In this study, Vevian Zaki places the Arabic versions of the Pauline Epistles in their historical context, exploring when, where, and how they were produced, transmitted, understood, and adapted among Eastern Christian communities across the centuries. She also considers the transmission and use of these texts among Muslim polemicists, as well as European missionaries and scholars. Underpinning the study is a close investigation of the manuscripts and a critical examination of their variant readings. The work concludes with a case study: an edition and translation of the Epistle to the Philippians from manuscripts London, BL, Or. 8612 and Vatican, BAV, Ar. 13; a comparison of the translation strategies employed in these two versions; and an investigation of the possible relations between them.
Vevian Zaki, Ph.D. (2019), Ludwig-Maximilians University, Munich, is a Cataloger of Arabic manuscripts at Hill Museum and Manuscript Library, SJU, MN, USA, and a Visiting Researcher at the History Faculty, Oxford University. She has published on the Arabic Bible and manuscripts of St. Catherine’s Monastery (Sinai, Egypt), including an article in the
Journal of Islamic Manuscripts (Brill, 2020).
Acknowledgments List of Figures and Tables Abbreviations
1
Introduction 1 Definitions
2 The Frame of Reference
3 Sources, Scope, and Limitations
4 History of Research
5 Outline of the Present Work
6 Transcription and Translation Conventions
part 1: The Classification of the Versions of the Pauline Epistles in Arabic
2
The Pauline Epistles in Arabic of Greek Origin 1 ArabGr1
2 ArabGr2
3 ArabGr3
4 ArabGr4
5 Concluding Remarks on the Greek-Based Versions
3
The Pauline Epistles in Arabic of Syriac Origin 1 ArabSyr1
2 ArabSyr2
3 ArabSyr3
4 ArabSyr4
5 ArabSyr5
6 Concluding Remarks on Peshitta-Based Versions
4
The Pauline Epistles in Arabic of Coptic Origin 1 The Arabic Bible Translations in the Coptic Church
2 Dependence on ArabSyr3 in the Coptic-Based PEA
3 Features of the Coptic-Based PEA
4 Variant Readings in the Coptic-Based PEA
5 ArabCopt1
6 ArabCopt2
7 ArabCopt3
8 Concluding Remarks on the Coptic-Based Versions
5
The Pauline Epistles in Arabic of Latin Origin 1 ArabLat1
6
The Pauline Epistles in Arabic from Unidentified Origins 1 ArabU1
7
Manuscripts and Versions of the Pauline Epistles in Arabic – Pulling Everything Together 1 Introduction
2 Manuscripts of the PEA
3 Development of Versions of the PEA through the Centuries
4 The Pauline Epistles as a Part of the Bible in Arabic
part 2: The Transmission of the Pauline Epistles in Arabic outside Their Communities
8
The Muslim Reception of the Pauline Epistles in Arabic 1 Introduction
2 Versions of the PEA in Muslim Polemical Works
3 Concluding Remarks on the PEA in Polemical Works
9
The Pauline Epistles in Arabic in Europe (Sixteenth–Seventeenth Centuries) 1 The Acquisition of Manuscripts of the PEA by Europeans
2 European Scholarly Manuscripts of the PEA
3 The Printed PEA
part 3: Translation Strategies in the Pauline Epistles in Arabic: A Case Study of Philippians in MSS London, BL, Or. 8612 and Vatican, BAV, Ar. 13
10
The Manuscripts, the Arabic Edition, and the English Translation 1 Introduction
2 The Epistle to the Philippians
3 Description of the Manuscripts
4 Strategy of the Edition
5 The Edition
11
Translation Strategies 1 Introduction
2 Strategies for Translating the Arabic Bible
3 Strategies for Translating Philippians
4 Concluding Remarks and Open Questions on L8612 and V13
12
Conclusions
Appendices
Appendix A Inventory of Manuscripts
Appendix B Variant Readings in the Versions of the Pauline Epistles in Arabic
Appendix C East and Non-East Syriac Readings in ArabSyr1 and ArabSyr2
Appendix D Quotations of the Pauline Epistles in Arabic in Islamic Polemical Works
Appendix E The Formal Arabic Text of the Epistle to the Philippians in MSS London, BL, Or. 8612 and Vatican, BAV, Ar. 13
Bibliography
Index of Names and Subjects Index of Biblical and Qurʾanic References Index of Manuscripts
This book will interest scholars working on the Arabic Bible, Bible translations, Eastern Christianity, Manuscript Culture, Muslim reception of the Bible, New Testament Textual Criticism Studies.