Awlad al-‘Assal

I have decided to start a series of posts about several prominent Arabic Christian theologians, particularly those who wrote in an Islamic milieu during the Middle Ages. There were some pretty remarkable and sophisticated thinkers who are almost completely unknown in the West, where we tend to emphasize thinkers who belong to our own theological traditions (particularly those that are Latin or Greek, and later German or English). However, I found it remarkable to discover how well Christian theology flourished in regions where it had fallen under the shadow of Islam.

Coptic Scribe drawn by a French artist ca. 1800

To begin, I want to give a brief introduction to one rather remarkable Coptic Christian family that lived in Egypt in the 13^th century : the Awlad al-‘Assal (Children of the Honey-Maker).

Originally from the Bani Suef region in Middle Egypt, the family at some point ended up residing in Cairo. By the time of the Ayyubid Dynasty (the dynasty of the famous Saladin which ruled Egypt 1169-1250) they had occupied a prominent position in the leadership of the Coptic community as lay theologians. Indeed the patriarch of the family (and father of the three brothers that we will discuss) was known by the title of al-Katib al-Misri, ‘the Egyptian Scribe’. Little is known about the exact details of their lives, but they were clearly well versed in theology, philosophy, Greek, Syriac, Coptic, and of course an elevated Arabic style. Three brothers in particular made considerable literary contributions to Arabo-Coptic historiography: al-Safi, al-As‘ad, and al-Mu‘tamin Abu Ishaq. The major works of all three were probably written between 1230 and 1240, which included texts on canon law, theology, philosophy, Coptic philology, polemics, homiletics, and biblical exegesis.

Al-Safi Abu al-Fada’il ibn al-‘Assal (ca. 1205--ca. 1265) was known as the great canonist and philosopher of the group. Some of his non-apologetic works include summaries of the homilies of St. John Chrysostom, liturgical homilies in rhymed prose, and numerous works on canon law (including his famous Nomocanon, al-Majmu‘ al-Safawi). He also compiled a resume of several apologetic works, although he was more interested in the philosophical works than the more ‘popular’ ones. Including in this was a resume of the Arabic Christian Philosopher Yahya ibn Adi (d. 974), Ammar al-Basri (ca. 825) and Elias of Nisibis (d. 1046). Additionally he drafted his own more original theologico-apologetic works, such as the ‘Brief Chapters on the Trinity and Union’, ‘Treatise of the Ten Fundamentals’, and even replies to the writings of famous Islamic thinkers such as Nashi’ al-Akbar and Fukhr al-Din Razi.

Al-As‘ad Abu al-Faraj Hibat-Allah ibn al-‘Assal was a sort of exegete and grammarian. He had the title of ‘Fakhr al-Dowla’ (Pride of the State) which meant he was probably employed in the administration of the Ayyubid government. One of al-As‘ad’s greatest contributions was a new translation of the Gospels into Arabic based on accepted Greek, Syriac, and Coptic versions. Before his time Arabic translations were considered rather sub-par. He also wrote summaries to the epistles of the Apostle Paul and even composed a grammar of the Coptic language written in Arabic. Manuscripts of his Biblical translations can be found in Oxford, London, Milan, Rome, the Vatican, and other libraries.

Al-Mu‘tamin Abu Ishaq Ibrahim ibn al-‘Assal was a theologian and philologist, and apparently the youngest of the brothers. The titles of some of his works include ‘Records of Foundations of Religion’, ‘Abridged Contemplation’, and ‘Literature of the Church’. However he was most well-known as a philologist in Coptic studies. He created a lexical compilation of Coptic vocabulary into Arabic (perfecting a work began by one Bishop Anba Yu’annis). This was the first definite and reliable concordance of Coptic into Arabic and was later used by the famous German Jesuit scholar Athanasius Kircher.

Al-Safi, al-As‘ad, and Al-Mu‘tamin Abu Ishaq were all three highly influential Coptic Christian intellectuals and played crucial roles in the intellectual renaissance of the Coptic Church in the 13^th century. However, this renaissance was to be relatively short lived. In 1250 a slave-warrior named Baybars seized control of Egypt after the death of his Ayyubid master, initiating centuries of Mamluk (slave) rule. Unlike under the Ayyubids and their predecessors the Fatimids, the condition of the Copts worsened drastically under the Mamluk sultans. The 14th century in particular was to prove particularly tragic--but that is a story for another time.

In the posts to come I hope you present some excerpts from the works of these three brothers and other Arabic Christian theologians.

Andrew