On Thursday, March 15, 2012, the University of Toronto and St. Michael’s College hosted The Christology Symposium – an academic forum featuring presentations on Jesus from multiple Christian and Muslim disciplines followed by a panel discussion. Among the participants was Khalil Andani who spoke on Shi‘a Isma‘ili Muslim Christology. Other lectures were Roman Catholic Christology by Greg Rupik; Sunni Muslim Christology by Shabir Ally; and Evangelical Christology by Dr. Tony Costa.
Khalil Andani’s presentation (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2Hy1j7-zCE), titled Shi‘a Isma‘ili Muslim Christology: Jesus in Classical Isma‘ili Thought summarized some of the classical Isma‘ili Muslim perspectives on Prophet Jesus or Hazrat Issa (a.s) that stem from the Fatimid Isma‘ili discourse on the absolute transcendence of God, the Universal Intellect (al-‘aql al-kull), and the Cycles of the Natiqs (Prophets) and the Imams. The presentation concluded by sharing an Isma‘ili ta’wil (esoteric interpretation) of the Christian Cross and the Islamic Shahada as outlined in the writings of Abu Yaqub al-Sijistani and Ja‘far al-Mansur al-Yaman which demonstrate the ecumenical and pluralistic approaches of the Fatimid Isma‘ili thinkers.
