Armenian Artefacts on the Silk Road

This exciting book brings together my two favourite Oriental Orthodox churches, the Ethiopian and Armenian in a fascinating survey of cross-cultural economic exchanges down a celebrated route: the Silk Road, especially in its western stretches: Christiane Esche-Ramshorn, East-West Artistic Transfer through Rome, Armenia and the Silk Road: Sharing St. Peter's (Routledge, 2021), 224pp. The publisher provides the following blurb, giving us additional details: 

This book examines the arts and artistic exchanges at the ‘Christian Oriental’ fringes of Europe, especially Armenia.

It starts with the architecture, history and inhabitants of the lesser known pilgrim compounds at the Vatican in the Middle Ages and Renaissance, of Hungary, Germany, but namely those of the most ancient of Churches, the Churches of the Christian Orient Ethiopia and Armenia. Without taking an Eurocentric view, this book explores the role of missionaries, merchants, artists (for example Momik, Giotto, Minas, Domenico Veneziano, Duerer), and artefacts (such as fabrics, inscriptions and symbols) travelling into both directions along the western stretch of the Silk Road between Ayas (Cilicia), ancient Armenia and North-western Iran. This area was truly global before globalization, was a site of intense cultural exchanges and East-West cultural transmissions. This book opens a new research window into the culturally mixed landscapes in the Christian Orient, the Middle East and North-eastern Africa by taking into consideration their many indigenous and foreign artistic components and embeds Armenian arts into today’s wider art historical discourse.

This book will be of interest to scholars in art history, architectural history, missions, trade, Middle Eastern arts and the arts of the Southern Caucasus.

Christians in Late Antique Iran

The University of California Press has just put into my hands the latest publication in their "Transformation of the Classical Heritage" series under Peter Brown's general editorship. This is the same series that recently published a book on Syriac Christianity noted earlier this year here.

The latest offering, sure to be of interest in all students of Muslim relations with Eastern Christians, is Richard E. Payne, A State of Mixture: Christians, Zoroastrians, and Iranian Political Culture in Late Antiquity (U California Press, 2015), 

About this book we are told:

Christian communities flourished during late antiquity in a Zoroastrian political system, known as the Iranian Empire, that integrated culturally and geographically disparate territories from Arabia to Afghanistan into its institutions and networks. Whereas previous studies have regarded Christians as marginal, insular, and often persecuted participants in this empire, Richard Payne demonstrates their integration into elite networks, adoption of Iranian political practices and imaginaries, and participation in imperial institutions.

 The rise of Christianity in Iran depended on the Zoroastrian theory and practice of hierarchical, differentiated inclusion, according to which Christians, Jews, and others occupied legitimate places in Iranian political culture in positions subordinate to the imperial religion. Christians, for their part, positioned themselves in a political culture not of their own making, with recourse to their own ideological and institutional resources, ranging from the writing of saints’ lives to the judicial arbitration of bishops. In placing the social history of East Syrian Christians at the center of the Iranian imperial story, A State of Mixture helps explain the endurance of a culturally diverse empire across four centuries.

Christians in the Iranian Empire

With Iran a political obsession for the United States since at least 1979 (and of course back into the 1950s), an obsession renewed lately with the "nuclear deal," it is timely to remind people that there are plenty of non-Muslim Persians and Iranians just as there are--as I remarked here, inter alia--plenty of Arab Christians and other non-Muslims in the Middle East. A new collection shows us the diverse mixture of religious groups in late antique Iran: Richard E. Payne, A State of Mixture: Christians, Zoroastrians, and Iranian Political Culture in Late Antiquity (University of California Press, 2015), 320pp.

About this book the publisher tells us:

Christian communities flourished during late antiquity in a Zoroastrian political system, known as the Iranian Empire, that integrated culturally and geographically disparate territories from Arabia to Afghanistan into its institutions and networks. Whereas previous studies have regarded Christians as marginal, insular, and often persecuted participants in this empire, Richard Payne demonstrates their integration into elite networks, adoption of Iranian political practices and imaginaries, and participation in imperial institutions.

