Hagith Sivan
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199284177
- eISBN:
- 9780191712555
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199284177.003.0003
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Asian and Middle Eastern History: BCE to 500CE
To reflect on the formation of landscapes in late antiquity, it is useful to start with mindscapes — the terrain of dreams and of dialogues beyond the limits of time and space. This chapter argues ...
More
To reflect on the formation of landscapes in late antiquity, it is useful to start with mindscapes — the terrain of dreams and of dialogues beyond the limits of time and space. This chapter argues that within a specific Christian context, these mental visions generated topographical discourses that elevated designated localities out of their present and into a biblical past. Dreams gave a prefiguration and a legitimacy to all territorial expansion. The rise of the southern Sinai and of the summit of Jebel Musa to the rank of a holy mountain created a locus of sanctity with two categories of citizens — monks and pilgrims — and a third of non-citizens, the ‘Saracens’. An intense religious life and a dynamic relationship with nature and nomads dominated a search for sanctity and a desire to experience the Bible in a manner unmediated by layers of more recent history.Less
To reflect on the formation of landscapes in late antiquity, it is useful to start with mindscapes — the terrain of dreams and of dialogues beyond the limits of time and space. This chapter argues that within a specific Christian context, these mental visions generated topographical discourses that elevated designated localities out of their present and into a biblical past. Dreams gave a prefiguration and a legitimacy to all territorial expansion. The rise of the southern Sinai and of the summit of Jebel Musa to the rank of a holy mountain created a locus of sanctity with two categories of citizens — monks and pilgrims — and a third of non-citizens, the ‘Saracens’. An intense religious life and a dynamic relationship with nature and nomads dominated a search for sanctity and a desire to experience the Bible in a manner unmediated by layers of more recent history.
Walter D. Ward
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- May 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780520283770
- eISBN:
- 9780520959521
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520283770.001.0001
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Asian and Middle Eastern History: BCE to 500CE
The Mirage of the Saracen analyzes the growth of monasticism and Christian settlements in the Sinai Peninsula through the early seventh century CE. It uses a post-colonial lens to examine the ways ...
More
The Mirage of the Saracen analyzes the growth of monasticism and Christian settlements in the Sinai Peninsula through the early seventh century CE. It uses a post-colonial lens to examine the ways that Christian monks justified occupying the Sinai through creating associations between Biblical narratives and Sinai sites and assigning uncivilized, negative, and oppositional traits to the indigenous nomadic population, whom the Christians pejoratively called “Saracens.” By writing edifying tales of hostile nomads and the ensuing martyrdom of the monks, not only did the Christians reinforce their claims to the spiritual benefits of asceticism, they also provoked the Roman authorities to enhance the defense of pilgrimage routes to the Sinai. Included in these defenses was the monastery now known as Saint Catherine’s. When Muslim armies later began conquering the Middle East, Christians also labelled these new conquerors as Saracens, connecting Muslims to these pre-Islamic representations. The main sources used in this work are the Sinai Martyr Narratives – Ammonius’s Relatio and Pseudo-Nilus’s Narrationes, though many other literary sources as well as archaeological and anthropological information is used extensively.Less
The Mirage of the Saracen analyzes the growth of monasticism and Christian settlements in the Sinai Peninsula through the early seventh century CE. It uses a post-colonial lens to examine the ways that Christian monks justified occupying the Sinai through creating associations between Biblical narratives and Sinai sites and assigning uncivilized, negative, and oppositional traits to the indigenous nomadic population, whom the Christians pejoratively called “Saracens.” By writing edifying tales of hostile nomads and the ensuing martyrdom of the monks, not only did the Christians reinforce their claims to the spiritual benefits of asceticism, they also provoked the Roman authorities to enhance the defense of pilgrimage routes to the Sinai. Included in these defenses was the monastery now known as Saint Catherine’s. When Muslim armies later began conquering the Middle East, Christians also labelled these new conquerors as Saracens, connecting Muslims to these pre-Islamic representations. The main sources used in this work are the Sinai Martyr Narratives – Ammonius’s Relatio and Pseudo-Nilus’s Narrationes, though many other literary sources as well as archaeological and anthropological information is used extensively.
