Luther and the Qur’an

Islam=Turks
Mavi Boncuk |

Luther and the Qur’an

This Latin translation had been prepared in Toledo by the British scholar Robert of Ketton at the request of Peter the Venerable, abbot of Cluny. Ketton had been assisted by a native Arabic speaker. In 1543 it was used for the first printed translation of the Qur’an issued by the Basel printing house of Johannes Oporinus and edited by the Zurich theologian Theodore Bibliander. It comprised three parts: the Qur’an itself; several refutations of it by prominent scholars; and a history of the Turks. The Basel Qur’an did not come about overnight. Many opposed the printing of what they considered a “dangerous and heretical” book. It is largely owed to Martin Luther that the Basel authorities finally gave their consent to the enterprise. Luther argued that knowledge of the Qur’an would only convince Christian readers of how objectionable Islam really was. The Basel Qur’an was a huge success and was reprinted in 1550. Nine years later, Pope Paul IV had it placed on the Index Librorum Prohibitorum.