Shiite Kalām Heritage in the Period of Establishment

This lecture is concerned with the history of Shiite Kalām in terms of heritage. The theological heritage can be considered from three points of view: form, style, and content. In addition to shedding light on different aspects of each theological work, this study can help us determine the time of the writing of the works, whose authors are not known, and identify their authors. The present article also points out that if one takes a general overview of the history of Shiite Kalām from these three points of view, one can divide it into four general periods: establishment, competition with philosophy, becoming philosophical, and the contemporary period. The period of establishment can be divided into three sub-periods: emergence, theorizing, and comprehensiveness. Adopting a typological view, one can divide the theological legacy of each period in different ways. Holding that the major part of the Shiite scientific legacy in the period of theorizing has been lost, the present lecture points out the positive and negative aspects of this loss, considers the possibility of rebuilding the legacy of this period, mentions its sources, and reconsiders the scientific fruits of this rebuilding.