John V. Tolan
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780813032221
- eISBN:
- 9780813038964
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Florida
- DOI:
- 10.5744/florida/9780813032221.003.0004
- Subject:
- History, World Medieval History
This chapter discusses the goal of Peter of Cluny in commissioning these translations and in writing two texts about the “law of Muhammad”. It reveals that Peter's goal was not the dispassionate ...
More
This chapter discusses the goal of Peter of Cluny in commissioning these translations and in writing two texts about the “law of Muhammad”. It reveals that Peter's goal was not the dispassionate study of a rival religion, but the refutation of what he qualifies as the “diabolical heresy of the Saracens”. It also hopes to show potential doubters among Peter's Latin readers that Christianity is indeed the superior religion, despite the higher level of learning and wealth of the Muslim world.Less
This chapter discusses the goal of Peter of Cluny in commissioning these translations and in writing two texts about the “law of Muhammad”. It reveals that Peter's goal was not the dispassionate study of a rival religion, but the refutation of what he qualifies as the “diabolical heresy of the Saracens”. It also hopes to show potential doubters among Peter's Latin readers that Christianity is indeed the superior religion, despite the higher level of learning and wealth of the Muslim world.
Fergus Millar
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- January 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780197265574
- eISBN:
- 9780191760396
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197265574.003.0004
- Subject:
- History, History of Religion
This chapter examines some of the evidence on the preaching of Christianity, as well as Judaism, to the ‘Arabs’ — also labelled ‘Saracens’ — and its relevance to the rise of Islam as a religion ...
More
This chapter examines some of the evidence on the preaching of Christianity, as well as Judaism, to the ‘Arabs’ — also labelled ‘Saracens’ — and its relevance to the rise of Islam as a religion expressed in Arabic. It begins by considering two biographies written by John of Ephesus, one devoted to Zooras and the other to Simeon, ‘the Persian Debater’ who engaged in numerous confrontations with Christians called ‘Nestorians’ because of their belief in a ‘two-nature’ conception of Christ. Simeon also went to the camp of the Tayyoye of the house of Numan, where he made many converts, and persuaded their leaders to build a Christian church. After discussing the conversion of Tayyoye (‘Arabs’), this chapter explores how knowledge of the Bible was transmitted to the Saracens or Tayyoye. Finally, it describes the nature of Syriac identity, culture, and history as well as the flowering of Syriac from 485.Less
This chapter examines some of the evidence on the preaching of Christianity, as well as Judaism, to the ‘Arabs’ — also labelled ‘Saracens’ — and its relevance to the rise of Islam as a religion expressed in Arabic. It begins by considering two biographies written by John of Ephesus, one devoted to Zooras and the other to Simeon, ‘the Persian Debater’ who engaged in numerous confrontations with Christians called ‘Nestorians’ because of their belief in a ‘two-nature’ conception of Christ. Simeon also went to the camp of the Tayyoye of the house of Numan, where he made many converts, and persuaded their leaders to build a Christian church. After discussing the conversion of Tayyoye (‘Arabs’), this chapter explores how knowledge of the Bible was transmitted to the Saracens or Tayyoye. Finally, it describes the nature of Syriac identity, culture, and history as well as the flowering of Syriac from 485.
Noel Lenski
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520233324
- eISBN:
- 9780520928534
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520233324.001.0001
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Archaeology: Classical
This book is a biography of the Roman emperor Valens and his troubled reign (A.D. 364–78). Valens will always be remembered for his spectacular defeat and death at the hands of the Goths in the ...
