Christoph Luxenberg

Christoph Luxenberg is the pseudonym of a German researcher and Syrologen Koran, whose identity is still (as of 2014) unknown. Luxenberg uses a pseudonym, "because every scientific text criticism of the Koran is a critique of the political language used in Islamic countries at the same time ."

• 5.1 Other press reports
• 5.2 Institute for Advanced Study Berlin
• 5.3 reviews 5.3.1 From original homepages
• 5.3.2 On behalf of third parties

Background

Under the pseudonym published in 2000 a treatise in German, entitled The Syro- Aramaic Reading of the Koran - A contribution to the decoding of the language of the Koran, such as through reviews in the Neue Zürcher Zeitung ( 2001) and the time ( 2003) a was known wider public. The work is, according to preface the publication of a " fraction [s ] more extensive studies on the language of the Koran " and to the research, " the impetus for an initial discussion about the methods and the resulting substantive interpretations of the Qur'an text " allow.

The book

Luxenberg's study is intended as a formal philological investigation emanating from said historical approach and the Koran text edited with text-critical methods. In the debate on orality and literacy in the early Koran tradition Luxenberg takes as opposed to the traditional Islamic view of the lack of continuity of the oral part. Since emanates Luxenberg from the fact that the early manuscripts of the Koran renounced both the diacritical points to the exact distinctions between consonants (see Rasm ) as well as the vowel signs (see Arabic alphabet), he goes from a misreading of numerous original Aramaic (more precisely: Syrian ) expressions by later exegetes from which they are no longer recognized as such and lacking the oral corrective. Consequently, it is a historical mistake to suppose that the subsequent puncture of the text is based on a safe oral tradition.

Luxenberg argued that these transcripts potential transmission errors such as omissions, additions and interpretations, but also arbitrary or unintended changes such as improvements and analogies were made. Through these misreadings, as Luxenberg, is the many unclear points in the Koran - their existence does not deny other scholars - first originated. By following strictly heuristic working methodology Luxenberg analyzes the Qur'anic text under a similar philological aspect as Alphonse Mingana beginning of the 20th century in order to arrive at a coherent understanding: Luxenberg initially sets the text of the Koran in its historical context, as a textual basis is the canonical version of the Cairo Quran edition of 1923 / 24th He then searches for other semantic meanings of the Arabic expression ( a), searches for homonymous root in the Syro - Aramaic or Syriac, the term is used swaying ( b ), takes a different reading of Arabic using a modification of diacritical points ( c ), searches for other Aramaic root ( d), retranslated into Aramaic, looking for Lehnbildungen (s) consulted Syrian Arab encyclopedias of the 10th century AD ( f), reads real terms after Syrian Arab phonetic system ( g) and decrypts about Syro- Aramaic syntax (h). In the reading of the manuscripts Luxenberg follows basically the lectio difficilior.

Although the Oriental has long been fulfilling both Aramaic ( language ) as well as Christian, anti - Trinitarian (content ) influences on early Islam, but follows mostly in the core of the later Islamic representation of the Koran origin: According to the Koran is in high Arabic by the prophet been created Mohammed, the suras were previously disclosed under Islamic understanding of God. Luxenberg refers, however, that it did not even exist in the early 7th century on current knowledge, an Arabic literary language ( from late antiquity are only a few held in very simple language Arabic inscriptions before ), and goes on the other hand by a Garschuni template of the Koran, ie a template that was written in a very strong Syro-Aramaic -influenced Arabic in Syriac script. Luxenberg is derived from the Arabic word Quran ( قرآن ) via a the Prophet Muhammad ascribed articulation qɘryān ( قرين ) of Aramaic qɘryānā ( " Lectionary " ) and sets the Bible of the Syriac -Aramaic Christians with that " writing " is equal to which the Quran variously refers - as relate the late antique lectionaries of the Christian churches on the Bible, without being identical with it.

The assumption that the Qur'an is created in a unique creation or of revelation through divine inspiration, Luxenberg therefore considered as " historical error ". Rather, the Koran itself testify that certain parts were otherwise as the collection and transmission of older Christian (including Jewish ) liturgical texts. Only through subsequent revisions was from this text, the Arabic Koran become high, but still contains many traces of the Syro -Arab Christian origin font. However, these are misunderstood and been reinterpreted after their Usprünge were forgotten.

