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The Church in the Shadow of the Mosque: Christians and Muslims in the World of Islam
Amid so much twenty-first-century talk of a "Christian-Muslim divide"--and the attendant controversy in some Western countries over policies toward minority Muslim communities--a historical fact has gone unnoticed: for more than four hundred years beginning in the mid-seventh century, some 50 percent of the world's Christians lived and worshipped under Muslim rule. Just who were the Christians in the Arabic-speaking milieu of Mohammed and the Qur'an?
"The Church in the Shadow of the Mosque" is the first book-length discussion in English of the cultural and intellectual life of such Christians indigenous to the Islamic world. Sidney Griffith offers an engaging overview of their initial reactions to the religious challenges they faced, the development of a new mode of presenting Christian doctrine as liturgical texts in their own languages gave way to Arabic, the Christian role in the philosophical life of early Baghdad, and the maturing of distinctive Oriental Christian denominations in this context.
Offering a fuller understanding of the rise of Islam in its early years from the perspective of contemporary non-Muslims, this book reminds us that there is much to learn from the works of people who seriously engaged Muslims in their own world so long ago.
"The Church in the Shadow of the Mosque" is the first book-length discussion in English of the cultural and intellectual life of such Christians indigenous to the Islamic world. Sidney Griffith offers an engaging overview of their initial reactions to the religious challenges they faced, the development of a new mode of presenting Christian doctrine as liturgical texts in their own languages gave way to Arabic, the Christian role in the philosophical life of early Baghdad, and the maturing of distinctive Oriental Christian denominations in this context.
Offering a fuller understanding of the rise of Islam in its early years from the perspective of contemporary non-Muslims, this book reminds us that there is much to learn from the works of people who seriously engaged Muslims in their own world so long ago.
240 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2007
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November 7, 2015تطور الكتابات النصرانية وظهورها باللغة العربية بعد اختلاطها بالعرب المسلمين الفاتحين ودراسة تاريخية لكتابات كنائس الشرق ومساهمتها في تطور اللاهوت الإسلامي والمسيحي من خلال النصوص الجدلية والشارحة للعقيدة النصرانية للدفاع عنها أمام المسلمين منطقيا
November 21, 2024
Though the recent decades have witnessed increasing scholarly interest in the Christians in the Muslim Middle East, their intellectual history and contributions remain a little-told story that quietly occupies forgotten annals of Christian history. In his book, which was awarded the 2008 Albert C. Outler Prize by the American Society of Church History, Sidney Griffith skillfully sketches out that world in which Christians not only coexisted alongside their Arab Muslim neighbors but were veritable philosophers, translators, scholars, scientists and churchmen in their own right. Writing in their native languages and later also in Arabic, they engaged and contributed to the literary and intellectual formation of the medieval Middle East. Griffith’s project is twofold; he presents the Arabophone development of Middle Eastern Christians since the Islamic conquest until the middle of the thirteenth century CE by contextualizing their literary development in the close proximity of their Muslim neighbors, and by tracing their own progress at a time when they faced a critical religious, identity and linguistic juncture in their own history.
Sidney Griffith is uniquely positioned, as one of the foremost authorities today on Arabic and Syriac Christianity in medieval times and their encounters with Islam, to write such a whirlwind tour of the medieval Middle East. He is Professor Emeritus of Early Christian Studies at the Catholic University of American and has written prolifically on Syriac and Arab Christians. His intimate knowledge of its many languages, notable Syriac, Arabic and Greek, allows him to dig into the archive of their communities, which have received less scholarly attention than their Byzantine and Latin Christian counterparts.
Giffith’s chapters start by a rough overview of the Middle East before the rise of Islam, and then traces their diverse, mostly textual, responses to each other and to the Islamic challenge they found before them. Chapter one, more of an introduction, thus begins with the epithet ahl al-kitāb or People of the Book, by which the Quran refers to Jews and Christians. Yet concerning Christians alone, the pre-Islamic Arabian Peninsula environment was fractured, diverse and fluctuating. The three main groups were the Nestorians, Jacobites and Melkites, whom Griffith details in chapter six. In the wake of prolonged theological and political controversy, and the floundering of the Byzantine empire, these Christian communities were frantically, and often violently, negotiating and reformulating their own identities, mostly in opposition to each other. The already fractured landscape would reach new heights of confusion with the sweeping Muslim Arab conquests that would complete the collapse of Byzantine rule in the Peninsula, estrange these communities from other Christians outside Islamic rule, and establish its own powerful presence, together with a new language and faith confession. Arabic would increasingly come to define the public space, culture and political reality in which Christians found themselves. Various othering policies ensured that Jews and Christians were to keep low social and religious profiles, leading to a constant and conscious othering.
