity; and the untrained vices of desire and angerrun amuck.


Part of the issue for Nursi, too, is the importanceof distinguishing ourselves from animals, and livingin a manner appropriate our human nature. Nursiwrites that “Humanity has an inborn tendency tolive in a way benefitting its essential nature. It mustnot, and cannot, live like animals. It must lead alife befitting its essential honor.”28 A prophet isneeded to show humanity what this life can andshould be like. Thus, Nursi contrasts prophets withother secular philosophers, like Plato and Aristotle,who put too great an emphasis on the individualhuman being, and de-emphasized the importance ofa relationship of gratitude and obedience to God.

Thus, Nursi writes that contrary to purely secu-lar wisdom:

. . . the line of prophethood considered, inthe manner of a worshipper, that the aim ofhumanity and duty of human beings is tobe moulded by God-given ethics and goodcharacter, and, by knowing their impotenceto seek refuge with Divine power, by seeingtheir weakness to rely on Divine strength,by realizing their poverty to trust in Divinemercy, by perceiving their need to seek helpfrom Divine riches, by seeing their faults toask for pardon through Divine forgiveness,and by realizing their deficiency to be glori-fiers of Divine perfection.29

A prophet is needed to show humanity whatGod requires of us, how God desires that we live,and, even more, the proper disposition of gratitude,trust and glorification that is required of humanityin our relationship with God.

Implications for a ChristianUnderstanding of Jesus

I now turn back to Christianity, asking what Chris-tians might learn from Nursi’s understanding ofprophethood, as it relates to Jesus. Regarding thefirst aspect of prophethood—understanding and ex-plaining the universe—I suggest that there are twoimportant ramifications of Nursi’s thought here thatcould be helpful in Christian theological reflection

on Jesus. First is the emphasis on the God’s self-revelation in creation, and the prophet’s role indivining it. Many Christians do not make connec-tions between their faith and their understandingof nature; and they do not think of Jesus as havingany role to play in teaching a view of nature thatbetter understands God’s place in it, and its ownreflection of God’s glory.

In other words, many Christians separate “cre-ation” from “salvation,” making no connection be-tween God’s creative work in bringing the universeinto being and God’s saving work in rescuing thatsame creation from the consequences of human fal-lenness and sin. In its most extreme form, this ideacan lead Christians to think that their belief in Je-sus Christ—and their call to follow him—does notand should not impact the way they view creationand their relationship to it. Nursi’s understandingof the prophetic role in interpreting the naturalworld could help Christians make more explicitconnections between their understanding of Jesusand the way they view the world at large.

Second, many Christians deny the work of sci-ence and believe it to be antithetical to their faith.A better appreciation of the strong connection be-tween God’s revelation as read in “the book” andGod’s revelation as read in creation could facilitatea better conversation between Christian theologyand the sciences, with Jesus the prophet standingat the axis point. Embracing Jesus’ prophetic activ-ity as including the natural world also would miti-gate against the tendency of some Christians to beworld-denying, as they focus instead on heaven andthe afterlife, and consider creation—and their rela-tionship to it—unimportant for their life of faith.

Ramifications for the Christian Life

Regarding the second aspect of Prophethood—reminding humanity of its uniqueness and respon-sibility for right living—I argue that this particularunderstanding of the work of a prophet needs fur-ther work and elaboration in Christian thought.As I mentioned earlier, the problem is not thatChristians would disagree with the idea that Je-sus shows us how to live [the popular catch-phrase


from a few years ago, “What Would Jesus Do,”demonstrates that], but that Christians don’t be-lieve they are capable of following Jesus on theirown—the Christian teaching of original sin meansthat humans are simply incapable of doing the willof God and worshipping God rightly. Thus, thiswhole line of thinking is often de-emphasized inChristian thought, in favor of emphasizing how Je-sus’ death and resurrection free humanity from thenecessity [though not the obligation] of living inaccordance with the will of God to assure its sal-vation.

At its worst, this can lead to what DietrichBonhoeffer called “cheap grace,” which Bonhoef-fer described as “the preaching of forgiveness with-out requiring repentance . . . grace without disciple-ship . . . .”30 In other words, cheap grace is hearingthat one is forgiven, and assuming that that meansone can simply stay as one is, modeling oneself onthe world’s standards.31 Cheap grace is Christianitywithout a demand for discipleship, a demand for“costly living” that put oneself at odds with secularvalues and norms.

