ʿAlāʾ al-Dīn al-Bājī's (d. 714/1314) critique of the Pentateuch and the plurality of Christian Bible recensions

Abstract

The present article discusses the Muslim legal scholar and theologian al-Bājī (b. 631/1233) and his polemic against the Pentateuch, which he read in at least two Christian Arabic translations, which were in use among the Melkites. It aims to identify the recensions of the Pentateuch that al-Bājī had access to, and to understand how the differences between these recensions contributed to his view that the shared Jewish and Christian scripture had undergone changes. The article suggests that al-Bājī used a combination of arguments to undermine especially the Christian conception of divine revelation, pointing out apparent inconsistencies and illogicalities in the biblical stories themselves as well as text-critical cruxes caused by discrepancies between different versions that circulated side by side within the Eastern Christian communities. Finally, some of the “irrationalities” he describes seem to be particular of the copies of the texts he had in front of him.