Seeing Islam as Others Saw It
Author | Robert G. Hoyland |
---|---|
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Series | Studies in Late Antiquity and Early Islam |
Subject | Islamic Empire--History--622-661--Historiography. Islamic Empire--History--661-750--Historiography. Middle East--Civilization--To 622--Historiography. |
Publisher | Darwin Press |
Publication date | 1997 |
Media type | Hardcover |
Pages | 872 |
ISBN | 0-87850-125-8 |
OCLC | 36884186 |
939.4 21 | |
LC Class | DS38.1 .H69 1997 |
Seeing Islam As Others Saw It: A Survey and Evaluation of Christian, Jewish and Zoroastrian Writings on Early Islam from the Studies in Late Antiquity and Early Islam series is a book by scholar of the Middle East Robert G. Hoyland.
The book contains an extensive collection of Greek, Syriac, Coptic, Armenian, Latin, Jewish, Persian, and Chinese primary sources written between 620 and 780 AD in the Middle East, which provides a survey of eyewitness accounts of historical events during the formative period of Islam.
The book presents the evidentiary text of over 120 seventh century manuscripts, one of which (the manuscript of Thomas the Presbyter) contains what Hoyland believes is the "first explicit reference to Muhammad in a non-Muslim source:"[1]
- In the year 945, indiction 7, on Friday 7 February (634) at the ninth hour, there was a battle between the Romans and the Arabs of Muhammad (tayyaye d-Mhmt) in Palestine twelve miles [19 km] east of Gaza. The Romans fled, leaving behind the patrician Bryrdn,[2] whom the Arabs killed. Some 4000 poor villagers of Palestine were killed there, Christians, Jews and Samaritans. The Arabs ravaged the whole region.
According to Michael G. Morony, Hoyland emphasizes the parallels between Muslim and non-Muslim accounts of history emphasizing that non-Muslim texts often explain the same history as the Muslim ones even though they were recorded earlier. He concludes "Hoyland's treatment of the materials is judicious, honest, complex, and extremely useful."[3]
Sources[]
Greek sources[]
- A Christian Apologist of 634
- John Moschus
- Sophronius, Patriarch of Jerusalem
- Pope Martin I
- Maximus the Confessor
- Anti-Jewish Polemicists of the Seventh Century
- The Miracles of S. Demetrius and S. George
- Anastasius of Sinai
- Patriarch Germanus
- Cosmas of Jerusalem
- Stephen the Sabaite
- A Greek-Coptic Papyrus
West Syrian, Coptic and Armenian sources[]
- Fragment on the Arab Conquests
- Thomas the Presbyter
- Homily on the Child Saints of Babylon
- Gabriel of Qartmin
- Sebeos, Bishop of the Bagratunis
- Benjamin I, Patriarch of Alexandria
- Maronite Chronicle
- George of Resh'aina
- Athanasius of Balad, Patriarch of Antioch
- Isaac, Patriarch of Alexandria
- John, Bishop of Nikiu
- Jacob of Edessa
- A Coptic Papyrus
- Theophilus of Alexandria
East Syrian sources[]
- Isho'yahb III of Adiabene
- Chronicle of Khuzestan
- Rabban Hormizd
- John bar Penkaye
- Hnanisho' the Exegete
- John of Daylam
- Isho'bokht, Metropolitan of Fars
- Abbots of the
- Isho'dnah of Basra
- Thomas of Marga
Latin sources[]
- Fredegar, a Frankish Chronicler
- Arculf
- Willibald
- Later testimonia
- Historia miscella
Chinese sources[]
Apocalypses and visions[]
Syriac texts[]
- Ps.-Ephraem
- Ps.-Methodius
- and
- Bahira
- texts
- Pseudo-Athanasius
- and
Greek texts[]
- Pseudo-Methodius, Greek translation
- Greek Apocalypse of Daniel
- Stephen of Alexandria
- Life of Andrew the Fool
Hebrew texts[]
- The Secrets of Rabbi Simon ben Yohai
- Pesiqta rabbati
Persian texts[]
- Bahman Yasht
- Jamasp Namag
- Bundahishn
- Denkard
Muslim Arabic texts[]
Martyrologies[]
Greek texts[]
- George the Black
- A Christian Arab of Sinai
- Peter of Capitolias
- Elias of Damascus
- Copto-Arabic texts
Armenian texts[]
Syriac texts[]
Chronicles and histories[]
Syriac texts[]
- Theophilus of Edessa
- Chronicle of Zuqnin
- Dionysius of Tellmahre
- Chronicle of 819
- Chronicle of 846
- Elias of Nisibis
Latin texts[]
- Byzantine-Arab Chronicle of 741
- Hispanic Chronicle of 754
Greek texts[]
Other[]
- Armenian texts
- Agapius of Hierapolis
- Eutychius of Alexandria
- Chronicle of Siirt
- Jewish texts
- Samaritan texts
- Derivative accounts
Apologies and disputations[]
Syriac texts[]
- Patriarch John I and an Arab commander
- Monk of Beth Hale and an Arab notable
- Timothy I
- Bahira
- Greek texts
- John of Damascus
- correspondence of Leo III the Isaurian and Umar II
Christian Arabic texts[]
Jewish texts[]
Latin texts[]
Dubia[]
- John the Stylite
- Abjuration
- MS
See also[]
- Islamic studies by author
References and notes[]
- ^ Hoyland, Seeing Islam As Others Saw It, p. 120
- ^ The name "Bryrdn" is unclear; see, e.g., "Biblical and Near Eastern essays: studies in honour of Kevin J. Cathcart", ISBN 0-8264-6690-7, p. 283
- ^ Michael G. Morony. International Journal of Middle East Studies, Vol. 31, No. 3. (Aug., 1999), pp. 452–453
- Non-Islamic Islam studies literature
- Islam and other religions