{"id":1294,"date":"2014-08-20T10:32:40","date_gmt":"2014-08-20T14:32:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/?page_id=1294"},"modified":"2014-12-24T16:07:11","modified_gmt":"2014-12-24T21:07:11","slug":"course-syllabus","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/course-materials\/rels-40005000-contextualizing-the-quran\/course-syllabus\/","title":{"rendered":"Course Syllabus"},"content":{"rendered":"

RELS 4000\/5000
\nSeminar in Religious Studies: Contextualizing the Qur\u2019\u0101n
\nW 3:30-6:15
\nDr. John C. Reeves
\nMacy 204B
\nOffice hours: W 2:30-3:30; F 2:00-3:00; or by appointment
\njcreeves@uncc.edu<\/a>
\nhttp:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Course description<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Scholars have often used the appearance of Islam in the Mediterranean world of the seventh century as a marker of rupture signaling the violent demise of the classical societies of antiquity and the onset of what the West terms the \u2018Dark Ages,\u2019 an era when learning and \u2018civilized life\u2019 were supposedly supplanted by barbarism and fanaticism. We by contrast will study the emergence of Islam in the Near East in terms of its manifold ideological continuities with the monotheistic currents flowing through Roman, Iranian, Aksumite, and South Arabian religious communities in the sixth and seventh centuries of the Common Era.\u00a0 Early Islamic discourse and practice exemplifies the hegemony of what might be termed an \u2018Abrahamic idiom\u2019 of cultural expression; i.e., an articulation of one\u2019s cultural identity in terms of an ethnic or religious association with the characters, locales, practices, and ideas found in and promoted by the various forms of Bible circulating within and beyond the Roman Empire during roughly the first half of the first millennium CE.\u00a0 Much of our work in this course will involve a close comparative exploration of the way Bible and Qur\u2019\u0101n render shared characters and narrative scenarios. We will juxtapose, isolate, and analyze their similarities and differences with a view toward unpacking their broader significance.\u00a0 Figures of prominent interest include but will not necessarily be limited to Adam, Satan\/Ibl\u012bs, Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Elijah, Jesus, and of course Mu\u1e25ammad himself. \u00a0Careful attention will also be given to the cultural issues surrounding the generation and promulgation of competing character profiles within kindred scriptures, as well as to the development of textuality as a marker of authority.<\/p>\n

Warning<\/em>: In this class you may hear or read ideas which will disturb, shock, dismay, or outrage you, and you will be compelled to think using methodological paradigms which you may deem troubling, wrong-headed, blasphemous, or even sacrilegious. If you think you might be uncomfortable in this situation, then this is definitely not the class for you.\u00a0 On the other hand, if you think you can suspend your uncritical attachments to certain notions about scriptures, their meaning, and the circumstances surrounding their production, then you will undoubtedly learn a great deal about the historical and cultural matrices betwixt which Judaism, Christianity, and Islam arose and flourished.<\/p>\n

Texts<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The following textbooks are required<\/strong> for this course:<\/p>\n

M. A. S. Abdel Haleem, The Qur\u2019an: A New Translation<\/em> (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004).<\/p>\n

Michael Cook, The Koran: A Very Short Introduction<\/em> (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000).<\/p>\n

Fred M. Donner, Muhammad and the Believers: At the Origins of Islam<\/em> (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2010).<\/p>\n

Sidney H. Griffith, The Bible in Arabic: The Scriptures of the \u201cPeople of the Book\u201d in the Language of Islam<\/em> (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2013).<\/p>\n

Any responsible western language translation of Bible, including the so-called Apocrypha.\u00a0 Web links to the KJV and RSV versions are available on the course website.<\/p>\n

A number of supplementary readings may be assigned or distributed by the instructor as needed.<\/p>\n

