Paradosis and monotheism

A late antique approach to the meaning ofislāmin the Quran

Bibliographic Data

ID2818255
AuthorsJuan Cole (0000-0002-0540-1474, University of Michigan, corresponding author)
Year2019
Volume82
Issue3
Pages405-425
Publication date2019-10-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueBulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0041-977X • E-ISSN: 1474-0699
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0041977x19000685
OpenAlexW2998609608
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited47

Both the Muslim exegetical tradition and most Western scholarship have posited that the termislāmin the Quran means "submission", i.e. to God, and that it refers to the religion brought by the prophet Muhammad. This paper argues that neither of these assertions is correct. Rather, the abstract nounislāmas used in the Quran means "tradition". It is underlain by the Aramaicmashlmānūtā, which in turn was the term generally used to translate the Greekparadosis. That the Greek usage had a direct impact on Arabic is also considered. The wide range of meanings givenparadosisby Greek and Syriac authors is surveyed. A close reading of Quran verses in which the wordislāmappears shows that it refers to the prophetic tradition of monotheism rather than the surrender of an individual to God. It is synonymous with the Logos of Abraham, in which all the monotheistic religions participate

Ancient history · Antique · Art · Epistemology · Islam · Linguistics · Literature · Logos Bible Software · Meaning (existential) · Monotheism · Reading (process) · Surrender · Term (time) · Theology · Archaeology and Historical Studies · Historical and Linguistic Studies · History · Islamic Studies and History · Philosophy