[NYer]

To understand the Muslim devotion to Mary, it is important to look at the origins of the Koran. A German scholar of ancient languages takes a new look at the sacred book of Islam. He maintains that it was created by Syro-Aramaic speaking Christians, in order to evangelize the Arabs.

Being in a Catholic Church that retains Syriac-Aramaic as its liturgical language, I have gained tremendous insight into the multitude of dialects spoken in the Middle East. This german scholar makes a very sound argument for how the Bible, orally transmitted to Bedouin tribes (each tribe has a different dialect), was misinterpreted.

I posted this article back in 2000 but it's worth reviewing again.

The Virgins and the Grapes: the Christian Origins of the Koran

[MarkBsnr]

To understand the Muslim devotion to Mary, it is important to look at the origins of the Koran. A German scholar of ancient languages takes a new look at the sacred book of Islam. He maintains that it was created by Syro-Aramaic speaking Christians, in order to evangelize the Arabs.

Linguistic forensic and speculative evidence. We have Muhammed's own words in various books, that do not support this. Most of us who have looked at Islam from a Christian perspective do acknowledge that it is most likely a Christian heresy on a par or surpassing most heresies in the first millennium. After all, most of the heresies in the Church came from the East during the first millennium. Perhaps early Christianity was misinterpreted by the Bedouins (who are a very small percent of the inhabitants of the Middle East and none that I know of in Iran (Persian, not Arab)).

Being in a Catholic Church that retains Syriac-Aramaic as its liturgical language, I have gained tremendous insight into the multitude of dialects spoken in the Middle East. This german scholar makes a very sound argument for how the Bible, orally transmitted to Bedouin tribes (each tribe has a different dialect), was misinterpreted.

Muhammed was the first Joseph Smith, who constructed his own religious text, for fun and profit. Islam was not a mistake, nor was it misinterpretation.