Historiae Adversus Orosium: A Translation of the Kitab Hurushiyush

Historiae Adversus Orosium: A Translation of the Kitab Hurushiyush" is a scholarly paper that presents a translation and analysis of the first part of Book One of the Kitab Hurushiyush (KH), a 10-century "translation" or Orosius' Historiae Adversus Paganos. The paper explores the enigmatic origins of this translationand its sole surviving manuscript, believed to date back to the Almohad period of 14th century Iberia or North Africa. who were the individuals responsible for translating and copying Orosius into Arabic and producing editions of the translation for the Almohads, and what motivations drove their efforts. Drawing upon the positions of various scholars, in this paper I set out to investigate the potential identities of the original translators, where scholarship often suggests the involvement of a Mozareb or a collaboration between a Muslim and a Christian. Additionally, I challenge common assumptions about the Almohad climate, positing that it was more accommodating of a text that glorified Christian history than commonly believed. By researching and discussing the historical context, linguistic analysis, and cultural dynamics surrounding the Kitab Hurushiyush, I intend to shed light on the intricate circumstances that led to its translation and subsequent copying under Almohad rule. This paper and accompanying translation are intended to begin the process of rigorous analysis of the KH and its translation, and I introduce theories and scholarship from writers such as Ann Christys and Christian Sahner that shed light on the culture of translation in Islamic Iberia and North Africa.