Origins Of The Druze People And Religion

Origins Of The Druze People And Religion

by Philip K. Hitti


The Druze, who primarily live in Lebanon, Syria and Israel, have a mysterious religion which has been the subject of much speculation over the centuries. In the 19th century manuscript copies of their religious literature were spirited away to collections in Europe and the United States, and scholars were finally able to access them. This monograph by the distinguished Arabist, Philip K. Hitti, written in the early 20th century, covers the literature on the origin and history of the Druze, and includes a few samples of their sacred literature.


About the Author:


"Philip K. Hitti was born in Lebanon in 1886. From 1913 until his death in 1978, he lived for the most part in the USA, teaching first at Columbia and later at Princeton, from which he retired in 1954 as Professor of Semitic Literature and Chairman of the Department of Oriental Languages. The author of many works on Oriental subjects, Philip K. Hitti was active in numerous roles related to the study of Near East languages and politics, and to the promotion of international cultural organizations."


Table of Contents :


Foreword

Preface

01. A Unique and Secret Sect

02. Social and Historical Development

03. Racial Origins

04. The Persian Origin of the Druzes

05. Druze Theology and Its Sources

06. Dogmas and Precepts

07. Folklore