THE ARABIC CHURCH

It is not precisely known when the Arabic church was founded or by whom. Some traditions note the presence of Sts. Matthew, Bartholomew, and Thomas during the first century. However, the immediate aftermath of the apostolic age leaves a large gap in time before the clear historical emergence of the Petran church in the 3rd century. Moreover, the origins of the church in Arabia Felix are all the more mysterious, as the few surviving documents from this period have been specifically damaged regarding this period. What develops are at least two, perhaps three different types of Arabic Christianity, which would remain influential for centuries and also serve as the bridgehead for the emergence of Islam in the 7th century. The city of Najran would serve as the dominant ecclesiastical see for several centuries until its destruction and the dispersal of its Christian population across the Arab world.