In turn, Griffith’s chapters explore the textual evidence of Christian response to the Muslim challenge in their own tongues, in their initial precarious adoption of Arabic, their later production of diverse genres in Arabic, and their contribution to the formation of the Islamic religious identity as the ever-present other in their midst.
Chapter two examines Christian (and Jewish, to a lesser degree) reactions to their overturned fortunes. Even before their adoption of Arabic, the apologetic literature in their own tongues testifies to their repeated encounters with Muslims. The Muslims’ dissimilar religious confession seems to have attracted later – though more enduring – attention than the perception of them as warring conquerors. Both popular apocalyptic and legendary genres, as well as intellectual literature appeared like John of Damascus’s Greek theological summa and Theodore bar Kônî’s in Syriac. Such literature reflects a socioreligious dilemma of confusion to political, military and religious onslaught, to a context of fast eroding Christian superiority and a challenged religious identity.
Christians’ increasing adoption of Arabic expands their literary production whether for their insider communities or with Muslims and other Christian groups. The massive Graeco-Arabic translation movement which marked Baghdad as the center of intellectual production of the Islamic empire starts. The Melkite tradition translates the Bible to Arabic, apologetics take on new form and are brought into Caliphate courts by patriarchs like Timothy I, and theology starts to be written in Arabic and with the Islamic challenge foremost in mind. The first theologian to write regularly in Arabic is the ninth century Melkite Theodore Abū Qurrah, whose writing is a glimpse into the social lived context of these Christian communities as they start using an Arabic language already imbued with Islamic significance. He thus sheds a light on the notion of simple believers so skillfully portrayed by Jack Tannous in his The Making of the Medieval Middle East (Princeton University Press, 2018).
Thus, the Islamic context shaped the very language and terminology of Arabic Christian literature, making it distinct as a genre from other Christian literature composed in the Greek or Latin Christian contexts. It offered unique approaches to the discourse by arguing from within Islamic kalām theology in which it became contextualized and contrived to develop theological frameworks to discredit Islam in favor of Christianity. Not surprisingly, the intended audience of such literature was mostly Christian, especially the more popular works. Some Muslims did read them and in the cases of systematic controversial or philosophical theology even deign to respond, thus contributing to the robust if antagonistic budding of Islamic kalām discourse.
Chapter five points attention to the massive Persian, Syriac and Graco-Arabic translation movement of Baghdad that remains perhaps the most acknowledged contribution of medieval Middle Eastern Christians. It served as the philosophical base for a budding Arabic Islamic philosophy, and later a Latin intellectual renaissance. Yet the Syriac Christians were not, as is often portrayed, only passive translators but drew upon the philosophy they translated to support their own faith commitments and to open an intellectual space for a hopeful interreligious harmony. Such philosophy also became crucial in the development of the Christian ecclesial identities of the “Oriental patriarchate” which occurred in their encounter with each other and in the Arabic tongue.
In addition, as Griffith’s last chapter denotes, Christian Arabic writers extended into the literary as well. Al-Akhṭal’s and Sulaymān Al-Ghazzī’s poetry, and Ibn Buṭlān and Abd Allāh ibn aṭ-Tayyib’s prose fiction come to mind. Ultimately, Christians as theologians, philosophers, translators and authors of popular genres impacted the formation of Islamic ‘ilm al kalam, the integration of enduring Hellenistic elements in Islamic thought, and the Islamic religious identity as grounded in its similarity and distinction from Judaism and Christianity.