Thus, Nursi’s emphasis on this work of aprophet might be a constructive way into seeingthis prophetic aspect of Jesus’ life and ministry asa complement, rather than a substitute or replace-ment, for Jesus’ saving work. Nursi’s thought mightafford a fresh look at Jesus’ prophetic role, and anew way of thinking about something that seems tohave reached somewhat of a stalemate in much—though not all—of Christian thinking.

Jesus’ Prophethood andLiberation Theologians

There is one important exception to that general-ization of a stalemate in Christian thought. Whileit is true that the understanding of Jesus as prophethas been underused and ignored in much ofWestern Christianity, in the late 20th century,one can argue convincingly that there has beensomewhat of a renaissance of this understandingof Jesus and his work, thanks primarily to the

work of liberation theologians of many differentbackgrounds.

First, feminist theologians appreciate this imageof Jesus, particularly as it is relates to his radical,context-challenging ways of relating to women. Forexample, Elisabeth Schussler Fiorenza, in her book,Jesus Miriam’s Child, Sophia’s Prophet, describesJesus as a prophet, with his central symbol beingthe basileia tou theou—the domain or empire ofGod, whose central vision “spells freedom fromdomination.”32 This vision put forth “an alternativeworld free of hunger, poverty, and domination.This ‘envisioned’ world was already present inthe inclusive table community, in healing andliberating practices, and in the domination-freekinship communities of the Jesus movement,which found many followers among the poor, thedespised, the ill and possessed, the outcast, theprostitutes, and the ‘sinners’—women and men.”33

In this understanding of Jesus and his ministry,the preaching of this freedom, is, in no small part,what leads to Jesus’ crucifixion. Fiorenza writes,“Jesus was not crucified because of his theologicalteachings but because of their potentially subversivecharacter and the political threat to the imperialcolonial system.”34

Second, Latin American liberation theologiansalso have capitalized on Jesus’ prophetic identity.For example, J. Severino Croatto, an Argentiniantheologian, emphasizes that the interpretation ofJesus as a prophet is of critical importance forthe Christian community today. He writes, “Thisprophetic dimension of the Christian testimony isbeing recovered in the spirituality and theology ofthe last decades and is urgently needed in differ-ent contexts. The prophet Jesus is the paradigm forthe Christian prophetic mission. To see Christ (theMessiah) as a heavenly king and monarch is notvery suitable today, because of so many sad expe-riences with monarchies in our world . . . We are ina time when prophetic activity is most timely andurgent.”35 He goes on to say: “Jesus is a prophet,then, who speaks out on behalf of the poor and thehungry, and he commands his followers to speakalso . . . Jesus the Prophet, then, challenges injus-tice in society, calling his followers to a new kindof freedom and granting them a vision of a newkingdom.”36


Finally, a vein of current scholarship on theGospel of Luke emphasizes Jesus’ prophetic role,arguing that in Luke [and in Acts as well], the fig-ure of Jesus is construed specifically in the modelof a prophet.37 Luke Timothy Johnson is one goodexample of this recent scholarship. In his book,Prophetic Jesus, Prophetic Church, he begins with thefollowing statement: “The need for prophecy isstated succinctly by the book of Proverbs 29:18:‘Without a vision (or ‘without prophecy’), the peo-ple perish.’”38 He then goes on to define a prophetas follows: “Prophets are the human beings whospeak to their fellow humans from the perspec-tive of God and, by so speaking, enable othersto envision a way of being human more in con-formity with God’s own vision for the world.”39

With this definition in mind, he argues for theprophetic vision of both Luke and Acts in gen-eral, and more specifically for the prophetic role ofJesus, emphasizing that “Luke shows the prophetJesus announcing as the good news of God’s rulethe reversal of human values and standards, so thatthe poor receive blessing and the rich woe.”40 Inaddition, Johnson argues that “ . . . Jesus embodiesthis reversal by a manner of life marked by povertyand the sharing of possessions, by itinerancy, byprayer, and by servant leadership.”41 This is a richvein of scholarship that surely will only grow inthe coming decades.

