The Golden Calf between Bible and Qur’an: Scripture, Polemic, and Exegesis from Late Antiquity to Islam. By Michael E. Pregill

Abstract

This book examines the Golden Calf episode and its interpretation from ancient Israel to the emergence of Islam as a case study for re-evaluating the relationship between Bible and Qur’an. It includes an introduction, a methodological chapter, three sections including seven more chapters, and a conclusion. The introduction defines the Qur’an as part of the biblical tradition of the late first millennium CE, having emerged through active and conscious processes of early Islamic identity-building, and presenting its audience with new interpretations of biblical narratives. The proposed methodology is, therefore, a critical historical analysis of the qur’anic calf episode through the history of its interpretation and reinterpretation by Jews, Christians, and Muslims in the longue durée. Chapter 1 depicts the historical and methodological framework. While illustrating the story’s polemical importance for Christians and Muslims as a means of justifying their self-presentation as true Israel, it also highlights the differences between the calf narrations in the Qur’an (Q 2:51–54, 7:148–153, 20:82–97) and in the Bible (Exod. 32, Deut. 9, Ps. 106). Pregill considers the qur’anic calf narrative as corresponding directly with the biblical text; he rejects the scholarly view that the Qur’an mainly reflects midrashic re-narrations of the Bible. Moreover, he considers the Qur’an and Islamic literature as legitimate participants in the biblical tradition. However, the emphasis on the textual fluidity of the Bible and rabbinic tradition during the emergence of the Qur’an (28–29) is questioned by the book’s apparent perception of the millennium-long exegetical tradition being examined as relating to a rather stable version of Exodus 32, similar to the Masoretic text (324–25).