The Teaching of Jacob (Ancient Greek: Διδασκαλία Ἰακώβου, Didaskalia Iakobou; Latin Doctrina Jacobi; Ethiopic Sargis d'Aberga) has a controversial dating from the early 7th century to the late 8th century.[1] It is a Greek Christian polemical tract supposedly set in Carthage in 634 but written in Syria Palaestina (Hadrian renamed Judea in 135 AD, after the Second Jewish Revolt or Bar Kokhba Revolt) sometime between 634 and 640.[2][3] It supposedly records a weeks-long discussion ending on July 13, 634, among Jews who have been forcibly baptized by order of the emperor. One of them, Jacob, has come to believe sincerely in Christianity; he instructs the rest about why they should also sincerely embrace their new faith. Halfway through, a Jewish merchant named Justus arrives and challenges Jacob to a debate. In the end, all of the participants are convinced to embrace Christianity, and Jacob and Justus return east.[4] In addition to several partial Greek manuscripts, the text survives in Latin, Arabic, Ethiopic and Slavonic translations.
- ^ Anthony, Sean W. (2014-01-01). "Muḥammad, the Keys to Paradise, and the Doctrina Iacobi: A Late Antique Puzzle". Der Islam. 91 (2). doi:10.1515/islam-2014-0010. ISSN 1613-0928.
- ^ Crone, 3, It is set in 634 and was "in all probability written in Palestine within a few years of that date". 152³, Crone and Cook argue F. Nau's date of 640 is too late.
- ^ Averil Cameron.
- ^ Kaegi, Jr., 141