The Biblical Tale of Judah and Tamar in Fourteenth-Century Iran

From the early medieval period onwards, Persian-speaking Jewish communities in Greater Iran utilized the Judeo-Persian language for their religious, intellectual, and cultural endeavors. Over six centuries, spanning from the 14th to the 19th century, Judeo-Persian literature flourished across various genres: bible translations, exegetical literature, halakhic and midrashic works, historical chronicles, dictionaries, scientific treatises and, notably, religious-epic narrative poems (mathnav¿). The emergence of the latter is closely associated with the figure of Sh¿h¿n (d. not earlier than 1358/9), who was active during the late Ilkhanid and early post-Mongol periods. This monograph explores Sh¿h¿n's treatment of the biblical tale of Judah and Tamar (Genesis 38) in his last poem Bereshit-n¿ma (Book of Genesis). While examining the major exegetical intricacies that the biblical narrative posed for Jewish commentators predating Sh¿h¿n and highlighting its polemical charge in Islamic anti-Jewish disputation literature, the study traces the interpretive choices and translational methods employed by the Jewish poet in his version. It assesses the extent of Sh¿h¿n's engagement with extra-biblical Jewish sources and unveils the socio-historical and cultural values of his time that influenced his unique rendition of the biblical tale. Featuring the first scholarly edition and annotated translation of the Judah and Tamar account by Sh¿h¿n, this monograph offers important insights into the challenges faced by the Jewish poet as he navigated biblical themes within a Perso-Islamicate cultural and religious milieu.