DebateBetweenCatholicsAndOrientalChristiansInThe13thCenturyAcre1290

ʿIsa Tarsah Kelemechi (, ) was a

Church of the East The Church of the East ( ) or the East Syriac Church, also called the Church of Seleucia-Ctesiphon, the Persian Church, the Assyrian Church, the Babylonian Church, the Chaldean Church or the Nestorian Church, is one of three major branches o ...

astronomer and physician at the Yuan court of

Kublai Khan Kublai Khan (23 September 1215 – 18 February 1294), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Shizu of Yuan and his regnal name Setsen Khan, was the founder and first emperor of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty of China. He proclaimed the ...

Mongol Empire The Mongol Empire was the List of largest empires, largest contiguous empire in human history, history. Originating in present-day Mongolia in East Asia, the Mongol Empire at its height stretched from the Sea of Japan to parts of Eastern Euro ...

in the 13th century.

Astrologer in China

ʿIsa was named head of the Office of Western Astronomy established by Kublai Khan in 1263 to study Islamic astronomical observations. Kubilai would establish a Observatory for Islamic astronomy in 1271, directed by astronomer Jamal ad-Din Bukhari. ʿIsa was also instrumental in reinforcing anti-Muslim prohibitions in the Mongol realms, such as prohibiting halal slaughter and

circumcision Circumcision is a procedure that removes the foreskin from the human penis. In the most common form of the operation, the foreskin is extended with forceps, then a circumcision device may be placed, after which the foreskin is excised. T ...

, and, according to

Rashid-al-Din Hamadani Rashīd al-Dīn Ṭabīb (;‎ 1247–1318; also known as Rashīd al-Dīn Faḍlullāh Hamadānī, ) was a statesman, historian, and physician in Ilkhanate Iran. ʿIsa also showed to Khubilai the

Sword Verse The Sword Verse () is the fifth verse of the ninth surah (''at-Tawbah'') of the Quran (also written as 9:5). It is a Quranic verse widely cited by critics of Islam to suggest the faith promotes violence against pagans ( polytheists, mushrikun) ...

of the

Quran The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...

, raising the suspicion of the Mongols towards Muslims. According to Rashid al-Din, as a result, "most Muslims left Khitai

hina Hina may refer to: People and deities * Hina (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Hina (goddess), the name assigned to a number of Polynesian deities. * Hina (singer), of 2021 group Lightsum Other u ...

Diplomat to Europe

Isa Kelemechi was later a member of the first mission to Europe sent by

Arghun Arghun Khan ( Mongolian Cyrillic: Аргун; Traditional Mongolian: ; c. 1258 – 10 March 1291) was the fourth ruler of the Mongol empire's Ilkhanate division, from 1284 to 1291. He was the son of Abaqa Khan, and like his father, was a de ...

, the Il-Khan in 1285. He met with

Pope Honorius IV Pope Honorius IV (born Giacomo Savelli; — 3 April 1287) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 2 April 1285 to his death on 3 April 1287. His election followed the death of Pope Martin IV and was notable for its sp ...

, remitting a letter from Ghazan offering to "remove" the

Saracen upright 1.5, Late 15th-century German woodcut depicting Saracens ''Saracen'' ( ) was a term used both in Greek and Latin writings between the 5th and 15th centuries to refer to the people who lived in and near what was designated by the Rom ...

s and divide "the land of Sham, namely

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

" with the Franks. The message, written in imperfect

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

, said: The 1285 embassy would be followed in 1287 by that of

Rabban bar Sauma Rabban Bar Ṣawma (Syriac language: , ; 1220January 1294), also known as Rabban Ṣawma or Rabban ÇaumaMantran, p. 298 ( zh, s=拉班·扫马, t=拉賓掃務瑪, p=lābīn sǎowùmǎ), was a Uygurs, Uyghur monk turned diplomat of the "Nestor ...

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kelemechi, Isa Ambassadors to the Mongol Empire Mongol Empire Nestorians Christians from Imperial China Year of death missing Year of birth missing 13th-century astronomers Mongol Empire scholars 13th-century diplomats 13th-century physicians Church of the East in Beijing Church of the East Christians

Astrologer in China

Diplomat to Europe

See also

Notes