Latin vigilance and Greek invention in twelfth-century Antioch. A new interpretation of ›Adelphus‹

Abstract

A twelfth-century Latin account claims to record a conversation with a Greek Christian in Antioch about the origins of Islam. While this so-called ›Adelphus‹ narrative has solely received scholarly attention as a work of Latin polemic against Islam made by a western traveller, this article argues that the text belongs to a Levantine cultural context and speaks to a contentious religious and intellectual dynamic between Latins and Greeks in twelfth-century Antioch. Through subtle literary techniques borrowed from the medieval Latin classroom, the author levels a veiled attack on the perceived threat of the Orthodox Church to Christian unity and orthodoxy. The ›Adelphus‹ account thus represents a highly original entry in the body of Christian-Muslim polemical literature that should be viewed within the context of Levantine Latin intellectual culture.

Keywords: Crusades, Crusader States, Latin East, Antioch, Christian-Muslim polemic, Latin-Greek relations