Tarras, Peter

I am a research associate in the ERC project MAJLIS. Previously, I have worked for the Arabic and Latin Glossary (Julius-Maximilians-Universität, Würzburg). At the Institute of Near and Middle Eastern Studies at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, I have taught courses on different aspects of Middle Eastern Judaism, including Jewish philosophy in Hebrew and Arabic, Jewish manuscript culture, as well as Aramaic language courses. My areas of interest include intellectual history in the Near and Middle East, book history, manuscript studies, provenance research, and science communication. Since 2023, I am running the blog and resource site Membra Dispersa Sinaitica which is dedicated to the dislocated manuscripts of St Catherine’s Monastery at Mount Sinai, Egypt.

Areas of Interest

philosophy in Arabic (Jewish, Christian, Muslim), Arabic Bible, history and manuscript heritage of Middle Eastern Jewish and Eastern (Oriental) Christian communities, manuscript studies

Historical Periods of Interest

8th through 14th centuries; occasionally late 19th and early 20th centuries

Positions

2023

Research Associate, ERC project “MAJLIS”

2019 – 2023

Research Associate, DFG project “Arabic and Latin Glossary”, Institute for Philosophy, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg

2018 – 2019

Research Associate, DFG project “Korpus der arabisch-lateinischen Übersetzungen des 10.–14. Jahrhunderts”, Institute for Philosophy, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg

Education

2016

PhD Candidate, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU), Munich (working thesis title: “Unglückseligkeit: Anthropologisierung und Eschatologisierung des Bösen bei Abū Naṣr al-Fārābī”; supervisors: Peter Adamson and Dag N. Hasse)

2014 – 2016

MA in Near and Middle Eastern Studies, Institute for Near and Middle Eastern Studies, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU), Munich (thesis title: “Theodor Abū Qurras Gebrauch biblischer Zitate im Kontext der frühen christlich-arabischen Apologetik”; supervisor: Ronny Vollandt)

2012 – 2014

BA in Philosophy and Oriental and Ancient Studies, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU), Munich (thesis title: “The Status of Logic According to al-Ġazālī”; supervisor: Peter Adamson)

2010 – 2012

BA in Philosophy, Islamic Studies, University of Kiel

Awards and distinctions

2020

Gorgias Book Grant

2016 – 2018

Doctoral scholarship, Munich School of Ancient Philosophy

2013 – 2016

Student scholarship, Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes

Publications

Books

Articles in peer-reviewed journals, book chapters and conference proceedings

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 Hjälm, 79–103. Biblia Arabica 5. Leiden: Brill, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004347403_005.

Tarras, Peter. “‘Philosophie’ Grammatisch Betrachtet: Wittgensteins Begriff der Therapie.” Kriterion: Journal of Philosophy 28 (2014): 75–97. http://www.kriterion-journal-of-philosophy.org/kriterion/issues/Kriterion-2014-28/Kriterion-2014-28-075-097-tarras.pdf.

Tarras, Peter. “Hinter Gottes Rücken: A.-J. Annilas Sauna und die Verzweiflung am Ewigen.” In Denken des Horrors, Horror des Denkens: Unheimliches, Erschreckendes und Monströses aus philosophischer Perspektive, edited by Eike Brock and Thorsten Lerchner, 236–62. Würzburg: Königshausen & Neumann, 2019.

Tarras, Peter. “Zwischen Gefesselter und Freier Natur: Willensfreiheit in Syrischen und Christlich-Arabischen Quellen.” In Willensfreiheit, edited by Dagmar Kiesel and Cleophea Ferrari, 105–45. Erlanger Philosophie-Kolloquium Orient und Okzident 4. Frankfurt am Main: Klostermann, 2019.

Tarras, Peter. “From Sinai to Munich: Tracing the History of a Fragment from the Grote Collection.” COMSt Bulletin 6, no. 1 (2020): 73–90. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.25592/uhhfdm.1108.

Gibson, Nathan, Miriam Hjälm, Peter Tarras, Ronny Vollandt, and Vevian Zaki. “Biblia Arabica: An Update on the State of Research.” In Between the Cross and the Crescent: Studies in Honor of Samir Khalil Samir, S.J. on the Occasion of His Eightieth Birthday, edited by Željko Paša, 57–84. Orientalia Christiana Analecta 304. Roma: Pontificio Instituto Orientale, 2018.