Benoit d'Alignan and Thomas Agni: Two Western Intellectuals and the Study of Oriental Christianity in Thirteenth-Century Kingdom of Jerusalem

Focusing on neglected evidence concerning Benoit d'Alignan and Thomas Agni's activities in Outremer, this article sheds light on the question of whether the Latin presence in the Levant contributed to Western acquaintance with Oriental Christianities. It shows that Benoit's Tractatus super erroribus includes information regarding Oriental Christian beliefs and practices which must have been collected during its author's two sojourns in Outremer. Thomas, to whom Benoit dedicated a copy of his Tractatus, employed various means, such as debate, imprisonment, and interrogation, in order to deepen and widen his church's knowledge of Oriental Christianities. The harsh and systematic approach which characterized both Benoit's and Thomas's activities is probably related to contemporary changes in the West with regard to the attitude toward heretics, and, specifically, to the beginnings of the inquisition. Given the power both men wielded within Frankish society, it is almost certain that their ideas and actions in this field had a considerable effect on Outremer's culture.