1. As Arabic slowly emerged as the lingua franca for Eastern Syrian learning and study, new copies of biblical texts were compiled for an increasingly Arabic-speaking audience. As part of this, the Syro-Hexapla – studied by experts in scripture from … Continued
1. Chapter 49 from the Book of Genesis contains the so-called Blessing of Jacob, a compilation of sayings, which are framed as Jabob’s deathbed address to his twelve sons, each of them representing one of the tribes of Israel. Raising … Continued
1. Codex Sinai Arabic 1 (Sin. Ar. 1) is one of the jewels of Christian Arabic translation literature.[1] The codex contains Arabic versions of the books of Job, Daniel (including the additions in ch. 3 and the narrative of Bel … Continued
1. From 28 to 29 April 2023, a group of scholars in the field of Arabic Bible and Arab Christian studies gathered at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice to participate in a conference organized by myself in partnership with Syriaca, … Continued
1. The Arabic Bible has served various functions throughout its history. In the 19th century, for example, it was an important literary medium of the Christian Nahda as well as an object of scientific curiosity for European orientalists.1 The following … Continued
1. Scholarly interest in the Bible in Arabic has surged in recent decades. While traditionally specialists in the textual history of the Bible downplayed the importance of Arabic Bible manuscripts, scholars have increasingly shown the potential significance of these manuscripts, … Continued
This blog entry is based on the article by Gideon Bohak, “The Book of Twitches of Shem Son of Noah and Other Manuals of Palmomancy from the Cairo Genizah and from al-Quṣayr,” in Andreas Kaplony and Matt Malczycki (eds.), From Samarqand to Toledo: Greek, Sogdian and Arabic Documents and Manuscripts from the Islamicate World and Beyond, [Islamic History and Civilization, 201], Leiden: Brill, 2023, pp. 139-161 (doi:10.1163/9789004527874_007)
In the month of Ramaḍān 253 AH (September/October 867 CE), Bishr ibn al-Sirrī finalized in Damascus his work on translating the Pauline Epistles from Syriac into Arabic, annotating and transcribing them into a manuscript. On a different occasion, he prepared … Continued
The book of Psalms plays a significant role in both Judaism and Christianity. The psalms are used in prayer, both in public worship and in the believer’s devotional life. The Jewish morning prayer, the פְסוּקֵי דְּזִמְרָא, and the Christian liturgy … Continued
We are very happy to share the good news: we have a Munich Research Centre for Jewish-Arabic Cultures! On October 31, 2022, the Munich Research Centre for Jewish-Arabic Cultures (jac@culture.lmu.de) celebrated its opening with great lectures and wine: Prof. Dr. … Continued
