The Golden Calf between Bible and Qur'an: Scripture, Polemic, and Exegesis from Late Antiquity to Islam (Oxford Studies in the Abrahamic Religions)

Description

This book explores the story of the Israelites' worship of the Golden Calf in its Jewish, Christian, and Muslim contexts, from ancient Israel to the emergence of Islam. It focuses in particular on the Qur'an's presentation of the narrative and its background in Jewish and Christian retellings of the episode from Late Antiquity. Across the centuries, the interpretation of the Calf episode underwent major changes reflecting the varying cultural, religious, and ideological contexts in which various communities used the story to legitimate their own tradition, challenge the claims of others, and delineate the boundaries between self and other. The book contributes to the ongoing reevaluation of the relationship between Bible and Qur'an, arguing for the necessity of understanding the Qur'an and Islamic interpretations of the history and narratives of ancient Israel as part of the broader biblical tradition. The Calf narrative in the Qur'an, central to the qur'anic conception of the legacy of Israel and the status of the Jews of its own time, reflects a profound engagement with the biblical account in Exodus, as well as being informed by exegetical and parascriptural traditions in circulation in the Qur'an's milieu in Late Antiquity. The book also addresses the issue of Western approaches to the Qur'an, arguing that the historical reliance of scholars and translators on classical Muslim exegesis of scripture has led to misleading conclusions about the meaning of qur'anic episodes. Title_Pages Dedication Acknowledgments Lists_of_Figures_and_Tables Note_on_Style Introduction Method_and_Context_in_the_Study_of_Bible_and_QuranThe_Calf_Narrative_as_Case_Study Biblical_BeginningsThe_Calf_of_Sinai_the_Calves_of_Jeroboam_and_the_Invention_of_Idolatry Early_Jewish_InterpretationAn_Opportunity_for_Repentance_a_Pretext_for_Polemic A_Hard_Yoke_Upon_Their_NeckPatristic_Polemic_and_Amoraic_Apologetic The_SyrianPalestinian_Milieu_in_Late_AntiquityThe_Contested_Legacy_of_Aaron_and_the_Priesthood The_Quranic_Calf_Episode_Between_Orientalism_and_Islamic_Tradition A_Living_Calf_at_SinaiReevaluating_the_Quranic_Calf_Episode Rescripting_SinaiThe_Quran_in_the_History_of_Interpretation_of_the_Calf_Episode Conclusion Bibliography Index_of_Scriptural_Citations General_Index