Crucially, Griffith highlights the import of rediscovering and reengaging this diverse corpus of medieval Arabic Christian literature on two fronts. These voices were not only marginalized in their own communities by Muslims, but even by modern Middle Eastern Christians themselves. Spurred by a growing sense of antagonism to their own Arabic literature due to its stormy history, they view it as less authentic than their ancient non-Arabic one, and less worthy of ecclesial or scholarly recognition. Moreover, Griffith emphasizes, such literature merits scholarly attention as it is composed by the earliest Christians who engaged with, and contributed to, Islam in its own intellectual and communal becoming. Their own Christian theology was formed alongside and in contradistinction to it. These voices are too critical to sideline in our current globalized discourse, in which the world becomes a complex space that Christians, Jews and Muslims strive to inhabit side by side once more.
The Church in the Shadow of the Mosque’s contributions are numerous. Griffith pulls together a narrative not of one minority group but several, whose voices often disappear in the discourse. Often deemed heretical by western Christians, Jacobite, Nestorians, Melkites, Copts, Armenians and Maronites had their distinct languages, narratives and complex histories with each other and with Islam. Griffith explores their linguistic, theological, communal and literary developments at a time of transition for these communities themselves, at a time when they were becoming overshadowed by a greater power in their own lands.
The book is collected from previous diverse essays of Griffith, which explains its inconsistencies, like topic repetitions across chapters and lost strains in some chapters being picked up in others. Despite all this, it remains a landmark in the field with its exploration of literature that spans a range of languages, fields, attitudes and genres. It stands as an indispensable reference work for scholars of ecclesial history, Christian studies, Islamic studies, Late Antiquity, Syriac Studies and Middle Eastern Studies, complete with primary sources in various languages, and an exhaustive bibliography for further areas of study.
Sidney Griffith is uniquely positioned, as one of the foremost authorities today on Arabic and Syriac Christianity in medieval times and their encounters with Islam, to write such a whirlwind tour of the medieval Middle East. He is Professor Emeritus of Early Christian Studies at the Catholic University of American and has written prolifically on Syriac and Arab Christians. His intimate knowledge of its many languages, notable Syriac, Arabic and Greek, allows him to dig into the archive of their communities, which have received less scholarly attention than their Byzantine and Latin Christian counterparts.
Giffith’s chapters start by a rough overview of the Middle East before the rise of Islam, and then traces their diverse, mostly textual, responses to each other and to the Islamic challenge they found before them. Chapter one, more of an introduction, thus begins with the epithet ahl al-kitāb or People of the Book, by which the Quran refers to Jews and Christians. Yet concerning Christians alone, the pre-Islamic Arabian Peninsula environment was fractured, diverse and fluctuating. The three main groups were the Nestorians, Jacobites and Melkites, whom Griffith details in chapter six. In the wake of prolonged theological and political controversy, and the floundering of the Byzantine empire, these Christian communities were frantically, and often violently, negotiating and reformulating their own identities, mostly in opposition to each other. The already fractured landscape would reach new heights of confusion with the sweeping Muslim Arab conquests that would complete the collapse of Byzantine rule in the Peninsula, estrange these communities from other Christians outside Islamic rule, and establish its own powerful presence, together with a new language and faith confession. Arabic would increasingly come to define the public space, culture and political reality in which Christians found themselves. Various othering policies ensured that Jews and Christians were to keep low social and religious profiles, leading to a constant and conscious othering.
In turn, Griffith’s chapters explore the textual evidence of Christian response to the Muslim challenge in their own tongues, in their initial precarious adoption of Arabic, their later production of diverse genres in Arabic, and their contribution to the formation of the Islamic religious identity as the ever-present other in their midst.
Chapter two examines Christian (and Jewish, to a lesser degree) reactions to their overturned fortunes. Even before their adoption of Arabic, the apologetic literature in their own tongues testifies to their repeated encounters with Muslims. The Muslims’ dissimilar religious confession seems to have attracted later – though more enduring – attention than the perception of them as warring conquerors. Both popular apocalyptic and legendary genres, as well as intellectual literature appeared like John of Damascus’s Greek theological summa and Theodore bar Kônî’s in Syriac. Such literature reflects a socioreligious dilemma of confusion to political, military and religious onslaught, to a context of fast eroding Christian superiority and a challenged religious identity.
