Early Sources on Islam: The Doctrina Jacobi

Text, Translation and Overview

The Doctrina Jacobi (“Teaching of Jacob”) is an originally Greek text (though not all of it survives in the original language), set in the context of the forced conversion of Jews to Christianity in the Roman (Byzantine) realm of Carthage during the reign of the Emperor Heraclius. The events in the work can specifically be dated to 634 CE, just two years after the traditional date of the Prophet Muhammad’s death. The central character of the work, as the title suggests, is Jacob, one of the converts who comes to adopt the Christian faith sincerely and instructs Jews about the truth of the faith.

A small part of the Doctrina Jacobi located towards the very end of the work (V.16-17) features a dialogue between Jacob and Justus, who becomes wholly convinced of Jacob’s words about Christ. Justus, citing his brother Abraham, mentions a “prophet” who has appeared among “the Saracens” (i.e. the Arabs/Muslims) and that the Jews of Palestine felt great joy about this prophet’s appearance, believing that he would herald the coming of the Jewish Messiah. In truth, however, this man is a false prophet, only bringing about “massacres of men.” These references to a prophet and massacres are surely among the earliest references to Muhammad and also the concept of jihad as holy war. The reference to Jewish joy about him would suggest that at least some Jews in Palestine initially welcomed the Muslim conquest as a liberation from what was seen as oppressive Byzantine rule.

I have translated this excerpt from the text and included the edition of the original Greek, taken from Juifs et Chrétiens en Orient Byzantin (“Jews and Christians in the Byzantine East”) by Gilbert Dagron and Vincent Déroche (pp. 208-213). It should be noted that there appear to be some gaps in the original text, indicated by (…).