Simon b. Semah Duran’s Polemic with Islam

Proposed here is a thoroughgoing analysis of the second section of R. Simon b. Semah Duran’s polemical work Qeshet u-Magen. The academic literature has much to say about the first section of Qeshet u-Magen, which deals with Christianity; its treatment of the second section, however, which concerns Islam, is much reduced. To correct this lacuna, the proposed study will demonstrate that Duran knew Arabic and consulted Islamic sources, assess his command of these sources, investigate his use of Jewish and, possibly, Christian sources and Hebrew translations of Islamic sources in order to investigate the extent of his originality, and discuss the strategies and tactics that Duran brought to his polemic with Islam. This comprehensive research project will enhance our knowledge and understanding of Qeshet u-Magen, its author, and the Jewish–Muslim polemic tradition in the medieval era, and will elevate the polemic with Islam in Qeshet u-Magen to the place that it deserves in the academic literature.