An Arabic-to-English Translation of the Religious Debate between the Nestorian

Patriarch Timothy I and the ‘Abbāsid Caliph al-Mahdī

Thesis

Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Masters of Arts
in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University

By

Clint Hackenburg

Graduate Program in Near Eastern Languages and Cultures

The Ohio State University

2009

Thesis Committee:

Georges Tamer, Advisor

Sam Meier

Bruce Fudge
 Copyright by

Clint Hackenburg

2009
 Abstract

This thesis offers, for the first time, a complete Arabic-to-English translation of

the debate between Nestorian Patriarch, Timothy I (a. 779-823), and Muslim

ʿAbbāsid Caliph, al-Mahdī (r. 775-785). An analysis of the various editions of the

Arabic and Syriac versions of the debate is included. The primary editions of the

debate consulted for this thesis were Samir K. Samir’s critical edition of the

Arabic text named MS 662 of the Bibliothéque Orientale à Beyrouth, and

Alphonse Mingana’s edition of the Syriac text named Mingana 17 taken from the

Convent of Alqosh in northern Iraq. In analyzing the various editions of the

debate, the goal is to establish the primacy of the Syriac text in its relationship to

the Arabic text. This analysis is largely based upon the existing work of Hans

Putman. In the translation and analysis of the debate, significant differences

between the Syriac and Arabic versions of the debate are noted. In addition to the

translation and analysis of the debate, a general introduction to Timothy I and his

accomplishments as Nestorian Patriarch as well as an outline of the proposed

purpose of Timothy’s text during late antiquity and the medieval period are

offered.

ii
 Dedication

This thesis would not have been possible without the enthusiastic support of my
professor, advisor, and friend, Dr. Georges Tamer

iii
 Vita

May 2005 ....................... B.A. History and Arabic Studies, Binghamton University
January 2008 - Present ................................................Graduate Research Assistant,
Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, The Ohio State University

Fields of Study

Major Field: Near Eastern Languages and Cultures

iv
 Table of Contents

Abstract.................................................................................................................. ii
Dedication ............................................................................................................. iii
Vita ........................................................................................................................ iv
Preface............................................................................................................. vi-viii

Part 1: Introduction

The Debate and Its Interlocutors.................................................................... 2-10

The Nestorian Church and Timothy I .................................................................. 2-7
The Purpose of Timothy’s Debate in Late Antiquity and the Medieval
Period................................................................................................................. 7-10
Versions of the Text ....................................................................................... 11-24
Dating the Debate ............................................................................................ 11-12
The Syriac and Arabic Versions of the Text..................................................... 12-14
Establishing the Syriac Primacy of the Text .................................................... 14-24
Samir’s Edition of the Debate.......................................................................... 23-24
The Contents of the Debate........................................................................... 25-33
The Sequence of the Discussion....................................................................... 25-32
The Use of Islamic and Qur’ānic Terminology in the Debate......................... 32-33

Part 2: An Arabic-to-English Translation of the Debate

Contents of the Debate................................................................................... 35-39

An Arabic-to-English Translation of the Debate ...................................... 40-144
Bibliography ............................................................................................... 145-147

v
 Preface

Origins of the Thesis

This work is the result of the various intersections of my graduate coursework

here at The Ohio State University. During my time at Ohio State, I have studied

Arabic and Islamic Studies under Dr. Georges Tamer, Syriac and Aramaic under

Dr. Sam Meier, and Near Eastern Culture, specifically late antique Persia, under

Dr. Parvenah Pourshariati. Somewhat unexpectedly, these courses and topics were

constantly intersecting and overlapping one another. Therefore, when deciding

upon a thesis topic, I did not want to concentrate my studies in one area, while

completely abandoning the others; hence, I decided to work on a topic that dealt

with a variety of aspects from all three of the aforementioned fields. I

concentrated my work on the medieval debate between the Nestorian Patriarch,

Timothy I (d. 823), and the ʿAbbāsid Muslim Caliph, al-Mahdī (d. 785). The

exploration of this text allowed me the unique opportunity to study both Syriac

and Arabic. This topic also afforded me the opportunity to explore the field of

pre-modern Christian-Muslim relations.

I would specifically like to extend my gratitude to Professors Tamer,

Meier, and Pourshariati for not only guiding me to this topic, but through it as

well. I would also like to thank the faculty of the Department of Near Eastern

Languages and Cultures at The Ohio State University for allowing me to present

vi
my research at their quarterly graduate student colloquium, and receive their

immensely beneficial criticisms and suggestions.

Text and Translation

As stated, I have used the edited Arabic text produced by Samir K. Samir as it

appeared in L'église et l'islam sous Timothée I (780-823): étude sur l'église

nestorienne au temps des premiers ʻAbbāsides avec nouvelle édition et traduction

du dialogue entre Timothée et al-Mahdi published in Beirut by Dar el-Machreq

Éditeurs in 1975. In regards to the Arabic text, I have created virtually a facsimile

of Samir’s version, although in several locations minor corrections have been

made. These corrections have been bracketed and justified in the footnotes

accompanying the corrections. I maintained his numerical breakdown of the text,

as well as nearly all aspects of his punctuation and grammatical markings. I have

mimicked his style and organization in my English parallel translation. In addition

to simply translating the Arabic text, I have compared the Arabic version of the

debate to the Syriac version of the debate as well. In my translation of the Arabic

text, I have added footnotes pertaining to significant and noteworthy differences

between the two versions of the debate.

There are many methods in translating a medieval text into modern

languages, and I follow a very particular one. First, I prefer to stay as literal as

possible, within the bounds of creating comprehensible English. I prefer to limit

idiomatic phrases. In my opinion, this allows the reader to understand how I

specifically understood the text. Second, if at all possible, I try to maintain the

vii
original word order of the text. I do not rearrange various phrases in an attempt to

create a more flowing English translation. Third, I try to represent every Arabic

word in the text with an English equivalent. For instance, if the Arabic text has a

phrase with three Arabic words, I try to create an English sentence with three

words. Although this style may seem rigid, there will be no confusion for the

reader as to how I understood the Arabic text. Additionally, Timothy quotes the

Bible extensively, and for these, I translate his quotations simply as I did other

parts of the text.

viii
Part 1: Introduction

1
 The Debate and Its Interlocutors

The Nestorian Church and Timothy I

The 8th century saw the rise of the ‘Abbāsid dynasty (750-1258), which

essentially shifted the powerbase of the Islamic Empire into the direct heartland of

the Nestorian Church, Mesopotamia.1 Now, the newly founded capital of the

‘Abbāsid Empire, Baghdad, became home to both the ‘Abbāsid Caliph and the

Patriarch of the Nestorian Church. It was Patriarch Timothy I (779-823) who

opted to move the Nestorian patriarchal residence from Ctesiphon to the newly

established ‘Abbāsid capital in Baghdad.2 During the early years of the ‘Abbāsid

Caliphate, the caliphs largely assumed the role the Sassanians3 had previously

held in Mesopotamia, and in many ways they treated the Nestorians as the

preferred Christians of the empire. In effect, the Patriarch of the Nestorian Church

became the official representative of all Christians living under ‘Abbāsid rule.4

This is not surprising considering the fact that the Nestorian Church had, by the

1
The Nestorian Church is known under several names, including: The Church of the East, The
East Syriac Church, The Holy Apostolic Church of the East. From henceforth, the church will
strictly be refered to as the Nestorian Church. For more information on the Nestorian Church, see
Christoph Baumer, The Church of the East: An Illustrated History of Assyrian Christianity (New
York: I.B. Tauris. 2006).
2
See Wilhelm Baum and Dietmar W. Winkler, The Church of the East: A Concise History
(London: Routledge Curzon, 2003), 60.
3
The Sassanian Empire was centered in Ctesiphon and existed from approximately 224-651. They
were the imperial rivals of the Roman and Byzantine Empires.
4
Baum and Winkler, 60.

2
time of Timothy, expanded to various regions of the Far East. Timothy was

instrumental in establishing various Nestorian metropolitans in Turkestan, China,

and Tibet.5 By the end of Timothy’s near 50 year-long reign as patriarch, the

Nestorian Church had 230 dioceses and 27 metropolitans.6

In addition to the sheer demographic and geographic size of the Nestorian

Church, Nestorian Christians were also a very useful subject people of the

‘Abbāsid Empire. The Nestorians were not only one of the largest contributors in

the ‘Abbāsid translation movement,7 making them an intellectually beneficial

community, but they were also one of the largest ethno-religious mercantile

groups in the world;8 so, they were commercially beneficial to the ‘Abbāsid

Empire as well. ‘Abbāsid Baghdad was home to two of the most important men in

the world, the Muslim ‘Abbāsid Caliph and the Christian Nestorian Patriarch. The

‘Abbāsid caliphs controlled an empire from the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean,

while Timothy and other Nestorian Patriarchs controlled a religious community,

which was multiethnic, multilinguistic, and controlled trading networks from

western Turkey to central China.9

During the 8th and 9th centuries, no figure effectively directed the affairs of

the Nestorian Church more so than Patriarch Timothy I. Timothy was born in the

5
Ibid.
6
Ibid., 61.
7
For more information on the ‘Abbāsid translation movement, see Dimitri Gutas, Greek Thought,
Arabic Culture: The Graeco-Arabic Translation Movement in Baghdad and Early ʻAbbāsid
Society (2nd-4th/8th-10th Centuries) (London: Routledge, 1998).
8
For more information on the expansion of the Nestorian Church in the east, see Alphonse
Mingana, “The Early Spread of Christianity in Central Asia and the Far East: A New Document,”
Bulletin of the John Rylands Library, Vol. 9, No. 2 (Manchester: University Press, 1925), 297-
371.
9
Ibid., 297-307.

