The Challenge of Translating Theological Terminology into Arabic

The task of translating Christian theological texts into Arabic presents a unique set of challenges that distinguish it from ordinary translation work. The Arabic language, while rich and precise, carries a predominantly Islamic theological heritage — and many of the most important theological terms in Arabic have been shaped, colored, or even captured by Islamic usage.

The Problem of Lexical Overlap

Consider the word *Allāh*. In Arabic, this is simply the word for "God" — any God, not specifically the God of Islam. Arabic-speaking Christians have used it for centuries. And yet, in the minds of many contemporary readers, *Allāh* carries an Islamic connotation that can distort the theological register of a Christian text.

This is not an isolated problem. Terms for "revelation," "scripture," "prayer," "faith," and "grace" all have Arabic equivalents — but those equivalents come burdened with Islamic semantic history. The translator must decide whether to use them (risking confusion), coin new terms (risking artificiality), or recover older Christian Arabic usage (requiring enormous historical scholarship).

The CCTR Approach

CCTR has adopted a threefold approach to this challenge:

First, we draw on the rich tradition of Coptic and early Arabic Christian literature. The Egyptian Church was writing theology in Arabic long before the Islamization of the region was complete, and a substantial Christian Arabic theological vocabulary was developed between the 9th and 13th centuries. Where possible, we recover and standardize this vocabulary.

Second, where the classical vocabulary is insufficient or has fallen out of use, we coin new terms on classical Arabic roots, following the methods of Arabic linguistic renewal (*iḥyāʾ*) practiced by 19th and 20th-century Arab scholars.

Third, we maintain a living glossary — the CCTR Theological Lexicon — which documents every terminological decision with full scholarly justification. This is published alongside each translated volume.

Case Study: The Word "Grace"

The Greek *charis* and Latin *gratia* denote the free, unmerited favor of God in salvation. In Arabic, the standard equivalent is *niʿma*, which can mean "blessing," "favor," or "gift." But *niʿma* in Islamic usage typically refers to God's general bounty in creation — not the specific redemptive grace of Christian soteriology.

After extensive consultation, CCTR adopted *al-nāʿima al-ilāhiyya* (divine grace) for Pauline contexts, with *al-ʿaṭāʾ al-mājānī* (the free gift) in contexts emphasizing the unmerited character of salvation. Each usage is flagged in footnotes with a terminological note.

Conclusion

There is no shortcut to good theological translation. It requires not only command of the source language but deep familiarity with the history of the target language — including its theological history, its contested terms, and its available resources for renewal. CCTR is committed to this work at every level.