Christoph Luxenberg is a pseudonym used by the author of The Syro-Aramaic Reading Of The Koran: a contribution to the decoding of the language of the Qur'an (2000, English translation 2007), and several articles in anthologies about early Islam. He is a German scholar who holds a University of Heidelberg doctorate in Semitic linguistics [1]. In the category of irrelevant trivia it is rumored that he "is not a German but a Lebanese Christian."[2]
Luxenberg came into the public eye after 2000, following the publication of The Syro-Aramaic Reading Of The Koran which claimed that the language of the early compositions of the Qur'an was not exclusively Arabic, as asserted by the classical commentators, but rather is rooted in the Syro-Aramaic dialect of the 7th century Meccan Quraysh tribe. Luxenberg’s premise is that the Aramaic language – prevalent throughout the Middle East and during the early period of Islam – was the language of culture and Christian liturgy and had a profound influence on the scriptural composition and meaning of the contents of the Koran. [3]
Contents |
Pseudonymous author
Christoph Luxenberg is a pseudonym which may be a play on the "destroyer of myths"[4] Georg Christoph Lichtenberg, since Lux (Latin) translates as Licht (German)[4]. Luxenberg himself claims to have chosen a pseudonym "...upon the counsel of Arab friends, after these became familiar with my work theses"[4], to protect himself against possible violent repercussions[5], since Suliman Bashear, who voiced similar theories at the An-Najah National University in Nablus, was defenestrated - a euphemism for the fact that he was thrown out of a second floor window in an attempt to murder him - by Muslim extremists.[6]
Some[4][7][8] claim that he is a German scholar of Semitic languages.[9]
Angelika Neuwirth, a German professor of Islamic Studies, in an article commenting on Luxenberg, "mainly emphasises" Luxenberg's "lack of interdisciplinary research."[9] Dutch Archaeologist Richard Kroes, who does not claim to know any Arabic, but by and large approves of Luxenberg's approach, describes him as "unaware of much of the other literature on the subject" and that "certainly not everything Luxenberg writes is nonsense or too far-fetched, but quite a few of his theories are doubtful and motivated too much by a Christian apologetic agenda."[9] But he concludes his review of Die SA Lesart with the wish that "It is to be hoped that such research will be done without any apologetic agenda or anti-Islamic sentiments in the background". François de Blois, in the Journal of Qur'anic Studies, points to grammatical mistakes in Luxenberg's book:[9] "His grasp of Syriac is limited to knowlegde of dictionaries and in his Arabic he makes mistakes that are typical for the Arabs of the Middle East."[9][10] Hans Jansen, until recently professor of Islamic Studies at Utrecht University and who essentially confirms and corroborates the correctness Luxenberg's thesis, asserts that "Luxenberg is not a professor at a German university, he is a Lebanese Christian." [10]
Walid Saleh describes Luxenberg's method as "oracular not philological", and calls his work "a Christian polemical tract."[11]
See also
- Hagarism: The Making of the Islamic World
- Günter Lüling
- Michael Cook
- Patricia Crone
- Fred Donner
- Karl-Heinz Ohlig
- Gerd R. Puin
- John Wansbrough
- Ibn Warraq
Bibliography
- Luxenberg, Christoph (2000) -- Die Syro-Aramäische Lesart des Koran: Ein Beitrag zur Entschlüsselung der Koransprache. Berlin: Verlag Hans Schiler. ISBN 3-89930-028-9.
- Luxenberg, Christoph (2004) -- Weihnachten im Koran. in Streit um den Koran, Die Luxenberg Debatte: Standpunkte und Hintergründe Berlin: Verlag Hans Schiler. 2004. ISBN 3-89930-067-X.
- Luxenberg, Christoph (2004) -- Der Koran zum Islamischen Kopftuch: in: imprimatur, issue 2/2004,
- Luxenberg, Christoph (2005) --Neudeutung der arabischen Inschrift im Felsendom zu Jerusalem. in Die dunklen Anfänge, neue Forschungen zur Entstehung und frühen Geschichte des Islam Berlin: Verlag Hans Schiler. 2005. ISBN 3-89930-128-5.
- Luxenberg, Christoph (2007) -- Relikte syro-aramäischer Buchstaben in frühen Korankodizes im hejazi- und kufi- Duktus. in Der frühe Islam Berlin: Verlag Hans Schiler. 2007. ISBN 3-89930-090-4.
- Luxenberg, Christoph (2007) -- The Syro-Aramaic Reading of the Koran - A Contribution to the Decoding of the Koran. Berlin: Verlag Hans Schiler. 2007 ISBN 3-89930-088-2.
Notes
- ^ The Virgins and the Grapes: the Christian Origins of the Koran
- ^ Review by François de Blois in Journal of Qur'anic Studies, 2003, Volume V, Issue 1, pp. 92-97
- ^ Giving the Koran a history: Holy Book under scrutiny Critical readings of the Muslim scripture offer alternative interpretations of well-known passages ,"Luxenberg asserts that Koranic Arabic is not Arabic at all, at least not in the sense assumed by the classical commentators. It is written, rather, in the dialect of the Prophet’s tribe, the Meccan Quraysh, and heavily influenced by Aramaic. Luxenberg’s premise is that the Aramaic language – the lingua franca of the Prophet Mohammed, the language of culture and Christian liturgy – had a profound influence on the Koran. Extensive borrowing was necessary simply because at the time of the Prophet, Arabic was not yet sophisticated enough for scriptural composition."
- ^ a b c d "Keine Huris im Paradies". Die Zeit. 2003-05-15. http://www.zeit.de/2003/21/Koran?page=all. (German)
- ^ "Low profile for German Koran challenger". Reuters. 2004-11-11. http://www.tiscali.co.uk/cgi-bin/news/newswire.cgi/news/reuters/2004/11/11/world/lowprofileforgermankoranchallenger.html&template=/news/templates/newswire/news_story_reuters.html.
- ^ "The Virgins and the Grapes: the Christian Origins of the Koran". La Repubblica. 2004-03-17. http://chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it/dettaglio.jsp?id=7025&eng=y.
- ^ "Radical New Views of Islam and the Origins of the Koran". New York Times. 2002-02-02. http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/02/arts/02ISLA.html?ex=1016124921&ei=1&en=18c2f5f1d443caef.
- ^ "The Koran As Philological Quarry". Goethe Institute. http://www.goethe.de/mmo/priv/1224381-STANDARD.pdf.
- ^ a b c d e Richard Kroes. "Missionary, dilettante or visionary?". Livius - Articles on Ancient History. http://www.livius.org/opinion/Luxenberg.htm.
- ^ a b Review by François de Blois (Department of Iranian Studies, University of Hamburg)
- ^ Review by Prof. Walid Saleh (Department and Centre for the Study of Religion, University of Toronto) p. 56
External links
- The Koran As Philological Quarry A Conversation with Christoph Luxenberg (Goethe Institute)
- An interview with "Christoph Luxenberg" by Alfred Hackensberger (originally in Süddeutsche Zeitung, here in English translation)
- Islamic-Awareness, From Alphonse Mingana To Christoph Luxenberg: Arabic Script & The Alleged Syriac Origins Of The Qur'an
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