3
village of Ḥazza near Adiabene in 727.10 Timothy was educated at the monastic

school in Bašōš, a small village in northern Mesopotamia in the region of

Ṣafṣāfa,11 where he studied Greek and Arabic.12 In addition to studying Greek and

Arabic, he studied Biblical exegesis and Aristotelian philosophy as well.13 Not

only was he possibly trilingual, speaking Syriac, Arabic, and Greek, but he was

involved in multiple significant translations of Greek and Syriac texts into Arabic

as well as effectively maintaining cordial Nestorian-Muslim relations during his

nearly half decade tenure as head of the Nestorian Church. Al-Mahdī is believed

to have commissioned Timothy to translate the Topics of Aristotle from Syriac

into Arabic.14 Timothy is also believed to have written hundreds of works on a

multitude of topics, some of which include: science, philosophy, liturgy, theology,

and law.15 Timothy served as Patriarch of the Nestorian Church from 779-823.16

As Wilhelm Baum states in The Church of the East: A Concise History,

Timotheos I (780-823) came to office through

simony but developed into one of the most
important ecclesiastical writers and most capable
organizers of the Apostolic Church of the East,

10
See Hans Putman, L'église et l'islam sous Timothée I (780-823): étude sur l'église nestorienne
au temps des premiers ʻAbbāsides: avec nouvelle édition et traduction du Dialogue entre
Timothée et al-Mahdi (Beyrouth: Dar el-Machreq éditeurs, 1975), 11.
11
Putman, 14.
12
See Erica C.D. Hunter, “Interfaith Dialogues: The Church of the East and the ‘Abbāsids.” In
Der Christliche Orient und seine Umwelt: Gesammelte Studien zu Ehren Jürgen Tubachs
anlässlich seines 60 Geburtstags. Studies in Oriental Religions, Vol. 56, Edited by Karl Hoheisel
and Wassilios Klein (Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 2007), 289-303, 291.
13
Putman, 15.
14
Hunter, 291.
15
Putman, 20-23.
16
Hunter, 289.

4
 which by then had extended into India and China.17

Amidst his wide array of writings survives one of the most famous

Christian-Muslim debates of the medieval period. Timothy theologically disputed

the Caliph al-Mahdī over a two-day period, in 780 or 781, amidst the caliphal

court.18 The debate has survived in both Syriac and Arabic versions; however, the

Syriac version of the debate is believed to have been penned by Timothy himself,

while the Arabic is generally considered to be a later translation of the Syriac by

an anonymous author. Erica C.D. Hunter states,

Royal scribes may have taken the ‘minutes’ of the

discussion in Arabic but their records have not
survived. Instead an ‘Apology of Christianity’ was
preserved in a Syriac letter, written by Timothy to
an anonymous correspondent, who is believed to
have been Sergius, metropolitan of Elam.19

Regarding the Syriac text, Alphonse Mingana stated,

It is not necessary to suppose that every word in it

was uttered verbatim, but there are strong reasons
for believing that it contains as faithful an analysis
as could possibly be made under the circumstances
of the questions and answers of the Caliph and
Patriarch.20

17
Baum and Winkler, 60. For more information on the simoniacal election of Timothy as
Nestorian Patriarch, see above n 10, 16-19.
18
For an essential introduction to the text, see Alphonse Mingana, “Timothy's Apology for
Christianity,” Woodbrooke Studies 2, (Cambridge: W. Heffer & Sons Ltd, 1928), 1-162, 11-15.
19
Hunter, 292. For comprehensive work on Timothy’s letters to Sergius, see Raphaël J. Bidawid,
Les lettres du patriarche nestorien Timothée I: étude critique avec en appendice: La lettre de
Timothée I aux moines du Couvent de Mār Mārōn (trad. latine et texte chaldéen) (Città del
Vaticano: Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, 1956); Thomas Hurst, “The Syriac Letters of Timothy I
(727-823): A Study in Christian-Muslim Controversy” (Ph.D. Diss., Catholic University of
America, 1986).
20
Mingana, 11.

5
 During the first centuries of the Arab-Islamic conquests, Christians clearly

held an advantage, in regards to polemical and apologetical skill, over the nascent

Islamic community. Christians had been in dialogue with various religions from

the time of Christ and the Early Church. With the advent of Islam, many Christian

apologists and polemicists, specifically while in dialogue with Muslims, simply

recycled many of the skills prior Christians had developed to religiously engage

Jews.21 Due to his background and education, Timothy was fluent in Syriac,

Arabic, and Greek; consequently, he would have been able to utilize nearly the

full arsenal of pre-Islamic Christian authors, which J.W. Sweetman, in his Islam

and Christian Theology, insinuated he did.22 Sweetman claims that many Syriac

and Arabic apologists, during the early Islamic period (650-850), used the works

of numerous earlier Christian writers, including: Cyprian of Carthage (d. 258),

Aphraates of Edessa (4th century), Epiphanius of Salamis (d. 403), John

Chrysostom (347-407), Gregentius Bishop of Zafār in South Arabia (6th century),

and John of Damascus (d. 749).23

Precisely at the time of Timothy, Arabic was not simply coexisting with

Syriac, but rather it was in the process of supplanting it. Within the span of

approximately 100 years, roughly 650-750, Aramaic went from a lingua franca to

a dying and nearly dead language.24 The various versions of the debate held

21
See J.W. Sweetman, Islam and Christian Theology; A Study of the Interpretation of Theological
Ideas in the Two Religions (London: Lutterworth Press, 1945), 65-75.
22
Ibid., 65-83.
23
Ibid., 66,75.
24
See Mark N. Swanson, “Arabic as a Christian Language?” available at http://www
.luthersem.edu /faculty/fac_home.asp?contact_id_mswanson. At the same website see also the
author’s companion piece, “Early Christian-Muslim Theological Conversation among Arabic-

6
between Timothy and al-Mahdī are very indicative of this process. For example,

even though Timothy recorded his debate in Syriac, the debate was believed to

have been held in Arabic and shortly after Timothy’s Syriac text began circulating

throughout the Christian communities of the Near East, an Arabic rendition of the

debate began circulating as well.25 Alphonse Mingana, in his preface to his

Syriac-to-English translation, stated, “This colloquy was naturally conducted in

Arabic…”26 What makes the Arabic rendition of the debate so interesting, is that

it is written in an extremely accessible form of Arabic. The Arabic used to record

the debate represents an intermediary form of Christian Arabic, which is not as

simplified as the earliest forms of Christian Arabic, nor as advanced as the Arabic

of writers like Ḥunayn ibn Isḥāq (d. 873) or Yaḥyā ibn ‘Adī (d 974).27 While the

text employs numerous analogies and Aristotelian logic, it still maintained a

simplified form of Arabic, which avoids any highly elaborate and unnecessarily

ornate language, quite contrary to the triple negatives used in the Syriac version of

the text. The writer of the Arabic version of the debate kept in mind the language

abilities of the Christian Arabic speaking communities who would be reading the

text.

Speaking Intellectuals;” Sidney H. Griffith, “From Aramaic to Arabic: The Languages of the
Monasteries of Palestine in the Byzantine and Early Islamic Periods,” Dumbarton Oaks Papers
51. Dumbarton Oaks, (1997): 11-31.
25
Mingana, 11.
26
Ibid.
27
For an early example of simplified Christian Arabic, see Margaret Dunlop Gibson, An Arabic
Version of the Acts of the Apostles and the Seven Catholic Epistles, with a Treatise on the Triune
Nature of God. Studia Sinaitica, 7 (London: C.J. Clay and Sons, 1899). For an example of highly
complex Christian Arabic, see See Samir K. Samir and Paul Nwyia, Une Correspondance Islamo-
Chrétienne entre Ibn al-Munaǧǧim, Ḥunayn ibn Isḥāq et Qusṭā ibn Lūqā (Turnhout, Belgique:
Brepols, 1981).

7
 The Purpose of Timothy’s Text in Late Antiquity and the Medieval Period

Timothy’s text is so unique in that it covers, within a relatively short space

(approximately 30 pages), virtually every topic of contention between Christians

and Muslims. The text of the debate, in both its Syriac and Arabic form,

seemingly served a three-tiered purpose in society: 1) The text functioned as a

form of theological instruction and introduction. It exposed Christians to biblical

and qur’ānic verses fundamental to Christian-Muslim dialogue; 2) The text served

as an important source of Christian ecumenical literature in a time of intense

Christian sectarian struggle for power under new dominion. Timothy largely

disregarded Christian rivalry and spoke for a theoretically universal church; 3)

The text comprehensively engaged common Muslim objections and criticisms of

Christianity. Timothy was one of the first Christians of power to confront and

respond to the challenges of Islam and by recording his account, he allowed

Christians to utilize and build upon his dialectical skills for further encounters

with Islam. Timothy’s debate with al-Mahdī is unique among the dialogical

works, not only due to the fact that it is easily the most well-known, but also

because it served as a prototype of sorts for nearly all later dialogical works.28

The theological discussion covers a wide-variety of issues, some of which

include: Jesus’ birth and resurrection, Mary’s virginity both before and after the

birth of Jesus, the Trinity, the integrity of the Old and New Testaments, biblical

prophecies, Muhammad’s status as a prophet, the divine nature of the Qur’ān, and

28
See David Bertaina, An Arabic account of Theodore Abu Qurra in Debate at the Court of
Caliph al-Ma'mun: Study in Early Christian and Muslim Literary Dialogues, (Thesis PhD
Semitics, Catholic University of America, 2007), 139.

8
religious customs, such as direction of prayer and circumcision.29 When

discussing all of the aforementioned topics, Timothy uses various philosophical

and logical arguments to defend his stances all the while addressing these crucial

and highly sensitive issues with the utmost probity and polemical intellect.

In his debate with al-Mahdī, Timothy instructs Christians how to answer

highly sensitive and even dangerous questions, with practical, honest, and non-

religiously compromising answers. For example, when al-Mahdī asks, “What do

you think of Muhammad,” Timothy answered by stating all the positive things,

which Muhammad enacted upon his people, such as belief in one God and

abandoning the worshipping of idols; however, he never stated that Muhammad

was a prophet. Timothy stated, “Muhammad followed in the path of the

prophets.”30 Is this a conciliatory or passive acceptance of the prophethood of

Muhammad on the part of the Patriarch? More likely, it was a simple rhetorical

devise to be used by Christians when debating Muslims, which enabled them to

maintain a non-compromising answer, which at the same time did not offend their

Muslim overlords. In many ways, Timothy’s text became a template for later

debates.31 Not only did the questions of other dialogical texts not sway far from

Timothy’s and al-Mahdī’s, but the analogies and style used did not drastically

change either.
29
For more information on the contents of the debate, see Putman, 189-200; also, see the section
titled “Contents of the Debate” in this thesis.
30
See sections 158-162 of the Arabic-to-English translation in this thesis.
31
In later Christian Arabic texts, such as the debate between Theodore Abū Qurrah and Caliph al-
Ma’mūn as well as the apology of al-Kindi, the influence of Timothy’s text is quite evident. For
the English and Arabic text of Abū Qurrah’s debate, see above n 28. For the English and Arabic
text of al-Kindi’s apology, see William Muir, The Apology of Al Kindy: Written at the Court of Al
Mâmûn (Circa A.H. 215, A.D. 830), in Defence of Christianity against Islam (London: S.P.C.K.,
1911).

