The Armenians in the Medieval Islamic World: Medieval Cosmopolitanism and Images of Islam. Thirteenth to Fourteenth Centuries

319 Pages·2013·2.02 MB·English

by  Seta B. Dadoyan

iii
Copyright © 2014 by Transaction Publishers, New Brunswick,
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Standard for Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials.
Library of Congress Catalog Number: 2011017745
ISBN: 978-1-4128-5189-3
Printed in the United States of America
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Parsumean-Tatoyean, Seda.
The Armenians in the medieval Islamic world : paradigms of
interaction-seventh to fourteenth centuries / Seta B. Dadoyan.
v. cm.
To be complete in 3 vols.—ECIP data.
Contents: v. 1. Th e Arab period in Arminyah-seventh to eleventh
centuries
ISBN 978-1-4128-4577-9
1. Armenians—Islamic Empire—History. 2. Armenia—R elations—
Islamic Empire. 3. Islamic Empire—Relations—Armenia. I. Title.
DS175.D33 2011
305.891’992017670902—dc23
2011017745
I dedicate this book to my family, Arsen, Talin, and Daniel,
and to my ancestors,
the Barsoumians from the east and the Yaylayans
from the west of the Armenian World

Contents
Contents of the Previous Two Volumes in Th is Series xiii
Transliteration Tables xxi
Prologue xxiii
General Introduction 1
Introduction to Volume One 7
Introduction to Volume Two 15
Introduction to Volume Th ree 21
Part One
Paradigms of Medieval Cosmopolitanism:
Th e Case of Erznka/Erzinjān—Sciences, Society,
and Literature in the Th irteenth Century
1 Th e City of Erznka and the Ismā‘īlī Connection 29
I. Erzinjān/Erznka and Th ree Levels of Interaction 29
II. Th e City of Erznka and the Ismā‘īlī Channel 31
III. Ismā‘īlīs, Qarmāt.ians, and the Rasā’il Ikhwān
al-S.afā’ or Epistles of the Brethren of Purity 34
IV. Th e Rasā‘il: Sources, Objectives, and Content 38
V. Th e Doctrine of Brotherhood and
Organizational Matters 41
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Th e Armenians in the Medieval Islamic World
2 Secularization of Knowledge and Sciences:
An Armenian Summary of Rasā’il Ikhwān al-S.afā’ 47
I. Yovhannēs Erznkac‘i and Rasā’il Ikhwān al-S.afā’
as Model for His I Tačkac‘ Imastasirac‘ Groc‘
K‘ałeal Bank‘ (Views from the Writings of
Islamic Philosophers) 47
II. Comparative Study of the Views and the Rasā’il 50
A. Classifi cation of the Sciences 51
B. Epistemology and Logic 53
C. Man’s Knowledge of Himself in Accordance
with His Nature 54
D. Physical Sciences and Metaphysics 56
E. Th e Principle of Causality and Th eory
of Emanation 57
F. Cosmology, Astronomy, Astrology—Th e
Analogy between the World and Man 60
I II. Th e Philosophical Writings of Yovhannēs Erznkac‘i
in Light of the Rasā’il 60
A. Philosophy and Classifi cation of the Sciences 60
B. Concept of Man: Constitution and
Status—Th e Soul and the Body 61
C. Man as Soul 62
D. Th e Body and the Relationship to the Soul 63
E. Th eory of Knowledge 64
F. Th eory of Morals 64
G. Social-Political Philosophy 65
H. Cosmology and Astronomy 65
3 Project for the Spiritualization and Control of
Urban Society: ‘Abbāsid Caliph al-Nās.ir’s Futuwwa
Project as Model for the Constitution of the
Brotherhood of Erznka 69
I. Caliph al-Nās.ir’s Futuwwa Project and
the Constitution of the Brotherhood of Erznka 69
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Contents
II. Th e Fatā, Manuk, Jawanmard, Aqqī/Akhī,
and Urban Motifs of Manliness 71
A. Th e Ah.dāth and Fityān in the
Near Eastern Cities 73
B. Th e Armenian Manuks and Manktawags 74
III. Caliph al-Nās.ir’s Futuwwa Reform:
Ideology, Strategy, and Diff usion in Asia Minor 78
A. Al-Nās.ir’s Decree 79
IV. Th e Nās.irī Futuwwa and Akhism in
Seljuk Asia Minor 81
V. Th e Nās.irī Model and the Constitution
for the Brotherhood of Erznka 84
VI. Th e Constitution Part One: “Defi nitions
and Canons” (Sahman ew Kanonk‘) and
Kitāb al-Futuwwa 86
VII. Additional Canons (Krkin Kanonk‘) Addressed
to Manuks and Manktawags 90
VIII. Th e Nāşirī Program and Constitutions in the East
European Armenian Communities—Fourteenth–
Nineteenth Centuries 99
4 Urbanization of Culture—Th e Cultural Signifi cance
of the Fityān and Manuks 111
I. Th e Contrast: Th e Reform Projects and the
Realities of Urban Society and Its Culture 111
II. Th e Medieval Urban Artworld 112
I II. Th e Urban Coalitions and the Sects:
Marginal Communities and Perspectives 116
IV. Kostandin Erznkac‘i: Two Worlds and
Two Natures in Man 119
A. Th e Concept of Love and Christ: Synthesis
of Kostandin and the Controversy 124
V. Yovhannēs and Yakob Manktawag:
A Dantean Dialogue 126
VI. Th e Later Kostandin 128
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