The Role of the Nestorian Christian in the Transmission of Greek Medicine to the Muslim World in the Era of the Abbasid

Taghavi Sangdehi, Seiiedeh Lila; Amanie Chakoly, Bahram; Asadi, Khadije

The Role of the Nestorian Christian in the Transmission of Greek Medicine to the Muslim World in the Era of the Abbasid

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Seiiedeh Lila Taghavi Sangdehi ¹

Bahram Amanie Chakoly ¹

Khadije Asadi ²

¹ Assistant Professor of Islamic History and Civilization, University of Zanjan, Zanjan, Iran

² Graduate student at the University of Zanjan, Zanjan, Iran

Abstract

When cultures collide, through its major activities that emanate from the translation, they can flourish themselves. Intimacy and familiarity of the Islamic World with Greek medical heritage which happened to be in the golden age of the Abbasids in Baghdad, led to the enrichment and prosperity of Islamic medicine. This sort of familiarity and reproductivity grew among Nestorian Christians through their attendance in the court of Caliphs, translation of Greek medical works into Syriac and Arabic and writing some medical works as well. The present study, while introducing Nestorian physicians and their medical effects and valuable services, attempted to explore and analyze historical texts, and also tried to manifest the role of Nestorian minority in the transmission of Greek medicine to Islamic civilization in the Abbasid period which led to the emergence of prominent physicians and in turn the advent of some famous works in this civilization. A glance at the history of medical life shows to what extent the role of Nestorian Christian minority in the Abbasid era is indispensable and decisive in the transmission of Greek medicine to Islamic civilization.

Keywords

Abbasid era

Nestorian Christians

Medical services Nestorians

Greek medicine