Christians’ increasing adoption of Arabic expands their literary production whether for their insider communities or with Muslims and other Christian groups. The massive Graeco-Arabic translation movement which marked Baghdad as the center of intellectual production of the Islamic empire starts. The Melkite tradition translates the Bible to Arabic, apologetics take on new form and are brought into Caliphate courts by patriarchs like Timothy I, and theology starts to be written in Arabic and with the Islamic challenge foremost in mind. The first theologian to write regularly in Arabic is the ninth century Melkite Theodore Abū Qurrah, whose writing is a glimpse into the social lived context of these Christian communities as they start using an Arabic language already imbued with Islamic significance. He thus sheds a light on the notion of simple believers so skillfully portrayed by Jack Tannous in his The Making of the Medieval Middle East (Princeton University Press, 2018).
Thus, the Islamic context shaped the very language and terminology of Arabic Christian literature, making it distinct as a genre from other Christian literature composed in the Greek or Latin Christian contexts. It offered unique approaches to the discourse by arguing from within Islamic kalām theology in which it became contextualized and contrived to develop theological frameworks to discredit Islam in favor of Christianity. Not surprisingly, the intended audience of such literature was mostly Christian, especially the more popular works. Some Muslims did read them and in the cases of systematic controversial or philosophical theology even deign to respond, thus contributing to the robust if antagonistic budding of Islamic kalām discourse.
Chapter five points attention to the massive Persian, Syriac and Graco-Arabic translation movement of Baghdad that remains perhaps the most acknowledged contribution of medieval Middle Eastern Christians. It served as the philosophical base for a budding Arabic Islamic philosophy, and later a Latin intellectual renaissance. Yet the Syriac Christians were not, as is often portrayed, only passive translators but drew upon the philosophy they translated to support their own faith commitments and to open an intellectual space for a hopeful interreligious harmony. Such philosophy also became crucial in the development of the Christian ecclesial identities of the “Oriental patriarchate” which occurred in their encounter with each other and in the Arabic tongue.
In addition, as Griffith’s last chapter denotes, Christian Arabic writers extended into the literary as well. Al-Akhṭal’s and Sulaymān Al-Ghazzī’s poetry, and Ibn Buṭlān and Abd Allāh ibn aṭ-Tayyib’s prose fiction come to mind. Ultimately, Christians as theologians, philosophers, translators and authors of popular genres impacted the formation of Islamic ‘ilm al kalam, the integration of enduring Hellenistic elements in Islamic thought, and the Islamic religious identity as grounded in its similarity and distinction from Judaism and Christianity.
Crucially, Griffith highlights the import of rediscovering and reengaging this diverse corpus of medieval Arabic Christian literature on two fronts. These voices were not only marginalized in their own communities by Muslims, but even by modern Middle Eastern Christians themselves. Spurred by a growing sense of antagonism to their own Arabic literature due to its stormy history, they view it as less authentic than their ancient non-Arabic one, and less worthy of ecclesial or scholarly recognition. Moreover, Griffith emphasizes, such literature merits scholarly attention as it is composed by the earliest Christians who engaged with, and contributed to, Islam in its own intellectual and communal becoming. Their own Christian theology was formed alongside and in contradistinction to it. These voices are too critical to sideline in our current globalized discourse, in which the world becomes a complex space that Christians, Jews and Muslims strive to inhabit side by side once more.
The Church in the Shadow of the Mosque’s contributions are numerous. Griffith pulls together a narrative not of one minority group but several, whose voices often disappear in the discourse. Often deemed heretical by western Christians, Jacobite, Nestorians, Melkites, Copts, Armenians and Maronites had their distinct languages, narratives and complex histories with each other and with Islam. Griffith explores their linguistic, theological, communal and literary developments at a time of transition for these communities themselves, at a time when they were becoming overshadowed by a greater power in their own lands.
The book is collected from previous diverse essays of Griffith, which explains its inconsistencies, like topic repetitions across chapters and lost strains in some chapters being picked up in others. Despite all this, it remains a landmark in the field with its exploration of literature that spans a range of languages, fields, attitudes and genres. It stands as an indispensable reference work for scholars of ecclesial history, Christian studies, Islamic studies, Late Antiquity, Syriac Studies and Middle Eastern Studies, complete with primary sources in various languages, and an exhaustive bibliography for further areas of study.
