Abraham Mitrie Rihbany
Encyclopedia
Abraham Mitrie Rihbany was an Eastern Mediterranean
Arab immigrant to America who wrote on matters of religion and politics. "In debt and nearly penniless on his arrival in New York, he went on to become a respected clergyman and nationally recognized community leader." His best-known book, The Syrian Christ (1916), was highly influential in its time in explaining the cultural background to some situations and modes of expression to be found in the Gospels. It is still cited in both Biblical Studies
and Sociolinguistics
.
, Mount Lebanon
, a part of Ottoman Syria
that is now in Lebanon
. At 9 years old he was apprenticed to a stone-cutter, but at the age of 17 he managed to attend the Presbyterian School in Souk El Gharb
, catching up on his secondary education in two years of study and briefly becoming a teacher himself. It was here that he became a Presbyterian, in spite of his family's long adherence to the Greek Orthodox Church
.
In 1891 Rihbany emigrated to the United States, in the first instance to New York City, where he briefly edited Kawkab Amirka (The Star of America), North America's first Arabic newspaper. He left New York in 1893 and travelled through the Mid-West, funding short stints of study at Manchester College (Indiana) (1894) and Ohio Wesleyan University
(1895–96) by giving lecture tours to churches on the culture of the Holy Land as a key to the Scriptures. He indefinitely postponed his studies after being offered a position as a resident Congregationalist minister in Morenci, Michigan
. Thereafter he served as minister for two years in Mount Pleasant, Michigan
, and for nine in Toledo, Ohio
, ending up at the Church of the Disciples, a Unitarian
church in Boston, Massachusetts.
His first book, A Far Journey (1913), was an account of his life in Syria and America. His ideas about the importance of East-Mediterranean
culture to an understanding of the Gospels were developed in a series of articles for The Atlantic Monthly
, and in 1916 published in book form as The Syrian Christ. This went through numerous American and British editions up to 1937, was translated into German, and has more recently been translated into Arabic and reissued in English.
During the First World War, Rihbany began writing on political issues. His Militant America and Jesus Christ (1917) made a case for American involvement in liberating the homeland of Jesus from Ottoman rule. The following year he brought out America Save the Near East, which sold out three editions in twelve months. In it he advocated American trusteeship over an independent Greater Syrian federal republic. Rihbany believed that America stood alone in lacking imperial ambitious in the region and that the United States was uniquely equipped to reshape the region in a progressive fashion. It was due to this publication that he came to attend the Paris Peace Conference, 1919
, where he became attached to the entourage of Emir Faisal
, the leader of the Arab delegation, as a translator. A Greater Syrian state (the Kingdom of Syria) did briefly come into existence under Faisal before the French Mandate of Syria
was imposed in 1920. Rihbany's account of the peace conference, Wise Men from the East and Wise Men from the West, was in part published in Harper's Magazine (Dec. 1921) before being issued as a book.
While promoting Arab nationalist and Anti-Zionist ideas, Rihbany did not stop writing religious pamphlets for the American Unitarian Association
, as well as more substantial works of spiritual reflection. One British reviewer of his Seven Days with God commented on his "keen spiritual insight and considerable vigour of thought".
Rihbany died in Stamford, Connecticut, in 1944.
Eastern Mediterranean
The Eastern Mediterranean is a term that denotes the countries geographically to the east of the Mediterranean Sea. This region is also known as Greater Syria or the Levant....
Arab immigrant to America who wrote on matters of religion and politics. "In debt and nearly penniless on his arrival in New York, he went on to become a respected clergyman and nationally recognized community leader." His best-known book, The Syrian Christ (1916), was highly influential in its time in explaining the cultural background to some situations and modes of expression to be found in the Gospels. It is still cited in both Biblical Studies
Biblical studies
Biblical studies is the academic study of the Judeo-Christian Bible and related texts. For Christianity, the Bible traditionally comprises the New Testament and Old Testament, which together are sometimes called the "Scriptures." Judaism recognizes as scripture only the Hebrew Bible, also known as...
and Sociolinguistics
Sociolinguistics
Sociolinguistics is the descriptive study of the effect of any and all aspects of society, including cultural norms, expectations, and context, on the way language is used, and the effects of language use on society...
