Patriarchate and Imamate

Abstract

This chapter focuses on Dionysius' showpiece, his own account of his encounter with al-Maʾmun. It also recounts Al Maʾmun's threat to reorganize the way in which religious minorities were governed and to allow even very small groups to select their own leaders and representatives to government. It explains that Al Maʾmun's plan was a source of serious concern for a patriarch such as Dionysius, forcing him to make a case to the caliph on why the Christians should not be treated in this manner. The chapter analyzes Dionysius' strategy of arguing that he, like the caliph, was an imam, elected by his people and not chosen by descent like the leaders of the Jews and the Zoroastrians. It reviews Dionysius' claim that the patriarchal leadership was an intrinsic part of Christianity that Muslim rulers were sworn to protect.