Fatḥ-nāmah (The Book of Conquest)

German Protestant theologian Johann Christoph Georg Bodenschatz was born in Hof, Bavaria. He studied oriental languages at the University of Jena and developed a scholarly interest in Jewish custom and ritual. He published his four-volume Kirchliche Verfassung der heutigen Juden, sonderlich derer in Deutschland (Religious Constitution of Today’s Jews, Especially Those in Germany) in 1748/49. Bodenschatz is also reported to have made elaborate models of Noah’s ark and the Tabernacle (Heb., mishkan), the portable sanctuary built by Moses as a place of worship for the Israelites during their wanderings in the desert.

Known only by his pseudonym, ‘Imrānī was born in Isfahan, Persia, where he lived until his midtwenties. He was forced to move to Kashan, Persia, where he died sometime after 1536. He wrote on a variety of topics and genres, including prose and poetry on biblical, historical, and legendary topics, as well as didactic pieces. Although ‘Imrānī lived at a time of considerable political, religious, and economic turmoil, this is not reflected in his work. His longest and most important work is Fatḥ-nāmah (The Book of Conquest), based on the books of Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, and part of 2 Samuel.