In one of the more popular subreddits, I read that in 1254 a debate was hosted by the grandson of Genghis Khan between a Christian, Muslim, and Buddhist. It ended in them being too drunk to continue. Is this true? The comment thread quoted Jack Weatherford's, Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World. How reliable is this source?
Thank you in advance!
Relatively true. Its a story I love to tell when I teach World History.
The account comes to us from the Flemish monk & missionary, William of Rubruck, who ended up at the Great Khan's court in 1254-55. His account is fascinating in and of itself for the diversity of people that William meets in Karakoram and his observations about the city.
As to the debate, supposedly it took place on May 30 1254 between Buddhists, Muslims, and Christians on the command of the Khan, who had grown curious about the European missionary after exchanging letters with him through his ministers. He sent William religious questions before finally inviting all three religions to an audience. William joined with the Nestorian Christians, primarily from China, who were at Court. During the debate, the Saracens (Muslims) and Nestorians (Christians) more or less argued for the same side as they shared a belief in an Almighty God whereas the Tuins (Buddhists) rejected such notion.
The idea that they ended by getting to drunk comes from the last line of the chapter :
They all listened without making any contradiction, but no one said: "I believe; I want to become a Christian." When this was over, the Nestorians as well as the Saracens sang with a loud voice; while the Tuins kept silence, and after that they all drank deeply.
If you want to check it out, [HERE] (https://depts.washington.edu/silkroad/texts/rubruck.html#debate) is a solid translation, fairly easy to read and of course freely available. The bit you might be curious about is in Chapter 28.