The Courant Research Center “Education and Religionfrom Early Imperial Roman Times to the ClassicalPeriod of Islam” (EDRIS) was established at theUniversity of Göttingen in 2009 in order tosystematically analyze the goals and values thatinspired educational and religious traditions in theMediterranean world during late antiquity and themedieval period (1st to 13thcentury C.E.) This area of research has beenidentified by the six Principal Investigators whofounded the EDRIS Center as directly relevant to aperiod and a region which figure centrally in therise and growth of both ‘Western’ and ‘Islamic’civilizations, with the hope that their academicstudy will lead to a better understanding of thecultural and intellectual foundations of the Westernand Islamic worlds during what may be called their‘shared past’. Moreover, uncovering key concepts,theories, and philosophies of education and wisdomfrom several great civilizations, which decisivelyshaped historical developments in Europe and theMiddle East and continue to influence discoursetoday, will not only serve to substantially enrichdiscussion in our modern culturally diversesocieties, but will also be highly significant inlight of the many debates being held today on apotential ‘clash of civilizations’.

More importantly, perhaps, the EDRIS Center was alsointended from the outset to provide for its membersand many visiting scholars an atmosphere of fruitfullearning and research collaboration among theparticipating disciplines. Thus, among otherdisciplines, Classical Philology, Christian Theologyand Church History, as well as Arabic and IslamicStudies have built a truly unique platform forinterdisciplinary discourse and academic activitiesespecially, though not exclusively, for juniorresearchers.

The present volume of collected studies evidences thisintellectually stimulating atmosphere by bringingtogether a range of excellent scholars from thefields of Islamic History, Arabic and IslamicStudies, Oriental and Jewish Studies, as well asChristian Arabic and Syriac Studies. Fur thermore,while Damascus and Cairo have long attractedacademic attention as medieval centers of learning,the focus of this very welcome new book is Baghdādas a meeting point of eminent individuals,intellectual trajectories, and religious beliefs.The general interdisciplinary research approach inthis volume is reflected not only in the backgroundsof its contributors, but also in the impressivepanorama of cross-cultural and cross-religiousthemes presented, taking Muslim as well as Christianand Jewish perspectives of the time into dueconsideration.