A collaboration of Cluster of Excellence 2020 «Temporal Communities: Doing Literature in a Global... more A collaboration of Cluster of Excellence 2020 «Temporal Communities: Doing Literature in a Global Perspective»-Research Area 3, «Future Perfect» and the ERC funded project Kalīla and Dimna-AnonymClassic. This series of events invites discussions on how to theoretically engage with the concept of narrative framing in premodern Arabic literature and adjacent literary traditions. Our aim is to develop a comprehensive definition of «framing narratives» beyond a merely descriptive perspective and to interrogate its function within textual production. The events will be held in English. The workshop will be held online.
The hitherto unpublished manuscript al-Ḫabar ʿAn al-Bašar ('History of Mankind') by the Egyptian ... more The hitherto unpublished manuscript al-Ḫabar ʿAn al-Bašar ('History of Mankind') by the Egyptian historiographer Taqī al-Dīn al-Maqrīzī (d. 845/1442) is unique among other comparable ‘world histories’ in mediaeval Arabic historiography in that it devotes a chapter, titled faṣl fī ḏikr luṣūṣ al-ʿarab ('An Account of the Brigands among the Arabs'), to ten of the most notorious brigand-poets who lived during the so-called ğāhiliyya ('epoch of ignorance/barbarity') prior to the rise of Islam, and during the early days of Islam. Al-Maqrīzī's 'Chapter on the Brigands among the Arabs' relies heavily on earlier Arabic works of literature, some of which are paraphrased and others which are quoted with relative accuracy.
The paper offers a discussion of al-Maqrīzī's literary sources in the chapter, their uses, and the motivation for including this material in a work dedicated to pre-Islamic history. Furthermore, it locates the chapter within the wider framework of the conventions of mediaeval Arabic historiographical writing about this period, in which pre-Islamic times are represented as the negation of Islam in matters of morality, vice and faith.
The 10th ct. C.E. Arab historian, geographer, and man of letters Abū al-Ḥasan ʿAlī b. al-Ḥusayn a... more The 10th ct. C.E. Arab historian, geographer, and man of letters Abū al-Ḥasan ʿAlī b. al-Ḥusayn al-Masʿūdī (d. 956) devotes five chapters of his treatise Murūǧ al-Ḏahab wa-Maʿādin al-Ǧawāhir ("The Meadows of Gold and Mines of Gems") to the description of pagan shrines, temples, and places of worship located in different lands stretching from China to France. In his discussion, al-Masʿūdī takes special notice of seven temples, each dedicated to the worship of one of the seven celestial bodies. It is noteworthy that the Kaʿba in Mecca, the holiest sanctuary in Islam, is mentioned among these as a place that had once been dedicated to the worship of Zuḥal (Saturn).
Drawing on Murūǧ al-Ḏahab and on other sources, this paper outlines al-Masʿūdī's theory of idolatry, and discusses the pre-Islamic cultural and literary background of his seven temples scheme. The paper suggests that while al-Masʿūdī's scheme has precedents in pre-Islamic near-eastern sources, the conceptual framework employed in his discussion appears uniquely Islamic; in accordance with Islamic narratives on the pre-Islamic origins of the Kaʿba and on the Ḥanīfiyya (early monotheism), al-Masʿūdī lays down a historical paradigm for the evolution of idolatry and astrolatry from a natural, primordial monotheistic religion.
המזרח החדש ס״א (HaMizrah HeHadash - The New East), 2022
Review of Rina Drory, Circles and Links: Studies in Medieval Jewish and Arabic Literature, ed. by... more Review of Rina Drory, Circles and Links: Studies in Medieval Jewish and Arabic Literature, ed. by Miriam Frenkel, Jerusalem: Ben Zvi Institute, 2021 (In Hebrew).