The rise of Christianity in Iran depended on the Zoroastrian theory and practice of hierarchical, differentiated inclusion, according to which Christians, Jews, and others occupied legitimate places in Iranian political culture in positions subordinate to the imperial religion. Christians, for their part, positioned themselves in a political culture not of their own making, with recourse to their own ideological and institutional resources, ranging from the writing of saints’ lives to the judicial arbitration of bishops. In placing the social history of East Syrian Christians at the center of the Iranian imperial story, A State of Mixture helps explain the endurance of a culturally diverse empire across four centuries.

 

Religions of Iran

One of the interesting aspects of the study of Eastern Christianity is that the further East you go, the more you encounter people who regard Eastern, i.e., Byzantine, Christians as "Western" in geographically relative terms if nothing else. If one travels down the Silk Road, one encounters Assyrian, Persian, and other "far" Eastern Christians who are quite often even more obscure, at least in contemporary scholarship, than Byzantine and Syriac Christians are. Still, we are seeing this change, and a recent book by an author whom I previously discussed on here, may well help: Richard Foltz, Religions of Iran: From Prehistory to the Present (One World, 2013), 368pp.

About this book we are told:

Although today associated exclusively with Islam, Iran has in fact played an unparalleled role within all the world religions, injecting Iranian ideas into the Jewish, Buddhist, Christian, and Manichaean traditions of the merchants who passed along the Silk Road. This vivid and surprising work explores the manner in which Persian culture has interacted with and transformed each world faith, from the migration of the Israelites to Iran thousands of years ago to the influence of Iranian notions on Mahayana Buddhism and Christianity. Foltz considers Iran’s role in shaping the Muslim world, not only in the Middle East but also in South Asia in an evocative and informative journey through the spiritual heritage of an ancient and influential region.

The Religions of Iran

Iran continues to be in the headlines, often simplistically portrayed as a monolithic Muslim theocracy bent on evil designs--a view helpfully challenged in this fascinating article.

What typical headlines about Iran ignore, of course, is its complex history and religious culture. Set for release later this fall is a new study of what remains one of the most fascinating if hidden countries in the Middle East, whose complex religious history, especially that of Assyrian and other Eastern Christians, is not well known: Richard Foltz,   Religions of Iran: From Prehistory to the Present (OneWorld Publications, 2013), 368pp. 

About this book we are told:

Although today associated exclusively with Islam, Iran has in fact played an unparalleled role within all the world religions, injecting Iranian ideas into the Jewish, Buddhist, Christian, and Manichaean traditions of the merchants who passed along the Silk Road. This vivid and surprising work explores the manner in which Persian culture has interacted with and transformed each world faith, from the migration of the Israelites to Iran thousands of years ago to the influence of Iranian notions on Mahayana Buddhism and Christianity. Foltz considers Iran's role in shaping the Muslim world, not only in the Middle East but also in South Asia in an evocative and informative journey through the spiritual heritage of an ancient and influential region.

Although today associated exclusively with Islam, Iran has in fact played an unparalleled role within all the world religions, injecting Iranian ideas into the Jewish, Buddhist, Christian, and Manichaean traditions of the merchants who passed along the Silk Road. This vivid and surprising work explores the manner in which Persian culture has interacted with and transformed each world faith, from the migration of the Israelites to Iran thousands of years ago to the influence of Iranian notions on Mahayana Buddhism and Christianity. Foltz considers Iran's role in shaping the Muslim world, not only in the Middle East but also in South Asia in an evocative and informative journey through the spiritual heritage of an ancient and influential region.

Christianity in Iran

Iran is of course regularly in the headlines over the question of its nuclear capacity and what threat if any that poses to others. Iran, since at least 1979, has often been portrayed as an exclusively Muslim country, but there is a long presence of Eastern Christians there, as a book published in 2009 in hardback and more recently in paperback suggests: Mark Bradley, Iran and Christianity: Historical Identity and Present Relevance (Continuum, 2011), 210pp.

About this book we are told:

In this enlightening study Mark Bradley looks at the growing underground church in Iran. Given the hostility of the regime, it is often assumed that Christianity is withering in Iran, but in fact more Iranian Muslims have become Christians in the last 25 years than since the seventh century, when Islam first came to Iran. Beginning with an in-depth look at the historical identity of Iran, religiously, culturally and politically, Bradley shows how this identity makes Iranians inclined towards Christianity. He goes on to look at the impact of the 1979 revolution, an event which has brought war, economic chaos and totalitarianism to Iran, and its implications for Iranian faith. The study concludes with an analysis of church growth since 1979 and an examination of the emerging underground church. 
This is a fascinating work, guaranteed to improve any reader's knowledge of not only Iranian faith and church growth, but of Iranian culture and history as a whole thanks to the thorough treatment given to the country's background.

