Seven Sleepers of Ephesus in the Quran - Revision history

Asmith: /* Number of Sleepers */ correct year for Reynolds book

2025-10-14T16:08:15Z

Number of Sleepers: correct year for Reynolds book

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:08, 14 October 2025
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	===Number of Sleepers===		===Number of Sleepers===

	The author of these verses in the Qur'an does not provide a definitive answer for the number of sleepers, stating the possibility that there were three, five, or seven. The Syrian legend clearly and emphatically states in the first sentence that the story is about seven sleepers. However Reynolds (~~2020~~), citing Griffith notes that there was indeed a dispute in other Syriac traditions over the number of sleepers: ''“According to the mêmrâ of Jacob of Serugh and the Ecclesiastical History of John of Ephesus, the number is consistently eight … while the Ecclesiastical History of Zacharias of Mitylene speaks of ‘their leader Akleides and his six companions.’ In other early Christian language traditions the youths are usually called the ‘Seven Sleepers of Ephesus.’.''<ref name=":0">Reynolds, Gabriel Said. ''Christianity and the Qur'an: The Rise of Islam in Christian Arabia (p. 92).'' Yale University Press. Kindle Edition.		The author of these verses in the Qur'an does not provide a definitive answer for the number of sleepers, stating the possibility that there were three, five, or seven. The Syrian legend clearly and emphatically states in the first sentence that the story is about seven sleepers. However Reynolds (2025), citing Griffith notes that there was indeed a dispute in other Syriac traditions over the number of sleepers: ''“According to the mêmrâ of Jacob of Serugh and the Ecclesiastical History of John of Ephesus, the number is consistently eight … while the Ecclesiastical History of Zacharias of Mitylene speaks of ‘their leader Akleides and his six companions.’ In other early Christian language traditions the youths are usually called the ‘Seven Sleepers of Ephesus.’.''<ref name=":0">Reynolds, Gabriel Said. ''Christianity and the Qur'an: The Rise of Islam in Christian Arabia (p. 92).'' Yale University Press. Kindle Edition.

	''“[https://almuslih.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Griffith-S-The-%E2%80%98Companions-of-the-Cave-in-Surat-al-Kahf-.pdf Christian Lore and the Arabic Qurʾān: The ‘Companions of the Cave’ in Sūrat al-Kahf and in Syriac Christian Tradition].”. pp.129.'' QHC, 109–37.</ref>		''“[https://almuslih.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Griffith-S-The-%E2%80%98Companions-of-the-Cave-in-Surat-al-Kahf-.pdf Christian Lore and the Arabic Qurʾān: The ‘Companions of the Cave’ in Sūrat al-Kahf and in Syriac Christian Tradition].”. pp.129.'' QHC, 109–37.</ref>

CPO675: Noted earlier versions pre-dating the Qur'an in the page intro.

2025-10-02T22:14:05Z

Noted earlier versions pre-dating the Qur'an in the page intro.

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:14, 2 October 2025
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	[[File:Seven sleepers.jpg\|right\|thumb\|250px\|Folio from an illustrated Islamic manuscript depicting the Seven Sleepers and the evil emperor led by a [[Qur'an, Hadith and Scholars:Racism\|dark-skinned Satan]]. Iran, Qazvin. 1550s.]]		[[File:Seven sleepers.jpg\|right\|thumb\|250px\|Folio from an illustrated Islamic manuscript depicting the Seven Sleepers and the evil emperor led by a [[Qur'an, Hadith and Scholars:Racism\|dark-skinned Satan]]. Iran, Qazvin. 1550s.]]

	The [[Qur'an\|Qur'anic]] story of the "Companions of the Cave" has traditionally been explained by the Islamic narrative as proof of [[Allah]]'s divine power whereby he miraculously caused 7 youths to fall asleep and awaken after more than 300 years. Yet comparison with the literary milieu of the Qur'an, 7th century Chrisian culture in the Middle East, reveals parallels to the 7 Sleepers of Ephesus, a Christian legend dating from the 5th century which tells the story of Christian youths being persecuted by the pagan Roman Emperor Decius in the 3rd century. The youths seek shelter in a cave, fall asleep for over 200 years, and venture out only to find that the Empire is now Christian. Their faith confirmed, the youths then die and are embraced by the Lord. Rather than a mere exhibition of god's power, the original story was a parable meant to emphasis the ability of Christian faith to overcome persecution, a celebration of the Christianization of the Roman Empire and an answer to heretics at the time of the story's composition who doubted the literal nature of the physical Resurrection. As the Qur'an does not preserve the entire story, but appears to merely refer to it, the [[tafsir\|mufassirun]] of later generations misinterpreted the story, leaving out key components and failing to relay the underlying message of the original parable. In 2023, academic scholar Thomas Eich published his finding that the specific version of the tale found in the Qur'an overlaps significantly with the version taught by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Theodore of Tarsus (d. 690 CE), and which can be situated in an early 7th century Palestinian context.<ref name="Eich2023">Eich, Thomas. [https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/islam-2023-0003/html Muḥammad und Cædmon und die Siebenschläferlegende. Zur Verbindung zwischen Palästina und Canterbury im 7. Jahrhundert] (abstract in English), Der Islam, vol. 100, no. 1, 2023, pp. 7-39. https://doi.org/10.1515/islam-2023-0003</ref>		The [[Qur'an\|Qur'anic]] story of the "Companions of the Cave" has traditionally been explained by the Islamic narrative as proof of [[Allah]]'s divine power whereby he miraculously caused 7 youths to fall asleep and awaken after more than 300 years. Yet comparison with the literary milieu of the Qur'an, 7th century Chrisian culture in the Middle East, reveals parallels to the 7 Sleepers of Ephesus, a Christian legend dating from the 5th century which tells the story of Christian youths being persecuted by the pagan Roman Emperor Decius in the 3rd century. The youths seek shelter in a cave, fall asleep for over 200 years, and venture out only to find that the Empire is now Christian. Their faith confirmed, the youths then die and are embraced by the Lord. Rather than a mere exhibition of god's power, the original story was a parable meant to emphasis the ability of Christian faith to overcome persecution, a celebration of the Christianization of the Roman Empire and an answer to heretics at the time of the story's composition who doubted the literal nature of the physical Resurrection.