An Arabic legend tells how King Solomon arrived at a magnificent castle, half buried in the sands... more An Arabic legend tells how King Solomon arrived at a magnificent castle, half buried in the sands. Roaming through its corridors, Solomon wonders who could have built such a magnificent edifice and why it had been abandoned. Two variants of the tale employ two different strategies for solving the conundrum: in one variant, the answer is hidden in an inscription that Solomon cannot understand till a mysterious youth appears from the desert and deciphers it for him. In the second variant, the solution is offered in an embedded tale told to Solomon by a serpent demoness, who witnessed the building of the castle and partook in the final demise of its inhabitants. In this paper, I offer a reading of this legend as a midrash, i.e., an exegetical tale that attempts to "fill in the gaps" of the Qurʾānic portrayal of Solomon. Considering the narrative questions raised by the frame tale and exploring the ways in which the embedded elements in each of the two variants employ competing strategies of "filling in the gaps" of the frame tale, I show that the divergent solutions offered in each of the variants to an ostensibly identical narrative problem lead to a different interpretation of each version. This leads to a discussion of the hermeneutic function of embedding as a form of "inner-midrash." In the conclusion, I suggest that the two variants offer competing epistemologies of storytelling.
The fourth/tenth century work 'Aǧā'ib al-hind, barrihi wa-baḥrihi wa-ǧazā'irihi ('The Marvels of ... more The fourth/tenth century work 'Aǧā'ib al-hind, barrihi wa-baḥrihi wa-ǧazā'irihi ('The Marvels of India, its Land, Sea, and Islands'), ascribed to the sea captain (nāḫudāh) Buzurg ibn Šāhriyār al-Rāmhurmuzī, contains some 136 narratives and descriptions of the marvelous phenomena purportedly found in and around the Indian ocean. Although known to scholars for well over a century, the work’s literary aspects have received scant attention in previous scholarship. This article sheds a new light on the work’s literary character, by analyzing the narrative structure of its maritime adventure tales. The narrative analysis offered here (informed by C. Bremond’s narratological model) shows that all the maritime adventure tales in 'Aǧā'ib al-hind revolve around an encounter between seafarers and strange phenomena or 'marvels'. Two narrative patterns are detected: in one, the seafarers take heed of the phenomenon and act prudently toward it, which leads to their salvation; in the other, the seafarers ignore the phenomenon and act rashly, which leads to their demise. The tales are thus shown to emphasize moral and didactic principles such as patience and perseverance (ṣabr), observation (i'tibār), and moral responsibility (taklīf). A comparison of one of the tales with its parallels in the Sindbād cycle and in al-Tanūḫī’s al-Faraǧ ba'd al-Šidda further demonstrates the moral and didactic principles that underlie the narratives of 'Aǧā'ib al-hind.
In early Arabic literature, ʿAnqāʾ Mughrib is the name of the quintessential mythical bird. The ʿ... more In early Arabic literature, ʿAnqāʾ Mughrib is the name of the quintessential mythical bird. The ʿAnqāʾ appears in a myriad of medieval sources of different genres: poetical, narrative, proverbial, scientific, philosophical, and mystical. This paper draws attention to the multiple ways in which this bird was represented and the functions it fulfilled in different literary contexts. It explores the intricate web of quotations, allusions, and literary innovations that facilitated its multifarious uses and re-uses. I explore the various manifestations of the ʿAnqāʾ to demonstrate the different and at times contradictory meanings ascribed to it and its diverse literary functions: as a creature of speculative zoology; as metaphor of scarcity or non-existence; as a metaphor of God; as a marker of fictionality; and more.