9
 In the end, how did this text and others like it benefit the Christian

community? Timothy’s debate gave a Syriac and Arabic version of a highly

educated Christian leader’s answers to Muslim objections to Christianity.

Essentially, for Nestorian Christians, this was the best their community had to

offer in response to the challenges of Islam. Was the purpose for composing these

dialogical texts to show a Christian leader outwitting a Muslim of significant

status? It is more probable that the true purpose of these dialogical texts was not

to crown a Christian victor over a Muslim one, but rather to establish an A-Z

religious guidebook for Christian-Muslim relations. This guidebook of sorts

intended to prevent future Christian conversion to Islam, which beginning in the

8th century, seems to have been a noticeably growing problem in the Christian

communities throughout the entire Near East. Timothy’s debate functioned as a

medieval guidebook for tactfully criticizing Islam and Muhammad, while

defending and encouraging the doctrines of Christianity.

10
 The Versions of the Text

Dating the Debate

The debate between Timothy I and Caliph al-Mahdī is a very important text, both

in its Syriac and Arabic forms. Before reading the actual text of the debate,

several important issues must be addressed in order to properly contextualize and

understand the significance of the debate. First, determining when the debate

occurred is both very important and somewhat problematic. Alphonse Mingana

suggested in his preface to his translation of the Syriac text that he believed the

debate took place around the year 781 or 782.32 This suggestion is largely based

upon a passage found in the Syriac text, which references al-Mahdī’s son Hārūn

al-Rashīd (r. 786-809) and his campaigns against the Byzantines, which occurred

in 779 or 780.33 In speaking about Hārūn, Timothy stated,

He is now called by everybody ‘Heir Presumptive,’

but after your long reign, he will be proclaimed
King and Sovereign by all. He served his military
service through the mission entrusted to him by
your Majesty to repair Constantinople against the
rebellious and tyrannical Byzantines.34

However, this passage does not unequivocally answer the question as to when the

debate occurred. According to Hans Putman’s brief description of the various

32
Mingana, 11.
33
Putman, 184; Mingana, 83-84.
34
Mingana, 84.

11
versions of the debate, François Nau noted that if the debate had truly taken place

in 781 or 782, then Timothy would never have called Hārūn al-Rashīd “Heir

Presumptive,” because at that time al-Mahdī’s eldest son Mūsā al-Hādī (r 785-

786) was the heir to the ‘Abbāsid throne.35 As a result of this discrepancy, Nau

believed the Syriac version of the debate was written in 799; however, Putman

claims this date to be arbitrary and difficult to justify.36 Putman, in his analysis of

the debate, believes that the discussion between Timothy and al-Mahdī was

written between the years 786, which represent the year when Hārūn came to

power, and 794, which represents the year Sergius, Metropolitan of Elam, was

consecrated.37

The Syriac and Arabic Editions of the Debate

Both the contents and the various versions of the debate are very crucial when

analyzing the relationship between Christians and Muslims during the first

‘Abbāsid century (a. 750-850). It is not only one of the fullest surviving Near

Eastern Christian apologies, but it is also one of the earliest. In regards to the

Nestorian apologetical engagement of Islam, it might possibly be the first.38 As

previously stated, the debate exists in both Syriac and Arabic, which makes the

debate doubly useful; however, because the debate exists in two languages and in

multiple manuscripts, it also presents even more problems, which have to be

35
Mingana, 84; Putman, 185.
36
Putman, 185.
37
Ibid.
38
Ibid., 172.

12
addressed, when critically examining the various versions of the debate.

Establishing the primacy of either the Syriac or Arabic text is quite important and

depending on one’s conclusions can carry significant cultural implications for the

Christian communities of the 8th and 9th centuries.

The Syriac text of the debate is known to have been contained amongst the

50 plus Syriac letters written by Timothy to Segius, Metropolitan of Elam.39 It

was published in 1928 by Alphonse Mingana accompanied with an English

translation under the title The Apology of Timothy the Patriarch before the Caliph

Mahdi.40 Mingana’s translation was based on a 13th century manuscript taken

from the Convent of Alqosh named Mingana 17.41 Several later recensions were

done on this text after Mingana.42

The Arabic text had first been published by Louis Cheikho in al-Machriq

XIX (1921), 359-374 and 408-418 under the title,

،‫المحاورة الدينية بين الخليفة المھدي وطيماثاوس الجاثليق‬

which can be translated as “The Religious Debate between the Caliph al-Mahdī

and Timothy the Catholicos.”43 For his edition of the text, Cheikho used a 19th

century manuscript from Mosul known as MS 662 of the Bibliothèque Orientale à

39
Putman, 173.
40
Mingana, above n 19.
41
Mingana, 14; Putman, 174.
42
The following recensions are listed in Hans Putman’s introduction to the versions of the debate.
See above n 10, 174. Putmans stated, “Recensions of this text have been done by: E. Tisserant in
D.T.C., t. XV, 1130-1131 and 1133-1136; R. Strothmann in Theologische Literaturzeitung, 1928,
202-206; A. Rücker in Orientalistiche Literaturzeitung, 1929, 109-111; F. Nau in Revue de
‘Histoire des Religions, 1929, 241-244; R.J. Bidawid, Les Lettres du Patriarche Nestorienne
Timothée I, Studi e Testi, 187, Rome, 1956, 42-43.
43
Putman, 174.

13
Beyrouth.44 Like Cheikho, Samir’s edition of text is based on the MS 662,

although with several changes.45 However, this 19th century Arabic manuscript

does not contain the earliest version of the debate in Arabic. In the same library,

the Bibliothèque Orientale, there exists an Arabic manuscript known as MS 548,

which dates to the 16th century.46 In the Bibliothèque Nationale à Paris, two

earlier manuscripts dating to the 14th century are also in existence.47 Hans Putman

implies that these earlier versions of the Arabic text are condensed versions of the

Syriac text, which represent the essential aspects of the Syriac debate between

Timothy and al-Mahdī.48

Establishing the Syriac Primacy of the Debate

When attempting to determine the primacy of either the Syriac or the Arabic

version of the debate, there exists argumentation in favor of both. In 1931,

Laurence Browne proposed that the much longer Syriac text was derived from an

earlier Arabic Vorlage, now lost.49 He opined that the Syriac text had been

embellished to show a “stronger Nestorian bias” and highlighted several passages

to support his argument.50 Contrary to Browne, Hans Putman argues for the

44
Ibid.
45
Ibid., 185-187.
46
Ibid., 175.
47
Ibid.
48
Ibid., 174-178.
49
See L.E. Browne, “The Patriarch Timothy and the Caliph al-Mahdi,” Muslim World XXI
(1931): 38-45.
50
Ibid., 42.

14
primacy of the Syriac text and he compares and contrasts literary and dogmatic

aspects of both the Syriac and the Arabic text to support his conclusions.51

First, the most striking difference between the Syriac and Arabic versions

of the debate is the length. The Syriac version of the debate takes place over a two

day period, while the Arabic version of the debate is limited to one day.

Therefore, the Syriac text is approximately twice as long as the Arabic text.

However, the length of the Syriac and Arabic texts, in and of itself, does not sway

the argument in favor of the primacy of either the Syriac or the Arabic. Although

it stands out as the most noticeable difference between the two texts, its evaluative

worth is much less significant than other disparities found between the two texts.

However, Putman does mention that, generally, the shorter reading of a text is

often older than the longer reading; therefore, based on length alone, the length of

the texts could favor the primacy of the Arabic text.52 Irrespective of the length,

the Arabic version of the debate, although much shorter than the Syriac version, is

much more stylistically coherent and logically flowing.53 The reader of the two

versions of the texts will almost immediately begin to notice significant textual

incongruities between the Syriac and Arabic texts. The differences between the

two versions of the debate are very calculated and very enlightening when

attempting to determine the primacy of either the Syriac or Arabic text. Once the

two versions of the text are compared and analyzed the reader will be able to

confidently realize that the redactions, omissions, and additions made by the

51
Putman, 172-188.
52
Ibid., 175.
53
Ibid., 175-180.

15
Arabic translator and editor of the Syriac text are not haphazard, but represent a

calculated rarefaction of the Syriac text. Hans Putman states that,

It is not difficult, in fact, to demonstrate and to

prove that A. [the Arabic text] is based on S. [the
Syriac text], and that variations compared with S.
come from the hand of the Arabic translator who
wanted to eliminate certain repetitions, soften
overtly Nestorian tendencies, and complement (the
text with) scriptural and biblical references.54

In his work on the two versions of the text, Putman compares and

contrasts the literary differences between the the Syriac and Arabic text.55 He

notes several locations in the debate where the Arabic text has removed certain

illustrations and explanations. For example, when comparing Arabic (230) with

Syriac (50) the two versions of the debate are quite different.56 In the Syriac

rendition of the section, the fact that the Edomites descend from Abraham’s

children from Keturah is present;57 however, in the Arabic edition, this section has

been removed. By removing this section, the Arabic translator is refining

Timothy’s line of argumentation. In the biblical tradition, both Hagar and Keturah

are considered concubines of Abraham; therefore, the Arabic translator of the text

54
Putman, 176. The original French reads, “Il n’est pas difficile, en effet, de le démontrer et de
constater que A. s’appuie sur S., et que les variantes par rapport à S. proviennent de la main du
traducteur arabe qui a voulu supprimer certaines répétitions, adoucir des déclarations de tendance
trop nestorienne compléter des références scripturaires et bibliques. Additions in [ ] have been
added to the section for clarifications.
55
Ibid., 175-183.
56
When comparing and contrasting various sections of the Syriac and Arabic texts, the Arabic
number in parenthesis corresponds to the paragraph number in the Arabic-to-English translation in
this thesis. The Syriac number corresponds to the page number of Alphonse Mingana’s English
translation.
57
See Gen. 25.

