Christians in Al-Andalus 711-1000

246 Pages·2002·13.07 MB·English

by  Ann Rosemary Christys

Christians in al-Andalus
(711-1000)
CULTURE AND CIVILIZATION
IN THE MIDDLE EAST
Series Editor
Ian R. Netton
Uniuersity ifLeeds
This series studies the Middle East through the twin foci of its diverse
cultures and civilisations. Comprising original monographs as well as
scholarly surveys,it covers topics in the fieldsofMiddle Eastern literature,
archaeology, law,history,philosophy, science,folklore,art, architectureand
language. While there is a plurality ofviews, the series presents serious
scholarship in a lucid and stimulating fashion.
Christians in al-Andalus
(711-1000)
Ann Christys
I
~ ~~o~~~;n~~~up
LONDONANDNEWYORK
FirstPublishedin 2002
by Routledge
2ParkSquare,Milton Park, Abingdon,Oxon,OXI44RN
270 MadisonAve, NewYorkNY 10016
Transferred to DigitalPrinting2007
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© 2002 AnnChristys
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in any form or by any electronic, mechanical,or other means,now known or
hereafter invented,includingphotocopyingand recording,or in any information
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British Library CataloguinginPublication Data
A catalogue record ofthis book isavailable from the BritishLibrary
Library ofCongress Cataloguing inPublication Data
A catalogue record for this book has been requested
ISBN 0-7007-1564-9
Publisher'sNote
The publisher has gone to greatlengths to ensurethe qualityofthis reprint
butpointsoutthatsomeimperfectionsin the originalmaybe apparent
...
Contents
Prefaceand Acknowledgements VI
Abbreviations VIII
List ofRulers x
Maps XII
CHAPTER ONE:lntroduction
CHAPTER lWO: Cordoba and Toledo 14
CHAPTER THREE:News from the east in the eighth-century
chronicles 28
CHAPTER FOUR:The martyrs ofEulogius 52
CHAPTER F1VE: Two more martyrs ofCordoba 80
CHAPTER SlX: Recemund and the CalendarofCordoba 108
CHAPTER SEVEN:The Arabic translation ofOrosius 135
CHAPTER E1GHT: Sara the Goth and her descendants 158
CHAPTER N1NE: Afterword 184
Notes 187
Bibliography 207
Index 226
v
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Preface and Acknowledgments
Thisbook isa version ofmy doctoral thesis,which set out to look at the
christian response to the islamic conquest ofHispania. Although there
islittle that addressed this question directly, there isa small but important
collection oftexts written byor attributed to christiansliving in al-Andalus
up to the collapse ofthe Umayyad caliphate.I used these as the basisfor a
series ofstudies ofchroniclesandcalendars,hagiographyandhistories that
cross the frontiers of Hispanic historiography between christians and
muslims, north and south, Latin and Arabic. Few ofthese texts are well
known, particularly by medievalists working on areas outside Spain and
Portugal. Theyhave not beenconsideredasa body since Franciso Simonet
wrote his Historia de losMorarabes in the 1870s.Recent developmentsin the
reading of early medieval authors have opened up the writings of the
christians ofal-Andalus to a new interpretation which reveals the variety
and complexity ofthe christian experience.
Duringthe years when the thesiswas 'nearlyfinished'Ireceived support
and helpful criticism from many people. I would like to thank the
medievalists ofthe School ofHistory ofthe UniversityofLeeds, especially
Wendy Childs, as well as Mayke deJong, Rosamund McKitterick, Walter
Pohl and their students in Cambridge, Leeds, Utrecht and Vienna,Jinty
Nelson, Barbara Rosenwein and her colleague Zuhair Ghazzal, who
rescued the last copy ofthe Arabic version ofOrosius' Seven BooksrifHistory
Against the Pagans from the publisher's basement in Beirut and the
Historians of Medieval Iberia, particularly Roger Wright. I have been
greatly assisted by the staff of the Brotherton library, especially the