Taqī al-Dīn al-Maqrīzī’s (d. 845/1442) universal history, titled al-Ḫabar ʿan al-Bašar, contains ... more Taqī al-Dīn al-Maqrīzī’s (d. 845/1442) universal history, titled al-Ḫabar ʿan al-Bašar, contains a chapter “On the Brigands among the Arabs” (faṣl fī ḏikr luṣūṣ al-ʿarab), in which the author gives accounts on the lives and exploits of ten pre-Islamic and early-Islamic brigands. While the chapter relies on earlier sources, its subject matter has no parallel in other Arabic works of universal history, contemporaneous or earlier. My paper is a study of this chapter, based on a holograph of al-Maqrīzī’s work. A close reading of the contents of the chapter reveals that al-Maqrīzī compiled and edited afresh ancient narratives with the intention of exemplifying the ideological opposition between ğāhiliyya and Islam. I draw special attention to al-Maqrīzī’s unique report concerning the death and burial of Taʾabbaṭa Šarran, which portrays him as an antithesis to the figure of the šahīd. Finally, I suggest that al-Maqrīzī’s chapter is a scholarly response both to the socio-political climate of al-Maqrīzī’s Egypt, depicted in some of al-Maqrīzī’s other works as fraught with Bedouin rebellions, as well as to the prevailing cultural climate, marked with the rise of the popular Sīra.
A collaboration of Cluster of Excellence 2020 «Temporal Communities: Doing Literature in a Global... more A collaboration of Cluster of Excellence 2020 «Temporal Communities: Doing Literature in a Global Perspective»-Research Area 3, «Future Perfect» and the ERC funded project Kalīla and Dimna-AnonymClassic. This series of events invites discussions on how to theoretically engage with the concept of narrative framing in premodern Arabic literature and adjacent literary traditions. Our aim is to develop a comprehensive definition of «framing narratives» beyond a merely descriptive perspective and to interrogate its function within textual production. The events will be held in English. The workshop will be held online.
The hitherto unpublished manuscript al-Ḫabar ʿAn al-Bašar ('History of Mankind') by the Egyptian ... more The hitherto unpublished manuscript al-Ḫabar ʿAn al-Bašar ('History of Mankind') by the Egyptian historiographer Taqī al-Dīn al-Maqrīzī (d. 845/1442) is unique among other comparable ‘world histories’ in mediaeval Arabic historiography in that it devotes a chapter, titled faṣl fī ḏikr luṣūṣ al-ʿarab ('An Account of the Brigands among the Arabs'), to ten of the most notorious brigand-poets who lived during the so-called ğāhiliyya ('epoch of ignorance/barbarity') prior to the rise of Islam, and during the early days of Islam. Al-Maqrīzī's 'Chapter on the Brigands among the Arabs' relies heavily on earlier Arabic works of literature, some of which are paraphrased and others which are quoted with relative accuracy.
The paper offers a discussion of al-Maqrīzī's literary sources in the chapter, their uses, and the motivation for including this material in a work dedicated to pre-Islamic history. Furthermore, it locates the chapter within the wider framework of the conventions of mediaeval Arabic historiographical writing about this period, in which pre-Islamic times are represented as the negation of Islam in matters of morality, vice and faith.
The 10th ct. C.E. Arab historian, geographer, and man of letters Abū al-Ḥasan ʿAlī b. al-Ḥusayn a... more The 10th ct. C.E. Arab historian, geographer, and man of letters Abū al-Ḥasan ʿAlī b. al-Ḥusayn al-Masʿūdī (d. 956) devotes five chapters of his treatise Murūǧ al-Ḏahab wa-Maʿādin al-Ǧawāhir ("The Meadows of Gold and Mines of Gems") to the description of pagan shrines, temples, and places of worship located in different lands stretching from China to France. In his discussion, al-Masʿūdī takes special notice of seven temples, each dedicated to the worship of one of the seven celestial bodies. It is noteworthy that the Kaʿba in Mecca, the holiest sanctuary in Islam, is mentioned among these as a place that had once been dedicated to the worship of Zuḥal (Saturn).
