Preparation is noted in bold.
Read chapter 4 of Connolly, Approaches to the Study of Religion.
Read John of Damascus, "The Discussion of a Christian and a Saracen" (handout from Newmann, Early Christian-Muslim Diaologue, 144-150).
Read "In Support of the Trinity (mid-twelfth century)" (handout from Constable, Medieval Iberia, 148-151).
Read the handout with selections from the early-9th-century Muslim Abu `Isa al-Warraq's "Against the Trinity" (from Thomas, Anti-Christian Polemic in Early Islam, 67-81, 155-181).
Please bring to class a paragraph or two from the "primary material" that you will be analyzing in your research project. This might be a saying of Jesus from a Muslim text, or a Psalm rewritten by a Muslim, or a Christian theologian's description of Muhammad, or part of an anthropologist's account of a Christian-Muslim wedding, or a quote about a convert's experience the first time she wore a veil, or a poetic lament over the Crusaders' capture of Jerusalem.... In class we will read some of these paragraphs out loud, either all together or in smaller groups, and brainstorm about how you could analyze this material in a way that fits your goals and methods for the study of religions.
Newman, N.A., ed. The Early Christian-Muslim Dialogue: A Collection of Documents from the First Three Islamic Centuries (632-900 A.D.): Translations with Commentary. Hatfield, Penn.: Interdisciplinary Biblical Research Institute, 1993. (Convenient but edited and poorly transcribed collection of old translations of some important primary texts. Selections on file.)
John of Damascus (d. ca. 752 C.E.). "The Discussion of a Christian and a Saracen." Translated by John W. Voorhis, The Moslem World [24 (1934): 391-398 or 25 (1935): 266-273]; reprinted in N. A. Newman, ed., The Early Christian-Muslim Dialogue, 144-150. (Copy on file. On philosophical problems like the uncreatedness of the Word and God's creation of evil.)
al-Kindi, `Abd al-Masih ibn Ishaq. "The Apology of al-Kindi." Translated by Anton Tien. In N. A. Newman, ed., The Early Christian-Muslim Dialogue, 381-[546]. (A statement ascribed to a Muslim named al-Hashimi, followed by a lengthy reply said to have been written ca. 820 C.E. by a Christian named al-Kindi. Copy on file of sections on the unity of God, Muhammad and the requirements of prophethood, law, the origins of the Qur'an, and Islamic customs.)
Ebied, Rifaat Y., and David Thomas, eds. Muslim-Christian Polemic during the Crusades: The Letter from the People of Cyprus and Ibn Abi Talib al-Dimashqi's Response. The History of Christian-Muslim Relations, no. 2. Leiden: Brill, 2005. (Arabic text and English translation of a letter that uses numerous quotations from the Qur'an to argue that Muslims cannot make any objection to Christianity; and a much longer reply from a Muslim. Includes some argument on the Trinity, but mostly consists of non-philosophical arguments about prophets' predictions, corruption of scripture, etc. Available through ILL.)
Thomas, David, ed. and trans. Anti-Christian Polemic in Early Islam: Abu `Isa al-Warraq's "Against the Trinity." Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992.
Thomas, David, ed. and trans. Early Muslim Polemic against Christianity: Abu `Isa al-Warraq's "Against the Incarnation." Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002.