The theological discourse of Arab Christianity is characterized by a self-evident consideration
of religious difference. In the constant cultural and religious exchange a specific Christian
identity developed which is not conceivable without Islamic influences and challenges. When in
the middle of the 9th century Islam reached its classical form also the Christian-Arab
theology in its characteristic forms began to flourish in the new lingua franca et sacra in the
House of Islam. The present anthology offers insights into various aspects of Arab Christianity
from its early confrontations with Islam to the present day such as: the early Christian
reactions to rising Islam translations of liturgical texts among the Melkites theological
education and religious practice among Eastern Syrian Christians in Qatar comparative
Christology among different Arab theologians the medieval Islamic Kalam inter-religious
pilgrimage in late antiquity pilgrims and administrators of holy sites in the Holy Land in the
14th century and the history of the Holy Land in the 19th century Poetic lamentation among
neo-Aramaic speaking Chaldean Christians in Northern Iraq Christian mission in contemporary
Lebanon mystical traditions in an inter-religious comparative perspective migration and
inter-religious dialogue in Germany resilience strategies among Syrian refugees and finally
contemporary inter-religious coexistence in the autonomous region of Kurdistan in Northern
Iraq. Their common ground lies in the cultural and religious encounters between Christians and
Muslims from different times and places. The title of the present volume alludes to the fact
that the contributions differ in their topics areas and methods.
