دانشگاه اصفهان الهیات تطبیقی 2008-9651 مقالات آماده انتشار 2026 01 26 The Verbal Image of Women as an Indicator of Distortion: A Comparative Analysis of the Paradigms of Creation, Sin, and Sharia in the Quran and the Old Testaments تصویر کلامی زن به مثابۀ شاخص تحریف: تحلیل تطبیقی پارادایم‌های آفرینش، گناه و شریعت در قرآن و عهدین 17 34 30252 10.22108/coth.2026.147089.2064 FA حسین نظری دانشجوی دکتری کلام اسلامی، دانشکده الهیات و علوم اسلامی، دانشگاه تبریز، تبریز، ایران سعید علیزاده استادیار گروه فلسفه و کلام، دانشکده الهیات و علوم اسلامی، دانشگاه تبریز، تبریز، ایران ناصر فروهی دانشیار گروه فلسفه و کلام، دانشکده الهیات و علوم اسلامی، دانشگاه تبریز، تبریز، ایران Journal Article 2025 11 08 The issue of “distortion of sacred texts”, especially the Bible (the Old Testament), has long been one of the fundamental challenges in comparative theology. Going beyond traditional approaches, the present study presents a new content-theological index for measuring distortion: the theological image of woman. This approach is based on the premise that a sacred text’s view of women is a direct reflection of its theological paradigm regarding concepts such as divine justice and wisdom. Accordingly, the main question of the study is whether the image of women in the Old Testament is compatible with the principles of divine justice and the Quranic narrative or does it indicate content distortion? The hypothesis of the study is that the paradigmatic gap between the Quran and the Old Testament in the three areas of creation, sin, and law (Sharia) is evidence of spiritual distortion in the Old Testament. This study compares these three paradigms using a descriptive-analytical method. The findings of the study show that the Old Testament depicts a paradigm in which women are ontologically secondary and parasitic to men (creation from a rib); redemptively responsible for original sin; and legislatively a warded and unclean being. In contrast, the Quran recognizes a paradigm based on unity of nature (one soul), shared responsibility for error and repentance, and dignity and independent legal capacity for women. This fundamental and irreconcilable contradiction, which is incompatible with theological principles of divine justice and wisdom, is independent evidence of the occurrence of content distortion in the Old Testament. This research presents a new paradigm for distortion analysis and also emphasizes the need for a critical rereading of Israelite texts. Keywords: Women in the Quran, Women in the Old Testament, Spiritual Distortion, Comparative Theology, Divine Justice. Introduction The question of the corruption of sacred texts, particularly the Jewish-Christian Bible, has always been a central focus in comparative theology. The traditional approach in Islamic studies has generally focused on historical and textual criticism. This study, while drawing on this tradition, proposes a novel approach: using a content-theological index titled the ‘theological image of women’ for assessing corruption. Its fundamental hypothesis is that a religious text’s view of women directly reflects its theological paradigm concerning divine justice, wisdom, and dignity. Therefore, any portrayal depicting women as subordinate, inherently sinful, or lacking independent legal capacity can be an indicator of an internal tension within that text concerning God's attributes and evidence of "spiritual distortion". Materials and Methods This research was conducted using a descriptive-analytical method within the framework of comparative kalām (theology). Data were extracted from primary sources (the Qur'an, the Old Testament), classical and contemporary Islamic exegeses, works of Jewish and Christian theologians, as well as feminist studies. The analytical criterion was the ‘compatibility of revelatory content with divine justice, wisdom, and dignity’, a principle rooted in Shi’i theological tradition. For