# Event Details - **Event Name**: What can the Qur’an teach us about Arabian Jews at the beginning of Islam? - **Event Start and End Date**: Thu, 05 Mar, 2026 at 05:30 pm – Thu, 05 Mar, 2026 at 07:00 pm - **Event Description**: New studies show that traditions from Roman Palestine are essential to understand Qur’an’s relationship to rabbinic Judaism.About this EventThe Department of Middle Eastern Studies, University of CambridgeJohn and Mary Bennett Lecture 2026Holger ZellentinUniversity of TübingenWhat can the Qur’an teach us about the Arabian Jews at the beginning of Islam?Thursday 5th March 2026, 5.30pmThe Ferguson Nazareth Room, Dolby Quarter,Pembroke College, CambridgeThe lecture will be followed by a drinks receptionIn 1979, Meir and Menahem Kister used Muslim sources to illuminate the unique character of Arabian Jews at the dawn of the Islamic era. The Kisters’ work revealed that these Arabian Jewish communities were rabbinic, with a distinctly Late Roman Palestinian identity.Since then, the academic landscape has shifted considerably. Divergences and interactions between the Jewish communities of Palestine and Iraq have been further explored, as have the history of the Qur’an and early Islam. Furthermore, recent and forthcoming studies have shown that Palestinian traditions are essential for understanding the Qur’an’s relationship to rabbinic Judaism, with examples ranging from the Mishna and Midrash to the Jerusalem Talmud, and from piyyut to Toledot Yeshu.This talk provides a summary of recent research and seeks to confirm the Kisters’ hypothesis based specifically on the qur’anic evidence for the Jews of Yathrib (Medina, in West Arabia). Thereby, it opens a new chapter in the study of the Jews of Yathrib, while simultaneously providing a new perspective on Palestinian rabbinic culture at the turn of the seventh century CE.Holger ZellentinHolger Zellentin (PhD Princeton, 2007) is a scholar of Late Antiquity who combines literary, legal, and historical approaches to the Late Antique Jewish, Christian, and Islamic cultural traditions. He currently holds an ERC Consolidator Grant, The Quran as a Source for Late Antiquity (2020-2026). After holding established academic posts in Berkeley, Nottingham, and Cambridge, he joined the University of Tübingen in 2019. - **Event URL**: https://allevents.in/cambridge/what-can-the-qur’an-teach-us-about-arabian-jews-at-the-beginning-of-islam/100001977384572486 - **Event Categories**: art, literary-art - **Interested Audience**: - total_interested_count: 0 ## Ticket Details - **Ticket Price Range**: min: 0, max: 0, currency: GBP ## Event venue details - **city**: Cambridge - **state**: EN - **country**: United Kingdom - **location**: Pembroke College - **lat**: 52.2017274 - **long**: 0.1183207 - **full address**: Pembroke College, Trumpington Street, Cambridge, United Kingdom ## Event gallery - **Alt text**: What can the Qur’an teach us about Arabian Jews at the beginning of Islam? - **Image URL**: https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events4/banners/e4acc0c16737a92c80727c109b2ecf17d979ef868524682708dd74fa89138341-rimg-w1200-h843-dcc6b893-gmir.jpg?v=1767068755 ## FAQs - **Q**: When and where is What can the Qur’an teach us about Arabian Jews at the beginning of Islam? being held? - **A:** What can the Qur’an teach us about Arabian Jews at the beginning of Islam? takes place on Thu, 05 Mar, 2026 at 05:30 pm to Thu, 05 Mar, 2026 at 07:00 pm at Pembroke College, Trumpington Street, Cambridge, United Kingdom. - **Q**: Who is organizing What can the Qur’an teach us about Arabian Jews at the beginning of Islam?? - **A:** What can the Qur’an teach us about Arabian Jews at the beginning of Islam? is organized by Centre of Islamic Studies. - **Q**: Who is this event for? Is it right for me? - **A:** What can the Qur’an teach us about Arabian Jews at the beginning of Islam? is ideal for art lovers, collectors, creatives, and anyone inspired by visual arts, installations, and exhibitions. Whether you're a first-time attendee or a longtime enthusiast in Cambridge, this event is thoughtfully curated to deliver a standout experience worth every moment. 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