			As the Qur'an does not preserve the entire story, but appears to merely refer to it, the [[tafsir\|mufassirun]] of later generations misinterpreted the story, leaving out key components and failing to relay the underlying message of the original parable. In 2023, academic scholar Thomas Eich published his finding that the specific version of the tale found in the Qur'an overlaps significantly with the version taught by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Theodore of Tarsus (d. 690 CE), and which can be situated in an early 7th century Palestinian context.<ref name="Eich2023">Eich, Thomas. [https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/islam-2023-0003/html Muḥammad und Cædmon und die Siebenschläferlegende. Zur Verbindung zwischen Palästina und Canterbury im 7. Jahrhundert] (abstract in English), Der Islam, vol. 100, no. 1, 2023, pp. 7-39. https://doi.org/10.1515/islam-2023-0003</ref> Sydney Griffith (2008) notes that the earliest recension of the story is believed to be by Bishop Stephen of Ephesus in the 5th century (in Greek), and the earliest extant texts are in Syriac date from the 6th century.<ref>''[https://almuslih.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Griffith-S-The-%E2%80%98Companions-of-the-Cave-in-Surat-al-Kahf-.pdf Christian Lore and the Arabic Qurʾān: The ‘Companions of the Cave’ in Sūrat al-Kahf and in Syriac Christian Tradition].”. pp.120.'' QHC, 109–37. Sidney H. Griffith. </ref>

	==Introduction==		==Introduction==
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	In his article (the rest of which is written in German), Eich explains that Theodore spent the period from the 640s until 668 CE in Rome in the Monastery of St. Anastasius, a Greek monastic community which had begun to move there from Palestine from the 630s, probably triggered by the Byzantine conquest of Palestine in 629-30, though possibly due to the Arab conquest several years later. In 669 the Pope sent Theodore to England to take the vacant seat as Archbishop of Canterbury, where his teachings would go on to reflect those of his former Greek-Palestinian monastic community and showed knowledge of the Syriac church fathers.		In his article (the rest of which is written in German), Eich explains that Theodore spent the period from the 640s until 668 CE in Rome in the Monastery of St. Anastasius, a Greek monastic community which had begun to move there from Palestine from the 630s, probably triggered by the Byzantine conquest of Palestine in 629-30, though possibly due to the Arab conquest several years later. In 669 the Pope sent Theodore to England to take the vacant seat as Archbishop of Canterbury, where his teachings would go on to reflect those of his former Greek-Palestinian monastic community and showed knowledge of the Syriac church fathers.

	It is in a Biblical commentary by Theodore when he was in England (surviving in two 9th century and one 11th century Latin manuscripts) where we find a version of the seven sleepers story, quoted below, with exceptional ~~correspondances~~ to the Quranic version. Unlike all other Syriac-Christian references to the legend (which have all been assigned to communities in Palestine, and in one case to Najran in Southern Arabia), in Theodore's version:		It is in a Biblical commentary by Theodore when he was in England (surviving in two 9th century and one 11th century Latin manuscripts) where we find a version of the seven sleepers story, quoted below, with exceptional correspondences to the Quranic version. Unlike all other Syriac-Christian references to the legend (which have all been assigned to communities in Palestine, and in one case to Najran in Southern Arabia), in Theodore's version:

	*The cave is not walled up. {{Quran\|18\|18}} likewise suggests that the cave was open.		*The cave is not walled up. {{Quran\|18\|18}} likewise suggests that the cave was open.

CPO675: /* Slept for Hundreds of Years */ Added a citation for the coin and it's significance in the original story.

2025-10-02T20:22:06Z

Slept for Hundreds of Years: Added a citation for the coin and it's significance in the original story.

