Juan Gabriel of Teruel | |
---|---|
Born | Alí Alayzar mid-15th century |
Died | early 16th century |
Other names | Iohannes Gabriel Terrolensis |
Occupation | Translator |
Years active | early 16th century |
Notable work | 1518 Latin translation of the Quran |
Juan Gabriel of Teruel (also spelled Joan Gabriel; Latin name: Iohannes Gabriel Terrolensis; former Muslim name: Alí Alayzar) was a Spanish convert from Islam to Christianity known for translating the Quran into Latin during the early 16th century.
Juan Gabriel was born sometime during the mid-15th century, likely in Teruel. He may have been the Faqīh ( Spanish: Alfaquí) of Teruel during the 15th century, but was likely forced to convert to Christianity in 1502 due to the forced conversions of Muslims in Spain. [1]
He taught Arabic to Fray Joan Martí de Figuerola, a preacher who wrote that his knowledge of Arabic and the Quran was thanks to Juan Gabriel. Juan Gabriel died sometime during the early 16th century. [1]
In 1518, Juan Gabriel prepared a Latin translation of the Quran for Giles of Viterbo ( Italian: Egidio da Viterbo), who had commissioned the translation for the purpose of converting Muslims to Christianity. Leo Africanus, a Muslim convert who was a godson of Giles of Viterbo, revised the translation in 1525. [2] [3] [4] The original manuscript has not survived, although other surviving manuscripts of the translation are Cambridge MS Mm. v. 26 (C) and Milan MS D 100 inf. (M). [5] [6] MS D 100 Inf was copied by Scottish scholar David Colville in 1621, from a manuscript at the library of El Escorial in Spain. Colville later brought his manuscript to Milan. Today, it is archived at the Biblioteca Ambrosiana. [7] A critical edition of the Latin Quran translation was published by Katarzyna K. Starczewska in 2018, [3] which was a revision of her 2012 dissertation. [4]
Below is Juan Gabriel's Latin translation of Al-Ikhlas, the 112th sura of the Quran. [4]
1. Dic: "Est Deus unus,
2. Deus est potens,
3. non fuit generatus neque generabit,
4. et non ei aequalis cum eo."