Apocryphal Writings on Jesus, in Arabic

Interview With Professor Juan Pedro Monferrer

CORDOBA, Spain, NOV. 12, 2003 (Zenit) - Among the texts the early Church had to decide on were apocryphal writings in Arabic.

In this interview, Juan Pedro Monferrer, professor of Arabic language and literature at the University of Cordoba, explains what apocryphal Arabic writings are and why they are not part of the canonical writings accepted by the Church.

That they were not included in the canon can be attributed to their "conceited" character, says Monferrer, who has just published a work entitled "Arabic Christian Apocrypha."

In the Christian apocrypha the figure of Jesus appears "with changing features according to the work we refer to" and in them "acquires the double dimension of God and man at the same time," this expert says. These texts, he adds, show that Arabic is not the exclusive language of Islam.

Q: What are the Christian apocrypha?

Monferrer: The word "apocryphal" comes from the Greek "apocryphos," which means "hidden," "secret." The term identifies a vast gamut of writings of Jewish and Christian origin that, with but a few exceptions -- as is the case of the Book of Enoch in the Coptic Church -- did not become part of the canon of the sacred books of the Bible.

These works, composed in the manner of biblical books, are usually classified by critics as "Apocrypha of the Old Testament" and "Apocrypha of the New Testament."

Q: Do they exist also in Arabic?

Monferrer: Not just in Arabic. The languages in which these books have come to us are very varied: Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, Latin, Syriac, Georgian, Armenian, Coptic, etc. And also in Arabic, which has been the language of Christians of the Middle East since the sixth century, when Islam occupied the territories formerly belonging to Christian communities that lived under the Byzantine and Sassanid Persian empires.

Q: Why haven't they been included in the official canon of the Church?

Monferrer: Canon is, also, the Greek word that really means "rule" or "norm." The canon is the list, the catalogue of books, which is recognized by the authority of the Church as books that have been inspired and that constitute the norm of faith for believers. To be canonical, a book must be recognized as inspired.

The exclusion of any given work is the result of different factors. An essential element that must not be forgotten is that one of the peculiarities of the majority of these books is their "conceited" or exaggerated character.

Q: What aspects of Jesus Christ underlie these writings?

Monferrer: The fundamental element contributed by the "apocrypha of the New Testament" is the information they give which does not appear in the New Testament.

All that area of which we know nothing, or perhaps very little from the Gospels -- for example, the birth of Jesus, the journey and sojourn of the Holy Family in Egypt; the 18 "hidden" years of Jesus, that is, from 12 to 30, prior to his public life -- is the material developed by the apocrypha, with the intention of making available to the Christian communities all that information they wanted on Jesus.

In this connection, the figure of Jesus, with changing features according to the work we refer to, acquires the double dimension of God and man at the same time, with a dynamic activity elaborated according to the pattern of the New Testament, yet going beyond, in an attempt to bring his figure closer to the audience to which the text was being addressed.

Q: Why is it so difficult to have this type of text reach the average reader?

Monferrer: It's really not difficult to have this type of text reach the average reader. What it does take is work, at times arduous, of finding manuscripts, study, editing and translating, which takes considerable time.

Q: Is your work difficult?

Monferrer: Yes ... I began to dedicate myself to the study of Eastern Christianity and, because of this, remained marginalized, outside the interests that are proper to Arabic studies in Spain.

Of course, I might have lost fame and even money, but every day I am happier for having followed this area of Eastern Christianity studies ..., an area that I hope other people will soon pursue, to be able to make more rapid progress in this realm of studies.

The Arabic language does not belong to Islam; it is the language of the diverse communities that lived in the East and, in the concrete case of Christianity, it has served to preserve extremely valuable jewels of the Early Christian tradition. It is surprising to see how close Jesus comes to us in Arabic which, after all, is a sister language of the Aramaic dialect that Jesus spoke.

Contact

Catholic Online
http://www.catholic.org CA, US
Catholic Online - Publisher, 661 869-1000

Email

info@yourcatholicvoice.org

Keywords

Jesus, Faith, Social Teachings, Arabic, Language

More Catholic PRWire

Showing 1 - 50 of 4,718

• «
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• 7
• 8
• 9
• »

A Recession Antidote
Randy Hain

Monaco & The Vatican: Monaco's Grace Kelly Exhibit to Rome--A Review of Monegasque-Holy See Diplomatic History
Dna. Maria St. Catherine Sharpe, t.o.s.m., T.O.SS.T.

The Why of Jesus' Death: A Pauline Perspective
Jerom Paul

A Royal Betrayal: Catholic Monaco Liberalizes Abortion
Dna. Maria St.Catherine De Grace Sharpe, t.o.s.m., T.O.SS.T.

Embrace every moment as sacred time
Mary Regina Morrell

My Dad
JoMarie Grinkiewicz

Letting go is simple wisdom with divine potential
Mary Regina Morrell

Father Lombardi's Address on Catholic Media
Catholic Online

Pope's Words to Pontifical Latin American College
Catholic Online

Prelate: Genetics Needs a Conscience
Catholic Online

State Aid for Catholic Schools: Help or Hindrance?
Catholic Online

Scorsese Planning Movie on Japanese Martyrs
Catholic Online

2 Nuns Kidnapped in Kenya Set Free
Catholic Online

Holy See-Israel Negotiation Moves Forward
Catholic Online

Franchising to Evangelize
Catholic Online

Catholics Decry Anti-Christianity in Israel
Catholic Online

Pope and Gordon Brown Meet About Development Aid
Catholic Online

Pontiff Backs Latin America's Continental Mission
Catholic Online

Cardinal Warns Against Anti-Catholic Education
Catholic Online

Full Circle
Robert Gieb

Three words to a deeper faith
Paul Sposite

Relections for Lent 2009
chris anthony

Wisdom lies beyond the surface of life
Mary Regina Morrell

World Food Program Director on Lent
Catholic Online

Moral Clarity
DAN SHEA

Pope's Lenten Message for 2009
Catholic Online

A Prayer for Monaco: Remembering the Faith Legacy of Prince Rainier III & Princess Grace and Contemplating the Moral Challenges of Prince Albert II
Dna. Maria St. Catherine Sharpe

Keeping a Lid on Permissiveness
Sally Connolly

Glimpse of Me
Sarah Reinhard

The 3 stages of life
Michele Szekely

Sex and the Married Woman
Cheryl Dickow

A Catholic Woman Returns to the Church
Cheryl Dickow

Modernity & Morality
Dan Shea

Just a Minute
Sarah Reinhard

Catholic identity ... triumphant reemergence!
Hugh McNichol

Edging God Out
Paul Sposite

Burying a St. Joseph Statue
Cheryl Dickow

George Bush Speaks on Papal Visit
Catholic Online

Sometimes moving forward means moving the canoe
Mary Regina Morrell

Action Changes Things: Teaching our Kids about Community Service
Lisa Hendey

Easter... A Way of Life
Paul Spoisite

Papal initiative...peace and harmony!
Hugh McNichol

Proclaim the mysteries of the Resurrection!
Hugh McNichol

Jerusalem Patriarch's Easter Message
Catholic Online

Good Friday Sermon of Father Cantalamessa
Catholic Online

Papal Address at the End of the Way of the Cross
Catholic Online

Cardinal Zen's Meditations for Via Crucis
Catholic Online

Interview With Vatican Aide on Jewish-Catholic Relations
Catholic Online

Pope Benedict XVI On the Easter Triduum
Catholic Online

Holy Saturday...anticipation!
Hugh McNichol

• «
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• 7
• 8
• 9
• »