1st Edition

The Qur’an in its Historical Context

Edited By Gabriel Reynolds Copyright 2008
    310 Pages 12 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    320 Pages 12 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    Providing commentary on the controversial revisionist school of Qur’anic studies, this book explores the origins, scholarship and development of the Qur'an. The collection of articles, each written by a distinguished author, treat very familiar passages of the Qur’an in an original manner, combining thorough philology, historical anthropology, and cultural history.

    This book addresses in a critical fashion the hottest issues in recent works on the Quran. Among other things, the contributors analyze the controversial theories of Luxenberg regarding Syriac and the Quran, and in particular his argument that the term Hur refers not to virgins but to grapes.

    Introduction: Qur’anic Studies and its Controversies

    Part One – Linguistic and Historic Evidence

    Chapter 1 – The Qur’an in recent scholarship – challenges and desiderata – F. Donner

    Chapter 2 – Epigraphy and the linguistic background to the Qur’an – R.Hoyland

    Chapter 3 – Reconstructing the Qur’an: Emerging Insights – G.Bowering

    Chapter 4 – Reconsidering the authorship of the Qur’an. Is the Qur’an partly the fruit of a progressive and collective work – C. Gilliot

    Chapter 5 – Christian Lore and the Arabic Qur’an: The companions of the Cave in Surat al-Kahf and in Syriac Christian Tradition – S. Griffith

    Part Two – The Religious Context of the Late Antique Near East

    Chapter 6 – The Theological Christian Influence on the Qur’an: A reflection – S.K. Samir

    Chapter 7 – Mary in the Qur’an: A re-examination of her Presentation – S. A. Mourad

    Chapter 8 – The Legend of Alexander the Great in the Qur’an – K van Bladel

    Chapter 9 – Beyond single words: ma’ida – shaytan – jibt and taghut. Mechanisms of translating the Bible into Ethiopic (Ge’ez) Bible and of Transmission into the Qur’anic text – M. Kropp

    Chapter 10 – Nascent Islam in the 7th century Syriac sources – A. Saadi

    Part three – Reflections on the Critical Study of the Qur’an

    Chapter 11 – Syriac in the Qur’an: Classical Muslim Theories – A. Rippin

    Chapter 12 – Notes on Medieval and Modern Emendations of the Qur’an – D. Stewart

     

    Biography

    Gabriel Said Reynolds is Assistant Professor of Islamic Studies and Theology at the University of Notre Dame, where he specializes in Qur'anic Studies.