Nicetas of Byzantium

Nicetas of Byzantium ( Greek Νικήτας Βυζάντιος) was a Byzantine theologian, who at the time of Emperor Michael III. (842-867) lived.

Nicetas is particularly known for its refutation of the Koran . It is based on an apparently tendentious Greek translation of the Koran , which is no longer verifiable and which Niketas used as the first Byzantine writer. His major work is titled Refutation of the Error-Directed Book of Muhammad the Arab . Niceta's criticism of Islam is emphatically rationalist; he tries to refute the opposing doctrine with syllogisms . His portrayal, kept in an aggressive tone, shaped the approach of the Islamophobic Byzantine authors in the following centuries. In addition, Niketas wrote - probably on behalf of Emperor Michael - a reply to two letters addressed to the Emperor from the Islamic sphere of influence.

Edition and translation

• Karl Förstel (ed.): Niketas von Byzanz: Schriften zum Islam. I (= Corpus Islamo-Christianum , Series Graeca , Volume 5). Echter, Würzburg and Oros, Altenberge 2000 (Greek texts with German translation; contains: Confutatio falsi libri, quem scripsit Mohamedes Arabs ; Epistula I ad Agarenos ; Epistula II ad Agarenos )

literature

• Georgi Kapriev: Nicetas of Byzantium. In: Laurent Cesalli, Gerald Hartung (ed.): Outline of the history of philosophy . The philosophy of the Middle Ages. Volume 1: Byzantium, Judaism. Schwabe, Basel 2019, ISBN 978-3-7965-2623-7 , pp. 45 f., 253
• Klaus-Peter Todt:  Nicetas of Byzantium. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 6, Bautz, Herzberg 1993, ISBN 3-88309-044-1 , Sp. 820-821.