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	===Money for Bread===		===Money for Bread===

	Another similarity between the two stories is that both state that one of the companions goes to the city to buy bread with coins. The Syriac legend states that the name of the person who buys bread is Malchus.		Another similarity between the two stories is that both state that one of the companions goes to the city to buy bread with coins. The Syriac legend states that the name of the person who buys bread is Malchus. The significance of the coin in identifying the sleepers being from a reign centuries ago is not stated in the Qur'an, but implies familiarity with the late antique Christian tale.<ref>Reynolds, Gabriel Said. ''Christianity and the Qur'an: The Rise of Islam in Christian Arabia (p. 91).'' Yale University Press. Kindle Edition.

			There are a number of other significant correspondences between the legend of the Seven Sleepers and the qur’anic account of the Companions of the Cave. Like the Christian legend, the qur’anic account has one of the young men enter the city to buy food with a coin (Q 18:19).<sup>107</sup> The Qur’an’s account does not speak of the emperor Decius (whose image would have been on the coin as the merchant inspected it), and so one would need some knowledge of the Christian legend in order to recognize the significance of the coin in the unfolding of the plot in the Qur’an. This is one sign that the Qur’an is engaging with an audience that is already familiar with this Christian tale.</ref>

	{{Quote\|The Seven Sleepers (par 3)\|		{{Quote\|The Seven Sleepers (par 3)\|
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	===Slept for Hundreds of Years===		===Slept for Hundreds of Years===

	Both accounts state that the youths slept for hundreds of years. The Qur'an stating that it was 300 years and the Syriac version stating the number was closer to 200. There is considerable variation in different versions of the Seven Sleeper legend as to the time frame that they slept.<ref ~~name="~~:0" /> Though all of them are longer than 200 years.		Both accounts state that the youths slept for hundreds of years. The Qur'an stating that it was 300 years and the Syriac version stating the number was closer to 200. There is considerable variation in different versions of the Seven Sleeper legend as to the time frame that they slept.<ref>Reynolds, Gabriel Said. ''Christianity and the Qur'an: The Rise of Islam in Christian Arabia (p. 92-93).'' Yale University Press. Kindle Edition.

			''“[https://almuslih.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Griffith-S-The-%E2%80%98Companions-of-the-Cave-in-Surat-al-Kahf-.pdf Christian Lore and the Arabic Qurʾān: The ‘Companions of the Cave’ in Sūrat al-Kahf and in Syriac Christian Tradition].”. pp.129.'' QHC, 109–37.

			Griffith explains: In the pre-Islamic Syriac texts there is in fact disagreement about the number of years the youths stayed asleep in the cave. For the most part the differences seem to come from the methods of computing the number of years which elapsed between the reigns of the emperors Decius (249–51) and Theodosius II (408–50). Recension I of Jacob of Serugh’s mêmrâ says of Decius, “According to the numbering and the reckoning of the Greeks, he was the king three hundred and seventy-two years ago,” but recension II says, “According to the numbers and the reckoning of the Greeks, Decius passed on three hundred and fifty years ago.” The Ecclesiastical History of John of Ephesus says that the coinage of Decius in the youths’ possession was current three hundred and seventy years ago; in the Ecclesiastical History of Zacharias of Mitylene, the bishop of Ephesus tells the youth Dionysius that Decius reigned “two hundred years ago, more or less.” With this reckoning, the bishop would seem to be “more or less” correct; the number of years which elapsed between the end of the reign of Decius (d. 251) and the last year of the reign of Theodosius (d. 450), when the youths were discovered, is roughly 199.</ref> Though all of them are longer than 200 years.

	{{Quote\|{{Quran\|18\|25}}\|		{{Quote\|{{Quran\|18\|25}}\|

CPO675: /* Number of Sleepers */ Updating research on number of sleepers varying and being debated in Syrian Christian traditions and citing dispute over the length of time they were asleep.

2025-10-02T20:15:35Z

Number of Sleepers: Updating research on number of sleepers varying and being debated in Syrian Christian traditions and citing dispute over the length of time they were asleep.

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:15, 2 October 2025
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	===Number of Sleepers===		===Number of Sleepers===

	The author of these verses in the Qur'an does not provide a definitive answer for the number of sleepers, stating the possibility that there were three, five, or seven. The Syrian legend clearly and emphatically states in the first sentence that the story is about seven sleepers.		The author of these verses in the Qur'an does not provide a definitive answer for the number of sleepers, stating the possibility that there were three, five, or seven. The Syrian legend clearly and emphatically states in the first sentence that the story is about seven sleepers. However Reynolds (2020), citing Griffith notes that there was indeed a dispute in other Syriac traditions over the number of sleepers: ''“According to the mêmrâ of Jacob of Serugh and the Ecclesiastical History of John of Ephesus, the number is consistently eight … while the Ecclesiastical History of Zacharias of Mitylene speaks of ‘their leader Akleides and his six companions.’ In other early Christian language traditions the youths are usually called the ‘Seven Sleepers of Ephesus.’.''<ref name=":0">Reynolds, Gabriel Said. ''Christianity and the Qur'an: The Rise of Islam in Christian Arabia (p. 92).'' Yale University Press. Kindle Edition.

