Christianity and Druze

Christian Church and Druze Khalwa in Shuf Mountains: Historically, the Druzes and the Christians in the Shuf Mountains lived in complete harmony.[1]

Christianity and Druze are Abrahamic religions that share a historical traditional connection with some major theological differences.[2] The two faiths share a common place of origin in the Middle East and are both monotheistic.[3] Christian and Druze communities share a long history of interaction dating back roughly a millennium, particularly in Mount Lebanon.[1] Over the centuries, they have interacted and lived together peacefully, sharing common social and cultural landscapes, despite occasional exceptions.[1] Moreover, Druze beliefs, scriptures and teachings incorporate several elements from Christianity.[4]

Historically, the relationship between the Druze and Christians has been characterized by harmony and peaceful coexistence,[5][6][7][1] with amicable relations between the two groups prevailing throughout history, with the exception of some periods, including 1860 Mount Lebanon civil war.[8] In the Levant region, the conversion of Druze to Christianity was a common practice.[9][10] Throughout history, there have been instances where prominent members of the Druze community, including some of Shihab dynasty members,[11] as well as the Abi-Lamma clan, embraced Christianity.[12][13]

The Maronite Catholics and the Druze set the foundation for what is now Lebanon in the early 18th century, through a governing and social system known as the "Maronite-Druze dualism" in Mount Lebanon Mutasarrifate.[14] Interaction between Christians (members of the Maronite, Eastern Orthodox, Melkite, and other churches) and the Druze resulted in the establishment and existence of mixed villages and towns in Mount Lebanon, Chouf,[1] Wadi al-Taym,[15] Jabal al-Druze,[16][17] the Galilee region, Mount Carmel, and the Golan Heights.[18]

Druze doctrine teaches that Christianity is to be "esteemed and praised", as the Gospel writers are regarded as "carriers of wisdom".[19] Additionally, the Druze catechism prophesies the dominance of Christianity over Islam in the Last Judgment.[19][20] The Druze faith incorporates some elements of Christianity,[4][21] along with adopting Christian elements and teachings found in the Epistles of Wisdom.[22] Both religions revered and hold Jesus in high regard as a central figure and the awaited messiah,[23][24][25] alongside other shared figures such as the Virgin Mary,[26] John the Baptist,[27][28] Saint George,[29] Elijah,[27] Luke the Evangelist,[30] and Job.[30] Moreover, important figures from the Old Testament such as Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jethro are considered important prophets of God in the Druze faith, being among the seven prophets who appeared in different periods of history.[23][24]

  1. ^ a b c d e Hobby (1985). Near East/South Asia Report. Foreign Broadcast Information Service. p. 53. the Druzes and the Christians in the Shuf Mountains in the past lived in complete harmony..
  2. ^ Abulafia, Anna Sapir (23 September 2019). "The Abrahamic religions". bl.uk. London: British Library. Archived from the original on 12 July 2020. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  3. ^ Obeid, Anis (2006). The Druze & Their Faith in Tawhid. Syracuse University Press. p. 1. ISBN 978-0-8156-5257-1.
  4. ^ a b Quilliam, Neil (1999). Syria and the New World Order. Michigan University press. p. 42. ISBN 9780863722493.
  5. ^ Hazran, Yusri (2013). The Druze Community and the Lebanese State: Between Confrontation and Reconciliation. Routledge. p. 32. ISBN 9781317931737. the Druze had been able to live in harmony with the Christian
  6. ^ Artzi, Pinḥas (1984). Confrontation and Coexistence. Bar-Ilan University Press. p. 166. ISBN 9789652260499. .. Europeans who visited the area during this period related that the Druze "love the Christians more than the other believers," and that they "hate the Turks, the Muslims and the Arabs [Bedouin] with an intense hatred.
  7. ^ Churchill (1862). The Druzes and the Maronites. Montserrat Abbey Library. p. 25. ..the Druzes and Christians lived together in the most perfect harmony and good-will..
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference google was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ A. Frazee, Charles (2006). Catholics and Sultans: The Church and the Ottoman Empire 1453–1923. Cambridge University Press. p. 191. ISBN 9780521027007. the conversion to Christianity of several Muslim and Druze families aided this growth immeasurably
  10. ^ "Refugee Review Tribunal: What is the attitude of the Druze community toward inter-religious marriages?" (PDF). Refworl. 6 June 2006.
  11. ^ Mishaqa 1988, p. 23.
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference ÁgostonMasters2009 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ al- H̲azīn, Farīd (2000). The Breakdown of the State in Lebanon, 1967–1976. Harvard University Press. p. 35. ISBN 9780674081055. So did other amirs, like the originally Druze Abi-llamah family, which also became Maronite
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference Deeb 2013 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ Farhad Daftary (24 April 1992). The Isma'ilis: Their History and Doctrines. Cambridge University Press. pp. 375–. ISBN 978-0-521-42974-0. Retrieved 13 September 2012.
  16. ^ Cite error: The named reference washingtoninstitute.org was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  17. ^ Cite error: The named reference Balanche 2017 27 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  18. ^ Fadwa N. Kirrish, "Druze Ethnicity in the Golan Heights: The Interface of Religion and Politics," Journal of the Institute of Muslim Minority Affairs 13.1 (1992), 122–135
  19. ^ a b "On the Horizon: The Strange World of the Druzes". Commentary Magazine. 20 January 1956.
  20. ^ BRANCA, PAOLO (1997). "SOME DRUZE 'CATECHISMS' IN ITALIAN LIBRARIES". Quaderni di Studi Arabi. 15: 151–164. JSTOR 25802822. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
  21. ^ The New Encyclopaedia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica. 1992. p. 237. ISBN 9780852295533. Druze religious beliefs developed out of Isma'ill teachings. Various Jewish, Christian, Gnostic, Neoplatonic, and Iranian elements, however, are combined under a doctrine of strict monotheism.
  22. ^ Cite error: The named reference SmetTamīmī2007 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  23. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Hitti 1928 37 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  24. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Dana 2008 17 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  25. ^ Swayd, Samy (2019). The A to Z of the Druzes. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 88. ISBN 9780810870024. Jesus is known in the Druze tradition as the "True Messiah" (al-Masih al-Haq), for he delivered what Druzes view as the true message. He is also referred to as the "Messiah of the Nations" (Masih al-Umam) because he was sent to the world as "Masih of Sins" because he is the one who forgives.
  26. ^ Makdisi, Ussama (2000). The Culture of Sectarianism: Community, History, and Violence in Nineteenth-Century Ottoman Lebanon. University of California Press. p. 35. ISBN 978-0520218468.
  27. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Swayd 2015 77 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  28. ^ Cite error: The named reference C. Brockman 2011 259 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  29. ^ Murphy-O'Connor, Jerome (2008). The Holy Land: An Oxford Archaeological Guide from Earliest Times to 1700. OUP Oxford. p. 205. ISBN 9780191647666.
  30. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference S. Swayd 2009 109 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).