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Syriac Churches Encountering Islam
The present volume includes the papers of the first PRO ORIENTE Colloquium Syriacum, which took place in Salzburg, Austria and concentrated on the Syriac Churches' experiences with Islam. The papers in this volume survey the whole history of these two communities from the times of the Four Caliphs through the Umayyad, Abbasid, and Ottoman periods. Topics include the personal status of Christians under Islam, the ecclesiastical response to the rise of Islam, the Indian experience and the present situation.
266 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2010
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January 11, 2025
A spectacular product of the Colloquium Syriacum which took place in Austria in 2007. With contributions from the Austrian Catholic prelates and those of the various Syriac-speaking churches, it provided a comprehensive and intimate view of the relations between Christians and Muslims from the 7th century up until the then-current day, the height of the Iraqi civil war.
From the arrival of the conquering Arab armies, we see that Christians initially believed Islam to be another monotheistic, or even Christian group, that disrupted the status quo. Cross border raids were common and the Roman-Persian wars had been going on for most of the last century.
With time, knowledge of each other grew and the optimism developed into pessimism as monuments of supremacy like the Dome of the Rock were erected. Conversion and interrogation of beliefs resulted in heightened literary production that instructed clergy on apologetics and rebuttals.
The rise of the Abbasids and the so-called Islamic Golden Age took the promise of an era of enlightenment and instead fortified Islamic rhetoric that returned closer to its roots and became sterner. This is shown in the process where the philosophical and scientific treatises that the Baghdad elites commissioned the Syriac Christians to produce were used to better articulate their beliefs and debate the Christians. Soon enough, Arabic no longer relied on intermediaries and instead became the dominant literary machine.
There is very little deviation in the subject matter aside from what is necessary to give context to the matter i.e. Europeans pressuring the Ottomans to grant equal civil rights to the various ethno-religious groups within the empire lest they invite invasion and partition.
The most troubling part is the later part which was written in the midst of the Iraqi war where bishops voiced their concerns of a total exodus. Extortion, kidnappings, murder and bombings of Christians and churches raged unchecked as the government seemed unwilling to do anything or indifferent to it all. Similar concerns for Syria were voiced and in time they came to be. One of the writers, bishop Gregorios Yuhanna Ibrahim, archbishop of Aleppo, was kidnapped in Aleppo with his Greek orthodox counterpart and has never been seen to this day.
Today, the Middle East's Christians are in the twilight of their presence in their homeland. Are the people who translated and transmitted knowledge into the Arab Muslim world, and the fathers of Arab nationalism, not worthy of freedom and protection as fellow citizens? Maybe it's too much to ask
From the arrival of the conquering Arab armies, we see that Christians initially believed Islam to be another monotheistic, or even Christian group, that disrupted the status quo. Cross border raids were common and the Roman-Persian wars had been going on for most of the last century.
With time, knowledge of each other grew and the optimism developed into pessimism as monuments of supremacy like the Dome of the Rock were erected. Conversion and interrogation of beliefs resulted in heightened literary production that instructed clergy on apologetics and rebuttals.
The rise of the Abbasids and the so-called Islamic Golden Age took the promise of an era of enlightenment and instead fortified Islamic rhetoric that returned closer to its roots and became sterner. This is shown in the process where the philosophical and scientific treatises that the Baghdad elites commissioned the Syriac Christians to produce were used to better articulate their beliefs and debate the Christians. Soon enough, Arabic no longer relied on intermediaries and instead became the dominant literary machine.
There is very little deviation in the subject matter aside from what is necessary to give context to the matter i.e. Europeans pressuring the Ottomans to grant equal civil rights to the various ethno-religious groups within the empire lest they invite invasion and partition.
The most troubling part is the later part which was written in the midst of the Iraqi war where bishops voiced their concerns of a total exodus. Extortion, kidnappings, murder and bombings of Christians and churches raged unchecked as the government seemed unwilling to do anything or indifferent to it all. Similar concerns for Syria were voiced and in time they came to be. One of the writers, bishop Gregorios Yuhanna Ibrahim, archbishop of Aleppo, was kidnapped in Aleppo with his Greek orthodox counterpart and has never been seen to this day.
Today, the Middle East's Christians are in the twilight of their presence in their homeland. Are the people who translated and transmitted knowledge into the Arab Muslim world, and the fathers of Arab nationalism, not worthy of freedom and protection as fellow citizens? Maybe it's too much to ask
Displaying 1 of 1 review