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" An Early Christian Reaction to Islam: Išu'yahb III and the Muslim Arabs "
Bcheiry, Iskandar
Swanson, Mark N.
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Latin Dissertation
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| Language of Document
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English
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| Record Number
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1051586
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| Doc. No
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TL50703
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| Main Entry
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Bcheiry, Iskandar
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| Title & Author
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An Early Christian Reaction to Islam: Išu'yahb III and the Muslim Arabs\ Bcheiry, IskandarSwanson, Mark N.
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| College
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Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago
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| Date
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2019
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| Degree
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Ph.D.
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2019
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| Note
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188 p.
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| Abstract
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The year 652 marked a fundamental political change in the Middle East and the surrounding region. In this date the Sasanian Empire collapsed and the major part of the Byzantine dominion in the Near East was lost to the hands of Muslim Arabs. An important and contemporary source of the state of the Christians and their early reaction toward the Muslim Arabs is to be found in the correspondence of the Nestorian Patriarch Išu'yahb III (648-659). Išu'yahb's survived correspondence contains 106 of his letters in a beautiful Syriac manuscript preserved in the Vatican Library from the eighth century. These letters are a historical source that inform us not only about the history of the Church of the East but also contain information about the relationship with the Muslim Arabs and the early Christian reaction toward their conquest. The thought of Išu'yahb and his attitudes towards Muslim Arabs emerged from a particular social, political, and religious situation over the course of many years, and therefore, a historical critical method of exploring the writings of Išu'yahb is needed in order to trace the development and significance of the author's writings (his letters) within their specific historical contexts. This is what Victoria Erhart called for and what Ovidiu Ioan in Muslime und Araber bei Išo'jahb III. (649–659) attempted. However, in my study I would like to reconstruct the development of Išu'yahb's view toward Islam by re-examining the chronological aspects of some letters written during his bishopric of Nineveh, which according to my opinion contain references to Muslim Arabs; these references were overlooked by Jean Maurice Fiey and the many scholars who followed Fiey's analysis. This issue will be taken up in this dissertation. Then, the question of Išū'yahb's efforts to build up a platform of collaboration, or rather, a loyal and stable friendship between the Arabs and the Church of the East will be discussed according to Išu'yahb's three approaches which correspond to three periods in Išu'yahb's career.
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| Descriptor
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History
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Islam
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Religious history
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Swanson, Mark N.
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Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago
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