Seminarios y Congresos
Resumen Intervenciones
VIII Congrés d’études arabes chrétiennes
ABOU DIWAN Marwan - Université Saint Joseph - Liban
«Essai d’approche historico-critique du manuscrit Vatican Syriaque 215
du Patriarche Istifan Douaihi (1670 – 1704)»
Le manuscrit Vatican Syriaque 215 est un autographe du Patriarche Maronite Istifan Douaihi (1670 – 1704). Il est écrit entièrement en Karshuni. Le style dominant de ce manuscrit est celui de la narration historique.
La présentation que je propose est une approche historico-critique d’une péricope du manuscrit. Cette méthode « indispensable pour l’étude scientifique du sens des textes anciens», va me permettre de dégager le message central de la péricope objet de l’analyse.
Quant à la péricope choisie, elle occupe les folios 102 verso – 105 recto, relatifs au Patriarche Maronite Chamoun de Hadath (1492 – 1524) et ses efforts pour obtenir le Pallium Apostolique et la confirmation sur le Siège d’ Antioche du Pape Léon X.
L’analyse est synchronique. Plusieurs étapes se succéderont : la péricope (traduite en français), ses délimitations, les raisons du choix, le contexte, sa situation dans l’ensemble du manuscrit, sa structure, lexique, syntaxe… avant d’aboutir au message essentiel.
ABOUZAYD Shafiq – University of Oxford - UK
«The translation of some key words from Syriac into Arabic»
Christian Arab theology is suffering from inaccuracy in its use of Syriac and Greek key terms, but my study is mainly concerned with Syriac terms. I have discovered through my reading of many Christian Arab books that many Syriac words were badly translated into Arabic, or inaccurately used in Christian Arab Theology. Furthermore, this inaccuracy is affecting our liturgy which is translated from Syriac, and it is time to shed some light on some of these key words.
The translation or the use in Arabic of some important terms does not correspond at all to Biblical and Syriac theological terms. My attempt is to draw a parallel of these terms with the early Syriac writers, and to discuss their mistranslation into Arabic. However, one should also be aware that the same word can be translated into Arabic by the same author using two or three different words, though the meaning in Syriac is the same. My work is to show that there is no need to create a new word in Arabic for many in Syriac, because they are the same in both languages. All these translation problems should be carefully studied, in order to create an Arab theology in harmony with its mother tongues, namely Syriac and Greek.
ARZHANOV Yury - St. Petersburg - Russia
«Elements of Judeo-Christianity in South Arabia in the pre-Islamic period»
In my paper, I would like to present an evidence for such views in South Arabia in the pre-Islamic period, which could be defined as Judeo-Christian. A basis for this phenomenon formed a kind of sympathy among Christians to Judaism and its rituals. This sympathy is characteristic mainly to the East-Syrian Church but could be traced in South Arabia as well. Secondly, it is such an interpretation of Christianity in the Jewish circles that made it acceptable for Judaism. An example of such kind of interpretation gives a Jewish polemical treaty *Qi**Ã’Ã’at mujÄdalat al-usquf*, where the figure of Nestorius appears in the positive light.
AYUCH Daniel Alberto - University of Balamand - Liban
«El sentido de poseer la tierra en hebreo bíblico
y su percepción en las traducciones árabes modernas»
Puesto que es bien sabido que los idiomas semíticos tales como el hebreo antiguo y el árabe moderno carecen de un verbo que exprese la más simple noción de poseer tal como el verbo “tener” en castellano, me ha llamado siempre la atención el concepto teológico de que YHWH diera a un pueblo “la tierra en posesión” en una cultura en la cual poseer tiene una percepción completamente diferente a la de las culturas occidentales.
El presente artículo analiza los vocablos y expresiones más destacados que están relacionados con el concepto de poseer la tierra, deduce una serie de conclusiones exegéticas y sugiere nuevos caminos de entendimiento sobre este tema para las diferentes religiones y confesiones que conviven en una misma tierra. Los cristianos de habla árabe necesitan redescubrir aquellos puentes de comunicación originales que les permitieron vivir durante siglos en un mundo pluralista, tal como lo ha sido siempre el Medio Oriente, y más allá de cualquier frontera geográfica y religiosa.
BCHEIRY Iskandar - Syriac Orthodox Church - USA
«Takrit and the Monastery of Mor Mattay”, any cultural conflicts?»
The Syrian orthodox community was established and fortified in Iraq thanks to the local Christians who refused to accept the Christological doctrine of Nestorius, also to the non-Chalcedonian refugees and deportees who found in this new territory another homeland for themselves. At the end, it is important to recognize that many of the Arabs who were spread in the whole region converted to Christianity by the efforts of non-Chalcedonian missionaries, which added to the community of Syriac Orthodox believers.
In 629, the Syrian Orthodox Patriarch called Athanasius I (595-631) installed Marutha, an active oriental monk as Bishop of Takrit, and gave him authority to preside over the East, on his behalf. Marutha of Takrit (d. 649) was the first to be called Maphryono, which is a Syriac word literally meaning “fruitful”. From him the Maphrianate took its line of succession. The headquarters of the Maphrianate was established in Takrit, however, through the following centuries, the relationship between Takrit and the Monastery of Mor Mattay began to experience tension. In this study I would like to focus on the cultural aspect as a motive of tension between the two centers: Mor Mattay and Takrit between the 7th and 12th century.
