نشریه هفت آسمان
پیاپی 46 (تابستان 1389)

This article considers Meister Eckhart's views concerning the stages of the mystical journey of man towards God as his origin. According to him, the destination of this journey is becoming united with the One. Having classified the views of Eckhart, the paper introduces the three stages of this journey: first, detachment; second, the birth of Logos in the soul; third, breaking-through into the Essence. Taking both descriptive and interpretive approaches, the paper tries to give Eckhart's almost incoherent views coherency. His views on the mystical journey of man are a mixture of Christian teachings and Neo-Platonism; in fact, Eckhart represents Christian mysticism in general. This paper also seeks to distinguish between the Christian and Neo-Platonic components of his mysticism; and at least, some of the main concepts of his thinking are regarded as original. The mixture of Christian teachings and Platonic thought as represented by Eckhart is not founded upon a theoretical basis; rather, it is the result of his particular reading of the Bible, when he is referring to it.

The creation of man in the image of God is one of the teachings of the three Abrahamic religions. In the Torah we have the statement, "God created man in his own image"; similarly, the New Testament acknowledges this doctrine which it has doubtlessly inherited from Judaism. Some of the Islamic traditions, whose authenticity is beyond doubt, also acknowledge the fact that man is created in the likeness of God. The present writing deals with the views of one of the greatest leaders of Christianity, that is, Paul the Apostle, who had a background in Judaism. It first sets forth the three Pauline interpretations of the image of God in terms respectively of "husband", "Christ", and "believer";and then, having considered other views in the Judaic and Christian works, it critiques those of Paul.

Prayer involves a multifaceted relationship between the believers and God;and in addition to such expressions as "prayer" and "pray", it may also be expressed by such statements as "I have called upon you.", and "I call upon you towards God". Prayer is the agitation of heart, and a cry out of knowledge and love. It helps us live more wisely and more perfectly. Jesus Christ's prayer to God, which is called "Lord's Prayer", is one of the well-known prayers of Christianity. This prayer has two versions, which can be found in Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4, with the latter being shorter. The first three verses of this prayer are concerned with God in Divine terms; and the other three verses are concerned with man in human terms. In this prayer, God is invoked to confer blessings upon human beings. The "Lord's Prayer" reminds us that:first, one should prepare for the kingdom of God; second, the forgiveness of sins depends upon the way one interacts with others; and finally, one should attempt to overcome the evils (the temptations or the difficulties in the End Time). The present paper is a brief exegetical look at this prayer.

The present writing is intended to clarify the concept of Qolov (Exaggeration) through investigating into the religious texts of Shiism, that is, the Holy Quran, traditions, and the writings of the Shiite scholars. There seems to be no work exclusively concerned with the conceptual clarification of Qolov;however, one can find its exemplifications, its mplications, or a defective definition of it in some works. Speaking generally, in order to give the exact definition of a term one should first identify its essential components. Thus, I have tried to consider the essential components of the concept of Qolov by
enquiring into the available works so that I can give a comprehensive definition of it. The essential components of Qolov are as follows: first, overestimation of the status of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and the Infallible Imams (PBUT) beyond the human limits; second, overestimation of the status of the Infallible Imams (PBUT) beyond the Imamate and ascribing prophethood to them. Given the essential components of the concept of Qolov, it seems to me that it is not the concept which has been the source of disagreement among the Shiite scholars over some instances of it; rather, such disagreement has resulted from the difference in the definition of man. This paper is merely concerned with exaggeration as regards the Infallible Imams (PBUT), disregarding other relevant issues.

The Prophet Khizr (PBUH) is one of the most prominent cultural-religious heroes in the oral narratives of Iran. This immortal character is closely associated with the holy water, the symbol of life; his name conjures up the image of water and the rituals concerned with it; that is why a great many springs are named after him. A large number of Iranian people believe that he navigates the seas, helping the navigators, fish catchers, and those about to drown; that is why shrines and memorials of him have been built along the sea. Whenever they get caught in typhoon, the sailors invoke the Prophet Khizr (PBUH). There is a common belief that he sometimes sits on a piece of leather, where, as soon as he gets up, plants start to grow. Thus, he symbolizes fish and greens. The Prophet Khizr (PBUH) is usually accompanied by the Prophet Elias (PBUH) in the narratives; and they fulfill two similar ritual functions. Therefore, one can see their shrines lying side by side. The present paper deals with the status of the prophet Khizr (PBUH) among the residents of Persian Gulf area, referring to some of his shrines in this region; it also considers the Prophet Elias (PBUH).

Zoroastrianism, the original religion of Iran, has been practiced since almost the beginning of the first millennium BCE; on the other hand, Shinto has been the original religion of the Japanese people, dating from the 7th century BCE. Thus, any attempt to find any similarity between these two religions, which belong to different epochs and regions, may seem rather futile. However, the present paper is concerned with an attempt to consider the similarities between researches on such issues as: the resemblance between Ahura Mazda and Amaterasu Omikami, the Sun-Goddess in Shinto; fire worship in their early stages of development; duality; the emphasis upon the purity of man's heart and not his outward conduct; the belief in righteousness, truthfulness,sincerity, and uprightness; and finally the pragmatic nature of both religions. It should also be pointed out that since the present paper is the transcript of a lecture delivered by Mr. Genchi Kato, it lacks the in-text citations; yet, it can provide the field of comparative studies with worthwhile clues.

Toshihiko Izutsu's Sufism and Taoism may be regarded as one of the remarkable books concerned with comparative religion; it is, in fact, a comparative study of Islamic and Taoist mysticisms. Two great merits make the book worth reading: first, the author's considerable familiarity with these two mysticisms; second, the division of the discussions into two parts: the first part is concerned with the introduction and the second part is concerned with the comparative study of these mystical traditions. However, the book is defective in some respects: first, Izutsu fails to set forth the key elements of Ibn Arabi's mysticism, causing a confusion between the issues concerned with the theoretical mysticism and those associated with the practical mysticism; second, he takes no cognizance of the various interpretations of the Taoist mysticism; third, only a very small portion of the book deals with its central issue, that is, the comparative study of Sufism and Taoist mysticism. Furthermore, the methodology he employs in his study is defective in several respects: a little attention is paid to the differences, for example he overlooks the theoretical nature of Ibn Arabi's mysticism and the practical nature of Taoist mysticism; he also sometimes uses inappropriate equivalents; and finally, he imposes Ibn Arabi's mysticism upon that of Taoism.