East Syrian Polemic against Jews and Judaism during the Early Islamic Period: Two Unpublished Testimonies

Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenlandischen Gesellschaft. 2024. Vol. 174. No. 1. P. 97–115.

Minov S.

The article presents the first edition, translation, and discussion of the surviving fragments of a Syriac anti-Jewish polemic from previously unknown compositions by two East Syrian authors: catholicos Ḥenanīšōʿ (ca. 7th or 8th century) and an anonymous writer from the 9th century. In these excerpts, both polemicists defend Christian doctrine by appealing to a supersessionist theology. The newly published fragments offer valuable insights into an emerging repertoire of anti-Jewish polemical arguments among Syriac Christians during the early Islamic period.

Keywords: сирийское христианство, антииудейская полемика, Syriac christianity, Anti-Jewish polemics

Publication based on the results of: From Antiquity to Modernity: epistemology and conceptualization of the development of the material and spiritual cultures of the East (2024)