analysis, three domains of religious anthropology were designated as analytical paradigms: The Paradigm of Creation (ontological dimension) The Paradigm of Sin (soteriological dimension) The Paradigm of Law (legal-social dimension). Research Findings The present comparative study reveals profound gaps between the two traditions regarding the verbal image of women as an indicator of distortion, which are summarized as follows: In theParadigm of Creation, the dominant Biblical tradition (especially in the second Genesis narrative and Pauline-Augustinian theology) tends towards a "parasitic ontology": woman is portrayed as a secondary and dependent creation to man. In contrast, the Qur'an, by emphasizing a "single soul" (nafs wāḥidah) and the unity of human nature, negates any notion of secondary creation. In theParadigm of Sin, the dominant Biblical narrative presents woman as the primary agent of the Fall; a notion crystallized in the doctrine of "Original Sin". The Qur'an, by consistently employing dual grammatical forms, establishes shared responsibility and rejects any priority of blame assigned to women. In the Paradigm of Law (Sharia), the aforementioned foundations manifest in institutionalized regulations such as limitations on women's independent legal capacity, extensive purity laws, and prohibitions on their religious leadership in the Christian tradition. The Qur'an, in fundamental contrast, affirms principles of inherent human dignity, women’s independent legal personality, economic ownership, and the possibility of women serving as spiritual exemplars. Discussion of Results and Conclusions Considering the results of the study, the mentioned gap is not merely an interpretative difference but stems from two distinct logics concerning divine justice and wisdom. It appears that many elements of the woman’s image in the Biblical tradition reflect patriarchal cultural structures that have been solidified in the form of religious doctrine. From the perspective of Islamic theology, this process constitutes "spiritual distortion". The innovation of this research lies in transforming the "question of woman" into a methodological tool for distortion assessment. In this framework, the Qur'an appears as a "theological corrective" that presents an image consistent with divine justice and wisdom. The findings of the study also emphasize the necessity for a critical re-reading of Isrā'īliyyāt (Israelite narratives) within Islamic exegesis and for intra-traditional rethinking within Jewish-Christian theology. مسألۀ «تحریف متون مقدس»، به ‌ویژه کتاب مقدس (عهدین)، از دیرباز یکی از چالش‌های بنیادین در الهیات تطبیقی بوده است. پژوهش حاضر با فراتررفتن از رویکردهای سنتی، یک شاخص محتوایی-کلامی نوین برای سنجش تحریف ارائه می‌دهد: «تصویر کلامی زن». این رویکرد بر این پیش‌فرض استوار است که نگاه یک متن مقدس به زن بازتابی مستقیم از پارادایم الهیاتی آن در رابطه با مفاهیمی همچون عدالت و حکمت الهی است. بر این‌ اساس، پرسش اصلی پژوهش آن است که آیا تصویر زن در عهدین با اصول عدالت الهی و روایت قرآنی قابل‌جمع است یا نشان‌دهندۀ تحریف محتوایی است. فرضیۀ پژوهش این است که شکاف پارادایمی میان قرآن و عهدین در سه حوزۀ آفرینش، گناه و شریعت، شاهدی بر تحریف معنوی در عهدین است. این مقاله با روش توصیفی-تحلیلی، این سه پارادایم را مقایسه می‌کند. یافته‌ها نشان می‌دهد عهدین پارادایمی را ترسیم می‌کنند که در آن، زن به لحاظ هستی‌شناختی، ثانوی و طفیلیِ مرد (خلقت از دنده)؛ به لحاظ رستگاری‌شناختی، مسئول اصلی گناه نخستین، و به لحاظ تشریعی، موجودی تحت قیمومیت و ناپاک است. در مقابل، قرآن پارادایمی مبتنی بر یگانگی در سرشت (نفس واحده)، مسئولیت مشترک در خطا و توبه، کرامت و اهلیت حقوقی مستقل را برای زن به رسمیت می‌شناسد. این تضاد بنیادین و آشتی‌ناپذیر که با اصول کلامیِ عدالت و حکمت الهی ناسازگار است، به ‌مثابۀ شاهدی مستقل بر وقوع تحریف محتوایی در عهدین عمل می‌کند. این پژوهش الگویی نوین برای تحریف‌سنجی ارائه می‌دهد و بر ضرورت بازخوانی انتقادی اسرائیلیات نیز تأکید می‌ورزد.

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