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Archiver > GEN-MEDIEVAL > 2001-06 > 0992672933


From: "T. Stanford M. S. P. F. Mommaerts-Meulemans-Browne" <>
Subject: Re: Mohammed the Prophet
Date: Sat, 16 Jun 2001 01:28:53 -0500
References: <01c0f4c1$a7241880$LocalHost@fti/62hzcyc>, <3B295FB8.4E064EA1@interfold.com>, <B7505AC2.304A%magus@ozemail.com.au> <3B2A72C0.510DE8CC@interfold.com>



----- Original Message -----
From: "Todd A. Farmerie" <>
To: <>
Sent: Friday, 15 June, 2001 03:40 PM
Subject: Re: Mohammed the Prophet


> Marin-Guzman wrote:
> >
> > Much later she was removed and placed in Leon, and it is then the
> > inscription - "H.R. Regina Elisabeth, uxor regis Adefonsi, filia Benabet
> > Regis Sevillae, quae prius Zayda, fuit vocata" - was placed upon her
tomb.
> >
> > My information on Zayda being the daughter of the king of Seville,
> > Aben-Abeth (aka Ben Abad III, Abu Nabeth, Benabet etc) and widow of Fat
el
> > Mamun (aka Abu Nasr al-Fath al-Mamun) king of Cordoba and son of
Muhammad
> > Abu I Kasim al-Mutamid, came from a number of sources.
>
> Oh, I shouldn't have missed this. The identity of her father as
> "Aben Abeth" probably is derived directly from the inscription,
> which calls her daughter of "Benabet". (The origin of that
> statement remains a mystery.)
>
> > Another source is Fr. Henriques Florez "España Sagrada", Madrid 1860,
who in
> > fact claims Zayda's christian name was to have been Maria but on
preference
> > of king Alfonso she changed it to Isabel.
>
> Possible, but I have my doubts. I would be hard pressed to come
> up with a single prior use of Maria, which makes its selection
> unlikely. One wonders if this is projecting the more recent view
> of Mary back to earlier times.
> taf
>


What is the more recent view of Mary? Remember, the church of Rome has
always held Mary in high regard - 'though deserving of veneration, NOT
worship. The Arabs & the Jews, (yes, that word should be capitalized),
regarded themselves as sharing a common, Abrahamic, origin; and Mary/Maria
would have been a very natural name for a convert from al-Islam to
Christianity. Isabel/Jezebel not so much so.
I don't say that the question is not fraught w/difficulties; but the name
game should not be considered one of them.

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