BELLIDO Morillas José María - Universidad de Granada - España
«Cuestiones bioéticas en torno a Yuḥannā ibn Māsawayh»
La bioética es un tema tan viejo como Mesopotamia, donde se documentan por primera vez reflexiones sobre ella, hechas a través del mito para imputar a los dioses creadores de los hombres. En él, después de llevar muchas cervezas, Enki apuesta con Ninmah que podrá reparar todas las taras de las que dote a sus criaturas humanas: Ninmah crea un hombre con manos débiles, y Enki lo hace funcionario; Ninmah crea a un ciego (un hombre con los ojos siempre abiertos) y Enki lo hace músico; Ninmah crea a un cojo y Enki lo hace orfebre (según otra versión, no es un cojo sino un idiota y Enki lo hace también funcionario)…
BRAIDA Emanuela – University of Goettingen - Germany
«Garshuni Manuscripts and Garchuni Notes in Syriac Manuscripts»
The paper aims to show the importance of the study of the Garshuni phenomenon for the history of Oriental Christianity. After a status quaestionis, attention will be devoted to the two different aspects of the Garshuni use in the Syriac milieu: Arabic literary texts written in Syriac script (the so-called Garshuni MSS), and Arabic notes written in Syriac script on Syriac MSS. Both are related to the same use, but have different goals and meaning. Among others, particularly the relevant case of precious Gospel books used as a "storehouse" of Garshuni annotations will be studied.
BRUNING Jelle - Leiden University - The Netherlands
«Isrāʾīl al-Kaskarī (d. 872), al-Nāšiʾ al-Akbar and Hišām ibn al-Ḥakam»
The ninth century bishop Isra'il al-Kaskari (d. 872) has written a treatise "On the demonstration of the oneness of God and the trinity of His characteristics". This largly neglected work by this hardly known bishop may contain valuable information about the rhetoric of its time, the origin of thoughts that left a mark on Muslim theological discussions and may even show us some striking similarities with al-Ash`ari's famous "Kitab maqalat al-islamiyyin wa-ikhtilafat al-musallin" which is, still today, an important source for our knowledge of Muslim thoughts.
BUALUAN Hayat - American University of Beirut - Liban
Hanania al Munyyir : A Christian Historian in 19th century Bilad al Sham
This paper presents a Christian historian, Hanania al Munayyir in his work entitled: Al Durr al Marsuf fi Hawadith al Shuf (The Paved Treasures in the History of al Shuf). It will focus on al Munayyir’s account of the Shihab Emirate in Lebanon from 1716 to 1804 when the basis for the establishment of modern Lebanon was laid. It will describe the struggle for power which developed from a factional and secular feud to a struggle between the different religions and sects, the interference of the Shibabs in this struggle and the role of the Ottomans and the Europeans in exploiting the events making Lebanon an arena of international and regional struggle. It will then discuss al Munayir as a historian whose interest extended beyond the confines of the Ottoman Empire to wider and more complex horizons.
Hanania al Munayyir is an eye witness to the events he related. His book Al Durr al Marsuf does not only give us a first hand information about a crucial period in the history of Lebanon, which seems to be repeating itself continuously, but it also provides us with a living example about Christian historiography of that period.
BUMAZHNOV Dmitrij - Oriental Institute, University of Tübingen - Germany
«Seven suicides for the sake of Christ:
an episode of St. Paul of Tamma’s Life in the Coptic and Arabic traditions»
According to his Arabic Vita, the 4th century Egyptian monk Paul of Tamma died seven times in consequence of his extraordinary ascetical efforts for the sake of Christ, being brought back to life by the Lord after each suicide. The paper tries to provide an explanation for the Saint’s unusual behaviour, setting Paul’s asceticism in connection with the early Coptic martyr acts.
DAGA PORTILLO Rocio
«Abu Qurra confrontando la Ley Islamica»
Se ha afirmado durante mucho tiempo que la controversia iconoclasta que tuvo lugar en Bizancio no tuvo relación alguna con el surgimiento del Islam. Autores más recientes, como P.Crone, mantienen la tesis opuesta.
Tras una breve introducción histórica en la que se apoya la tesis de P.Crone, expongo el caso concreto de Abu Qurra(755-830) y su Tratado del Culto de Iconos.
Nuestro autor, de la Escuela de S.Juan Damasceno y primer teólogo cristiano que escribe en lengua árabe, utiliza una dialéctica bien encubierta para hacer referencia a la ley islámica.
Se había producido una revolución cultural con el triunfo de los abbasíes en Bagdad.
El mundo islámico volvía la espalda al mundo bizantino y dirigía la mirada al mundo persa. En un estado de consolidación, y no de conquista, las conversiones al Islam de la población griega y siriaca de los Patriarcados de Alejandría, Antioquía y Jerusalem se hacían de forma masiva.
En un periodo de gran productividad intelectual por parte de los teólogos musulmanes, los cristianos de oriente responden con una actividad intensa en defensa de su fe.
Abu Qurra que desarrolla su actividad intelectual bajo los califas Al-Mahdi (775-85)y Al-Ma`mun (813-33) no solo conoce la lengua del Corán, sino que también conoce el Corán, al que cita literalmente, sin decir explícitamente que lo está haciendo.
Referencia bien encubierta hace también al castigo que conlleva insultar el nombre de Muhammad y lo yuxtapone a las consecuencias que supone el insultar los iconos.
Por último entra en debate sobre el concepto de Ley divina en diversas religiones.
Algo sorprendente de la obra de Abu Qurra es el ver cómo usa términos técnicos del derecho musulmán en sentido preciso, pero con un significado cristiano y para llevar a cabo una argumentación teológica cristiana. En cierto sentido, un ejemplo del diálogo islamo-cristiano.
