The Spirit Before the Letter: Theodore Abū Qurra’s Use of Biblical Quotations in the Context of Early Christian Arabic Apologetics
edition published: 2019-10-21Z
availability: Distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/)

Peter Tarras, Miriam Lindgren Hjälm, The Spirit Before the Letter: Theodore Abū Qurra’s Use of Biblical Quotations in the Context of Early Christian Arabic Apologetics, https://biblia-arabica.com/bibl/NMVEUBSN, https://www.zotero.org/groups/biblia_arabica/items/NMVEUBSN, https://www.zotero.org/groups/538215/items/NMVEUBSN, Biblia Arabica, Leiden, Brill, 2017, 79-103, Argues that Theodore Abū Qurra’s use of biblical quotations can be read in light of both a discourse of accomodation and a discourse of resistance with respect to Muslim charges. It is shown that Abū Qurra’s pneumatic, i.e. non-literal, interpretation of the Bible preempts the Muslim accusation of corruption (taḥrīf). On the other hand, Abū Qurra sides with the Qurʾānic understanding of revelation, pairing it with anti-Jewish polemics, which, however, are directed mainly against non-Chalcedonian Christians, at times also against Muslims. Argues that Theodore Abū Qurra’s use of biblical quotations can be read in light of both a discourse of accomodation and a discourse of resistance with respect to Muslim charges. It is shown that Abū Qurra’s pneumatic, i.e. non-literal, interpretation of the Bible preempts the Muslim accusation of corruption (taḥrīf). On the other hand, Abū Qurra sides with the Qurʾānic understanding of revelation, pairing it with anti-Jewish polemics, which, however, are directed mainly against non-Chalcedonian Christians, at times also against Muslims.

Tarras, Peter. “The Spirit Before the Letter: Theodore Abū Qurra’s Use of Biblical Quotations in the Context of Early Christian Arabic Apologetics.” In Senses of Scripture, Treasures of Tradition: The Bible in Arabic among Jews, Christians and Muslims, edited by Miriam Lindgren Hjälm, 79–103. Biblia Arabica 5. Leiden: Brill, 2017.