A Jewish Qur'an

An Eighteenth-Century Hebrew Qur'an Translation in Its Indian Context

Bibliographic Data

ID3520055
AuthorsAlexander Van Der Haven (0000-0001-6195-0083, University of Bergen, corresponding author)
Year2023
Volume14
Issue11
Pages1368
Publication date2023-10-30
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueReligions (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2077-1444 • E-ISSN: 2077-1444
PublisherMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/rel14111368
OpenAlexW4388093869
LanguageEN
References cited37

This essay places the Washington Library of Congress Heb. Ms 183, a Hebrew Qur'an translation from eighteenth-century Cochin, in its South Indian context. After pointing out important general differences between early modern European and South Asian inter-religious cultures and attitudes to translation, this essay analyzes three salient differences between Ms 183 and its Dutch source. Then, the essay scrutinizes three relevant and interrelated contexts: the eighteenth-century Indian diplomatic culture of owning and exchanging scriptural translations; the social position of Muslims and Jews as 'guests' and diplomatic brokers; and the rise of Muslim military power in Malabar. On this basis, I argue that this Hebrew Qur'an translation was intended to be cultural-diplomatic capital for Jewish diplomats dealing with Muslim rulers, indicating that not only rulers translated the scriptures of their subjects but also subjects those of their rulers. In addition, by showing how the Mysorean rulers implemented Islamic reforms and how Jewish practices were attuned to majoritarian religious practices, the essay suggests that Ms 183 was also meant to serve Jewish religious purposes, making this manuscript possibly a rare instance of using non-Jewish religious scriptures for Jewish religious practice

Art · Genizah · Hebrew · Islam · Judaism · Literature · Sociology · African history and culture analysis · Classics · Historical and Linguistic Studies · History · Islamic Studies and History · Philosophy · Religious studies

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