Page:Judaism and Islam, a prize essay - Geiger - 1898.pdf/148

 130 JUDAISM AND ISllM.

God, that they might see His glory and hear His voice ; and both were granted them, as it is written : * ' Behold the Lord our God hath shewed us His glory and His greatness, and we have heard His voice out of the midst of the fire.' Then they had no power to bear it, for when they came to Sinai and He appeared to them, their soul departed at His speech, as it is written : 2 ' My soul went forth when he spake.' The Law (the Torah) however interceded with God for them saying : ' Would a king marry his daughter and slay all his household ? ' The whole world rejoices (on account of my appearance), and shall thy children (the Israelites) die ? At once their souls returned to them, therefore it is written : 3 ' The Law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul.' " The story of the calf is also one of those which Muhammad, following the Eabbis, has found it easy to embellish. He says that the people would have killed Aaron, if he had not made them a calf; 4 and the Eabbis say: 5 "Aaron saw Hur (who had wish- ed to oppose them) killed ; then he thought : if I do not listen to them they will do with me as with Hur." According to another statement of the Quran 6 one of

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1 Deuteronomy, v. 24 (Heb., v. 21)- 2 Canticles, v, 6. 3 Psalm, xix. 8. 4 Sfaa VII, 150.

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Easlii makes the same remark on Exodus, xxxii. 4. 6 Sura XX. 87, 90, 96.