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Ibn Arab, Les Illuminations de la Mecque/The Meccan Illuminations/Al-Futt al-Makkiyya:

Textes choisis/Selected Texts Translated into French or English by Michel Chodkiewicz;William C. Chittick; Cyrille Chodkiewicz; Denis Gril; James MorrisReview by: Victor DannerJournal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. 111, No. 2 (Apr. - Jun., 1991), pp. 399-400Published by: American Oriental SocietyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/604045 .

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Reviews of Books 399tions and contradictions. Already at the end of the fifthcentury Lazar of P'arp had noted these puzzles. Since heassumed that "Buzand" referredto Byzantium, he was forcedto explain the "falsehoods" and "absurdities"-unworthy of aByzantinescholar-as due to the interpolations of an ignorantscribe. But modern scholarship has convincingly demonstratedthat the History was not written in Greek (or Syriac); it is anoriginal Armenian composition which dates from the latterpart of the fifth century. Buzand is derived from the Parthian*bozand, "areciter of epic poems" (as originally elucidated byAnahit Perikhanian), and -aranis a common Armenian suffixfor location. So the title Buzandaran Patmutciwnk' means"Epic Histories" and the author is anonymous, since the nameP'awstos is a correction to a later colophon. He is not thebishop of Greek origin named in the text, or the Faustosknown to St. Basil of Caesarea.

Also puzzling is the fact that the work starts at book III.Clarifyingthe text of the initial statement, Professor Garsoianindicates that the Epic Histories were later interpreted as alink between the accounts of the earlier evangelization ofArmenia (by Thaddaeus and then Gregory the Illuminator)and a later unnamed writer. The last may have been Koriwn,who describes the invention of the Armenian script soon afterthe division of the kingdom (where the Epic Histories end). Alater adapter added the Armenian introductory statement,changed the numbering of the books, and included tables ofcontents. The chapter headings in the text were probablyadded between the time of the original composition and thisreworking.

Professor Garsofan distinguishes oral and written sourcesfor the Epic Histories. In the latter category are biblical andhagiographical texts, a version of the Agathangelos cycleearlier than the surviving Armenian text, and liturgical ma-terial. There is no evidence for direct acquaintance with non-Armenian sources. The oral sources are the most significant,given the epic character of the work. These may be con-veniently divided into two groups, which Garsolan entitles the"Geste of the Argakuni"(the royal house), and the "Geste ofthe Maminonean." These "Gestes" are not concerned withchronological accuracy, but rather extol the heroic virtues ofthe aristocracy and reflect the interests of a military society.The ecclesiastical strain is not epic in origin, but ratherhagio-graphical. So although the Epic Histories give a somewhathaphazardappearanceat firstsight, the strandsare interwovenwith care. Garsoianexplains in detail the anachronisms and in-terpolations, drawing out the true historical value of the book.

The importance of the Epic Histories lies in their reflectionof a living society. They are not a political chronicle, but anexpression of the author's own engagement in the events(secular and religious) of the time. He recognizes the pro-Roman and pro-Iranian parties among the nobility and theirstruggles to retain hereditary rights. He notes the importanceof the Syrian strain in Armenian Christianity, the family

rights of Gregory's descendants, and the continuing presenceof pagan customs and beliefs. Despite the author's devotion toChristianity (and disapproval of Arian tendencies), more thanany other Armenian historian he portrays the underlyingIranian ethos of Armenian society. Later Armenian historiansfixed the tradition in a more learned fashion, but in so doingthey distorted the true picture which emerges vividly from thepages of these Epic Histories.

This is a fine study and a treasure of information. Essentialfor all interested in early Armenian history and culture, it willbe of great value for Byzantinists and Iranists as well.

ROBERT W. THOMSONHARVARD UNIVERSITY

Ibn cArabT,Les Illuminations de la Mecquel The MeccanIlluminations/Ai-Futihdt al-Makkiyya: Textes choisis/Se-lected Texts Translatedinto French or English. Edited byMICHELCHODKIEWICZ;ranslated by MICHELCHODKIE-WICZ, WILLIAMC. CHITTICK,CYRILLECHODKIEWICZ,DENISGRIL, nd JAMESMORRIS.a Bibliotheque de l'Islam.Paris: SINDBAD, 1989. Pp. 656. FF 230.For years, Sufi studies in the West were confined to a few of

the classical figures, such as al-Ghazal! and al-Hallaj. Thegreat Andalusian Sufi sage, Ibn 'Arabi, was more or lessavoided because of the immense quantity of his productionand the abstract nature of his intellectual mysticism, with onlyM. Asin Palacios and Henry Corbin venturing to give someaccount of his life and ideas. Now, the dam has been brokenand works on the Shaykh al-Akbar, as he is known in theMuslim world, are becoming numerous. The Chodkiewiczfamily of France, one of the most remarkable scholarlydynasties of our times, has dedicated itself to exploring theAndalusian sage's thought.

In 1984, the Rothko Chapel Foundation approached MichelChodkiewicz to seek his supervision over a project to makethe works of Ibn 'ArabTmore accessible to researchersand thegeneral public. An anthology of this eminent Sufi's writingswas planned as one of Chodkiewicz's tasks. This book, LesIlluminations de la Mecque/ The Meccan Illuminations, repre-sents that anthology. It is a series of selected texts from al-Futuhat al-Makkiyyah translated into French and English byfive specialists. The French selections are from the pens ofMichel and Cyrille Chodkiewicz and Denis Gril; the English,from those of William Chittick and James Morris.

