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The Origins of the Druze Religion

The Origins of the Druze Religion By David Bryer (Oxford) IN MEMORIAM SAMUEL MIKLOS STERN Preface Throughout the centuries the origins of the Druze,1) both ethnic and religious, have never ceased to be the subject of speculation. The suggestions about their racial origins have ranged through the Samaritans, the Cuthites and the Hivites to the French, the British and the Tibetans. Apparently backed up by more evidence but, in fact, equally unproven were Professor Hitti's theories about their Persian roots.2) Indeed, it was not until 1939 in an article by Martin Sprengung,3) in which he discussed the whole question of the Druze's ethnic orgins, that the obvious answer was given--"They are a mixture of Stocks, in which the Arab (or more particularly the South Arab) largely predominates, grafted onto an original mountain population of Aramaic and other blood," in other words the typical mixture of the mountain dwellers of the East Mediterranean coast.4) But if the theories about their ethnic origins are wild, those about the nature of their religion are no less so. The enemies of the Druze have always portrayed thern s worshippers of a calf, with ) I have used the Anglicised form Druze for both the singular Durzl and the http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Der Islam de Gruyter

The Origins of the Druze Religion

Bryer, David
Der Islam , Volume 52 (1) – Jan 1, 1975
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Publisher
de Gruyter
Copyright
Copyright © 2009 Walter de Gruyter
ISSN
0021-1818
eISSN
1613-0928
DOI
10.1515/islm.1975.52.1.47
Publisher site
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Abstract

By David Bryer (Oxford) IN MEMORIAM SAMUEL MIKLOS STERN Preface Throughout the centuries the origins of the Druze,1) both ethnic and religious, have never ceased to be the subject of speculation. The suggestions about their racial origins have ranged through the Samaritans, the Cuthites and the Hivites to the French, the British and the Tibetans. Apparently backed up by more evidence but, in fact, equally unproven were Professor Hitti's theories about their Persian roots.2) Indeed, it was not until 1939 in an article by Martin Sprengung,3) in which he discussed the whole question of the Druze's ethnic orgins, that the obvious answer was given--"They are a mixture of Stocks, in which the Arab (or more particularly the South Arab) largely predominates, grafted onto an original mountain population of Aramaic and other blood," in other words the typical mixture of the mountain dwellers of the East Mediterranean coast.4) But if the theories about their ethnic origins are wild, those about the nature of their religion are no less so. The enemies of the Druze have always portrayed thern s worshippers of a calf, with ) I have used the Anglicised form Druze for both the singular Durzl and the

Journal

Der Islam – de Gruyter

Published: Jan 1, 1975

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