scholarly journals Divine Logos and Translation among Iberian Muslims: From Ibn Ḥazm (d. 456H/1064CE) to Aḥmad al-Ḥanafī (d. 1049H/1650CE)

Religions ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 946
Author(s):  
Mònica Colominas Aparicio
Keyword(s):  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Recent Past ◽  
Comprehensive Overview ◽  
Present Contribution ◽  
Religious Traditions ◽  
Scriptural Interpretation ◽  
The Bible ◽  
God's Word ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Ibn Hazm

Like other religious traditions, Islam has accommodated notions of the divine logos. The actual elaboration of these notions has been heavily dependent on how the translation of God’s word and commandments to humans were understood as an object of intra-community debate, as well as in polemics with non-Muslims (inter-community debate). These two debates converged in the Muslim critique of the translation, transmission, and interpretation of the divine logos by Jews and Christians in their scriptures, although such convergence took different forms in different historical settings. The present contribution focuses on several examples of the engagement of Muslims with the Bible in the medieval Iberian Peninsula and in exile. The choice of authors and works ranges from the 11th-century Andalusī scholar Ibn Ḥazm to the exile Aḥmad al-Ḥanafī (d. 1049H/1650CE). It is nevertheless not intended as a comprehensive overview of Muslim approaches from the Western Mediterranean region. The objective is rather to discuss several aspects associated with the translation of the divine logos in polemics as a tool of identity that is intimately related to Muslim practices of exegesis and transmission of the Jewish and Christian writings. Particular attention is directed toward the broader issue of how notions of the translation of God’s word have been informed by language practices within contexts of inter-religious contact and competition (either between existing social bodies or as references to a relatively recent past). A preliminary look at Muslim modes of scriptural interpretation suggests that translation and exegesis, as well as the ways in which Muslims understood these practices as performed by non-Muslims, were part of a tradition that took final form and meaning, and that was subject to change when re-enacted in specific contexts. Any understanding of the subject must be read against the backdrop of Muslim configurations of knowledge within the local communities, as combined with tradition.

Terms of Scriptural Interpretation: A Study in Hebrew Semantics

1962 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Gertner
Keyword(s):  
Ethical Behaviour ◽  
Religious Thought ◽  
Historical Events ◽  
Scriptural Interpretation ◽  
Christian Communities ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Religious Doctrine ◽  
Divine Wisdom ◽  
The Subject

In the last centuries before the current era and in the early centuries after its beginning the major intellectual and literary activity in the realms (first) of the Jewish and (later) of the Christian communities was wholly centred in the field of interpretation. The OT, as the mainspring and foundation of all religious thought and teaching in those days and in those spheres, was the subject of this interpretation activity. In both the Jewish and the Christian world the Bible was considered to be not only holy and authoritative, but also, and this is in our context more important, the only and exclusive source of divine religious doctrine and of good ethical behaviour. Also historical events, political or religious, were seen, even foreseen, and evaluated from the aspect of this holy source of divine wisdom and planning.

Sea Peoples and Land Peoples, 1250 BC–1100 BC

The Great Sea ◽  
2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Abulafia
Keyword(s):  
Eighteenth Century ◽  
Red Sea ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Archaeological Evidence ◽  
Archaeological Investigation ◽  
The Bible ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Sea Peoples ◽  
The Hill

Both the fall of Troy and the Sea Peoples have been the subject of a vast literature. They were part of a common series of developments that affected the entire eastern Mediterranean and possibly the western Mediterranean too. Troy had been transformed at the end of the eighteenth century BC with the building of the most magnificent of the cities to stand on the hill of Hisarlık: Troy VI , which lasted, with many minor reconstructions, into the thirteenth century BC . The citadel walls were nine metres thick, or more; there were great gates and a massive watchtower, a memory of which may have survived to inspire Homer; there were big houses on two floors, with courtyards. The citadel was the home of an elite that lived in some style, though without the lavish accoutrements of their contemporaries in Mycenae, Pylos or Knossos. Archaeological investigation of the plain beneath which then gave directly on to the seashore suggests the existence of a lower town about seven times the size of the citadel, or around 170,000 square metres, roughly the size of the Hyksos capital at Avaris. One source of wealth was horses, whose bones begin to appear at this stage; Homer’s Trojans were famous ‘horse-tamers’, hippodamoi, and even if he chose this word to fit his metre, it matches the archaeological evidence with some precision. In an age when great empires were investing in chariots, and sending hundreds of them to perdition at the battle of Kadesh (or, according to the Bible, in the depths of the Red Sea), horse-tamers were certainly in demand. Opinion divided early on the identity of the Trojans. Claiming descent from Troy, the ancient Romans knew for sure that they were not just a branch of the Greek people. Homer, though, made them speak Greek. The best chance of an answer comes from their pottery. The pottery of Troy is not just Trojan; it belongs to a wider culture that spread across parts of Anatolia.

