Sunday, June 22, 2025

Moses in Process Theology: Jewish, Islamic, Christian



Moses in Process Theology
Jewish, Islamic, Christian

A Tri-Faith Comparative Study of Moses

by R.E. Slater & ChatGPT


Having looked at Moses in several fashions in the last post lets do it again. This time I would like to re-envision Moses in Process Thought and in so doing offer a relational, processual reinterpretation of Moses across Judaism, Christianity, and Islam in the hopes of enriching the broader theme of processually evolving bibliology and interfaith understanding.

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In brief, as related to the literalistic interpretations of traditional Christianity and Islam, let us compare  the processual forms of Jewish, Islamic and Christian teachings on Moses as a mytho-historic figure of Moses from a processual viewpoint.

This would differ from the more typically traditional teaching of Moses from a literal-historic viewpoint using the philosophies more typical of (Christianized) Western civilization such as Platonism, Aristotelianism, Aquinas, et al.

ChatGPT

Certainly. Here’s a brief comparison of how Jewish and Islamic traditions—particularly in literalist or traditionalist interpretations—approach Moses (Hebrew: Moshe, Arabic: Musa) in relation to the biblical Exodus narrative:

📜 Moses in Jewish Literalism

AspectJewish Traditional View (Literalist)
RoleFounder of Israel’s nationhood; greatest prophet; lawgiver of the Torah.
RevelationReceived the Torah verbatim from God on Mount Sinai—both the Written Torah and the Oral Torah (per Rabbinic tradition).
MiraclesPlagues, parting of the Red Sea, water from the rock—accepted as historical, divine interventions.
Sinai EventCentral moment in Jewish identity; literal giving of the Ten Commandments by God.
LegacyMoses is revered, but not divine. Prophecy is understood to have ceased after him, with later prophets seen as lesser.

☪️ Moses in Islamic Literalism

AspectIslamic Traditional View (Literalist)
RoleOne of the greatest prophets (nabi) and messengers (rasul) before Muhammad.
RevelationReceived the Tawrat (Torah), a holy book originally given by God but believed to have been partially corrupted over time.
MiraclesHis miracles (staff turning to a serpent, parting of the sea) are literal signs (ayat) of God's power.
Exodus StoryCentral narrative in the Qur'an (e.g., Surah 20, 26, 28), emphasizing Moses vs. Pharaoh as a timeless battle of faith vs. tyranny.
LegacyMoses is honored as a Muslim prophet, but not above Muhammad, who is the final prophet and seal of revelation.

🔍 Key Differences in Literalist Contexts

FeatureJewish ViewIslamic View
ScriptureTorah given once and fully through MosesTawrat was true but later altered; Qur'an corrects the record
TheophanyGod appears and speaks directly to Moses (but without visible form)Moses hears God, but cannot see Him; God’s transcendence strictly upheld
LawMosaic Law remains binding for JewsMosaic Law was valid, but abrogated by the Qur'an
SupremacyMoses as supreme prophet for JewsMuhammad as final and supreme prophet in Islam

🧠 Summary Insight (Process Lens)

Both traditions literalize the core events of Moses’ life, seeing him as a true historical figure, chosen by God, and involved in miraculous acts. However:

  • Judaism centers Moses as the apex of divine-human revelation.

  • Islam honors Moses but places him within a line of progressive prophecy culminating in Muhammad.

In both cases, literalist readings preserve authority, but often suppress metaphorical, evolving, or communal interpretations—precisely where a processual theology would re-open the text for relational and transformative engagement.


ChatGPT

Let us now reimagine Moses through the lens of Jewish and Islamic processual thought—that is, theology grounded not in static literalism or rigid dogma, but in relationality, evolving revelation, and divine-human co-becoming.


✡️ Moses in Jewish Processual Thought

While traditional Judaism tends toward reverence for Torah literalism, Jewish processual or post-literal theology (e.g., Martin Buber, Mordecai Kaplan, Arthur Green) reinterprets Moses as a relational archetype rather than a fixed historical instrument.

Core Themes:

ThemeProcessual Jewish Interpretation
Revelation at SinaiNot a one-time event, but an ongoing encounter between Israel and the Divine—what Kaplan called the “continuing revelation” of God in community.
TorahNot dictated law, but evolving wisdom, shaped by centuries of communal wrestling with justice, ethics, and identity.
Moses' LeadershipEmbodies the struggle of the prophet—mediator between people and Presence, both revered and resisted.
Divine Name (“Ehyeh”)“I will be what I will be” signals a God-in-becoming—a Presence that adapts, evolves, responds in relationship.
The ExodusMore than a literal event—it is the pattern of liberation repeated in every generation. “In every generation, one must see oneself as if one came out of Egypt.”

