Melkites, Mutakallimun and al-Ma’mun: Depicting the Religious Other in Medieval Arabic Dialogues

The article describes a literary dialogue said to have occurred in 829/214 between the Arab Melkite Christian bishop Theodore Abu Qurra, several Muslim scholars, and the caliph al-Ma’mun. The text contains two types of dialogue: Abu Qurra versus the Muslim scholars and Abu Qurra with al-Ma’mun. The former is distinguished by its antagonism on both sides, while the latter is noted for its polite discourse. The evidence indicates that the Muslim caliph al-Ma’mun held an admired place in the Melkite Christian community’s memory. The author’s analysis concludes that the dialogue presupposes Christian Arab identity was integrated into the dominant Islamic culture in a symbiotic relationship that recognized the reality of religious pluralism and disparate truth claims. The author also argues that the text placed value on the dialogical approach as a process of identity formation by constructing boundaries with religious others while simultaneously internalizing these other religious worldviews.