Memory Eternal: Irfan Shahid (1926-2016)

It has been brought to my attention that the great Palestinian-American scholar Irfan Shahid passed away earlier this month, on November 9. His funeral was held at Saints Peter and Paul Antiochian Orthodox Church in Potomac, Maryland on November 18. A brief sketch of his life and career can be found here and a wonderfully-detailed interview about his scholarly career can be found here.

His multi-volume Byzantium and the Arabs is foundational for the study of Christianity among pre-Islamic Arabs:

Rome and the Arabs

 

Byzantium and the Arabs in the Fourth Century

 

Byzantium and the Arabs in the Fifth Century

 

Byzantium and the Arabs in the Sixth Century, Volume 1

 

Byzantium and the Arabs in the Sixth Century, Volume 2, Part 1

 

Byzantium and the Arabs in the Sixth Century, Volume 2, Part 2