			''“[https://almuslih.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Griffith-S-The-%E2%80%98Companions-of-the-Cave-in-Surat-al-Kahf-.pdf Christian Lore and the Arabic Qurʾān: The ‘Companions of the Cave’ in Sūrat al-Kahf and in Syriac Christian Tradition].”. pp.129.'' QHC, 109–37.</ref>

	{{Quote\|The Seven Sleepers (par 1)\|		{{Quote\|The Seven Sleepers (par 1)\|
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	===Slept for Hundreds of Years===		===Slept for Hundreds of Years===

	Both accounts state that the youths slept for hundreds of years. The Qur'an stating that it was 300 years and the Syriac version stating the number was closer to 200. There is considerable variation in different versions of the Seven Sleeper legend as to the time frame that they slept. Though all of them are longer than 200 years.		Both accounts state that the youths slept for hundreds of years. The Qur'an stating that it was 300 years and the Syriac version stating the number was closer to 200. There is considerable variation in different versions of the Seven Sleeper legend as to the time frame that they slept.<ref name=":0" /> Though all of them are longer than 200 years.

	{{Quote\|{{Quran\|18\|25}}\|		{{Quote\|{{Quran\|18\|25}}\|

CPO675: /* Parallels with the Syriac version of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus */ Added an academic reference to the Syriac version of the story matching the Qur'an and link to a TMA YouTube video covering the Story in a humorous way.

2025-09-29T16:22:15Z

Parallels with the Syriac version of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus: Added an academic reference to the Syriac version of the story matching the Qur'an and link to a TMA YouTube video covering the Story in a humorous way.

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:22, 29 September 2025
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	==Parallels with the Syriac version of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus==		==Parallels with the Syriac version of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus==

	Prior to the identification of the above quoted Palestinian version, a number of clear parallels between the Qur'anic story and the legend of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus had already been identified, though also differences.		Prior to the identification of the above quoted Palestinian version, a number of clear parallels between the Qur'anic story and the legend of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus had already been identified (its narrative sequence and details the Qur’an follows closely the version of this story as recounted in a homily by Jacob of Serugh),<ref>Reynolds, Gabriel Said. ''Christianity and the Qur'an: The Rise of Islam in Christian Arabia (p. 87).'' Yale University Press. Kindle Edition.</ref> though also differences.

	The two narratives clearly share many features which would indicate that they are in fact one and the same. They are virtually identical in the events they describe and both contain striking similarities in key details. Both story mention youths, a cave, a long sleep, buying bread with coins, and the Day of Judgement. Since the Syrian legend pre-dates the Qur'anic story by almost two centuries, it should be clear that the author of the Qur'an is simply retelling the Syriac story. The Qur'an even suggests in verse 18:9 that the audience is familiar with the story as they should have already "reflected" upon it and {{Quran\|18\|22}} indicates that different views on the details of the story were in circulation.		The two narratives clearly share many features which would indicate that they are in fact one and the same. They are virtually identical in the events they describe and both contain striking similarities in key details. Both story mention youths, a cave, a long sleep, buying bread with coins, and the Day of Judgement. Since the Syrian legend pre-dates the Qur'anic story by almost two centuries, it should be clear that the author of the Qur'an is simply retelling the Syriac story. The Qur'an even suggests in verse 18:9 that the audience is familiar with the story as they should have already "reflected" upon it and {{Quran\|18\|22}} indicates that different views on the details of the story were in circulation.
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	*{{external link\| url = http://www.answering-islam.org/Quran/Sources/s18.html\| title = The Fellows of the Cave\| publisher = Answering Islam\| author = \| date = \| archiveurl = http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.answering-islam.org%2FQuran%2FSources%2Fs18.html&date=2013-12-05\| deadurl = no}}		*{{external link\| url = http://www.answering-islam.org/Quran/Sources/s18.html\| title = The Fellows of the Cave\| publisher = Answering Islam\| author = \| date = \| archiveurl = http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.answering-islam.org%2FQuran%2FSources%2Fs18.html&date=2013-12-05\| deadurl = no}}
			*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRICs4iJd1w The Quranic chapter that gave it all away...] - The Masked Arab - YouTube video

	==References==		==References==

Vixen: /* Slept for Hundreds of Years */

2023-12-10T10:20:17Z

Slept for Hundreds of Years

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:20, 10 December 2023
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	===Slept for Hundreds of Years===		===Slept for Hundreds of Years===

	Both accounts state that the youths slept for hundreds of years. The Qur'an stating that it was 300 years and the ~~Syrian~~ version stating the number was closer to 200. There is considerable variation in different versions of the Seven Sleeper legend as to the time frame that they slept. Though all of them are longer than 200 years.		Both accounts state that the youths slept for hundreds of years. The Qur'an stating that it was 300 years and the Syriac version stating the number was closer to 200. There is considerable variation in different versions of the Seven Sleeper legend as to the time frame that they slept. Though all of them are longer than 200 years.

