Yehuda D. Nevo
Encyclopedia
Yehuda D. Nevo b. 1932 was a Middle East
ern archeologist living in Israel
. He died after a long battle with cancer in 1992.
Nevo discovered Kufic
inscriptions in the Negev
desert in Israel
, four hundred of which were published in Ancient Arabic Inscriptions from the Negev. This led him and Judith Koren to reexamine the origins of Islam, and early Islamic history.
Nevo co-authored a work called Crossroads to Islam: The Origins of the Arab Religion and the Arab State
, with Judith Koren which presents a theory of the origins and development of the Islamic state and religion.
Some of Nevo's work is also published in the book Quest for the Historical Muhammad
, edited by Ibn Warraq
.
Ancient Arabic inscriptions from the Negev, edited by Yehuda D. Nevo, Zemira Cohen, Dalia Heftman, IPS, Negev, Israel, (1993) ISBN 965-435-001-7
Pagans and herders : a re-examination of the Negev runoff cultivation systems in the Byzantine and early Arab periods, Yehuda D. Nevo, IPS, Negev, Israel, (1991) ISBN 965-435-000-9
The Origins of the Muslim Descriptions of the Jahili Meccan Sanctuary, Journal of Near Eastern Studies, 1990, no 1
Since external evidence is necessary to corroborate a view derived solely from the Muslim
literary account, lack of such corroboration is an important argument against that account's historicity. This approach is therefore more open than the 'traditional' to acceptance of an argumentum e silentio
. For if we are ready to discount an uncorroborated report of an event, we must accept that there may be nothing with which to replace it: that the event simply did not happen. That there is no evidence for it outside of the "traditional account" thus becomes positive evidence in support of the hypothesis
that it did not happen. A striking example is the lack of evidence, outside the Muslim literature, for the view that the Arabs were Muslim at the time of the Conquest.
"Methodological Approaches to Islamic Studies" in Warraq, The Quest for the Historical Muhammad p. 425
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
ern archeologist living in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. He died after a long battle with cancer in 1992.
Nevo discovered Kufic
Kufic
Kufic is the oldest calligraphic form of the various Arabic scripts and consists of a modified form of the old Nabataean script. Its name is derived from the city of Kufa, Iraq, although it was known in Mesopotamia at least 100 years before the foundation of Kufa. At the time of the emergence of...
inscriptions in the Negev
Negev
The Negev is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The Arabs, including the native Bedouin population of the region, refer to the desert as al-Naqab. The origin of the word Neghebh is from the Hebrew root denoting 'dry'...
desert in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, four hundred of which were published in Ancient Arabic Inscriptions from the Negev. This led him and Judith Koren to reexamine the origins of Islam, and early Islamic history.
Nevo co-authored a work called Crossroads to Islam: The Origins of the Arab Religion and the Arab State
Crossroads to Islam: The Origins of the Arab Religion and the Arab State
Crossroads to Islam: The Origins of the Arab Religion and the Arab State is a book by archaeologist Yehuda D. Nevo and researcher Judith Koren...
, with Judith Koren which presents a theory of the origins and development of the Islamic state and religion.
Some of Nevo's work is also published in the book Quest for the Historical Muhammad
Quest for the Historical Muhammad
The Quest for the Historical Muhammad, edited by Ibn Warraq, is an anthology of 15 studies examining the origins of Islam and the Qur'an. The contributors argue that traditional Islamic accounts of its history and the origins of the Qur'an are fictitious and based on historical revisionism aimed at...
, edited by Ibn Warraq
Ibn Warraq
Ibn Warraq is the pen name of a polemical author of Pakistani origin who is critical of Islam, and who founded the Institute for the Secularisation of Islamic Society . He is a senior research fellow at the Center for Inquiry focusing on Qur'anic criticism...
.
Quote
Crossroads to Islam : the origins of the Arab religion and the Arab state, Yehuda D. Nevo and Judith Koren, Prometheus Books, Amherst, NY, (2003) ISBN 1-59102-083-2Ancient Arabic inscriptions from the Negev, edited by Yehuda D. Nevo, Zemira Cohen, Dalia Heftman, IPS, Negev, Israel, (1993) ISBN 965-435-001-7
Pagans and herders : a re-examination of the Negev runoff cultivation systems in the Byzantine and early Arab periods, Yehuda D. Nevo, IPS, Negev, Israel, (1991) ISBN 965-435-000-9
The Origins of the Muslim Descriptions of the Jahili Meccan Sanctuary, Journal of Near Eastern Studies, 1990, no 1
Since external evidence is necessary to corroborate a view derived solely from the Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
literary account, lack of such corroboration is an important argument against that account's historicity. This approach is therefore more open than the 'traditional' to acceptance of an argumentum e silentio
Argument from silence
The argument from silence is generally a conclusion based on silence of opponent, failing to give evidence. In the field of classical studies, it often refers to the deduction from the lack of references to a subject in the available writings of an author to the conclusion that he was ignorant of it...
. For if we are ready to discount an uncorroborated report of an event, we must accept that there may be nothing with which to replace it: that the event simply did not happen. That there is no evidence for it outside of the "traditional account" thus becomes positive evidence in support of the hypothesis
Hypothesis
A hypothesis is a proposed explanation for a phenomenon. The term derives from the Greek, ὑποτιθέναι – hypotithenai meaning "to put under" or "to suppose". For a hypothesis to be put forward as a scientific hypothesis, the scientific method requires that one can test it...
that it did not happen. A striking example is the lack of evidence, outside the Muslim literature, for the view that the Arabs were Muslim at the time of the Conquest.
"Methodological Approaches to Islamic Studies" in Warraq, The Quest for the Historical Muhammad p. 425
Books
- Crossroads to Islam : the origins of the Arab religion and the Arab state, Yehuda D. Nevo and Judith Koren, Prometheus Books, Amherst, NY, (2003) ISBN 1-59102-083-2
- The Origins of the Muslim Descriptions of the Jahili Meccan Sanctuary Journal of Near Eastern Studies, 1990, no 1
- Ancient Arabic inscriptions from the Negev, edited by Yehuda D. Nevo, Zemira Cohen, Dalia Heftman, IPS, Negev, Israel, (1993) ISBN 965-435-001-7
- Pagans and herders : a re-examination of the Negev runoff cultivation systems in the Byzantine and early Arab periods, Yehuda D. Nevo, IPS, Negev, Israel, (1991) ISBN 965-435-000-9