16
wanted to maintain a certain distance from the topic of concubinage.58 In another

example, after a discussion of the culpability of the Jews regarding the crucifixion

of Jesus, Putman draws attention to an important divergence between the two

versions of the debate. Arabic (216) ends the discussion of the culpability of the

Jews and an entirely new section of the debate begins; however, Syriac (47-48),

follows the discussion of the culpability of the Jews with a significant section

discussing the authorship of the Gospel, which is completely absent from the

Arabic text. Putman rightfully claims that this additional section dealing with the

authorship of the Gospel, which can be found in the Syriac text only, does not

coalesce logically in the sequence of Timothy’s argument. When comparing

Arabic (228-237) and Syriac (52-54) the additional material found in the Syriac

text actually obfuscates the logical procession of the debate rather than

elucidating it. Both versions of the text are discussing the implications of

Deuteronomy 18:15. Timothy and al-Mahdī debate if Muhammad was the prophet

predicted in the aforementioned Biblical passage. The Arabic version has

removed two long sections from the Syriac text. First, following this discussion of

Deuteronomy, the Syriac has a fairly long section discussing the role of Jesus in

the death of his mother. In the Syriac text, the Caliph initiates the discussion by

asking, “What is the punishment of the man who kills his mother?”59 After the

discussion on this topic, the Syriac text has an additional section, which has been

removed from the Arabic text. The Caliph initiates this discussion by asking, “Is

58
Putman, 177.
59
Mingana, 52.

17
Jesus Christ good or not?”60 In regards to both additional questions found in the

Syriac text, Timothy offers sufficient and acceptable answers; however, Putman is

absolutely correct when he claims that these additional sections found in the

Syriac text, which are absent in the Arabic text, do not logically fit into

Timothy’s line of argumentation. Putman claims that the omissions by the Arabic

translator have made the Arabic text more logical.61 In the section following the

discussion of Deuteronomy, the Arabic texts states, “And our king said to me:

‘Surely, your speech would be agreeable and your announcement good, if you

would accept Muhammad amongst the prophets;’” likewise, the Syriac text states,

“And our King said to me: ‘If you accepted Muhammad as a prophet your words

would be beautiful and your meanings fine.’”62 Following the additional

discussions found in the Syriac text, this statement does not logically flow.

Examples of this nature are very important in attempting to determine the primacy

of the Syriac or Arabic text, because they represent a refinement of the Arabic

text in comparison to the Syriac text.63

There are also several examples where the Arabic text contextualizes and

clarifies certain sections of the Syriac text. Again, when comparing Syriac (37)

with Arabic (134-135) significant differences between the two versions become

quite apparent. The Syriac text reads, “And our King asked: ‘Who is then the rider

on an ass, and the rider on the donkey?’ – And I replied: ‘The rider on an ass is

60
Ibid., 53.
61
Putman, 178.
62
Mingana, 54.
63
For several more examples on the literary differences between the two version of the text, see
Putman, 176-178.

18
Darius the Mede, son of Assuerus, and the rider on the camel is Cyrus the Persian,

who was from Elam.’”64 In the Arabic text, the section reads,

And our victorious King said to me: “Who is the

one who is said to have been seen riding a camel?”
We answered him saying: “That this verse was
given by the Prophet Isaiah when he said: ‘I saw a
pair of cavalrymen, one riding a donkey, and one
riding a camel.’” And our King asked me: “Who is
the rider of the donkey and the rider of the camel?”
So, I answered him: “That the rider of the donkey is
Darius, son of Artaxerxes the Mede; and the rider of
the camel is Cyrus, the Persian who is from
Elam.”65

The Arabic text adds the reference to Isaiah, which helps to contextualize the

discussion.66

The Arabic text simply corrects the Syriac text on several occasions as

well. In the Syriac (41), Timothy confuses a biblical passage from Isaiah with

another passage from Jeremiah. The Syriac text reads, “And the prophet Jeremiah

said, ‘Wood will eat into His flesh and will destroy Him from the land of the

living. I gave my body to wounds and my cheeks to blows, and I did not turn my

face from shame and spittle.’”67 In reality, the Prophet Jeremiah stated the first

sentence of the quotation, while the Prophet Isaiah stated the second sentence of

the quotation. The Arabic (194-195), accurately identifies the second sentence as

a prophecy found in Isaiah. In another scriptural reference, this time referring to

the Qur’ān, the Arabic text clarifies and corrects the Syriac text. The Syriac (41),

64
Mingana, 37.
65
See Arabic sections 134-137 in this thesis.
66
For other examples where the Arabic text elucidates the Syriac text by adding Biblical context,
see Putman, 179.
67
Mingana, 41

19
states, “It is written in Sūrat ‘Īsa, ‘Peace be upon me the day I was born and the

day I die, and the day I shall be sent again alive.’”68 However, considering the fact

that Sūrat ‘Īsa does not exist in the Qur’ān, Arabic (187) clarifies this statement

by saying, “Surely, it is written in Sūrat ‘Īsa; however, we saw these verses in

Sūrat Maryam, namely: ‘Peace be upon me, the day I was born, the day I will die,

and the day when I will resurrect.”’ Comparing these several passages allows

Putman, in his analysis, to conclude that it seems apparent that the Syriac text is

older and that the Arabic translator omitted several passages he deemed

repetitious and uninteresting as well as adding several passages to either clarify or

correct mistakes made in the Syriac text.69

The previous section of analysis primarily focused on literary aspects that

helped refine the Arabic rendition of the debate. However, an analysis of the two

versions of the text brings forth several dogmatic and theological differences as

well. There are several clear examples of where the Arabic translator overtly

changes or omits several theologically Nestorian passages. For example, when

comparing Arabic (28) with Syriac (19), both of which deal with the Incarnation,

dogmatic differences are quite apparent. The Arabic text omits the following,

which is found in the Syriac text only, “In the same way, the Word of God,

together with the clothings of humanity which He put on from Mary,70 is one and

the same Christ, and not two, although there is in Him the natural difference

68
Ibid.
69
Putman, 179.
70
In Mingana’s translation of the Syriac text, he notes that the expression “clothings of humanity”
is a “semi-Nestorian” phrase. See Mingana, 19.

20
between the Word-God and His humanity.”71 The Syriac text continues with

several passages explicating the nuances of Dyophysitism.72 In another example,

Nestorian elements have been removed from Arabic (87), which exist in the

Syriac (29). The Arabic text omits the following passage,

There is also another reason for our conduct: Jesus

Christ walked in the flesh thirty-three years on the
earth, O King. In the the thirtieth year he repaid to
God all the debt that human kind and angels owed
to Him. It was a debt that no man and no angel was
able to pay, because there has never been a created
being that was free from sin, except the Man with
whom God clothed Himself and became one with
Him in a wonderful unity.73

In his footnote on this passage, Mingana states, “This teaching is that of Theodore

of Mopsuestia.”74

In addition to literary and dogmatic differences between the two versions

of the debate, there also exist significant terminological differences as well,

specifically in regards to the Trinity. Take for instance, the divergent Syriac and

Arabic responses to the question, “Do you believe in the Father, the Son, and the

Holy Spirit?” The Syriac (22) answers the question, by stating, “The belief in the

above three names, consists in belief in three Persons, and the belief in these three

Persons consists in the belief in one God.”75 In contrast to the Syriac text, Arabic

(41) states, “Oh King, surely confessing in these three names is confessing in

71
Ibid., 19.
72
Ibid., 19-20.
73
Ibid., 29.
74
Theodore of Mopsuestia (d. 428) was an Antiochian theologian whose teachings were
fundamental to the Nestorian Church.
75
Mingana, 22.

21
three hypostases. I mean the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit: these are one

God, one nature, and one essence.”76 The Syriac text represents a somewhat

generic and underdeveloped response to the question, while the Arabic text uses a

more sophisticated Trinitarian terminology.77

Overall, a literary, dogmatic, and terminological comparison of the Syriac

and Arabic texts strongly supports the primacy of the Syriac over the Arabic. The

literary omissions often times were done in order to help the logical flow of the

argument by eliminating sometimes superfluous and obfuscating passages. The

literary additions, likewise, often helped contextualize and clarify certain passages

that were lacking a proper frame of reference in the Syriac text. The

terminological differences clearly indicate that the Syriac was the more general

while the Arabic text used a more technical Trinitarian vocabulary. Therefore,

Browne’s claim that the Syriac text was a later embellishment of an older Arabic

text is highly unlikely. Considering the literary and terminological differences

between the two texts, it would seem highly improbable that a Syriac translator

would effectively add Nestorian theological elements to the text, but would on

occasion disrupt the logical flow of the argument with long disconnected and

uncontextualized passages, confuse biblical and qur’ānic passages, and use a

terminologically simplified Trinitarian vocabulary.

76
See Arabic section 41 in this thesis.
77
For further terminological differences compare and contrast Arabic (60) and (69) with Syriac
(22) and (25); Putman, 183.

22
 Samir’s Edition of the Debate

Samir’s critical edition of the Arabic text is justified considering the fact that on

several occasions Louis Cheikho’s edition of the Arabic text is insufficient and

inaccurate. For instance, Louis Cheikho, in the incipit of his Arabic edition of the

text, does not include the final section. In its totality, the incipit states,

‫المحاورة الدينية التي جرت بين المھدي أمير المؤمنين وطيماثاوس الجاثليق الباطريرك‬
‫النسطوري في القرن الثامن بعد المسيح‬
،‫قد ترجمت حديثا من اللغة السريانية الى العربية‬

which translates as, “The Religious Debate, Which Took Place between al-Mahdī,

the Emir of the Believers, and Catholicos Timothy, the Nestorian Patriarch, in the

8th Century after Christ: Recently Translated from Syriac to Arabic.” However, in

Cheikho’s version of the Arabic text the line of text, which reads, “Recently

Translated from Syriac to Arabic” is not included.78 On several occasions,

Cheikho seemingly deliberately omitted sections of the text where Timothy

honors and respects Muhammad. For example in Arabic (164), which reads,

And as the Prophet Moses did with the sons of

Israel, who had made a calf of gold and worshipped
it, that is to say he killed (them) with the sword and
destroyed all those who worshipped the calf;
likewise, Muhammad did as well when he exhibited
his zeal79 on behalf of the Creator (May the Most
High be praised), whom he loved and honored more
than himself, his tribe, and the sons of his nation.80

78
Ibid., 175-176.
79
The Arabic literally says “the zeal,” but it is referring back to the phrase, “ ‫غيرة مح ّمد تشبه غيرة‬
‫ ”موسى وابراھيم‬therefore it has been translated as, “his zeal.”
80
See Arabic section 164 in this thesis.