	{{Quote\|{{Quran\|18\|25}}\|		{{Quote\|{{Quran\|18\|25}}\|
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	... so they slept but two hundred and eight years. }}		... so they slept but two hundred and eight years. }}

	The ~~Syrian~~ account identifies the Emperor persecuting the seven young men as Trajan Decius, who reigned from 249 - 251 CE. Since the story first originated around the middle of the 5<sup>th</sup> century (circa 450 CE) a sleep of 200 years would be the more accurate number. Given this connection, some Islamic scholars and apologists in modern times have back-peddled on the number of 300 given in the Qur'an, re-interpreting it as a number given by the people at the time and not a definitive number given by Allah.		The Syriac account identifies the Emperor persecuting the seven young men as Trajan Decius, who reigned from 249 - 251 CE. Since the story first originated around the middle of the 5<sup>th</sup> century (circa 450 CE) a sleep of 200 years would be the more accurate number. Given this connection, some Islamic scholars and apologists in modern times have back-peddled on the number of 300 given in the Qur'an, re-interpreting it as a number given by the people at the time and not a definitive number given by Allah.

	==Differences with the Syriac version==		==Differences with the Syriac version==

Vixen: /* Day of Judgement */

2023-12-10T09:58:37Z

Day of Judgement

← Older revision		Revision as of 09:58, 10 December 2023
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	===Day of Judgement===		===Day of Judgement===

	Both the ~~Syrian~~ legend and the Qur'anic story state that the youth were awoken as a way to strengthen the faith of believers in the final Day of Judgement.		Both the Syriac legend and the Qur'anic story state that the youth were awoken as a way to strengthen the faith of believers in the final Day of Judgement.

	{{Quote\|The Seven Sleepers (par 4)\|		{{Quote\|The Seven Sleepers (par 4)\|

Vixen: /* Disagreement Over Time in Cave */

2023-12-09T13:47:38Z

Disagreement Over Time in Cave

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:47, 9 December 2023
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	And Malchus entered first into the cave to his fellows, and the bishop next after him. And there '''found they among the stones the letters sealed with two seals of silver'''. And then the bishop called them that were come thither, and read them tofore them all, so that they that heard it were all abashed and amarvelled.}}		And Malchus entered first into the cave to his fellows, and the bishop next after him. And there '''found they among the stones the letters sealed with two seals of silver'''. And then the bishop called them that were come thither, and read them tofore them all, so that they that heard it were all abashed and amarvelled.}}

	Among early Qur'anic commentators, there seems to be quite a bit of disagreement on the exact nature of the word "ar-Raqim" which is translated as "inscription" by all the major English translators. Sa'id bin Jubayr, who is held in the highest esteem by scholars of the [[Shiite\|Shi'ite]] and [[Sunni]] Islamic traditions, has his opinion recorded In Ibn Kathir's classic [[Tafsir]]. Ibn Kathir relates that Sa'id bin Jubayr said that the "ar-Raqim" was indeed an inscription placed at the entrance of the cave. This confirms the direct connection to the ~~Syrian~~ legend.		Among early Qur'anic commentators, there seems to be quite a bit of disagreement on the exact nature of the word "ar-Raqim" which is translated as "inscription" by all the major English translators. Sa'id bin Jubayr, who is held in the highest esteem by scholars of the [[Shiite\|Shi'ite]] and [[Sunni]] Islamic traditions, has his opinion recorded In Ibn Kathir's classic [[Tafsir]]. Ibn Kathir relates that Sa'id bin Jubayr said that the "ar-Raqim" was indeed an inscription placed at the entrance of the cave. This confirms the direct connection to the Syriac legend.

	{{Quote\|Ibn Kathir, "The Story of the People of Al-Kahf"\|		{{Quote\|Ibn Kathir, "The Story of the People of Al-Kahf"\|
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	===Disagreement Over Time in Cave===		===Disagreement Over Time in Cave===

	In retellings of the ~~Syrian~~ legend, there is some dispute about the time the sleepers were in the cave. Apparently, this disagreement among Christians was still an issue in the 7<sup>th</sup> century when this story was first told to the early proto-Islamic Believer community. The Qur'an relates that Allah has woken the sleepers as a way to test who could calculate the length of their stay the best.		In retellings of the Syriac legend, there is some dispute about the time the sleepers were in the cave. Apparently, this disagreement among Christians was still an issue in the 7<sup>th</sup> century when this story was first told to the early proto-Islamic Believer community. The Qur'an relates that Allah has woken the sleepers as a way to test who could calculate the length of their stay the best.

