above the rest of the world; a race descending the one from the other: GoD is he who heareth and knoweth. Remember when the wife of Imran said, LORD, verily I have vowed unto thee that which is in my womb, to be dedicated to thy service: accept it therefore of me; for thou art he who heareth and knoweth. And when she was delivered of it, she said, LORD, verily I have brought forth a female (and GoD well knew what she had brought forth), and a male is not as a female.” * I have called her MARY; and I commend her to thy protection, and also her issue, against Satan driven away with stones. Therefore the LORD accepted her with a gracious acceptance, and caused her to bear an excellent offspring. And a the Koran here confounds Mary the mother of Jesus with Mary or Miriam, the sister of Moses and Aaron; which intolerable anachronism, if it were certain, is sufficient of itself to destroy the pretended authority of this book. But though Mohammed may be supposed to have been ignorant enough in ancient history and chronology, to have committed so gross a blunder; yet I do not see how it can be made out from the words of the Koran. For it does not follow, because two persons have the same name, and have each a father and brother who bear the same names, that they must therefore necessarily be the same person: besides such a mistake is inconsistent with a number of other places in the Korân, whereby it manifestly appears that Mohammed well knew and asserted that Moses preceded Jesus several ages. And the commentators accordingly fail not to tell us, that there had passed about one thousand eight hundred years between Amrân the father of Moses, and Amrân the father of the Virgin Mary: they also make them the sons of different persons: the first, they say, was the son of Yeshar, or Izhar (though he was really his brother) the son of Kâhath, the son of Levi; and the other was the son of Matthân, whose genealogy they trace, but in a very corrupt and imperfect manner, up to David, and thence to Adam." It must be observed that though the Virgin Mary is called in the Korân, the sister of Aaron, yet she is nowhere called the sister of Moses; however some Mohammedan writers have imagined that the same individual Mary, the sister of Moses, was miraculously preserved alive from his time till that of Jesus Christ, purposely to become the mother of the latter." The Imran here mentioned was the father of the Virgin Mary, and his wife's name was Hannah or Ann, the daughter of Fakudh. This woman, say the commentators, being aged, and barren, on seeing a bird feed her young ones, became very desirous of issue, and begged a child of Gop, promising to consecrate it to his service in the temple: whereupon she had a child, but it proved a daughter.' The Arabic word is free; but here signifies particularly one that is free or detached from all worldly desires and occupations, and wholly devoted to God's service." Because a female could not minister in the temple as a male could." "GOD knew to what she had given birth. Obvious characters distinguish the two sexes."-Savary. This expression alludes to a tradition, that Abraham, when the devil tempted him to disobey God in not sacrificing his son, drove the fiend away by throwing stones at him; in memory of which the Mohammedans, at the pilgrimage of Mecca, throw a certain number of stones at the devil, with certain ceremonies in the valley of Mina. It is not improbable that the pretended immaculate conception of the Virgin Mary is intimated in this passage. For according to a tradition of Mohammed, every person that comes into the world is touched at his birth by the devil, and therefore cries out, Mary and her son only excepted; between whom and the evil spirit God placed a veil, so that his touch did not reach them. And for this reason, they say, neither of them was guilty of any sin, like the rest of the children of Adam; which peculiar grace they obtained by virtue of his recommendation of them by Hannah to God's protection. Though the child happened not to be a male, yet her mother presented her to the priests who had the care of the temple, as one dedicated to God; and they having received • Exod. vi. 18. Al Zamakh. al Beidawi. "Vide Reland, ubi sup. D'Herbelot, Bibl. Orient. p. 583. • Chap. 19. • Vide Guadagnol, Apolog, pro Rel. Christ. contra Ahmed Ebn Zein Al Abedin, p. 279. Al Beidawi, al Thalabi. 2 Jallalo'ddin See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv. • Jallalo'ddin. al Ramakshari. Al Bcidawi. "Jallalo'ddin. Kitada. Zacharias took care of the child; whenever Zacharias went into the chamber to her, he found provisions with her: and he said, O Mary, whence hadst thou this? she answered, This is from GoD: for GOD provideth for whom he pleaseth without measure. There Zacharias called on his LORD, and said, LORD, give me from thee a good offspring, for thou art the hearer of prayer. And the angels called to him, while he stood praying in the chamber, saying, Verily GoD promiseth thee a son named John, who shall bear witness to the Word' which cometh from Goo; an honourable person, chaste, and one of the righteous prophets. He answered, LORD, how shall I have a son, when old age hath overtaken me, and my wife is barren? The angel said, So GoD doth that which he pleaseth. Zacharias answered, LORD, give me a sign. The angel said Thy sign shall be, that thou shalt speak unto no man' for three days, otherwise than by