Description
Book SynopsisSteven Wasserstrom undertakes a detailed analysis of the creative symbiosis that existed between Jewish and Muslim religious thought in the eighth through tenth centuries. Wasserstrom brings the disciplinary approaches of religious studies to bear on questions that have been examined previously by historians and by specialists in Judaism and Isla
Trade ReviewWinner of the 1995 Excellence in Book Publishing Award, American Academy of Religion "This book represents a significant and welcome contribution to the social and intellectual history of Jews and Muslims during the critical, formative period of the early Middle Ages. It offers new approaches and poses challenging questions for future consideration."--Journal of Semitic Studies
Table of ContentsPrefaceIntroduction3Ch. 1Who Were the Jews? Problems in Profiling the Jewish Community under Early Islam17Ch. 2The Jewish Messiahs of Early Islam47Ch. 3Shi'ite and Jew between History and Myth93Ch. 4Jewish Studies and Comparative Religion in the Islamicate Renaissance136Ch. 5Origins and Angels: Popular and Esoteric Literature in Jewish-Muslim Symbiosis167Ch. 6Conclusion: Reflections on the History and Philosophy of Symbiosis206Bibliography239Index279
