Did Christianity Spread by Power of Word or Sword? Debates between Ahmed Midhat Efendi and Missionary Henry Otis Dwight
Abstract
In the history of Muslim Christian relations, reciprocating polemics attracted attention. Ahmed Midhat Efendi lived in the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century and became famous for his works in various branches and fields. He also did some researches on Christianity and criticized it as a Muslim writer in his work Müdafaa. He claimed that Christianity was supported and spread by the force of the sword, not of the word. To prove this claim, he believed in the guidance of historical data, and he studied the History of Christianity, especially the period of Emperor Constantine.On the other hand, American Missionary Monsieur Dwight stated that Ahmed Midhat’s claim was wrong and made a response against him. Ahmed Midhat also responded to this reply. Scrutinizing the discussions of Ahmed Midhat and Monsieur Dwight on Constantine, this article consists of three parts. It first questions whether primary sources confirmed the information given by Ahmed Midhat on Constantine’s role in the history of Christianity. Secondly, it discusses the response and claims of Monsieur Dwight. Finally, it also deals with the response of Ahmed Midhat.
Keywords
History of Religions , Muslim-Christian Relations , Polemic , Ahmed Midhat Efendi , Constantine , Historical Criticism , Henry Otis Dwight
References
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