Course requirements<\/strong><\/h3>\n

a. Diligent <\/em>attendance and preparation<\/em>. Almost perfect attendance (see below) is an essential requirement for this course. Each class meeting builds upon the knowledge gained and queried during our previous meetings.\u00a0 Moreover, group study\/discussion comprises practically the entirety of every class session.\u00a0 Preparation for class usually involves the completion of a set of required readings; brief written assignment(s) or lexical investigations are almost always tied to these readings.\u00a0 Individual students may sometimes be asked (without prior notice) to initiate and guide our collective examination and discussion of the weekly topics.\u00a0 Students are expected to contribute in an informed manner to the public analysis and discussion of any assigned topic, and the instructor reserves the right to administer occasional unannounced \u2018pop-quizzes\u2019 should he deem the situation so warrants.\u00a0 The instructor\u2019s collective assessment of one\u2019s attendance, apparent class preparation, oral contributions, and any pop-quiz scores will constitute 20% of the final course grade.<\/p>\n

b. Take-home written exercises<\/em>.\u00a0 An indeterminate number of written exercises (usually one per week) will be prepared and submitted for in-class discussion and out-of-class evaluation. These exercises vary in length from less than one (1) to a maximum of five (5) typewritten or electronically printed pages. Some of these may be keyed to the secondary reading assignments for each class, and will contain a brief summary and analysis of the main arguments or points made by each author. All of these exercises will be announced and explained by the instructor during the course of or at the conclusion of a class meeting. \u00a0The instructor\u2019s evaluation of the student\u2019s collective written exercise performance (based on the scale \u221a+ = A-; \u221a = C+ for undergrads; B- for grads; \u221a- = D for undergrads; C for grads) will comprise 40% of the course grade.<\/p>\n

c. Research project<\/em>. One (1) formal research project will be presented in oral and written form (at least 15 double-spaced pages, exclusive of notes and list of sources) that focuses upon a particular topic relevant to the study of the late antique cultural and scriptural dimensions of Islam. After a close reading of primary and secondary sources and in consultation with the instructor, the student should select a topic of individual interest that permits such an extended exposition, analysis, and\/or evaluation.\u00a0 The project will be presented orally (approximately 15 minutes) during the final class meeting (Wednesday, December 3); the formal written version of the papers must be submitted to the instructor by 12:00 PM on Monday, December 8.\u00a0 The research project accounts for 40% of the course grade.<\/p>\n

d. Zakhor<\/em> (Remember!): Mastery of the assigned readings, the timely completion of all assignments, and diligent class attendance are necessary prerequisites for the successful completion of this course. Each student is responsible for all lectures, class discussions, hand-outs, assignments, and announcements, whether or not s\/he is present when they occur.<\/p>\n

Miscellaneous information<\/strong><\/h3>\n

a. The grading scale used in this course is as follows:<\/p>\n

91-95+\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 =\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 demonstrable mastery of material\u2014outstanding performance<\/p>\n

81-90\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 B\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 =\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 some demonstrable proficiency in control & analysis<\/p>\n

71-80\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0C\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 =\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 satisfactory performance of assignments<\/p>\n

61-70\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0D\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 =\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 inadequate and\/or faulty understanding of material<\/p>\n

0-70\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0F\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 =\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 unacceptable college-level work<\/p>\n

Graduate students are graded using a scale of A, B, C, and U. A grade of \u2018C\u2019 for a graduate student is equivalent to that of a \u2018D\u2019 for undergraduates; \u2018U\u2019 signals unacceptable graduate-level work.<\/p>\n

b. One of the requirements of this course is to complete the work of the course on time. Sometimes there are legitimate reasons for late work\u2014an illness or other emergency.\u00a0 \u2018Emergency,\u2019 however, does not include your social involvements, travel plans, job schedule, disk and\/or printer failures, the state of your love life, your obligations to other courses, or general malaise over the state of the world.\u00a0 The world has been in a mess as long as anyone can remember, and most of the world\u2019s work is done by people whose lives are a mass of futility and discontent.\u00a0 If you haven\u2019t learned yet, you had better learn now to work under the conditions of the world as it is.\u00a0 Therefore<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

1) All missing work is averaged as a 0 in the computation of the course grade.<\/p>\n

2) All written work falls due on the dates scheduled in the syllabus, or on the date announced by the instructor in class (usually the next class meeting). \u2018Late\u2019 work will not be accepted from those who were privy to its oral evaluation and discussion (i.e., you were present while we \u2018went over it\u2019 but you neglected to do it beforehand).\u00a0 In the event of one\u2019s absence, \u2018late\u2019 submissions bear the following penalties: one day late\/one letter grade; two days late\/two letter grades; three or more days late\/U. Please note: these \u2018days\u2019 are calendar days, not class meeting days.\u00a0 For accounting purposes, letter grades bear the following values: A=95; A-=92; B+=88; B=85; B-=82; C+=78; C=75; C-=72; D=65; F\/U=35.\u00a0 Untyped exercises, seminar papers, or research projects automatically receive the grade F\/U, as do those typed submissions which violate required parameters or which the instructor deems physically or grammatically substandard.<\/p>\n

