Women in the Qur'an and Hebrew Scriptures: the development of text, story and character

Abstract

This thesis focuses on three major female characters who appear both in the First Testament and the Qur'an--Eve/Hawwa, Potiphar's wife from the First Testament or the Aziz's wife as she appears in the Qur'an, and the Queen of Sheba. These three women are the only characters who appear in extensive narratives in both scriptures. Other individuals or groups who appear in the two texts will not be overlooked but it should be noted that they appear to a much lesser extent in one or other of the scriptures--Noah's wife, Sarah, Hagar, Lot's wife, Lot's daughters, Miriam sister of Moses, and the mother of Moses. These characters are the only women singled out for mention both in the First Testament and in the Qur'an. Other women may not be singled out but nevertheless can be understood to be present. We may guess at the presence of women behind the scenes at the court of Solomon, slave girls in the house of Potiphar/the Aziz, and other women in Sarah's tent besides Hagar. In this thesis however we are concerned only for those women characters who have some discernible role to play in the plot.