The Armenians in the Medieval Islamic World, Vol. 3) - Medieval Cosmopolitanism and Images of Islam. Thirteenth to Fourteenth Centuries

In the third volume of the trilogy, Seta B. Dadoyan focuses on social and cultural aspects, rather than the core political focus exhibited in her first two volumes. Her objective is to suggest political readings of these themes and related texts by revealing hitherto unstudied and novel interactions in the cities of Asia Minor during the Mongol Period. Dadoyan focuses on the Armenian condition and role in the medieval Islamic world. She argues that if the entire region was the habitat of most of the Armenians, their history too is part of these locations and peoples. Dadoyan draws the outlines of a new philosophy of Armenian history based on hitherto obscured patterns of interaction. The first three chapters of this volume are dedicated to the images of Prophet Muhammad in Armenian literature. Dadoyan shows that direct interactions and borrowings happened regularly from Islamic sciences, reform projects, poetry, and arts. Dadoyan argues that the cosmopolitan urban environments were radically different from rural areas and close interactions took different and unexpected patterns. In the last part of the volume, she presents the first and only polemical-apologetic Armenian texts addressed to Islam at the end of the fourteenth century. This book is essential for all historians and Middle East scholars and is the latest volume in Transaction’s Armenian Studies series. Cover 1 Half Title Page 2 Title Page 4 Copyright 5 Dedication Page 6 Contents 8 Contents of the Previous Two Volumes in This Series 14 Transliteration Tables 22 Prologue 24 General Introduction 30 Introduction to Volume One 36 Introduction to Volume Two 44 Introduction to Volume Three 50 Part One Paradigms of Medieval Cosmopolitanism: The Case of Erznka/Erzinjān—Sciences, Society, and Literature in the Thirteenth Century 56 1 The City of Erznka and the Ismā‘īlī Connection 58 I. Erzinjān/Erznka and Three Levels of Interaction 58 II. The City of Erznka and the Ismā‘īlī Channel 60 III. Ismā‘īlīs, Qarmātians, and the Rasā’il Ikhwān al-Safā’ or Epistles of the Brethren of Purity 63 IV. The Rasā‘il: Sources, Objectives, and Content 67 V. The Doctrine of Brotherhood and Organizational Matters 70 2 Secularization of Knowledge and Sciences: An Armenian Summary of Rasā’il Ikhwān al-Safā’ 76 I. Yovhannēs Erznkac‘i and Rasā’il Ikhwān al-Safā’ as Model for His I Tačkac‘ Imastasirac‘ Groc‘ K‘ałeal Bank‘ (Views from the Writings of Islamic Philosophers) 76 II. Comparative Study of the Views and the Rasā’il 79 A. Classification of the Sciences 80 B. Epistemology and Logic 82 C. Man’s Knowledge of Himself in Accordance with His Nature 83 D. Physical Sciences and Metaphysics 85 E. The Principle of Causality and Theory of Emanation 86 F. Cosmology, Astronomy, Astrology—The Analogy between the World and Man 89 III. The Philosophical Writings of Yovhannēs Erznkac‘i in Light of the Rasā’il 89 A. Philosophy and Classification of the Sciences 89 B. Concept of Man: Constitution and Status—The Soul and the Body 90 C. Man as Soul 91 D. The Body and the Relationship to the Soul 92 E. Theory of Knowledge 93 F. Theory of Morals 93 G. Social-Political Philosophy 94 H. Cosmology and Astronomy 94 3 Project for the Spiritualization and Control of Urban Society: ‘Abbāsid Caliph al-Nāsir’s Futuwwa Project as Model for the Constitution of the Brotherhood of Erznka 98 I. Caliph al-Nāsir’s Futuwwa Project and the Constitution of the Brotherhood of Erznka 98 II. The Fatā, Manuk, Jawanmard, Aqqī/Akhī, and Urban Motifs of Manliness 100 A. The Ahdāth and Fityān in the Near Eastern Cities 102 B. The Armenian Manuks and Manktawags 103 III. Caliph al-Nāsir’s Futuwwa Reform: Ideology, Strategy, and Diffusion in Asia Minor 107 A. Al-Nāsir’s Decree 108 IV. The Nāsirī Futuwwa and Akhism in Seljuk Asia Minor 110 V. The Nāsirī Model and the Constitution for the Brotherhood of Erznka 113 VI. The Constitution Part One: “Definitions and Canons” (Sahman ew Kanonk‘) and Kitāb al-Futuwwa 115 VII. Additional Canons (Krkin Kanonk‘) Addressed to Manuks and Manktawags 119 VIII. The Nāşirī Program and Constitutions in the East European Armenian Communities—Fourteenth–Nineteenth Centuries 128 4 Urbanization of Culture—The Cultural Significance of the Fityān and Manuks 140 