Thanksgiving
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i Zacharias was then ninety-nine years old, and his wife eighty-nine.2 k Though he could not speak to anybody else, yet his tongue was at liberty to praise GOD as he is directed to do by the following words. l 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 that 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 (or 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 sank except that of Zacharias, which floated on the water; and he had thereupon the care of the child committed to him.3 9 JallaloÕddin, al Beid‰wi. Vide Lud. de Dieu, in not. ad Hist. Christi Xaverii, p. 542. 10 Al Beid‰wi. Vide de Dieu, ubi sup. p. 548. 1 Al Beid‰wi 2 Idem. 3 Idem. JallaloÕddin, &c. m Besides an instance of this given in the Kor‰n itself,1 which I shall not here anticipate, a Mohammedan writer, (of no very great credit, indeed) tells two stories, one of JesusÕs speaking while in his motherÕs womb, to reprove her cousin Joseph for his unjust suspicions of her;2 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 her, but she made no reply; whereupon the child spoke these words: Rejoice, O 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.3 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 I 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.4 n The Arabic word properly signifies a man in full age, that is, between thirty or thirty-four, and fifty-one; and the passage may relate to ChristÕs 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.5 o Some say it was a bat,6 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 above mentioned. 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.8 p 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.9 q JallaloÕddin mentions three persons whom Christ restored to life, and who lived several years after, and had children, viz., Lazarus, the widowÕs son, and the publicanÕs (I suppose he means the ruler of the synagogueÕs) daughter. He adds that he also raised Shem the son of Noah, who, as another writes10 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. r Such as the eating of fish that have neither fins nor scales, the caul and fat of animals, and camelÕs 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.1 1 Cap. 19. 2 Vide Sikii notas in Evang. Infant. p. 5. 3 Al Kessai, apud eundem 4 Evang. Infant. p. 5. 5 JallaloÕddin. Al Beid‰wi. 6 JallaloÕddin. 7 Al Thalabi 8 Evang. Infant. p. 111, &c. 9 Al Beid‰wi, &c. 10 Al Thalabi. 1 Al Beid‰wi. JallaloÕddin. s In Arabic, al Haw‰riyžn; which word they derive from H‰ra, 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.2 According to which last opinion, their vocation is thus related; that as Jesus passed by the seaside, he saw some fullers at work, and accosting them, said, Ye cleanse these clothes, 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 Haw‰rya signifies one that is sent, a messenger or apostle.3 t i.e., They laid a design to take away his life. u This stratagem of GodÕs 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.4 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 effigy, 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.5 It is supposed by several that this story was an original invention of MohammedÕs; but they are certainly mistaken; for several sectaries held the same opinion, long before his time. The Basilidians,6 in the very beginning of Christianity, denied that Christ himself suffered, but that Simon the Cyrenean was crucified in his place. The Cerinthians 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, ÒThe Journeys of the Apostles,Ó 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,7 or those who thought they had crucified him.8 I have in another place9 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 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 afterward 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. ÒO 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 everybody 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.1 x It is the opinion of a great many Mohammedans that Jesus was taken up into heaven with- 2 Idem. 3 Vide Ludolfi Lexic. ®thiop. col. 40, et Golii notas ad cap. 61 Kor‰ni, p. 205. 4 See Kor. c. 4. 5 Vide Marracc. in Alc. p. 113, &c., et in Prodr. part iii. p. 63, &c. 5 Iren¾us, l. I, c. 23, &c. Epiphan. H¾res. 24, num. iii. 7 Photius, Bibl. Cod. 114, col. 291. 8 TolandÕs Nararenus, p 17, &c. 9 Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. 