DINNO Khalid - University of Toronto - USA
«Arabic Hymnology in the Syriac Orthodox Church in Iraq in the Early 20th Century»
The introduction of Arabic hymns in the liturgy of the Syrian Orthodox Church in Mosul, Iraq in the thirties of the 20th century was a land mark development towards promoting a more active participation of the Arabic speaking majority of the church goers in Mass services. This effort was pioneered by Nimat-Allah Dinno who published the first hymn book comprising sixty hymns that he had collected and modified. The paper explores the characteristics of the hymns, identifies some of their sources, which go back to the early seventeenth century, and discusses on-going efforts to research links to Arabic or Syriac sources in many of the remaining hymns.
DORU Nesim - Islamic Philosophy -Turkey
«Yahya ibn ‘adi’s metaphysical opinions»
While Yahya İbn ‘Adi, the student of Farabi who was one of the Islamic philosophers, was a Assyrian/Yaqubi thinker, he was also an important philosopher of Tenth Century Islamic Thought. In our study we compiled the metaphysical ideas that were collocated disorderly and desultory in his works and analyzed them.
In the first chapter of our research, the existence views of our philosopher were considered. Since he did not give place to the “compulsory existence” thought of Islamic philosophers in his own metaphysical interpretations, İbn ‘Adi approached the issue of “One” differently from Islamic philosophers. Although he has got close to definitional monism in his existence views, in reality he exposed a pluralist approach. This proves that he was rather a sensationalist philosopher.
In the second chapter of the study, Ibn ‘Adi’s understanding of God was investigated. In this issue it is seen that our philosopher was a follower of Farabi who was conceiving to compromise religion and philosophy as a basic principle. It has been showed up that he approached to this issue not as a theologian, once being claimed, rather as a philosopher. The attempt of giving an ontological meaning to the qualities of God like bounty, power and wisdom earned originality to his thoughts.
In the third chapter, it is examined how İbn ‘Adi approached the issues of trinity and incarnation which are the important problems of Christian metaphysics. Ibn ‘Adi explained these thoughts with many analogies. Especially in the issue of incarnation, in his longstanding discussions with Nestorians, his effort to rationalize this thought has been found interesting. However, despite of all his effort, he could not prevent these thoughts from being considered as riddle. At the end of these analyses, it is found that our philosopher has also developed a fideist attitude.
In the final chapter of the study, how Ibn ‘Adi approached the issue of creation is examined. In this issue it is found that our philosopher, different from Aristoteles and Islamic philosophers explaining creation with südur, accepted creating from non-existence. It was showed up that in this issue İbn ‘Adi also exposed a fideist approach as a result of that his mind was not clear at the point of creation and God-universe.
In conclusion, it is emphasized that İbn ‘Adi should be regarded as a philosopher who has emerged in the most splendid period of Islamic philosophy, attempted to philosophize the Christian/Syrian thought and largely been successful in this attempt.
EBIED Rifaat - The University of Sydney - Australia
«The Arabic and Syriac Correspondence of Jeremiah Shamir with Eduard Sachau»
The purpose of this paper is to make available for study a hitherto unpublished corpus of Letters in Arabic and Syriac written and sent during the 1880’s and 1890’s from Mosul to the German scholar, Eduard Sachau. These selected Letters appear not to have been studied or utilised in any scholarly work so far. The interest and value of these Letters lies in the fact that one can glean from their contents an insight into the depth of knowledge of the addressee, the type of books and manuscripts, both in Arabic and Syriac, he was interested in acquiring and their prices, names of the various scribes and book collectors and entrepreneurs in Mosul and its surroundings, the type of language(s)/dialect(s) most commonly used in the region at the close of the nineteenth century, e.g. Colloquial Arabic, Swadaya, Fellehi, etc. Equally important is the fact that the Letters furnish valuable information pertaining to certain historical events that took place at the time as well as the conditions of life under the Ottoman Rule in Northern Iraq. They also give a glimpse of the role played by Western diplomats, British, French and American, as well as the activities of the Dominican Fathers and other Christian Missionaries during that time. Similarly, they shed light on the relations, contacts and dealings of the Christians living in the region with other communities, e.g. Muslim Kurds, Arabs and Turks.
EDELBY Nagi - CEDRAC - Liban
«Quelques lectures théologiques à travers le Commentaire de l'Apocalypse
deBūlus Al-Bushi (évêque du Caire en 1240 AD)»
Le Commentaire de l'Apocalypse de Bulus Al-Bushi est le premier commentaire de ce livre biblique en langue arabe. Contemporain ou précédent de peu celui de Ibn Katib Qaysar, il présente des particularités théologiques. A la différence de celui de son contemporain, il est de caractère pastoral, et doit être lu surtout en clef christologique. Les commentaires des différents passages montrent la connaissance patristique de l'auteur, et imitent la manière de faire des commentaires coraniques. Sobres et brèves, les interprétations qui y sont proposées mettent en relief des lectures théologiques intéressantes et posent au lecteur quelques problèmes, comme celui du millénarisme et du contexte islamique dans lequel il baigne.
ELLWARDT Andreas - Universität Tübingen- Deutschland
«Das „Testamentum Domini“ als Beispiel für koptisch-arabische Übersetzungstechnik»
Die arabischen Versionen der als „Testamentum Domini“ bekannten frühchristlichen Kirchenordnung stellen sich sämtlich als Übersetzungen aus dem Koptischen dar. Ein bei der Vorbereitung von deren Erstedition durchgeführter Textvergleich mit der bekannten syrischen Übersetzung wirft die Frage auf, inwieweit textliche Abweichungen auf spezielle Charakteristika einer koptisch-arabischen Übersetzungstechnik zurückzuführen sind. Dies soll für das „Testamentum Domini“ an Beispielen sowohl aus dem Bereich der wenigen in beiden Sprachen überlieferten Texte, als auch aus bisher nicht ediertem arabischen Material dargestellt werden.