InterLibraryLoans office,the BibliotecaNacional, Madridand the former
Escuela Espanola de Arqueologia in Rome and its directorJavier Arce.
John Wreglesworth read the manuscript with exemplary care and raised
enough questions for another thesis. Richard Hitchcock examined the
thesis and suggested publishing it more or lessin its original shape. Peter
Brownnobly read the thesis before breakfastand advised me how to make
vi
PREFACE ANDACKNOWLEDGMENTS
it easier for a reader to negotiate. I am very grateful to both for their
encouragement.
My debt to Ian Woodgoes back to the firstfewweeksofmy time asan
undergraduate in the School ofHistory, where I was a refugee from the
unwarranted certainty ofmedicine. Ian's approach to the great unknown
ofthe early Middle Ages, based on imaginative reading of the way early
medieval authors had recorded their world rather than on explanation of
what actually happened, was a revelation. I am grateful to Ian for
humouring my obsession with the history ofal-Andalus - almost the only
cornerofthe early Middle Ageson which he isnot himselfan authority
and for giving me so many opportunities to develop as a historian. This
book isdedicated to him.
Finally, although he should perhaps have come first, I should like to
thank Roger Collins for writing EarlY Medieval Spain: Unity in Diversity
400-1000, which I read after my firstvisit to Spain in 1983 and the rest,
I hope, ishistory.
vii
-~-
Abbreviations
AASS: (1634-) Acta Sanctorum quotquot tot orbe coluntur Antwerp Brussels:
Societe des Bollandistes.
Al-Andalus: Revista de lasEscuelas de Estudios Arabes deMadridy Granada
Madrid: CSIC.
Analecta Bollandiana: Brussels: Societe des Bollandistes.
Anuario:AnuariodeEstudiosMedievalesBarcelona:Universidad deBarcelona.
Al-Qantara:Revista de Estudios Arabes de Madrid Instituto «Miguel
Asin Palacios» del CSIC Madrid: CSIC.
BL: British Library manuscript.
BNn.a.lat:Paris Bibliotheque Nationale nouvelles acquisitions latines.
CCSL: (1952-) Corpus Christianorum, SeriesLatina Turnhout: Brepols.
CSIC:Centro Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas.
CSM: ed. Gil Fermindez,J. (1973) Corpus Scriptorum Murarabicorum 2 vols
Madrid Instituto «Antonio de Nebrija»>.
CHE:CuadernosdeHistoriadeEspanaBuenosAires:UniversidaddeBuenosAires.
DHEE: cd. Aldea Vaquero, Q, Marin Martinez, T. and Vives Gatell,
J. (1972-5) Diccionario de Historia Ecclesidstica de Espana 4 vols, Madrid:
CSIC Instituto Enrique Florez.
EI: new edn Gibb, H.A.R. et al (1960-) Encyclopaedia if Islam Lciden
London: Brill.
The Formation ofal-Andalus: Marin, M., Fierro, M.1.and Samso,
J. cds (1998) TheFormation ifal-Andalus2volsAldershot:Variorum vol I
History and Society vol 2 Language, Religion, Culture and Sciences.
Conversion and Continuity:Gervers, M. and Bikhazi, RJ. eds(1990)
Conversion andContinuity: Indigenous Christian Communities in Islamic Lands,
Eighth toEighteenth Centuries Toronto: Pontifical Institute.
viii
ABBREVIATIONS
The Legacy ofMuslint Spain: S.K. jayyusi ed (1992) The Legacy if
MuslimSpain Leiden, New York, Cologne: Brill.
Historians:Lewis,B.andHolt,P.M.eds(1962)HistoriansiftheMiddleEast
Oxford: Oxford University Press.
MBN:Madrid, Biblioteca Nacional.
MGH: Monumenta Germaniae Historica.
AA:(1877-) AuctoresAntiquissimiBerlin.
Capit:(1883) Capitularia Regum Francorum.
Concilia: (1906) Concilia Hannover Leipzig.
Epistolae:(1887-) EpistolaeMerovingici etKaroliniAeviBerlin.
Poet. lat: (1881-) Poetae LatiniKaroliniAevi
SS:(1826-) Scriptores Hannover Leipzig.
SSRer Ger: (1840-) Scriptores Rerum Germanicarum Hannover.
PL: ed Migne,j.-P. (1841-64) Patrologia Cursus Completus, SeriesLatina, Paris.
Settirnane:Settimanedistudiodelcentroitalianodistudisull'altomedievoSpoleto.
MedievalChristian Perceptions: Tolanj.Y. ed (1996)Medieval Christian
PerceptionsifIslam:ABookifEssaysNewYorkLondon:GarlandPublishing.
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