The Reception of Exodus Motifs in Christian, Jewish, and Islamic Writings

doi:10.1628/978-3-16-164304-0

The Reception of Exodus Motifs in Christian, Jewish, and Islamic Writings

Edited by Agnethe Siquans and Beate Kowalski

2026. 256 pages.

History of Biblical Exegesis (HBE) 9

DOI 10.1628/978-3-16-164304-0

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Summary

This volume traces how Judaism, Christianity, and Islam have transformed the Exodus narrative across centuries. Contributors reveal how this foundational story has forged religious identities, sparked theological debates, and been reimagined through diverse cultural lenses, demonstrating its enduring power to shape faith communities worldwide.

The Exodus story ranks among the most influential narratives of the biblical tradition. As Israel's foundational story of origin, it has shaped Jewish identity in profound ways, while also exerting major influence on Christianity and Islam. The contributors to this volume trace the diverse strategies by which interpretive communities have appropriated the Exodus for their own identity-formation, theological reflection, and social orientation. While received as a normative and authoritative text, the Exodus account has also posed significant challenges. Difficult passages - such as the hardening of Pharaoh's heart or the ambivalent portrayal of Moses - have demanded interpretive responses, ranging from neglect to creative re-interpretation, as exemplified by the Qur'anic representation of Moses' »white« hand. Beyond textual analysis, the contributors emphasize the cultural settings in which these readings emerged: rabbis and church fathers, Paul and early Muslim thinkers interacted, influenced each other, or sharply demarcated their positions. Thus, the reception history of Exodus not only illuminates theological debates but also offers insights into interreligious relations, processes of identity formation, and the dynamics of cultural boundary-drawing

Table of contents:

I Exodus Motifs in Christian Writings
Beate Kowalski: Loci Citati vel Allegati Revisited: Future Research - Karl-Heinrich Ostmeyer: »The Exodus Continues ...«: The Role of Rabbinic Reception of Exodus in Understanding Paul - Joseph Verheyden: Justin Integrates Exodus in his Dialogue with Tryphon - Marco Rizzi: »Non loco sed animo, non itinere ... sed fide«: Origen's Exegesis in the Homilies on Exodus - Josef Lössl: Themes and Motifs from Exodus in the Writings of Augustine of Hippo

II Exodus Motifs in Jewish Writings
Günter Stemberger: Exodus in Rabbinic Tradition - Lieve Teugels: Suffering People, Suffering Moses, Suffering God: Rabbinic Interpretations of Exodus - Agnethe Siquans: The Reception of Exodus in the Midrash Shemot Rabbah

III Exodus Motifs in Islamic Writings
Kate Tinson: The White Hand of Moses as a »Clear Sign«: The Reception of Exodus 4 and 7 in the Qur'an

Authors/Editors

Agnethe Siquans Born 1971; 2003 Dr. theol. at the University of Vienna; 2010 Habilitation; Professor of Old Testament Biblical Studies at the Faculty of Catholic Theology, University of Vienna.

https://orcid.org/0000000311057152

Beate Kowalski Born 1965; 1995 Dr. theol., Ruhr-University Bochum; 2004 Habilitation, Leopold-Franzens University Innsbruck; Professor of Exegesis and Theology of the New Testament at TU Dortmund University.