The evolution of the ecclesiastical intellectual tradition regarding other religions untill the emergence of Islam ظہورِ اسلام تک قبل ديگر اديان سےمتعلق کليسيائی فکری روايت کاارتقاء

Abstract

A proper understanding of Muslim–Christian relations requires an examination of the intellectual and theological background that shaped Christian attitudes toward other religions before the emergence of Islam. This study explores the perspectives of the early Christian Church regarding religious diversity and investigates the scriptural and theological foundations upon which these perspectives were built. Particular attention is given to the influence of the Old and New Testaments in forming Christian views of non-Christian communities, as well as to the attitudes of Church Fathers toward various religious traditions, philosophical schools, and cultural systems that existed in the Greco-Roman world. The study further examines the complex relationship between Christianity and Judaism, the gradual separation of the two traditions, and the diverse Christian responses to Greek philosophy and other intellectual currents. It also traces the historical development of the Church in the Middle East up to the rise of Islam, highlighting the theological debates and ecclesiastical divisions that shaped Christian thought during this period. By analyzing these historical and theological developments, the study provides a framework for understanding the earliest Christian interpretations of Islam and the Muslim community. Since comprehensive Urdu scholarship on this subject remains limited, this research seeks to fill an important gap by presenting a systematic account of the intellectual and religious context within which Christian responses to Islam first emerged.