Adam as vicegerent of God

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Nestler
Keyword(s):  
Human Dignity ◽  
Textual Analysis ◽  
Human Being ◽  
Present Contribution ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Islamic Tradition ◽  
The World ◽  
The Status ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Attributes Of God

Ibn ʿArabī is considered to be one of the best-known and most influential mystics within the Islamic tradition with an extremely extensive and complex oeuvre, which to this day has been the subject of numerous studies in both East and West. The present contribution is also dedicated to one of these writings, namely the work Fuṣūṣ al-ḥikam, and examines in the chapter on Adam his role as a vicegerent of God (ḫalīfat Allāh), who in Ibn ʿArabī’s mystical doctrine of being is ascribed the status of a »perfect human« (al-insān al-kāmil). Starting from Q 2:30-34, where Adam is presented as ḫalīfat Allāh, the author presents a precise textual analysis of this first chapter in Fuṣūṣ al-ḥikam based on three levels of relationship which Adam has to the world, to the angels and to God, showing how the perfection of Adam can be recognized and measured. In Ibn ʿArabī, Adam is by no means only considered to be the first man and forefather of mankind, as one could claim for the Koran and the Bible; first and foremost, he embodies the prototype of man or the essence of human being itself, which basically has the ability to manifest the attributes of God in such a way that it can attain the status of perfection and vicegerency. This fundamental potential testifies to a special human dignity, which is already expressed in the Koran using the figure of Adam and which is also the subject of this study.

scholarly journals The World of the Bible: Indispensable Context in the Study of the Old Testament

Kairos ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 135-150
Author(s):  
Monika Bajić
Keyword(s):  
Old Testament ◽  
Near East ◽  
Ancient Near East ◽  
Biblical Text ◽  
Scriptural Interpretation ◽  
The Bible ◽  
God's Word ◽  
The World ◽  
Original Message ◽  
The Church

The Bible was not originally written for the modern reader, but the testimony of the Church is that it continues to speak God’s word to readers/hearers today. However, many modern Bible readers come across texts that need further explanation because the biblical authors did not offer clarification of their writings. They assumed the readers of their time were familiar with the background and could understand the reported events without further explanation. To achieve a “legit” interpretation of Old Testament texts, we first need to understand Scripture correctly, meaning that the biblical text must be read in its narrower and broader context. Only within a context does it become clear what the author meant to say. The main argument of this article is to exhibit that the Bible can only be fully understood against the backdrop of the Ancient Near East (ANE). The broader context consists of the knowledge of surrounding nations during Bible times (i.e., Hebrew Bible). By examining ANE texts and archeological findings we achieve a more complete and enriched comprehension of a given scriptural text or passage. This article exhibits through some concrete examples how archeological findings, inscriptions, and Ancient Near East texts can aid in understanding the broader context of the Old Testament world. In return, the wider context of the Bible world can enlighten or clarify a difficult, incomprehensible, or ambiguous biblical text and henceforth scriptural interpretation become more accurate and closer to the original message and meaning.

scholarly journals Eksistensi Wanita Dan Sistem Patriarkat Dalam Konteks Budaya Masyarakat Israel

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 132-145
Author(s):  
Elkana Chrisna Wijaya
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Context ◽  
Main Issue ◽  
Israeli Society ◽  
Research Subjects ◽  
Patriarchal System ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Or Groups ◽  
God's Word ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Strong Suspicion

Women's existence in the cultural context of Israeli society. The main issue in the discussion of this research is the strong suspicion that the culture or patriarchal system in Israeli society provides a fetter to the existence and involvement of Israeli women at that time in various fields. This understanding is the basis for some Bible scholars and certain groups to oppose and limit women today to take a broader role in various activities and in various fields in strategic positions, especially those related to men. These perspectives and thoughts need to be reviewed, given the possibility of misunderstanding or misunderstanding in understanding the parts of the Bible that specifically speak of women. That is why research subjects need to get more serious studies from various perspectives or perspectives of experts in interpreting and understanding the truth of God's Word, in relation to the subject. Thus, it is expected that through this research there are no parties or groups, both women and men, who are cornered by a prolonged misunderstanding.

