Divine Difference and Religious Unity : On the Relation Between De docta ignorantia, De pace fidei and Cribratio Alkorani

Abstract

In De docta ignorantia, Cusanus distinguishes sharply between idolatry and true religion, identifying the latter as the ability to differentiate between created reality and the infinite one as unfolded therein. He then proceeds to give a strictly Christological interpretation of the possibility of a coincidental manifestation of the infinite and the created unfolded to its maximal capacity, seemingly considering the historical uniqueness of Christ as essential in this respect. In De pace fidei, Cusanus tries to show how essential elements of the Christian doctrines of Trinity and incarnation have found their expressions even within other religious tradition, particularly Islam; there is only one God, and all rites are therefore, willingly or unwillingly, related to him. In Cribratio Alcorani, the approach to Islam is more critical, focusing on the difference between the Quran's combination of respect for the biblical story with rejection of its central elements. Finally, Cusanus's position is analyzed within the context of contemporary attempts at establishing a theology of religion.