Challenging the Verdict of Epigonality: A Study of Late Antique Judeo-Christian Literature Traces in the Quran

Huseyin Halil

Article Details

Challenging the Verdict of Epigonality: A Study of Late Antique Judeo-Christian Literature Traces in the Quran

Authors:

Huseyin Halil

Publisher:

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)

Journal:

International Journal of Islamic Thought Vol.27 Issue 1, pp.77-89

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

1/2025

Document Language:

English

Document ID (Org No.):

2001948434

pISSN:

2232-1314

Keywords:

Abstract:

 Is the Quran an epigonic text? In other words, does the Quran rely on Late Antique Judeo- Christian literature for its stories, figures, and themes? This article examines the widely debated claim among Western scholars that the Quran is an epigonic work, borrowing from prior religious texts, and aims to critically assess this assertion. Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, many Western Orientalists argued that the Quran was constructed through selective borrowing from Judeo-Christian literature. Key figures promoting this view include Abraham Geiger, Michael Cook, and Christopher Luxenberg. However, from the latter half of the 20th century onwards, there has been a significant shift in Western academic perspectives on the Qurʾān, with increasing recognition of its originality and theological independence. Scholars like Sidney Griffith and Joseph Witztum argue that while the Quran may have adapted stories from earlier religious traditions, it reinterprets them within a distinct theological framework, exhibiting originality. Although certain Quranic narratives bear similarities to Jewish and Christian sources, their recontextualization within the Quran highlights the text’s unique theological message. This paper challenges the notion of epigonality by examining the Qurʾān’s originality and its divine origins in light of recent academic discourse.

Article Details

Challenging the Verdict of Epigonality: A Study of Late Antique Judeo-Christian Literature Traces in the Quran

Authors:

Huseyin Halil

Publisher:

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)

Journal:

International Journal of Islamic Thought Vol.27 Issue 1, pp.77-89

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

1/2025

Document Language:

English

Document ID (Org No.):

2001948434

pISSN:

2232-1314

Epigonality

exegesis

parallelism

the Quran

Judeo-Christian literature

Issues

Article Details

Challenging the Verdict of Epigonality: A Study of Late Antique Judeo-Christian Literature Traces in the Quran

Authors: Huseyin Halil

Publisher: Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)

Journal: International Journal of Islamic Thought Vol.27 Issue 1, pp.77-89

Document Type: Article

Publication Date: 1/2025

Document Language: English

Document ID (Org No.): 2001948434

pISSN: 2232-1314

Epigonality

exegesis

parallelism

the Quran

Judeo-Christian literature

Issues

Authors:

Huseyin Halil

Publisher:

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)

Journal:

International Journal of Islamic Thought Vol.27 Issue 1, pp.77-89

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

1/2025

Document Language:

English

Document ID (Org No.):

2001948434

pISSN:

2232-1314