The rise of Islam in the seventh century C.E. is usually seen, by both Muslim and non-Muslim historians, as a total break with the past. This course will challenge that assumption by placing the rise of Islam in the context of the history of late antiquity (c. 300-700 C.E.). The first half of the course will examine the impact of Judeo-Christian monotheism in the ancient world, the rise of confessional empires, articulation of new ideas about holiness and its relation to sexuality and the transformations undergone by Judaism, Christianity, Zoroastrianism and Manichaeism. We shall examine the conversation of these traditions with classical paganism and philosophy, the internal struggle within traditions to define rules of interpretation, the impact of ascetic, iconoclastic and apocalyptic ideas and, finally, polemics among the traditions. Special attention will be given to borderlands (Armenia, Syria, and Arabia) where the problems of regionalism and religious diversity were prominent. We will then examine the career of Muhammad (PBUH) in the context of Arabia, the spread of the Islamic empire into Christian and Iranian worlds, the impact of apocalyptic expectations, the fixation of religious decision making within the tradition and the question of conversion and religious diversity within the commonwealth of Islam. The course will end with the flourishing of the Abbasid empire in the ninth century. Requirements: one five-page paper, self-scheduled final, and a final research project. Each class will use a case study approach focusing on one textual, artistic, or architectural artifact. Open to all classes without prerequisite.
DARROW