The Rise and Decline of Christianity in Southern Jordan. A Case Study of Religious Change in Late Antiquity from the 4th to 9th Centuries A.D.

基督教在约旦南部的兴衰。

• 批准号: 253311693
• 负责人: Dr. Robert Schick
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Geographisches Institut
• 依托单位国家: 德国
• 项目类别: Research Grants
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 德国
• 起止时间: 2013-12-31 至 2018-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gepris.dfg.de/gepris/projekt/253311693?language=en
• 关键词: Rise; Decline; Christianity; Southern; Jordan.

For around six centuries (4th to 9th centuries A.D.), the population of the southern part of modern-day Jordan was largely Christian. A Christian presence is first attested since the late 3rd-early 4th century A.D. In the course of the 4th and 5th centuries their numbers grew and reached their peak in the 6th century, when Christians formed the majority of the population of southern Jordan. The Christians also continued for a few generations after the Muslim Conquests of the 630s, but by the 9th century their presence can scarcely be detected any longer. This rise and decline of Christianity in southern Jordan can serve as a test case of repeated change in the religious affiliation of a population in a specific area.The goal of this project is to trace the history of Christianity in southern Jordan in the period under discussion based on primary historical sources and the results of archaeological investigation of sites with early Christian remains, so far as the evidence permits. Based on the results gained and a comparison with other regions, the special features of the developments in south Jordan can be worked out and the reasons for the large-scale disappearance of the Christians there can be investigated. The historical sources that can be drawn upon include ecclesiastical records, the writings of Byzantine historians and a corpus of administrative documents on papyrus. In addition around one hundred archaeological sites with evidence for an early Christian presence can be studied to determine their occupational history. For that purpose the preparation of a corpus of the archaeological sites in southern Jordan with early Christian remains is planned. The results of the project will be presented in a monograph. The Christian presence in southern Jordan will first be studied chronologically from the beginnings in the late 3rd and early 4th centuries until the 9th century. Other chapters will be devoted to specific topics, such as the role of the non-Christian population in the area and their conversion to Christianity or continued allegiance to their own religion; how quickly and how thoroughly the area became Christianized; the urban and rural distribution of Christians; the presence of orthodox and heterodox Christians (i.e. Chalcedonian and Miaphysite Christians); and how the Christian population came to be replaced by Muslims through conversion and migration. A comparison with developments in other regions, along with the corpus of sites will form the conclusion of the monograph. The results will also be integrated into a Geographical Information System (GIS) database and map of the Byzantine Empire in the framework of the WissenschaftsCampus Mainz - Byzantium between Orient and Occident.

在大约六个世纪(公元4世纪至9世纪)，现代约旦南部的人口主要是基督徒。基督徒的存在自公元3世纪末至公元4世纪初首次被证明。在4世纪和5世纪期间，基督徒的数量增长，并在6世纪达到顶峰，当时基督徒构成了约旦南部人口的大多数。在公元630年代的穆斯林征服之后，基督徒也延续了几代人的时间，但到了9世纪，他们的存在几乎不再被察觉。基督教在约旦南部的这种兴衰可以作为特定地区人口宗教信仰反复变化的测试案例。该项目的目标是在证据允许的情况下，根据原始史料和对早期基督教遗迹遗址的考古调查结果，追溯所讨论时期约旦南部的基督教历史。根据所获得的结果并与其他地区进行比较，可以找出约旦南部发展的特点，并可以调查那里基督徒大规模失踪的原因。可以参考的历史资料包括教会记录、拜占庭历史学家的著作和关于纸莎草纸的行政文件语料库。此外，还可以研究大约100个具有早期基督教存在证据的考古遗址，以确定它们的职业史。为此目的，计划编制约旦南部考古遗址语料库，其中包括早期基督教遗骸。该项目的结果将以专著形式公布。基督徒在约旦南部的存在将首先按时间顺序从3世纪末和4世纪初开始研究，直到9世纪。其他章节将专门讨论具体专题，例如该地区非基督教人口的作用和他们皈依基督教或继续忠于自己宗教的情况；该地区成为基督教化的速度和深度；基督徒的城市和农村分布；东正教和异教基督徒(即迦勒底教徒和异端基督徒)的存在；以及基督教人口如何通过皈依和移民被穆斯林取代。与其他地区的发展进行比较，以及遗址语料库将形成专著的结论。调查结果还将纳入拜占庭帝国地理信息系统(地理信息系统)数据库和地图，该数据库和地图位于东西方之间的美因茨-拜占庭智慧校园框架内。