The texts selected give a fairly good and comprehensiveview of Ibn 'Arab-'s thinking. Chodkiewicz provides first anecessary and lucid introduction that situates the Futihdt

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400 Journal of the American Oriental Society 111.2 (1991)within its proper setting in the world of Sufism and Islam.There then follow eight sections, each of which has an intro-duction by one of the translators. Section one is on the divinenames and theophanies; two, on the end of time; three, on thelesser and greater resurrection; our, on the Law and the Path;five, on the states and stations of sainthood; six, on the goal ofspiritual voyage; seven, on Ibn 'Arabi's ascension; and eight,on the science of letters. Under section one, for instance, onefinds themes as varied as the origin of the creation, the PerfectMan, the breath of the All Merciful, and the most beautifulNames of Allah.

The translations in the anthology are, by and large, quitelively and flow smoothly, both the French and the Englishshowing a technically exact scholarship. Chodkiewicz and theothers have gone to considerable pains to put together acomprehensive selection of texts that give us an accuratenotion about the thinking of Ibn 'Arabi. With this volumeand Chittick's own work on Ibn 'Arabi, The Sufi Path ofKnowledge, plus the recently published bio-bibliographicalstudy of the Andalusian Sufi by Chodkiewicz's daughter,Claude Addas, Ibn 'ArabTou la quite du soufre rouge, wenow have enough material available to assess the work of theShaykh al-Akbar. Suddenly, one of the most obscure andinaccessible of the great Sufis has emerged into the limelightof Islamic history with amazing swiftness and an impact noone was preparedto experience.

The appendices that follow the translation are quite impres-sive and of great value. In one of them, the notes to thesections are found, running to well over a hundred pages offineprint. There then follow a concise bibliography, a Koranicindex, and an index/glossary, all of which contribute to thebook's general worth.

The introductions to the different sections are useful, andhelp in the understanding of Ibn 'Arabi's thinking. Chodkie-wicz and his colleagues are to be congratulated on producinggood translations accompanied by a first-rate scholarly ap-paratus that explains all abstruse points. This is only asampling of the contents of the Futahat, but it is sufficient toallow the reader a fairly good idea of the depth and range ofIbn 'Arabi's writings. It also reveals the existence of a bur-geoning school of specialists in Ibn 'ArabTwhose contribu-tions have already been ratherimpressive and from whom wecan expect other major works in the near future. In thesedays, when the image of Islam provided by modernist andfundamentalist Muslims seems so superficialand uninspiring,it is good to hear from such great traditional authorities asIbn 'Arabi, whose ideas seem always fresh and deep.

VICTOR DANNERINDIANA UNIVERSITY

The Arts of Persia. Ed. by RONALD W. FERRIER. New Haven:YALE UNIVERSITY PRESS, 1989. Pp. 334, incl. 250 black andwhite, 170 color illustrations. $60.According to the historian Ronald W. Ferrier, the editor of

this lavishly produced volume, it was conceived as "a tributeto the permanence of the Persian spirit down the ages as it isexpressed in art." This is, indeed, an admirable goal, though itis not fully realized here. Encyclopedic in scope, the bookconsists of contributions by twenty leading scholars of Persianart and culture. Each essay is extensively illustrated, oftenpublishing for the first time in an easily accessible form anumber of important works of art. Taken individually thechapters of the book provide succinct, often very well written,encapsulations of various aspects of Iran's artistic heritage.Several of the articles, including Edward Keal's "Art of theAchaemenians," James Allan's "Metalwork," and MichaelRogers'"Ceramics," offer especially insightful comments andwill be of interest to specialists as well as readers less familiarwith these subjects.

In the aggregate, however, the essays are more problemati-cal. For instance, the first essay in the volume is meant toprovide a brief historical overview for examining the arts ofpre-Islamic and Islamic Iran. But in its brevity it providesonly the briefest sketch of the rise and fall of Iran's numerousdynasties. It establishes neither an intellectual nor a social,political, or cultural framework for studying the artisticachievements of Iran, and reduces its history to a series ofvignettes presented in a linear sequence.

The lack of a clearly articulated approach or methodologyis evident in the overall organization of the book itself, andthe arrangement of the loosely related essays. Pre-IslamicIran is treated in four essays ("Early Art," "Art of the Achae-menians,""Art of the Parthians,""Artof the Sasanians")thatfocus on dynastic divisions. Islamic Iran on the other hand isdivided into fifteen essays that explore specific artistic genresranging from architecture to calligraphy. The result is a kindof collapsed or condensed version of the magnificent, and forits time exhaustive, multi-volume Survey of Persian Art firstpublished in 1938-39. Like the Survey, there is here a di-chotomy in the way pre-Islamic and Islamic Iran are treated.But unlike the Survey, The Arts of Persia provides littlecontext for "bridging" his gap. This is particularly troubling,given the latter's aim to "advance new interest and make afresh appeal to those who desire a wider knowledge." While itis impossible to argue with the premise of this goal, theabsence of a coherent historical context or interpretationmeans that the book never develops a structure for under-standing the myriad factors that shape the arts of Iran. To befair, some of the essays, most notably the ones on coinage,jewelry, glass, and textiles, make an effort to establish acontinuum between pre-Islamic and Islamic traditions. Butthis is not systematic and it is done, on the whole, without

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