3) Since your diligent physical participation is critical for the success of this course, attendance at class meetings will be monitored by the instructor. One absence is regrettable; two absences are the limit of tolerability. Three (3) or more absences will result in an automatic U for the course<\/span>.\u00a0 Please note that\u2014with the exception of religious holidays\u2014the instructor does not distinguish \u2018excused\u2019 from \u2018unexcused\u2019 absences.\u00a0 Unsanctioned late arrivals and early departures will be tallied as absences.<\/p>\n

4) Policy regarding Audits: the instructor expects auditors (whether formally enrolled as such or not) to meet the same attendance, preparation, and oral participation standards as those students who are taking the course for credit.\u00a0 The instructor does not expect auditors to prepare and submit any written assignments.<\/p>\n

c. Assistance and solicitation of criticism is your right as a member of the class. It is not a privilege to be granted or withheld.\u00a0 Do not hesitate to request it nor wait too late in the course for it to be of help.<\/p>\n

Supplemental bibliography<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In response to student requests for recommendations regarding useful and enlightening discussions of certain topics, themes, and personalities that are presented in class and\/or readings, I offer the following suggestions for further study at the student\u2019s leisure. I confine myself to materials which I myself have used with profit.\u00a0 Please note that some of these may not be currently available at Atkins Library.<\/p>\n

It is often helpful for the student to begin with appropriate articles in the standard Bible dictionaries. The most up to date are The New Interpreter\u2019s Dictionary of the Bible<\/em> (5 vols.; ed. Katherine Doob Sakenfeld; Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2006-09) and The Anchor Bible Dictionary<\/em> (6 vols.; New York: Doubleday, 1992).\u00a0 Dated but still reliable are The Interpreters\u2019 Dictionary of the Bible<\/em> (4 vols.) and its Supplementary Volume<\/em> (ed. George A. Buttrick; Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1962 & 1976), and the Harper\u2019s Bible Dictionary<\/em> (ed. Paul J. Achtemeier; San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1985). \u00a0Highly recommended are the relevant articles in the new Encyclopaedia Judaica<\/em> (22 vols.; Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA\/Thomson Gale, 2007), the Encyclopaedia of Islam<\/em> (2d ed.; 11 vols.; Leiden: Brill, 1954-2002), the Encyclopaedia of the Qur\u2019\u0101n<\/em> (6 vols.; ed. Jane Dammen McAuliffe; Leiden: Brill, 2001-06), and The Qur\u2019\u0101n: An Encyclopedia<\/em> (ed. Oliver Leaman; London and New York: Routledge, 2006).<\/p>\n

Important scholarly journals wherein critical articles devoted to the study of Qur\u2019\u0101n and its interpretation can be found include Arabica<\/em>, Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies<\/em>, Jerusalem Studies in Arabic and Islam<\/em>, Journal of Near Eastern Studies<\/em>, Journal of Qur\u2019anic Studies<\/em>, Journal of Semitic Studies<\/em>, Journal of the American Oriental Society<\/em>, Muslim World<\/em>, and Studia Islamica<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Modern Critical Introductions to Qur\u2019\u0101n and Qur\u2019\u0101nic Studies<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Richard Bell, Introduction to the Qur\u2019\u0101n<\/em> (Edinburgh: University Press, 1958).<\/p>\n

Farid Esack, The Qur\u2019an: A Short Introduction<\/em> (Oxford: Oneworld, 2002).<\/p>\n

G. R. Hawting and Abdul-Kader A. Shareef, eds., Approaches to the Qur\u2019\u0101n<\/em> (London & New York: Routledge, 1993).<\/p>\n

Jane Dammen McAuliffe, ed., The Cambridge Companion to the Qur\u2019\u0101n<\/em> (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006).<\/p>\n

Angelika Neuwirth, Nicolai Sinai, and Michael Marx, eds., The Qur\u2019\u0101n in Context: Historical and Literary Investigations into the Qur\u2019\u0101nic Milieu <\/em>(Leiden: Brill, 2011).<\/p>\n

