Scrisorile unui orientalist. Alphonse Mingana într-un schimb epistolar
Letters of an Orientalist. Alphonse Mingana in an Epistolary Exchange

Summary/Abstract: An important personality of the Oriental and Syriac studies between the two World Wars period, Alphonse Mingana reveals himself as both a mysterious and controversial person. He was born in 1880 in the village of Šarāniš, district of Zakho, North of Iraq. He was born in a Christian family. He received his education at the Saint Jean Seminary in Mosul, where he graduated and was ordained priest. He continue his activity in the Seminary until 1913, when he embarked on a journey through the Ottoman Empire and Persia. There, in Mardin, he meets a Protestant missionary named Andrew and decided to move to the United Kingdom where he meets Harris Rendel.Throughout his lifetime, Alphonse Mingana was involved in some controversies which captured the attention of various scholars, bringing him a certain reputation. Some of these controversies, such as the one around „Kitab ud-Din wa ad-Dawlah”, have been clarified during his life or after. Others, such as the Chronicle of Arbela, remained a mystery to this day.Tijmen Baarda, in his article „Firmly established in early 20th-century orientalism: Alphonse Mingana among his fellow scholars” argues that although today Mingana is frequently mentioned today in connection with these controversies, during his life, he was rather a good source of information and expertise for a great number of scholars and students in Europe.This article proposes, according to Tijmen Baarda’s opinion, to exemplify the nature of his relationship with other scholars and to emphasize the importance of Mingana’s contribution. It also aims to create a new perspective on his personality as it is revealed from his correspondence with three scholars of his time, curated at the Cadbury Research Library of the University of Birmingham.

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