.
Life and Works
Rihbany was born in ShweirShweir
Shweir or Choueir is the name of a small town in the Matn region of Mt Sannine, Lebanon. Located in the shadow of the mountain overlooking Beirut and the Mediterranean Sea.Most of the town signs use the Choueir and Dhour Choueir spelling....
, Mount Lebanon
Mount Lebanon
Mount Lebanon , as a geographic designation, is a Lebanese mountain range, averaging above 2,200 meters in height and receiving a substantial amount of precipitation, including snow, which averages around four meters deep. It extends across the whole country along about , parallel to the...
, a part of Ottoman Syria
Ottoman Syria
Ottoman Syria is a European reference to the area that during European Renaissance from the late 15th to early 18th century was called the Levant within the early period of the Ottoman Empire, the Orient until the early 19th century, and Greater Syria until 1918...
that is now in Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
. At 9 years old he was apprenticed to a stone-cutter, but at the age of 17 he managed to attend the Presbyterian School in Souk El Gharb
Souk El Gharb
Souk El Gharb is a village in the Mount Lebanon Governorate, Aley District, in the country of Lebanon. The name of the village translates to "Western Market."...
, catching up on his secondary education in two years of study and briefly becoming a teacher himself. It was here that he became a Presbyterian, in spite of his family's long adherence to the Greek Orthodox Church
Greek Orthodox Church
The Greek Orthodox Church is the body of several churches within the larger communion of Eastern Orthodox Christianity sharing a common cultural tradition whose liturgy is also traditionally conducted in Koine Greek, the original language of the New Testament...
.
In 1891 Rihbany emigrated to the United States, in the first instance to New York City, where he briefly edited Kawkab Amirka (The Star of America), North America's first Arabic newspaper. He left New York in 1893 and travelled through the Mid-West, funding short stints of study at Manchester College (Indiana) (1894) and Ohio Wesleyan University
Ohio Wesleyan University
Ohio Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college in Delaware, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1842 by Methodist leaders and Central Ohio residents as a nonsectarian institution, and is a member of the Ohio Five — a consortium of Ohio liberal arts colleges...
(1895–96) by giving lecture tours to churches on the culture of the Holy Land as a key to the Scriptures. He indefinitely postponed his studies after being offered a position as a resident Congregationalist minister in Morenci, Michigan
Morenci, Michigan
Morenci is a city in Lenawee County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,398 at the 2000 census.Morenci is the birthplace of Tony Scheffler, a tight end for the Detroit Lions...
. Thereafter he served as minister for two years in Mount Pleasant, Michigan
Mount Pleasant, Michigan
Mount Pleasant is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Isabella County. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 25,946. The 2008 census estimate places the population at 26,675....
, and for nine in Toledo, Ohio
Toledo, Ohio
Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...
, ending up at the Church of the Disciples, a Unitarian
Unitarianism
Unitarianism is a Christian theological movement, named for its understanding of God as one person, in direct contrast to Trinitarianism which defines God as three persons coexisting consubstantially as one in being....
church in Boston, Massachusetts.
His first book, A Far Journey (1913), was an account of his life in Syria and America. His ideas about the importance of East-Mediterranean
Levant
The Levant or ) is the geographic region and culture zone of the "eastern Mediterranean littoral between Anatolia and Egypt" . The Levant includes most of modern Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian territories, and sometimes parts of Turkey and Iraq, and corresponds roughly to the...
culture to an understanding of the Gospels were developed in a series of articles for The Atlantic Monthly
The Atlantic Monthly
The Atlantic is an American magazine founded in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1857. It was created as a literary and cultural commentary magazine. It quickly achieved a national reputation, which it held for more than a century. It was important for recognizing and publishing new writers and poets,...
, and in 1916 published in book form as The Syrian Christ. This went through numerous American and British editions up to 1937, was translated into German, and has more recently been translated into Arabic and reissued in English.
