Abstract:
This article argues that Arab Christianity has had a unique place in the history of World
Christianity. Rooted in a biblical witness, the origins and history of Arab Christianity have
been largely forgotten or ignored. This is not primarily as a result of the fact that the Arab
Christian historical legacy has been overcome by Islam. Rather, unlike other early Christian
communities, the Bible was never translated into the vernacular of the Arabs. By the 7th century
the language of the Qur’an became the primary standard of the Arabic language, which
then became the written religious text of the Arabs. This article will explore the identity and
witness of the Christian presence in Arabia and claims that the development of an Arabic Bible
provides a unique counter-example to what most missiologists have assumed as the basis for
the spread of the Christian faith as a result of the translation of the Christian scriptures into a
vernacular.
