Guillaume Postel: An Arabist for or against Islam?

• In Event: Translation Theory and Practice during the Renaissance: A Medium, a Genre, a Risk III

Abstract

Guillaume Postel (d. 1581) was the first Arabist at the Collège de France; writings include "Grammatica Arabica" and Hebrew, Syriac, and Arabic translations. This paper focuses on "De orbis terrae concordia" (1544), which consists of four books: 1. Rational justifications for Christianity; 2. A refutation of Muhammad and summary of the Qur’an; 3. Uniting the world under one religion; 4. Methods of conversion. Postel’s treatment of Islam in Book Two begins by condemning Christian polemicists ignorant of Arabic; this is followed by a summary of the Qur’an, plus translations of select passages. As Book Two’s title indicates, Postel wants to summarize the Qur’an and refute Islam’s prophet. But more ink is spilled on the summary than the refutation. Why was Postel so concerned to get the Arabic right, if he sought to convert Muslims anyway? This paper considers Postel’s use of Arabic translations to argue both for and against Islam.

Author

• Rita George-Tvrtković, Benedictine University