“‘The Old Woman of the Children of Israel’ in Samaritan, Rabbinic, and Muslim Traditions.” Islamic Tradition at the End of Late Antiquity: New Perspectives on Hadith, History, and Historiography, Universität Tubingen, July 10, 2024.
Abstract:
On the eve of the exodus from Egypt, an ancient oath prevented the departure of Moses and the Children of Israel. They could not leave unless they recovered the bones of Joseph (Genesis 50:25). Fortunately, an old woman from among them remembered where Joseph was buried and was able to direct Moses to Joseph’s burial spot. Thus, this old lady saved the day, playing an important role in the Children of Israel’s redemption. She is usually identified as Serah, daughter of Asher son of Jacob. Versions of this story are found in Samaritan and Rabbinic aggadah and in Muslim Hadith literature. The Muslim versions, both Sunnī and Shī‘ī, contain a unique element that is absent in the Samaritan and Rabbinic versions: The old lady agrees to help Moses only if her stipulations are met (e.g., she stipulates that she will be granted a place beside Moses’ in heaven). In this paper, I discuss the origin of this unique element and argue that it was perhaps born out of a conflation of the Midrashic Serah story and the story of Elija and Elisha. I also trace the development of the various Hadith about the old lady using several methods including isnād and matn analysis and comparison with Rabbinic and Samaritan sources. In this way, I am able to trace the Late Antique reception of the tradition about the old lady and to shed a bit more light on the incorporation of Isrā’īliyyāt in Hadith literature.