J.T.A.G.M. van Ruiten – författare

Studies in Deuteronomy was compiled as a respectful tribute to Professor C.J. Labuschagne and was presented to him on the occasion of his 65th birthday. The choice of the book of Deuteronomy as a fitting topic for a collection of commemorative essays reflects the focus of Professor Labuschagne's own research on this part of the Bible in recent years.The essays, which employ a variety of methodological approaches to the study of Deuteronomy, deal with such subjects as Masoretic, Septuagintal and Qumran variations in the text of Deuteronomy, Deuteronomic elements in other biblical books, and the reception history of Deuteronomy in the Jewish and Christian worlds. Included also is a first edition of some Deuteronomy manuscripts from Qumran, Masada and Nahal Hever.

Jews, Christians and Muslims describe their origins with close reference to the narrative of Abraham, including the complex story of Abraham's relation to Hagar. This volume sketches the history of interpretation of some of the key passages in this narrative, not least the verses which state that in Abraham all the nations of the earth will be blessed. This passage, which features prominently in Christian historiography, is largely disregarded in ancient Judaism, prompting the question how the relation between Abraham and the nations was perceived in Jewish sources. This focus is supplemented with the question how Islamic historiography relates to the Abraham narrative, and in particular to the descent of the Arabs from Abraham through Ishmael and Hagar. In studying the traditional readings of these narratives, the volume offers a detailed yet wide-ranging analysis of important aspects of the accounts of their origins which emerged within the three Abrahamic religions.