Qur’ānic Letter versus Spirit: Approaches to the Qur’ān in Kitāb Usṭāt al-rāhib and Masāʾil wa-ajwiba ʿaqliyya wa-ilāhiyya

Christians in the Middle East read, interpreted, and quoted the Qur’ān to find confirmation of their beliefs, in response to Muslim critique of Christianity. This paper analyzes the approaches of two Arab Christian thinkers, whose works are unedited. The first, Eustathius the Monk, challenges the consistency of Islamic views on the “Word of God” by means of the very text of the Qur’ān. The second author, an anonymous Palestinian monk, integrates the Qur’ān in a long list of writings of which he claims they reveal the truth of Christianity, albeit unknowingly. The two authors’ creativity and apologetic ingenuity are highlighted here.