Angels in Islam
Forthcoming Publications
Kuehn, S., “The Interplay of the Angels and the Prophet Muḥammad in the Earliest Images of the Prophet in Islamic Book Arts,” in: Medieval Angelology: An Interfaith Exploration of Angels, ed. J.-A. Greeley (Cardiff: University of Wales Press)
Recent Publications
Books
S. Kuehn, S. Leder, and H.-P. Pökel, eds, The Intermediate Worlds of Angels. Islamic Representations of Celestial Beings in Transcultural Contexts (Beiruter Texte und Studien, 114, Beirut: Orient-Institut Beirut; Ergon Verlag in Kommission 2019); doi.org/10.5771/9783956506239-7
This volume brings together fifteen new perspectives on the angel in primarily Islamic contexts. The contributions examine the origin, evolution, visual representation, and conceptual elaboration of this vital class of beings that bridges the gap between divine and human realms. A detailed introduction surveys the history of research on this topic and maps out the key contemporary debates. Individual contributions shed light on Hellenistic and ancient Near and Middle Eastern precursors of the angel figure, as well as on Jewish and Christian traditions that can be recognized in the Islamic doctrine of angels. Islamic discourses on the nature, meaning, and types of angels are examined in their specific contexts, and pictured narratives and other elements of visual culture are considered in relation to the textual representation of these entities. The Intermediate World of Angels thus offers a nuanced and varied picture of the angel and provides new insights into the defining characteristics of this class of being and the pivotal role played by the figure of the angel in religious and cultural history.
Articles and book chapters
Kuehn, S., “The Primordial Cycle Revisited: Adam, Eve and the Celestial Beings,” in: The Intermediate Worlds of Angels. Islamic Representations of Celestial Beings in Transcultural Contexts, eds S. Leder, S. Kuehn and H.-P. Pökel, (Beiruter Texte und Studien (BTS), Würzburg: Ergon-Verlag 2019), 173–200; More Information
Kuehn, S, Leder, S., and Pökel, H.-P., “Introduction,” in: The Intermediate Worlds of Angels. Islamic Representations of Celestial Beings in Transcultural Contexts, eds S. Leder, S. Kuehn and H.-P. Pökel, Beiruter Texte und Studien (BTS) (Würzburg: Ergon-Verlag 2019), 11–45; More Information
Kuehn, S., “Engel im Islam,” in: Engel – himmlische Boten in alten Handschriften. Begleitbuch zur gleichnamigen Ausstellung der Österreichischen Nationalbibliothek, November 2014 – Januar 2015 [Angels – Celestial Messengers in Ancient Manuscripts. Catalogue of an Exhibition at the Austrian National Library, November 2014 – January 2015], ed. M. Theisen (Berlin: Lambert Schneider 2014), 138–171
Conference
Angels and Mankind: Nature, Role and Function of Celestial Beings in Near Eastern and Islamic Traditions at the Orient-Institut Beirut (OIB), the Monastery of Balamand and the St. John of Damascus Institute of Theology, University of Balamand (UOB), Koura, 02–04 July 2015
Conference organized by Sara Kuehn, Stefan Leder and Hans-Peter Pökel