An Angelic Jesus? A Medieval Muslim Quest for an Alternative Christology

This paper offers a close reading of the Muslim theologian Najm al-Din al-Tufi's (d. 716/1316) five treatises in which he describes Jesus in angelic terms, asserting that in his nature Jesus was an angel, but in form a human being. It also provides a thorough analysis of Tufi's scriptural arguments for the notion of an angelic Jesus. The question of his possible sources is further addressed. Are there any Christian writings that describe Jesus in angelic terms? If so, how do they relate to Tufi's 'angel-natured Jesus'? Pointing out a number of early Christian textual traditions that clearly bear marks of the notion of an angelic Jesus, the paper then sheds light upon those sources that may have led to a milieu that ultimately influenced Tufi's opinion. Tufi's reference to an angelic Jesus and his willingness to incorporate it into his own Christology suggest that at least some features of angel Christology must have been still 'in the air' in the early 14th century Egyptian context.