Luxenberg has his theories to anthologies about the beginnings of Islam further in contributions, which he published along with Karl -Heinz Ohlig (see literature).

Some interpretations of the Koran

Luxenberg's approach led him to a number of their own interpretations of Koranic verses and suras:

• The word Koran he returns to the Syrian expression qeryana that referred to in the Christian liturgy a lectionary, which is a guide for liturgy and preaching. The thesis is like saying that the core of the Quran dating back to the sometimes misunderstood translation of such a Syrian Christian and anti-Trinitarian Lectionary, containing hymns and extracts from the Bible. This lectionary was translated into Arabic for the purpose of mission. Precisely because of the similarity between the two Semitic languages, Syriac and Arabic, it was in the process come to mistakes and misunderstandings, as similar to each other and related expressions do not always mean the same thing. These have remained prevalent in many cases, as the text was later smoothed and converted into a more elegant Arabic.

• The Koranic phrase " Hur ( in ) ʿ īn (in) ', the undisputed only as much as " white eyed "means, but according to traditional Islamic interpretation to" white-eyed virgins, " the believers are in paradise available ( Qur'an 44: 54, 52:20, 55:72, 56:22 ), to relate, according to Luxenberg actually means " white, jewel-like ," which was a customary poetic reference to grapes in Syriac. So the Koran suppose these points in truth the familiar for centuries Christian vision of paradise on. From young women was therefore no mention.

• The verse 31 of sura 24 ( on -Nur ) is the Koranic basis in Islam for bid headscarf for women. Literally, the passage: "They [the women ] to their chumur ( sing. chimar خمار / Himar ) on their bags beat ", the real meaning of the chumur is unclear, but traditionally, about the Koran commentary of Tabari (c. 900 AD AD), is understood as a headscarf. Paret translated " they should be pulled her shawl over the ( from the neckline to the front down -reaching) slit ( of the dress ) ." Luxenberg, however, indicated chumur as a Syrian- Aramaic word meaning belt and interpreted for the position of " they should tie a belt around his loins ."

• The passage in Sura 33 (al- Ahzab ), which speaks of a " seal of the prophets " and is traditionally based on Muhammad, may according to Luxenberg not be understood in the traditional sense, that " Seal of the Prophets " was the last prophet, but that it is he who " sealed " the truth of the prophets before him.

• Sura 97 (Al -Qadr ), which relates to the night of the sending down of the Qur'an according to the traditional interpretation, refers, according to Luxenberg - as well as according to the Christian Bahira Legend and the opinion of Richard Bell and Günter Lüling - in fact, on the birth of Jesus at Christmas.

• In Surah 19 ( Maryam, Sura Marie ) Verse 24 is traditionally understood as follows: " So he called her from beneath her: Grieve not! Your Lord has provided beneath you a trickle ( sarie ) ( full of water ) made ​​" ( translation by Paret ). The purpose of the rivulet (or brook ) made ​​here already Islamic commentators of the Middle Ages much difficulty. Luxenberg reads here, however, starting from the Syrian: " So he called her immediately after her confinement to: Do not be sad: your Lord has your birth made ​​legitimate. '"

Publications

Monograph

• The Syro- Aramaic Reading of the Koran: a contribution to deciphering the language of the Koran. The Arabic book, Berlin 2000, ISBN 3-86093-274-8; 4th Edition: Schiler, Berlin 2011, ISBN 978-3-89930-028-4.

Papers

• Christmas in the Koran. in: imprimatur. 1/2003, ISSN 0946-3178.
• The Koran for " Islamic headscarf ". In: imprimatur. 2/2004, ISSN 0946-3178.
• Reinterpretation of the Arabic inscription in the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. In: Karl -Heinz Ohlig, Gerd R. Puin (ed. ): The Dark Beginnings: Recent research on the origin and early history of Islam. Schiler, Berlin 2005, ISBN 3-89930-128-5.