More
This book is a biography of the Roman emperor Valens and his troubled reign (A.D. 364–78). Valens will always be remembered for his spectacular defeat and death at the hands of the Goths in the Battle of Adrianople. By the time he was killed, Valens' empire had been coming apart for several years: the Goths had overrun the Balkans; Persians, Isaurians, and Saracens were threatening the east; the economy was in disarray; and pagans and Christians alike had been exiled, tortured, and executed in his religious persecutions. Valens had not, however, entirely failed in his job as emperor. He was an admirable administrator, a committed defender of the frontiers, and a ruler who showed remarkable sympathy for the needs of his subjects. The book incorporates a broad range of new material, from archaeology to Gothic and Armenian sources, in a study that illuminates the social, cultural, religious, economic, administrative, and military complexities of Valens' realm. The book offers a nuanced reconsideration of Valens the man and shows both how he applied his strengths to meet the expectations of his world and how he ultimately failed in his efforts to match limited capacities to limitless demands.Less
This book is a biography of the Roman emperor Valens and his troubled reign (A.D. 364–78). Valens will always be remembered for his spectacular defeat and death at the hands of the Goths in the Battle of Adrianople. By the time he was killed, Valens' empire had been coming apart for several years: the Goths had overrun the Balkans; Persians, Isaurians, and Saracens were threatening the east; the economy was in disarray; and pagans and Christians alike had been exiled, tortured, and executed in his religious persecutions. Valens had not, however, entirely failed in his job as emperor. He was an admirable administrator, a committed defender of the frontiers, and a ruler who showed remarkable sympathy for the needs of his subjects. The book incorporates a broad range of new material, from archaeology to Gothic and Armenian sources, in a study that illuminates the social, cultural, religious, economic, administrative, and military complexities of Valens' realm. The book offers a nuanced reconsideration of Valens the man and shows both how he applied his strengths to meet the expectations of his world and how he ultimately failed in his efforts to match limited capacities to limitless demands.
Lenski Noel
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520233324
- eISBN:
- 9780520928534
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520233324.003.0005
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Archaeology: Classical
This chapter looks at Valens' interactions with the peoples of the eastern frontier: the Persians, the Armenians, the Georgians, the Saracens, and the Isaurians. Although Valens' court historians ...
More
This chapter looks at Valens' interactions with the peoples of the eastern frontier: the Persians, the Armenians, the Georgians, the Saracens, and the Isaurians. Although Valens' court historians Eutropius and Festus bolstered his claims to Armenia and upper Mesopotamia with slanted accounts of Roman history, these gains began to disintegrate toward the end of his reign, when multiple military crises forced Valens to withdraw his forces to other hot spots. Iberia and especially Armenia were not faithfully obedient subjects but powerfully independent friends. The relations of Valens with Persia, Armenia and Iberia are examined also. Festus and Eutropius provided Valens with practical guides to Rome's historical claims to the territories of the east. They were engaging in a historical discourse with very real political and military implications. It is shown that Valens was forced to deal with three peoples who shared environmental and cultural similarities; the Maratocupreni, Isaurians, and Saracens.Less
This chapter looks at Valens' interactions with the peoples of the eastern frontier: the Persians, the Armenians, the Georgians, the Saracens, and the Isaurians. Although Valens' court historians Eutropius and Festus bolstered his claims to Armenia and upper Mesopotamia with slanted accounts of Roman history, these gains began to disintegrate toward the end of his reign, when multiple military crises forced Valens to withdraw his forces to other hot spots. Iberia and especially Armenia were not faithfully obedient subjects but powerfully independent friends. The relations of Valens with Persia, Armenia and Iberia are examined also. Festus and Eutropius provided Valens with practical guides to Rome's historical claims to the territories of the east. They were engaging in a historical discourse with very real political and military implications. It is shown that Valens was forced to deal with three peoples who shared environmental and cultural similarities; the Maratocupreni, Isaurians, and Saracens.
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- January 2021
- ISBN:
- 9780813066462
- eISBN:
- 9780813058634
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Florida
- DOI:
- 10.5744/florida/9780813066462.003.0003
- Subject:
- Literature, Early and Medieval Literature
King Louis distributes fiefs to his barons but neglects William, his most loyal knight. Rejecting Louis’s subsequent offers, all of which would be detrimental to worthy families or the monarchy ...
More
King Louis distributes fiefs to his barons but neglects William, his most loyal knight. Rejecting Louis’s subsequent offers, all of which would be detrimental to worthy families or the monarchy itself, William proposes to take Nîmes from the Saracens and hold it as Louis’s vassal. Employing a strategy reminiscent of the Trojan horse, William and his men fill barrels with knights and weapons, and prepare to smuggle them into Nîmes on carts. Disguised as a merchant, William tricks the Saracens and leads the convoy into the city, where he and his men defeat the Saracens and assume control of Nîmes. In this poem, the portrait of King Louis is increasingly unflattering, while his vassal gains in heroic stature. Despite the seriousness of its territorial and spiritual concerns, The Convoy to Nîmes contains a strong dose of the humor that permeates the cycle as a whole.Less
King Louis distributes fiefs to his barons but neglects William, his most loyal knight. Rejecting Louis’s subsequent offers, all of which would be detrimental to worthy families or the monarchy itself, William proposes to take Nîmes from the Saracens and hold it as Louis’s vassal. Employing a strategy reminiscent of the Trojan horse, William and his men fill barrels with knights and weapons, and prepare to smuggle them into Nîmes on carts. Disguised as a merchant, William tricks the Saracens and leads the convoy into the city, where he and his men defeat the Saracens and assume control of Nîmes. In this poem, the portrait of King Louis is increasingly unflattering, while his vassal gains in heroic stature. Despite the seriousness of its territorial and spiritual concerns, The Convoy to Nîmes contains a strong dose of the humor that permeates the cycle as a whole.
