Syriac Exegesis of the Qurʾān: Qurʾānic Interpretive Cruxes in Dionysius bar Ṣalībī’s <i>Against the Arabs</i>Journal of Eastern Christian StudiesSyriaca.org: The Syriac Reference PortalThe National Endowment for the HumanitiesThe International Balzan Prize FoundationDavid A. Michelsoncbsc_adminRecord added to Zotero bycbsc_adminSyriaca.org: The Syriac Reference Portalhttp://syriaca.org/cbss/LCTN3RM2/tei
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2025-05-20-05:00
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CREATED: This bibl record was autogenerated from a Zotero record.TareqMoqbelSyriac Exegesis of the Qurʾān: Qurʾānic Interpretive Cruxes in Dionysius bar Ṣalībī’s <i>Against the Arabs</i>http://syriaca.org/cbss/LCTN3RM2https://www.zotero.org/groups/a_comprehensive_bibliography_on_syriac_studies/items/LCTN3RM2https://www.zotero.org/groups/4861694/items/LCTN3RM2Journal of Eastern Christian Studies76:1-220241-46Christian authors writing in Syriac after the Islamic conquests frequently invoked the Qurʾān to validate the truth of Christian beliefs – such as the Trinity and the Incarnation – and to read the Qurʾān in a manner that removes any criticism of Christians and Christianity. The most comprehensive work of this genre is <i>Against the Arabs</i> of the prolific 12th-century Syrian Orthodox writer, the monophysite bishop of Amida, Dionysius bar Ṣalībī. Hitherto, scholarly attention has been given to exploring Bar Ṣalībī’s Qurʾān quotations vis-à-vis the canonical Qurʾānic text and to identifying the sources from which Bar Ṣalībī quoted the Qurʾān. Building on the current state of research, the aim of the present article is to attempt to provide an analysis of <i>Against the Arabs</i>’ approach to some relatively problematic passages, cruces interpretum, in the Qurʾān. Through studying a number of Qurʾānic verses in Syriac translation, and as commented upon in <i>Against the Arabs</i>, the article highlights the textual problems detected in <i>Against the Arabs</i> and shows that they are genuine problems which are also discussed in the tafsīr (Qurʾān commentary) literature. Put differently, the article demonstrates that – although motivated by different causes – <i>Against the Arabs</i> and the Muslim exegetical literature were both intrigued by the same problems in the Qurʾān but, naturally, reacted to them in different ways. More generally, it is hoped that through showcasing aspects of <i>Against the Arabs</i>’ hermeneutical engagement with the Qurʾān the article will allow us to “hear” the Qurʾān as it was received and interpreted by Syriac Christianity in the High Middle Ages.
Moqbel, Tareq. “Syriac Exegesis of the Qurʾān: Qurʾānic Interpretive Cruxes in Dionysius Bar Ṣalībī’s Against the Arabs.” Journal of Eastern Christian Studies 76:1-2 (2024): 1–46. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1163/17831520-20240044.
Tareq Moqbel, Syriac Exegesis of the Qurʾān: Qurʾānic Interpretive Cruxes in Dionysius Bar Ṣalībī’s Against the Arabs,” Journal of Eastern Christian Studies 76:1-2 (2024): 1–46, https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1163/17831520-20240044.