Qur’ānic Intertextuality in Early Christian Arabic Bible Translations

Abstract

This paper provides a number of cases where early Christian Arabic Bible translators resorted to qur’ānic-sounding language and (later) also a qur’ānic aesthetic in their production of biblical codices. The main purpose of the paper is to discuss various reasons as to why they went so far into the “realm of the other” when producing these translations. The answer to that question is most likely connected to the little-known function of these Bible translations, a topic also addressed in the paper. The adoption of qur’ānic language results in a comparatively high level of intertextuality and the use of codicological features associated with Mamluk Qur’āns also tend to blur religious borders. Thus, the paper also explores the possibility to view a portion of the Christian Arabic Bible endeavour as part of the broader process of “religious co-production.”