Abstract

The present chapter presents a chronological, though by no means evolutionary, sketch of Jewish-Muslim theology. It is primarily interested in the places where the two theological traditions intersect, whether through influence or how the one thinks about the other. In the medieval period, Jews developed theological principles that they learned from Muslim theologians (mutakallimūn), especially those associated with the Muʿtazila school. In this period, Jews adopted Arabic, and Jewish theologians articulated Judaism using Arabic theological categories. While Jewish and Muslim theologians certainly differed in terms of what they chose to emphasize, they engaged in a common project of articulating the principles, aims, and general structure of their respective religions. More recent times have witnessed theologians from each tradition try to think about how to accommodate those from the other, something that has been exacerbated by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.