Drawing on Murūǧ al-Ḏahab and on other sources, this paper outlines al-Masʿūdī's theory of idolatry, and discusses the pre-Islamic cultural and literary background of his seven temples scheme. The paper suggests that while al-Masʿūdī's scheme has precedents in pre-Islamic near-eastern sources, the conceptual framework employed in his discussion appears uniquely Islamic; in accordance with Islamic narratives on the pre-Islamic origins of the Kaʿba and on the Ḥanīfiyya (early monotheism), al-Masʿūdī lays down a historical paradigm for the evolution of idolatry and astrolatry from a natural, primordial monotheistic religion.
המזרח החדש ס״א (HaMizrah HeHadash - The New East), 2022
Review of Rina Drory, Circles and Links: Studies in Medieval Jewish and Arabic Literature, ed. by... more Review of Rina Drory, Circles and Links: Studies in Medieval Jewish and Arabic Literature, ed. by Miriam Frenkel, Jerusalem: Ben Zvi Institute, 2021 (In Hebrew).
An Arabic legend tells how King Solomon arrived at a magnificent castle, half buried in the sands... more An Arabic legend tells how King Solomon arrived at a magnificent castle, half buried in the sands. Roaming through its corridors, Solomon wonders who could have built such a magnificent edifice and why it had been abandoned. Two variants of the tale employ two different strategies for solving the conundrum: in one variant, the answer is hidden in an inscription that Solomon cannot understand till a mysterious youth appears from the desert and deciphers it for him. In the second variant, the solution is offered in an embedded tale told to Solomon by a serpent demoness, who witnessed the building of the castle and partook in the final demise of its inhabitants. In this paper, I offer a reading of this legend as a midrash, i.e., an exegetical tale that attempts to "fill in the gaps" of the Qurʾānic portrayal of Solomon. Considering the narrative questions raised by the frame tale and exploring the ways in which the embedded elements in each of the two variants employ competing strategies of "filling in the gaps" of the frame tale, I show that the divergent solutions offered in each of the variants to an ostensibly identical narrative problem lead to a different interpretation of each version. This leads to a discussion of the hermeneutic function of embedding as a form of "inner-midrash." In the conclusion, I suggest that the two variants offer competing epistemologies of storytelling.
The fourth/tenth century work 'Aǧā'ib al-hind, barrihi wa-baḥrihi wa-ǧazā'irihi ('The Marvels of ... more The fourth/tenth century work 'Aǧā'ib al-hind, barrihi wa-baḥrihi wa-ǧazā'irihi ('The Marvels of India, its Land, Sea, and Islands'), ascribed to the sea captain (nāḫudāh) Buzurg ibn Šāhriyār al-Rāmhurmuzī, contains some 136 narratives and descriptions of the marvelous phenomena purportedly found in and around the Indian ocean. Although known to scholars for well over a century, the work’s literary aspects have received scant attention in previous scholarship. This article sheds a new light on the work’s literary character, by analyzing the narrative structure of its maritime adventure tales. The narrative analysis offered here (informed by C. Bremond’s narratological model) shows that all the maritime adventure tales in 'Aǧā'ib al-hind revolve around an encounter between seafarers and strange phenomena or 'marvels'. Two narrative patterns are detected: in one, the seafarers take heed of the phenomenon and act prudently toward it, which leads to their salvation; in the other, the seafarers ignore the phenomenon and act rashly, which leads to their demise. The tales are thus shown to emphasize moral and didactic principles such as patience and perseverance (ṣabr), observation (i'tibār), and moral responsibility (taklīf). A comparison of one of the tales with its parallels in the Sindbād cycle and in al-Tanūḫī’s al-Faraǧ ba'd al-Šidda further demonstrates the moral and didactic principles that underlie the narratives of 'Aǧā'ib al-hind.
