Антииудейская полемика в «Собеседованиях» Илии, митрополита Нисивина, и везира Абу-л-Касима ал-Магриби

Государство, религия, церковь в России и за рубежом. 2018. Т. 36. № 2. С. 300–314.

Seleznyov N.

The present article examines the anti-Jewish polemics in a remarkable Christian Arabic treatise from the eleventh century, the heyday of Arabic culture: the Book of Sessions of Elias of Nisibis (975–1046), metropolitan of the Church of the East. In this treatise, Elias presents his discussions with his Muslim interlocutor, the vizier Abū l-Qāsim al-Maghribī (981–1027). The content of the disputations that took place between Elias and Abū l-Qāsim is transmitted in two substantially different versions: one of them is presented in the Book of Sessions, the other, in Elias’ Epistle to the vizier. The difference between the versions affects the anti-Jewish polemics: while being more personal in Elias’ Epistle to the vizier, it is actually reduced to the quotations from the Qur’ān and the Tafsīr of al-Ṭabarī in the Book of Sessions. The motives for the editorial changes are examined. Following the logic of the transformation of Elias’ Epistle into the Book of Sessions, the present author comes to the following conclusions. The role of Jews in the interreligious relations was one of the subjects of interest for the vizier. However, the removal of the sharpest anti-Jewish passages from the Epistle after the death of the vizier, lets one conclude that the anti-Jewish arguments were not important for his apologetic strategies beyond their connection with the personal interest in the subject of Abū l-Qāsim, but were rather used by Elias as a means to get closer to the vizier.

Keywords: христианский Восток, Christian orient, антииудейская полемика, исламо-христианское наследие, Muslim-Christian heritage, Elias of Nisibis, Book of Sessions, Kitāb al-majālis, Anti-Jewish polemics, Илия Нисивинский, Книга собеседований, Китаб ал-маджалис