Jon Hoover

Contact

• workHumanities Building
  University Park
  Nottingham
  NG7 2RD
  UK
• work0115 951 5886
• fax0115 951 5887
• jon.hoover@nottingham.ac.uk

Expertise Summary

My primary area of expertise is Islamic theology. Other areas of interest include Islamic religious thought more broadly, Christian-Muslim theological interaction, and the religious culture of the Bahri Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt and Syria (1260-1382). My qualifications include an MA in Theology and Ethics from the Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary (USA) and a PhD in Islamic Studies from the University of Birmingham (UK). Prior to joining the University of Nottingham in 2010, I taught Islamic Studies at the Near East School of Theology in Beirut, Lebanon for five and one-half years. I also spent several years earlier on studying Arabic in Cairo.

Research Summary

My research concentrates on the theology of Ibn Taymiyya, a prominent fourteenth-century Muslim reformer from Damascus. I am trying to understand Ibn Taymiyya's thought, locate it within the context… read more

Recent Publications

• HOOVER, J., 2011. Ibn Taymiyya Oxford Bibliographies Online. forthcoming
• HOOVER, J., 2010. The Lord's Prayer: A Mennonite View. In: BRYANT, M.D., KENNEL HARRISON, S. and REIMER, A.J., eds., On Spirituality: Essays from the third Shi'i Muslim Mennonite Christian Dialogue Kitchener, ON: Pandora Press. 99-114
• HOOVER, J., 2010. The Apologetic and Pastoral Intentions of Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya’s Polemic against Jews and Christians The Muslim World. 100(4), 476-489
• HOOVER, J., 2010. God’s Wise Purposes in Creating Iblīs: Ibn Qayyim al-Ğawziyyah’s Theodicy of God’s Names and Attributes. In: BORI, C. and HOLTZMAN, L., eds., A Scholar in the Shadow: Essays in the Legal and Theological Thought of Ibn Qayyim al-Ğawziyyah Oriente Moderno monograph series, 90(1). 113-134

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Current Research

My research concentrates on the theology of Ibn Taymiyya, a prominent fourteenth-century Muslim reformer from Damascus. I am trying to understand Ibn Taymiyya's thought, locate it within the context of the wider Islamic tradition, and trace its legacy. Ultimately I hope to characterize what Ibn Taymiyya was trying to accomplish with greater sophistication and explore reasons for the enduring Muslim discussion of his ideas.

My monograph Ibn Taymiyya's Theodicy of Perpetual Optimism (Brill, 2007) explores Ibn Taymiyya's writings on the problem of evil and shows how he stands on the shoulders of Ibn Sina (Avicenna) in working out his theodicy. Additionally, the book and two articles on God's action and creativity unravel aspects of Ibn Taymiyya's view of God as acting and creating from eternity. This dynamic vision of God's essence is unusual if not unique in classical Islamic theology. I am currently engaged in research on three other aspects of Ibn Taymiyya's thought. First is the question of universal salvation in the thought of Ibn Taymiyya, its appropriation in the writings of his disciple Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya (d. 1350), and the subsequent controversy over their views that continues to the present. Second is Ibn Taymiyya's and Ibn al-Qayyim's thought on Christianity. Third is Ibn Taymiyya's theology of God's attributes.

• HOOVER, J., 2011. Ibn Taymiyya Oxford Bibliographies Online. forthcoming
• HOOVER, J., 2010. The Lord's Prayer: A Mennonite View. In: BRYANT, M.D., KENNEL HARRISON, S. and REIMER, A.J., eds., On Spirituality: Essays from the third Shi'i Muslim Mennonite Christian Dialogue Kitchener, ON: Pandora Press. 99-114
• HOOVER, J., 2010. The Apologetic and Pastoral Intentions of Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya’s Polemic against Jews and Christians The Muslim World. 100(4), 476-489
• HOOVER, J., 2010. God’s Wise Purposes in Creating Iblīs: Ibn Qayyim al-Ğawziyyah’s Theodicy of God’s Names and Attributes. In: BORI, C. and HOLTZMAN, L., eds., A Scholar in the Shadow: Essays in the Legal and Theological Thought of Ibn Qayyim al-Ğawziyyah Oriente Moderno monograph series, 90(1). 113-134
• HOOVER, J., 2010. Review of Frank Griffel, Al-Ghazali’s Philosophical Theology Theological Review (Near East School of Theology). 30(1), 113-120
• HOOVER, J., 2010. God Acts by His Will and Power: Ibn Taymiyya’s Theology of a Personal God in his Treatise on the Voluntary Attributes. In: RAPOPORT, Y. and AHMED, S., eds., Ibn Taymiyya and His Times Karachi: Oxford University Press. 55-77
• HOOVER, J., 2009. Islamic Universalism: Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya’s Salafi Deliberations on the Duration of Hell-Fire The Muslim World. 99(1), 181-201
• HOOVER, J., 2009. A Common Word: ‘More positive and open, yet mainstream and orthodox’ Theological Review (Near East School of Theology). 30(1), 50-77
• HOOVER, J., 2009. Islamic Monotheism and the Trinity The Conrad Grebel Review. 27(1), 57-82. Correct version on journal website.
• HOOVER, J., ed., 2008. Hiwar al-haqiqa min ajl al-hayat ma‘an / Dialogue of Truth for Life Together Beirut: NEST Publications.
• HOOVER, J., 2007. Ibn Taymiyya’s Theodicy of Perpetual Optimism Leiden: Brill.
• HOOVER, J., 2007. Writing the Resistance: Recent Books on Hizbullah from Lebanese Perspectives Theological Review (Near East School of Theology). 28(1), 47-69
• HOOVER, J., 2006. The Justice of God and the Best of All Possible Worlds: The Theodicy of Ibn Taymiyya Theological Review (Near East School of Theology). 27(2), 53-75
• HOOVER, J., 2006. Ibn Taymiyya as an Avicennan Theologian: A Muslim Approach to God’s Self-Sufficiency Theological Review (Near East School of Theology). 27(1), 34-46
• HOOVER, J., 2006. An Anabaptist Perspective on Conversing with Muslims. In: KRABILL, J., SAWATSKY, W. and VAN ENGEN, C., eds., Evangelical, Ecumenical, and Anabaptist Missiologies in Conversation: Essays in Honor of Wilbert R. Shenk Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Press. 120-129, 287-288
• HOOVER, J., 2004. Perpetual Creativity in the Perfection of God: Ibn Taymiyya's Hadith Commentary on God's Creation of this World Journal of Islamic Studies. 15(3), 287-329
• HOOVER, J., 2003. A Typology of Responses to the Philosophical Problem of Evil in the Islamic and Christian Traditions The Conrad Grebel Review. 21(3), 81-96