ABSTRACT
Introduction In recent years there has been a renewed interest in the study of the Qurʾān in light of the Syriac literary tradition. Examples of fi ne studies are those of Sidney Griffi th and Kevin van Bladel dedicated to the “Companions of the Cave” story and to the Dhū l-Qarnayn narrative respectively. 2 In this chapter I follow their lead, with one major difference: I examine a Qurʾānic retelling of a narrative from the Hebrew Bible. Such retellings are often assumed to refl ect Jewish traditions, and thus Western scholarship tends to ignore Christian sources. Syriac texts are cited now and then but are not covered systematically in any manner comparable to the way the Jewish texts are treated. 3
In several instances, however, the Qurʾān shows a strong affi nity to Syriac poems which expand on Biblical themes. These poems range from formal dialogues in alternating stanzas to dramatized narratives which include dialogue and homiletic material. 4 They were used in liturgy, had a wide audience and therefore could easily have served as a channel of transmission for Biblical traditions. 5 Indeed the Qurʾānic retellings and the Syriac poems display similarities with regard to elements of the plot, literary form, lexical use, and typological function.