Theodor N\u00f6ldeke, et al., The History of the Qur\u2019\u0101n<\/em> (trans. Wolfgang H. Bein; Leiden: Brill, 2013).<\/p>\n

Gabriel Said Reynolds, ed., The Qur\u2019\u0101n in its Historical Context<\/em> (London and New York: Routledge, 2008).<\/p>\n

______, ed., New Perspectives on the Qur\u2019\u0101n: The Qur\u2019\u0101n in its Historical Context 2<\/em> (London and New York: Routledge, 2011).<\/p>\n

Andrew Rippin, ed., Approaches to the History of the Interpretation of the Qur\u2019\u0101n<\/em> (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1988).<\/p>\n

______, ed., The Blackwell Companion to the Qur\u2019\u0101n<\/em> (Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, 2006).<\/p>\n

______, ed., The Qur\u2019\u0101n: Formative Interpretation<\/em> (Brookland, Vt.: Ashgate, 1999).<\/p>\n

John Wansbrough, Quranic Studies: Sources and Methods of Scriptural Interpretation<\/em> (Oxford, 1977; repr., Amherst, N.Y.: Prometheus Books, 2004).<\/p>\n

______, The Sectarian Milieu: Content and Composition of Islamic Salvation History<\/em> (Oxford, 1978; repr., Amherst, N.Y.: Prometheus Books, 2006).<\/p>\n

W. Montgomery Watt (ed.), Bell\u2019s Introduction to the Qur\u2019\u0101n<\/em> (rev. ed.; Edinburgh: University Press, 1970).<\/p>\n

More on Qur\u2019\u0101n Texts, Editorial Issues, and Manuscripts<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Sheila S. Blair, \u201cTranscribing God\u2019s Word: Qur\u2019an Codices in Context,\u201d Journal of Qur\u2019anic Studies<\/em> 10 (2008): 71-97.<\/p>\n

Fred M. Donner, \u201cThe Qur\u2019\u0101n in Recent Scholarship: Challenges and Desiderata,\u201d in Gabriel Said Reynolds, ed., The Qur\u2019\u0101n in Its Historical Context<\/em> (London and New York: Routledge, 2008), 29-50.<\/p>\n

Hossein Modaressi, \u201cEarly Debates on the Integrity of the Qur\u2019\u0101n: A Brief Survey,\u201d Studia Islamica<\/em> 77 (1993): 5-39.<\/p>\n

Harald Motzki, \u201cThe Collection of the Qur\u2019\u0101n: A Reconsideration of Western Views in Light of Recent Methodological Developments,\u201d Der Islam<\/em> 78 (2001): 1-34.<\/p>\n

Angelika Neuwirth, \u201cQur\u2019an and History \u2013 A Disputed Relationship: Some Reflections on Qur\u2019anic History and History in the Qur\u2019an,\u201d Journal of Qur\u2019anic Studies<\/em> 5 (2003): 1-18.<\/p>\n

Theodore N\u00f6ldeke, \u201cThe Koran,\u201d in idem, Sketches from Eastern History<\/em> (trans. John Sutherland Black; London & Edinburgh: Adam and Charles Black, 1892), 21-59.<\/p>\n

Behnam Sadeghi and Uwe Bergmann, \u201cThe Codex of a Companion of the Prophet and the Qur\u2019\u0101n of the Prophet,\u201d Arabica<\/em> 57 (2010): 343-436.<\/p>\n

Estelle Whelan, \u201cForgotten Witness: Evidence for the Early Codification of the Qur\u2019\u0101n,\u201d Journal of the American Oriental Society<\/em> 118 (1998): 1-14.<\/p>\n

Orientation to Historical Issues Surrounding the Rise of Islam<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Aziz Al-Azmeh, The Emergence of Islam in Late Antiquity: All\u0101h and His People<\/em> (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2014).<\/p>\n

Tor Andrae, Mohammed: The Man and his Faith<\/em> (trans. Theophil Menzel; New York, 1936; repr., New York: Harper & Row, 1960).<\/p>\n

Jonathan P. Berkey, The Formation of Islam: Religion and Society in the Near East, 600-1800<\/em> (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003).\u00a0 See esp. pp. 3-101.<\/p>\n

G. W. Bowersock, \u201cPolytheism and Monotheism in Arabia and the Three Palestines,\u201d Dumbarton Oaks Papers<\/em> 51 (1997): 1-10.<\/p>\n