David Simpson
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780226922355
- eISBN:
- 9780226922362
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226922362.003.0004
- Subject:
- Literature, 19th-century and Victorian Literature
This chapter first takes a look at Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice to provide an overview of the relations, tension, and binary distinction between the Christian and the Jew, the friend and the ...
More
This chapter first takes a look at Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice to provide an overview of the relations, tension, and binary distinction between the Christian and the Jew, the friend and the enemy, the self and the other. By examining the roles and relationship between Shylock and Antonio, the chapter is able to relate it to other similar and reversed roles that have emerged in literature, particularly those in Walter Scott’s works, Ivanhoe, The Bethrothed, and The Talisman. These works reflect Scott’s task of creating a national history. His Invanhoe shows Richard the Lionheart to have been as comfortable in exploiting and punishing Jews as doing battle with Saracens, a quality that does not make him very much removed from his predecessor Henry II. Thus the chapter explores the politics in Scott’s works: his insistence on the integrity of the refusal to convert, or his refusal to suggest that tolerating radical differences is possible.Less
This chapter first takes a look at Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice to provide an overview of the relations, tension, and binary distinction between the Christian and the Jew, the friend and the enemy, the self and the other. By examining the roles and relationship between Shylock and Antonio, the chapter is able to relate it to other similar and reversed roles that have emerged in literature, particularly those in Walter Scott’s works, Ivanhoe, The Bethrothed, and The Talisman. These works reflect Scott’s task of creating a national history. His Invanhoe shows Richard the Lionheart to have been as comfortable in exploiting and punishing Jews as doing battle with Saracens, a quality that does not make him very much removed from his predecessor Henry II. Thus the chapter explores the politics in Scott’s works: his insistence on the integrity of the refusal to convert, or his refusal to suggest that tolerating radical differences is possible.
Brian Patrick McGuire
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- May 2021
- ISBN:
- 9781501751042
- eISBN:
- 9781501751554
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Cornell University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7591/cornell/9781501751042.003.0010
- Subject:
- History, Russian and Former Soviet Union History
This chapter illustrates how Saint Bernard of Clairvaux accepted an invitation to preach what in his age was called a pilgrimage (peregrinatio), while we use the term “crusade.” The idea was that the ...
More
This chapter illustrates how Saint Bernard of Clairvaux accepted an invitation to preach what in his age was called a pilgrimage (peregrinatio), while we use the term “crusade.” The idea was that the knights of France, Burgundy, Champagne, and elsewhere should band together and embark on an armed pilgrimage to make Jerusalem and other holy places safe from the encroachment of the Saracens. Bernard's decision to support the crusade cannot be explained in terms of his Cistercian background. But in supporting the creation of a “new militia,” as he called it, the Knights Templar, Bernard had already more than fifteen years earlier thrown his support behind a unique kind of soldier monasticism. Now after the fall of Edessa in 1144, Bernard decided to support not only monk-knights but also knights of all kinds and to inspire them by his preaching to take the cross and go to the Holy Land, now in danger of being taken again by non-Christians. The chapter provides a sense of Bernard's impact on his surroundings outside of monastic circles. At the same time, it considers the letters Bernard wrote that show how he looked upon his commitment to crusade.Less
This chapter illustrates how Saint Bernard of Clairvaux accepted an invitation to preach what in his age was called a pilgrimage (peregrinatio), while we use the term “crusade.” The idea was that the knights of France, Burgundy, Champagne, and elsewhere should band together and embark on an armed pilgrimage to make Jerusalem and other holy places safe from the encroachment of the Saracens. Bernard's decision to support the crusade cannot be explained in terms of his Cistercian background. But in supporting the creation of a “new militia,” as he called it, the Knights Templar, Bernard had already more than fifteen years earlier thrown his support behind a unique kind of soldier monasticism. Now after the fall of Edessa in 1144, Bernard decided to support not only monk-knights but also knights of all kinds and to inspire them by his preaching to take the cross and go to the Holy Land, now in danger of being taken again by non-Christians. The chapter provides a sense of Bernard's impact on his surroundings outside of monastic circles. At the same time, it considers the letters Bernard wrote that show how he looked upon his commitment to crusade.
