# Georg Graf > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Georg_Graf > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Georg_Graf.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georg_Graf > Source revision: 1345894909 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|German Orientalist (1875–1955)}} {{no footnotes|date=March 2019}} {{Infobox person | name = Georg Graf | image = | alt = | caption = | birth_name = | birth_date = 15 March 1875 | birth_place = [Münsingen](/source/M%C3%BCnsingen), [Germany](/source/Germany) | death_date = 18 September 1955 | death_place = [Dillingen an der Donau](/source/Dillingen_an_der_Donau), [Germany](/source/Germany) | occupation = [German](/source/German_people) [Author](/source/Author), [Orientalist](/source/Oriental_studies), | known_for = | notable_works = ''Geschichte der christlichen arabischen Literatur'' }} '''Georg Graf''' (15 March 1875 – 18 September 1955) was a German [Orientalist](/source/oriental_studies). One of the most important scholars of Christian-Arabic literature, his 5-volume ''Geschichte der christlichen arabischen Literatur'' is the [foundational text](/source/foundational_text) in the field. ==Life== Georg Graf was born in Münsingen, Germany, in 1875. He entered the seminary of Dillingen, where he studied [Greek](/source/Greek_language), [Latin](/source/Latin_language) and [Hebrew](/source/Hebrew_language), while privately he also studied [Syriac](/source/Syriac_language) and [Arabic](/source/Arabic_language). In 1902-1903 he completed his studies at [Munich](/source/Munich), studying ancient [Egyptian](/source/Egyptian_language), [Coptic](/source/Coptic_language), [modern Greek](/source/modern_Greek_language) and later [Georgian](/source/Georgian_language). In 1903 he obtained a doctorate of [philology](/source/philology) with his thesis on Arabic-Christian literature up to the 11th century, which was published in 1905. This brought him to the attention of the founder of the journal [al-Machriq](/source/al-Machriq), [Louis Cheikhô](/source/Louis_Cheikh%C3%B4), for whom Graf held a high regard. From 1910 to 1911, he studied Christian literature at monasteries, while living in [Jerusalem](/source/Jerusalem). He also visited [Beirut](/source/Beirut) for a short stay. In 1918 Graf obtained a doctorate of theology from the [University of Freiburg](/source/University_of_Freiburg) with a monograph on [Marqus Ibn al-Qunbar](/source/Marqus_Ibn_al-Qunbar) (''Ein Reformversuch innerhalb der Koptischen Kirche im zwölften Jahrhundert''), published in 1923. Further research visits to [Egypt](/source/Egypt), [Syria](/source/Syria) and [Palestine](/source/Palestine_(region)) followed. In 1930, he was named Honorary Professor for Christian Oriental literature at the theology faculty of the [Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München](/source/Ludwig-Maximilians-Universit%C3%A4t_M%C3%BCnchen). In 1946, he was appointed a [papal](/source/papal) [chaplain](/source/chaplain). He died in [Dillingen an der Donau](/source/Dillingen_an_der_Donau) in 1955. The [tennis](/source/tennis) star [Steffi Graf](/source/Steffi_Graf) is a distant relative. ==Legacy== Graf's ''Nachlass'', (collected documents) is housed in Munich. The Centre for Christian Arabic Literature and Research in Beirut [CEDRAC](/source/CEDRAC) continues his work in the field of research. ==Geschichte der christlichen arabischen Literatur== {{Anchor|Geschichte der christlichen arabischen Literatur}} * ''Geschichte der christlichen arabischen Literatur'' ('History of Christian Arabic Literature'); abbrev. ''GCAL''. (5 vols., Vatican City, 1944–53). Graf's magnum opus covers all Arabic [Christian literature](/source/Christian_literature) up to the end of the 19th century and completes [Carl Brockelmann](/source/Carl_Brockelmann)'s ''Geschichte der arabischen Literatur'' ('History