G. W. Bowersock, Peter Brown, and Oleg Grabar, eds., Late Antiquity: A Guide to the Postclassical World<\/em> (Cambridge, Mass. & London: Harvard University Press, 1999).<\/p>\n

Jonathan E. Brockopp, ed., The Cambridge Companion to Mu\u1e25ammad<\/em> (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010).<\/p>\n

Peter Brown, \u201cChristianity in Asia and the Rise of Islam,\u201d in his The Rise of Western Christendom: Triumph and Adversity, A.D. 200-1000<\/em> (2d ed.; Oxford: Blackwell, 2003), 267-94.<\/p>\n

______, \u201cThe Changing of the Kingdoms: Christians under Islam,\u201d in his The Rise of Western Christendom2<\/sup><\/em>, 295-320.<\/p>\n

______, The World of Late Antiquity: AD 150-750<\/em> (London: Thames and Hudson, 1971).<\/p>\n

Heribert Busse, \u201cThe Sanctity of Jerusalem in Islam,\u201d Judaism<\/em> 17 (1968): 441-68.<\/p>\n

Averil Cameron, \u201cBlaming the Jews: The Seventh-Century Invasions of Palestine in Context,\u201d Travaux et m\u00e9moires<\/em> 14 (2002): 57-78.<\/p>\n

______, \u201cThe Jews in Seventh-Century Palestine,\u201d Scripta Classica Israelica<\/em> 13 (1994): 74-93.<\/p>\n

Lawrence I. Conrad, \u201cThe Arabs,\u201d in The Cambridge Ancient History, Volume XIV: Late Antiquity: Empire and Successors, A.D. 425-600<\/em> (ed. Averil Cameron, Bryan Ward-Perkins, and Michael Whitby; Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000), 678-700.<\/p>\n

Michael Cook, Muhammad<\/em> (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1983).<\/p>\n

Patricia Crone, \u201cThe Religion of the Qur\u2019\u0101nic Pagans: God and the Lesser Deities,\u201d Arabica<\/em> 57 (2010): 151-200.<\/p>\n

______, \u201cWhat do we actually know about Mohammed?\u201d www.openDemocracy.net<\/a>, 31 August 2006.<\/p>\n

Patricia Crone and Michael A. Cook, Hagarism: The Making of the Islamic World<\/em> (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1977).<\/p>\n

Touraj Daryaee, \u201cThe Persian Gulf Trade in Late Antiquity,\u201d Journal of World History<\/em> 14 (2003): 1-16.<\/p>\n

Fred M. Donner, \u201cFrom Believers to Muslims: Confessional Self-Identity in the Early Islamic Community,\u201d al-Ab\u1e25\u0101th<\/em> 50-51 (2003): 9-53.<\/p>\n

______, \u201cModern Approaches to Early Islamic History,\u201d in Chase F. Robinson, ed., The New Cambridge History of Islam, Volume 1: The Formation of the Islamic World, Sixth to Eleventh Centuries<\/em> (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010), 625-47.<\/p>\n

Clive Foss, \u201cSyria in Transition, A.D. 550-750: An Archaeological Approach,\u201d Dumbarton Oaks Papers<\/em> 51 (1997): 189-269.<\/p>\n

Garth Fowden, Before and After Mu\u1e25ammad: The First Millennium Refocused<\/em> (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2014).<\/p>\n

G. R. Hawting, The Idea of Idolatry and the Emergence of Islam: From Polemic to History<\/em> (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999).<\/p>\n

Jeremy Johns, \u201cArchaeology and the History of Early Islam: The First Seventy Years,\u201d Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient <\/em>46 (2003): 411-36.<\/p>\n

G. R. D. King, \u201cThe Paintings of the Pre-Islamic Ka\u2018ba,\u201d Muqarnas<\/em> 21 (2004): 219-29.<\/p>\n

Michael Lecker, \u201cZayd b. Th\u0101bit, \u2018A Jew with Two Sidelocks\u2019: Judaism and Literacy in Pre-Islamic Medina (Yathrib),\u201d Journal of Near Eastern Studies<\/em> 56 (1997): 259-73.<\/p>\n

D. S. Margoliouth, Mohammed and the Rise of Islam<\/em> (3d ed.; New York & London: G. P. Putnam\u2019s Sons, 1905).<\/p>\n

