Christoph Luxenberg
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Christoph Luxenberg is the pseudonym of the unknown author of the 2000 book The Syro-Aramaic Reading of the Koran and several articles in anthologies about early Islam.
Unknown | |
|---|---|
| Pen name | Christoph Luxenberg |
| Language | German |
| Genres | Non-fiction, Islam |
Biography
Ibn Warraq reports the following about Luxenberg. Luxenberg has worked as a scholar, researcher, teacher and translator in Germany, including at German universities. His work focused on Semitic philology, classical Arabic, Syriac and other dialects. Luxenberg's doctoral thesis was on a Syriac manuscript of the 8th and 9th century that discussed homilies such as those of Jacob of Sarug from the 5th and 6th centuries that were often originally in Greek. Through comparison, Luxenberg realised that the translation from Greek into Syriac was often very literal and thus difficult to comprehend and reconstruct. The original Greek of one such reconstructed text, of which the original could not be found, was attributed by Luxenberg to Severus of Antioch. "[A] later discovery in Damascus, by a Jesuit scholar from Rome, of a manuscript confirmed Luxenberg's conjecure", Warraq writes. These experiences informed his theory about the language of the Quran.[1]
The New York Times describes Luxenberg as "a scholar of ancient Semitic languages"[2]
Books and Articles
The Syro-Aramaic Reading of the Koran (2000)
In The Syro-Aramaic Reading of the Koran Luxenberg proposes a new way of interpreting the Quran that he also employs in his later articles. Luxenberg lays out his hypothesis that the Quran's language is a hybrid of Arabic and Syriac/Aramaic dialects rather than pure pre-classical Arabic. Furthermore, he argues that the Quran was originally a lectionary that borrowed for its content from Syriac Christianity. Finally Luxenberg postulates that the Quran was initially written in Garshuni (Arabic using Aramaic script) before transcription into Arabic script. A 10-step method is proposed to reinterpret the Quran.
Christmas and the Eucharist in the Qur'an (2003, 2014)
Luxenberg argues that when re-interpreted through the Syro-Aramaic lens, several Quranic suras relate to Christmas and the Eucharist and have their origin in pre-Islamic Syriac Christian strophic hymns. Thus, Sura 97 (Al-Qadr), traditionally understood as describing the night the Qurʾan was first revealed, is seen as a Christian hymn celebrating the Nativity of Christ. Sura 96 (Al-Alaq) is reinterpreted not as the first revelation to the Prophet but as a liturgical preface calling the faithful to prayer and to the Eucharist — reading the final word iqtarib not as "draw near" (to God) but as deriving from the Syriac ܐܬûøܒ (eṯqarraḇ) "to receive Communion". In Surah 108 (al-Kawthar), the traditionally enigmatic term al-Kawthar is reinterpreted not as a river in paradise but as referring to perseverance in prayer, with connections drawn to 1 Peter 5:8-9.[3]
New Interpretation of the Arabic Inscription in the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem (2005, 2010)
The Dome of the Rock contains one of the earliest epigraphic mentions of the prophet Muhammed with the phrase “Muhammad is the servant of God and His messenger”. Using his Syro-Aramaic method, Luxenberg reinterprets this by reading the rasm MHMD underlying “Muhammad” not as a proper name but in the sense of “praised be”. The inscription thus reads “Praised be the servant of God and His messenger” which fits in the surrounding text as a Christian anti-Trinitarian statement referring to Jesus, thus observing strict monotheism.[4]
No Polygamy and No Concubinage in the Koran (2008)
Luxenberg offers a Syro-Aramaic reinterpretation of the first three verses of Sura 4 (al-Nisāʾ, "The Women"), which have traditionally been understood as permitting Muslim men to marry up to four wives and to take concubines. Luxenberg suggests verse 4:3 is concerned exclusively with the just treatment of orphans and their property, continuing the theme established in verse 4:2. Thus, verse 4:3 instructs a man to marry up to four widowed mothers of orphans, but only if this serves to provide justice and security for the (female) orphans. Hereby this Sura is echoing Isaiah 1:17’ which calls to defend orphans and widows.[5]
