Dissertation Information for Maged S. A. MikhailNAME:
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SCHOOL: ADVISORS: COMMITTEE MEMBERS: MPACT Status: Fully Complete Title: Egypt from late antiquity to early Islam: Copts, Melkites, and Muslims shaping a new society Abstract: The cultural dialectic that took place in Egypt from the early seventh to the tenth centuries CE, by which a complex society combining Coptic Christianity with a Greco-Roman cultural foundation was transformed into an Arabic-speaking society defined by Islam is examined. By drawing upon Greek, Coptic, and Arabic narrative and documentary sources, a number of topics and issues are analyzed in order to elucidate the history and historiography of this transitional period. Several long-held views pertaining to the Arab conquest of Egypt, the use of the Greek language in the Coptic community, and anti-Chalcedonian political ideology are challenged. Introductory comments relating to the methodological aims and scope of this study are presented in chapter one. Next, religious conversion (between Christian sects as well as from Christianity to Islam) is analyzed. In chapter three, the history and historiography of the Arab conquest and its aftermath are examined along with the vital roles played by Christian notables throughout these defining centuries. In the fourth chapter, the use and perception of Greek among Copts and Melkites is discussed. The transition from Greek and Coptic to Arabic as the primary language of communication and literature is also treated. Three issues relating to the eighth century CE are considered in chapter five; these include Islamization in terms of legislation and the recasting of historical traditions, the history and social significance of tax revolts, and a survey of the various means of reckoning and labeling time. Developments within the Muslim community are explored in chapter six. The urban bureaucracy, administrative dynasties, and rural mechanisms used to maintain order are the focus of chapter seven. The shifting social and political realities of Coptic Christianity are discussed in chapter eight. In chapter nine, inter- and intra-religious polemics are addressed. Drawing on the conclusions of the previous chapters, the existence of a distinct, new society is demonstrated in the final chapter. |
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