Hypostases, Properties and Attributes: Elias of Nisibis’ Christian-Kalāmic Explanation of the Trinitarian Doctrine

This contribution examines the Trinitarian doctrine of Elias, the East Syrian Metropolitan of Nisibis, within the context of medieval Arab-Christian engagement with Islamic theology and philosophy. Unlike earlier assessments that accuse ArabChristian authors such as Abū Rāʾiṭah al-Takrītī, ʿAmmār al-Baṣrī, Yaḥyā Ibn ʿAdī, and Sāwīrūs Ibn al-Muqaffaʿ of reducing the hypostases to mere attributes, moving, in some way, their metaphysical meaning away from the official doctrine of their churches, Elias’ adoption of the Islamic teaching on divine attributes emerges as a deliberate strategy of theological inculturation. This study argues that Elias’ approach was possible due to two key factors: his Aristotelian metaphysical framework, in which the divine substance is conceived as a self-subsistent reality and the hypostases as properties; and his modification of Islamic doctrines on divine attributes to fit Christian theology. After introducing Elias and his works, the contribution analyses his metaphysical system, his adaptation of Islamic concepts, and the integration of these elements into what can be described as a “Christian-kalāmic” method. The conclusion evaluates both the effectiveness and the limitations of this approach in defending the doctrine of the Trinity within an Islamic intellectual milieu.