Page:Judaism and Islam, a prize essay - Geiger - 1898.pdf/142

 124 JUDAISM AND

for Ms quarrelsome temper is mere embellishment) as is also the very happy invention of a man who warned Moses to flee. 1 There is a mistake to be found in the very brief account of Moses' flight to Midian and his residence there, for Muhammad speaks of two 2 instead of seven 3 daughters of the Midianite. Instead of letting the vision in the bush be the occasion of Moses 7 leaving Midian, as it is in the Bible, 4 Muhammad erroneously. makes out that Moses had formed the resolution to leave the country before this event, and that the vision appeared to him on the way. 5 The appearance of Moses before Pharaoh is connected in a remarkable way with the divine commission to the former. So closely are the two circumstances bound together that in many places Pharaoh's answer follows immediately upon (rod's command, without its having first been mentioned that Moses and Aaron had gone in obedience to Grod to Egypt, had done wonders before Pharaoh and had admonished him. But on the other hand in those passages where only the admonitions given by Moses to Pharaoh are related, without the preceding events being given, the part elsewhere omitted is of course supplied, but as we might expect with changes. Pharaoh is said to have reproached Moses with the murder of the Egyptian. 6 This is a very simple invention, which however is contrary to the literal sense of the Scriptures, 7 unless we accept the Eabbinical explanation 8 of the words, " the king of Egypt died," 9 that is, " he became leprous and a leper is as one dead ; " and also of the words, " for all are died who sought

i Sura XXVIII. 19. 2 Sura XXVIII. 23.

3 Exodus, ii. 16. 4 Exodus, iii.

5 Sura XXVIII. 29. 6 Sura XXVI. It ff.

7 Exodus, ii. 23. iv. 19. 8 Midr. Rabb. on Exodus, par. 1.

9 Exodus, ii. 23.