Doctrinal and Socio-Political Aspects of Eschatology in the Abrahamic and Related Religious Traditions

A Series of Meetings

The Polonsky Academy at the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute
and the Martin Buber Society of Fellows in the Humanities and Social Sciences, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Professor Uri Rubin
Department of Arabic and Islamic studies, Tel-Aviv University

Qurʾānic Aspects of Jewish Messianism
The Case of Q 17:103-104 and Q 7:159

The future, as represented by the qurʾānic term al-ākhira, usually stands for the next world where, following the Last Judgment, the righteous go to Paradise and the sinners to Hell. In my presentation I shall draw attention to a less regular meaning of al-ākhira – namely, “the end of days,” i.e. the messianic stage of human history upon earth. I shall argue that al-ākhira bears this meaning in a Meccan passage (Q 17:103-104) that seems to sympathise with Jewish messianic hopes for redemption at the end of days, when the scattered Israelites return from exile to their holy land. This passage belongs to a pre-hijra sūra, in which the Qurʾān still envisions a combined umma of believers consisting of Jews and Arabs acting jointly against polytheism. The same empathy with Jewish Messianism, as focussed on the idea of Israelites dwelling beyond the Sambaṭyon, seems to be found in the Meccan passage of Q 7:159 which will also be considered. The messianic context of these unique passages will be elucidated according to some Jewish messianic texts, especially those that were circulated in Palestine during the 7th century.

Sunday, July 13, 2014, 18:00–20:00
The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute

RSVP: agostinidomenico@gmail.com or teseitommaso@gmail.com

Academic committee: Dr. Domenico Agostini and Dr. Tommaso Tesei, Polonsky Fellows, and Dr. Michael Ebstein and Dr. Lutz Greisiger, the Martin Buber Society of Fellows.
The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, 43 Jabotinsky St., Jerusalem, Tel. 02-560-5222