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Seven Sleepers of Ephesus in the Quran: Difference between revisions
Seven Sleepers of Ephesus in the Quran (view source)
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There is a long tradition in ancient cultures of myths about the preservation of important heroes. One such example of this folklore comes from Persia. In their legends, immortals were ancient heroes who were kept in deep sleep until the doomsday, when they wake up to assist the appointed messiah to save the world of cruelty and injustice.<ref>{{cite web|url= |title= Mythological phenomena in Ferdowsi's Shahnameh|publisher= Toos Publications|author= Mahvash Vahed Doost|date= 1989|page= 389|archiveurl= |deadurl=no}}</ref> Often times these immortals were associated with the sacredness of the number seven; and many stories portrayed these saviors to be seven male figures.<ref> {{cite web|url= |title= Yashts. Ed. & Interpretation. 2nd vol.|publisher= Tehran: Asatir Publications|author= Ibrahim Pour Davood|date= 1998|page=77 |archiveurl= |deadurl=no}}</ref> | There is a long tradition in ancient cultures of myths about the preservation of important heroes. One such example of this folklore comes from Persia. In their legends, immortals were ancient heroes who were kept in deep sleep until the doomsday, when they wake up to assist the appointed messiah to save the world of cruelty and injustice.<ref>{{cite web|url= |title= Mythological phenomena in Ferdowsi's Shahnameh|publisher= Toos Publications|author= Mahvash Vahed Doost|date= 1989|page= 389|archiveurl= |deadurl=no}}</ref> Often times these immortals were associated with the sacredness of the number seven; and many stories portrayed these saviors to be seven male figures.<ref> {{cite web|url= |title= Yashts. Ed. & Interpretation. 2nd vol.|publisher= Tehran: Asatir Publications|author= Ibrahim Pour Davood|date= 1998|page=77 |archiveurl= |deadurl=no}}</ref> | ||
This legendary motif can be found in many Middle Eastern cultures as well, including Jewish and Christian traditions. The book of Maccabees, an apocryphal scripture that details the deeds of Jewish rebels who opposed Roman rule from 164 BCE to 63 BCE, contains the story of a pious mother and seven brothers. This family is persecuted by an evil king who forces them to eat pork. They refuse and are tortured to death rather than abandon their faith and Jewish customs. <ref>[http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Maccabees+7&version=GNT 2 Maccabees Ch 7]</ref> These seven brothers were revered as saints for many generations, spawning cults dedicated to preserving their story. However, because Jews were persecuted and not popular by the 4<sup>th</sup> century, Christian variations of this legend began to circulate, including the story of St. Felicitas and her seven sons. Dr. Albrecht Berger, professor of Byzantine Studies at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat of Munich, affirms that there is a clear connection between these variations of the Maccabean story of seven brothers and the Christian legend of the Seven Sleepers | This legendary motif can be found in many Middle Eastern cultures as well, including Jewish and Christian traditions. The book of Maccabees, an apocryphal scripture that details the deeds of Jewish rebels who opposed Roman rule from 164 BCE to 63 BCE, contains the story of a pious mother and seven brothers. This family is persecuted by an evil king who forces them to eat pork. They refuse and are tortured to death rather than abandon their faith and Jewish customs. <ref>[http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Maccabees+7&version=GNT 2 Maccabees Ch 7]</ref> These seven brothers were revered as saints for many generations, spawning cults dedicated to preserving their story. However, because Jews were persecuted and not popular by the 4<sup>th</sup> century, Christian variations of this legend began to circulate, including the story of St. Felicitas and her seven sons. Dr. Albrecht Berger, professor of Byzantine Studies at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat of Munich, affirms that there is a clear connection between these variations of the Maccabean story of seven brothers and the Christian legend of the Seven Sleepers, with the later being a clear adaptation of the Jewish story.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://books.google.com/books?id=ln5Db7iDHhMC&pg=PA117|title= Dying for the Faith, Killing for the Faith: Old-Testament Faith-Warriors (1 and 2 Maccabees) in Historical Perspective|publisher= BRILL, 2012|author= Albrecht Berger, Gabriela Signori (ed.)|date= 2012|pages=114-118|isbn=9789004211056|archiveurl= |deadurl=no}}</ref> | ||
The tradition of sleeping heroes continued beyond the 7<sup>th</sup> century. Dozens of examples of these types of stories can be found throughout medieval literature.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/sleep.html|title= Sleeping Hero Legends|publisher= University of Pittsburgh|author= D. L. Ashliman|date= August 2, 2013|archiveurl= http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pitt.edu%2F%7Edash%2Fsleep.html&date=2013-12-04|deadurl=no}}</ref> In more modern times, the story of "Rip Van Winkle", by American author Washington Irving (1819) portrays a man who climbs up into a mountain, falls into a magical sleep for twenty years, thinks only a day has passed, returns to his town to realize he recognizes nobody, and discovers that society has dramatically changed. | The tradition of sleeping heroes continued beyond the 7<sup>th</sup> century. Dozens of examples of these types of stories can be found throughout medieval literature.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/sleep.html|title= Sleeping Hero Legends|publisher= University of Pittsburgh|author= D. L. Ashliman|date= August 2, 2013|archiveurl= http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pitt.edu%2F%7Edash%2Fsleep.html&date=2013-12-04|deadurl=no}}</ref> In more modern times, the story of "Rip Van Winkle", by American author Washington Irving (1819) portrays a man who climbs up into a mountain, falls into a magical sleep for twenty years, thinks only a day has passed, returns to his town to realize he recognizes nobody, and discovers that society has dramatically changed. | ||