According to Islamic tradition, the Qurʾān-inimitable (Q 17:88) and in clear Arabic (e.g., Q 16:1... more According to Islamic tradition, the Qurʾān-inimitable (Q 17:88) and in clear Arabic (e.g., Q 16:103)-was revealed to the prophet Muhammad between 610 and 632, in the Hijaz in Arabia. As the prophet himself was ummī1 (perhaps meaning he was illiterate, a gentile, or lacking knowledge of biblical languages), his followers memorized, recited, and recorded the revelations. A generation after the prophet's death, the caliph ordered the collection of all records of the known verses and a single official codex-known as the ʿUthmānic versionemerged, in a contested process.2 Islamic debates over the Qurʾān did not stop there. By the beginning of the ninth century, Muslims were debating the eternal versus created nature of God's speech. As with the codices of the Qurʾān, the caliph again weighed in, ordering all public officials to profess the created nature of the Qurʾān, but this caliphal inquisition was short lived.3 In fact, normative Islam would later profess its "uncreatedness."4
In Antiquity, knowledge was cherished as a scarce good, cultivated through the close teacher-stud... more In Antiquity, knowledge was cherished as a scarce good, cultivated through the close teacher-student relationship, and often preserved in the closed circle of the initiated. From Assyrian and Babylonian cuneiform texts to a Shi‘ite Islamic tradition, this volume explores how and why knowledge was shared or concealed by diverse communities in various ancient and late antique cultural contexts. In these essays, a range of scholars from Assyrian studies to Jewish, Christian, and Islamic studies examine diverse approaches to, and modes of, knowledge transmission and concealment, shedding new light on both the interconnectedness, as well as the unique aspects, of the monotheistic faiths and their relationship to the ancient civilizations of the Fertile Crescent.
Dutch translation by Zenobia Foundation of Qur'ānic Rūm. The article explores the ways in whi... more Dutch translation by Zenobia Foundation of Qur'ānic Rūm. The article explores the ways in which Jerusalem has been the location of both the Qur'ān's 'furthest mosque' and its 'nearest land'.
The Fifth Woodbrooke-Mingana Symposium on Arab Christianity and Islam was held in Selly Oak, UK (... more The Fifth Woodbrooke-Mingana Symposium on Arab Christianity and Islam was held in Selly Oak, UK (just outside of Birmingham) from 14-17 September 2005. The bucolic setting and warm hospitality of the Woodbrooke Quaker Study Centre provided a perfect background for the discussions on “The Bible in Arab Christianity”. The patience of the staff in putting up with the comings and goings of the various participants, their ever-ready assistance with anything that might be needed, and their willingness to divulge the history of the Centre and the surrounding area made the participants – many of whom had come from outside the UK – feel immediately that they had found a home away from home. From breakfast to the evening prayer service, the conference participants were embraced by the Friends – but in such a way as to allow complete freedom to go off on one’s own, if one so chose. Carol Bebawi deserves a special mention: her tireless tracking of the comings and goings of all the participants ...
Sharing and Hiding Religious Knowledge in Early Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, 2018
The Qurʾān contains a number of references to knowledge and the modes of its transmission. For ex... more The Qurʾān contains a number of references to knowledge and the modes of its transmission. For example, in addition to kitāb (book), the Qurʾān has numerous allusions to writing media, such as asfār/sifr (book/volume); khātam (seal – of the prophets); lawḥ (board/tablet); midād (ink); nuskha (copy/exemplar: Qurʾān 7:154 – Moses’ tablets); qalam (pen – made of reed; also tubes); qirṭās/ qarāṭīs (parchment/papyrus: Qurʾān 6:7, 91); raqq (parchment: Qurʾān 52:3); sijjil (parchment scroll – in an apocalyptic context); ṣuḥuf (pages of scripture).1 Knowledge is linked with faith – as something God has given prophets.2 It is also one of the attributes of God (as “knower of the seen and unseen”: ʿālim al-ghayb wa-l-shahāda; e.g. Qurʾān 59:22). Additionally, the Qurʾān references the learning/knowledge found in earlier communities – especially relating to the knowledge of God’s revelations. Sometimes these references are positive (or at least neutral), as in Qurʾān 10:94’s exhortation that, ...
