A Christian Pilgrim in Medieval Iraq

This book analyses the events of a decade long encounter between an Italian Dominican, Riccoldo da Montecroce (c. 1243–1320), and the Muslims of Baghdad, as recounted by the friar himself. While many of Riccoldo’s views of the Muslims are consonant with those of his medieval confrères, the author examines the much more ambivalent sections of his writings, such as his praise-filled descriptions of Muslim praxis, his obvious love of Qur’anic Arabic, his frequent references to personal encounters with Muslims, and his candid descriptions of the wonder and doubt which these confrontations often elicited. The author argues that the tensions and inconsistencies inherent in Riccoldo’s account of Islam should not be viewed as defects. Rather, she contends, their presence illustrates the complex nature of interreligious encounter itself. In addition to a critical discussion, this volume provides — for the first time — English translations of two remarkable Riccoldian texts: The Book of Pilgrimage (Liber peregrinationis) and Letters to the Church Triumphant (Epistolae ad ecclesiam triumphantem).