Disputes About Purity in Late Medieval Iberia. Interreligious Contacts and the Polemical Language of the Mudejars
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Mònica Colominas Aparicio
Abstract
The state of ritual purity, known as “ṭahāra” in Islam, has often been the subject of religious controversy between members of the various religious communities in the Iberian Peninsula. In this paper, I examine the religious language in Mudejar polemics by looking at the use of specific terms such as“ṭuhr” (‘purity’), “istinjā” (‘ablution after relieving oneself’) and “manjās” (‘unclean’). My analysis shows that, although we find some returning passages from the Torah and the Gospels in these texts, the form in which these are discussed depends both on the period in which each polemic was written and on the particular target audiences. The language and terminology are found in Arabic, Hebrew, and sometimes in Romance written in Arab characters; or even a combination of all three. The approach and language utilized to talk about purity in these Mudejar polemics depends on whether the Mudejars address the Christians or the Jews (they used a harsher tone in the latter case). These differences are probably connected to asymmetrical power relations between the Mudejars and these two groups.
© 2014 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin/Boston
Articles in the same Issue
- Masthead
- Editorial
- Academic Challenges In A Changing World
- Papers
- Towards A New Approach To Medieval Cross- Cultural Exchanges
- Hindered Passages. The Failed Muslim Conquest Of Southern Italy
- Of ‘Pious Traitors’ and Dangerous Encounters. Historiographical Notions of Interculturality in the Principality of Antioch
- Disputes About Purity in Late Medieval Iberia. Interreligious Contacts and the Polemical Language of the Mudejars
- Reviews
- Michael Borgolte/Matthias M. Tischler (Ed.): Transkulturelle Verflechtungen Im Mittelalterlichen Jahrtausend. Europa, Ostasien Und Afrika, Darmstadt: Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, 2012, 271 Pp.
- Wiebke Deimann: Christen, Juden Und Muslime Im Mittelalterlichen Sevilla. Religiöse Minderheiten Unter Muslimischer Und Christlicher Dominanz (12. Bis 14. Jahrhundert) (Geschichte Und Kultur Der Iberischen Welt 9), Münster In Westfalen: Lit, 2012, 368 Pp.
- Michelina Di Cesare: The Pseudo-Historical Image Of The Prophet Muḥammad In Medieval Latin Literature. A Repertory (Studien Zur Geschichte Und Kultur Des Islamischen Orients. N. F. 26), Berlin/Boston: De Gruyter, 2012, 541 Pp.
- Karen L. Fresco/Charles D. Wright (Ed.): Translating The Middle Ages, Farnham/ Burlington: Ashgate 2012, Xiv + 222 Pp.
- Reinhold F. Glei (Ed.): Frühe Koranübersetzungen. Europäische Und Außereuropäische Fallstudien (Bac – Bochumer Altertumswissenschaftliches Colloquium 88), Trier: Wvt Wissenschaftlicher Verlag, 2012, 266 Pp.
- Sarah Lambert/Helen Nicholson (Ed.): Languages Of Love And Hate. Conflict, Communication, And Identity In The Medieval Mediterranean (International Medieval Research 15), Turnhout: Brepols, 2012, Xxix + 284 Pp., 9 Figures, 2 Tables.
- News
- Foundations in Medieval Societies. Crosscultural Comparisons. A Project of the European Research Council at the Humboldt University of Berlin
- Transcultural Entanglements In The Medieval Euromediterranean (500–1500)
Articles in the same Issue
- Masthead
- Editorial
- Academic Challenges In A Changing World
- Papers
- Towards A New Approach To Medieval Cross- Cultural Exchanges
- Hindered Passages. The Failed Muslim Conquest Of Southern Italy
- Of ‘Pious Traitors’ and Dangerous Encounters. Historiographical Notions of Interculturality in the Principality of Antioch
- Disputes About Purity in Late Medieval Iberia. Interreligious Contacts and the Polemical Language of the Mudejars
- Reviews
- Michael Borgolte/Matthias M. Tischler (Ed.): Transkulturelle Verflechtungen Im Mittelalterlichen Jahrtausend. Europa, Ostasien Und Afrika, Darmstadt: Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, 2012, 271 Pp.
- Wiebke Deimann: Christen, Juden Und Muslime Im Mittelalterlichen Sevilla. Religiöse Minderheiten Unter Muslimischer Und Christlicher Dominanz (12. Bis 14. Jahrhundert) (Geschichte Und Kultur Der Iberischen Welt 9), Münster In Westfalen: Lit, 2012, 368 Pp.
- Michelina Di Cesare: The Pseudo-Historical Image Of The Prophet Muḥammad In Medieval Latin Literature. A Repertory (Studien Zur Geschichte Und Kultur Des Islamischen Orients. N. F. 26), Berlin/Boston: De Gruyter, 2012, 541 Pp.
- Karen L. Fresco/Charles D. Wright (Ed.): Translating The Middle Ages, Farnham/ Burlington: Ashgate 2012, Xiv + 222 Pp.
- Reinhold F. Glei (Ed.): Frühe Koranübersetzungen. Europäische Und Außereuropäische Fallstudien (Bac – Bochumer Altertumswissenschaftliches Colloquium 88), Trier: Wvt Wissenschaftlicher Verlag, 2012, 266 Pp.
- Sarah Lambert/Helen Nicholson (Ed.): Languages Of Love And Hate. Conflict, Communication, And Identity In The Medieval Mediterranean (International Medieval Research 15), Turnhout: Brepols, 2012, Xxix + 284 Pp., 9 Figures, 2 Tables.
- News
- Foundations in Medieval Societies. Crosscultural Comparisons. A Project of the European Research Council at the Humboldt University of Berlin
- Transcultural Entanglements In The Medieval Euromediterranean (500–1500)
