The exegetical function of the Qurʾān in the Christian-Arabic Pentateuch

Journal article

The influence of the Qurʾān on the Christian-Arabic translations of the Bible has already been recognized. The purpose of the present article is to take the discussion on the Qurʾānic presence in the Arabic Bible a step further by revealing more evidence of Qurʾānic interpolations and proposing that there is a possible exegetical dimension to the translation’s use of the Qurʾān. In demonstrating this, the article focuses on the first version of the Christian-Arabic translation of the Pentateuch rendered from a Syriac Vorlage. It examines the earliest attested manuscript of this version, Sinai MS Arabic 2, dated 939–940 CE. The article offers an attempt to explain the various Qurʾānic direct quotations and ingenious allusions on exegetical grounds. More generally, the article contributes to Jewish studies by unearthing insights into the Qurʾān’s potential to interpret the Bible, and by probing the Qurʾān as a resource for Judaism and Christianity.

Authors: Moqbel, T

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies
• Journal: Journal of Jewish Studies
• Volume: 74
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 51-73
• Publication date: 2023-04-01
• Acceptance date: 2023-01-01
• DOI: 10.18647/3565/jjs-2023
• EISSN: 2056-6689
• ISSN: 0022-2097
• Language: English
• Keywords: Middle Ages; Arabic; FFR; Bible; exegesis; Qur'an; Peshitta; Islam; Pentateuch; translations