Sara I. James
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- January 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780813056432
- eISBN:
- 9780813058238
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Florida
- DOI:
- 10.5744/florida/9780813056432.003.0006
- Subject:
- Literature, Early and Medieval Literature
This chapter examines questions of gender as it analyzes the complicated range of ways in which Rainouart and Orable/Guibourc evoke the Other in the chansons de geste of the Cycle de Guillaume. The ...
More
This chapter examines questions of gender as it analyzes the complicated range of ways in which Rainouart and Orable/Guibourc evoke the Other in the chansons de geste of the Cycle de Guillaume. The chapter notes that ambiguity surrounds the characters’ Otherness, as they are noble Saracens who convert to Christianity, thus positioning themselves simultaneously inside and outside of certain groups. Their constant shifts from outsider to insider and back again raise questions about how we are to understand an epic “center,” particularly when Rainouart and Guibourc are portrayed more favorably than Louis and Blanchefleur—the Frankish king and queen. The chapter concludes that in these rich, complex texts, the Other is never inherently lesser, even while being appropriated, assimilated, or feared.Less
This chapter examines questions of gender as it analyzes the complicated range of ways in which Rainouart and Orable/Guibourc evoke the Other in the chansons de geste of the Cycle de Guillaume. The chapter notes that ambiguity surrounds the characters’ Otherness, as they are noble Saracens who convert to Christianity, thus positioning themselves simultaneously inside and outside of certain groups. Their constant shifts from outsider to insider and back again raise questions about how we are to understand an epic “center,” particularly when Rainouart and Guibourc are portrayed more favorably than Louis and Blanchefleur—the Frankish king and queen. The chapter concludes that in these rich, complex texts, the Other is never inherently lesser, even while being appropriated, assimilated, or feared.
Walter D. Ward
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- May 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780520283770
- eISBN:
- 9780520959521
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520283770.003.0002
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Asian and Middle Eastern History: BCE to 500CE
This chapter focuses on the nomadic inhabitants of the Roman Near East in general, and then on the Sinai in more detail. It begins by examining the lifestyle of the nomads. Next, the chapter examines ...
More
This chapter focuses on the nomadic inhabitants of the Roman Near East in general, and then on the Sinai in more detail. It begins by examining the lifestyle of the nomads. Next, the chapter examines the relationship between the Roman authorities and several allied groups, such as the Monophysite Ghassānids, who dominated the nomads of the Roman Near East in the sixth century. This chapter also describes the religious practices of the nomads, as seen through the eyes of Christian authors, both from the Sinai and in the Near East in general. The origins and connotations of the various names applied to the nomads - barbarians, Saracens, Ishmaelites, and Scenitae Arabs - are examined in detail.Less
This chapter focuses on the nomadic inhabitants of the Roman Near East in general, and then on the Sinai in more detail. It begins by examining the lifestyle of the nomads. Next, the chapter examines the relationship between the Roman authorities and several allied groups, such as the Monophysite Ghassānids, who dominated the nomads of the Roman Near East in the sixth century. This chapter also describes the religious practices of the nomads, as seen through the eyes of Christian authors, both from the Sinai and in the Near East in general. The origins and connotations of the various names applied to the nomads - barbarians, Saracens, Ishmaelites, and Scenitae Arabs - are examined in detail.
Walter D. Ward
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- May 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780520283770
- eISBN:
- 9780520959521
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520283770.003.0006
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Asian and Middle Eastern History: BCE to 500CE
This chapter investigates imperial security in the sixth century in the Sinai and the security of the Roman frontiers. In the early fourth century, several forts had been built along the edge of ...