gesture: remember thy LORD often, and praise him evening and morning. And when the angels said, O Mary, verily GoD hath chosen thee, and hath purified thee and hath chosen thee above all the women of the world: O Mary, be devout towards thy LORD, and worship, and bow down with those who bow down. This is a secret history: we reveal it unto thee, although thou wast not present with them when they threw in their rods to cast lots which of them should have the education of Mary; neither wast thou with them, when they strove among them. her, she was committed to the care of Zacharias, as will be observed by and bye, and he built her an apartment in the temple, and supplied her with necessaries.1 The commentators say that none went into Mary's apartment but Zacharias himself, and that he locked seven doors upon her; yet he found she had always winter fruits in summer, and summer fruits in winter." There is a story of Fâtema, Mohammed's daughter, that she once brought two loaves and a piece of flesh to her father, who returned them to her, and having called for her again, when she uncovered the dish, it was full of bread and meat; and on Mohammed's asking her whence she had it; she answered in the words of this passage, This is from God: for God provideth for whom he pleaseth without measure. Whereupon he blessed God, who thus favoured her, as he had the most excellent of the daughters of Israel. Though the word be in the plural, yet the commentators say it was the angel Gabriel only. The same is to be understood where it occurs in the following passages. That is Jesus; who al Beidâwi says, is so called, because he was conceived by the word or command of God, without a father. The original word signifies one who not only refrains from women, but from all other worldly delights and desires. Al Beidawi mentions a tradition, that during his childhood some boys invited him to play, but he refused, saying that he was not created to play. Zacharias was then ninety-nine years old, and his wife eighty-nine.' Though he could not speak to any body else, yet his tongue was at liberty to praise God; as he is directed to do by the following words. When Mary was first brought to the temple, the priests, because she was the daughter of one of their chiefs, disputed among themselves who should have the education of her. Zacharias insisted that he ought to be preferred, because he had married her aunt; but the others not consenting it should be so, they agreed to decide the matter by casting of lots: whereupon twenty-seven of them went to the river Jordan, and threw in their rods for arrows without heads or feathers, such as the Arabs used for the same purpose), on which they had written some passages of the law, but they all sunk, except that of Zacharias, which floated on the water; and he had thereupon the care of the child com mitted to him." Jallalo'ddin. Al Beidâwi. Vide Lud. de Dieu, in not, ad Hist. Christi Xaverii, p. 542. Al Beidawi. Vide de Dieu, ub. supr. p. 548. • Al Beidâwi. Idem. Idem. Jallalo'dain, &c. m selves. When the angels said; O Mary, verily GoD sendeth thee good tidings, that thou shalt bear the Word proceeding from himself; his name shall be CHRIST JESUS the son of Mary, honourable in this world and in the world to come, and one of those who approach near to the presence of GoD; and he shall speak unto men in the cradle,1 and when he is grown up; and he shall be one of the righteous: she answered, LORD, how shall I have a son, since a man hath not touched me? the angel said, So God createth that which he pleaseth: when he decreeth a thing, he only saith unto it, Be, and it is: GoD shall teach him the scripture, and wisdom, and the law, and the gospel; and shall appoint him his apostle to the children of Israel; and he shall say, Verily I come unto you with a sign from your LORD; for I will make before you, of clay, as it were the figure of a bird; then I will breathe thereon, and it shall become a bird, by the permission of God; and I will heal him that hath been blind from his birth; and the leper: and I will raise the dead by the permission of God: and I will prophesy unto you what ye eat, and what ye lay up for store in your houses. Verily herein will be a sign unto you, if ye believe. And Besides an instance of this given in the Korân itself, which I shall not here anticipate, a Mohammedan writer (of no very great credit indeed) tells two stories, one of Jesus's speaking while in his mother's womb, to reprove her cousin Joseph for his unjust suspicions of her; and another of his giving an answer to the same person soon after he was born. For Joseph being sent by Zacharias to seek Mary (who had gone out of the city by night to conceal her delivery), and having found her, began to expostulate with ner, but she made no reply: whereupon the child spoke these words: Rejoice, 0 Joseph, and be of good cheer; for God hath brought me forth from the darkness of the womb, to the light of the world; and I shall go to the children of Israel and invite them to the obedience of God. These seem all to have been taken from some fabulous traditions of the eastern Christians, one of which is preserved to us in the spurious gospel of the Infancy of Christ; where we read that Jesus spoke while yet in the cradle, and said to his mother, Verily 1 am Jesus the son of God, the word which thou hast brought forth, as the angel Gabriel did declare unto thee; and my Father hath sent