• Inquiring of ‘Beelzebub’: Timothy and al-Jāḥiẓ on Christians in the ʿAbbāsid Legal System

    Author(s):
    Nathan Gibson (see profile) , Andrew Platt
    Date:
    2018
    Group(s):
    Early Medieval, Late Antiquity, World Christianity
    Subject(s):
    Islamic law, Canon law, Syriac literature, Arabic literature
    Item Type:
    Book chapter
    Tag(s):
    legal pluralism, Timothy I, al-Jāḥiẓ, dhimmī, 1 Corinthians 10:21, Legal traditions
    Permanent URL:
    http://dx.doi.org/10.17613/hp7d-dc90
    Abstract:
    This study juxtaposes the concerns of Catholicos Timothy I (r. 780–823), leader of the Church of the East, with those of al-Jāḥiẓ (about 776–868/9), a popular Muslim writer, regarding the dangers for each community when Christians appear as plaintiffs or defendants in Islamic courts. Timothy’s Canons attempt to obviate some of the reasons Christians might voluntarily appeal to Islamic courts rather than resolving disputes within the church, and Canon 12 in particular uses a biblical turn of language to condemn this practice. By contrast, cases involving a Muslim disputant had to be tried in Islamic courts, and al-Jāḥiẓ argues that judges who mete out sentences favorable to Christians in such cases jeopardize the rightful social order of Muslims in regard to ahl al-dhimma (protected people).
    Metadata:
    xml
    Published as:
    Book chapter     Show details
    Pub. DOI:
    10.1163/9789004383869_013
    Publisher:
    Brill
    Pub. Date:
    2018
    Book Title:
    Heirs of the Apostles: Studies on Arabic Christianity in Honor of Sidney H. Griffith
    Author/Editor:
    David Bertaina, Sandra Toenies Keating, Mark N. Swanson, Alexander Treiger
    Page Range:
    254 - 281
    ISBN:
    978-90-04-38386-9
    Status:
    Published
    Last Updated:
    4 years ago
    License:
    All Rights Reserved

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