Mirage of the Saracen
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A01=Walter D. Ward
ancient african history
ancient history
ancient world
Author_Walter D. Ward
bible
biblical narratives
biblical study
Category=NHC
Category=NHG
christian monks
christian settlements
christianity
christians
classical
comparative religion
defense of pilgrimage
early seventh century
egyptian history
eq_bestseller
eq_history
eq_isMigrated=1
eq_isMigrated=2
eq_nobargain
eq_non-fiction
indigenous nomadic population
islam
late antiquity
martyrdom
monasticism
muslim
nomads
religious history
religious studies
saracens
sinai peninsula
spiritual benefits of asceticism
transformation of the classical heritage series
Product details
- ISBN 9780520283770
- Weight: 454g
- Dimensions: 152 x 229mm
- Publication Date: 17 Dec 2014
- Publisher: University of California Press
- Publication City/Country: US
- Product Form: Hardback
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Mirage of the Saracen analyzes the growth of monasticism and Christian settlements in the Sinai Peninsula through the early seventh century C.E. Walter D. Ward examines the ways in which Christian monks justified occupying the Sinai through creating associations between Biblical narratives and Sinai sites while assigning uncivilized, negative, and oppositional traits to the indigenous nomadic population, whom the Christians pejoratively called Saracens. By writing edifying tales of hostile nomads and the ensuing martyrdom of the monks, Christians not only reinforced their claims to the spiritual benefits of asceticism but also provoked the Roman authorities to enhance defense of pilgrimage routes to the Sinai. When Muslim armies later began conquering the Middle East, Christians also labeled these new conquerors as Saracens, connecting Muslims to these pre-Islamic representations. This timely and relevant work builds a historical account of interreligious encounters in the ancient world, showing the Sinai as a crucible for forging long-lasting images of both Christians and Muslims, some of which endure today.
Walter D. Ward is Assistant Professor of History at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