Reframed Moses:

Moses becomes not the deliverer once, but the every-time voice that calls us to leave whatever Pharaoh binds us and cross whatever sea holds us back.


☪️ Moses in Islamic Processual Thought

Though Islam is deeply scriptural and prophetic in structure, modern Islamic thought influenced by processual ideas (e.g., Fazlur Rahman, Mohammed Arkoun, and process-friendly mystics like Rumi and Ibn Arabi) allows us to reinterpret Musa (Moses) through a lens of unfolding divine relationship.

Core Themes:

ThemeProcessual Islamic Interpretation
ProphethoodProphethood is not mechanical transmission but the unfolding of God’s will in time and context. Each prophet, including Musa, reveals aspects of divine guidance suited to their era.
The Qur’anic MusaMusa’s dialogue with Pharaoh, his fear, his stumbling speech—all emphasize a deeply human, evolving prophet who grows through divine encounter.
Divine CommunicationGod speaks not from outside history, but within it, through signs (ayat), symbols, and moral consciousness.
LiberationThe Exodus narrative (retold across many Surahs) is a recurring spiritual truth: God liberates those who struggle for justice in every age.
Divine NameThough God's name is not rendered like “I AM,” the 99 Names of God suggest a relational, multifaceted divinity—mercy, justice, patience—unfolding in response to creation.

Reframed Musa:

Musa is not just the prophet of the past, but the one who still stands at the burning bush, calling each generation to confront its Pharaoh and hear God's whisper in its own tongue.


🔄 Processual Harmony

Both Jewish and Islamic reinterpretations can, when untethered from rigid literalism, approach Moses/Musa as:

Shared Processual Themes

  • A symbol of liberation in every generation.
  • A prophet who grows in his relationship with God, not one who has everything revealed at once.
  • A servant of a relational, dynamic God—not a remote dictator but an involved Presence.
  • A voice of ethical conscience and moral becoming—God’s will unfolds not in law alone but in justice, mercy, and struggle.

🌿 Final Processual Midrash

In fire that does not consume,
in speech that does not silence,
in laws that evolve,
in freedom not yet fulfilled—
there stands Moses.

Not behind us.
Not above us.

But within us,
calling us to listen again
for the voice
that is always
becoming.

          - ChatGPT


IX. Tri-Faith Comparative Study: Moses in Process Thought

Moses (Moshe/Musa) stands as a central figure across Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. While literalist traditions emphasize his historical acts, laws, and miracles, a processual lens reimagines Moses not as a fixed figure, but as a living archetype of liberation, transformation, and divine-human partnership.

✡️ Judaism (Processual View)

  • Revelation: Sinai is not a one-time event, but a continuous unfolding of divine wisdom in community.

  • Torah: Evolving ethical and ritual guidance reflecting God’s lure through generations.

  • Leadership: Moses is the paradigm of the reluctant prophet, mediating justice, wrestling with God and people.

  • Divine Name: “Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh” (I will be what I will be) reflects God’s processual becoming.

✝️ Christianity (Processual View)

  • Mosaic Typology: Moses foreshadows Christ, but Christ deepens the relational invitation—from Law to Love.

  • Liberation Motif: Moses as the symbol of deliverance reinterpreted in Christ's cruciform liberation.

  • Law and Grace: In process theology, both Law and Grace are evolving revelations, not opposing absolutes.

  • Revelation: Christ is the Living Word, but Moses remains a co-journeyer in God's story of becoming.

☪️ Islam (Processual View)

  • Tawrat: Originally given to Musa, not as a fixed code but as divine guidance within historical context.

  • Prophethood: Musa exemplifies the moral, struggling prophet; revelation is responsive, not mechanical.

  • Miracles: Symbols of divine nearness and moral awakening, not suspensions of natural law.

  • Justice: Musa's confrontation with Pharaoh represents the eternal ethical struggle against tyranny.

🌿 Shared Processual Themes

ThemeJudaismChristianityIslam
LiberationExodus as enduring modelChrist as liberator in Mosaic traditionMusa as model for confronting injustice
Divine Becoming“I will be what I will be”Christ as God becoming fleshGod's many names unfolding in response
Law as InvitationOngoing dialogue with TorahFrom law to love as growthSharia as contextual unfolding of divine will
Prophet as PartnerMoses co-labors with GodJesus as Son-partner of GodMusa as faithful servant of divine justice

Final Reflection

Moses, like a prism, refracts divine light differently in each tradition. But through process eyes, we see the same truth: that God does not act alone, and that revelation is always in motion. In every faith, Moses invites us to step into the fire that does not consume—to listen, to struggle, and to become.


As a reminder, this study integrates with the broader theme of process-relational bibliology by showing how sacred figures - whether literal or mytho-historic - participate in the dynamic process of divine-human evolutionary history.

R.E. Slater
June 22, 2025


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