January 23, 2020
This book shows the relationship that grew between Islam and Christianity from the very beginnings of Islam. Surprisingly, the reaction of Oriental Christian churches to the new faith was not always one of pure criticism or antagonism. They gained a knowledge of the Qur'an and of the doctrines of Islam and began to shape their apologetics accordingly. Many of them also adopted Arabic which became the language in which discussion took place and often also a liturgical language used in worship.
But the conversation from the other end is also fascinating. The text of the Qur'an assumes the existence of both Jews and Christians, and established the basis for Islam's evaluation of the Jewish and Christian religions. Muslim scholars also learned the basics of Christianity and shaped their critiques accordingly.
Adherents of all three "Abrahamic faiths" also shared an interest in philosophy, especially the philosophy of Aristotle. They often believed that philosophy offered a guide to a desirable mode of life.
Twenty-first century Christians in the West have become more interested in carrying on an interfaith dialogue with followers of Islam. However they are often woefully ignorant of the fact that Christians and Muslims in the East have centuries of experience of doing exactly that.
But the conversation from the other end is also fascinating. The text of the Qur'an assumes the existence of both Jews and Christians, and established the basis for Islam's evaluation of the Jewish and Christian religions. Muslim scholars also learned the basics of Christianity and shaped their critiques accordingly.
Adherents of all three "Abrahamic faiths" also shared an interest in philosophy, especially the philosophy of Aristotle. They often believed that philosophy offered a guide to a desirable mode of life.
Twenty-first century Christians in the West have become more interested in carrying on an interfaith dialogue with followers of Islam. However they are often woefully ignorant of the fact that Christians and Muslims in the East have centuries of experience of doing exactly that.
April 4, 2020
"Now is the time for westerners to consider the lessons to be learned from the experience of the Christians who have lived in the world of Islam for centuries."
The final line of this book could easily have been the very first. Rating this book is difficult for me because while interesting it's also densely academic; (I kept dictionary.com open on my phone the whole time!) It's probably the preeminent book on it's subject, but it's a byzantine (pun intended) subject so be prepared.
It's interesting material and slots in very well with Arabs: A 3,000 Year History
The final line of this book could easily have been the very first. Rating this book is difficult for me because while interesting it's also densely academic; (I kept dictionary.com open on my phone the whole time!) It's probably the preeminent book on it's subject, but it's a byzantine (pun intended) subject so be prepared.
It's interesting material and slots in very well with Arabs: A 3,000 Year History
November 25, 2018
This book, by the amazing Sydney Griffith, is an eyeopener on a part of our mutual history, as Christians and Muslims in the East, that should be rediscovered and rediscussed today for the establishment of healthy and positive relationships between the Christian and Muslim communities in the East; and also for a healthy integration and relationship between the Christians in the West with new waves of migrant Muslims into Europe.
July 17, 2012
This book looks at Christians in the Islamic world from roughly the time of Muhammad until the Mongol invasions and the end of the Abassaid Caliphate in the 13th century. The book focuses on the Christians' writings, particularly how they sought to define themselves and their communities, how they defended their distinctive doctrines against Islamic polemics, and how they sought dialogue with Muslim philosophers and theologians.
The book is very well researched and erudite, and provides a good introduction to a fascinating topic. I wish the author had talked more about the overall history of Christian communities in the Islamic world during this period, rather than focusing exclusively on their writings. While this is interesting, it also unnecessarily narrowed the focus of the work.
The book is very well researched and erudite, and provides a good introduction to a fascinating topic. I wish the author had talked more about the overall history of Christian communities in the Islamic world during this period, rather than focusing exclusively on their writings. While this is interesting, it also unnecessarily narrowed the focus of the work.
October 10, 2022
This book is fine for what it is, but it is not what I was expecting.
I was expecting a book about Christians and Muslims interacted in the real world during the Islamic period, but the book itself focuses more on theology, literature, and rhetoric than on real-world relations.
For instance, there is an entire chapter about majlis, narratives where a famous monk convinces a caliph, king, or council of scholars about the truth of Christianity and wins debates using logic and revelation. As the author noted, however, while such debates did occur sometimes the writings themselves are a heavily literary invention. They were designed more for internal consumption among the Christian community than as an exact retelling of real-world debates.
