The Orient in Spain: Converted Muslims, the Forged Lead Books of Granada, and the Rise of Orientalism (Numen Book: Studies in the History of Religions, 142)

Taking as its main subject a series of notorious forgeries by Muslim converts in sixteenth-century Granada (including an apocryphal gospel in Arabic), this book studies the emotional, cultural and religious world view of the Morisco minority and the complexity of its identity, caught between the wish to respect Arabic cultural traditions, and the pressures of evangelization and efforts at integration into “Old Christian” society. Orientalist scholarship in Early Modern Spain, in which an interest in Oriental languages, mainly Arabic, was linked to important historiographical questions, such as the uses and value of Arabic sources and the problem of the integration of al-Andalus within a providentialist history of Spain, is also addressed. The authors consider these issues not only from a local point of view, but from a wider perspective, in an attempt to understand how these matters related to more general European intellectual and religious developments. Contents Abbreviations Note to the English Translation Introduction Chapter One The Sacromonte Lead Books: The Events The Turpiana Tower Parchment Archbishop Don Pedro de Castro The Lead Books The Reception of the Finds The Evaluation Process Polemics and Resistance The Lead Books Leave Granada The Lead Books in Rome The Defensorios Chapter Two Granada Conquered: Castilianization and Conversion Granada Conquered Language and Evangelization The Eradication of Arabic The Defense of Arabic and its Persistence in Granada Reformers and Alumbrados Granada and its Moriscos around 1580 Chapter Three The Noble Families Old Christians of Moorish Origin Conversion Integration Muley Fez and Granada Venegas The Happy Former Days of Our Glory The Origen de la Casa de Granada The Granada Venegas Literary Tertulia Chapter Four Alonso del Castillo: Translator, Author? Alonso del Castillo and other Translators of the Parchment The Chapiz Family Physician Translator The War The Prophecies Chapter Five Alonso del Castillo’s Friends: Priests, Soldiers, Interpreters Priests Diego Marín Francisco López Tamarid Diego Marín in Morocco Diego Marín’s Diplomatic Career Chapter Six Diego Bejarano Al-ḥajarī and the Morisco Understanding of the Lead Books Diego Bejarano or Aḥmad B. Qāsim al-Ḥajarī Al-Ḥajarī and the Parchment and Lead Books How the Moriscos Read the Lead Books Chapter Seven Miguel de Luna: Historian, Novelist, Physician The Historia Verdadera Del Rey Don Rodrigo Physician: The Tratado De Los Baños (Treatise on Baths) Chapter Eight Miguel de Luna: Translator, Apologist, Author The Parchment Miguel de Luna, Pedro Guerra de Lorca, and Benito Arias Montano The Lead Books Translated The Solomonic Letters Friendship with Joan de Faría Miguel de Luna and the Moriscos of Toledo: “There is No Better Moor in Spain Chapter Nine Jerónimo Román de la Higuera: The False Chronicles and the Sacromonte Lead Books Annius of Viterbo and Spain Jerónimo Román de la Higuera and the False Chronicles Saint James Toledo and the Cult of San Tirso Román de la Higuera and Alonso del Castillo Román de la Higuera and Pedro de Castro Román de la Higuera, Miguel de Luna, and the Tower of Hercules The True Cross of Caravaca The Influence of Higuera: Jews and Phoenicians Chapter Ten Diego de Urrea Diego de Urrea between Italy and North Africa Urrea in Spain Diego de Urrea and the Lead Books Urrea the Historian Diplomatic Missions Diego de Urrea in Naples Francisco de Gurmendi Chapter Eleven Marcos Dobelio The Sacromonte Seeks Arabic Translators An Arabist in Italy and Spain Marcos Dobelio and the Arabic Manuscripts of El Escorial Marcos Dobelio’s Arabic Books A Partial Translation of Abū l-Fidā’s History A Translation of a Medical Work and a Grammar Dobelio’s Papers Chapter Twelve Marcos Dobelio and the Books from Pastrana: The Islamic Content of the Lead Books Writing and Necromancy Pastrana The Pastrana Books Genealogies, Religious Polemic, and Stories of the Prophets Al-Bakrī’s Kitāb al-Anwār Islamic Texts for a Morisco Audience Muhammad Alguazir or Diego Alguacil Chapter Thirteen Is The Arabic of the Lead Books the Language of Islam? The Laminae Granatenses and the Vatican Experts Arabic in Rome Mohammedan Terms Chapter Fourteen Father Tomás de León and the Marquis of Mondéjar: A Learned Correspondence Gaspar Ibáñez de Segovia, Marquis of Agrópoli and of Mondéjar Father Tomás de León Works by Tomás de León Father Tirso González de Santalla Tomás de León and the Sacromonte Abbey Tomás de León, Orientalist Networks of Arabists Martín Vázquez Siruela A Circle of Orientalists? Chapter Fifteen The Arabic Language and Orientalism in Spain Learning Arabic: The Problem of Texts Learning Arabic: The New Materials Orientalist Books in Spain Chapter Sixteen Al-Andalus in the History of Spain Al-Andalus: Part of the History of Spain? Diego Pérez de Mesa Arabic Sources for Writing the History of Spain: Luis del Mármol Diego de Guadix The Relics of al-Andalus Continuities and Ruptures Problems of Interpretation Chapter Seventeen The Arabic Language as a Tool for Scholarship In Defense of Oriental Languages Arabic Script Manuscripts and Translations Chapter Eighteen The Orient in Spain Problems of Chronology: The Hijra The Orient in Spain: Judaism The Orient in Spain: Egypt Egyptian Chronology “The Perverse Domestic Enemies of the Church” Epilogue Sources and Bibliography Illustrations Index of Persons Index of Places The Sacromonte Lead Books : The Events Granada Conquered : Castilianization and Conversion The Noble Families Alonso del Castillo : Translator, Author? Alonso del Castillo's Friends : Priests, Soldiers, Interpreters Diego Bejarano Al-Ajar and the Morisco Understanding of the Lead Books Miguel de Luna : Historian, Novelist, Physician Miguel de Luna : Translator, Apologist, Author Jeronimo Roman de la Higuera : The False Chronicles and the Sacromonte Lead Books Diego de Urrea Marcos Dobelio Marcos Dobelio and the Books from Pastrana : The Islamic Content of the Lead Books Is The Arabic of the Lead Books the Language of Islam? Father Tomas de Leon and the Marquis of Mondejar : A Learned Correspondence The Arabic Language and Orientalism in Spain Al-Andalus in the History of Spain The Arabic Language as a Tool for Scholarship The Orient in Spain Epilogue. The Spanish Orient offers a study of the Morisco minority in Early Modern Granada through the affair of the forged Arabic gospels found in the city at the end of 16th century. It connects the findings of this gospel with the origins of Orientalism.