Fergus Millar, \u201cEmpire, Community and Culture in the Roman Near East: Greeks, Syrians, Jews and Arabs,\u201d Journal of Jewish Studies<\/em> 38 (1987): 143-64.<\/p>\n

Michael G. Morony, \u201cEconomic Boundaries? Late Antiquity and Early Islam,\u201d Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient <\/em>47 (2004): 166-94.<\/p>\n

F. E. Peters, \u201cThe Quest of the Historical Muhammad,\u201d International Journal of Middle Eastern Studies<\/em> 23 (1991): 291-315.<\/p>\n

David S. Powers, Mu\u1e25ammad is Not the Father of Any of Your Men: The Making of the Last Prophet<\/em> (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2009).<\/p>\n

______, Zayd<\/em> (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2014).<\/p>\n

Chase F. Robinson, \u201cEarly Islamic History: Parallels and Problems,\u201d Proceedings of the British Academy<\/em> 143 (2007): 91-106.<\/p>\n

______, \u201cThe Ideological Uses of Early Islam,\u201d Past & Present<\/em> 203 (2009): 205-28.<\/p>\n

______, \u201cThe Rise of Islam, 600-705,\u201d in Chase F. Robinson, ed., The New Cambridge History of Islam, Volume 1: The Formation of the Islamic World, Sixth to Eleventh Centuries<\/em> (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010), 173-225.<\/p>\n

Uri Rubin, \u201c\u1e24an\u012bfiyya<\/em> and Ka\u2018ba: An Inquiry into the Arabian Pre-Islamic Background of d\u012bn Ibr\u0101h\u012bm<\/em>,\u201d Jerusalem Studies in Arabic and Islam<\/em> 13 (1990): 85-112.<\/p>\n

Thomas Sizgorich, \u201cDo Prophets Come with a Sword? Conquest, Empire, and Historical Narrative in the Early Islamic World,\u201d American Historical Review<\/em> 112 (2007): 993-1015.<\/p>\n

______, \u201cNarrative and Community in Islamic Late Antiquity,\u201d Past & Present<\/em> 185 (2004): 9-42.<\/p>\n

Guy G. Stroumsa, \u201cFalse Prophet, False Messiah and the Religious Scene in Seventh-Century Jerusalem,\u201d in Redemption and Resistance: The Messianic Hopes of Jews and Christians in Antiquity<\/em> (ed. Markus Bockmuehl and James Carleton Paget; London & New York: T & T Clark, 2007), 285-96.<\/p>\n

______, \u201cReligious Contacts in Byzantine Palestine,\u201d Numen<\/em> 36 (1989): 16-42.<\/p>\n

Jewish, Christian, and Islamic Traditions Pertaining to Biblical Figures and Events<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Camilla Adang, Muslim Writers on Judaism and the Hebrew Bible: From Ibn Rabban to Ibn Hazm<\/em> (Leiden: Brill, 1996).<\/p>\n

Ismail Albayrak, \u201cReading the Bible in the Light of Muslim Sources: From Isr\u0101\u2019\u012bliyy\u0101t<\/em> to Isl\u0101miyy\u0101t<\/em>,\u201d Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations<\/em> 23 (2012): 113-27.<\/p>\n

Philip S. Alexander, \u201cJewish Tradition in Early Islam: The Case of Enoch\/Idr\u012bs,\u201d in Studies in Islamic and Middle Eastern Texts and Traditions in Memory of Norman Calder<\/em> (ed. G. R. Hawting, et al.; JSSSup 12; Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000), 11-29.<\/p>\n

Khalil Athamina, \u201cAbraham in Islamic Perspective: Reflections on the Development of Monotheism in Pre-Islamic Arabia,\u201d Der Islam<\/em> 81 (2004): 184-205.<\/p>\n

Carol Bakhos, Ishmael on the Border: Rabbinic Portrayals of the First Arab<\/em> (Albany: State University of New York Press, 2006).<\/p>\n

Shosh Ben-Ari, \u201cThe Stories about Abraham in Islam: A Geographical Approach,\u201d Arabica<\/em> 54 (2007): 526-53.<\/p>\n

Marc S. Bernstein, Stories of Joseph: Narrative Migrations Between Judaism and Islam<\/em> (Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 2006).<\/p>\n

