An Andalusian Arabic Version of the Four Gospels: (Bayer. Staatsbibl., Munchen, cod. arab. 238)

Within one year of the conquest of Spania (AD 711), the Muslim

conquerors struck coins, with legends in Latin, demonstrating the tenets

of their faith: ‘In the Name of God; there is no deity other than

God, Alone, without compeer’. This proclamation was followed by a

bilingual mint,drawn from the Qur'an: ‘He is God, Unique, God

Everlasting, He who has not begotten, and who has not been begotten, and

equal to Him is not any one’ (Qur'an 112). Then solely in Arabic,

the coins replaced the legend Spania with al-Andalus.

As the Christian population of Al-Andalus became increasingly

arabicised, the need for translating their sacred scriptures into Arabic

undoubtedly ensued. It is interesting to note that article 26 of the

Fourth Council of Toledo (AD 633) had decreed that when priests were

assigned to their districts (parishes), the bishops were to provide them

each with a copy of the Gospels so that, having mastered the teachings

of the Gospels, the priests would not err in the application of God’s

law and intent. An Arabic translation of the Scriptures - particularly

the Gospels - would meet that requirement and satisfy a growing need of

the priesthood and the faithful laity - non-conversant in Latin - to

read and hear the sacred text in the language that they comprehended

best.