Cuore, anima e mente. Un esempio di circolarità lessicale tra tradizione islamica e cristiana

The starting point of this article is a topic that features in the synoptic Gospels (Mt 22, 37; Mc 12, 29-31; Lc 10, 27) and is presented as the most essential among Jesus’ precepts: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind”. The three terms that are mentioned here – heart, soul, and mind – are of prominent importance both in the Christian and Islamic spiritual traditions. We compare them and the respective traditions of commentary both on a lexicographical and exegetical level. The analysis of similarities and differences issued from a comparison of the contexts of the exegeses, and the respective reactions to the common Biblical background, counts as a starting point for further research.