Sharing Common Figures, Notions and Concepts

Moses and Children of Israel in the Stories of the Hebrew Bible/OT, the Rabbinical Midrash, the Syriac Exegesis and in the Qur’an

This project explores the question of continuity in the Abrahamic religious traditions and their common heritage. Therefore, Judaism, Christianity and Islam are looked at as religious traditions which were and are developing through the complex process of being entangled with other religious traditions, rather than being contained.

This project explores the primary sources of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, and attempts to bring the scriptural sources of these religions into dialogue by highlighting and analysing connections and communication between the studied sources. The original sources were selected according to their significance within the respective religious traditions.

Among the selected sources the Hebrew Bible/OT narrative has a common place, as it provides the ‘original’ narrative or a ‘blueprint’ which then undergoes a process of transmission and further development. This process connects the biblical narrative to the exegetical writings of the rabbinical Midrash, the Syriac Christian exegesis and the biblically related stories in the Qur’an.

This project looks within the commonly shared scriptural heritage of Abrahamic traditions through an analysis of the shared stories. Two particular narratives are singled out for the purpose of offering this project its framework. One common narrative is the story of the Children of Israel, while another  is the story of Moses.

Looking at the scriptural sources of the three Abrahamic religious traditions in co-relational unity, contributes to the building of a culture of appreciation of the common heritage in the newly emerging field of Abrahamic Studies. Looking at the shared narratives of inter-twining, inter-action and collaboration, allows for a meeting point between Jewish, Christian and Muslim exegetical traditions, and for exploring possibilities of collaboration between the early manuscripts of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.