me to save the world. The Arabic word properly signifies a man of full age, that is, between thirty or thirty-four and fifty-one; and the passage may relate to Christ's preaching here on earth. But as he had scarce attained this age when he was taken up into heaven, the commentators choose to understand it of his second coming.' "Some say it was a bat, though others suppose Jesus made several birds of different sorts." This circumstance is also taken from the following fabulous tradition, which may be found in the spurious gospel abovementioned. Jesus being seven years old, and at play with several children of his age, they made several figures of birds and beasts, for their diversion, of clay; and each preferring his own workmanship, Jesus told them that he would make his walk and leap; which accordingly, at his command, they did. He made also several figures of sparrows and other birds, which flew about or stood on his hands as he ordered them, and also ate and drank when he offered them meat and drink. The children telling this to their parents, were forbidden to play any more with Jesus, whom they held to be a sorcerer.' • The commentators observe that these words are added here, and in the next sentence, lest it should be thought Jesus did these miracles by his own power, or was God." Jallalo'ddin mentions three persons whom Christ restored to life, and who lived seve ral years after and had children; viz, Lazarus, the widow's son, and the publican's (I suppose he means the ruler of the synagogue's) daughter. He adds, that he also raised Shem the son of Noah, who, as another writes, thinking he had been called to judgment, came out of his grave with his head half grey, whereas men did not grow grey in his days; after which he immediately died again. 4 Chap. 19. Vide Sikii notas in Evang. Infant. p. 5. Evang. Infant. p. 5. Jallalo'ddin. Al Beidâwi. Evang. Infant, o. 111, &c. 2 Al Beidâwi, &c. Al Kessai, apud eundem, Jallalo'ddin. Al Thalabi Al Thalabi. N I come to confirm the law which was revealed before me and to allow unto you as lawful part of that which hath been forbidden you: and I come unto you with a sign from your LORD;* therefore fear GoD, and obey me. Verily God is my LORD, and your LORD; therefore serve him. This is the right way. But when Jesus perceived their unbelief, he said, Who wil be my helpers towards GoD? The apostles answered, We will be the helpers of God; we believe in God, and do thou bear witness that we are true believers. O LORD, we believe in that which thou hast sent down, and we have followed thy apostle; write us down therefore with those who bear witness of him. And the Jews devised a stratagem against him ;* but GOD devised a stratagem against them;†t and GoD is the best deviser of Such as the eating of fish that have neither fins nor scales, the cawl and fat of animals, and camels' flesh, and to work on the sabbath. These things, say the commentators, being arbitrary institutions in the law of Moses, were abrogated by Jesus; as several of the same kind instituted by the latter have been since abrogated by Mohammed. *"God has given unto me the power of miracles."-Savary. In Arabic, al Hawariyûn; which word they derive from Hâra, to be white, and suppose the apostles were so called either from the candour and sincerity of their minds, or because they were princes and wore white garments, or else because they were by trade fullers. According to which last opinion, their vocation is thus related: That as Jesus passed by the sea side, he saw some fullers at work, and accosting them, said, Ye cleanse these cloths, but cleanse not your hearts; upon which they believed on him. But the true etymology seems to be from the Ethiopic verb Hawyra, to go; whence Hawârya significs one that is sent, a messenger or apostle. i. e. They laid a design to take away his life. "The Jews were treacherous unto Jesus. God frustrated their treachery. He is more powerful than the deceivers."-Savary. This stratagem of God's was the taking of Jesus up into heaven, and stamping his likeness on another person, who was apprehended and crucified in his stead. For it is the constant doctrine of the Mohammedans, that it was not Jesus himself who underwent that ignominious death, but somebody else in his shape and resemblance.' The person crucified some will have to be a spy that was sent to entrap him; others that it was one Titian, who by the direction of Judas entered in at a window of the house where Jesus was, to kill him; and others that it was Judas himself, who agreed with the rulers of the Jews to betray him for thirty pieces of silver, and led those who were sent to take him. They add, that Jesus after his crucifixion in effigie was sent down again to the earth, to comfort his mother and disciples, and acquaint them how the Jews were deceived; and was then taken up a second time into heaven. It is supposed by several that this story was an original invention of Mohammed's; but they are certainly mistaken: for several sectaries held the same opinion, long before his time. The Basilidians," in the very beginning of Christianity, denied that Christ himself suffered, but that Simon the Cyrenean was crucified in his place. The Corinthians before them, and the Carpocratians next (to name no more of those, who affirmed Jesus to have been a mere man) did believe the same thing; that it was not himself but one of his followers, very like him, that was