Thesis advisor: James W. Morris / Lawrence Cunningham, a Catholic theologian, appraises the study of the saints as a neglected element in the Christian tradition, even within the Roman Catholic tradition where the veneration of the saints is one of its distinctive features, and there is an elaborate system to canonize saints. Cunningham wrote his critique in 1980, and yet its validity remains true even today. Although the study of the saints is still marginal in Christian theology, there are some notable efforts dedicated to rethinking the theology of saints. This dissertation, which corresponds to those efforts, deals with one question that emerges from today’s multi-faith context: “Is it possible for Christians to acknowledge individuals of non-Christian religious traditions as saints?” To give an affirmative answer to the question, this dissertation project proposes an inclusive theology of saints that includes non-Christian saintly figures. Assuming a confessional stance in the method of comparative theology, the primary purpose of this project is to enrich the Christian systematic theological discourse of saints and sainthood through learning from other traditions in this case Islam. Saints in Islam are called the “friends of God” (awliyā’ Allāh; sing. walī Allāh). The term is based on a Quranic verse, “Verily, the Friends of God have no fear nor sorrow” (10:62). Another textual ground for the saints in Islam is the sayings of Prophet Muhammad (pl. ahādīth; sing. hadīth). One famous hadīth related to the saints states that, “When they are seen, God is remembered.” In this dissertation, I compare the notion of sainthood and saints from Christian perspectives with Islam, particularly with Ibn ῾Arabī’s concept of walāya. As a comparative theology work, I will describe first the discourse of saint and sainthood in each religious tradition, i.e., Christianity and Islam, prior to doing the actual comparison. Chapters 1 to 4 serve this endeavor. Chapter 1 and 2 explore the discourse from Catholic and Protestant perspectives. I will focus on several Catholic theologians who developed their theologies of saints during and after the Second Vatican Council, i.e., Karl Rahner, Jean-Luc Marion, and Elizabeth Johnson. Besides, I will also draw insights from two prominent Protestant theologians, Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Paul Tillich. Chapter 3 introduces the topic of saints and sainthood in Islam from a phenomenological, textual, and theological perspective. Ibn ῾Arabī’s concept of the walāya occupies the whole chapter 4. It is important to note that the chapter does not describe Ibn ῾Arabī’s thought exhaustively because I have already selected certain materials for the comparison. The comparison yields three theological constructs as features of an inclusive theology of saints: saints as manifestations and revealers of God’s self-communication, the hiddenness of saints, and saints as companions. Each of these theological constructs will be explored in chapters 5 to 7. These theological constructs correspond to the proposed metaphor of the community of friends of God that could enrich the current Christian symbol of the communion of saints. Last, chapter 8 functions as an excursion to underline the practical side of my proposal of an inclusive theology of saints. I will provide two contemporary cases of Muslim-Christian cross veneration of saints to connect the more theoretical aspects of this dissertation with the living reality of people. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2020. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Theology.

Submitted by Renata Lopes (renatasil82@gmail.com) on 2017-02-16T13:54:54Z No. of bitstreams: 1 carlosfredericobarbozadesouza.pdf: 2789665 bytes, checksum: 6df111460266f9263387d9e5f50f64d3 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2017-02-20T17:42:16Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 carlosfredericobarbozadesouza.pdf: 2789665 bytes, checksum: 6df111460266f9263387d9e5f50f64d3 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-02-20T17:42:17Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 carlosfredericobarbozadesouza.pdf: 2789665 bytes, checksum: 6df111460266f9263387d9e5f50f64d3 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-07-31 / O objetivo desta tese é estabelecer uma comparação entre a concepção de coração presente nos escritos de Ibn ‘Arabī de Múrcia (1165-1240) e João da Cruz (1542-1591). Para isto, a mesma se divide em três partes, sendo a primeira centrada no pensamento de Ibn ‘Arabī sobre Deus, o cosmo em sua dinamicidade, o ser humano e seu processo de ascensão espiritual rumo à aniquilação e subsistência no Real. A segunda parte se centra no pensamento de João da Cruz, também procurando descrever sua concepção acerca de Deus, da natureza e do ser humano, assim como do processo espiritual com suas Noites e de seu clímax na unio mystica . Já a terceira parte é o cerne da tese e aborda especificamente como estes dois místicos compreendem o coração e seu papel na jornada espiritual. Assim, serão percorridos textos de ambos, que demonstram que o coração é concebido como centro da pessoa e da experiência mística. Ao mesmo tempo ele se constitui de maneira dinâmica e fluídica, capaz de assumir diversas formas no processo de acolhida do Real decorrente de seu polimento que lhe torna espelho por excelência das manifestações divinas. Centrados no evento cordial , Ibn ‘Arabī e João da Cruz desenvolverão uma cardio gnosis e, ao mesmo tempo, uma religio cordis . Sobressai a semelhança com que ambos tratam esta questão e a singularidade joãocruciana, que trabalha com algumas concepções quase que exclusivas da mística muçulmana. / The aim of this thesis is to establish a comparison between the concept of heart found in the writings of Ibn ‘Arabī of Múrcia (1165-1240) and John of the Cross (1542-1591). To articulate this, the thesis is divided into three parts; the first section centres on Ibn ‘Arabī thoughts about God, the cosmos in its dynamism, the human being and the process of his spiritual ascension towards annihilation and subisisntence in the Real. The second part focuses on the thoughts of John of the Cross. It also tries to describe his conception of God, nature and the human being, as well as the spiritual process with his Nights ( Noites ) and of his climax in the Unio Mystica . The third part, however, is the core element of this thesis and it raises the question specifically of how these two mystical men understand the heart and its role through the spiritual journey. Thus, texts from both writers have been examed and they show that the heart is conceived as the centre of a person and of the mystical experience. At the same time, it is formed in a dynamic and fluid manner, capable of assuming many forms in the process of embracing the Real due to the fact that it was polished and thus becoming a mirror for excellence of the divine manifestations. Centred in the hearty event ( cordial evento ) Ibn ‘Arabī and John of the Cross's work will help to develop a Cardio Gnosis and, at the same time, a Religio Cordis . What stands out is the similarity with which both writers address this subject and the singularity of John of the Cross's writings which work with some conceptions that are almost exclusive to Muslin mysticism.