Father Georges Anawati OP<\/a>\u00a0(1905-1994) of Cairo\u2019s\u00a0Institut Dominicain des Etudes Orientales.<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
He was a wonderful man. \u00a0Once, having bought and just begun to read a book by F. E. Peters of New York University, I noticed that it was dedicated to Father Anawati, \u201cof the Dominican Institute and the Kingdom of God.\u201d \u00a0I was so pleased at that dedication that I located Professor Peters\u2019s office telephone number and called it, thinking to leave a message of gratitude. \u00a0It was late at night in Utah and early in the morning in New York City, but, to my surprise, Professor Peters was in his office and answered the phone. \u00a0We reminisced for about twenty minutes about our mutual friend, who had passed away several years before.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
He reminded me of jovial Friar Tuck, from the Robin Hood stories.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
He was enormously amused that I was a Latter-day Saint. \u00a0Often \u2014 we met weekly at the Dominican Institute, for about three hours each time \u2014 he would bring something in (e.g., a glass of tea, a cup of coffee, even [on one occasion] a tiny bit of wine) and mischievously pretend to offer it to me, knowing that I wouldn\u2019t take it. \u00a0Once, though, he brought in a bar of Cadbury chocolate. \u00a0\u201cAre you allowed to eat Cadburys?,\u201d he asked. \u00a0\u201cYes!\u201d I said, grabbing the chocolate bar. \u00a0He laughed uproariously.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
When I told him that our son Joseph had been born, he asked \u201cIs he named after St. Joseph the Carpenter?\u201d \u00a0No, I said. \u00a0Not really. \u00a0\u201cThen, after Joseph Smith?\u201d \u00a0No, not that, either. \u00a0\u201cWell,\u201d he asked, \u201cyou do pray to Joseph Smith, don\u2019t you?\u201d \u00a0No, I told him. \u00a0We venerate the Prophet and other good men, we respect them, but we don\u2019t pray to them. \u00a0He reflected for a few seconds and then said, as if to himself, \u201cThese heresies are all so bizarre!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finally, my time in Egypt was drawing to an end. \u00a0Accordingly, I arranged for someone to bring a beautiful leather-bound edition of the \u201ctriple combination\u201d (the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price) so that I could present it to Father Anawait to be added to the excellent library of the Dominican Institute. \u00a0He was pleased, but he wondered: \u201cShould it go into the Islamic section? \u00a0No, that wouldn\u2019t be right. \u00a0Maybe into the Christian section. \u00a0Perhaps we should put it into a section called \u2018Limbo\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Whenever I saw him at conferences or at lectures thereafter \u2014 which wasn\u2019t often, but happened occasionally \u2014 he would call across the room, in greeting, \u201cal-Murmuni!\u201d \u00a0\u201cThe Mormon!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u00a0 \u00a0 One of the most memorable experiences of my life, and certainly of the years that I spent living and studying in Egypt, was the six months or so that I studied Islamic philosophy, one on one, with Father Georges Anawati OP\u00a0(1905-1994) of Cairo\u2019s\u00a0Institut Dominicain des Etudes Orientales. \u00a0 He was a wonderful man. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1019,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-72115","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n
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<\/a>