A primary outline

Each religion exposes this duality in its own terms: Reason and faith in Christianity, reason and scripture, wisdom and religion, wisdom and law in Islam and Judaism. Each expression has its own significance. In Christianity, faith is something given, a sudden conversion like that of Paul, a metanoia after seeing the miracles of the prophet, a gift more than an acquisition. It saves without requiring action except that of faith "Your faith saved you". Epistis is from the same root as Episteme which means that faith is essentially knowledge. In Islam and Judaism faith is referred to as scripture or more literally transmission Naql or audition Sam�, that means something read or heard, an objective data which needs interpretation, an object of understanding, not a matter of will. It means also religion as a pre-given knowledge or more precisely wisdom Hikma which is a high form of knowledge. It means also law Shari�a the concrete religion as modes of behavior in the law as the Tora. Reason �Aql is the same in each religion. It does not change name. Reason is the same in every culture. It is the same problem in logic of inference, the distinction between argument of reason and argument of authority.

There are two models to determine the relation between Reason and faith, depending on the definition of faith and its name as well as the function of reason since the name is the same. The first model conceives faith as supra-rational and even anti-rational. If faith was rational, reason or faith would have been enough, no need for a duplicate source of knowledge. Tertullianus, Origeenus and Augustin expressed perfectly this model in classical culture. Thomas Aquinas in medieval time made a distinction between natural reason capable of science and philosophy, faith the domain of super-rational mystery and the intelligence of faith, a legitimization of faith by human reason. This trend has been expressed also in contemporary Western philosophy called absurdity, destruction of reason, irrational, non-rational, anti-rational �etc. Reason is incapable of understanding what goes beyond such a mystery. Faith gives the maximum while reason gives the minimum.

The advantage of this model is the extreme concentration on faith, sincerity of belief, strength of the will, dedication, internal life namely the wonders of faith. Reason has to acknowledge its proper limitations away from human arrogance, assumptions and pretensions. However, the disadvantages are numerous.

There is no criteria of validity of faith since it is indemonstrable. This may lead to the isolation of each faith, the lack of dialogue since there is no common understanding of faith. Faith is personal, a given, a gift. Faith does not come or go by argumentation. It is an act of will, not of reason. This may lead also to religious wars since each faith is absolutely true. Faith is the norm for reason and for nature. Philosophy and science have to be implementations of faith. Faith is absolutely right while reason and nature are erroneous. Faith is supra-rational or even anti-rational. Man inherits the original sin in him. He cannot save himself by himself. He needs an external help, a savior. Nature is imperfect and needs grace.

The second model is the identity between Reason and Scriptures. Both Revelation and Reason are from the same order. Revelation is demonstrable, already verified in nature and history. Reason comes from the same source of Revelation namely Divine knowledge. The function of revelation is to give an a priori certitude on which human reason constructs any rational system for man, nature and society. And to protect human knowledge from relativism, skepticism and agnosticism. It gives also an integral and global worldview, an eye-bird view from above to avoid partial human points of views related to individuals, social classes, diverse cultures and conflicting human interests. Divine knowledge is impartial. Revelation can also shorten the time of research by giving primary working hypothesis already verified in history given the long development of revelation parallel to the progress of human consciousness, in order to leave the maximum human time for implementation of revelation as an ideal structure of the world and the fulfillment of Divine will on earth according to human "Vice-gerancy".

The advantage of this model is the coherence of human knowledge and the concordance between the a priori and the a posteriori, the harmony in human life between the pre-given and the acquired combined in the natural knowledge. It helps reason to be certain, sharp and self-confident. It helps scriptures to be well interpreted. In case of a probable opposition between reason and scriptures, reason is maintained and scriptures are interpreted according to reason. Language permits such an interpretation given the amphibological principles of language such as: the liberal and the metaphoric, the clear and the obscure, the univoc and the equivoc, the vague and the precise, the general and the particular, �etc. Reason is a tool of clarity and precision. Language is changing, reason is permanent. That was an unanimous agreement between all philosophers such as al-kindi, al-farabi, Ibn Sina, Ibn Tofail, Ibn Baja and Ibn Rushed. That was also the position held by the Mu�tazilitles. The possible disadvantage of such model is the literal interpreation of scripture, the misuse of language from the scriptures side or the substitution to reason human passions and conflicting interests excluding natural reasons as it appeared sometimes in Asha�rite theology.

A more perfect and integral relation between reason and faith in Christian term or Reason and Revelation in Islamic term is the analysis of human experiences as roh material in which both sources of knowledge can be verified. Human experience is the same everywhere, called naure or Fitra, giving human evidence and providing the good deed. Rational evidence and good deed combined together can be a criteria in any religious dialogue. Man is not only rational but also good. Evidence is offered by Reason, goodness by revelation. The parabolas of Christ enjoy this feature. That is why they were more persuasive for belief and good action.