In early Arabic literature, ʿAnqāʾ Mughrib is the name of the quintessential mythical bird. The ʿ... more In early Arabic literature, ʿAnqāʾ Mughrib is the name of the quintessential mythical bird. The ʿAnqāʾ appears in a myriad of medieval sources of different genres: poetical, narrative, proverbial, scientific, philosophical, and mystical. This paper draws attention to the multiple ways in which this bird was represented and the functions it fulfilled in different literary contexts. It explores the intricate web of quotations, allusions, and literary innovations that facilitated its multifarious uses and re-uses. I explore the various manifestations of the ʿAnqāʾ to demonstrate the different and at times contradictory meanings ascribed to it and its diverse literary functions: as a creature of speculative zoology; as metaphor of scarcity or non-existence; as a metaphor of God; as a marker of fictionality; and more.
Taqī al-Dīn al-Maqrīzī’s (d. 845/1442) universal history, titled al-Ḫabar ʿan al-Bašar, contains ... more Taqī al-Dīn al-Maqrīzī’s (d. 845/1442) universal history, titled al-Ḫabar ʿan al-Bašar, contains a chapter “On the Brigands among the Arabs” (faṣl fī ḏikr luṣūṣ al-ʿarab), in which the author gives accounts on the lives and exploits of ten pre-Islamic and early-Islamic brigands. While the chapter relies on earlier sources, its subject matter has no parallel in other Arabic works of universal history, contemporaneous or earlier. My paper is a study of this chapter, based on a holograph of al-Maqrīzī’s work. A close reading of the contents of the chapter reveals that al-Maqrīzī compiled and edited afresh ancient narratives with the intention of exemplifying the ideological opposition between ğāhiliyya and Islam. I draw special attention to al-Maqrīzī’s unique report concerning the death and burial of Taʾabbaṭa Šarran, which portrays him as an antithesis to the figure of the šahīd. Finally, I suggest that al-Maqrīzī’s chapter is a scholarly response both to the socio-political climate of al-Maqrīzī’s Egypt, depicted in some of al-Maqrīzī’s other works as fraught with Bedouin rebellions, as well as to the prevailing cultural climate, marked with the rise of the popular Sīra.
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The paper offers a discussion of al-Maqrīzī's literary sources in the chapter, their uses, and the motivation for including this material in a work dedicated to pre-Islamic history. Furthermore, it locates the chapter within the wider framework of the conventions of mediaeval Arabic historiographical writing about this period, in which pre-Islamic times are represented as the negation of Islam in matters of morality, vice and faith.
Drawing on Murūǧ al-Ḏahab and on other sources, this paper outlines al-Masʿūdī's theory of idolatry, and discusses the pre-Islamic cultural and literary background of his seven temples scheme. The paper suggests that while al-Masʿūdī's scheme has precedents in pre-Islamic near-eastern sources, the conceptual framework employed in his discussion appears uniquely Islamic; in accordance with Islamic narratives on the pre-Islamic origins of the Kaʿba and on the Ḥanīfiyya (early monotheism), al-Masʿūdī lays down a historical paradigm for the evolution of idolatry and astrolatry from a natural, primordial monotheistic religion.
Book Reviews by Guy Ron-Gilboa
Papers by Guy Ron-Gilboa
The paper offers a discussion of al-Maqrīzī's literary sources in the chapter, their uses, and the motivation for including this material in a work dedicated to pre-Islamic history. Furthermore, it locates the chapter within the wider framework of the conventions of mediaeval Arabic historiographical writing about this period, in which pre-Islamic times are represented as the negation of Islam in matters of morality, vice and faith.
Drawing on Murūǧ al-Ḏahab and on other sources, this paper outlines al-Masʿūdī's theory of idolatry, and discusses the pre-Islamic cultural and literary background of his seven temples scheme. The paper suggests that while al-Masʿūdī's scheme has precedents in pre-Islamic near-eastern sources, the conceptual framework employed in his discussion appears uniquely Islamic; in accordance with Islamic narratives on the pre-Islamic origins of the Kaʿba and on the Ḥanīfiyya (early monotheism), al-Masʿūdī lays down a historical paradigm for the evolution of idolatry and astrolatry from a natural, primordial monotheistic religion.