This book brings together thirty separate studies of the complex
religious, communal and linguistic history of the Roman Near East in the
period from the conversion of the Emperor Constantine to Christianity in
CE 312 to the first Islamic invasion in CE 632. A newly-written
Epilogue, 'Open Questions', reviews the different fields of study
involved, and asks how far what we find helps to understand the origins
of Islam.


Pagan Greeks and Greek-speaking Christians, as well as Jews and
Samaritans using Hebrew and Aramaic, co-existed, as did a new Christian
community using Syriac, a branch of Aramaic. The complex and extensive
evidence for this multicultural world has had to be approached in
separate studies, while retaining a sense of communal co-existence and
mutual relationships. The papers have been edited so as to appear in a
consistent form, and are arranged in groups intended to offer a coherent
overall structure. It is hoped that they will stimulate further work on
this important phase in cultural and religious history.