	{{Quote\|{{Quran\|18\|11}}\|		{{Quote\|{{Quran\|18\|11}}\|

Lightyears at 17:00, 26 November 2023

2023-11-26T17:00:15Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:00, 26 November 2023
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	As mentioned above, in 2023 academic scholar Thomas Eich identified a written version of the tale which had circulated in an early 7th century Palestinian monastic community and which significantly overlaps with the Quranic tale. In the abstract of his article he writes:		As mentioned above, in 2023 academic scholar Thomas Eich identified a written version of the tale which had circulated in an early 7th century Palestinian monastic community and which significantly overlaps with the Quranic tale. In the abstract of his article he writes:

	{{Quote\|Part of the abstract from journal article by Thomas Eich (2023)<ref name="Eich2023" />\|~~It is argued that~~ the archbishop of Canterbury, Theodore of Tarsus (d. 690)~~, played a key role in this transfer~~. ~~His~~ biography puts into focus the transposition of Greek-Palestinian and Egyptian monk congregations including relics and texts to Italy and especially Rome during the seventh century. The relevance of the surviving texts from the school of Canterbury for the study of seventh-century Middle Eastern history is then further illustrated with a version of the so-called legend of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesos recorded in Theodore’s biblical exegesis. Theodore’s specific version of that legend overlaps significantly with the version contained in the Qurʾān in Sura 18 (al-Kahf, “The cave”). It has always been clear that Sūrat al-Kahf refers to the Christian Seven Sleepers legend. However, since all other hitherto known versions of the story differed significantly from the Qurʾān version, the connection between the versions was usually imagined within a model of “oral transmission.” The version recorded from Theodore’s seventh century teaching sessions now allow us to draw a more nuanced picture in which this specific version of the legend can be situated in seventh-century Palestine.}}		{{Quote\|Part of the abstract from journal article by Thomas Eich (2023)<ref name="Eich2023" />\|[...] the archbishop of Canterbury, Theodore of Tarsus (d. 690) [...] biography puts into focus the transposition of Greek-Palestinian and Egyptian monk congregations including relics and texts to Italy and especially Rome during the seventh century. The relevance of the surviving texts from the school of Canterbury for the study of seventh-century Middle Eastern history is then further illustrated with a version of the so-called legend of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesos recorded in Theodore’s biblical exegesis. Theodore’s specific version of that legend overlaps significantly with the version contained in the Qurʾān in Sura 18 (al-Kahf, “The cave”). It has always been clear that Sūrat al-Kahf refers to the Christian Seven Sleepers legend. However, since all other hitherto known versions of the story differed significantly from the Qurʾān version, the connection between the versions was usually imagined within a model of “oral transmission.” The version recorded from Theodore’s seventh century teaching sessions now allow us to draw a more nuanced picture in which this specific version of the legend can be situated in seventh-century Palestine.}}

	In his article (the rest of which is written in German), Eich explains that Theodore spent the period from the 640s until 668 CE in Rome in the Monastery of St. Anastasius, a Greek monastic community which had begun to move there from Palestine from the 630s, probably triggered by the Byzantine conquest of Palestine in 629-30, though possibly due to the Arab conquest several years later. In 669 the Pope sent Theodore to England to take the vacant seat as Archbishop of Canterbury, where his teachings would go on to reflect those of his former Greek-Palestinian monastic community and showed knowledge of the Syriac church fathers.		In his article (the rest of which is written in German), Eich explains that Theodore spent the period from the 640s until 668 CE in Rome in the Monastery of St. Anastasius, a Greek monastic community which had begun to move there from Palestine from the 630s, probably triggered by the Byzantine conquest of Palestine in 629-30, though possibly due to the Arab conquest several years later. In 669 the Pope sent Theodore to England to take the vacant seat as Archbishop of Canterbury, where his teachings would go on to reflect those of his former Greek-Palestinian monastic community and showed knowledge of the Syriac church fathers.

Lightyears at 21:45, 25 November 2023

2023-11-25T21:45:12Z

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	[[File:Seven sleepers.jpg\|right\|thumb\|250px\|Folio from an illustrated Islamic manuscript depicting the Seven Sleepers and the evil emperor led by a [[Qur'an, Hadith and Scholars:Racism\|dark-skinned Satan]]. Iran, Qazvin. 1550s.]]		[[File:Seven sleepers.jpg\|right\|thumb\|250px\|Folio from an illustrated Islamic manuscript depicting the Seven Sleepers and the evil emperor led by a [[Qur'an, Hadith and Scholars:Racism\|dark-skinned Satan]]. Iran, Qazvin. 1550s.]]