FEGHALI Paul - CERO - Liban
«Textes bibliques chez les historiographes arabes»
Les textes de l’Ancien Testament et du Nouveau Testament sont cités chez Tabari, Baladri, Massoudi et autres. Origines de ces textes, emploi qu’on en fait, impact sur le développement dans un but apologétique dans un « dialogue » entre le Christianisme et l’Islam.
GOLDSTEIN Miriam - Bar Ilan University- Israel
«The Good Book, with Bad Interpretation: Al-Jahiz and the Art of Debate with Jews and Christians in the 9th Century Abbasid Empire»
The epistle of the 9th century Abbasid courtier and well-known intellectual, al-Jahiz, called “Refutation of the Christians,” polemicizes against Jews and Christians by attacking their methods of Scriptural translation into Arabic, and Scriptural interpretation, particularly, their supposed ignorance of metaphorical usage. I examine this polemical claim – which is overstated and of doubtful accuracy – in its cultural context.
HAINTHALER Theresia - Sankt Georgen Frankfurt am Main - Germany
«Christian Arabs before Islam »
The Christology of the Persian Church, the “Church of the East”, was decisively marked by the systematic Christological thinking of the East Syrian monk Babai the Great, from the first half of the 7th century onward. A characterization of this system and how it developed within the lines of Edessene-Theodorian thinking (Edessa, Theodore of Mopsuestia) is the focus of this paper.
HAMROUNI Khaled - Université de Tunis - Tunisia
«Les Célèbres Penseurs chrétiens mentionnés chez Tawhidi»
Nombreux sont les motifs qui incitent à l’étude du christianisme et de ses penseurs les plus renommés, mentionnés dans les œuvres des penseurs musulmans, dont la polémique religieuse était parmi les plus importants. Lors de l’étude des plus importantes œuvres du patrimoine musulman, nous remarquons continuellement la présence d’éléments et de noms chrétiens. C’est dans ce cadre que nous portons un intérêt particulier à Abū Ḥayyān Al-Tawḥīdī et à son œuvre fameuse : « Les célèbres penseurs chrétiens », afin d’établir un processus conscient dans la manière de traiter avec le patrimoine musulman, et dans le but de stimuler à la créativité dans un patrimoine produit par des personnes qui sont différentes de nous.
Vu la dispersion des informations concernant les penseurs chrétiens dans les œuvres de Tawḥidī, nous diviserons notre intervention en trois parties :
1. Les textes des auteurs chrétiens.
2. Le contenu de ces textes,
3. L’occasion de ces écrits, pour en connaître les motifs directs.
HORN Cornelia - Saint Louis University - USA
«The Arabic Apocryphal Gospel of John, the 'Book of Mary,' and Early Islam»
This paper examines the data available for the early stages of the formation process of the 'Book of Mary' in Syriac and Arabic sources and situates the 'Arabic Apocryphal Gospel of John' within that context.
KAIDBEY Naila - American University of Beirut - Liban
« Civil War of 1860 in Lebanon : A review of contemporary Christian Accounts »
The ideal manner of viewing and teaching one’s history is the attempt to reach a medium between history as myth and history as science. The first would provide inspiration and give a sense of destiny. The other would act as a corrective - providing a sense of proportion, and a sense of universality.
The Civil War of 1860 in Lebanon is subject to a plethora of research. However, there is much that has been challenged and much that still needs to be researched. The repercussions of these events are still felt by the Lebanese until present times and much of their lives are shaped by their memory.
This paper will re-examine three contemporary Christian accounts: Khalil Mashaqa, jabwab ‘ala iqtirah al-ahbab الجواب على اقتراح الأحباب; N‘iman Qasatly, Hasr al-litham `an nakabat al-Sham حسر اللثام عن نكبات الشام ; An unedited manuscript by an anonymous author entitled: kitab al-ahzan fi tarikh waq’at al-sham wa jabal lubnan كتاب الأحزان في تاريخ واقعة الشام وجبل لبنان وما يليها بما أصاب المسيحيين من الدروز والإسلام against three Christian current reviews in the works of Laila Tarazi Fawaz, An Occasion for War: Civil Conflict in Lebanon and Damascus in 1860; Caesar E. Farah, The Politics of Interventionism in Ottoman Lebanon, 1830-1861; and Ussama Makdisi, The Culture of Sectarianism: Community, History and Violence in Nineteenth Century Ottoman Lebanon.
The aim of this discourse is to contribute to the closure of a dark chapter in Lebanese history. Unless the whole truth is brought forth, misconceptions and indeed much resentment will blur reconciliation. We in Lebanon are in much need for opening this morbid chapter in our history for fear we might repeat the mistakes of the past albeit under a different guise
Kessel Gregory - University of Goettingen- Germany
«The importance of the manuscript tradition of the “Book of Grace” (7th c.);
for the study of garšūnī»
The history of the garšūnī script is still far from being clear. Few studies available deal with general lines of its development and with some particular examples of its usage. In this respect the manuscript tradition of the “Book of Grace” (East-Syriac mystical treatise of the 7th c.), in text of which is incorporated a fragment in garšūnī, provides an opportunity to trace the development of that script from the end of the 13th till beginning of the 20th c. The paper presents the new data for the study of garšūnī.
