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 Latintranslation of the Quran |
Juan Gabriel of Teruel (also spelledJoan Gabriel; Latin name:Iohannes Gabriel Terrolensis; former Muslim name:Alí Alayzar) was a Spanish convert from Islam to Christianity known fortranslating the Quran into Latin during the early 16th century.
Juan Gabriel was born sometime during the mid-15th century, likely inTeruel. He may have been theFaqīh (Spanish:Alfaquí) ofTeruel during the 15th century, but was likely forced to convert to Christianity in 1502 due to theforced 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 forGiles 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 ofEl Escorial in Spain. Colville later brought his manuscript toMilan. Today, it is archived at theBiblioteca 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 ofAl-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."