PDF The Italian Renaissance: Culture and Society in Italy; Third Edition by Peter Burke in History

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From the first centuries of Islam to well into the Middle Ages; Jews and Christians produced hundreds of manuscripts containing portions of the Bible in Arabic. Until recently; however; these translations remained largely neglected by Biblical scholars and historians. In telling the story of the Bible in Arabic; this book casts light on a crucial transition in the cultural and religious life of Jews and Christians in Arabic-speaking lands. In pre-Islamic times; Jewish and Christian scriptures circulated orally in the Arabic-speaking milieu. After the rise of Islam--and the Qur'an's appearance as a scripture in its own right--Jews and Christians translated the Hebrew Bible and the Greek New Testament into Arabic for their own use and as a response to the Qur'an's retelling of Biblical narratives. From the ninth century onward; a steady stream of Jewish and Christian translations of the Hebrew Bible and New Testament crossed communal borders to influence the Islamic world. The Bible in Arabic offers a new frame of reference for the pivotal place of Arabic Bible translations in the religious and cultural interactions between Jews; Christians; and Muslims.