Related Worlds - Studies in Jewish and Arab Ancient and Early Medieval History

Book excerpt: An element common to all the articles collected here is the attempt to make parallel use of sources from different cultures - Biblical and Talmudic Hebrew, Greek and Latin, Arabic and Judaeo-Arabic - comparing these different but complementary sources in the investigation of topics in Jewish and Arabic history. In the first studies Professor Gil deals primarily with the Roman and Byzantine periods, elucidating how a Biblical term was understood, the historical significance of passages from the Mishna, and the origins of the Book of Enoch. The next group is concerned with the history of early Islam, during the years in which the Prophet Muhammad lived and worked, and later traditions of this period. The final studies are based specifically on sources from the Cairo Geniza, and examine a term of Greek origin and questions of taxation and commerce.