More
This chapter investigates imperial security in the sixth century in the Sinai and the security of the Roman frontiers. In the early fourth century, several forts had been built along the edge of Roman territory facing Arabia, but by the sixth century, most of these were abandoned. However, in response to the perceived danger to monks and pilgrims, the imperial government constructed fortresses in the Sinai and along the pilgrimage routes in the middle of the sixth century. Of these, several authors describe the construction of the monastery now known as Saint Catherine’s as a direct response to the “Saracen threat.”Less
This chapter investigates imperial security in the sixth century in the Sinai and the security of the Roman frontiers. In the early fourth century, several forts had been built along the edge of Roman territory facing Arabia, but by the sixth century, most of these were abandoned. However, in response to the perceived danger to monks and pilgrims, the imperial government constructed fortresses in the Sinai and along the pilgrimage routes in the middle of the sixth century. Of these, several authors describe the construction of the monastery now known as Saint Catherine’s as a direct response to the “Saracen threat.”
Walter D. Ward
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- May 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780520283770
- eISBN:
- 9780520959521
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520283770.003.0007
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Asian and Middle Eastern History: BCE to 500CE
This chapter moves beyond the chronological and geographic parameters of the rest of the book to describe the broader implications of the Christian application of the word “Saracens” to Muslims. ...
More
This chapter moves beyond the chronological and geographic parameters of the rest of the book to describe the broader implications of the Christian application of the word “Saracens” to Muslims. Contemporaries of the Muslim invasion, such as the Patriarch of Jerusalem Sophronius, initially did not comprehend that the invasions were launched by followers of a new religion and called them Saracens, thinking that they were just ordinary nomadic raiders. Once it became clear that the Muslim attacks were something different, the term stuck, and some Christians engaged in polemical arguments with tropes previously connected to the pre-Islamic Saracen image. Authors, such as John of Damascus, wrapped these rhetorical descriptions together into a neat package, defining the standard Christian understanding of Islam for centuries. This chapter also examines the transformations of the Sinai after the Muslim conquest, and concludes with a brief discussion of Christian-Muslim relations.Less
This chapter moves beyond the chronological and geographic parameters of the rest of the book to describe the broader implications of the Christian application of the word “Saracens” to Muslims. Contemporaries of the Muslim invasion, such as the Patriarch of Jerusalem Sophronius, initially did not comprehend that the invasions were launched by followers of a new religion and called them Saracens, thinking that they were just ordinary nomadic raiders. Once it became clear that the Muslim attacks were something different, the term stuck, and some Christians engaged in polemical arguments with tropes previously connected to the pre-Islamic Saracen image. Authors, such as John of Damascus, wrapped these rhetorical descriptions together into a neat package, defining the standard Christian understanding of Islam for centuries. This chapter also examines the transformations of the Sinai after the Muslim conquest, and concludes with a brief discussion of Christian-Muslim relations.
Sophia Rose Arjana
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- December 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199324927
- eISBN:
- 9780190207298
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199324927.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This chapter examines the formulation of the Christian West’s ideas about Islam and its followers, often described as monsters or members of a monstrous race, as situated in theological texts, ...
More
This chapter examines the formulation of the Christian West’s ideas about Islam and its followers, often described as monsters or members of a monstrous race, as situated in theological texts, religious art, poetry, and the medieval romance. It argues that the Muslims depicted in these texts not only served as important sources of knowledge in the Middle Ages, but also continue to have meaning today. Among the monsters covered in this chapter are the Black Saracen, the Jewish Sarrazin, and the cynocephalus (dog-headed man), all of which are identified with both Muslims and Jews and the Jews’ purported guilt as Christ-killers. The co-identification of Muslims and Jews that is established in the Middle Ages continues in later centuries and influences several Muslim monsters of early modernity.Less
This chapter examines the formulation of the Christian West’s ideas about Islam and its followers, often described as monsters or members of a monstrous race, as situated in theological texts, religious art, poetry, and the medieval romance. It argues that the Muslims depicted in these texts not only served as important sources of knowledge in the Middle Ages, but also continue to have meaning today. Among the monsters covered in this chapter are the Black Saracen, the Jewish Sarrazin, and the cynocephalus (dog-headed man), all of which are identified with both Muslims and Jews and the Jews’ purported guilt as Christ-killers. The co-identification of Muslims and Jews that is established in the Middle Ages continues in later centuries and influences several Muslim monsters of early modernity.