23
Cheikho omitted the phrase “whom he loved and honored more than himself, his

tribe, and the sons of his nation.”81 Samir also made several stylistic and

grammatical corrections and alterations to Cheikho’s edition as well.82

However, Samir’s critical edition of the Arabic text, as it appears in Hans

Putman’s L'église et l'islam sous Timothée I (780-823), is in certain ways lacking

and difficult to properly utilize. Samir’s edition lacks detailed descriptions of the

manuscripts he consulted in creating his critical edition. In his edition, Samir

makes several changes, corrections, and comparisons to the previous version of

the text; however, his critical edition does not equip the reader of the text with the

proper information to accurately navigate his additions to the text. Regardless,

this relative shortcoming does not hinder a proper understanding of the Arabic

text.

81
For more information on Cheikho’s omissions, see Putman, 185-186.
82
For more detail on the stylistic and grammatical corrections of Samir, see Putman, 186-187.

24
 The Contents of the Debate

The Sequence of the Discussion

The debate between Timothy and al-Mahdī covers a wide-variety of topics. The

dialogue begins with a substantial discussion on the character of Jesus Christ as

seen from both a Christian and Muslim perspective. Al-Mahdī initiated the debate

by stating, “Oh Catholicos, it is not befitting for a man like you, knowledgeable

and possessing experience, to say about God Most High that he took a woman and

begat from her a son.”83 Timothy responds by attempting to differentiate between

the eternal and temporal births of Jesus, by using several analogies taken from

nature. Next, the debate logically progresses to a discussion of the Virgin Mary.

The major disagreement between the two interlocutors is not the possibility of the

virgin birth, but the perpetual virginity of Mary, which Timothy supports and al-

Mahdī rejects. Like the previous topic, Timothy uses several analogies to support

his argument. In addition to several biblical examples, which support the

possibility of birth devoid of damage to the bearer, Timothy uses parallels taken

from nature, such as the production of fruits from trees and scents from flowers.84

Quite early in the debate, the philosophical education of Timothy becomes

evident. Timothy uses both philosophical and theological arguments throughout

83
See Arabic section 3 in this thesis.
84
Ibid., 19.

25
his debate with al-Mahdī. The discussion continues regarding Jesus’ simultaneous

existence as both a man and God. For al-Mahdī, the dual nature of Jesus was

unacceptable and the fact that he frequently returns to this issue represents his

continued skepticism of Timothy’s arguments regarding this topic.

After Timothy and al-Mahdī had felt one another out, al-Mahdī then

defended the Islamic view of Jesus using biblical references. Timothy and al-

Mahdī discuss John 20:17, which states, “Surely I will go to my Father and your

Father, to my God and your God.”85 For al-Mahdī, this verse represents a sort of

schizophrenia regarding Jesus. Al-Mahdī then asks, “How is it possible that the

spirit begets, since it does not possess organs of procreation?”86 This question is

in reference to the Trinity. The initial discussion sequentially and segmentally

built up to a comprehensive argument regarding the Trinity. The discussion

parallels the various church councils, which only over an extended period of time,

comprehensively defined the Trinity. Timothy continually emphasizes that al-

Mahdī, which implies all Muslims, did not properly understand the hypostatic

nature of Jesus.

The previous sections of the debate coalesced when al-Mahdī asks

Timothy, “Do you believe in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit?”87 Timothy

labored quite extensively to show that he believed in the demonstrable possibility

of the hypostatic nature of Jesus. He used multiple analogies taken from the Bible.

85
Ibid., 31.
86
Ibid., 35.
87
Ibid., 38.

26
He quotes several passages from Psalms, Isaiah, John, and Matthew.88 Again,

Timothy does not limit himself to a theological justification of the Trinity; he also

used several philosophical illustrations as well. However, al-Mahdī shows a

continual disapproval of the Trinity. Following Timothy’s analogies regarding the

Trinity, al-Mahdī asks, “And how is the Son not the Spirit and the Spirit not the

Son?”89 The discussion of the Trinity ends with neither interlocutor being

adequately persuaded by the other.

After discussing the Trinity, Timothy and al-Mahdī shift the topic of

conversation to more practical issues, namely: circumcision, baptism, and prayer.

Al-Mahdī seems perplexed as to why Christians do not follow certain aspects of

Jewish Law, particularly circumcision. For example, al-Mahdī stated, “Why then,

are you not circumcised? If your leader and guide, Jesus Christ, had been

circumcised, then it obliges you by necessity to be circumcised as well.”90

Timothy answers this question by explaining how Christ abolished certain Jewish

practices, such as circumcision, through his abrogation of the Torah. In Timothy’s

mind, Jesus was the realization and embodiment of Jewish Law; consequently, the

physical act of circumcision found in the Old Testament prefigured the spiritual

circumcision, i.e. baptism, found in the New Testament. Al-Mahdī then asked

Timothy whether or not Jesus prayed and in what direction had he prayed?91

Timothy confirms that Jesus had prayed and that he prayed in the direction of the

east. The section revolving around circumcision, baptism, and prayer is very

88
Ibid., 47-56.
89
Ibid., 59.
90
Ibid., 76.
91
Ibid., 84-88.

27
important when distinguishing how Timothy and al-Mahdī perceived God. Al-

Mahdī’s line of questing represents an overt admonishment of the Christian belief

in the Incarnation and Christian anthropomorphism of God. The crux of the issue

was not whether circumcision or baptism was required or whether Jesus prayed in

the direction of the east rather than the west, but that Jesus engaged in the human

and earthly acts of circumcision, baptism, and prayer. In al-Mahdī’s eyes, God

does not need to be circumcised or baptized or pray in the direction of the east. In

essence, al-Mahdī insinuated that Christians not only improperly worshiped God,

but that they were not true followers of Jesus either.

After that, al-Mahdī segued into the topic of Muhammad’s prophethood.

Al-Mahdī states, “What is the reason that you accept Christ and the Gospel from

the testimony of the Torah and of the (Books) of the Prophets and you do not

accept the testimony of Christ and the Gospel regarding Muhammad (Peace be

upon him)?”92 In response to this question, Timothy defended his belief in

Christ’s birth, death, resurrection, and second coming, largely based upon

prophecies found in Isaiah, Psalms, and Daniel.93 Then al-Mahdī suggested that

the Paraclete,94 which is referenced in the New Testament, was Muhammad. After

determining that the Paraclete is the Spirit of God, which created the heavens and

the earth and dwelt with the Apostles after the death of Jesus, Timothy concluded

92
Ibid., 92.
93
Ibid., 93-101.
94
The Paraclete is an epithet given to the Holy Spirit throughout the New Testament. The word
Paraclete comes from the Greek word παράκλητος often translated as, “Comforter.” For passages
concerning the Paraclete, see Jn. 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7.

28
that it is impossible that Muhammad was the Paraclete.95 After a short discussion

on the possible corruption of the Bible, al-Mahdī returned to another biblical

passage, which he believed foresaw the coming of Muhammad. Al-Mahdī asked,

“Who is the one who is said to have been seen riding a camel?”96 Timothy

recognized that al-Mahdī was referring to a prophecy found in Isaiah, which

reads, “I saw a pair of cavalrymen, one riding a donkey, and one riding a

camel.”97 Al-Mahdī believed the rider on the donkey to be Jesus and the rider on

the camel to be Muhammad. Timothy believed the rider on the donkey to be

Darius the Mede and the rider on the camel to be Cyrus the Persian.98 Al-Mahdī’s

line of questing illustrated that, by the time this debate took place, Muslims had

begun to use biblical passages and references when justifying their belief in the

prophethood of Muhammad.

As a result of his renunciations of the prophethood of Muhammad, next

Timothy demonstrates his diplomatic skills. Al-Mahdī asked, “What do you say

about Muhammad?”99 Timothy responds by chronicling the good deeds of

Muhammad regarding his enthusiasm for monotheism. Timothy claimed that

Muhammad not only deserved the praise of all mankind, but that Muhammad

displayed a religious zeal like that of Moses and Abraham; Timothy even stated,

“Muhammad had followed in the path of the prophets.” He concluded that

95
See Arabic sections 102-121 in this thesis.
96
Ibid., 134.
97
Ibid., 135.
98
Ibid., 134-137.
99
Ibid., 158.

29
Muhammad was honored by God.100

The debate then transitions to the topic of the death of Jesus on the cross.

Al-Mahdī initiated the discussion by asking, “Why do you worship the cross?”101

Again, this section revolves around the divergent Christian and Islamic

perceptions of Jesus and God. In al-Mahdī’s view of God, not only is God not a

man, but surely he did not die on the cross. Al-Mahdī is criticizing what he saw as

a Christian paradox. If Jesus was God, as Christians believe, then he cannot die

because God is eternal. He emphasized the fact that the Jews overpowered him

and facilitated his crucifixion. Al-Mahdī emphasized throughout the debate that

Jesus prayed, was baptized, and was able to be crucified, although he was not

actually crucified in the Islamic tradition, because he wanted to emphasize that

Jesus Christ was absolutely man and absolutely not an incarnation of God. In

response to this, Timothy uses both biblical and qur’ānic passages to defend his

belief in the death and resurrection of Christ. He quotes numerous passages from

both the Old and New Testaments as well as passages from Sūrat an-Nisā’, Sūrat

Maryam, and Sūrat Āl ‘Imrān.102 Overall, the interlocutors did not see eye to eye.

Timothy argued from the perspective that Jesus was both man and God, while al-

Mahdī argued from the perspective that Jesus was a man, who belonged in the

line of the biblical prophets. The concepts of God and Jesus held by both Timothy

and al-Mahdī were so divergent that neither of their arguments realistically

affected the others.