KHATER Akram - North Carolina State University- USA
«God has called me to be free: Latin missionaries, Aleppan nuns
and the transformation of Middle Eastern Catholicism in the 18th century»
Between 1730 and 1748 a voluminous record of rancorous discourses entangled ten Aleppan devotees, their Jesuit confessors and supporters, the Melkite Church and the Vatican. While the immediate issue was the Rule these women religious were expected to follow, the larger question was about the construction of a new Christianity in the Levant. Latin missionaries and a new generation of local Uniate Christian competed to transform Arab Christianity from a diffuse religious culture to a disciplined and disciplining religious faith. Both groups saw women as key to this process. The tension between these two competing visions created a space within the religious landscape of the Eastern Mediterranean which allowed some (overwhelmingly Aleppan) women to construct and advance their own alternative notions of Christianity. This paper seeks to examine this history and the central role gender played in the modernization of religious thought and practice in the early modern Middle East.
KUHLMANN Karl-Heinz - ETF Leuven-Belgium
«Islam a Fiction?»
According to the latest research the first two centuries of ISLAM are dark or according to a Muslim professor at the University of ´Muenster they are falsified-
The paper will show that there are reasons to show that ISLAM has a Syro-Aramaic background and indeed may be a Christian sect from its beginning. Probably Mumannad has never lived.
LA SPISA Paolo - Louvain-La-Neuve - Belgium
«La Mugadalah entre un shaykh musulman et un moine chinois d’auprès le manuscrit Dayr al-Mukhallis n. 1807»
L’exposé a pour but celui de lancer le projet de l’édition critique de la discussion entre un musulman et un moine chinois. Après un bref résumé de l’état de la question sur la tradition manuscrite et des plusieurs recensions de cette originale discussion, on passera à décrire le texte avec ses caractéristiques stylistiques et du contenu comme nous le connaissons d’auprès le manuscrit du Dayr al-Mukhallis (près de Sidon – Liban) n. 1807, qui, après la disparition du manuscrit Sbath n.1324, doit être le dernier témoin de cette recension.
MONFERRER Juan Pedro & URBÁN Ángel - Universidad de Córdoba- España
«Paradosis Pilati according to the Sinaitic Arabic 445:
a new edition, with translation and a preliminary study»
In this paper we offer a new edition, together with a linguistic study of the Arabic version of the New Testament Apocryphal work known like Paradosis Pilati, which is contained in the codex 445 kept in the Monastery of St. Catherine, on Mount Sinai, together with the comparison of the Arabic version to the Greek Vorlage.
MORENO Aaron M. - University of California - USA
«Christians of al-Andalus and the Notions of Mozarab Identity»
Mozarab studies are often conceived as an investigation of the preservation and/or demise of an ethno-religious community. There are two inherent assumptions to this approach. First, any attempt to gauge the vitality of Mozarab identity—usually by examining associated religious, legal, and culturally Arabic “ethnic markers”—is underlain by a concept of a static, coherent Mozarabness. Second, there is an unaddressed presumption of a conscious Mozarab Visigothic heritage. By utilizing literary and legal documents, this paper will problematize the current notion of Mozarab identity by questioning the place of the Visigoths in their historical memory and also by tracing the shifting definitions of these Christians posited by contemporaries and subsequent historians. A concurrent comparative analysis of the medieval Melkite community will further elucidate the role and utility of historical memory and ethnic markers in the formation of Mozarab identity.
MOUAWAD Ray - Lebanese American University - Liban
«Maronites and the Garshuni Script»
Different religious groups in the Orient used the Garshûnî script. The principle consisted in writing a language in the script of another language as for example Arabic in Greek letters, Turkish or Armenian in Syriac letters, and in the case of this research, Arabic written in Syriac letters. The Maronites of Mount-Lebanon elected specifically that form of script to write Arabic.
This paper intends to determine for how long the Maronites wrote in garshûnî since their patriarch in Mayfûq wrote the first dated text in that script in 1141. It will try to determine the possible reasons that led this Christian community to systematically adopt that script up until the 18th century when new Maronite scholars educated in Aleppo fully adopted the Arab script and Arabic language as a language of culture and prayer. Based on Maronite manuscripts, council decisions and garshûnî dictionaries I shall investigate some technical aspects of the Arabic specific dialect of the Maronites, that was widely influenced by their writing it in Syriac letters and by their daily use of Syriac in their liturgy.
NANOBASHIVILI Mariam - Javakhishvili Tbilisi State Univeristy - Georgia
«On the Interdependence of the Arabic,Ggeorgian andGgreek versions of the prose romance of Barlaam and Ioasaph»
Analysis of the formation of concrete literary motifs and their spreading occupies one of the distinguished places within the study of Oriental-Western cultural exchange. The prose Romance of Barlaam and Ioasaph, “a story beneficial for the soul”, which describes the conversion to Christianity of the Indian prince Ioasaph by the hermit Barlaam and the subsequent conversion of King Abenner by his son Ioasaph, stands among the most popular literary works in the Christian world. It was equally wide-spread in both - East and West. The Story is of Oriental origin, reflecting to some extent the life of Buddha, but the path of transmission of the legend from India to Europe is unclear. More than 9 centuries ago this Romance appeared in Greek, from which it was translated into Latin and subsequently from Latin into other European languages. The question, how has it “arrived” from the Orient to Byzantium, is still the subject of discussion.
NASORAIA Brikha H. S . - The University of Sydney - Australia
«Water and Creation: A New Interpretation in Biblical Qur'anic and Mandaic Sources»
This paper will examine selected major Jewish, Christian, Islamic and Mandaic texts that view the role of water in the traditional creation story. The article examines various connections between these texts and provides a new interpretation that may reveal other roles and symbols for the 'Water' in relation to the cosmic and earthly creations.