Stefan K. Stantchev
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- August 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780198704096
- eISBN:
- 9780191773259
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198704096.003.0003
- Subject:
- History, History of Religion, Cultural History
Chapters 2 and 3 discuss the formation of embargo as a policy and a discourse in 1179–1250s against multiple backgrounds: development of continental common law, emergence of the penitential forum, ...
More
Chapters 2 and 3 discuss the formation of embargo as a policy and a discourse in 1179–1250s against multiple backgrounds: development of continental common law, emergence of the penitential forum, and papal policies on Christians’ relations with others. Chapter 2 explains the legal structure of the embargo aimed at Muslims and exposes the hierarchy of papal concerns it reflected. The establishment of a degree of papal jurisdiction over Christians’s trade with Muslims was an issue of ‘proper order’ within Christendom inherently intertwined with the pastoral concern with the control over—and the salvation of souls. Second came a concern with the sustenance of Christian communities interwoven with the papacy’s need to accommodate their interests. The effect that Christian trade could have on Muslim military power thus yielded to ‘domestic’ concerns. Given the conceptual and empirical challenges involved, categorical positions on the embargo’s impact on trade flows are not sustainable.Less
Chapters 2 and 3 discuss the formation of embargo as a policy and a discourse in 1179–1250s against multiple backgrounds: development of continental common law, emergence of the penitential forum, and papal policies on Christians’ relations with others. Chapter 2 explains the legal structure of the embargo aimed at Muslims and exposes the hierarchy of papal concerns it reflected. The establishment of a degree of papal jurisdiction over Christians’s trade with Muslims was an issue of ‘proper order’ within Christendom inherently intertwined with the pastoral concern with the control over—and the salvation of souls. Second came a concern with the sustenance of Christian communities interwoven with the papacy’s need to accommodate their interests. The effect that Christian trade could have on Muslim military power thus yielded to ‘domestic’ concerns. Given the conceptual and empirical challenges involved, categorical positions on the embargo’s impact on trade flows are not sustainable.
Warwick Ball
- Published in print:
- 2022
- Published Online:
- May 2022
- ISBN:
- 9780197626252
- eISBN:
- 9780197626283
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780197626252.003.0004
- Subject:
- Literature, 20th-century and Contemporary Literature
The great oriental empire of Calormen—origin of the Calormenes—Edward Lane’s Arabian Nights and Manners and Customs of the Modern Egyptians—Ruth Ritter and ‘Mrs Beaver’s Sewing Machine’: paradoxes in ...
More
The great oriental empire of Calormen—origin of the Calormenes—Edward Lane’s Arabian Nights and Manners and Customs of the Modern Egyptians—Ruth Ritter and ‘Mrs Beaver’s Sewing Machine’: paradoxes in Narnia and Calormen; Lewis hinting that there is more in Narnia—origin of the name ‘Calormen’—Calormen and Arabia—Calormene currency—‘the fountains of prosperity irrigating the gardens of prudence’: Calormene language—Calormene names—Calormene armour—Calormene food—Aravis and Scheherezade—the god Tash—manners and customs of the Calormen—the Tisroc-Sultan figure—the city of Tashbaan, Urartu, Constantinople, and Baghdad—desert journey—Sir John Mandeville, Edward Lane, T. E. Lawrence, Agatha Christie, and Arab and Persian sources.Less
The great oriental empire of Calormen—origin of the Calormenes—Edward Lane’s Arabian Nights and Manners and Customs of the Modern Egyptians—Ruth Ritter and ‘Mrs Beaver’s Sewing Machine’: paradoxes in Narnia and Calormen; Lewis hinting that there is more in Narnia—origin of the name ‘Calormen’—Calormen and Arabia—Calormene currency—‘the fountains of prosperity irrigating the gardens of prudence’: Calormene language—Calormene names—Calormene armour—Calormene food—Aravis and Scheherezade—the god Tash—manners and customs of the Calormen—the Tisroc-Sultan figure—the city of Tashbaan, Urartu, Constantinople, and Baghdad—desert journey—Sir John Mandeville, Edward Lane, T. E. Lawrence, Agatha Christie, and Arab and Persian sources.