Fourth Woodbrooke-Mingana Symposium On Arab Christianity And Islam
David
Thomas
University of Birmingham
Beth Mardutho: The Syriac Institute
George A. Kiraz
James E. Walters
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Beth Mardutho: The Syriac Institute
2002
Vol. 5, No. 1
For this publication, a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
license has been granted by the author(s), who retain full
copyright.
https://hugoye.bethmardutho.org/article/hv5n1crthomas
David THOMAS
Fourth Woodbrooke-Mingana Symposium On Arab Christianity And Islam
https://hugoye.bethmardutho.org/pdf/vol5/HV5N1CRThomas.pdf
Hugoye: Journal of Syriac Studies
Beth Mardutho: The Syriac Institute, 2002
vol 5
issue 1
Hugoye: Journal of Syriac Studies is an electronic journal dedicated to the study
of the Syriac tradition, published semi-annually (in January and July) by Beth
Mardutho: The Syriac Institute. Published since 1998, Hugoye seeks to offer the
best scholarship available in the field of Syriac studies.
Syriac Studies
Woodbrooke-Mingana
Arab
Christianity and Islam
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[1] The
Fourth Woodbrooke-Mingana Symposium on Arab Christianity and
Islam was held from 12 to 16 September 2001. Like its three
predecessors, it was organised at Woodbrooke Quaker Study
Centre, Selly Oak, Birmingham, where Alphonse Mingana, the
Iraqi scholar whose memory it seeks to preserve, once lived.
Its theme was "Arab Christianity in Iraq in the `Abbasid Period
(750-1258)".
[2] In all,
23 scholars, researchers and interested individuals attended
the Symposium. These came from Europe, the USA and the Middle
East, and included some of the leading scholars on the subject
of Arab Christianity. In addition to experienced and recognised
experts in the field, there were a number of postgraduate
students and researchers, some of whom were making their first
public presentations of their research. We were also honoured
by the presence of Mar Gregorios Saleba Shimoun, the Syriac
Orthodox Archbishop of Mosul, Iraq, whose journey had involved
two days overland travel before flying to England from
Damascus. We were, however, deprived of three American
colleagues and one Jewish colleague who were prevented from
travelling by the aftermath of the September 11 attacks on
Washington and New York.
[3] A total
of 19 papers were read out to the gathering, those from the
American colleagues unable to attend read by other
participants. These papers ranged very widely, as the titles in
the appended list show, and included three visual presentations
alongside written papers. It is planned to publish a selection
of them through Brill of Leiden, who also published papers from
the preceding Symposiums.
[4] The
Symposium took place in the year that the Centre for the Study
of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations marks its twenty-fifth
anniversary. In recognition of this, the proceedings were
opened with a public lecture by Professor Jacques Waardenburg
in the Edward Cadbury Hall, and were concluded with a
celebration dinner at the University's Edgbaston Campus, which
was also attended by friends and associates of the Centre. The
speaker at this dinner was Professor David Kerr, the first
Director of the Centre.
[5] The
costs of the Symposium, including accommodation for speakers
and travel bursaries for some students, were assisted by grants
from the British Academy, the Spalding Trust and the Edward
Cadbury Charitable Trust. Additional grants towards the
Archbishop of Mosul's travel were made by the al-Tajir World of
Islam Trust and the Bishop of Birmingham's Charitable Trust.
The Centre for the Study of Islam and Christian-Muslim
Relations acknowledges these with deep gratitude.
[6] It was
agreed by the Symposium participants that a fifth meeting
should be held in four years' time, on the theme of the Bible
in Arab Christianity. So scholars in the field of Arab
Christianity and all who are interested are invited to gather
once more at Selly Oak in September 2005.
Papers and Presentations
Professor Jacques Waardenburg, Switzerland:
Between Baghdad and Birmingham, minorities Christian and
Muslim.
Dr Erica Hunter, UK:
The Christianity of Hira.
Mar Gregorios Saleba Shimoun, Iraq:
Patriarch, Catholicos and Caliph: the Syrian Orthodox Church
under the early `Abbasids.
Dr Mohammed Mustafa Bashari, Sudan:
The Role of Christian Arabs in the Field of Translation and
Medicine in Baghdad.
Dr Hilary Kilpatrick, Lausanne, Switzerland:
Monasteries through Muslim Eyes: the Diyarat genre of Arabic
literature.
Professor Sidney Griffith, USA:
Ethics in Muslim-Christian Dialogue in Tenth-Century
Baghdad: the Contribution of Yahya Ibn `Adi.
Professor Emilio Platti, Belgium:
Yahya ibn `Adi and the Theology of Iktisab.
Professor Bo Holmberg, Sweden:
Language and Thought in Kitab al-majdal, bab 2, fasl 1,
al-Dhurwa.
Virginie Pirens, Belgium:
The Arabic Version of the Orations of Gregory of
Nazianzus: the case of Oration 42.
Dr Suha Rassam, UK:
The Christians of Iraq and Translation Activity during the
`Abbasid Period.
Dr Julian Faultless, UK:
The Recensions of Ibn al-Tayyib’s Commentary on
John’s Gospel.
Dr David Thomas, UK:
Early Muslim Responses to Christianity.
Mark Beaumont, UK:
`Ammar al-Basri on the Incarnation.
Dr Sandra Toenies Keating, USA:
The Third Risala of Abu Ra’ita al-Takriti: “A
Refutation of the Melkites concerning the Union of the Divinity
and Humanity in Christ.”
`Aziz `Abd al-Nour, UK:
Images and Inscriptions from Ancient Churches of
Iraq.
Dr Mark Swanson, USA:
The Christian al-Ma’mun Tradition.
Dr Jamal Attar, Lebanon:
Study of a Medieval Portrait of Arab Christians: Islamic
Norm and `Abbasid Practices with Reference to the Works of
al-Jahiz (776-869 CE).
Gabriel Said Reynolds, USA:
Christian Sects through Muslim Eyes: `Abd al-Jabbar’s
‘Tathbit dala’il al-nubuwwa’.
Dr Martin Accad, Lebanon:
The Interpretation of John 20.17 in Christian-Muslim
Dialogue (8th–14th century): the
Ultimate Proof-Text.
Barbara Roggema, The Netherlands:
Primitive Monotheism and Crypto-idolatry, the origin and
development of a theme in Christian-Arabic and Syriac writings
about Islam.
Professor Lucy-Anne Hunt, UK:
Aspects of Artistic Production by Christians.