Between Muslim and Jew: The Problem of Symbiosis under Early Islam

Steven M. Wasserstrom

Published by Princeton University Press 1995

Between Muslim and Jew

The Problem of Symbiosis under Early Islam

Steven M. Wasserstrom

Volume 314 in the series Princeton Legacy Library

https://doi.org/10.1515/9781400864133

Overview
Contents

About this book

Steven 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 Islam. His thematic approach provides an example of how difficult questions of influence might be opened up for broader examination.

In Part I, "Trajectories," the author explores early Jewish-Muslim interactions, studying such areas as messianism, professions, authority, and class structure and showing how they were reshaped during the first centuries of Islam. Part II, "Constructions," looks at influences of Judaism on the development of the emerging Shi'ite community. This is tied to the wider issue of how early Muslims conceptualized "the Jew." In Part III, "Intimacies," the author tackles the complex "esoteric symbiosis" between Muslim and Jewish theologies. An investigation of the milieu in which Jews and Muslims interacted sheds new light on their shared religious imaginings. Throughout, Wasserstrom expands on the work of social and political historians to include symbolic and conceptual aspects of interreligious symbiosis. This book will interest scholars of Judaism and Islam, as well as those who are attracted by the larger issues exposed by its methodology.

Originally published in 1995.

The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Reviews

"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."

"Winner of the 1995 Excellence in Book Publishing Award, American Academy of Religion"

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
CONTENTS Publicly Available Download PDF	v
PREFACE Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	vii
INTRODUCTION Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
PART I: TRAJECTORIES
CHAPTER ONE. Who Were the Jews? Problems in Profiling the Jewish Community under Early Islam Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	17
CHAPTER TWO. The Jewish Messiahs of Early Islam Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	47
PART II: CONSTRUCTIONS
CHAPTER THREE. Shi'ite and Jew between History and Myth Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	93
CHAPTER FOUR. Jewish Studies and Comparative Religion in die Islamicate Renaissance Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	136
PART III: INTIMACIES
CHAPTER FIVE. Origins and Angels: Popular and Esoteric Literature in Jewish-Muslim Symbiosis Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	167
CHAPTER SIX. Conclusion: Reflections on the History and Philosophy of Symbiosis Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	206
BIBLIOGRAPHY Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	239
INDEX Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	279

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