Violence as Worship

As I have noted before, in discussing the important work of William Cavanaugh, the whole question, in the modern period, of what constitutes "religion," especially vis-à-vis the modern nation-state, is far more difficult and complicated than many realize. Along comes a recent work of interest to Eastern Christians because of the countries it examines in analyzing the categories of "religion," worship, violence, etc.: Hans Kippenberg, Violence as Worship: Religious Wars in the Age of Globalization (Stamford University Press, 2011), 296pp.
About this book the publisher tells us:

Today's religious violence challenges our understanding of religion. Do we need special notions such as 'cult' and 'fundamentalism' to come to terms with it? Does monotheism, with its claim to exclusivity, necessarily generate intolerance? Kippenberg rejects the idea that violence and religion are inherently connected and instead considers the actions, motives, and self-perceptions of real people. He shows that the violent outcomes of the American tragedies of Jonestown and Waco were not inevitable. In both cases, law enforcement, the media, and anti-cult networks believing in the necessity of liberation by force stood in opposition to communities who chose to idealize martyrdom. The same pattern applies to other major cases of religious violence since the 1970s: the Iranian revolution; the birth of Hezbollah in Lebanon; the conflict between Jews, Muslims, and American Protestants that grew out of disputes between Israel and its neighboring states; and the attacks of 9/11. In the age of globalization, religious ties fill the vacuum left by the weakening of traditional loyalties and by states that do not foster social solidarity. Lest we believe we are condemned to a violent future, Violence as Worship concludes with a discussion on prevention. Religion may inspire many conflicts, but it is also a resource that can be mobilized to avert them.

The Persecuted Church Past and Present

With the recent news of a demented and demonic Saudi fatwa demanding the destruction of all churches in the Arab peninsula, one is confronted yet again with the ugly intolerance of Islam and its willingness to countenance violence towards those it deems its enemies. Eastern Christians have, for more than a thousand years, been on the front-lines of such barbaric treatment. As the old saying has it: plus ça change, la plus c'est la même chose. 

When it comes to the question of Christian persecution, there has never been a period in history when it has not been going on, often on a vast scale; but the last one hundred years saw more persecution and suffering than many other centuries combined. World Watch's 2011 report on the 50 worst countries for persecution of Christians makes for very grim reading. Much of that suffering befalls Eastern Christians, often in Islamic territories. E.g., how many people are aware that almost a million Christians have been forced to flee Iraq since the war started in 2003? How many people realize that the so-called Arab Spring has brought not life but death to many Coptic Christians, forcing well over 100,000 of them to flee? Where is the outrage?

A new book examines cases of persecution in our time: Baroness Cox and Benedict Rogers, Very Stones Cry Out: The Persecuted Church: Pain, Passion and Praise (Continuum, 2011), 168pp.

About this book, the publisher tells us:

According to the World Evangelical Alliance, over 200 million Christians in at least 60 countries are denied fundamental human rights solely because of their faith. Many face widespread and systematic persecution. The Very Stones Cry Out is a passionate challenge to the rest of the Church, and all advocates of religious freedom, to break their silence on this issue. Baroness Cox presents graphic photographs and survivors' accounts as testimony to widespread destruction, and provides powerful documentary evidence of contemporary persecution. Featuring contributions from those with on the ground experience of the nations concerned, this book details the impact that sustained persecution has on individuals, families and communities. In doing so, it provides a moving account of resilience in the face of destruction, and joy in spite of trials, making this a book that is as much about celebration as it is about challenge.

While taking a global perspective, the book focuses on countries with large Eastern Christian populations, including Egypt (ch. 5), India (6), Iran (8), and Iraq (9).

Christianity in Persia and Iran

Iran continues to exercise great attention in geopolitics and the media. It is often portrayed as a Muslim theocracy, but that notion overlooks much, especially in Persian history. A recent study helps us to understand better Christianity in Persia and Iran: A. Christian Van Gorder, Christianity in Persia and the Status of Non-Muslims in Modern Iran (Lexington Books, 352pp).