100
Ibid., 158-171.
101
Ibid., 175.
102
Ibid., 175-216.

30
 Timothy and al-Mahdī quickly discuss the abrogation of the Old

Testament by the New Testament and then shift the discussion back to the topic of

the prophethood of Muhammad. Al-Mahdī again uses biblical passages to support

his belief in Muhammad’s prophethood. He stated,

Did Moses (Peace be upon him) not say publicly to

the children of Israel, in Deuteronomy: ‘Surely the
Lord will raise for you a prophet like me from
amongst your brothers.’103 And who are the brothers
of the children of Israel other than the Ishmaelites
and who had been a prophet like Moses other than
Muhammad?104

Al-Mahdī clearly believed this biblical passage refered to Muhammad. However,

Timothy gave an interesting ethnological rebuttal to al-Mahdi’s suggested

interpretation of the biblical passage.105 Al-Mahdī’s return to this issue marks the

importance of biblical interpretation in establishing the prophethood of

Muhammad. Timothy also corroborated his ethnological rebuttal with several

other biblical passages, notably sections revolving around the character of John

the Baptist as seen in Luke 1:13-18 and 3:16, Jn. 1:129, and Matt 3:11.

Timothy and al-Mahdī end their debate with a discussion on the integrity

of the Old and New Testaments, specifically regarding the issue of whether or not

the Bible foresaw the coming of Muhammad. Al-Mahdī initiated this discussion

by stating, “If you had not changed the Torah and the Gospel, you would have

seen Muhammad along with the other prophets.”106 Timothy quoted multiple

103
Deut. 28:18
104
See Arabic section 228 in this thesis.
105
Ibid., 229-237.
106
Ibid., 248.

31
biblical passages in an attempt to show a logical congruity between the teachings

of the Old and New Testaments.107 In his conclusion, in regards to the

prophethood of Muhammad, Timothy stated, “If the name of Muhammad was

found in our books, we would have awaited with impatience his coming, as we

desired to receive the ones of whom the prophets had written.”108

The somewhat chaotic organization and sequence in the topics of the

debate, seemingly support the possibility that this debate actually occurred and

was written from memory by Timothy himself. The debate shifts back and forth

between topics in a rather unorganized manner. The chaotic style and organization

can be found in both the Syriac and the Arabic versions of the debate. The

organization of this debate reflects a recollection of a discussion not an artificial

recreation of an apologetical work.

The Use of Islamic and Qur’ānic Terminology in the Debate

A striking feature of the Arabic version of the debate is the repeated use of

Islamic and Qur’ānic terminology. This feature is important in determining the

degree to which the language of the Qur’ān had affected the Arabic speaking

Christian communities. The Arabic version of the debate indicates that, by the

first half of the 9th century, there existed a normative use of the vocabulary of

Qur’ān in the writings of Arabic speaking Christians. Take for instance Arabic

(56), which discusses the Apostles of Jesus. The Arabic word used in this section

is ‫حواريين‬, which means “Apostles.” This word is used in the Qur’ān when

107
Ibid., 251-257.
108
Ibid., 268.

32
describing the Apostles of Jesus.109 In the same section, Arabic (56), the Arabic

text uses the verb ‫ع ّرج‬, when referring to Jesus’ ascension to heaven.

Muhammad’s midnight journey (‫ )اإلسراء‬to Jerusalem, which is indicated in Sūrat

Banī Isrā’īl 17:1 is related in Islamic sources to a journey he made to heaven

known as ‫ المعراج‬meaning “the ascension.” Both words share a common root and

meaning. The Arabic translator used an Islamic specific word to denote Jesus’

ascension to heaven. In another example, the Arabic name for Jesus used

throughout the text is ‫عيسى‬, which is the Qur’ānic name for Jesus. This term can

be found over 20 times throughout the Qur’ān. Typically, Arabic speaking

Christians refer to Jesus by the name ‫يسوع‬, which reflects the Syriac ‫ܝܫܘܥ‬. Similar

to the Arabic term used for Apostles, the Arabic translator used another Qur’ānic

word when referring to Christians. In Arabic (122), the term ‫ النصارى‬is used. This

is the specific word used in the Qur’ān when referring to the Christians.110

Finally, the Arabic text uses the root ‫ل‬-‫ز‬-‫ ن‬when referring to the revelation of the

Bible. This can be seen in Arabic (220). This usage is important due to the fact

that the same root is used self-referentially throughout the Qur’ān when

describing its revealed nature.111 These are clear examples indicating that

Qur’ānic and Islamic terminology, specifically regarding Christians and Christian

concepts, were being used by Arabic speaking Christians at that time.

109
For more information on the term ‫حواريين‬, see Qur’ānic verses: 3: 52; 5:111; 5:112; and 61:14.
110
For more information on ‫النصارى‬, see Q2:62, 2:111, 2:113, 2:120, 2:135, 2:140, 5:14, 5:18,
5:51, 5:69, 5:82, 9:30, and 22:17.
111
Fore more information on this topic, see Stefan Wild, Self-Referentiality in the Qur'ān.
Diskurse der Arabistik, Bd. 11 (Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 2006).

33
Part 2: An Arabic-to-English Translation of the Debate

34
 Contents of the Debate

Numbers of the Paragraphs

Introduction
Introduction ........................................................................................................ 1-2

The First Section: Christ is the Word of God Incarnated for Our
Salvation
Introduction ........................................................................................................ 3-6
1 – Christ, the Son of God ............................................................................... 7-11
2 - Christ, Son of Mary .................................................................................. 12-20
a) How had Mary remained a virgin after the birth? ...................................... 14-16
b) Proof of the possibility of that from the Book and from nature ................... 17-20
3 - Christ is One in Two Natures .................................................................. 21-29
a) Is Christ eternal or temporal? ..................................................................... 23-24
b) Is Christ created or uncreated? ................................................................... 25-27
c) Is Christ one or two? ................................................................................... 28-29
4 - Christ is the Son of God, Not His Slave .................................................. 30-34
a) The first objection and its response ............................................................. 30-31
b) The second objection and its response ........................................................ 32-34
Conclusion: Christ was born of the Holy Spirit .......................................... 35-37

The Second Section: The Holy Trinity

Introduction .................................................................................................... 38-39
1 - Three Hypostases, and Not Three Gods ................................................. 40-58
Introduction...................................................................................................... 40-41
a) Proof in the creations .................................................................................. 42-46
b) Proof from the Book .................................................................................... 47-56
Summary .......................................................................................................... 57-58
2 - Three Distinguished Hypostases without Separation ............................ 59-68

35
Introduction............................................................................................................59
a) A philosophical explanation of the idea ...................................................... 60-62
b) An explanation of the idea through parallels from nature .......................... 63-67
Conclusion .............................................................................................................68
3 - Are the Three Hypostases, Therefore, Incarnated? .............................. 69-71
a) The first response: an example of the written word ..........................................70
b) The second response: an example of the pronounced word ..............................71

The Third Section: Christ, Our Leader and Our Guide

Introduction .................................................................................................... 72-73
1 - Why are You Not Circumcised Like Your Guide? ............................... 74-83
a) Christ abolished circumcision through his baptism .................................... 74-78
b) Because circumcision is a sign for his baptism ........................................... 79-81
c) The abolition of circumcision is not contrary to the law ............................. 82-83
2 - Why Do You Not Pray toward Jerusalem Like Your Guide? .............. 84-87
3 - How is Christ Your God, While He Prays and Worships? ................... 88-91

The Fourth Section: Why Do You Not Accept the Testimony of

the Scriptures Regarding Muhammad?
Introduction ..........................................................................................................92
1 - We Accept Christ………. .................................................. …………….93-103
a) Testimonies about his birth and about his miracles .................................... 94-96
b) Testimonies of his passion, his resurrection, and his second coming ....... 97-100
Summary ..............................................................................................................101
2 - Is Not the Paraclete a Testimony to Muhammad? ............................ 102-121
a) Who is the Paraclete? .............................................................................. 104-110
b) Muhammad is not the Paraclete .............................................................. 111-120
Conclusion: There is no mention of Muhammad in the Gospel...........................121
3 – Did You Not Falsify Your Books? ...................................................... 122-133 
a) The accusations: You falsified the books ........................................................124
b) The first objection ............................................................................................125

36
c) The second objection ............................................................................... 126-128 
Conclusion ...........................................................................................................129
4 - Supplementary: The Qur’ān was not confirmed by signs ................ 130-133
5 - Isaiah Did Not Prophesy about Muhammad ..................................... 134-157
Introduction: He prophesied about Darius and Cyrus ................................ 134-137
a) The first indication: From the context of the Word ................................. 138-140
b) The second indication: From geography................................................. 141-143
c) The third indication: From the Book of Daniel ....................................... 144-145
d) The fourth indication: From history ........................................................ 146-149
e) The fifth indication: From the Holy Scriptures ....................................... 150-153
The Conclusion: Jesus is the seal of the prophets ....................................... 154-157

The Fifth Section: What Do You Say about Muhammad?

Introduction ........................................................................................................158
1 - Muhammad Followed in the Path of the Prophets ............................ 159-162
2 - The Zeal of Muhammad....................................................................... 163-166
3 – Thus, God glorified Him...................................................................... 167-168
4 – Therefore, Profess the Unity of God .................................................. 169-171
Conclusion: Unity in tri-unity ................................................................... 172-174

The Sixth Section: The Death of Christ on the Cross

1 - Why Do You Worship the Cross? ....................................................... 175-182
2 - Did Christ Die on the Cross? ............................................................... 183-201
a) It is not possible that God can die? ......................................................... 183-185
b) They did not kill him, nor crucify him, but it seemed as though to them . 186-188
c) Christ did not die yet, but he will die ....................................................... 189-190
d) The prophets did not prophesy about the death of Christ ....................... 191-198
e) Therefore they prophesied, so these were the parables ........................... 199-202
3 - How Could Christ Die If He is the Omnipotent God? ...................... 203-216
Introduction.................................................................................................. 203-204
a) The death of Messiah took place according to his own will .................... 205-206

37
b) But that does not mean that the Jews are not guilty ................................ 207-209
c) The death of Messiah took place according to his own volition and because the
hatred of the Jews ........................................................................................ 210-214
Conclusion ................................................................................................... 215-216

