New Perspectives on the Qur'an

This book continues the work of The Qur'an in its Historical Context, in which an international group of scholars address an expanded range of topics on the Qur'an and its origins, looking beyond medieval Islamic traditions to present the Qur'an's own conversation with the religions and literatures of its day. Particular attention is paid to recent debates and controversies in the field, and to uncovering the Qur'an's relationship with Judaism and Christianity. After a foreword by Abdolkarim Soroush, chapters by renowned experts cover: - method in Qur'anic Studies - analysis of material evidence, including inscriptions and ancient manuscripts, for what they show of the Qur'an's origins - the language of the Qur'an and proposed ways to emend our reading of the Qur'an - how our knowledge of the religious groups at the time of the Qur'an's emergence might contribute to a better understanding of the text - the Qur'an's conversation with Biblical literature and traditions that challenge the standard understanding of the holy book. This debate of recent controversial proposals for new interpretations of the Qur'an will shed new light on the Qur'anic passages that have been shrouded in mystery and debate. As such, it will be a valuable reference for scholars of Islam, the Qur'an, Christian-Muslim relations and the Middle East.

Gabriel Said Reynolds is Associate Professor of Islamic Studies and Theology at the University of Notre Dame (USA). He is the author of The Qur'an and Its Biblical Subtext (Routledge 2010), the editor of The Qur'an in Its Historical Context (Routledge 2008), and the translator of 'Abd al-Jabbar's A Critique of Christian Origins (BYU 2010).

Foreword Introduction Part 1: Method in Qur'anic Studies 1. The Historian, The Believer, and the Qur'an 2. Studies in Qur'anic Vocabulary: The Problem of the Dictionary 3. Towards Understanding the Qur'an's Worldview: An Autobiographical Reflection Part 2: The Qur'an and Material Evidence 4. The Jews of the Hijaz in the Qur'an and in Their Inscriptions 5. The Usage of Ancient South Arabian and other Arabian Languages as an Etymological Source for Qur'anic Vocabulary 6. Vowel Letters and Ortho-epic Writing in the Qur'an Part 3: Qur'anic Vocabulary 7. Hapaxes in the Qur'an: Identifying and Cataloguing Lone Words (and Loan Words) 8. Tripartite, but Anti-Trinitarian Formulas in the Qur'anic Corpus, Possibly Pre-Qur'anic 9. Angels, Stars, Death, the Soul, Horses, Bows - or Women? The Opening Verses of Qur'an 79 10. Al-Najm (Q 53), Chapter of the Star: A New Syro-Aramaic Reading of Verses 1-5 Part 4: The Qur'an and Its Religious Context 11. Al-Nasara in the Qur'an: A Hermeneutical Reflection 12. The Mysterious Letters and Other Formal Features of the Qur'an in Light of Greek and Babylonian Oracular Texts 13. Does the Qur'an Deny or Assert Jesus' Crucifixion and Death? 14. Early Christian Arabic Texts: Evidence for non-Uthmanic Qur'an Codices, or Early Approaches to the Qur'an? 15. Has God Sent a Mortal as a Messenger?" (Q 17:95). Messengers and Angels in the Qur'an Part 5: The Qur'an and Biblical Literature 16. Is There a Notion of "Divine Election" in the Qur'an? 17. Lot's Daughters in the Qur'an: an Investigation Through the Lens of Intertextuality 18. Joseph among the Ishmaelites: Q 12 in Light of Syriac Sources 19. Condemnation in the Qur'an and the Syriac Gospel of Matthew 20. The Qur'anic Pharaoh