Building Bridges ofUnderstanding

I conclude this article by returning to the doc-trine of the munus triplex and its role in Christianthought. In thinking further about Jesus’ identityas prophet, priest and king, George Stroup arguesthe following:

. . . the three offices reflect the Reformedconviction that the New Testament cannotbe properly understood unless it is read inthe light of God’s history with Israel. In-deed, whatever else one might say about Je-sus Christ, he is unquestionably a devoutJew and a child of Israel, and we misunder-

stand him unless we know him in the con-text of Israel’s life, faith and history. Chris-tians differ from Jews in that they believe thepromises of God and the hopes of Israel havebeen fulfilled in Jesus Christ, but Reformedtheology has long held that we do not prop-erly confess the goodness of that fulfillmentunless we first understand the promises ofGod and the hopes of Israel.42

If this is true—and I believe it is—it could beargued that Nursi’s thought and his understandingof prophethood helps us to see something similarwhen it comes to Jesus and his role as a prophet ofGod. If it is impossible to understand Jesus’ iden-tity and work without understanding the role ofthe prophet in a Jewish context, could not a bet-ter understanding of the role of the prophet in aMuslim context also help flesh out a Christian in-terpretation of Jesus of Nazareth? I think it could.And, in seeing connections between how Jesus isviewed in Islam and how he is viewed in Chris-tianity, certainly bridges of understanding could bebuilt between contemporary Muslim and Christiancommunities that could help all of us not onlybetter serve and honor the God we worship, butalso better serve and care for our neighbors and theearthly home we share.

Endnotes

1. A much shorter version of this paper was presented at the 10thInternational Bediuzzaman Symposium “The Role and Place of Prophethoodin Humanity’s Journey to the Truth: The Perspective of the Risale-i Nur,” Istanbul,Turkey, September, 2013.

2. As quoted in Fred Guyette, “Jesus as Prophet, Priest, and King:John Wesley and the Renewal of an Ancient Tradition,” in WesleyanTheological Journal, 40 no 2 Fall 2005, 88–89.

3. John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, vol. 1, translatedby Henry Beveridge, (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publishing Company,1975), 426.

4. As quoted in Guyette, 94–95.

5. Ibid., 95–96.

6. Ibid., 96.

7. Calvin, 427.

8. Ibid.

9. George W. Stroup, “The Relevance of The Munus Triplex forReformed Theology and Ministry,” Austin Seminary Bulletin 98 (June1983):29.


10. See Stroup, 26–28. Yet at the same time, certain theologianshave found it valuable, notably Wolfhart Pannenberg, who, according toStroup, thinks that “the prophetic tradition is a more accurate descriptionof Jesus’ actual activity than either of the other two offices. If he iscorrect, it is interesting that the most disputed of the three offices—theprophetic—may be the one that best describes the activity of Jesus ofNazareth” [27].

11. Ian S. Markham and Suendam Birinci Pirim, An introduction toSaid Nursi: Life, Thought and Writings, (Surrey, England: Ashgate, 2011),17.

12. Ibid., 2.

13. Ibid., 29.

14. Ibid, 19.

15. The Reasonings, 120, http://www.iikv.org/en/the-risale-i-nur

16. The Letters, “Seeds of Reality,” 530, http://www.iikv.org/en/the-risale-i-nur

17. The Reasonings, 121–122.

18. Markham, 32.

19. As recorded in The Reasonings, 11.

20. Markham, 33.

21. The Words, 171, http://www.iikv.org/en/the-risale-i-nur

22. Ibid.

23. The Words, 244.

24. The Reasonings, 122.

25. Markham, 29.

26. The Reasonings, 124.

27. Ibid., 125.

28. Ibid., 124.

29. The Words (30), 563.

30. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship, (New York, NY:Touchstone, 1959), 44–45.

31. Ibid., 44.

32. Elisabeth Schussler Fiorenza, Jesus Miriam’s Child, Sophia’s Prophet:Critical Issues in Feminist Christology, (New York, NY: Continuum, 1994),92.

33. Ibid., 93.

34. Ibid., 93.

35. Croatto, 465.

36. Guyette, 99. Incidentally, Stroup also notes the importanceof Jesus’ prophetic office for oppressed communities in general, andliberation theology in particular; and the need Christian theologiansin the global north have to learn from liberation theologians in thesouth (30).

37. J. Severino Croatto, “Jesus, Prophet Like Elijah, and Prophet-Teacher Like Moses in Luke-Acts, Journal of Biblical Literature 124/3(2005), 451.

38. Luke Timothy Johnson, Prophetic Jesus, Prophetic Church, (GrandRapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2011), vi.

39. Ibid.

40. Ibid., 130.

41. Ibid.

42. Stroup, 28.

Documents

Jesus' Prophethood and Islam: Insights from the Risale-i Nur