Alexander the Flexible Friend: Some Reflections on the Representation of Alexander the Great in the Arabic Alexander Romance

Alexander the Flexible Friend: Some Reflections on the Representation of Alexander the Great in the Arabic Alexander RomanceJournal of Eastern Christian StudiesSyriaca.org: The Syriac Reference PortalThe National Endowment for the HumanitiesThe International Balzan Prize FoundationDavid A. Michelsoncbsc_adminRecord added to Zotero bycbsc_adminSyriaca.org: The Syriac Reference Portalhttp://syriaca.org/cbss/YCLPJWH6/tei

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2024-08-15-04:00

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CREATED: This bibl record was autogenerated from a Zotero record.FaustinaDoufikar-AertsAlexander the Flexible Friend: Some Reflections on the Representation of Alexander the Great in the Arabic Alexander Romancehttp://syriaca.org/cbss/YCLPJWH6https://www.zotero.org/groups/a_comprehensive_bibliography_on_syriac_studies/items/YCLPJWH6https://www.zotero.org/groups/4861694/items/YCLPJWH6Journal of Eastern Christian Studies55:3-42003195-210In the third century A.D. a legendary biography of Alexander the Great was composed in Greek: this co-called Alexander Romance of Pseudo-Callisthene became enormously popular and was translated in many languages. This treatise pays attention to the Arabic version of the Romance. Although the Arabic Romance was considered to be lost, my research for Alexander Magnus Arabicus brought to light an Arabic manuscript which, apparently, contained this Alexander Romance. The text forms the ‘missing link’ between the Syriac Romance, and its translation into Ethiopic. The Arabic version is a revision of the Syriac recension with interpolations from other sources. The polytheistic character of the Syriac Romance was thoroughly erased, in favor of monotheistic features, which show ambiguity as to whether their nature is to be interpreted as Islamic or Christian. Doufikar-Aerts, Faustina. “Alexander the Flexible Friend: Some Reflections on the Representation of Alexander the Great in the Arabic Alexander Romance.” Journal of Eastern Christian Studies 55:3-4 (2003): 195–210. Faustina Doufikar-Aerts, Alexander the Flexible Friend: Some Reflections on the Representation of Alexander the Great in the Arabic Alexander Romance, Journal of Eastern Christian Studies 55:3-4 (2003): 195–210.Alexander RomanceAlexander the GreatGreek literatureSyriac influence [Arabs]VII-XVIII CEtranslations from Syriactranslations into Arabic