Leigh N. B. Chipman, \u201cAdam and the Angels: An Examination of Mythic Elements in Islamic Sources,\u201d Arabica<\/em> 49 (2002): 429-55.<\/p>\n

______, \u201cMythic Aspects of the Process of Adam\u2019s Creation in Judaism and Islam,\u201d Studia Islamica<\/em> 93 (2001): 5-25.<\/p>\n

Reuven Firestone, \u201cComparative Studies in Bible and Qur\u2019\u0101n: A Fresh Look at Genesis 22 in Light of Sura 37,\u201d in Judaism and Islam: Boundaries, Communication and Interaction: Studies in Honor of William M. Brinner<\/em> (ed. Benjamin H. Hary, et al.; Leiden: Brill, 2000), 169-84.<\/p>\n

______, Journeys in Holy Lands: The Evolution of the Abraham-Ishmael Story in Islamic Exegesis<\/em> (Albany: State University of New York Press, 1990).<\/p>\n

Abraham Geiger, Judaism and Islam<\/em> (trans. F. M. Young; Madras, 1898; repr., New York: Ktav, 1970).<\/p>\n

Louis Ginzberg, The Legends of the Jews<\/em> (7 vols.; Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society, 1909-38).\u00a0 A very useful resource for investigating the postbiblical development of biblical characters and events.<\/p>\n

S. D. Goitein, \u201cMuhammad\u2019s Inspiration by Judaism,\u201d Journal of Jewish Studies<\/em> 9 (1958): 149-62.<\/p>\n

Shalom Goldman, The Wiles of Women\/The Wiles of Men: Joseph and Potiphar\u2019s Wife in Ancient Near Eastern, Jewish, and Islamic Folklore<\/em> (Albany: State University of New York Press, 1995).<\/p>\n

David J. Halperin, \u201cThe Hidden Made Manifest: Muslim Traditions and the \u2018Latent Content\u2019 of Biblical and Rabbinic Stories,\u201d in Pomegranates and Golden Bells: Studies in Biblical, Jewish, and Near Eastern Ritual, Law, and Literature in Honor of Jacob Milgrom<\/em> (ed. David P. Wright, et al.; Winona Lake, Ind.: Eisenbrauns, 1995), 581-94.<\/p>\n

James L. Kugel, Traditions of the Bible: A Guide to the Bible As It Was at the Start of the Common Era<\/em> (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1998).<\/p>\n

Jacob Lassner, \u201cThe Covenant of the Prophets: Muslim Texts, Jewish Subtexts,\u201d AJS Review<\/em> 15 (1990): 207-38.<\/p>\n

Hava Lazarus-Yafeh, Intertwined Worlds: Medieval Islam and Bible Criticism<\/em> (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1992).<\/p>\n

Shari L. Lowin, The Making of a Forefather: Abraham in Islamic and Jewish Exegetical Narratives<\/em> (Leiden: Brill, 2006).<\/p>\n

Jane Dammen McAuliffe, Barry D. Walfish, and Joseph W. Goering, eds., With Reverence for the Word: Medieval Scriptural Exegesis in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam<\/em> (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003).<\/p>\n

Erica Martin, \u201cThe Literary Presentation of Noah in the Qur\u2019\u0101n,\u201d in Michael E. Stone, Aryeh Amihay, and Vered Hillel, eds., Noah and His Book(s)<\/em> (SBLEJL 28; Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2010), 253-75.<\/p>\n

Tilman Nagel, \u201c\u1e32i\u1e63a\u1e63 al-anbiy\u0101\u2019,\u201d EI2<\/sup><\/em> 5:180-81.<\/p>\n

Gordon D. Newby, The Making of the Last Prophet: A Reconstruction of the Earliest Biography of Muhammad<\/em> (Columbia, S.C.: University of South Carolina Press, 1989).\u00a0 A plausible attempt to reconstruct the lost initial portion of the S\u012bra<\/em> or \u2018Life of Muhammad\u2019; it reportedly collected and recounted traditions about the careers of Muhammad\u2019s predecessors.<\/p>\n

Scott B. Noegel and Brannon M. Wheeler, Historical Dictionary of Prophets in Islam and Judaism<\/em> (Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press, 2002).<\/p>\n

Moshe Perlmann, The History of al-Tabar\u012b, Volume IV: The Ancient Kingdoms<\/em> (Albany: State University of New York Press, 1987).\u00a0 Pages 112-25 deal with Jesus.<\/p>\n

