Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Angelika Neuwirth Addresses the "Late Antique Qu'ran" in a Lecture, today, at the Institute for Advanced Study (Princeton)

Source : Institute for Advanced Study (Princeton). Photo courtesy of Christine Ferrara, Senior Public Affairs Officer, IAS. 

Angelika Neuwirth, Professor at the Freie Universität Berlin and Member in the School of Historical Studies, will discuss "The 'Late Antique Qu'ran' : Jewish-Christian Liturgy, Hellenic Rhetorik and Arabic Language" on Wednesday, June 3, at 4:30 p.m. in the West Building Lecture Hall at the Institute for Avanced Study. 

A leading scholar of the Qu'ran, Dr. Neuwirth will discuss whether it should be viewed as an exclusively Islamic text. She will address ways it which it may be seen as both Islamic and Late Antique. According to Neuwirth, before the Qu'ran was recognized as Muslim scripture, it was communicated to an audience whose education was ba sed on lante-antique traditions - Judeo-Christian, Hellenic and Arabian. She will explore how, when read as a movement within this triangle, the Qu'ran turns out to be a Near-Eastern-European text. 

Support for the lecture is provided by the Dr. S.T. Lee Fund for Historical Studies. 

After earning her PhD in Semitic Studies from University of Goettingen in 1972, Neuwirth was awarded her Habilitation in Arabic and Islamic Studies from the University of Munich in 1977. She was a Visiting Professor (1977-83) at the University of Jordan and supervisor of the Catalogue of Arabic Manuscripts (1981-83) at the Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Tought. She served as Professor (1984) at the University of Munich and at Bamberg University (1984-91). A Visiting Professor (1988-89) at Ain Shams University in Cairo, Neuwirth joined the Freie Universität Berlin as Professor in 1991, a position she continues to hold. 

The author of numerous articles and books, Neuwirth served as Director (1994-99) of the Orient-Institute of Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft in Beirut and Istanbul. Among her many activities, she has taught annual courses on Islamic scripture and liturgy at the Benedictine Abbey Santa Maria Zion in Jerusalem since 1985. 

The lecture is free and open to the public. Seating is on a first come, first served basis. Reservations are requested ; please call 609-951-4595 or email EventRSVP@ias.edu