During the First World War, Rihbany began writing on political issues. His Militant America and Jesus Christ (1917) made a case for American involvement in liberating the homeland of Jesus from Ottoman rule. The following year he brought out America Save the Near East, which sold out three editions in twelve months. In it he advocated American trusteeship over an independent Greater Syrian federal republic. Rihbany believed that America stood alone in lacking imperial ambitious in the region and that the United States was uniquely equipped to reshape the region in a progressive fashion. It was due to this publication that he came to attend the Paris Peace Conference, 1919
Paris Peace Conference, 1919
The Paris Peace Conference was the meeting of the Allied victors following the end of World War I to set the peace terms for the defeated Central Powers following the armistices of 1918. It took place in Paris in 1919 and involved diplomats from more than 32 countries and nationalities...
, where he became attached to the entourage of Emir Faisal
Faisal I of Iraq
Faisal bin Hussein bin Ali al-Hashemi, was for a short time King of the Arab Kingdom of Syria or Greater Syria in 1920, and was King of the Kingdom of Iraq from 23 August 1921 to 1933...
, the leader of the Arab delegation, as a translator. A Greater Syrian state (the Kingdom of Syria) did briefly come into existence under Faisal before the French Mandate of Syria
French Mandate of Syria
Officially the French Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon was a League of Nations mandate founded after the First World War and the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire...
was imposed in 1920. Rihbany's account of the peace conference, Wise Men from the East and Wise Men from the West, was in part published in Harper's Magazine (Dec. 1921) before being issued as a book.
While promoting Arab nationalist and Anti-Zionist ideas, Rihbany did not stop writing religious pamphlets for the American Unitarian Association
American Unitarian Association
The American Unitarian Association was a religious denomination in the United States and Canada, formed by associated Unitarian congregations in 1825. In 1961, it merged with the Universalist Church of America to form the Unitarian Universalist Association.According to Mortimer Rowe, the Secretary...
, as well as more substantial works of spiritual reflection. One British reviewer of his Seven Days with God commented on his "keen spiritual insight and considerable vigour of thought".
Rihbany died in Stamford, Connecticut, in 1944.
List of his books
- A Far Journey. London: Constable; Boston and New York: Houghton MifflinHoughton MifflinHoughton Mifflin Harcourt is an educational and trade publisher in the United States. Headquartered in Boston's Back Bay, it publishes textbooks, instructional technology materials, assessments, reference works, and fiction and non-fiction for both young readers and adults.-History:The company was...
, 1914. - The Syrian Christ. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1916. Reissued by Kessinger Publishing, 2006. ISBN 978-1-4286-1741-4
- Militant America and Jesus Christ. Boston and New York: Houghton Miflin, 1917.
- America Save the Near East. Boston: Beacon PressBeacon PressBeacon Press is an American non-profit book publisher. Founded in 1854 by the American Unitarian Association, it is currently a department of the Unitarian Universalist Association.Beacon Press is a member of the Association of American University Presses....
, 1918. - The Hidden Treasure of Rasmola. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1920.
- Wise Men from the East and from the West. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1922.
- The Christ Story for Boys and Girls, illustrated by Gustaf TenggrenGustaf TenggrenGustaf Adolf Tenggren was a Swedish-American illustrator. He is known for his Arthur Rackham-influenced fairy-tale style and use of silhouetted figures with caricatured faces...
. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1923. - Seven Days With God. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1926.
- The Five Interpretations of Jesus. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1940.
Other sources
- Excerpts from A Far Journey in Immigrant Voices: Twenty-Four Voices on Becoming an American, edited by Gordon Hutner. New York: Signet Classics, 1999. ISBN 978-0-451-52698-4
- Habib I. Katibah, The New Spirit in the Arab Lands. New York, 1940, p. 58.
- The American Spirit in the Writings of Americans of Foreign Birth, edited by Robert E. Stauffer, 1922.
- The New York Times Book ReviewThe New York Times Book ReviewThe New York Times Book Review is a weekly paper-magazine supplement to The New York Times in which current non-fiction and fiction books are reviewed. It is one of the most influential and widely read book review publications in the industry. The offices are located near Times Square in New York...
, Nov. 24, 1918, review of America Save the Near East.