Synopsis
Sponsored by the Alfred Mizzi Foundation. In his Malta Illustrata: Della Descrittione di Malta isola nel mare siciliano con le sue antichità, ed altre notitie (1647) Commendatore Fra Giovanni Francesco Abela reproduces the Latin version of the verses in chapters 27 and 28 of the “Acts of the Apostles” which narrate St Paul’s shipwreck on Malta. Abela also included an Arabic version, transcribed in Latin characters, of these verses which were sent to him by the Collegio de Propaganda Fide accompanied by a literal Latin translation prepared by Fr Domenico Magri, the author of Breve racconto del viaggio al Monte Libano (1654). This Arabic version is of particular interest because it is a translation which predates the publication, in 1651, of the Biblia Sacra Arabica by the Sacra Congregatio de Propaganda Fide. The talk will highlight the motives behind Abela’s decision to include the Arabic version in the Malta Illustrata.
Speaker: Prof. Martin Zammit
St Paul’s Shipwreck on Malta: The Arabic version in the Malta Illustrata
Speaker: Prof. Martin Zammit
Collegiate Church of St Paul Shipwreck, St Paul Street, Valletta
St Paul’s Shipwreck on Malta: The Arabic version in the Malta Illustrata