Historical Dictionary of Prophets in Islam and Judaism.

• Author: Matthews, Victor H.
• Position: Book Review

Historical Dictionary of Prophets in Islam and Judaism. By SCOTT B. NOEGEL and BRANNON M. WHEELER. Historical Dictionary of Religions, Philosophies, and Movements, vol. 43. Lanham, Md.: SCARECROW PRESS, 2002. Pp. xxxvii + 522. $70.

Intended as a general reference work designed to promote interdisciplinary treatment of prophetic figures and materials from the biblical, Quranic, and later Jewish and Islamic traditions, this volume includes 552 entries. These cover major figures like David, Ezekiel, Moses, and Muhammad, general articles on asceticism, divination, prophet, and temple, as well as methodological entries on form and textual criticism and on speech act theory. There are numerous articles on pseudepigraphical works and hadith collections that will help introduce these materials to students. The size of the entries ranges from fifty to a thousand words and each contains cross-references. Although ancient Near Eastern and other extra-biblical and extra-Quranic sources are mentioned in the articles, specific textual citations are not included. A brief history of prophecy in the Near East, included in the introduction, is also a useful feature for beginners. In addition to a general bibliography, there are separate bibliographies provided on major prophetic figures, and textual and subject indices are included in the volume.

This encyclopedic work will be most useful to students and scholars who want a non-technical, quick reference on prophetic topics, figures, or sources. The information provided is clearly written and contains enough substance to answer most questions that the non-specialist would ask. The inclusion of both biblical and Quranic entries in the same volume is a useful feature, since it allows those interested in one area to draw easily on...