“Bougaios”—The Islamic Evidence

This chapter seeks to explain the term “Bougaios”, which is Haman’s epithet in the Greek versions of Esther. The term has generated controversy over the centuries, with various interpretations of it being proposed, one of which being that this term refers to an (in)famous Persian functionary known as “Bagoas”. For the first time, Islamic materials are introduced to the debate. These sources preserve stories about Haman, which almost certainly originated in Jewish circles, which strikingly resemble stories told about Bagoas in ancient sources. In addition to providing an (ancient) answer to the question of the meaning of “Bougaios”, the chapter demonstrates how pre-Islamic materials were preserved by Muslims, while falling out of circulation within their own communities. Moreover, we discover how these materials could return to Jewish sources, bearing the signs of the Islamicization that they underwent.