There is also a chapter about the use of Arabic in Christian theology. Arabic theology first developed to speak to a vernacular audience increasingly unfamiliar with their heritage languages, and at times attracted the occasional Muslim reader. The author explores issues such as elite identity, translation issues, and theological shifts related to the increasing immersion in a Muslim Arab world.
For someone interested in the literary and discursive aspects of Christians in the early Muslim world, this may be a good book. For someone more concerned with the real-world sociology, I would recommend "Envisioning Islam: Syriac Christians and the Early Muslim World" by Michael Penn.
I was expecting a book about Christians and Muslims interacted in the real world during the Islamic period, but the book itself focuses more on theology, literature, and rhetoric than on real-world relations.
For instance, there is an entire chapter about majlis, narratives where a famous monk convinces a caliph, king, or council of scholars about the truth of Christianity and wins debates using logic and revelation. As the author noted, however, while such debates did occur sometimes the writings themselves are a heavily literary invention. They were designed more for internal consumption among the Christian community than as an exact retelling of real-world debates.
There is also a chapter about the use of Arabic in Christian theology. Arabic theology first developed to speak to a vernacular audience increasingly unfamiliar with their heritage languages, and at times attracted the occasional Muslim reader. The author explores issues such as elite identity, translation issues, and theological shifts related to the increasing immersion in a Muslim Arab world.
For someone interested in the literary and discursive aspects of Christians in the early Muslim world, this may be a good book. For someone more concerned with the real-world sociology, I would recommend "Envisioning Islam: Syriac Christians and the Early Muslim World" by Michael Penn.
March 17, 2025
In this fascinating study, Griffith outlines different aspects of the oft overlooked chapter of church history of Islamic power over Chalcedonian and non-Chalcedonian Christians. Griffith points out how vital the appropriation and utilization of Arabic was for Christian theology and apologetics in this context, which caused Christian thinkers to develop doctrinal affirmations in different and engaging ways. Furthermore, Griffith explains how important Christians were for major translation projects, including works of Aristotle that would eventually influence Christian thinkers in the West. Other interesting points include how Christians utilized the Quran for their apologetic purposes, how Islam influenced the development of Nestorian, Jacobite, and Melkite churches, and the realities of dhimmitude for both Christians and Jews under Islamic power. Sometimes Griffith can be a bit repetitive, but overall a quick and interesting read that illuminates a fascinating period of not just church history, but also the history of Judaism and Islam.
October 18, 2018
Excellent history of Christians living in Muslim controlled Middle Eastern territories from about the seventh century through the thirteenth. It offers valuable insight into the "cultural and intellectual life of such Christians indigenous to the Islamic world." You will learn in depth about how they assimilated, how and why Christians tended to either flowed into the Islamic faith or out of Islamic lands, the apologetics of those who lived amongst the Muslims at that time, the adoption of Arabic as a church language, and more. One thing I learned was that when you hear of all the advancements in philosophy and writing from the Muslim lands during this time period, that view tends to ignore all of the contributions of Christians who translated critical intellectual works into Arabic, wrote their own Arabic philosophies, worked alongside many of the Muslims they lived side-by-side with, making valuable contributions without attribution.
March 3, 2022
- Book Review: "The Church in the Shadow of the Mosque" by Sidney Griffith - 📚✡️✝️☪️
A book written by the brilliant scholar and historian Sidney Griffith, "The Church in the Shadow of the Mosque" explores the lives of Arabic-speaking Christians in the Middle East living under Muslim administration from the mid-seventh century onwards.
Though the subtitle of the book is very politely phrased as 'Christians and Muslims in the World of Islam', the recurring theme throughout the book is filled with stories of Muslim polemics and Christian apologetics; and on occasion vice-versa.
While the book is of great academic value and has been written for a general audience, Griffith's supremacy as an academic is weighed down by his languid creative writing skills; i.e. his books are overloaded with information as opposed to having been written thematically.
The reader cannot help but lament that a marriage between his research skills and the creative writing abilities of a Reza Aslan or a Lezley Hazleton would have produced a far more enjoyable reading experience.
As such, the book very rightly deserves a modest rating.
My rating: 3.5/5 stars ⭐⭐⭐🌙
A book written by the brilliant scholar and historian Sidney Griffith, "The Church in the Shadow of the Mosque" explores the lives of Arabic-speaking Christians in the Middle East living under Muslim administration from the mid-seventh century onwards.