“Channeling” the powers of God’s Word

2010 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 135-156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dorothea E. Schulz
Keyword(s):  
The Other ◽  
Border Zone ◽  
Focus Attention ◽  
Spiritual Power ◽  
New Materials ◽  
God's Word ◽  
Audio Recordings ◽  
Heated Debate ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The One

Starting with the controversial esoteric employment of audio recordings by followers of the charismatic Muslim preacher Sharif Haidara in Mali, the article explores the dynamics emerging at the interface of different technologies and techniques employed by those engaging the realm of the Divine. I focus attention on the “border zone” between, on the one hand, techniques for appropriating scriptures based on long-standing religious conventions, and, on the other, audio recording technologies, whose adoption not yet established authoritative and standardized forms of practice, thereby generating insecurities and becoming the subject of heated debate. I argue that “recyclage” aptly describes the dynamics of this “border zone” because it captures the ways conventional techniques of accessing the Divine are reassessed and reemployed, by integrating new materials and rituals. Historically, appropriations of the Qur’an for esoteric purposes have been widespread in Muslim West Africa. These esoteric appropriations are at the basis of the considerable continuities, overlaps and crossovers, between scripture-related esoteric practices on one side, and the treatment by Sharif Haidara’s followers of audio taped sermons as vessels of his spiritual power, on the other.

The Night Cometh When no Man can Work

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy Larsen
Keyword(s):  
Scriptural Interpretation ◽  
Protestant Church ◽  
Correct Method ◽  
The Bible

This chapter covers Mill’s final years and death. Despite wanting to live a quiet, retiring life, he was a celebrity whose private letters increasingly found their way into print, to his great annoyance. It presents his life at Avignon, including his friendship with the Reverend Louis Rey, and his annual donations to the Protestant church there. A particular stress is laid on Mill’s lifelong, Christian-inflected sense of vocation, duty, and calling. His relationship to the Bible is also explored, including his views on the correct method of scriptural interpretation. Finally, it gives an account of his deathbed, funeral, and tomb, including the successful effort by Abraham Hayward to prevent his being buried in Westminster Abbey.

Witches and Forgers

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott Mandelbrote
Keyword(s):  
Seventeenth Century ◽  
Old Testament ◽  
Republic Of Letters ◽  
The Bible ◽  
God's Word ◽  
1 Samuel ◽  
The Witch

Scepticism and loyalty represent the poles of van Dale’s career. Two contexts have been mentioned as relevant here: the seventeenth-century attack on magic and superstition, and the circles of friendship that created a contemporary Republic of Letters. This chapter evaluates both contexts, as well as others that may throw light on his relatively neglected attitude to the text of the Bible. It brings into focus two important intellectual episodes: his treatment of the account of the Witch of Endor (1 Samuel 28:3–25), and his engagement with Hellenistic sources relating to the text of the Old Testament, especially to the miraculous composition of the Septuagint. These issues brought van Dale to ask questions about God’s Word. The chapter explores the limits of his scepticism, the extent of his scholarship, and the role of friendship and isolation in his development. Finally, it draws attention to his place in contemporary Mennonite debates.

Commands in Wolaitta

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Azeb Amha
Keyword(s):  
Sentence Type ◽  
Positive Polarity ◽  
Present Contribution ◽  
Grammatical Categories ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Leave Taking ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Syntactic Properties

This chapter examines expressions of commands (imperatives) in Wolaitta and the ways in which the imperative is distinguished from statements and questions. Although each sentence type is formally distinct, imperatives and questions share a number of morpho-syntactic properties. Similar to declarative and interrogative sentences, imperatives in Wolaitta involve verbal grammatical categories such as the distinction of person, number, and gender of the subject as well as negative and positive polarity. In contrast to previous studies, the present contribution establishes the function of a set of morphemes based on -árk and -érk to be the expression of plea or appeal to an addressee rather than politeness when issuing a command. Instead, politeness in commands is expressed by using plural (pro)nominal and verbal elements. The imperative in Wolaitta is a robust construction which is also used in formulaic speeches such as leave-taking as well as in blessing, curses, and advice.

scholarly journals Symmetry of Narayana Numbers and Rowvacuation of Root Posets

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colin Defant ◽  
Sam Hopkins
Keyword(s):  
Weyl Group ◽  
Catalan Number ◽  
Recent Past ◽  
Positive Roots ◽  
Narayana Numbers ◽  
The Subject

Abstract For a Weyl group W of rank r, the W-Catalan number is the number of antichains of the poset of positive roots, and the W-Narayana numbers refine the W-Catalan number by keeping track of the cardinalities of these antichains. The W-Narayana numbers are symmetric – that is, the number of antichains of cardinality k is the same as the number of cardinality $r-k$ . However, this symmetry is far from obvious. Panyushev posed the problem of defining an involution on root poset antichains that exhibits the symmetry of the W-Narayana numbers. Rowmotion and rowvacuation are two related operators, defined as compositions of toggles, that give a dihedral action on the set of antichains of any ranked poset. Rowmotion acting on root posets has been the subject of a significant amount of research in the recent past. We prove that for the root posets of classical types, rowvacuation is Panyushev’s desired involution.

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