The Seventh Section: Why Do You Not Believe That Muhammad

is a Prophet?
Introduction ........................................................................................................217
1 - God Announced That the Gospel Abrogated the Old Testament .... 218-227
Introduction..........................................................................................................218
a) He announced this by the mouth the Prophet Jeremiah .......................... 219-220
b) He announced this by the mouth the Prophet Joel .................................. 221-227
Conclusion ................................................................................................... 226-227
2 – God Did Not Announce Muhammad ................................................. 228-237 
Introduction..........................................................................................................228
a) Explanation: “From amongst your brothers”......................................... 229-234
b) Explanation: “A prophet like me”........................................................... 235-237
3 - Muhammad is Not a Prophet .............................................................. 238-247
Introduction.................................................................................................. 238-241
a) The Prophecy of Malachi ................................................................................242
b) Prophecy of John son of Zachariah ......................................................... 243-245
Conclusion ................................................................................................... 246-247

The Eighth Section: The Absence of Falsification in the Torah, the

(Books) of the Prophets, and the Gospel
Introduction ................................................................................................ 248-250
1 - The Absence of Falsification ................................................................ 251-262 
a) The Torah and the (Books) of the Prophets testify to all the teachings of
Messiah ........................................................................................................ 251-256
b) How did the Christians and Jews mutually agree? ................................. 257-261 
Conclusion ..........................................................................................................262
2 - The Absence of Falsification in the Gospel ........................................ 263-272

38
Introduction.................................................................................................. 263-264
a) If we had falsified the Gospel, we would have suppressed the contemptible
things ............................................................................................................ 265-267
b) If the name of Muhammad was found in our books, we would have awaited him
more than we awaited the Jewish Messiah .................................................. 268-271
Conclusion ...........................................................................................................272

Conclusion
Conclusion .................................................................................................. 273-275

39
The Religious Dialogue, Which Took Place between al-Mahdī, the
Emir of the Believers, and Catholicos Timothy, the Nestorian
Patriarch, in the 8th Century after Christ:
Recently Translated from Syriac to Arabic

‫المحاورة الدينية التي جرت بين المھدي أمير المؤمنين وطيماثاوس الجاثليق‬
:‫الباطريرك النسطوري في القرن الثامن بعد المسيح‬
112
‫قد ترجمت حديثا من اللغة السريانية الى العربية‬

112
In Louis Cheikho’s edition of the text, which can be found in al-Machriq XIX (1921), 359-374
and 408-418, ‫ قد ترجمت حديثا من اللغة السريانية الى العربية‬has been omitted.

40
 Introduction

‫المقدّمة‬

1. The abovementioned Timothy wrote to his friend a letter; he informs

him in it about the dialogue, which took place between him and the Emir of the
Believers, and at the end of this letter, he stated this:

‫ طيماثاوس المذكور كتب الى صديقه رسالة يخبره بھا عن المحاورة التي جرت‬- ١
:‫ وفي نھاية ھذه الرسالة يقول ھكذا‬.‫بينه وبين أمير المؤمنين‬

2. We had entered before these days into the presence of our victorious
King and when we spoke about the divine nature and its eternality, the King said
to us what we had never heard from him before, which is:

‫ وعندما تكلّ ّمنا عن الطبيعة‬.‫ إنّنا قد دخلنا قبل ھذه األيام الى حضرة ملكنا المظفّر‬- ٢
:‫ وھو‬،ّ‫ قال لنا الملك ما لم نسمعه منه قط‬،‫اإللھيّة وأزليّتھا‬

41
 The First Section: Christ, the Word of God, the Incarnated for
Our Salvation

‫سد لخالصنا‬
ّ ‫ المسيح كلمة ﷲ المتج‬:‫الباب اال ّول‬

Introduction

‫المقدّمة‬

3. “Oh Catholicos, it is not befitting for a man like you, knowledgeable

and possessing experience, to say about God Most High ‘that he took a woman
and begat from her a son.’”113

‫ ان يقول عن ﷲ تعالى }إنّه‬،‫ عالم وذي خبرة‬،‫برجل مثلك‬

ٍ ‫ ال يليق‬،‫ ايّھا الجاثليق‬- ٣
.{‫اتّخذ إمرأة وولد منھا ابنا‬

4. Then we answered saying: “Oh King, lover of God, who is that who
offered such a blasphemy about God (May he be exalted and majestified)?”

‫ من ھو ذاك الذي أتى بكذا تجديف عن‬،‫ يا ايّھا الملك محبّ ﷲ‬:‫ فجاوبنا قائلين‬- ٤
‫ﷲ )ع ّز وج ّل(؟‬

5. Then, at the moment, the victorious King said to me: “So what do you,
therefore, say about Christ? Who is he?”

‫ فماذا تقول ا ًذا عن المسيح؟ من ھو؟‬:‫ فحينئ ٍذ الملك المظفّر قال لي‬- ٥

6. Then we answered the King saying: “Indeed, Christ is the Word of God,
which appeared in the flesh for the salvation of the world.”

113
The Qur’ānic rejection of God siring a son can be seen in Q 6:101.

42
 ّ :‫ فجاوبنا الملك قائلين‬- ٦
‫ ألجل خالص‬،‫ الذي ظھر بالجسد‬،‫إن المسيح ھو كلمة ﷲ‬
.‫العالم‬

1. Christ, the Son of God

‫ المسيح ابن ﷲ‬- ١

7. Then our victorious King asked me: “Do you not believe that Christ is
the Son of God?”

ّ ‫ أما تعتقد‬:‫ ث ّم سألني ملكنا المظفّر‬- ٧

‫أن المسيح ھوابن ﷲ؟‬

8. Then I said: “Indeed, we believe that without doubt. Because,

accordingly, we learned from Christ himself, since it is written about him in the
Gospel,114 the Torah, and the (Books) of the Prophets115 that he is the Son of God.
But his birth is not like the bodily birth, rather it is a miraculous birth, beyond the
comprehension of the mind and description of the tongue,116 as is befitting for the
divine birth.”

‫ اذ ھو‬،‫ألن ھكذا تعلّمنا من المسيح نفسه‬

ّ .‫ك‬ّ ‫ إنّنا نعتقد بذلك دون ش‬:‫فقلت‬
ُ - ٨
‫ ولكن والدته ليست كالوالدة‬.‫مسطور عنه في اإلنجيل والتوراة واألنبياء أنه ابن ﷲ‬
‫ كما يليق بالوالدة‬،‫ تفوق إدراك العقل ووصف اللسان‬،‫ بل ھي والدة عجيبة‬،‫الجسدانية‬
.‫اإللھيّة‬

114
The Arabic term ‫ إنجيل‬is derived from the Greek term Ευαγγέλιον, meaning “Gospel.”
115
The Arabic term ‫ أنبياء‬literally carries the meaning of “prophets”, but contextually it implies the
Books of the Prophets, referring to the later books of the Old Testament.
116
The Syriac rendering of this clause, which reads, ‫ ܕܪܡ ܗܘ ܘܡܥܠܝ ܘܡܢ ܗܘܢܐ ܐܟܚܕܐ ܘܡܢ ܡܠܬܐ‬, can
be translated as, “that is higher and more sublime than intellect as well as reason.” The original
Syriac word ‫ ܡܠܬܐ‬carries a similar meaning to the Greek λογος, rather than the Arabic translation
“description of the tongue.”

43
 9. Then our victorious King said: “How is that?”

‫ كيف ذلك؟‬:‫ فقال ملكنا المظفّر‬- ٩

10. Then we said: “If Christ is the Son born before the ages117 then we are
not able to examine this birth nor to comprehend it, because God is
incomprehensible in all his attributes;

‫ فال نستطيع أن نفحص عن ھذه‬.‫ إن المسيح ھو ابن ومولود قبل الدھور‬:‫ فقلنا‬-١٠
ّ .‫ وال أن نُدركھا‬،‫الوالدة‬
.‫الن ﷲ غير ُمدرك في جميع صفاته‬

11. However, we may offer a parallel taken from nature: So, as rays are
born of the sun and the word of the soul, thus Christ, in that he is the Word of
God, was born of the Father before all ages.”118

،‫ فكما تتّلد األشعّة من الشمس‬:‫ مأخوذ من الطبيعة‬،‫ ولكن نأتي بتشبيه ما‬- ١١
.‫ ُولد من اآلب قبل الدھور‬،‫ بما أنّه كلمة ﷲ‬،‫والكلمة من النفس؛ ھك ًذا المسيح‬

2. Christ, Son of the Virgin Mary

‫ المسيح ابن مريم البتول‬- ٢

117
It is interesting to compare the Syriac and Arabic articulations of the eternality of the birth of
̈ ‫ ܠܥܠ ܡܢ‬translated as, “beyond the
Christ. In the original Syriac version, the phrase reads ‫ܙܒܢܐ‬
times” while in the Arabic ‫ قبل الدھور‬can be translated as, “before the ages.” Both versions maintain
a plural usage of time when referring to the eternality of the birth of Christ. The conception of
time in both the original Syriac and the Arabic translation reflect a Greek influence. Both the
Syriac and Arabic phrases “beyond the times” and “before the ages” are attempting to mimic the
meaning of the Greek word αἰών, which can be translated into English as “age” or “epoch.”
However, English usually renders the phrase as, “before all time,” which represents time
singularly.
118
After the phrase “before all time,” the Syriac text includes the phrase, ‫ܥܠܡܐ ܟܠܗܘܢ‬̈ ‫ܐܟܚܕܐ ܘܩܕܡ‬
̈
translated as, “as well as before all worlds.” Again the Syriac term ‫ ܥܠܡܐ‬or “worlds” is attempting
to assert a meaning similar to the Greek αἰών.

44
 12. Then our victorious King said to me: “Do you not say that Christ was
born of the Virgin Mary?”

ّ ‫ أما تقولون‬:‫ فقال لي ملكنا المظفّر‬- ١٢

‫إن المسيح ُولد من مريم البتول؟‬

13. We answered saying: “Indeed, we say and confess that Christ was born
of the Father, in that he is his Word, and he was born of the Virgin Mary, in that
he is a human being; and his birth from the Father is eternal, before all ages, and
his birth from Mary is temporal, without a father or marriage, and without the
virginity of his mother being defiled.” 119

،‫بأن المسيح مولود من اآلب بما أنّه كلمتُه‬

ّ ‫ إنّنا نقول ونعتقد‬:‫ فجاوبنا قائلين‬- ١٣
،‫ ووالدتُه من اآلب ھي ازليّة قبل ك ّل الدھور‬.‫ومولود من مريم العذرآء بما أنّه إنسان‬
.‫ وبدون انثالم بتوليّة أ ّمه‬،‫ دون أب ومن غير زواج‬،‫ووالدته من مريم ھي زمانيّة‬

a) How had Mary remained a virgin after the birth?

