Sur les éléments chrétiens de la religion nuscombining dot belowayrite-'alawite

One of the prevalent features of the Nuscombining dot belowayrî-'Alawî religion is its syncretism. It combines and fuses elements of cults and creeds of very disparate, and remote, origins. Among these are various pagan beliefs (residues of ancient Mesopotamian and Syrian cults) as well as Persian, Christian, Gnostic, and Muslim - both Sunnî and Shî'î - religious precepts and practices. This syncretistic complex has led to various hypotheses regarding the origins of the Nuscombining dot belowayrî faith. René Dussaud, one of its pioneering scholars, saw its roots in the pagan circles of Late Antiquity. Henri Lammens, on the other hand, regarded it as a unique offshoot of ancient Christianity. The aim of this study is to systematically survey and analyze the Christian elements of the Nuscombining dot belowayrî religion, relying on writings of the Nuscombining dot belowayrîs themselves, both doctrinal and liturgical, trying to offer an interpretation as to the background and circumstances against which these elements seeped into the Nuscombining dot belowayrî religion.