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A Barrier Between Two Seas and the Cosmic Ocean: Difference between revisions
A Barrier Between Two Seas and the Cosmic Ocean (view source)
Revision as of 20:40, 1 December 2024
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The view in its historical context is well summarised in Tommaso Tesei's 2015 article '''[https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7817/jameroriesoci.135.1.19 Some Cosmological Notions from Late Antiquity in Q 18:60–65: The Quran in Light of Its Cultural Context]''<nowiki/>', examining the Qur'ans verse on Moses meeting a servant at the meeting of the two seas, which he claims is influenced by a story of Alexander the Great (''see [[Dhul-Qarnayn and the Alexander Romance]]''), which also features in this Surah. The main discussion is on verses: | The view in its historical context is well summarised in Tommaso Tesei's 2015 article '''[https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7817/jameroriesoci.135.1.19 Some Cosmological Notions from Late Antiquity in Q 18:60–65: The Quran in Light of Its Cultural Context]''<nowiki/>', examining the Qur'ans verse on Moses meeting a servant at the meeting of the two seas, which he claims is influenced by a story of Alexander the Great (''see [[Dhul-Qarnayn and the Alexander Romance]]''), which also features in this Surah. The main discussion is on verses: | ||
{{Quote|{{Quran|18|60-65}}|18:60 | {{Quote|{{Quran|18|60-65}}|18:60 And [mention] when Moses said to his servant, "I will not cease [traveling] until I reach the junction of the two seas or continue for a long period." 18:61 But when they reached the junction between them, they forgot their fish, and it took its course into the sea, slipping away | ||
18:62 | 18:62 So when they had passed beyond it, [Moses] said to his boy, "Bring us our morning meal. We have certainly suffered in this, our journey, [much] fatigue." | ||
18:63 He said, "Did you see when we retired to the rock? Indeed, I forgot [there] the fish. And none made me forget it except Satan - that I should mention it. And it took its course into the sea amazingly". | |||
18:64 [Moses] said, "That is what we were seeking." So they returned, following their footprints. | |||
18:65 AAnd they found a servant from among Our servants to whom we had given mercy from us and had taught him from Us a [certain] knowledge.}} | |||
The full article from Tommaso, which is recommended to read to understand the context, can be read in the link on [https://www.jstor.org/ JSTOR] for free by making an account, which provides a full overview. | The full article from Tommaso, which is recommended to read to understand the context, can be read in the link on [https://www.jstor.org/ JSTOR] for free by making an account, which provides a full overview. | ||
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In Quranic cosmology, this expression is possibly intended to designate a place that has a specific role in the passage of the heavenly waters to earth. In light of the above, one can imagine majmaʿ al-baḥrayn as the place where the heavenly and terrestrial oceans meet, and from where the sweet waters reach the earth, by way of an underground course alluded to by the expression saraban.. (pp. 29)}} | In Quranic cosmology, this expression is possibly intended to designate a place that has a specific role in the passage of the heavenly waters to earth. In light of the above, one can imagine majmaʿ al-baḥrayn as the place where the heavenly and terrestrial oceans meet, and from where the sweet waters reach the earth, by way of an underground course alluded to by the expression saraban.. (pp. 29)}} | ||
=== The Biblical and Judeo-Christian background literature === | === The Biblical and Judeo-Christian background literature === | ||
The story of Moses and his servant is one of four stories in Surah al-Kahf. Modern academic scholarship has identified antecedents of each story in the lore of late antiquity. This particular story is almost unanimously considered to derive from a legend about Alexander the Great and his search for the water of life. For details see the section on the four stories in Surah al-Kahf in the article [[Parallels Between the Qur'an and Late Antique Judeo-Christian Literature]]. The Bible itself also contains a sea above the Earth: | The story of Moses and his servant is one of four stories in Surah al-Kahf. Modern academic scholarship has identified antecedents of each story in the lore of late antiquity. This particular story is almost unanimously considered to derive from a legend about Alexander the Great and his search for the water of life. For details see the section on the four stories in Surah al-Kahf in the article [[Parallels Between the Qur'an and Late Antique Judeo-Christian Literature]]. The Bible itself also contains a sea above the Earth: | ||