NOBLE Samuel - Yale University - USA
«The Concept of God’s Unity in ‘Abdallāh ibn al-Fadl al-Antākī»
My communication addresses the concept of God’s unity in the writings of the great eleventh-century Melkite theologian and translator ‘Abdallāh ibn al-Faḍl al-Antākī. Ibn al-Faḍl knew both Greek and Arabic and made full use of Greek Patristic and Arabic sources, serving as a meeting point between Greek and Arabic Christianity in Antioch after its reconquest by the Byzantines. In his works Kitāb al-Manfa‘a, al-Kalām fī al-Lāhūt (also known as the “Manfa‘a al-ṢaghÊra”) , and Kitāb Sharh al-Amāna al-Mustaqīma, Ibn al-Fadl analyzes various ways of being “one.” Using Aristotelian terminology, he concludes that God is one “as a species” (naw‘), while the hypostases of the Trinity are individuations of this species. My analysis of the origins of this doctrine will focus on Ibn al-Fadl’s use of both Greek and Arabic sources, in particular John of Damascus and Yahyā ibn ‘Adī.
ODISHO Edward Y. - Northeastern Illinois University - USA
«Journey of Scientific Heritage (Europe-Arabia-Europe):
An Exclusive Arab/Muslim Enterprise or a Multi-Ethnic Multi-Religious One??»
It is often claimed that the scientific achievements of the Arab/Muslim civilization, especially through translation, were the foundation upon which the European Renaissance was premised. This paper focuses on an objective scrutiny of the exclusivity of this claim from the factual, operational and sociolinguistic perspectives. The discussion is based on four major principles foremost of which are: How does one define the Arab ethnicity? Who were the performers and who were only the sponsors in the scientific movement of translation? Who was proficient in languages other than Arabic? The conclusion is that this civilizational transformation should be more accurately identified as multi-religious, including Christians, Jews, Madaeans and Zoroastrians, and multi-ethnic, including Syriacs, Persians and Central Asians, rather than being exclusively portrayed as an Arab/Muslim accomplishment
PAHLITZSCH Johannes - Johannes Gutenberg, Universitaet Mainz - Germany
«The Legal Autonomy of the Melkites under Ayyubid and Mamluk Rule»
My paper will deal with the legal situation of the Melkites in Syria and Egypt from the 12th to the 14th century. Of special interest is the question why at about 1200 the Melkite collection of canons was enlarged for example by translating the Byzantine Procheiros Nomos into Arabic. Is this translation an expression of legal autonomy on the side of the Melkites? Is there any significant difference between the law books of the Melkites and the other christian communities in the Orient? Or are there on the contrary any signs of an increasing assimilation of the Meklites to their Islamic environment in the sphere of law?
RIGHI Davide - Facoltà Teologica dell'Emilia-Romagna- Italia
«The arabic translation of the letter to Ephesian by Ignatius of Antioch»
The arabic translation of the greek-written epistles sent by Ignatius of Antioch to several christian communities at the beginning of the IInd century of the christian Era, arise some problems what about the content and the theology understood by the arabic translator. Some cultural and linguistic problems are posed too. Furthermore, an oriental and syrian thinking written in greek and re-translated in a semitic and oriental language gives us some suggestions on the problems that translators have found understanding the greek text, and in second instance, more probably understanding the syriac text that has been used as basis for the translation into arabic. The study on the epistle to Ephesians is an essay for these kinds of problems.
SAMIR Khalil Samir -CEDRAC , University of Saint Joseph - Liban
«Quelques traités inédits de Yahya Ibn ‘Adi»
SEPPÄLA Serafim - University of Joensuu - Finland
«Muslims in Jewish Disquise: the Other in Abu Qurra’s ’Ikram al-’aiqunat»
Islamic law does not allow open critique of Islam, and this makes apologetics difficult for the representatives of other religions. This paper portrays how this problem was solved by Theodorus Abu Qurra in his famous treatise on the veneration of icons. Islamic views were severely criticised by using a « Jewish » opponent. This narrative strategy made it relatively easy to defend Christian practices and beliefs, but how successful the strategy ultimately was?
SIDARUS Adel - Évora- Portugal
Nouvelles recherches sur la légende d’Alexandre le Grand dans la littérature arabe chrétienne
La découverte d’un texte intéressant qui évoque Alexandre le Grand, dans la somme théologique K. al-Burhān d’Abū Shakir Ibn al-Rāhib (XIIIe siècle), dont nous préparons l’édition, nous a amené à examiner encore une fois la question du cycle littéraire et légendaire que la figure du conquérant macédonien a engendré dans la tradition arabe chrétienne, à la suite des autres traditions linguistiques et religieuses qui lui sont proches. Si rien de très nouveau n’a surgi du côté copte ou syriaque, depuis les publications imposantes de von Lemm et de Reininck, la très riche tradition arabe musulmane a été progressivement dévoilée et étudiée ces derniers temps (Grignaschi, de Polignac, Doufikar-Aerst, etc.), de même que celle éthiopienne médiévale tardive, tributaire de la littérature copto-arabe (Lusini, Colin). On arrive ainsi à dresser un tableau plus riche et complexe que celui dressé par Samir Khalil Samir il y a quelque temps.
