THE COMPARISON OF THE UNDERSTANDINGS OF INFALLIBILITY (ISMAH) OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AND SHI’ITE IMAMIYYAH

KATOLİK KİLİSESİ VE İMAMİYYE ŞİASI’NIN YANILMAZLIK/MASUMİYET ANLAYIŞLARININ MUKAYESESİ

Abstract

All the religions have asserted their divinity, originality and authenticity throughout the history. Thus, the polemic of orthodoxyheresy, on which each side has considered themselves representative of the true belief and others was out of it, had appeared every period of history. This matter, at the same time, has revealed the religious authority in the context of origin and legitimacy. The Roman Catholic Church, from the very first, has alleged the supremacy and primacy beside other churches on the basis of Petrus doctrine. Finally, the First Vatican Council formulated and accepted the papal infallibility as a Catholic dogma in 1870. As for the Twelver Shiism, which was founded in the basis of leadership of Hz. Ali and his descendants as a legitimate leaders of the Muslims, propounded the imamate doctrine versus sunni caliphate concept. After then, the Shiite authors tried to determine the features of the imams who idealised as a divine chosen persons. Beside the other feautures, the infallibility (ismah) of imams has been the main theological doctrine. In this regard, the infallibility of the legitimate leaders of the Catholic Church and Twelver Shia is a characteristic feature of these two religious sects. In this article, the theoretical origins, similarities and differences of the infallibility understandings of Catholic Church and Twelver Shiism has been studied. STRUCTURED ABSTRACT The Catholic Church and Shi’ite Imamiyyah (Twelver Shi’ites) assert the same claims regarding to representation the religious tradition and the position of leading the belivers. First of all, both sects spiritedly connect themselves to the divine source. The Catholic Church claims that its basis was founded by the prince of the apostles, Peter, at the behest of Jesus Christ. As for Imamiyyah, there is a hereditary succession’s theory, called as imamate, starting with Ali (r.a.) after the prophet Muhammed (a.s.) based upon divine revelation (nass). The Catholic Church and Imamiyyah have made reference to holy writings to give evidence their divine foundation. According to the Roman Catholic Church and the Shi’ite Imamiyyah, all the time, the necessity of a divine and legitimate leader is very important to preserve and transmit the authentic faith besides his status of temporal affairs. But in actual state, from the beginning, the Catholic Church established its spiritual authority and dominated the christendom related to doctrinal controversies till the schism of 1054 (Catholic-Orthodox) and Protestant reformation of the 16th century. At the present time, the Roman Catholic Church holds the majority and has the more recognition level in Christian World. In the Muslim world, the sunnites have held the reins of power, the shi’ites have became opposition generally. Because of this situation the Imamiyyah has allged the imamate theory involving divine revelation and acknowledged illegitimate the Sunnite caliphate understanding. Today, the Shi’ite Imamiyyah is represented by Iran and limited to Iranian region as it was in the past. But, the essencial difference between the Catolic Church and Imamiyyah is the procedure of the taking the lead of successors. In the Catholic Church, there is no hereditary succession for Peter’s successors and anyone can be elected as a pope among cardinals, however, according to he Shi’ite Imamiyyah, the designation of the following imam based upon to hereditary succession that going back to prophet and finally to god, and there is not any interference of believers to this assignment. In the Catholic Church, the succession of popes has been continuously going on from Peter to present. According to the theology of the Imamiyyah, there is twelve imams beginning from Ali to twelfth imam Muhammad al-Mahdi, and their belirf that the last imam lives in occultation and will reappear one day. That is to say, there is a discontinuance of the traditional succession. Regarding the infallibility (ismah) understanding of the Catholic Church and the Shi’ite Imamiyyah is the result of the claims of divine origin, legitimate and being supreme and primacy. In this sense, the infallibility dogma that attributed to popes and imams is an inseparable part of them in basing their mission of perception and explanation the scriptures and the preserving the religious law besides the temporal affairs. In the Catholic Church, papal infallibility question firstly appeared in the 13th century around the debates of Franciskan principle. Finally it formulated and accepted dogmatically in the First Vatikan Council, in 1870, as a reaction of the ultramontanist bishops to ensure the religious and temporal authority of the pope again. Thus, papal infallibility dogma aims to meintenance of the power of the papacy. In the Shi’ite Imamiyyah, this concept attributes to Jafar as-Sadiq who wants to consolidate the authority of the imams. Starting from this point of view we can say that each sect intends same aims of theological and political, namely to establish absolute authority over the believers. The papal infallibility is a Catholic dogma which must be believed all the faithful and the infallibillity of imams is the main principle of faith according to Shi’ite Imamiyyah. But the scope of the infallibility of the two sects is the most distinguishing feature. According to the Imamiyah, the imams has the absolute spiritual and secular knowledge. They know everything such as all the languages and thoughts in the minds and their time of death and manner as well. In Catholicism, infallibility of the popes is limited by the matter of faith and morals. In the Second Vatican Council in 1965, the scope of papal infallibility extended to include the bishops. But the pope’s authority remained unchanged and maintained his magisterial status over the church, that is to say, the Second Vatican Council doesn’t alter the First Vatican Council’s mentality. In other words, when the bishops take a decision on the matter of faith and

Özet

Kendisini doğru yolun ve sahih itikadın temsilcisi, diğerlerini ise doğru yoldan sapan ya da dalâlet içinde addeden ortodoksi-heresi polemiği, dinlerin her daim kaynayan aktif yönüne işaret eder. Bu durum aynı zamanda tanrısal menşe, meşruiyet ve iradeyi yansıtacak şekilde kimin/neyin otorite olduğu tartışmasını beraberinde getirmiştir. Roma Katolik Kilisesi, ileri sürdüğü Petrus doktrini ile kendisini geleneğin meşru temsilcisi görmüş ve bütün inananları bağlayıcı nitelikte inanç ve ibadete müteallik konularda son sözü söyleme hak ve yetkisinin kendisinde bulunduğunu iddia etmiştir. Hz. Peygamberden sonra İslam ümmetinin başına meşru devlet başkanı olarak Hz. Ali ve onun soyundan gelenlerin geçmesi gerektiği inancı üzerine temellenen Şia da, Sünni hilafet nazariyesi karşısına imamet doktriniyle çıkmıştır. İnananlara rehberlik edecek meşru (ilahi) ardılın tespitinden sonra onun vasıfları üzerine tartışmalar başlamıştır. Bu bağlamda, Tanrının yeryüzündeki temsilcisinin (diğer vasıfları yanında) kayıtlı, kısıtlı veya sınırsız (mutlak) bir yanılmazlık vasfına sahip olduğu anlayışı Roma Katolik Kilisesi ve İmamiyye Şia'sı'nın karakteristiğini oluşturmuştur. Roma Katolik Kilisesi Petrus'un halefleri papalara, İmamiyye Şia'sı da Hz. Ali soyundan imamlara kutsal metinlerden hareketle ilahi bir menşe ve meşruiyet atfetmişler ve onların yanılmazlık hak ve yetkisini haiz olduğunu ileri sürmüşlerdir. yanılmazlık/masumiyet (ismet) telakkisi mevzu bahis olduğunda akla gelen farklı iki dinin iki mezhebinin yanılmazlık anlayışlarının dayandığı (dini-siyasi vb.) teorik temeller ile bu anlayışların benzerlik ve farklılıkları ele alınacaktır