Between Christology and Kalām? The Life and Letters of George, Bishop of the Arab Tribes

A translator of Aristotle and friend of Jacob of Edessa and Athanasios of Balad, George, Bishop of the Arab Tribes (d. AD 724) was an important figure in the history of the life and thought of the Syrian Orthodox Church. This article offers a study of the first three of George’s eleven extant letters and relates them to the larger Christian and Islamic context of his day. It will be of interest to students of Greek patristics, Syriac Christianity, and early Islamic history.