The first postIslamic gospel in Arabic

The Miaphysite antipatriarch of Antioch was John III who came from the monastery of Eusebona. This was Syriac territory and John would communicate with his metropolitan at Takrit in that language. The Syrians knew John as "Sedra", the composer of prayers. As an Antiochene he was also a student of Greek; and soon enough he needed to find his way into Arabic.

Mar John is famed among Islamicists mainly for his interview with an amir who knows only one Scripture... Torah. Dionysius of Tel Mahre further records a Gospel (singular!) which Mar John ordered translated into, er, "ʿAqulic" (Kufic?) Arabic. The specifics are in my opinion best transcribed by the 1234 Chronicle either from Dionysius or else directly, from this gospel's introduction and dedication to ʿAmr bin Saʿd (actual name ʿUmayr - Palmer, 169-71). Authentic or not.

Last year I wondered if here be the Arabic harmony which most ascribe to Diatesseron; but which follows also Dura-Europos. John would dismiss Diatesseron proper, as associated with the Orient and even with Marcionists; but one might allow a "corrected" edition. Miaphysites in Syriac were never the strongest partisans of the Peshitta, either. Sean Anthony pondered instead Palaestina. To that, I ask which Miaphysite translators would start from a Melkite and Jewish form of Aramaic. I further wonder what Imam Qâsim's gospel-Aramaic looked like.

The state of Arabic interface with the Aramaics in Christian use is, admittedly, difficult; mostly known (if that) from the Hadith. Zuhri and Ibn Ishaq dealt with Palaestinian texts, lections anyway. Other Muslims dealt with Syriac.

If Miaphysites could commission an Arabic Gospel, could not - also - the Melkites? I would even ask if the Melkites got out there first, having taken to Arabic first as Christians (although their translation of the Bible was sporadic at first). The had-qnoma would then be reacting to their Melkite neighbours as they accumulated a Christian Arabic library. So the Gospel translation might be John's - but, more-likely, not. Whoever did it, Miaphysites using an Arabic Gospel composed this legend, to ascribe it to the saint.