Michael E. Pregill, \u201cThe Hebrew Bible and the Quran: The Problem of the Jewish \u2018Influence\u2019 on Islam,\u201d Religion Compass<\/em> 1 (2007): 643-59.<\/p>\n

John C. Reeves, ed., Bible and Qur\u2019\u0101n: Essays in Scriptural Intertextuality<\/em> (Atlanta\/Leiden: Society of Biblical Literature\/Brill, 2003).<\/p>\n

______, \u201cProblematizing the Bible … Then and Now,\u201d Jewish Quarterly Review<\/em> 100 (2010): 139-52.<\/p>\n

Gabriel Said Reynolds, The Qur\u2019\u0101n and Its Biblical Subtext<\/em> (London & New York: Routledge, 2010).<\/p>\n

Andrew Rippen, \u201cInterpreting the Bible through the Qur\u2019\u0101n,\u201d in Approaches to the Qur\u2019\u0101n<\/em> (ed. G. R. Hawting and Abdul-Kader A. Shareef; London & New York: Routledge, 1993), 249-59.<\/p>\n

Franz Rosenthal, The History of al-Tabar\u012b, Volume I: General Introduction and From the Creation to the Flood<\/em> (Albany: State University of New York Press, 1989).\u00a0 Stops with the introduction of Noah; Atkins unfortunately does not own Volume II <\/em>or Volume III<\/em> (translated by William M. Brinner) which contain the intervening biblical characters.<\/p>\n

Uri Rubin, \u201cTraditions in Transformation: The Ark of the Covenant and the Golden Calf in Biblical and Islamic Historiography,\u201d Oriens<\/em> 36 (2001): 196-214.<\/p>\n

Aviva Schussman, \u201cThe Prophet Ezekiel in Islamic Literature: Jewish Traces and Islamic Adaptations,\u201d in Biblical Figures Outside the Bible<\/em> (ed. Michael E. Stone and Theodore A. Bergren; Harrisburg, Pa.: Trinity Press International, 1998), 316-39.<\/p>\n

Haim Schwarzbaum, \u201cProlegomenon,\u201d in Moses Gaster, The Chronicles of Jerahmeel<\/em> (New York: Ktav Publishing House, 1971), 1-124.\u00a0 A rich bibliographical resource.<\/p>\n

D. A. Spellberg, \u201cWriting the Unwritten Life of the Islamic Eve: Menstruation and the Demonization of Motherhood,\u201d International Journal of Middle Eastern Studies<\/em> 28 (1996): 305-24.<\/p>\n

Georges Vajda, \u201cIsr\u0101\u2019\u012bliyy\u0101t,\u201d EI2<\/sup><\/em> 4:211.<\/p>\n

Marilyn R. Waldman, \u201cNew Approaches to \u2018Biblical\u2019 Materials in the Qur\u2019\u0101n,\u201d Muslim World<\/em> 75 (1985): 1-16.<\/p>\n

Brannon M. Wheeler, Mecca and Eden: Ritual, Relics, and Territory in Islam<\/em> (Chicago & London: University of Chicago Press, 2006).<\/p>\n

______, Moses in the Quran and Islamic Exegesis<\/em> (London & New York: RoutledgeCurzon, 2002).<\/p>\n

______, Prophets in the Quran<\/em> (London & New York: Continuum, 2002).<\/p>\n

Joseph Witztum, \u201cThe Foundations of the House (Q 2:127),\u201d Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies<\/em> 72 (2009): 25-40.<\/p>\n

Eli Yassif, The Hebrew Folktale: History, Genre, Meaning<\/em> (Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 1999).<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

RELS 4000\/5000 Seminar in Religious Studies: Contextualizing the Qur\u2019\u0101n W 3:30-6:15 Dr. John C. Reeves Macy 204B Office hours: W 2:30-3:30; F 2:00-3:00; or by appointment jcreeves@uncc.edu http:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/ Course description Scholars have often used the appearance of Islam in the Mediterranean world of the seventh century as a marker of rupture signaling the violent demise […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":454,"featured_media":0,"parent":1292,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1294","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P3kl1F-kS","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1294","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/454"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1294"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1294\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1311,"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1294\/revisions\/1311"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1292"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1294"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}