I. The Contrast: The Reform Projects and the Realities of Urban Society and Its Culture 140 II. The Medieval Urban Artworld 141 III. The Urban Coalitions and the Sects: Marginal Communities and Perspectives 145 IV. Kostandin Erznkac‘i: Two Worlds and Two Natures in Man 148 A. The Concept of Love and Christ: Synthesis of Kostandin and the Controversy 153 V. Yovhannēs and Yakob Manktawag: A Dantean Dialogue 155 VI. The Later Kostandin 157 Part Two The Prophet and Islam in Armenian Literature—Seventh to Fourteenth Centuries: Armenian Conceptualization of Islam through Polemics—Apologetics 162 1 Life and Teachings of Prophet Muhammad 164 I. Early Life of the Prophet—The Migration (al-Hijrah) and the Medīnan Period 164 A. The Migration or al-Hijrah—Muhammad at Medīnah 166 II. The Constitution of Medīnah 167 III. The Last Years at Medīnah 627/5H–632/11H 169 IV. The Message of Islam 170 V. Formation of the Early Islamic Community or the Ummah 172 2 Islam and the Tradition of Arab-Christian Apologetic/Polemical Literature 174 I. Islam and Muslim Apologetic/Polemical Literature 174 II. Christian Apologetic/Polemical Traditions East and West—Seventh–Fourteenth Centuries 178 A. Circumstances and Contexts 178 B. Christian Apologists/Polemicists: Yuhannā or John of Damascus (d. before 754) 181 C. Theodore Abū Qurrah (d. 820), Nonnus of Nisibis—The Genre of Letters and Epistles 186 III. Western-Crusader Perspectives—Eleventh–Thirteenth Centuries 187 3 The Armenian Mahmet/Muhammad 192 I. The Cycle of Mahmet Legends 192 II. The Armenian Mahmet and His Teachings 195 III. Some “Problematiques” of the Armenian Mahmet 211 4 Grigor and Matt‘ēos: Texts and Polemical Strategies 216 I. Three Polemical Texts in 1390s by Grigor Tat‘ewac‘i and Matt‘ēos Ĵułayec‘i 216 II. The Role of Late Medieval Monastic Schools in Eastern Armenia 219 III. Mongol Times in Siwnik‘ and Polemical Strategies 220 IV. Grigor, Matt‘ēos and Their Work 222 A. Heresy in the Triangle of Reason, Social Norms, and Religion—The Ner or Antichrist 224 B. Matt‘ēos Ĵułayec‘i—Life and Work 226 V. The Texts and Polemical Strategies 226 A. Various Responses to the Questions of the Infidels by Matt‘ēos—The “Seven Questions” 227 B. Grigor, Ěnddēm Tajkac‘(Against the Tajiks) and the Sixteen Fallacies or “Molorut‘iwns” 234 Summary: The Arguments in Volume One 252 Summary: The Arguments in Volume Two 260 Summary: The Arguments in Volume Three 272 Bibliography 278 Index 304 In This First Of A Massive Three-volume Work, Seta B. Dadoyan Studies The Armenian Experience In The Medieval Islamic World And Takes The Reader Through Hitherto Undiscovered Paradigmatic Cases Of Interaction With Other Populations In The Region. Being An Armenian, Dadoyan Argues, Means Having An Ethnic Ancestry Laden With Narratives Drawn From The Vast Historic Armenian Habitat. Contradictory Trends Went Into The Making Of Armenian History, Yet Most Narratives Fail To Reflect This Rich Texture. Linking Armenian-islamic History Is One Way Of Dealing With The Problem. Dadoyan's Concern Is Also To Outline Revolutionary Elements In The Making Of Armenian Ideologies And Politics. This Extensive Work Captures The Multidimensional Nature Of The Armenian Experience In The Medieval Islamic World. The Author Holds That Every Piece Of Literature, Including Historical Writing, Is An Artifact. It Is A Composition Of Many Elements Arranged In Certain Forms: Order, Sequence, Proportion, Detail, Intensity, Etc. The Author Has Composed And Arranged The Larger Subjects And Their Sub-themes In Such A Way As To Create An Open, Dynamic Continuity To Armenian History That Is Intellectually Intriguing, Aesthetically Appealing, And Close To Lived Experiences. V. 1. The Arab Period In Armīnyah : Seventh To Eleventh Centuries -- V. 2. Armenian Realpolitik In The Islamic World And Diverging Paradigms : Case Of Cilicia, Eleventh To Fourteenth Centuries -- V. 3. Medieval Cosmopolitanism And Images Of Islam, : Thirteenth To Fourteenth Centuries. Seta B. Dadoyan. Includes Bibliographical References And Indexes. In the second of a three-volume work, Seta B. Dadoyan explores the Armenian condition from the 970s to the end of the fourteenth century. This period marked the gradual loss of semi-autonomy on the traditional mainland and the rise of Armenian power of diverging patterns in southeastern Asia Minor, north Syria, Cilicia, and Egypt