Christianity in Fifteenth-Century Iraq

Reveals a religiously diverse pre-industrial society in the Middle East, broadening studies of global Christianity and challenging Islamic history's exceptionalism.

Thomas A. Carlson (Author)

9781316637135, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 18 June 2020

323 pages, 2 b/w illus. 5 maps
23 x 15.3 x 2 cm, 0.6 kg

'Thomas A. Carlson has used his formidable linguistic skills to marshal a truly impressive and disparate set of sources and recreate a world about which little was known. But this is much more than an expert piece of detective work and fascinating historical reconstruction: it contains a profound message for how we think about both Christianity and the Middle East.' Jack B. Tannous, Princeton University, New Jersey

Christians in fifteenth-century Iraq and al-Jaz?ra were socially and culturally home in the Middle East, practicing their distinctive religion despite political instability. This insightful book challenges the normative Eurocentrism of scholarship on Christianity and the Islamic exceptionalism of much Middle Eastern history to reveal the often unexpected ways in which inter-religious interactions were peaceful or violent in this region. The multifaceted communal self-concept of the 'Church of the East' (so-called 'Nestorians') reveals cultural integration, with certain distinctive features. The process of patriarchal succession clearly borrowed ideas from surrounding Christian and Muslim groups, while public rituals and communal history reveal specifically Christian responses to concerns shared with Muslim neighbors. Drawing on sources from various languages, including Arabic, Armenian, Persian, and Syriac, this book opens new possibilities for understanding the rich, diverse, and fascinating society and culture that existed in Iraq during this time.

Introduction
1. Coming into focus: the world of fifteenth-century Iraq and al-Jaz?ra
2. Muslim lords and their Christian flocks
3. Living with suspicious neighbors in a violent world
4. Interlude: concepts of communities
5. Bridges and barriers of doctrine
6. Practical theology in a dangerous time
7. Rituals: the texture of belonging
8. Desperate measures: the changing ecclesiastical hierarchy
9. The power of the past: communal history for present needs
Conclusion
Appendix A. Glossary
Appendix B. Lists of rulers and patriarchs
Appendix C. The patriarchal succession of the Church of the East
Appendix D. Dating the ritual for reception of heretics.

Subject Areas: Islam [HRH], Christianity [HRC], History of religion [HRAX], Middle Eastern history [HBJF1]