An Arabic Funerary Text In A Church In Nebo (Jordan) Dated To Mid-6th Century CE
Islamic Awareness
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First Composed: 29th January 2008
Last Modified: 31st January 2008
Assalamu ‘alaykum wa rahamatullahi wa barakatuhu:
Arabic funerary text in a church in Nebo (Jordan).
Mid-6th century CE.
Script
The Arabic inscription is written on a grave inside a church.
Contents & Comments
Arabic (on the left): bi-salām ["rest in peace"]
Greek (on the right): Saola, the name of the person written in Greek.
Concerning the Arabic text in this inscription, Hoyland comments:
The only plausible explanation is that the language of Saola's family was Arabic; yet he was not as the common perception would lead us to expect, a member of some prominent wandering Arab tribe, but someone prominent enough in the local community to in interred in one of the churches.
Location
Nebo, Jordan.
References
[1] E. A. Knauf, "Bemerkungen Zur Frühen Geschichte Der Arabischen Orthographie", Orientalia (New Series), 1984, Volume 53, Fasc. 4, pp. 456-458.
[2] R. Hoyland, "Epigraphy And The Linguistic Background Of The Qur'ān" in G. S. Reynolds (Ed.), The Qur'ān In Its Historical Context, 2008, Routledge Studies in the Qur'an, Routledge: London & New York, pp. 55-56.
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