1 See the Menagiana. tom. iv. p. 326, &c. out dying; which opinion is consonant to what is delivered in the spurious gospel above mentioned. Wherefore several of the commentators say that there is 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 cause him to die; which they suppose is to happen when he shall return into the world again, before the last day.2 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.3 y Some Mohammedans say this was done by the ministry of Gabriel; but others that a strong whirlwind took him up from Mount Olivet.4 z That is, they who believe in Jesus (among whom the Mohammedans reckon themselves) shall be for ever superior to the Jews, both in arguments and in arms. And accordingly, says al Beid‰wi, 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. a He was like to Adam in respect of his miraculous production by the immediate power of GOD.1 b Namely, Jesus. c To explain this passage their commentators tell the following story. That some Christians, with their bishop named Abu Hareth, coming to Mohammed as ambassadors from the inhabitants of Najr‰n, and entering into some disputes with him touching religion and the history of Jesus Christ, they agreed the next morning to abide the trial here mentioned, as a quick way of deciding which of them were in the wrong. Mohammed met them accordingly, accompanied by his daughter F‰tema, his son-in-law Ali, and his two grandsons, Hasan and Hosein, and desired them to wait till he had said his prayers. But when they saw him kneel down, their resolution failed them, and they durst not venture to curse him, but submitted to pay him tribute.2 d That is, to such terms of agreement as are indisputably consonant to the doctrine of all the prophets and scriptures, and therefore cannot be reasonably rejected.3 e Besides other charges of idolatry on the Jews and Christians, Mohammed accused them of paying too implicit an obedience to their priests and monks, who took upon them to pronounce what things were lawful, and what unlawful, and to dispense with the laws of GOD.4 2 See the Prelim. Disc. Sect. IV. 3 Al Beid‰wi. 4 Al Thalabi. See 2 Kings ii. I, II 1 JallaloÕddin, &c 2 JallaloÕddin, al Beid‰wi. 3 Idem. 4 Idem. f viz., By pretending him to have been of your religion. g i.e., Ye perversely dispute even concerning those things which ye find in the law and the gospel, whereby it appears they were both sent down long after AbrahamÕs time; why then will ye offer to dispute concerning such points of AbrahamÕs religion, of which your scriptures say nothing, and of which ye consequently can have no knowledge?5 h This passage was revealed when the Jews endeavoured to pervert Hodheifa, Amm‰r, and Mo‰dh to their religion.1 i The Jews and Christians are again accused of corrupting the scriptures and stifling the prophecies concerning Mohammed. k The commentators, to explain this passage, say that Caab Ebn al Ashraf and Malec Ebn al Seif (two Jews of Medina) advised their companions, when the Keblah was changed,2 to make as if they believed it was done by the divine direction, and to pray towards the Caaba in the morning, but that in the evening they should pray, as formerly, towards the temple of Jerusalem; that MohammedÕs followers, imagining the Jews were better judges of this matter than themselves, might imitate their example. But others say these were certain Jewish priests of Khaibar, who directed some of their people to pretend in the morning that they had embraced Mohammedism, but in the close of the day to say that they had looked into their books of scripture, and consulted their Rabbins, and could not find that Mohammed was the person described and intended in the law, by which trick they hoped to raise doubts in the minds of the Mohammedans.3 l As an instance of this, the commentators bring AbdÕallah Ebn Sal‰m, a Jew, very intimate with Mohammed,4 to whom one of the Koreish lent 1,200 ounces of gold, which he very punctually repaid at the time appointed.5 m Al Beid‰wi produces an example of such a piece of injustice in one Phineas Ebn Azžra, a Jew, who borrowed a din‰r, which is a gold coin worth about ten shillings, of a Koreishite, and afterwards had the conscience to deny it. But the person more directly struck at in this passage was the above-mentioned Caab Ebn al Al Beid‰wi. 1 Idem. 2 See before, c. 2, p. 16. 3 Al Beid‰wi 4 See PrideauxÕs Life of Mahom. p. 33. 5 Al Beid‰wi, JallaloÕddin. Ashraf, a most inveterate enemy of Mohammed and his religion, of whom JallaloÕddin relates the same story as al Beid‰wi does of Phineas. This Caab, after the battle of Bedr, went to Mecca, and there, to excite the Koreish to revenge themselves, made and recited verses lamenting the death of those who were slain in that battle, and reflecting very severely on Mohammed; and he afterwards returned to Medina, and had the boldness to repeat them publicly there also, at which Mohammed was so exceedingly provoked that he proscribed him, and sent a party of men to kill him, and he was circumvented and slain by Mohammed Ebn Moslema, in the third year of the Hejra.1 Dr. Prideaux2 has confounded the Caab we are now speaking of with another very different person of the same name, and a famous poet, but who was the son of Zohair, and no Jew, as a learned gentleman has already observed.3 In consequence of which mistake, the doctor attributes what the Arabian historians write of the latter to the former, and wrongly affirms that he was not put to death by Mohammed. Some of the commentators, however, suppose that in the former part of this passage the Christians are intended, who, they say, are generally people of some honour and justice; and in the latter part the Jews, who, they think, are more given to cheating and dishonesty.4
