reynolds-the-quran-in-its-historical-context-2

434 Joseph Witztumexpected, seeing that the one brother who would not harm Joseph, his belovedBenjamin, is likened to a wolf in Genesis 49:27. 39We do, however, find wolves in Christian retellings ofthe Joseph story. As partof the Joseph-Jesus typology, Joseph is referred to as the lamb. Hence his brothersare wolves. 40 Thus we read in PsN, for example: "The wolves (debe) rose, grabbedthe lamb, and dragged him, I saying to him: 'relate to us the dreams you saw,"' 41and later "The wolves grabbed the rational lamb and behold they threw himdown." 42 The use of close cognates is noteworthy: compare Arabic dhi 'b (sg.) andSyriac debe (pl.).It is worthy of mention that whereas PsN called the brothers "wolves," in theQur'an wolves are mention,ed without an explicit link with the brothers. 43 Interestingly,this link is made in the Islamic exegetical tradition. The exegetes wonderwhy, of all possible dangers, was Jacob specifically afraid of wolves? Severalanswers are given, one being that by the "wolves" Jacob was actually alluding tothe brothers themselves. 44In my second example, the Syriac sources and the Qur'an both tighten thechiastic structure of the Biblical narrative by assigning garments a role inannouncing the good news to Jacob. In Genesis; after Joseph reveals himself to hisbrothers he gives them garments and then sends them with various gifts to fetchhis father. Initially Jacob does not believe that Joseph is alive, but after hearingJoseph's words and seeing the wagons, he does. Thus we read in Genesis 45:39 Cf. Speyer, Die biblischen Erziihlzmgen, 196, where the Qur'iinic wolf is said to be the result ofconfusion with Genesis 49:27.40 For the pairing of wolves and lambs, see, e.g., Isaiah 11:6; 65:25; Luke 10:3. See alsoP. Bedjan,Homiliae Selectae Mar-Jacobi Santgensis, Paris: Harrassowitz, 1905-10, 4: 18 (regarding Noah).41 PsN, 524.42 Ibid., 527. See also Lash, "Sermon," II ("As he approached I they saw him I and like wild beasts Iwanted to destroy I Joseph; while he I like an innocent lamb I went to fall I into the hands of the mostferocious wolves"), 14 ("and see they have become like most savage wolves") and 26. Similarly, inRomanos' kontakion, Jacob addresses his son as "my lamb" and tells him to go and search for hissheep before the wolves devour him; Grosdidier de Matons, Romanos, I :208 (but see 210 where thebrothers are more ferocious than lions). Balai alternates between different images: Joseph as a "lambamong murderers"· (21 ); the merchants state that had they not saved Joseph from his brothers theywould have torn him to pieces like wolves (48); Joseph describes his brothers as lions and as wolves(79: "Mercy stood round me I when the lions surrounded me I From the mouth of ten wolves I hiscompassion snatched me and I was saved''); the brothers as lions and Potiphar's wife as a bear (110-12). In PsB the sons of the handmaidens attack Joseph like wild beasts; Weinberg, Geschichte, 20.43 The reference to actual wolves in a de-allegorized fashion is reminiscent of the sleepers' dogin Q 18:18. According to Griffith, this is a result of the pastoral metaphors evoked in the Syriactradition, where the sleepers are likened to lambs,. whereas the Lord is their shepherd; Griffith,"Christian Lore", 127-28.44 See, for example, al-Qur(ubi, ai-Jiimi ', II :275. A similar solution cited by al-Qur(ubi is that Jacobhad dreamt often wolves surrounding Joseph wishing to devour him. One of the wolves, however,protects Joseph. Then the earth is split open and Joseph hides in it for three days. See also Ibn'A!iyya, ai-Mul.zarrar al-wajiz, 3:224-25. An elaborate argument in favor of Simeon as theintended wolf is found in al-' Alami, Mu 'tamar, I :398--409. In this twentieth-century text Biblicalverses ~re adduced to establish that wolves might be a metaphor for evil men.Joseph among the Ishmaelites 435(26) And they told him: "Joseph is still alive! He is even ruler over all the land ofEgypt." He was stunned; he could not believe them. (27) But when they told himall the words of Joseph that he had said to them, and when he saw the wagons thatJoseph had sent to cany him, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. (28) Israelsaid: "Enough! My son Joseph is still alive. I must go and see him before I die."The garments play no part in announcing the news to Jacob. This is reserved forthe wagons.In the Qur'iin, there is no mention of wagons, and a garment has acquired animportant, perhaps miraculous role. Here Joseph orders his brothers:(93) "Go with thi~ shirt of mine and cast it on my father's face, and he shallrecover his sight; then bring me your family all together." (94) So, when thecaravan set forth, their father said: "Surely [I would say that] I perceive Joseph'sscent, 45 were it not that you might consider me senile." (95) They said: "ByGod, you are certainly in your ancient error." (96) But when the bearer ofgoodtidings came to him, and laid it on his face, forthwith he saw once again. Hesaid: "Did I not tell you I know from God what you know not?" 46Three departures from the Biblical account are of interest here: Joseph sends agarment to his father; it plays a part in delivering the good news to Jacob, and itcauses him to regain his eyesight. 47 Again Syriac sources seem to supply the backgroundto these events.Regarding the loss and regaining of eyesight, Geiger comments that"[Mul;tammad] was perhaps thinking of Jacob's loss of sight later on, 48 or possiblythe idea is based on some legend unlqJown to me." 49 In fact it seems to stem froma figure of speech found in the Bible in other contexts and used repeatedly inseveral Syriac sources to emphasize Jacob's grief. 50 Thus according to PsB, for45 Compare Brock, Soghyatha, 16.46 The identity of Jacob's interlocutors in vv. 94-96 is unclear. The natural candidates would be thebrothers (compare vv. 85-86), but they were sent to Egypt in v. 87 and seem to return only in v. 96orv. 97. See discussion in al-Qur(ubi, ai-Jiimi ', 11:447 and 450.47 See Q 12:84, where after being informed that Benjamin had been imprisoned for stealing, it is saidthat Jacob "turned away from them and said: 'Ah, woe is me for Joseph!' And his eyes turnedwhite because of the sorrow (wa-byal}t;lat 'aynahu mina 1-/.zuzm} .. . "48 In Genesis 48: I 0, just before Jacob blesses Ephraim and Manasseh towards the end of his life, it issaid that his eyes "were dim with age."49 Geiger, Judaism and Islam, 117. The closest parallel in rabbinic sources is the tradition accordingto which the revival of Jacob's spirit in Genesis 45:27 alludes to the divine spirit returning to himand his regaining prophetic power; see the sources listed in Schapiro, Die haggadischen Elemente,72-74 (especially Genesis Rabba 91.6). See also Speyer, Die biblischen Erziihlungen, 219-20,where an interesting parallel in Tobit 11:7-15 is note!f. In J. Walker, Bible Characters in theKoran, Paisley: Gardner, 1931, 74-75, it is suggested that the blindness is the result of "someconfusion" between Jacob and his father Isaac.50 See especially Psalms 13:4; 19:9; 38:11; Proverbs 15:30. See also Tobit 10:5; 11:14.