STEWART Columba osb - Saint John’s University - USA
«Digitizing the Syriac and Christian Arabic heritage: Progress Report and Prospects»
At the last Symposium/Conference, Father Columba Stewart OSB, Executive Director of the Hill Museum & Manuscript Library, described a project to digitize important collections of Christian manuscripts in the Middle Eastand to make their contents available through electronic media. Since that time the project has expanded to fifteen sites in Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, and India with estimated total holdings of approximately 15,500 manuscripts.
The current total of already digitized manuscripts is approximately 9000. The great majority of these manuscripts are in Syriac and Arabic, representing all of the major Christian traditions. Some of these collections have legacy cataloguing data but many have never been formally catalogued.
This presentation will describe the current scope of the project, the process used to create and archive the digital images, protection for the rights of the owners of the collections, and the inauguration of a major international project to catalogue the collections electronically for the use of scholars throughout the world.
SWANSON Mark -Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago - USA
«Coptic Patriarch Gabriel II ibn Turayk (#70, 1131-1145): The sources and the story»
Gabriel II ibn Turayk was the seventieth patriarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church. This presentation will examine the sources that we have for telling his story, with special emphasis on « The History of the Patriarchs » attributed to Yusab, bishop of Fuwwah. It will then examine the picture that emerges from a reading of these sources: one of a reforming patriarch who faced major challenges – I will attempt to throw some light on their nature – and who regularly encountered resistance to his reforms.
SZILÁGYI Krisztina - Princeton University - USA
«Searching for the Muslim Sources of Risālat al-Kindī:
The Account of Muhammad’s Death»
Risālat al-Kindī surpasses all anti-Islamic polemical writings of the Christians of the Islamic world in the depth of its acquaintance with Islamic traditions on the life of Muhammad; yet, its Muslim sources have so far not received the attention they deserve. My paper attempts to begin filling this gap in research with the help of a close study on the small number of Muslim traditions quoted or alluded to about Muhammad’s death. I will compare these traditions with a large number of Islamic accounts of Muhammad’s death known today, and I will try to identify the sources of Risālat al-Kindī. A better understanding of the sources known to its author will improve our knowledge of the milieu in which this exceptional polemical piece emerged.
TEULE Herman - Radboud University- The Netherlands
« A 19th cent. spiritual anthology »
Presentation of a 19th cent. spiritual anthology, composed in Mardin, under the influence of the western missionary movement active in Aleppo.
THOMAS David - University of Birmingham - UK
«The Miracles of Jesus in early Islamic anti-Christian Polemic: further thoughts»
One of the most persistent motifs in anti-Christian polemical works written by Muslims in the early centuries of Islam is the comparison of the miracles attributed to Jesus with similar miracles attributed to prophets from the Old Testament and sometimes Islam. The purpose of this comparison is, of course, to show that miracles in themselves do not constitute proof of divinity , and also to show that it must be inconsistent for Christians to use miracles as a proof of Jesus’ divinity if they do not accord divinity to others who perform miracles of the same kind as him.
A few years ago the proposer published an article which contained a study of this polemical motif. This paper intends to revisit the subject in order to discuss further examples from early works, to attempt to set out some scheme of relationships between them, and to locate the argument in the wider context of Christian-Muslim debates over the nature of divinity and prophethood.
TREIGER Alexander - Yale University - USA
«Ethical Ascent and Theological Vision in Pseudo-Gregory of Nyssa’s
The Noetic Paradise (al-Firdaws al-‘aqlī)»
My communication deals with the Arabic ethical treatise The Noetic Paradise (al-Firdaws al-‘aqlī), a translation of a lost Greek work, written in or shortly after the seventh century, possibly in Palestine. (Since the treatise cites sixth-century authors Dorotheus and John Climacus, its attribution, in some manuscripts, to Gregory of Nyssa, is evidently erroneous.) With the exception of David Günzburg’s analysis, published in 1891, this important treatise has received little scholarly attention. My communication aims to fill this gap, by surveying this work’s content and sources, with particular attention to the notions of ethical ascent and theological vision. In addition, I will analyze the ways in which this treatise, popular in Arabic-speaking Melkite circles as well as among the Copts, while virtually unknown in Greek, became one of the channels through which Greek ascetic writings influenced the Arab Christian world.
VALLAT Philippe - IFPO - Ambassade de France - France
« Le traité de Yahya b. ‘Adī sur la contingence et la prescience divine »
En réponse aux questions répétées que lui adressait un musulman sur l’existence ou l’inexistence des choses possibles, Yaḥyā b. ‘Adī a composé un traité intitulé Etablissement de l’existence de la nature du possible, Kitāb iṯbāt ṭabī‘ati l-mumkin. Ce traité a été publié en dernier lieu par Saḥbān Ḫalifāt en 1988 aux Presses de l’Université d’Amman en Jordanie. Le traité de Yahya mérite de retenir l’attention pour de nombreuses raisons dont seules quelques unes pourront être envisagées ici. Tout d’abord, il s’inscrit dans la continuité d’une réflexion philosophique séculaire concernant la relation problématique entre prescience divine et liberté humaine. De ce point de vue, l’argumentation de Yahya permet de faire l’hypothèse d’une survivance du De Fato d’Alexandre d’Aphrodise, traité dont aucun écho n’était connu jusqu’ici en arabe. Deuxièmement, le traité de Yahya montre que le débat interne à l’islam sur le déterminisme n’était toujours pas clos dans la seconde moitié du Xe siècle et qu’un musulman ne dédaignait pas, dans ce contexte, de s’adresser à un chrétien, jugé impartial vraisemblablement en considération de sa compétence notoire de logicien. Enfin, ce traité montre comment la philosophie peut être mobilisée à des fins non pas tant scientifiques qu’agnostiques et stratégiques : c’est en effet en démontrant que la question de départ était indécidable que le chrétien Yahya contourne le danger d’une réponse abruptement négative à la question de savoir si Dieu (et le dieu coranique en particulier) détermine les choses à arriver comme elles arrivent. A cet égard, ce traité indique à la fois les limites imposées à la réflexion philosophique par un contexte historique et religieux déterminé ; et quelles voies Yahya imposait volontairement à sa réflexion de façon à contourner le fond du problème, qui n’est pas d’abord, pour un aristotélicien, le rapport de la prescience divine avec la détermination des événements à venir, mais bien plutôt la question de savoir si Dieu connaît seulement les particuliers.