	The [[Qur'an\|Qur'anic]] story of the "Companions of the Cave" has traditionally been explained by the Islamic narrative as proof of [[Allah]]'s divine power whereby he miraculously caused 7 youths to fall asleep and awaken after more than 300 years. Yet comparison with the literary milieu of the Qur'an, 7th century Chrisian culture in the Middle East, reveals parallels to the 7 Sleepers of Ephesus, a Christian legend dating from the 5th century which tells the story of Christian youths being persecuted by the pagan Roman Emperor Decius in the 3rd century. The youths seek shelter in a cave, fall asleep for over 200 years, and venture out only to find that the Empire is now Christian. Their faith confirmed, the youths then die and are embraced by the Lord. Rather than a mere exhibition of god's power, the original story was a parable meant to emphasis the ability of Christian faith to overcome persecution, a celebration of the Christianization of the Roman Empire and an answer to heretics at the time of the story's composition who doubted the literal nature of the physical Resurrection. As the Qur'an does not preserve the entire story, but appears to merely refer to it, the [[tafsir\|mufassirun]] of later generations misinterpreted the story, leaving out key components and failing to relay the underlying message of the original parable. In 2023, academic scholar Thomas Eich published his finding that the specific version of the tale found in the Qur'an overlaps significantly with the version taught by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Theodore of Tarsus (d. 690 CE), and which can be situated in a 7th century Palestinian context.<ref name="Eich2023">Eich, Thomas. [https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/islam-2023-0003/html Muḥammad und Cædmon und die Siebenschläferlegende. Zur Verbindung zwischen Palästina und Canterbury im 7. Jahrhundert] (abstract in English), Der Islam, vol. 100, no. 1, 2023, pp. 7-39. https://doi.org/10.1515/islam-2023-0003</ref>		The [[Qur'an\|Qur'anic]] story of the "Companions of the Cave" has traditionally been explained by the Islamic narrative as proof of [[Allah]]'s divine power whereby he miraculously caused 7 youths to fall asleep and awaken after more than 300 years. Yet comparison with the literary milieu of the Qur'an, 7th century Chrisian culture in the Middle East, reveals parallels to the 7 Sleepers of Ephesus, a Christian legend dating from the 5th century which tells the story of Christian youths being persecuted by the pagan Roman Emperor Decius in the 3rd century. The youths seek shelter in a cave, fall asleep for over 200 years, and venture out only to find that the Empire is now Christian. Their faith confirmed, the youths then die and are embraced by the Lord. Rather than a mere exhibition of god's power, the original story was a parable meant to emphasis the ability of Christian faith to overcome persecution, a celebration of the Christianization of the Roman Empire and an answer to heretics at the time of the story's composition who doubted the literal nature of the physical Resurrection. As the Qur'an does not preserve the entire story, but appears to merely refer to it, the [[tafsir\|mufassirun]] of later generations misinterpreted the story, leaving out key components and failing to relay the underlying message of the original parable. In 2023, academic scholar Thomas Eich published his finding that the specific version of the tale found in the Qur'an overlaps significantly with the version taught by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Theodore of Tarsus (d. 690 CE), and which can be situated in an early 7th century Palestinian context.<ref name="Eich2023">Eich, Thomas. [https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/islam-2023-0003/html Muḥammad und Cædmon und die Siebenschläferlegende. Zur Verbindung zwischen Palästina und Canterbury im 7. Jahrhundert] (abstract in English), Der Islam, vol. 100, no. 1, 2023, pp. 7-39. https://doi.org/10.1515/islam-2023-0003</ref>

	==Introduction==		==Introduction==
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	===Significant overlap with 7th century Greek-Palestinian version===		===Significant overlap with 7th century Greek-Palestinian version===
	As mentioned above, in 2023 academic scholar Thomas Eich identified a written version of Palestinian ~~origin~~ which ~~has significant~~ overlaps with the Quranic tale. In the abstract of his article he writes:		As mentioned above, in 2023 academic scholar Thomas Eich identified a written version of the tale which had circulated in an early 7th century Palestinian monastic community and which significantly overlaps with the Quranic tale. In the abstract of his article he writes:

	{{Quote\|Part of the abstract from journal article by Thomas Eich (2023)<ref name="Eich2023" />\|It is argued that the archbishop of Canterbury, Theodore of Tarsus (d. 690), played a key role in this transfer. His biography puts into focus the transposition of Greek-Palestinian and -Egyptian monk congregations including relics and texts to Italy and especially Rome during the seventh century. The relevance of the surviving texts from the school of Canterbury for the study of seventh-century Middle Eastern history is then further illustrated with a version of the so-called legend of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesos recorded in Theodore’s biblical exegesis. Theodore’s specific version of that legend overlaps significantly with the version contained in the Qurʾān in Sura 18 (al-Kahf, “The cave”). It has always been clear that Sūrat al-Kahf refers to the Christian Seven Sleepers legend. However, since all other hitherto known versions of the story differed significantly from the Qurʾān version, the connection between the versions was usually imagined within a model of “oral transmission.” The version recorded from Theodore’s seventh century teaching sessions now allow us to draw a more nuanced picture in which this specific version of the legend can be situated in seventh-century Palestine.}}		{{Quote\|Part of the abstract from journal article by Thomas Eich (2023)<ref name="Eich2023" />\|It is argued that the archbishop of Canterbury, Theodore of Tarsus (d. 690), played a key role in this transfer. His biography puts into focus the transposition of Greek-Palestinian and Egyptian monk congregations including relics and texts to Italy and especially Rome during the seventh century. The relevance of the surviving texts from the school of Canterbury for the study of seventh-century Middle Eastern history is then further illustrated with a version of the so-called legend of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesos recorded in Theodore’s biblical exegesis. Theodore’s specific version of that legend overlaps significantly with the version contained in the Qurʾān in Sura 18 (al-Kahf, “The cave”). It has always been clear that Sūrat al-Kahf refers to the Christian Seven Sleepers legend. However, since all other hitherto known versions of the story differed significantly from the Qurʾān version, the connection between the versions was usually imagined within a model of “oral transmission.” The version recorded from Theodore’s seventh century teaching sessions now allow us to draw a more nuanced picture in which this specific version of the legend can be situated in seventh-century Palestine.}}

			In his article (the rest of which is written in German), Eich explains that Theodore spent the period from the 640s until 668 CE in Rome in the Monastery of St. Anastasius, a Greek monastic community which had begun to move there from Palestine from the 630s, probably triggered by the Byzantine conquest of Palestine in 629-30, though possibly due to the Arab conquest several years later. In 669 the Pope sent Theodore to England to take the vacant seat as Archbishop of Canterbury, where his teachings would go on to reflect those of his former Greek-Palestinian monastic community and showed knowledge of the Syriac church fathers.

