Studies on Simʿān ibn Kalīl’s Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew: critical edition, translation and researches on the religious-historical significance of the work

• Applicant: Dr. Joseph Faragalla
• Subject Area: Roman Catholic Theology
• Term: since 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 458241239

Simʿān ibn Kalīl was one of the most important Christian-Arab authors of the 12th/13th century of the Egyptian Church. His commentary on the Gospel of Matthew is the only known exegetical work on the Gospel of Matthew in the Christian Arabic literature of the Copts, the text of which has so far only been handed down or preserved in handwriting. The aim of the project is to make Simʿān ibn Kalīls commentary on the Gospel of Matthew systematically accessible to a wider public for the first time within the framework of a scientifically critical edition including a translation into German. In this way an important contribution is to be made in the field of Christian Oriental research. The critical edition is to be followed by a detailed examination, appreciation and classification of the sources of the commentary. It will identify and work out the sources of the commentary on one hand, and pursue the goal of showing parts of the commentary in other simultaneous and later works on the other hand.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants