Making of the Medieval Middle East: Religion, Society, and Simple Believers

A new religious history of the late antique and medieval Middle East that places ordinary Christians at the center of the story, arguing that they were often invisible in our understanding of the region's history. It draws on a wealth of Greek, Syriac, and Arabic sources to recast these conquered lands as largely Christian ones whose growing Muslim populations were converting away from and in competition with the non-Muslim communities around them.

Format: Hardback
Length: 664 pages
Publication date: 04 December 2018
Publisher: Princeton University Press

In the latter half of the first millennium CE, the Christian Middle East experienced a significant rupture, leading to the formation of numerous competing churches. Simultaneously, the Arabs conquered the region, initiating a process that ultimately resulted in the conversion of the Middle East to Islam. Jack Tannous contends that understanding these profound religious transformations requires a focus on ordinary religious believers, often referred to as "the simple" in late antique and medieval sources. These Christians, primarily agrarian and illiterate, significantly outnumbered Muslims throughout the era of the Crusades. However, their presence in the history of the Middle East has often been overlooked.

The division of Christian communities over theological disputes that were often beyond the comprehension of the general population posed a significant challenge. How does our understanding of the rise of Islam alter when we acknowledge that Muslims remained a demographic minority for a considerable portion of the Middle Ages? Tannous offers a comprehensive reinterpretation of the religious history of the medieval Middle East in response to these questions. Drawing upon a diverse range of Greek, Syriac, and Arabic sources, he presents a compelling argument that the conquered lands were predominantly Christian, with growing Muslim populations primarily engaged in converting away from and competing with the non-Muslim communities in their vicinity.

This provocative book challenges prevailing narratives and offers a fresh perspective on the history of the Middle East. By highlighting the role of ordinary religious believers and reevaluating the historical context, Tannous sheds light on the complex dynamics that shaped the region's religious landscape. His work contributes to a deeper understanding of the historical processes that led to the emergence of Islam and the transformation of the Christian Middle East.

Weight: 1052g
Dimension: 168 x 245 x 44 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780691179094