About

Reuven Firestone, PhD, is the Regenstein Professor of Medieval Judaism and Islam. He is associated with the Jewish Studies Program at USC Dornsife. His academic work focuses on the historical and religious interactions between Judaism and Islam, contributing to the understanding of medieval religious thought and intercultural relations. As a distinguished scholar, he is involved in teaching and research that explore the complex histories and theological developments within these religious traditions.

Research topics

• History
• Philosophy
• Religious studies
• Political science
• Theology

Selected publications

• Evaluating Jewish-Muslim Relations in the Middle Ages:

  Academic Studies Press eBooks · 2025-07-01

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• 53. Evaluating Jewish-Muslim Relations in the Middle Ages: Golden or Ghastly?

  Academic Studies Press eBooks · 2025-05-15

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• The Prophet Problem

  Religions · 2024-11-20 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Because scripture represents the direct word of God, it is the most sacred source for authority in the scriptural monotheisms. Scripture is conveyed to humanity through extraordinary individuals known as prophets. But if the purported prophet is a false prophet, then the conveyed message is false, resulting in the collapse of the structure upon which religious authority rests. This problem was recognized in the Hebrew Bible, and accusations of flawed prophecy and deceitful prophets figure prominently in relations between the scriptural monotheisms. Jews do not accept the authenticity of Jesus’ role as messiah (and prophet) in the NT, and Jews and Christians do not accept the authenticity of Muhammad’s role as prophet in the Qur’an. But the rejection is unidirectional. As a rule, established religions cannot accept new prophets, while new religions accept the prophets that lived before, though with certain qualifications. Each of the three classic scriptural monotheisms also declares an “end” to prophecy after the canonization of its scripture. Yet despite these deadlines, each acknowledges that God could nevertheless send another prophet, leaving open the wild card for new prophecy, new revelation, and even new religion; within each of the classic scriptural monotheisms, individuals arose after the canonization of scripture who were deemed by many to be prophets or something “like” prophets. This essay presents a preliminary phenomenology of prophethood, around which much of the religious polemics between the scriptural monotheisms are constructed.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• The Medieval Islamic World and the Jews

  Cambridge University Press eBooks · 2022-05-05

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  This chapter examines the social and legal position of Jews in the medieval Muslim world as determined by readings of the Qur'an and Hadith.

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• Muḥammad

  Encyclopedia of the Bible Online · 2022-04-12

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• Historical narratives, the perpetuation of trauma, and the work of Vamık Volkan

  2021-03-18

  book-chapter1st authorCorresponding

  Competing narratives between communities can and do cause mass violence of great and abiding horror. A classic example is the Srebrenica genocide in which Serbs “saw fourteenth-century Ottomans” when they engaged in the mass slaughter of twentieth-century Bosnian Muslims. At a deep level, the Serbian perpetrators were engaging in vengeful retribution for the humiliating loss of the Serbian kingdom 500 years earlier. One scholar treating the dangers associated with historical narrative and communal trauma is Dr Vamık Volkan, who showed how national trauma can be eternalized and preserved for generations, only to erupt into mass violence when conditions are ripe. This chapter treats four aspects of Volkan’s research: The ways in which communal trauma can encourage the formulation of highly problematic communal narratives. The ways in which communal trauma is preserved and perpetuated in the memory of victimized communities through commemorative practice. The ways in which the memory of trauma can then be activated to motivate mass violence against innocent victims. Ways in which unresolved anxiety and tension brought about by communal trauma can be reduced and even relieved through constructive processes that thwart the release of violence.

  PublisherDOI

• Review of Michael Pregill, The Golden Calf between Bible and Qur'an: Scripture, Polemic, and Exegesis from Late Antiquity to Islam

  2021-03-15

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• Review of Michael PREGILL, The Golden Calf between Bible and Qur'an: Scripture, Polemic, and Exegesis from Late Antiquity to Islam

  Journal of the International Qur’anic Studies Association · 2021-11-30

  article1st authorCorresponding

  Article Review of Michael PREGILL, The Golden Calf between Bible and Qur'an: Scripture, Polemic, and Exegesis from Late Antiquity to Islam was published on November 30, 2021 in the journal Journal of the International Qur’anic Studies Association (volume 6, issue s1).

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• Obituary: F. E. Peters

  Journal of the International Qur’anic Studies Association · 2020-12-01

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• Veiling Esther, Unveiling Her Story: The Reception of a Biblical Book in Islamic Lands, written by Adam J. Silverstein

  Medieval Encounters · 2020-08-25

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Frequent coauthors

• Marcy Brink‐Danan

  9 shared

• Lanita Jacobs‐Huey

  Center for Applied Linguistics

  9 shared

• Steven M. Cohen

  9 shared

• Adam Rubin

  Center for Applied Linguistics

  9 shared

• Amy Zwas

  University of Southern California

  9 shared

• Eve V. Clark

  9 shared

• Dalit Assouline

  University of Haifa

  9 shared

• Joshua Shanes

  University of Southern California

  9 shared