Though the subtitle of the book is very politely phrased as 'Christians and Muslims in the World of Islam', the recurring theme throughout the book is filled with stories of Muslim polemics and Christian apologetics; and on occasion vice-versa.
While the book is of great academic value and has been written for a general audience, Griffith's supremacy as an academic is weighed down by his languid creative writing skills; i.e. his books are overloaded with information as opposed to having been written thematically.
The reader cannot help but lament that a marriage between his research skills and the creative writing abilities of a Reza Aslan or a Lezley Hazleton would have produced a far more enjoyable reading experience.
As such, the book very rightly deserves a modest rating.
My rating: 3.5/5 stars ⭐⭐⭐🌙
October 11, 2021
I suspect I would have gotten more out of this if I’d been able to actually read it. Instead, I found out that screen readers have a really hard time with transliterated Arabic. Nevertheless, this is a solid intro to the subject of Islamo-Christian relations in the Middle East. Especially fascinating is the effect language has on theology.
April 24, 2025
Simply a concise guide to the Christian communities who lived in the Early Islamic period. Primarily focusing the Islamic perspective of Christian’s, the Christian responses to Islam, the important figures throughout this period, and how Islam shaped these Christian communities identities.
December 14, 2025
Griffith knows the subject of Christian-Muslim relations well. This book helped me to understand Islamic Rule in the 7-8th centuries better than I ever have, and it revealed aspects of the crusades I didn't know about before. Niche book topic, but I learned a lot!
March 12, 2025
Thorough and informative, just not my cup of tea.
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May 18, 2025Very insightful. Demonstrates how much there is for the Church to learn from early Christian life under Islam. Particularly useful as we discern how to live under a similar end of Christen hegemony.
August 24, 2012
Griffith's excellent introduction to the world of those Christian Churches--namely, the Nestorian, Jacobite, and Melkite Churches--that grew into their mature form after the Arab invasions of the 7th century is an outstanding introduction to a topic that needs more attention. Moreover, it is the only introductory work of its kind in English, and so will of necessity be the starting point for anyone wishing to learn more about how Christians in the Arabic speaking world dealt with Islam. And contrary to what some reviewers have inexplicably written on here and other places, the book is very easy to read, and provides a very fine introduction to a fascinating topic. Highly recommended.
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March 8, 2016What, indeed, have Baghdad and Damascus to do with Rome? Griffith explores the impact of the rise of Islam on Christianity--Middle Eastern, Greek, and Latin alike. What were Christians' very first impressions of this new religion? How did Middle Eastern theologians respond to the challenge of conversion to Islam? This book takes us back to the days when over fifty percent of the world's Christian lived with the shadow of the crescent over their cross, letting us see how they coped, suffered, and thrived.
May 29, 2012
Good, easy-to-read summary of events and stages in the middle-eastern history of the Church. A good introduction for the non-professional, and a good reference book for the undergraduate due to the current references to primary sources.
A competent author, with the requisite academic background and roles.
A competent author, with the requisite academic background and roles.
April 3, 2013
Griffith is widely and rightly regarded today as the North American doyen of scholars on the early encounters between Islam and Christianity in Syria, and on the Syriac Christian tradition more generally. This is a deeply learned, cogently written book that avoids so much of the tiresome politics and tendentiousness one so often finds in books of this sort today. Highly recommended.
August 12, 2016
Forgotten, almost hidden pages of Christianity's history under the Muslim rule from the 6th century. An inquisitive mind will draw many lessons from an ancient dialogue of Islam and Christianity. This quick and informative read will be an enlightenment for both students of history and Christians working with Muslims.
Want to read
April 17, 2011fascinating topic written in a non-fascinating fashion.
November 28, 2014
A must read for anyone interested in Islamic history, theology, and Christian history and theology.
November 3, 2015
Good general overview of the church during the early years of Islam, and some of the conversations between Christianity and Islam.
November 19, 2015
Great look at the historical relationship between Christians and Muslims.
June 10, 2020
الحياة الثقافية والفكرية للمسيحيين في العالم الإسلامي
February 20, 2022
جيد
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 1, 2018
One word: Masterpiece!!
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews