The Bible in Arabic: The Scriptures of the "People of the Book" in the Language of Islam (Jews, Christians, and Muslims from the Ancient to the Modern World (48))

Griffith, Sidney H.

ISBN 10: 0691168083 / ISBN 13: 9780691168081

Published by Princeton University Press, 2015

About this Item

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Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Bible in Arabic: The Scriptures of the "People of the Book" in the Language of Islam (Jews, Christians, and Muslims from the Ancient to the Modern World (48))
• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Publication Date: 2015
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0691168083
• ISBN 13: 9780691168081
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: Very Good

About this title

Synopsis

From the first centuries of Islam to well into the Middle Ages, Jews and Christians produced hundreds of manuscripts containing portions of the Bible in Arabic. Until recently, however, these translations remained largely neglected by Biblical scholars and historians. In telling the story of the Bible in Arabic, this book casts light on a crucial transition in the cultural and religious life of Jews and Christians in Arabic-speaking lands.


In pre-Islamic times, Jewish and Christian scriptures circulated orally in the Arabic-speaking milieu. After the rise of Islam--and the Qur'an's appearance as a scripture in its own right--Jews and Christians translated the Hebrew Bible and the Greek New Testament into Arabic for their own use and as a response to the Qur'an's retelling of Biblical narratives. From the ninth century onward, a steady stream of Jewish and Christian translations of the Hebrew Bible and New Testament crossed communal borders to influence the Islamic world.



The Bible in Arabic offers a new frame of reference for the pivotal place of Arabic Bible translations in the religious and cultural interactions between Jews, Christians, and Muslims.

About the Author

Sidney H. Griffith is Ordinary Professor in the Department of Semitic and Egyptian Languages and Literatures at the Catholic University of America. His books include The Beginnings of Christian Theology in Arabic and The Church in the Shadow of the Mosque (Princeton).