			It is in a Biblical commentary by Theodore when he was in England (surviving in two 9th century and one 11th century Latin manuscripts) where we find a version of the seven sleepers story, quoted below, with exceptional correspondances to the Quranic version. Unlike all other Syriac-Christian references to the legend (which have all been assigned to communities in Palestine, and in one case to Najran in Southern Arabia), in Theodore's version:

			*The cave is not walled up. {{Quran\|18\|18}} likewise suggests that the cave was open.
			*It has the dog motif. This appears likewise in {{Quran\|18\|18}} and {{Quran\|18\|22}}, though is also very briefly mentioned in material for a pilgrim travel guide written by Theodosius between 518 and 530 CE.
			*It mentions the emperor building a church over the site. Similarly, in {{Quran\|18\|21}} the authorities build a masjid there.

			Theodore's version appears to have Syriac origins. Eich points out that Theodore credits his story and its use in the context of Lot's wife to "eastern Fathers". Additionally, the only other Latin source to mention the church built over the cave is that of Gregory of Tours who credits his version to a translator from Syria. Finally, the fact that the story is used to answer a question about the soul of Lot's wife (whether it stays in the body until the day of resurrection) would have been of special interest in the region of Palestine, where a particular pillar of salt associated with her fate after the destruction of Sodom was a well known sight on pilgrimage routes at that time.

			Theodore's version occurs in a section of his Biblical commentary on the Gospel of Luke. It is quoted below (machine translated from Eich's German article, which also includes the original Latin text).
			{{Quote\|Theodore's Biblical commentary quoted by Thomas Eich (machine translated here from German into English)<ref>The Latin text from M. Bischoff and M. Lapidge (eds.) (1994) "Biblical Commentaries from the Canterbury School of Theodore and Hadrian. Cambridge: Cambridge Univesity Press, pp. 416-419 is also quoted in Eich's article as a footnote to his German translation.</ref>\|Lot's wife. Her soul is thought by some of the eastern Fathers to remain in her until the Day of Judgement. They cite the example of the seven brothers who fled the persecution of the Emperor Decius and came to a certain cave which was forty miles' distance from the city of Ephesus and, being tired in the evening, they gave themselves over to sleep and their dog with them. And after two hundred years they woke up in the time of the Emperor Theodosius the Younger, sat up and discussed among themselves about going into town to buy food for themselves. They thought they had slept for one night. And two of them set out for the city, taking the dog with them, and they showed their coins; and the men of the city said, 'Look: these men have found a treasure and dug up these coins' - because a portait of Decius appeared on the coins. But they denied it, and told them everything in order. When the men of the city did not believe them, they took some of the city men back with them as witnesses. And when they arrived back at the cave and entered it, suddently all seven brothers fell down dead. The city men who witnessed these events went straight to the emperor Theodosius and reported to him what had happened in proper order. He came and saw that it happened thus, and immediately he covered them with his purple cloak, and henceforth he did not doubt the resurrection, and he devoutly built a church over them.}}

	==Parallels with the Syriac version of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus==		==Parallels with the Syriac version of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus==

	Prior to the identification of the Palestinian version, a number of clear parallels between the Qur'anic story and the legend of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus had already been identified, though also differences.		Prior to the identification of the above quoted Palestinian version, a number of clear parallels between the Qur'anic story and the legend of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus had already been identified, though also differences.

	The two narratives clearly share many features which would indicate that they are in fact one and the same. They are virtually identical in the events they describe and both contain striking similarities in key details. Both story mention youths, a cave, a long sleep, buying bread with coins, and the Day of Judgement. Since the Syrian legend pre-dates the Qur'anic story by almost two centuries, it should be clear that the author of the Qur'an is simply retelling the ~~Syrian~~ story. The Qur'an even suggests in verse 18:9 that the audience is familiar with the story as they should have already "reflected" upon it.		The two narratives clearly share many features which would indicate that they are in fact one and the same. They are virtually identical in the events they describe and both contain striking similarities in key details. Both story mention youths, a cave, a long sleep, buying bread with coins, and the Day of Judgement. Since the Syrian legend pre-dates the Qur'anic story by almost two centuries, it should be clear that the author of the Qur'an is simply retelling the Syriac story. The Qur'an even suggests in verse 18:9 that the audience is familiar with the story as they should have already "reflected" upon it and {{Quran\|18\|22}} indicates that different views on the details of the story were in circulation.

	===Trouble===		===Trouble===