Référence :
ISLAMOCHRISTIANA 45 (2019) 155–163
English
‘On how to discern the truth of religion’, by Hunayn b. Isḥāq. The impersonal recension
Abstract
This article contributes to the study of Christian Arabic literature by providing an introduction and English translation of the treatise entitled Kayfiyyat idrāk ḥaqīqat al-diyāna, ‘On how to discern the truth of religion’, by the prominent Baghdad-based Nestorian physician, scholar and translator, Ḥunayn b. Isḥāq (808-873). This work constitutes a defence of Christianity in a multi-religious milieu marked by the ascendency of Islam. Ḥunayn discusses therein the reasons that lead people to adhere to a particular religion, his main contention being that the truth or falsity of any religion can be ascertained by examining the reasons why it was originally accepted.
To the memory of Maurice Borrmans, M.Afr. (1925-2017)
May his passion for truth continue to inspire us all.
Titre original : “On how to discern the truth of religion”, by Hunayn b. Isḥāq. The impersonal recension
Résumé
Cet article contribue à l’étude de la littérature arabe chrétienne en fournissant une introduction et une traduction anglaise du traité intitulé Kayfiyyat idrāk ḥaqīqat al-diyāna (“Comment discerner la vérité de la religion”). Ce traité a été écrit par Ḥunayn b. Isḥāq (808-873), médecin nestorien, éminent écrivain et traducteur, installé à Bagdad. Cet ouvrage offre une défense du christianisme dans un milieu pluriconfessionnel, marqué par la montée de l’islam. Ḥunayn interroge les raisons qui poussent certaines personnes à adhérer à une religion particulière. Son principal argument est que la vérité ou la fausseté de toute religion peut être vérifiée en examinant les raisons pour lesquelles elle a été acceptée à l’origine.
À la mémoire de Maurice Borrmans, M.Afr. (1925-2017)
Que sa passion pour la vérité continue à nous inspirer.
يسهم هذا المقال في دراسة الأدب العربي المسيحي من خلال عرض مقدمة وترجمة إنجليزية لمقالة بعنوان “كيفية إدراك حقيقة الديانة ” كتبها الطبيب والباحث والمترجم النسطوري البارز المقيم في بغداد حنين ب. إسحق (808-873). ويشكّل هذا العمل دفاعًا عن المسيحية في بيئة متعددة الأديان طبعتها الصحوة الإسلامية. يناقش حنين في هذا المقال الأسباب التي تدفع الناس إلى اعتناق دين معين، وترتكز حجتّه الأساسيّة إلى إمكانيّة التحقّق من صحّة أيّ ديانة أو زيفها من خلال تفحّص الأسباب المؤدّية إلى قبولها في الأصل.
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