Christian Monastic Life in Early Islam - (Edinburgh Studies in Classical Islamic History and Culture) by Bradley Bowman (Paperback)

About the Book

During the rise of Islam, Muslim fascination with Christian monastic life was articulated through a fluid, piety-centred movement. Bradley Bowman explores this confessional synthesis between like-minded religious groups in the medieval Near East.

Book Synopsis

During the rise of Islam, Muslim fascination with Christian monastic life was articulated through a fluid, piety-centred movement. Bradley Bowman explores this confessional synthesis between like-minded religious groups in the medieval Near East. He argues that this potential ecumenism would have been based upon the sharing of core tenets concerning piety and righteous behaviour. Such fundamental attributes, long associated with monasticism in the East, likely served as a mutually inclusive common ground for Muslim and Christian communities of the period. This manifested itself in Muslim appreciation, interest and - at times - participation in Christian monastic life.

From the Back Cover

Explores the relationship between monastic communities and Muslim society in the early centuries of Islam During the rise of Islam, Muslim fascination with Christian monastic life was articulated through a fluid, piety-centred movement. Bradley Bowman explores this confessional synthesis between like-minded religious groups in the medieval Near East. He argues that this potential ecumenism would have been based upon the sharing of core tenets concerning piety and righteous behaviour. Such fundamental attributes, long associated with monasticism in the East, likely served as a mutually inclusive common ground for Muslim and Christian communities of the period. This manifested itself in Muslim appreciation, interest and - at times - participation in Christian monastic life. Key Features  Provides a survey of Christian monastic life under Muslim political hegemony  Explores the reasons behind Muslim latitude towards, and support of, Christian monasteries  Draws on a variety of medieval Syriac, Greek and Arabic texts as well as modern scholarship  Shows how core spiritual values, embodied in the monastic tradition, helped to facilitate an ecumenical environment in the early Islamic centuries Bradley Bowman is Assistant Professor of History/Middle East and Islamic Studies at the University of Louisville.

Review Quotes

[...] Christian Monastic Life in Early Islam is coherent, accessible, engaging, and an important contribution to the history of Muslim-Christian relations.

--Moa Airijoki "Journal of Medieval Religious Cultures"

[....] Christian Monastic Life in Early Islam is a very valuable book, one that is, importantly, accessible to nonexperts.

--Tim Vivian "The American Benedictine Review"

Bowman's work is thought provoking besides being of great value and interest; it will be extremely useful to those seeking insights into the complexity of monasticism, early Islam, and interconfessional contacts, interaction, religious affiliation, and political allegiance between Muslims and Christians in Late Antiquity and beyond.

--Basema Hamarneh, University of Vienna "Church History Journal"

His exploration is an accessible one and the book is a helpful elucidation of the ways in which monastic communities contributed to and received support from Muslim societies. [...] Christian Monastic Life in Early Islam is a very useful contribution to the growing body of literature devoted to the development of Islam and early Muslim communities.

--Charles Tieszen, Fuller Theological Seminary "Christian-Muslim Relations, 33:2"

[...] his portrayal of the manifold interactions of Christian monks and monasteries with Muslims on an official as well as private level is vivid and suggestive, and could serve as an introduction to this rich field for research into a more comprehensive history of the medieval Middle East.--Monk Evgenios Iverites "Journal of Early Christian Studies, Volume 30, Number 2"

[...] Christian Monastic Life in Early Islam is coherent, accessible, engaging, and an important contribution to the history of Muslim-Christian relations.--Moa Airijoki "Journal of Medieval Religious Cultures"

About the Author

Assistant Professor of History at the University of Louisville. He has published an article in the Harvard Theological Review and has two further articles under review with the Journal of Medieval Encounters and Christian-Muslim Relations.