VOLLANDT Ronny - University of Cambridge - UK
«The Early History of Printing Arabic Bibles: On the Paris/London Polyglots and the Biblia Sacra Arabica Sacrae Congregationis de Propaganda Fide»
The great typographical achievement of the 17th century did not stop at Christian Arabic texts. First and foremost the Arabic Bible was printed on various occasions and various places, almost immediately after their invention of moveable types. The two outstanding examples are represented in the Polyglot Bibles of Paris (1629-45) and London (1653-57) on the one hand and the Biblia Sacra Arabica, printed by the Congregatio De Propaganda Fide in Rome (1673), on the other. It was not only for their typographic excellence that these books were remarkable, but also for the history of their production as such, starting with the acquisition of manuscripts, their collation and edition. The printing of these texts was promoted by a profusion of new manuscripts streaming back from the missionaries, merchants and diplomats traveling to the Ottoman Empire.
The Arabic version that was printed in the Polyglots of Paris and London has its origin in a manuscript belonging to the French diplomat Savary de Breves (1560-1628). The copy was commissioned by him in Egypt from the Coptic scribe Fadlallah ibn Tadrus, who was the head of a scriptorium in Old Cairo. For this purpose Fadlallah undertook on de Breves’ behest a revision of the Judaeo-Arabic Pentateuch translation of Saadiah Gaon, which was abundantly in use in the Coptic Church. He collected the remaining books of the Christian Old Testament from versions of a variety of provenances and copied them into one voluminous codex. This codex was intended by de Breves to serve as a basis for the first printed Arabic Bible ever. The project remained unfinished in his lifetime. However, his manuscript, the Arabic types designed by him and his collaborators, Gabriel Sionita and Victor Scialac, found their way into the production of the Paris Polyglot, and subsequently into the polyglot of London.
About the same time Gregory XIII rendered a degree to print an Arabic Bible which should be presented to the Oriental Churches for missionary purpose. The printing of the entire Bible was not accomplished in the lifetime of Gregory XIII. However, it was delegated by papal legate to Ferdinando I de Medici and his press for oriental languages. Nor Ferdinando, neither his successor Raimondi, did see the printing of an Arabic Bible. The idea was seized by the Stamperia Vaticana and the Maronite College. The Jewish convert to Christianity Giovanni Battista Eliano was sent out to Libanon in search of a manuscript that could serve the needs of the project. During this journey a codex was commissioned and taken to Rome. That manuscript – which was to become MS Vatican ar. 468 – was edited by Sergius ar-Rissi, Archbishop of Damascus, and eventually printed in 1673. The Arabic version exhibited in it is translated directly from the Syriac and the oldest known Pentateuch translation of Christian provenance.
YAMAMOTO Yoshihisa - Chiba University- Japan
«The Yahya ibn ´Adi on Reason and Faith:
A Structural Analysis of Reformation of Morals»
The purpose of this paper is to bring to light the basic structure of the ethical teaching of Yahya ibn ´Adi by analyzing his teaching in The Reformation of Morals (Tahdhib al-akhlaq) from the aspect of the relationship between reason and faith. I will criticize the view of Richard Walzer that we cannot find any Christian element in this work. The Reformation of Morals is neither a remarkably original philosophical writing nor a mere eclectic work. We can evaluate it as an expression of original thinking which is engendered from the historical context of Yahya}, i.e. from his position as a Christian scholar who was engaged in the transmission of Greek philosophy in the Islamic milieu. The ethics proposed in The Reformation of Morals is not a secular ethics which denies the importance of religion. Yahya proposed an ethics which was able to be shared by various people who did not share their religious positions but shared their aspiration toward forming their good character which included the relationship with the Creator.
YOUSSEF Youhanna Nessim - Australian Catholic University- Australian
«A contribution to the Episcopal list of the Coptic Church»
The history of the Coptic Church is like a puzzle that we do not possess all the pieces. Among the issues that still needs to be completed the Episcopal lists. The first who studied was H. Munier, followed by the article of J. Muyser. Feldalto completed these two studies in a long article. Recently I add another list of the bishop.
In all previous studies we have list of bishops either who attended a ceremony, Myron example, or receiving a letter.
In this article we will try to establish the list of bishops in the times of Mark III (1166-1189AD. The biography of this patriarch in the History of the Patriarchs does not contain any details about the Church save some enumerations of the virtues of the Patriarch most of this text is related to Saladin and his wars. In the end of the biography of John V, it is mentioned that Mark Ibn Zara’ah transported the bodies ofAnba Gabriel and the body of John V to the monastery of Saint Macarius during lent of the year 1170AD, unfortunately there is nothing known about this ceremonies and the persons who took part.
The number of bishops in the time of Mark III is not known, if we consider the statement of Abu al-Makarim as a round figure, Mark Ibn Qunbar was excommunicated by sixty bishops, however this number seems to not be exaggerated as the patriarch Gabriel II (1131-1154) consecrated 53 bishops in a period of fourteen years.