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John Wansbrough is famous for his theory, outlined in his book Quranic Studies, that the Qur'an was actually the product of a Jewish apocalyptic community and composed by many hands. This theory, unsurprisingly, has not been popular with Muslims. But unlike other people, for example Salman Rushdie, Wansbrough was not driven into hiding, and his book was not burned. In fact, most of the reaction to Wansbrough's theories is not found in direct response to his work, but in response to other people, usually stupid people, attempting to summarize his work. Why is his original study out of reach?
Because his books are insanely dense.
WALL OF TEXT
Here is the actual Page 1 of Quranic Studies.
REVELATION AND CANON
I. THE DOCUMENTONCE separated from an extensive corpus of prophetical logia, the Islamic revelation became scripture and in time, starting from the fact itself of literary stabilization, was seen to contain a logical structure of its own. By the very achievement of canonicity the document of revelation was assured a kind of independence, both of historical traditions commonly adduced to explain its existence and of external criteria recruited to facilitate its understanding. But the elaborate and imposing edifice of classical Quranic scholarship is hardly monolithic, and discernible lines of cleavage correspond to the number of options left open to the must fundamental lines of inquiry. Both formally and conceptually, Muslim scripture drew upon a traditional stock of monotheistic imagery, which may be described as schemata of revelation. Analysis of the Quranic application of these shows that they have been adapted to the essentially paranetic character of that document, and that, for example, originally narrative material was reduced almost invariably to a series of discrete and parabolic utterances. An illustration is Surat Yusuf, often cited as a single instance of complete and sustained narrative in the Qur'an. In fact, without benefit of exegesis the Quranic story of Joseph is anything but clear, a consequence in part of its elliptical presentation and in part of the occasional allusion to extra-Biblical tradition, e.g., verses 24, 67, 77. It may, indeed, be supposed that the public for whom Muslim scripture was intended could be expected to supply the missing detail. A distinctly referential, as contrasted with expository, style characterizes Quranic treatment of most of what I have alluded to as schemata of revelation, exhibited there as components of earlier established literary types. The technique by which a theme is repeatedly signalled but seldom developed may be observed from an examination in their Quranic form of those themes traditionally associated with literature of prophetical expression. Not merely the principal themes, but also the rhetorical conventions by which they are linked and in which they are clothed, the variant traditions in which they have been preserved, as well as the incidence of exegetical gloss and linguistic assimilation, comprise the areas of investigation undertaken in the first part of these studies.
Analysis
If John Wansbrough knew how to write he could have started a fire in the world of religious studies. Let's see what he's trying to say.
- Once separated from an extensive corpus of prophetical logia, the Islamic revelation became scripture and in time, starting from the fact itself of literary stabilization, was seen to contain a logical structure of its own.
The Qur'an's structure is imagined by Muslims; it was artificially standardized.
- By the very achievement of canonicity the document of revelation was assured a kind of independence, both of historical traditions commonly adduced to explain its existence and of external criteria recruited to facilitate its understanding.
Explanations were invented after the fact.
- But the elaborate and imposing edifice of classical Quranic scholarship is hardly monolithic, and discernible lines of cleavage correspond to the number of options left open to the must fundamental lines of inquiry.
But these explanations cannot be taken at face value because the text does not appear to have been arranged in the way Muslims say it has.
- Both formally and conceptually, Muslim scripture drew upon a traditional stock of monotheistic imagery, which may be described as schemata of revelation. Analysis of the Quranic application of these shows that they have been adapted to the essentially paranetic character of that document, and that, for example, originally narrative material was reduced almost invariably to a series of discrete and parabolic utterances.
The Qur'an assumes knowledge of stuff that isn't in the Qur'an in the course of laying out the law.
- An illustration is Surat Yusuf, often cited as a single instance of complete and sustained narrative in the Qur'an. In fact, without benefit of exegesis the Quranic story of Joseph is anything but clear, a consequence in part of its elliptical presentation and in part of the occasional allusion to extra-Biblical tradition, e.g., verses 24, 67, 77. It may, indeed, be supposed that the public for whom Muslim scripture was intended could be expected to supply the missing detail.
Even the best story in the Qur'an, Surat Yusuf, is incomplete and an uninitiated reader needs a guiding hand to understand it.
- A distinctly referential, as contrasted with expository, style characterizes Quranic treatment of most of what I have alluded to as schemata of revelation, exhibited there as components of earlier established literary types.
Unlike the Torah and Gospels, the Qur'an does not tell stories but remind people of stories in order to make a point.
- The technique by which a theme is repeatedly signalled but seldom developed may be observed from an examination in their Quranic form of those themes traditionally associated with literature of prophetical expression. Not merely the principal themes, but also the rhetorical conventions by which they are linked and in which they are clothed, the variant traditions in which they have been preserved, as well as the incidence of exegetical gloss and linguistic assimilation, comprise the areas of investigation undertaken in the first part of these studies.
In fact, all the evidence points to this. Let's take a look.
(I am not going to bother to translate page 2, because at that point he starts quoting huge gobs of Arabic.)