of Arabic Literature') (1908-1912) for which it was conceived as a complementary work. Five Volumes; 2,384 pages. :* Vol. 1 translations into Arabic, including the bible. :* Vol. 2 Authors (up to the mid-15th century). :* Vol. 3 Authors (mid-15th century - late-19th century); includes the [Melkites](/source/Melkites) and [Maronites](/source/Maronites). :* Vol. 4 Authors; includes Coptic, Jacobite, Nestorian, and Armenian authors. :* Vol. 5 Index. Literary encyclopedia of Arab-Christian authors, with related biographic and bibliographic material, summary of their works, editions, translations and studies, and index to the manuscripts sources. Many works listed remain unpublished and untranslated. ==Other works== Graf published over 270 books, articles and essays on the Christian orient. At the time much of the literature in Arabic remained unpublished. He was a long-term contributor to the Arabic series of the [Corpus Scriptorum Christianorum Orientalium](/source/Corpus_Scriptorum_Christianorum_Orientalium) and the journal ''[Oriens Christianus](/source/Oriens_Christianus)''. He translated a number of Arabic texts into German, including the works of [Theodore Abu-Qurrah](/source/Theodore_Abu-Qurrah). ==Bibliography== * ''Geschichte der christlichen arabischen Literatur''. Città del Vaticano, Bibliotheca Apostolica Vaticana, 1944-1953. 5 vols. * ''Die christlich-arabische Literatur: bis zur fränkischen Zeit (Ende des 11. Jahrhunderts); eine literarhistorische Skizze'', Freiburg im Breisgau, Herder 1905. - X, 74 S. (Strassburger theologische Studien; 7,1) * ''Catalogue de manuscrits arabes chrétiens conservés au Caire''. Città del Vaticano: Biblioteca apostolica vaticana, 1934. * ''Die arabischen Schriften des Theodor Abu Qurra, Bischofs von Harran (ca. 740-820'' Forschungen zur christlichen Literatur- und Dogmengeschichte, Band X, Heft 3/4, Paderborn, 1910. * ''Des Theodor Abu Kurra Traktat uber den Schopfer und die wahre Religion'', Beitrage zur Geschichte der Philosophie des Mittelalters. Texte und Untersuchungen, Band XIV, Heft 1. Munster, Westphalia, 1913. Contains German translation. ==Literature== * {{BBKL|g/graf_g|band=2|autor=Friedrich Wilhelm Bautz|spalte=282}} * [Samir Khalil Samir](/source/Samir_Khalil_Samir): ''Georg Graf (1875–1955), sa bibliographie et son rôle dans le renouveau des études arabes chrétiennes'', in: ''Oriens Christianus'' 84 (2000) 77-100. * Peter Tarras: "[https://biblia-arabica.com/a-note-on-georg-grafs-nachlass/ A Note on Georg Graf's Nachlass]". [https://biblia-arabica.com/category/blog/ ''Biblia Arabica'' Blog]. Retrieved 2018-12-04. * A related title, which supplements the entries on Maronites, is Michael Breydey, ''Geschichte der syro-arabischen Literatur der Maroniten vom VII. bis XVI. Jahrhundert''. Oplanden, Westdeutscher Verlag, 1985. ==References== {{Reflist|30em}} ==External links== * {{DNB portal|116814861|TYP=}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20080706044600/http://www.lib.umich.edu/area/MELANotes//MELANotes6970/graf.html Meryle Gaston ''Guide to Graf's "Geschichte der christlichen arabischen Literatur"''] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20070708085454/http://www.cedrac.usj.edu.lb/pres/graf.htm CEDRAC biographical article] - in French * [http://www.tertullian.org/fathers/arabic_christian_writers.htm List of writers covered in book 2 of the ''Geschichte'']. {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Graf, Georg}} Category:1875 births Category:1955 deaths Category:German orientalists Category:German Arabists Category:German male non-fiction writers --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Georg Graf](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georg_Graf) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georg_Graf?action=history)). 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