Biblical Characters in Three Traditions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam)
Program Unit Type: Seminar
Accepting Papers? No
Call For Papers: Biblical literature is obsessed with how humans are able to access the non-human realm of existence and how to communicate (and negotiate) with it. This is not to broach the subject of prophecy, a subject we discussed during the Vienna Seminar, and which John T. Greene (The Role of the Messenger and Message in the Ancient Near East, Brown Judaic Studies [Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1988]) has excluded Israel's prophets as having been understood as messengers--especially when compared with the region-wide understanding of this term and function. We are thus challenged to understand the biblical distinction between messenger(s) of God and prophet(s) of that deity.
The names Gabriel and Michael appear in both the Hebrew Scriptures/Old Testament (Dan. 8:16, 9:21 [Gabriel]; Dan. 10:13, 10:21, [Michael]) and New Testament (Luke 1:19, 1:26 [Gabriel]; Jude 9, Rev. 12:7 [Michael]).
Within traditional Judaism, a representative piece, The Bedtime Shema’ liturgy, mentions four angels, Gabriel, Michael, Uriel, and Raphael. Sanhedrin 95b of the Talmud references Gabriel, also. There are a plethora of rabbinic references available, also.
One of the trajectories traceable during the 7th century and beyond in the phenomenon of Islam is also found in the Qur'an. Both Gabriel (Jibril) and Michael (Mika’al) figure there prominently in Sura al-Baqarah 2.97, 2.98, 66.4, as well. As such, they are deserving, biblical characters worthy of being researched and discussed.
In essence, there is no dirth of literature available to the scholar to craft profound and meaningful essays concerning these two plus individuals designated messenger/angels in the literature produced by biblical, Jewish and Christian-Apocalyptic writers, rabbinical, and Islamic scholars in an attempt to explain the presence and function of these messengers/angels/communicators so named.
Program Unit Chairs
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