Joseph in the Bible and the Quran
Joseph in the Bible and the Quran

Chautauqua Special Studies
Week 8, Aug. 16-19, 2004







The twelfth sura of the Quran is among the longest, and is the only one with a single person or subject as its theme--Joseph. We will compare the biblical and Quranic texts that tell Joseph's story, identifying their points of commonality and discrepancy, and the significance of Joseph from Jewish, Christian and Muslim perspectives.

Marsha B. Cohen

Course (#1826) meets in the
Chautauqua Institution Library
Monday-Thursday, 9:15-10:30 a.m.
Texts used in this course:
Genesis, Chapters 37-50 The biblical story of Joseph
Quran, 12th Sura Joseph (Yusuf) in Islamic tradition
Legends of the Jews Joseph (Yosef) in classical Jewish lore and legend
Jami's "Yusuf and Zuleika" A Sufi love story by the 15th century Persian poet Jami