Muslim-Christian Relations and Inter-Christian Rivalries in the Middle East

The Case of the Jacobites in an Age of Transition

By John Joseph

Subjects: Religion
Paperback : 9780873956017, 240 pages, June 1984
Hardcover : 9780873956000, 240 pages, June 1984

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Table of contents

Map of Middle East

Preface

Acknowledgments

1. The Background

2. Among Arabs, Turks, and Kurds

3. Catholics, Consuls, and Conversion

4. Protestants, Piety, and Politics

5. Russia, Rebellion, and Refuge

6. Syrians, Lebanese, and Iraqis

7. The Foreground and Conclusion

Appendixes

Notes

List of Abbreviations

Bibliography

Index

Description

This study focuses on the Jacobites (Syrian Orthodox Christians), who, like their Aramaean ancestors, established a presence far beyond their ancestral lands. Professor John Joseph has found this historic Christian community to be an admirable case study in inter-communal relations in the Middle East. Of special interest is the discussion of how Western religious rivalries, Catholic and Protestant, have affected the religious tensions in the Middle East. Through Joseph's first-hand acquaintance with the region and mastery of previously unmined sources, he displays an intimate and thorough knowledge of his subject. Written with color, clarity, and extreme care, the book offers an objective recounting of a story that is at times full of passion and violence.

John Joseph, a native of Iraq with degrees from Princeton University, is Audenried Professor of History and Archaeology at Franklin and Marshall College.