Al-Ḥijr (Sura 15)

1071 al-H ̣ ijr (Sūra 15) ity and the nature of truth, the limits of interpretation, and the power of belief. Critic and poet Matthew Arnold (1822–1888) affirmed the poetic and narrative power of the Bible in Literature and Dogma: An Essay Towards a Better Apprehension of the Bible (1873). By emphasizing the importance of taking into account the literary, historical, cultural, and linguistic aspects of the biblical text in its interpretation, higher criticism helped to cast the Bible as one of countless texts that shape and are shaped by Western culture. To read the Bible as a text among others means that the distinctions between higher criticism and other methods of literary interpretation become broadened and blurred, and while one can perceive its overall influence, the precise effects of higher criticism on literature become more and more difficult to discern as time goes on. Bibliography: ■ Frei, H. W., The Eclipse of Biblical Narrative: A Study of Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century Hermeneutics (New Haven, Conn. 1974). ■ Jowett, B., “On the Interpretation of Scripture,” in id., Essays and Reviews (ed. J. W. Parker; London 1860). ■ Shaffer, E. S., “Kubla Khan” and The Fall of Jerusalem: The Mythological School in Biblical Criticism and Secular Literature, 1770–1880 (Cambridge/New York 1975). ■ Sheehan, J., The Enlightenment Bible: Translation, Scholarship, Culture (Princeton, N.J. 2013). Susan Hill See also /Biblical Criticism; /Biblical Theology; /Commentaries (Genre); /Interpretation, History of ̣ ijr (Sūra 15) al-H This sūra from the middle Meccan period is named after the people of al-H  ijr, who are mentioned in vv. 80–84 as an example of unbelievers punished by God in the past. The sūra’s opening section refers to the dismissive response of the Meccan unbelievers to Muḥammad and the Qurān but sets this in a wider context by observing that all messengers sent by God have been mocked (10–11). The sūra as a whole encourages Muḥammad not to be dispirited by what the unbelievers say or distracted by his feelings of sorrow for them (vv. 88, 97; see the article on Hūd (S 11) for more on this theme). Punishment will certainly come to the Meccan unbelievers; meanwhile Muḥammad should persevere in steadfast proclamation and faithful worship (vv. 94–99). This theme of the punishment of unbelievers is taken up particularly in the story about Lot and the destruction of his people, on whose city God rained “a shower of clay stones” (vv. 58–77). This narrative echoes Gen 19, including details such as Lot’s offer of his daughters to his wicked townsfolk (v. 71) and the fate of his wife (v. 60). The story of Lot is preceded by a brief account of the visit to Abraham of messengers from God, who, as in Gen 18, bring “good news of a son” (v. 53). In this qurānic ac- Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception vol. 11 © Walter de Gruyter, Berlin/Boston, 2015 1072 count it is Abraham who responds with incredulity, rather than his wife, as at S 11 : 72 and in Genesis. The message to Abraham not to despair of the mercy of God (vv. 55–56) was clearly relevant to Muḥammad in his discouraging context, as mentioned above. The other main section of this sūra (vv. 26–50) begins with the creation of humankind (v. 26) and the breathing into them of God’s spirit (v. 29). The main focus of this passage, however, is on Iblīs (an alternative name for Satan) who, alone among the angels, refuses to obey God’s command to bow down before Adam (v. 31); there are echoes here of Jewish and Christian apocryphal literature. God casts Iblīs out but gives him “respite” till the Last Day; Iblīs vows that until then he will lure humans away from obedience to God. God in response insists that Iblīs will have no power over his faithful servants but only over those who go astray (vv. 36– 42). The contrasting final destinies of believers and unbelievers is then reiterated (vv. 43–50). Bibliography: ■ Busse, H., “Lot,” EQ 3 (Leiden/Boston, ■ Firestone, R., “Abraham,” EQ 1 Mass. 2003) 231–33. ■ Marshall, D., God, (Leiden/Boston, Mass. 2001) 5–11. Muhammad and the Unbelievers (Richmond, Va. 1999). ■ Marshall, D., “Punishment Stories,” EQ 4 (Leiden/Boston, Mass. 2004) 318–22. ■ Rippin, A., “Devil,” EQ 1 (Leiden/ Boston, Mass. 2001) 524–27. ■ Tottoli, R., Biblical Prophets in the Qurān and Muslim Literature (Richmond, Va. 2002). David Marshall Hilarion of Gaza Our main source on Hilarion is Jerome’s entertaining Vita Hilarionis (before 393), which is probably not a counterdraft to Apuleius’ Metamorphoseis, as Susan Weingarten recently suggested. Amalgamating classical and Christian topoi Jerome created Hilarion as a literary person in contrast to Anthony. Jerome’s well-read Hilarion visited the famous Anthony in Egypt, but returned to Palestine, becoming a hermit. To escape miracle-attracted crowds making him a “sorcerer of the Christians” in the eyes of the pagans (Vita 11), he left Palestine, first for Egypt, then for Sicily and Cyprus where he died. Sozomen describes some exploits of Hilarion in Gaza (Hist. eccl. 3.14.21–28) who also triggered the conversion of Sozomen’s family (ibid. 5.15). Bibliography. Primary: ■ Jerôme, Trois vies de moines: Paul, Malchus, Hilarion (SC 508; trans. P. Leclerc; Paris 2007). Secondary: ■ Kech, H., Hagiographie als christliche Unterhaltungsliteratur (Göppingen 1977). [Esp. 49–116] ■ Weingarten, S., The Saint’s Saints: Hagiography and Geography in Jerome (Leiden 2005). [Esp. 81–163] Katharina Greschat Hilary of Poitiers Hilary of Poitiers (ca. 315–367) is best known for his defense of the divinity of the Son of God in his treatise On the Trinity. His prolonged discussion composed in stages deals with the proper interpretation of passages from John’s gospel, Paul’s letters, and other biblical texts. But Hilary also composed