The "Late Antique Qur'an"
Jewish-Christian Liturgy, Hellenic Rhetoric, and Arabic Language
Is the Qurʾān an exclusively Islamic text? In this talk, Angelika Neuwirth, Member (2009) in the School of Historical Studies, contends that it is both Islamic and late antique. Before the Qurʾān was recognized as Muslim scripture it was communicated to an audience whose education was based on late-antique traditions—Judeo-Christian, Hellenic, and Arabian. Read as a movement within this triangle, the Qurʾān turns out to be a Near Eastern–European text.
Support for this lecture was provided by the Dr. S. T. Lee Fund for Historical Studies.