Conferences 2021

Judaism, Christianity and Islam all maintain that sin is a central part of human life. However, the respective religions offer different answers as to the origin of sin. Whilst both the Bible and the Quran agree that there was a kind of ‘fall’ of Adam at the beginning of human history, this fall is interpreted exclusively in classical Christian theology in the sense of ‘original sin’. Moreover, the classical doctrine of original sin is increasingly being questioned in contemporary Christian theology. This example alone shows that the concept of sin is anything but clear-cut. What does sin mean? Is sin primarily a transgression against God’s commandments? Or does the term ‘sin’ refer to a radical corruption of human nature? How does sin relate to the salvation of humankind, which all three religions aim for? The book ‘The Concept of Sin in Judaism, Christianity and Islam’ addresses these and related questions. It analyses how ‘sin’ has been understood in the three religions in the past and present, and highlights similarities and differences.

Edited by Christoph Böttigheimer and Konstantin Kamp.

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Fate, destiny, or simply human agency? In Judaism, Christianity and Islam, the concept of predestination has undoubtedly been at the heart of theological debate. The question of the relationship between divine predestination and free will is particularly contentious. Debates regarding the providence of human existence have persisted despite a series of theological and philosophical attempts to reconcile these two concepts. The problem of free will and predestination, in turn, leads to the question of human responsibility. To what extent can people actually make decisions about their actions? How are salvation and sin to be understood in this context? These three contributions, written by distinguished scholars, offer an interreligious perspective, particularly from the fields of theology, exegesis and philosophy, to shed light on this theological dilemma of human existence.

Edited by Ramy Abdin and Georges Tamer.

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