crucified. Photius tells us, that he read a book entitled The journeys of the apostles, relating the acts of Peter, John, Andrew, Thomas, and Paul, and among other things contained therein, this was one, that Christ was not crucified, but another in his stead, and that therefore he laughed at his crucifiers, or those who thought they had crucified him.2 I have in another place mentioned an apocryphal gospel of Barnabas, a forgery originally of some nominal Christians, but interpolated since by Mohammedans; which gives this part of the history of Jesus with circumstances too curious to be omitted. It is therein related, that the moment the Jews were going to apprehend Jesus in the garden, he was snatched up into the third heaven, by the ministry of four angels, Gabriel, Michael, Raphael, and Uriel; that he will not die till the end of the world, and that it was Judas Al Beidâwi. Jallalo'ddin. 8 Iidem. Vide Ludolfi Lexic. Ethiop. col. 40, et Golii notas ad cap. 61. Korâni, p. 205. &c. stratagems. When God said, O Jesus, verily I will cause thee to die," aud I will take thee up unto me, and I will deliver thee from the unbelievers; and I will place those who follow thee above the unbelievers, until the day of resurrection: then unto me shall ye return, and I will judge between you of that concerning which ye disagree. Moreover, as for the infidels, I will punish them with a grievous punishment in this world, and in that which is to come; and there shall be none to help them. But they who believe, and do that which is right, he shall give them their reward: for God loveth not the wicked doors. monition do we rehearse unto thee. sight of GOD is as the likeness of dust, and then said unto him, Be; and he was. from thy LoRD; be not therefore one of those who doubt; and whoever shall dispute with thee, concerning him," after the knowledge which hath These signs and this prudent adVerily the likeness of Jesus in the Adam; he created him out of the This is the truth who was crucified in his stead; God having permitted that traitor to appear so like his master in the eyes of the Jews, that they took and delivered him to Pilate. That this resemblance was so great, that it deceived the Virgin Mary and the apostles themselves; but that Jesus Christ afterwards obtained leave of God to go and comfort them. That Barnabas having then asked him, why the divine goodness had suffered the mother and disciples of so holy a prophet to believe even for one moment that he had died in so ignominious a manner? Jesus returned the following answer. "O Barnabas, believe me that every sin, how small soever, is punished by God with great torment, because God is offended with sin. My mother therefore and faithful disciples, having loved me with a mixture of earthly love, the just God has been pleased to punish this love with their present grief, that they might not be punished for it hereafter in the flames of hell. And as for me, though I have myself been blameless in the world, yet other men having called me God, and the son of God; therefore God, that I might not be mocked by the devils at the day of judgment, has been pleased that in this world I should be mocked by men with the death of Judas, making every body believe that I died upon the cross. And hence it is that this mocking is still to continue till the coming of Mohammed the messenger of God; who, coming into the world, will undeceive every one who shall believe in the law of God, from this mistake." It is the opinion of a great many Mohammedans that Jesus was taken up into heaven without dying: which opinion is consonant to what is delivered in that spurious gospel abovementioned. Wherefore several of the commentators say that there a hysteron proteron in these words, I will cause thee to die, and I will take thee up unto me: and that the copulative does not import order, or that he died before his assumption; the meaning being this, viz. that God would first take Jesus up to heaven, and deliver him from the infidels, and afterwards caused him to die: which they suppose is to happen when he shall return into the world again, before the last day. Some, thinking the order of the words is not to be changed, interpret them: figuratively, and suppose their signification to be that Jesus was lifted up while he was asleep, or that God caused him to die a spiritual death to all worldly desires. But others acknowledge that he actually died a natural death, and continued in that state three hours, or, according to another tradition, seven hours; after which he was restored to life, and then taken up to heaven. * Some Mahommedans say this was done by the ministry of Gabriel: but others that a strong whirlwind took him up from mount Olivet." And That is, they who believe in Jesus (among whom the Mahommedans reckon themselves) shall be for ever superior to the Jews, both in arguments and in arms. accordingly, says al Beidâwi, to this very day the Jews have never prevailed either against the Christians or Moslems, nor have they any kingdom or established government of their own. He was like unto Adam in respect of his miraculous production by the immediate power of God. "In the sight of the Highest, Jesus is a man like unto Adam. Adam was created out of the dust. God said unto him, Be! and he was."-Savary. Namely, Jesus. See the Menagiana, tom. iv. p. 326, &c. Beidâwi. See the Prelim. Disc. sect. iv. 'AI 'Al Thalabi. See 2 Kings ii. 1, 11. |