Syriac Liturgy and the “Mysterious Letters” in the Qur’ān (2008, 2014)
Luxenberg argues that the Muqattaʿat are originally Syriac liturgical abbreviations or sigla serving as recitation cues for Christian hymns and lectionary readings. He reinterprets ʾlm as a marker related to the reading of the Gospel (Syriac ewangeliyon), ʾlmr and ʾlms as variants indicating specific pericopes or hymn sections, ḥm as referring to a "hymn" (ḥimna or similar liturgical term), ṭsm and ṭs as cues for "psalm" or "canticle" readings, khyʿṣ (in Surah 19) as an abbreviation connected to "lection" or "prophecy" (keryana or ḥadya), and other combinations such as ys, q, ṣ, and ṭh as technical indicators for different strophes, responses, or sections in the underlying Syro-Aramaic liturgical collection.[6]
Speculation on identity
The pseudonym "Christoph Luxenberg" may be a play upon the name of Georg Christoph Lichtenberg, the "destroyer of myths,"[7] since Lux (Latin) translates as Licht (German), 'light'.[7] Luxenberg himself claims to have chosen a pseudonym "upon the counsel of Arab friends, after these became familiar with my work theses,"[7] to protect himself against possible violent repercussions.[8]
The real identity of the person behind the pseudonym remains unknown. The most widely circulated version[7][9][10] claims that he is a German scholar of Semitic languages. François de Blois, writing in the Journal of Qur'anic Studies, has questioned Luxenberg's knowledge of Syriac and suggests that it is impossible that Luxenburg is a professional scholar. In the view of de Blois, Luxenburg is a speaker of an Arabic dialect, with "a passable, but not flawless command of classical Arabic".[11][12]
Works
Books
- 2000 Die Syro-Aramäische Lesart des Koran: Ein Beitrag zur Entschlüsselung der Koransprache. ISBN 3-89930-028-9.
Articles
- 2003 “Weihnachten im Koran”.
- English version (revised): "Christmas and the Eucharist in the Qurʾān, 2014.
- 2003 “Der Koran zum islamischen Kopftuch” [The Koran on the Islamic Headscarf]
- 2004 “Zur Morphologie und Etymologie von syro-aramäische sāṭānā=Satan und koranisch-arabisch šayṭān” [On the Morphology and Etymology of Syro-Aramaic sāṭānā = Satan and Koranic Arabic šayṭān]
- 2004 “Quel est la langue du coran?” [What is the Language of the Qur'an?]
- 2005 “Neudeutung der arabischen Inschrift im Felsendom zu Jerusalem”.
- English version: “A New Interpretation of the Arabic Inscription in Jerusalem’s Dome of the Rock,” 2010.
- 2007 “Zum Ursprung des Namens ‘Mohammed’ (Muḥammad = Der Gelobte). Eine in der Arabistik und Semitistik bisher nicht geklärte Etymologie” [On the Origin of the Name ‘Mohammed’ (Muḥammad = The Praised One). An Etymology Previously Unclarified in Arabic and Semitic Studies]
- 2007 “Relikte syro-aramäische Buchstaben in frühen Korankodizes im ḥiğāzī und kūfī-Duktus”
- English version: “Relics of Syro-Aramaic Letters in Early Qur’ān Codices in Ḥiğāzī and Kūfī Ductus,” 2013
- 2008 “Die syrische Liturgie und die ‘geheimnisvollen Buchstaben’ im Koran. Eine liturgievergleichende Studie”
- English version: "Syriac Liturgy and the “Mysterious Letters” in the Qur’ān: A Comparative Liturgical Study", 2014
- 2008 “Keine Schlacht von Badr: Zu syrischen Buchstaben in frühen Koranmanuskripten” [No Battle of Badr: On Syriac Letters in Early Koran Manuscripts].
- 2008 “‘Inārah’ im Koran: Zu einem bisher übersehenen Hapax Legomenon (Sure 46)” [‘Inārah’ in the Koran: On a Previously Overlooked Hapax Legomenon (Sura 46)].
- 2008 “Keine Polygamie und kein Konkubinat im Koran (Sure 4:3)” [No Polygamy and No Concubinage in the Koran (Sura 4:3)]
- 2012 “Al-Najm (Q 53), Chapter of the Stars: A New Syro-Aramaic Reading of Verses 1–18”.
- 2012 “Kein ‘Mekka’ (Makka) und kein ‘Bakka’ im Koran: Zu Sure 48:24 und 3:96: Eine philologische Analyse” [No ‘Mecca’ (Makka) and no ‘Bakka’ in the Koran: On Sura 48:24 and 3:96: A Philological Analysis].
Video
- As of 2026, Luxenberg published 52 videos re-interpreting Qur'an verses with the Syro-Aramaic method on his Youtube channel (in Arabic);