This exposition seems to be taken from the children of IsraelÕs not eating of the sinew on the hollow of the thigh, because the angel, with whom Jacob wrestled at Peniel, touched the hollow of his thigh in the sinew that shrank.3 r Wherein the Israelites, because of their wickedness and perverseness, were forbidden to eat certain animals which had been allowed their predecessors.4 s Mohammed received this passage when the Jews said that their Keblah, or the temple of Jerusalem, was more ancient than that of the Mohammedans, or the Caaba.5 Becca is another name of Mecca.6 Al Beid‰wi observes that the Arabs used the ÒMÓ and ÒBÓ promiscuously in several words. t i.e., The Keblah, towards which they are to turn their faces in prayer. u Such is the stone wherein they show the print of AbrahamÕs feet, and the inviolable security of the place immediately mentioned; that the birds light not on the roof of the Caaba, and wild beasts put off their fierceness there; that none who came against it in a hostile manner ever prospered,1 as appeared particularly in the unfortunate expedition of Abraha al Ashram;2 and other fables of the same stamp which the Mohammedans are taught to believe. 1 See Levit. xi. 4; Deut. xiv. 7. 2 Al Beid‰wi, JallaloÕddin. 3 Gen. xxxii. 32. 4 Kor. c. 4. See the notes there. 5 Al Beid‰wi, JallaloÕddin. 6 See the Prelim. Disc Sect. I. p. 3. 1 JallaloÕddin, al Beid‰wi. 2 See Kor. c. 105. x According to an exposition of this passage attributed to Mohammed, he is supposed to be able to perform the pilgrimage, who can supply himself with provisions for the journey, and a beast to ride upon. Al Sh‰fe• has decided that those who have money enough, if they cannot go themselves, must hire some other to go in their room. Malec Ebn Ans thinks he is to be reckoned able who is strong and healthy, and can bear the fatigue of the journey on foot, if he has no beast to ride, and can also earn his living by the way. But Abu Han”fa is of opinion that both money sufficient and health of body are requisite to make the pilgrimage a duty.3 y This passage was revealed on occasion of a quarrel excited between the tribes of al Aws and al Khazraj, by one Sh‰s Ebn Kais, a Jew; who, passing by some of both tribes as they were sitting and discoursing familiarly together, and being inwardly vexed at the friendship and harmony which reigned among them on their embracing Mohammedism, whereas they had been, for 120 years before, most inveterate and mortal enemies, though descendants of two brothers; in order to set them at variance, sent a young man to sit down by them, directing him to relate the story of the battle of Bo‰th (a place near Medina), wherein, after a bloody fight, al Aws had the better of al Khazraj, and to repeat some verses on that subject. The young man executed his orders; whereupon those of each tribe began to magnify themselves, and to reflect on and irritate the other, till at length they called to arms, and great numbers getting together on each side, a dangerous battle had ensued, if Mohammed had not stepped in and reconciled them; by representing to them how much they would be to blame if they returned to paganism, and revived those animosities which Isl‰m had composed; and telling them that what had happened was a trick of the devil to disturb their present tranquility.4 z Literally, Hold fast by the cord of God. That is, Secure yourselves by adhering to Isl‰m, which is here metaphorically expressed by a cord, because it is as sure a means of saving those who profess it from perishing hereafter, as holding by a rope is to prevent oneÕs falling into a well, or other like place. It is said that Mohammed used for the same reason to call the Kor‰n, Habl Allah al mat”n, i.e., the sure cord of GOD.5 a i.e., As the Jews and Christians, who dispute concerning the unity of GOD, the future state, &c.1 b See the Preliminary Discourse, Sect. IV. 3 Al Beid‰wi. 4 Idem. 5 Idem. 1 Idem c As AbdÕallah Ebn Sal‰m and his companions,2 and those of the tribes of al Aws and al Khazraj who had embraced Mohammedism. d This verse, al Beid‰wi says, is one of those whose meaning is mysterious, and relates to something future: intimating the low condition to which the Jewish tribes of Koreidha, Nad”r, Banu Kainok‰, and those who dwelt at Khaibar, were afterwards reduced by Mohammed. e i.e., Unless they either profess the Mohammedan religion, or submit to pay tribute. f Those namely who have embraced Isl‰m. g That is, the Kor‰n. h Some copies have a different reading in this passage, which they express in the third person: They shall not be denied, &c. i i.e., Of a different religion. Yüklə 2,27 Mb. Dostları ilə paylaş:
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