Between Christ and Caliph

"

Weitz’s masterful and incisive study of the development of Christian 'family law' challenges the 'standard narrative' of the development of classical forms of Islamic tradition...Weitz’s work is a very beneficial reminder of the rich religious, linguistic, and ethnic diversity of the medieval Islamic world, as it brings into view the non-Muslim majority of early Islamicate lands.

"—Religious Studies Review

"Weitz' work is an important contribution to the discussion of Christianity under Islamic rule and the interaction between traditions. He clearly demonstrates that Christian rules and norms were not static nor entirely insulated from Muslim influences. His recognition that the transition to Islamic imperial rule presented opportunities for Christian leaders to extend their influence and consolidate their communities is especially important."—Catholic Historical Review

"Between Christ and Caliph [is] a complete book, significant for both Christians and Muslims, in recognition of their mutual influence over traditions, civilizations and cultural activities. [E]nthusiastically recommend[ed] for the vivid interreligious negotiations occurring from the Middle Ages until nowadays that it presents."—The Medieval Review

"Between Christ and Caliph strives to exemplify how the study of non-Muslim communities should be integrated into the study of Islamic history, and it suggests how our understanding of Islamic politics, society, and culture is missing a historically relevant dynamism if non-Muslim communities are assumed to function autonomously."—Janina Safran, Pennsylvania State University

"Between Christ and Caliph contains the most complete presentation of the historical development of the Syriac Christian legal tradition that I have ever seen. It is an important contribution to the legal and social history of the early Islamic period in the Middle East."—Michael Morony, University of California, Los Angeles