The Approach of Richard Simon (1638–1712), One of the Leading Figures of Bible Criticism to Islam

Abstract

Richard Simon, one of the pioneers of Biblical criticism did not write a monographic work on Islam. Simon's main area of interest was the critical study of biblical texts. These texts, which constitute the holy books of Christianity, have been submitted to changes over time due to multiple reasons. Starting from the fact that it was impossible to understand the Bible correctly without knowing the situations in which these texts were at different times and in different places and without shedding light on the changes that they have undergone in order to approach the original text Simon decide to tackle these problems with a historical and philological approach. These texts could not be understood without knowing the language of the most voluminous part of the Bible, that’s to say the Old Testament or Tanakh. After grasping the importance of philology in textual criticism, Simon learned not only Hebrew, but also Syriac and Arabic. As if he had heard the famous maxim of the Max Müller urging for comparison in the stud of religion two centuries earlier –“He who knows one, knows none”-, Simon realized that not only the historical approach but also the comparative approach was essential for understanding religions. His curiosity for languages and religions led him to study Islam.

He addressed the issue of Islam in the appendix of the translation to the book of the Italian Jesuit Jerôme Dandini who was sent by Pope Clement VIII as nuncio to Maronites in Lebanon. The translation’s French title is Voyage du Mont Liban. Simon added the appendix in order to correct the deficiencies in Dandini’s book. Besides Simon mentioned Islam in the fourth chapter of his work titled Additions aux recherches curieuses sur la diversité des langues et religions d’Edward Brerewood. Some circumstances prevented Simon from publishing this work. But he used the information he gathered about Islam in the fifteenth chapter of his Histoire critique de la créance et des coûtumes des nations du Levant, published in 1684. Especially in this last work, a very objective and neutral stance about Islam has been exhibited. 

Simon's approach to Islam appears to be objective and impartial. But the example of Simon also shows that doing such a thing in 17th century Europe was not an easy task. In an environment in which Islam was accepted by the majority as an enemy or at least one other, and even the rationalist thinkers such as Voltaire or Pascal adopted the rhetoric of the ’false Prophet’, Simon could draw a phenomenological picture of Islam on the basis of ethnological data.

In order to better understand what this approach -which is accepted as a simple scientific principle today- meant in the 17th century in France we have described the main lines of views and approaches related to Islam and to its Prophet at this time. The merit of Simon appears more clearly when considered through the difficulties encountered by Simon when discussing about “the religion of the enemies”. Simon has successfully preserved his unbiased approach in an environment where a very negative image of Islam dominated and where the majority of the thinker speaking and writing about this religion were profoundly attached to the rhetoric of the so called “false Prophet”.

At a time when the freedom of thought and expression was limited and a strict censorship mechanism was under way, it is noteworthy that Simon approached Islam with the principle of objectivity and impartiality. Although Islam was regarded by the majority of Europeans thinkers as an enemy, or at least as another, and in an epoch when it was seen as nearly a necessity to adopt this rhetoric, Simon managed to draw a phenomenological picture of Islam on the basis of historical and ethnological data. 

On the other hand, Simon used the comparative methode like Bartolomé de las Casas, who about a century ago by comparing the religion of America with Greek and Roman paganism argued that the religion of the indigenous people of America was superior because they worshiped the true God. Reminding that Europeans praise the moral principles of the writers of Greek and Roman paganism, Simon emphasized that the morality of Muslims who believe in one God was superior. On the basis of the fact that these religions constitute a family because Judaism, Christianity and Islam come from the same root, Simon has made it clear that the image of Islam that has been formed for centuries has made this religion unrecognizable in Europe. As a result, confronting the historical and ethnological reality of İslam with its deformed and virtual image Simon tried to explain that when the layers of lies and prejudices lying under this image would be removed Christians will find a figure that is absolutely no stranger to them. The will eventually discover their real image.

Keywords

• History of Religions,Richard Simon,Islam,Prophet Mohammad,Turk,Scienific Approach

Kitab-ı Mukaddes Eleştirisinin Öncülerinden Katolik Rahip Richard Simon’un (1638–1712) İslam’a Yaklaşımı

Abstract

Kitab-ı Mukaddes eleştirisinin öncülerinden Katolik rahip Richard Simon, İslam hakkında monografik bir eser yazmamıştır. Jerôme Dandini’nin Fransızcaya çevirdiği eserindeki eksiklikleri gidermek ve hataları düzeltmek maksadıyla kitabın ek bölümünde İslam konusuna da değinmiştir. Diğer taraftan Edward Brerewood’un kitabına yazdığı ilavelerin dördüncü bölümünde ve özellikle de Histoire critique de la créance et des coûtumes des nations du Levant adlı kitabının on beşinci bölümünde İslam’dan söz etmiştir. Oldukça olumsuz bir İslam imajının hâkim olduğu ve bu din hakkında söz söyleyenlerin büyük çoğunluğunun sözde “sahte Peygamber” retoriğine sarıldığı yaygın olan 17. yüzyıl Fransa’sında yaşayan Simon’un yapmaya çalıştığı işin zorluğu daha net görülmektedir. Düşünce ve ifade özgürlüğünün sınırlı olduğu ve sıkı bir sansür mekanizmasının işlediği bir dönemde Simon’un yine de objektif ve tarafsızlık ilkesiyle İslam’a yaklaştığı dikkat çekmektedir. İslam’ın çoğunluk tarafından bir düşman ya da en azından bir öteki olarak kabul edildiği ve sözde “sahte Peygamber” retoriğini benimsemenin adeta bir zorunluluk gibi görülmesine rağmen Simon, etnolojik verilerden hareketle fenomenolojik bir İslam tablosu çizebilmiştir. Diğer taraftan Simon, Avrupalıların Yunan ve Roma paganizmine mensup yazarların eserlerindeki ahlaki ilkeleri övmelerini hatırlatan Simon tek Tanrıya inanan Müslümanların ahlakının daha üstün olduğunu vurgulamıştır. Sonuç itibariyle Yahudilik, Hıristiyanlık ve İslam’ın aynı kökten geldikleri için bu dinlerin bir aile oluşturdukları gerçeğinden hareketle Simon, yüzyıllar boyunca meydana gelen İslam imajının bu dini Avrupa’da tanınmaz hâle getirdiğini ve bu imajın altında yatan yalan ve önyargı tabakalarının kaldırıldığında Hıristiyanların hiç de yabancısı olmadıkları bir simanın karşılarına çıkacağını anlatmaya çalışmıştır.

Keywords

• Richard Simon,Hz. Muhammed,Bilimsel Yaklaşım,Dinler Tarihi,İslam,Türk

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