From 'Oriens Christianus' to Islamic Near East

The volume offers a new contribution to the study of the Near East and Eastern Mediterranean during Late Antiquity, the Early Islamic and Medieval periods. Originating from a two-day workshop held at the Chair of Byzantine Studies at Freie Universität Berlin (Dec. 7th8th, 2017), it approaches Christian-Muslim coexistence between the fourth and tenth centuries CE through an interdisciplinary lens. The objective is to present a unified and holistic approach to Late Antique and Early Islamic Studies (LAESSI), revealing the interactions that shaped the transformation from Oriens Christianus to Islamic Near East (OCINE).
The edited volume gathers an international, interdisciplinary group of scholars to explore and better understand the Near Eastern milieu in Late Antiquity and the Early Islamic period. Divided into three sections, Historiographical Cross-Pollination, Theological Cross-Pollination, and Cultural Cross-Pollination, the chapters examine the coexistence of Christian and Muslim cultural spheres in an intellectual space of complex interactions and exchanges. Discussions include a variety of perspectives on geography, historiography, philosophy, theology, imperial eschatology, and perceptions of the 'other', as well as monasticism, ecclesiastical structures, and the influence of art, epigraphy, and music in Christian-Muslim encounters.
Through this framework, the volume aims to uncover the ways these cross-pollinations impacted the development of diverse regions, cultures, languages, and religious traditions.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

MANOLIS ULBRICHT, JENS SCHEINER
Introduction 11

HISTORIOGRAPHICAL CROSS-POLLINATION

EVANGELOS CHRYSOS Arabia minor, Arabia magna in Theophanes: A Short Reflection on the Late Antique World-View 19

REINHOLD F. GLEI
The Sophistication of Arguments in Theodore Ab Qurra's Dialogues with Muslims 31

YULIA FURMAN
The End of Muwiya's Reign and That of the Whole World, or Why Write a Universal History Before the End of Times 41

JONATHAN STUTZ
Christian Rome in Syriac and Arabic Historiography 55

ALFONS H. TEIPEN
Changing Perceptions of Jews, Christian Rulers, and Arabs in Early Sra-Maghz Literature 73

THEOLOGICAL CROSS-POLLINATION

ADRIANO DUQUE
Columba's Death as a Mirror for Monastic Ideals in 9th Century Córdoba 91

NESTOR KAVVADAS
'Jerusalem Connection' A Communication Network Between Early Islamic Palestine, Constantinople, and Italy 111

CULTURAL CROSS-POLLINATION

MARCUS MILWRIGHT
The Shock of the New? Qurnic Content in the Inscriptions of the First Islamic Century 127

SERAFIM SEPPÄLÄ
A Symbol in Tension: The Cross in the Earliest Christian-Muslim Encounter 151

MANOLIS ULBRICHT
Cultural Heritage in Religious Musical Traditions of the Eastern Mediterranean: A Study of the Byzantine Second Mode (. ) and Its Relation with the Maqm huzm 167

Index 201

List of Contributors 211