Tradition and Renewal in 18th-Century Arabic Theology: ʿAbd Allāh Zākhir’s Al-burhān al-ṣarīḥ on the Trinity and Christology

The theological legacy of the 18th-century Melkite Church in the age of print remains an underexplored field. Positioned at the crossroads of Islamic intellectual dominance and the increasing influence of Western Catholicism, Melkite thinkers such as ʿAbd Allāh Zākhir (1684–1748) found themselves navigating a delicate theological and cultural balance. Their efforts reflect a simultaneous commitment to Patristic orthodoxy and an openness to the intellectual and ecclesial currents of their time. Zākhir’s Al-burhān al-ṣarīḥ (The Evident Proof), a theological treatise composed in 1721 at the request of a Muslim jurist (mutafaqqih) and published in Shuwayr in 1764, stands as a testament to this combination. It offers a rare and valuable lens into how Arabic-speaking Christians of the period articulated doctrinal coherence, especially on the Trinity and the Incarnation, while subtly engaging Islamic critiques and integrating elements of Roman Catholic Scholasticism.