É. Apor , I. Ormos (ed.): Goldziher Memorial Conference, June 21–22, 2000, Budapest.

DÉVÉNYI, Kinga: Information Exchange Before the Internet: On law aqsama alá lláh la-abarrahu in Goldziher's Correspondence

INFORMATION EXCHANGE BEFORE THE INTERNET inscriptions

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0 and in this book he acknowledged Goldziher's help in the correct interpretation of this phrase and in finding the proper references.

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1 Goldziher's answer: Goldziher replied to van Berchem's query in a letter dated 1 October 1894 followed by a postcard dated 28 January 1895.

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2 The dates of these two replies from Goldziher make the dating of van Berchem's letter quite dubious. Van Berchem and Goldziher corresponded quite regularly especially over the period when van Berchem was working on his Matériaux. His letters to Goldziher were filled with questions concerning specific inscriptions and Goldziher seems to have answered as soon as he had the necessary information. It is also evident from the letter that Goldziher hastened to send his reply. In the beginning of September 1894 Goldziher participated at the Congress of Orientalists held in Geneva where he enjoyed the hospitality of van Berchem's family.

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3 There he promised van Berchem to send him the references he had asked for concerning the inscriptions. And indeed, he sent a letter including the following passage: "Lieber Freund! Ich habe Dir versprochen, einige Notizen für deine Anmerkungen zu senden und benütze dazu den ersten ruhigen Augenblick, den ich seit meiner Ankunft in Budapest habe. Die Tradition habe ich wohl nicht aufgefunden, aber ich kann dir mittheilen, daß man mit diesen Epithetis zunächst die Pilger bezeichnet. Ja

ckübi, ed. Houtsma I, 280, 4 J^ 1 jät liLi JJAJ (seil, J'J jli) Agäni XVI 64, 4 infra wird der Pilger als r

i bezeichnet. " Evidently, he was not satisfied with the outcome of his investigations, since he did not find the hadith, but only references to the words ash

cath and aghbar. So he further investigated the relevant literature and after nearly four months he was glad to announce to van Berchem that he managed to trace the hadith. He immediately sent a postcard containing the following information: 2

0 Berchem (1903), 232-235, No. 158. 2

1 Berchem (1903), 235, fn. 4 where after the references the following phrase can be read: "Je dois ces citations á M. Goldziher, qui a bien voulu me donner, pour l'explication de ce texte, l'appui de sa haute competence philologique". 2

2 Goldziher's letters to van Berchem are kept in the Bibliothéque publique et universitaire, Geneve. 2

3 Cf. Goldziher, Tagebuch, 186. 29