The Language of the Qur'an and a Near Eastern Rip van Winkle

Robert Hoyland

This paper will discuss the language of the Qur'an in the light of recent publications about the Syro-Aramaic origins of the Muslim Scripture. Parallels from Aramaic and Ancient North Arabian inscriptions will be adduced for comparison, and a number of specific Qur'anic examples will be examined, especially the case of a man whom God puts to sleep and revives a century later, which leads on to speculation about the inspiration for this figure in Near Eastern literature.

Please note that audio recording and photography of any kind is not permitted at ISAW activities without prior consent. Requests can be emailed a week or more in advance to isaw@nyu.edu.

To RSVP, please email isaw@nyu.edu.