Христијанизација међу Арабљанима у првом миленијуму Цркве
Christianization among the Arabas in the First Millennium of the Church

Summary/Abstract: The Arabs were descendants of Ishmael, the son of Abraham. In the Byzantine sources, they were known as Saracens, Hagareanes, and Ismailites. Christianity was present among the Arabs since Pentecost. The mention of several Holy Apostles is linked to the ethnically Arab Nabatean areas, Edessa, and the Arabian Peninsula itself. The Metropolitanate of Bostra was the first ecclesiastical unit that, within the Jerusalem Patriarchate, had jurisdiction over the Arab border areas that extended towards the Arabian Peninsula. From the 4th century, to the East of the Holy Land, new Arab tribes were settled and Christianized. These were the Byzantine federates, the Tanukhid, Salihid, and Gasanid tribal alliances. The Bishop of the Arabs was present at the First Ecumenical Council. During the reign of Tanukhid Queen Mavia, the Arabs waged a successful war against the Roman Empire because they wanted the freedom of worship and the Orthodox faith. King (Phylarch) David (Dawud) of the Salihids was the founder and builder of Christian monasteries, and he held the title of Christian Gaziya. Among the Arabs, the most potent Byzantine federations were the Ghassanids. They were known for practicing the cult of the Desert Fathers of the Orthodox Church and the cult of the Holy Warriors. With the appearance of Islam among the Arabs (7th century), the freedom to practice Christianity was suppressed. Part of the Christian tribes moved to the free Byzantine territories. In the Rashidun Caliphate, proselytism was forbidden, so there was a general stagnation in Christianization. The following period was characterized by religious polemics. The initiative of the Byzantine Reconquest in the East in the 10th century led to the borderline re-Christianization of the Arab tribes. Notable examples of this trend are the re-Christianization of the Banu Habib tribe and the success of the Nikon Metanoiteʼs mission in Crete. Examples of individual conversion are also evident, like the stories of the Saint Barbaros and the Digenis Akritas.Key words: Christianization, re-Christianization, Arabs, Banu Habib, Nikon the Metanoite.

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