About this book, the publisher tells us:

Writing on an often overlooked section of contemporary Persian culture, A. Christian Van Gorder provides a comprehensive and readable introduction to the experience of Christians and other non-Muslims in Iran throughout history and into the present day. Van Gorder gives a fascinating account of the history of Christianity in Persia. By debunking the common misconceptions and stereotypes driven by recent political events and the media, he shows the current relationship that Muslim majority in Iran has taken toward people of other faiths.

Christians and Muslims in Iran

Christian-Muslim relations in Iran are much more complicated than many realize. Iran has a reputation for being a "theocracy" run by bomb-seeking crazies, but such images overlook many things, including the fact that Iran has one of the oldest Christian populations in the entire region, and that some Christians are still able--not easily, to be sure--to struggle to exist there in a way that could not be said about, e.g., the so-called great friend of the West, Saudi Arabia, where Christianity is outlawed entirely.  

Two recent books help shed light on the plight of Christians in Iran, one historical and the other contemporary.

The first of these is the fourth and latest volume in a series devoted to the topic: C. Jullien, ed., Chrétiens en terre d'Iran IV: Itinéraires missionnaires: échanges et identités (Peeters, 2011), 235pp.

The publisher gives us the following summary of the book's contents:

Peter Burns, «Hagiographia satis legendaria. Einige Beobachtungen zum Mar Behnam-Martyrium (BHO 177)»; Florence Jullien, «Stratégies du monachisme missionnaire en Iran»; Vittorio Berti, «Idéologie et politique missionnaire de Timothée Ier, patriarche syro-oriental (780-823)»; Marco Bias, «Rendre à César pour rencontrer Dieu. La mission politico-religieuse de l'évêque Israyel chez les Honk'»; Alexander M. Schilling, «Autour des mages arabisés. La vie de Zoroastre selon Girgis ibn al-'Amid al-Makin»; Angelo Michele Piemontese, «La traduction persane de l'évangile par Leopoldo Sebastiani».

The second book brings us up to date: Sasan Tavassoli, Christian Encounters with Iran: Engaging Muslim Thinkers after the Revolution (International Library of Iranian Studies) (London, 2011), ix+305pp.

About this book, the publisher tells us:

The interface between the current Shi‘ite landscape and Christian thinking is of the greatest significance for the shifting political and religious dynamics of the Middle East. Sasan Tavassoli here examines Iranian Shi‘ite thinkers’ encounters with Christian thought since the Islamic revolution of 1979, and provides insight into the cultural and intellectual climate surrounding Christian-Muslim dialogue in contemporary Iran. The literature on Christianity in Iran reveals a wide range of approaches and attitudes, and Tavassoli demonstrates that traditional polemics are giving way to a more descriptive and subjective understanding of Christian thought. He also studies Muslim-Christian dialogue and research conducted and supported by governmental as well as non-governmental organizations, and offers a close examination, with interviews, of the work of three prominent liberal religious intellectuals--Abdol Karim Soroush, Mostafa Malekian and Mojtahed Shabestari. Placing contemporary Shi‘ite thought in the broad historical context of pre- and post-revolution Iran, Tavassoli relates concrete religious, cultural and socio-political realities to the themes and orientations in the latest phase of the Shi‘i Islam-Christianity encounter, and offers fresh insight into the dynamism of contemporary Islam and the religious complexities of the Muslim world.

The publisher also helpfully gives us the table of contents:

* Acknowledgements * A Note on Translation, Romanization and Dates * Iranian Shi‘ite Thinkers and the Christian Faith: A Theological Perspective * Factors in Muslim-Christian Intellectual Encounters and Dialogue in Contemporary Iranian Society * Iranian Shi‘ites and the Christian Faith: A Survey of Iranian Publications on Christianity * Muslim-Christian Dialogue: Some Organizational Encounters  * Iranian Shi‘ites and Christian Thought: A Look at Three Liberal Religious Intellectuals * Iranian Shi‘ites and the Christian Faith: Where Have They Come From and Where are They Heading? * Bibliography of Works in English * Bibliography of Works in Farsi

I look forward to having this latter book expertly reviewed in Logos: A Journal of Eastern Christian Studies in 2012.