God and Human History from the Perspective of the Qur ān and the New and Old Testament

Attention to the past, present, and future of human history has an outstanding place in the holy texts of the Abrahamic religions. The books existing in the Old Testament begin the human story, with a relatively history-like structure, from the beginning of creation of the world and man and continues until getting to the emergence of the people of Banī Isrā’īl. From this point on, this history takes on an ethnic tone and finally casts a glance at the apocalyptic assumptions and concepts, which are sometimes ethnic and at other times universal. The New Testament needs to be examined in two separate sections of the Gospels and the Epistles. The Gospels section lacks the history-like outlook of the Old Testament; however, the viewpoint of its writer foretells the actualization of the Messianic promises of the Old Testaments. The Epistles section (Paul’s Epistles in particular) has borrowed some concepts from the Old Testament and, with a specific interpretation of them, presented a kind of theology of its own and a type of philosophy of history. Crucifixion of the Prophet Jesus (A.S.) and his Ascension to heaven is an important “turning point” in the philosophy of history. Although not having a history-like report mode, the arrangement of the material in the Qur’ān as well as the content of the verses of the Qur’ān, the past and present are implied and the future of man is attended to in a serious and emphatic way in the Qur’ānic concepts. The differences concerning historic periods in the above-mentioned three texts have specific manifestations in two places: in the theology section existing in Paul’s Epistles, in which we witness a special philosophy of history; and in the Old Testament, in which theology has taken on an ethnic tone.