Professor Oliver Leaman (University of Kentucky), ‘Reference, religions and the Qur’an‘
Tuesday 29th January, 2-4 pm, 19 George Square, Room G2. Lecture arranged by the Centre for the Study of Islam in the Contemporary World.
It is often said that Jews, Christians and Muslims pray to the same God. The religious texts of the three religions appear to refer in many cases to the same prophets and other leading characters, and there is a tendency to think that these are all references to the same people. On the other hand, there is reason to think that the references to biblical and Qur’anic characters are so distinct from each other that they are not in fact references to the same people at all. The notion of howreference works in the scriptures and in particular in the Qur’an is complex and worth refining, since the idea that the Abrahamic religions include references to the same individuals is not without problems. On the other hand, if the religions are not linked by sharing key personnel, it is difficult to see how they are linked at all. In examining this issue it is important not to accept a priori what any of the religions says about itself and its relationships with the others.
Edinburgh Jewish Studies Network 