Intolerance, Polemics, and Debate in Antiquity, 2019
The Emperor Julian, Against the Cynic Heraclius (Oration 7): A Polemic about Myths 424 Robbert M.... more The Emperor Julian, Against the Cynic Heraclius (Oration 7): A Polemic about Myths 424 Robbert M. van den Berg part 4 Discourses between Muslims, Jews, Christians, and Greeks 14 Qurʾanic Anti-Jewish Polemics 443 Reuven Firestone 15 Christian-Muslim (In)tolerance? Islam and Muslims according to Early Christian Arabic Texts 463
According to Islamic tradition, the Qurʾān-inimitable (Q 17:88) and in clear Arabic (e.g., Q 16:1... more According to Islamic tradition, the Qurʾān-inimitable (Q 17:88) and in clear Arabic (e.g., Q 16:103)-was revealed to the prophet Muhammad between 610 and 632, in the Hijaz in Arabia. As the prophet himself was ummī1 (perhaps meaning he was illiterate, a gentile, or lacking knowledge of biblical languages), his followers memorized, recited, and recorded the revelations. A generation after the prophet's death, the caliph ordered the collection of all records of the known verses and a single official codex-known as the ʿUthmānic versionemerged, in a contested process.2 Islamic debates over the Qurʾān did not stop there. By the beginning of the ninth century, Muslims were debating the eternal versus created nature of God's speech. As with the codices of the Qurʾān, the caliph again weighed in, ordering all public officials to profess the created nature of the Qurʾān, but this caliphal inquisition was short lived.3 In fact, normative Islam would later profess its "uncreatedness."4
In Antiquity, knowledge was cherished as a scarce good, cultivated through the close teacher-stud... more In Antiquity, knowledge was cherished as a scarce good, cultivated through the close teacher-student relationship, and often preserved in the closed circle of the initiated. From Assyrian and Babylonian cuneiform texts to a Shi‘ite Islamic tradition, this volume explores how and why knowledge was shared or concealed by diverse communities in various ancient and late antique cultural contexts. In these essays, a range of scholars from Assyrian studies to Jewish, Christian, and Islamic studies examine diverse approaches to, and modes of, knowledge transmission and concealment, shedding new light on both the interconnectedness, as well as the unique aspects, of the monotheistic faiths and their relationship to the ancient civilizations of the Fertile Crescent.
Dutch translation by Zenobia Foundation of Qur'ānic Rūm. The article explores the ways in whi... more Dutch translation by Zenobia Foundation of Qur'ānic Rūm. The article explores the ways in which Jerusalem has been the location of both the Qur'ān's 'furthest mosque' and its 'nearest land'.
The Fifth Woodbrooke-Mingana Symposium on Arab Christianity and Islam was held in Selly Oak, UK (... more The Fifth Woodbrooke-Mingana Symposium on Arab Christianity and Islam was held in Selly Oak, UK (just outside of Birmingham) from 14-17 September 2005. The bucolic setting and warm hospitality of the Woodbrooke Quaker Study Centre provided a perfect background for the discussions on “The Bible in Arab Christianity”. The patience of the staff in putting up with the comings and goings of the various participants, their ever-ready assistance with anything that might be needed, and their willingness to divulge the history of the Centre and the surrounding area made the participants – many of whom had come from outside the UK – feel immediately that they had found a home away from home. From breakfast to the evening prayer service, the conference participants were embraced by the Friends – but in such a way as to allow complete freedom to go off on one’s own, if one so chose. Carol Bebawi deserves a special mention: her tireless tracking of the comings and goings of all the participants ...
Sharing and Hiding Religious Knowledge in Early Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, 2018
The Qurʾān contains a number of references to knowledge and the modes of its transmission. For ex... more The Qurʾān contains a number of references to knowledge and the modes of its transmission. For example, in addition to kitāb (book), the Qurʾān has numerous allusions to writing media, such as asfār/sifr (book/volume); khātam (seal – of the prophets); lawḥ (board/tablet); midād (ink); nuskha (copy/exemplar: Qurʾān 7:154 – Moses’ tablets); qalam (pen – made of reed; also tubes); qirṭās/ qarāṭīs (parchment/papyrus: Qurʾān 6:7, 91); raqq (parchment: Qurʾān 52:3); sijjil (parchment scroll – in an apocalyptic context); ṣuḥuf (pages of scripture).1 Knowledge is linked with faith – as something God has given prophets.2 It is also one of the attributes of God (as “knower of the seen and unseen”: ʿālim al-ghayb wa-l-shahāda; e.g. Qurʾān 59:22). Additionally, the Qurʾān references the learning/knowledge found in earlier communities – especially relating to the knowledge of God’s revelations. Sometimes these references are positive (or at least neutral), as in Qurʾān 10:94’s exhortation that, ...
Intolerance, Polemics, and Debate in Antiquity, 2019
The Emperor Julian, Against the Cynic Heraclius (Oration 7): A Polemic about Myths 424 Robbert M.... more The Emperor Julian, Against the Cynic Heraclius (Oration 7): A Polemic about Myths 424 Robbert M. van den Berg part 4 Discourses between Muslims, Jews, Christians, and Greeks 14 Qurʾanic Anti-Jewish Polemics 443 Reuven Firestone 15 Christian-Muslim (In)tolerance? Islam and Muslims according to Early Christian Arabic Texts 463
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