Renovatio: The Art of Being Human

The nature of man, his difference from the animals, and his relation to the divine are topics that have preoccupied philosophers and theologians from ancient times. The Islamic tradition, like the Jewish and Christian traditions, holds that human beings are created in the metaphysical image of God. But modern society has discovered much to undermine man’s proud claim to distinctiveness through reason.  The Spring 2018 issue of Renovatio asks what now remains that makes us distinctively human. Is it the stories we tell, our concern for an ethical life, or, even, the ensoulment of the human embryo? Read the thought-provoking articles and essays we offer from prominent scholars in the United States and abroad. Table of Contents The Human in the Qur’an How four Qur’anic aspects of humanity combine to make man a distinctive creation. Zaid Shakir Virtue, Human, and Divine Can the measure of human virtue be set by the character—or the names—of God? Sophia Vasalou Science and Theology: Where