Instances of Cultural Appropriation in the Works of Paulus Alvarus and Eulogius of Córdoba

Abstract In ninth-century Córdoba, Paulus Alvarus and his friend Eulogius were promoters of the so-called ‘movement’ of ( voluntary ) Christian martyrs in Umayyad al-Andalus. They resented the political and cultural dominance of Arabic and Islam, resorting to an idealised past marked by the Latin und Christian culture of Visigothic Spain. In this context, Paulus Alvarus argued with Eleazar, a Christian convert to Judaism, reproaching him with allegedly appropriating Biblical traditions for himself. According to Paulus Alvarus, the Christian church was now the true Israel, whereby he himself appropriated Jewish traditions for Christianity. On the other hand, he also argued with his Christian opponents who pointed to the monotheistic character of Islam and the generally peaceful nature of Umayyad rule in al-Andalus, denying the possibility of Christian martyrdom under such conditions. To counter such irenic claims, Paulus Alvarus charged the Islamic prophet with falsely appropriating Jewish and Christian, especially heretical, traditions for his new religion. The charge of cultural appropriation was a weapon wielded by proponents of a Christian minority position in the context of their struggle against the political and cultural advances of the Islamicate world.