ً ‫ كيف ظلّت مريم‬- ‫أ‬

‫بتوال بعد الوالدة؟‬

14. Then our King, lover of God, said to me: “Surely the birth of Christ
from Mary, without marriage, is written and confirmed, but how was this birth
able to occur without the virginity of the bearer being defiled?”

ّ :‫ فملكنا محّب ﷲ قال لي‬- ١٤

‫إن والدة المسيح من مريم بغير زواج ھي مكتوبة‬
‫ ولكن كيف يمكن أن تكون ھذه الوالدة دون انثالم بتوليّة الوالدة؟‬.‫ومقررّة‬

119
In this passage, the Arabic word ‫ انثالم‬can be translated as “defilement.” This Arabic term is
used to represent the Syriac passive participle ‫ܫܪܝܐ‬, which can be translated as “broken” or
“loosened.”

45
 15. Then we answered the King and we said: “Surely this matter,
regarding nature, is impossible and inconceivable to occur without the virginity
being defiled; moreover, neither is it possible that a man be born, nor conceived
naturally without the union120 of a man with a woman.

ّ :‫ فجاوبنا الملك وقلنا‬- ١٥

‫ وغير ممكن‬،‫ ھو ُمحال‬،‫ نظ ًرا الى الطبيعة‬،‫إن ھذا األمر‬
ً
‫ بغير اشتراك‬،‫اصال‬ ‫ وال أن يُحبل به‬،‫ وال يمكن أن يتّلد إنسان‬.‫أن يصير دون انثالم البتوليّة‬
.‫رجل مع إمرأة‬

16. However, regarding the omnipotence of the Creator of nature, this is

possible. That is to say, that a virgin begets without her virginity being defiled,
because God (May he be praised) is Master of everything, and for him nothing is
difficult.121

ّ ‫ أي‬،‫ ف ُمستطاع ذلك‬،‫ وأما ّ نظ ًرا إلى قُدرة خالق الطبيعة‬- ١٦

‫أن البتول تلد بدون‬
ّ .‫انثالم بتوليّتھا‬
.‫ وليس عنده أمر عسير‬،‫ألن ﷲ سبحانه قادرعلى ك ّل شئ‬

b) Proof of such a possibility from the Book122 and from nature

‫ برھان على امكانية ذلك من الكتاب والطبيعة‬- ‫ب‬

17. We have proof for such in the Book and in nature. These clarify for us
that the birth of a man is possible without defiling the virginity of the bearer:

120
Often times throughout the Syriac text, when speaking of the Virgin Mary and sexually related
terminology, Timothy uses euphemistic terms. For example, he uses the Syriac term ‫ܙܘܘܓܐ‬,
which means “marriage” or “wedlock” to imply sexual relations and coitus, rather than using more
sexually explicit terminology.
121
Between paragraphs 16 and 17, there is a small statement from al-Mahdī, which has been
omitted from the Arabic text. Mingana translates the Syriac as, “Then the King said: That a man
can be born without marital intercourse is borne out of the example of Adam, who was fashioned
by God from earth without any marital intercourse, but that a man can be born without breaking
his mother’s virginal seals we have no proof, either from Book nor from nature.”
122
The word ‫ الكتاب‬here is used to denote the entire Bible, both the Old and New Testament.

46
‫ اللّذين يوضّحان لنا أنّه تمكن‬،‫ ولنا برھان على ذلك في الكتاب وفي الطبيعة‬- ١٧
:‫والدة إنسان دون انثالم بتوليّة الوالدة‬

18. First, from the book: It had been written that Eve had been produced
from the side of Adam without breaking that rib123 and Christ (Peace be upon
him)124 had ascended to heaven without the firmament being divided; so, in such a
way, the Virgin Mary begat her Son without her virginity being defiled and
without being harmed.

ّ ‫ دون أن تنش‬،‫ قد سُطّر أن ح ّواء قد أخرجت من ضلع آدم‬.‫اوال من الكتاب‬

‫ق‬ ً - ١٨
‫ فھكذا مريم‬.‫ دون ان ينشق الجلد‬،‫ والمسيح )عليه السالم( قد صعد إلى السمآء‬.‫تلك الضلعة‬
.‫ من دون ]أن[ تنثلم بتوليّتھا ويعتريھا ضرر‬،‫البتول َولدت ابنھا‬

19. Second, from nature: So, surely fruits are produced by the trees, vision
by the eye, and scents by the flowers, without being divided and being separated
from each other. Likewise, rays are born from the sun.

ّ .‫ ثانيًا من الطبيعة‬- ١٩
‫ والروائح‬،‫ والنظر من العين‬،‫فإن األثمار تولد من األشجار‬
.‫ وكذا تتّلد األشعّة من الشمس‬.‫ دون انشقاق وانفصل بعضھا من بعض‬،‫من الزھور‬

20. For in this manner, Christ had been born of Mary without her virginity
being defiled. And just as his eternal birth exceeds rationality, likewise, his
temporal birth is miraculous.”

ّ ] ‫ وكما‬.‫ دون أن تنثلم بتوليّتُھا‬،‫ قد ولد المسيح من مريم‬،‫ فعلى ھذا المنوال‬- ٢٠
[‫أن‬
.‫ ھكذا والدته الزمنية ھي عجيبة‬،‫والدته األزليّة فائقة عن العقل‬

123
Gen. 2:21-22.
124
Here, the translator of the Arabic text follows the Islamic practice of stating the Arabic phrase
‫عليه السالم‬, which means “Peace be upon him” after uttering the name of a messenger of God.

47
3. Christ is One in Two Natures

‫ المسيح واحد من طبيعتين‬- ٣

21. Then our King said to me: “How is that? Was the Eternal born
temporally?”

‫ أأزل ّي ولد زمنياً؟‬،‫ كيف ذلك‬:‫ فقال لي ملكنا‬- ٢١

22. Then we answered saying: “Indeed, Christ, not in that he is eternal was
he born of Mary, rather in that he is temporal and human.”

‫ بل بما أنّه‬،‫ ليس بما أنّه ازل ﱞي مولو ًدا من مريم‬،‫إن المسيح‬
ّ :‫ فجاوبنا قائلين‬- ٢٢
ّ ‫زمن ّي وبشر‬
.‫ي‬

a) Is Christ eternal or temporal?

‫ ھل المسيح ازلي أم زمني؟‬- ‫أ‬

23. So, at that moment, our victorious King said to me: “Then Christ,
therefore, is two. The one is temporal and the other is eternal. So, the eternal is
God from God, according to your saying, and the temporal is a man from Mary?”

‫ واآلخر‬،‫ الواحد زمن ﱞي‬:‫ فالمسيح ا ًذا ھو اثنان‬:‫ فحينئ ٍذ قال لي ملكنا المظفّر‬- ٢٣
.‫ والزمن ّي ھو إنسان من مريم‬،‫ فاألزل ّي ھو إله من إله حسب قولك‬.‫أزل ﱞي‬

48
 24. Then we answered saying: “Oh King, surely there is neither two
Christs nor two sons, rather Christ is one and the Son one,125 possessing two
natures, divine and human, because the Word of God took on a human body and
became a man.”

ّ ،‫ أيّھا الملك‬:‫ فجاوبنا قائلين‬- ٢٤

‫ بل المسيح واحد وابن‬،‫إن المسيح باثنين وال بابنين‬
.ً ‫أن[ كلمة ﷲ اتخذ جس ًدا بشريًا وصار إنسانا‬
ّ ] ‫ من حيث‬،‫ طبيعتين إلھيّة وإنسانية‬126‫ ذو‬،‫واحد‬

b) Is Christ created or uncreated?

‫ ھل المسيح مخلوق أم غير مخلوق؟‬- ‫ب‬

25. With this, the King said: “Indeed, Christ is two, the one created and
fashioned and the other is not so.”

ّ :‫ قال الملك‬127‫ وعندھا‬- ٢٥

‫ واآلخر‬،‫ الواحد مخلوق ومصنوع‬:‫إن المسيح ھو اثنان‬
.‫ليس بذلك‬

26. So, I said to him: “Surely, we affirm that Christ possesses two natures
distinct from one another, but we also confess and affirm that he, being of those
two natures, is to be known as one Christ, and one Son.”

ّ ‫ إنّنا نق ّر‬:‫فقلت له‬

‫ ولكن‬.‫بأن المسيح ذو طبيعتين مميّزتين إحداھما من األخرى‬ ُ - ٢٦
.‫ وابن واحد يعرف‬،‫ من ھاتين الطبيعتين مسيح واحد‬،‫نعتقد أيضا ً ونق ّر أنّه‬

125
Hans Putman’s French rendering of this clause is quite clarifying. Putman states, “O Souverain,
il n’y a pas deux Christ, ni deux Fils, mais un seul Christ et un seul Fils,” which can be translated
into English as, “Oh King, there are not two Christs, nor two Sons, but one sole Christ, and one
sole Son.”
126
Appeared as ‫ ذى‬in MS 662.
127
Appeared as ‫ عندما‬in MS 662.

49
c) Is Christ one or two?

‫ ھل المسيح واحد أم اثنان؟‬- ‫ت‬

27. And our King answered us saying: “So, if Christ was one, he was not
two; and if he was two, he was not one.”

ً ‫ وملكنا جاوبنا‬- ٢٧
‫ ليس‬،‫ وإن كان اثنين‬.‫ ليس باثنين‬،‫ فإن كان المسيح واح ًدا‬:‫قائال‬
.‫بواحد‬

28. However, we answered him, regarding that, with this proof: “Namely,
just as a man is one, regarding composition and unity, he is also two, regarding
the soul and the body (those are two distinct natures: one of the two is composed
and perceptible, while the other is simple and imperceptible). Likewise, the Word
of God, by its incarnation, became a possessor of two distinct natures, one of the
two divine and the other human, as we said;128

‫ كما أن اإلنسان ھو واحد من‬:‫ وھو‬،‫ جاوبناه على ذلك بھذا البرھان‬،‫ أ ّما نحن‬- ٢٨
‫ايضا ً من جھة النفس والجسد )اللّذين ھما طبيعتان‬ 129
‫ وھو اثنان‬،‫جھة التركيب واإلتّحاد‬
‫ ھكذا كلمة ﷲ بتجسّده‬،(‫ واألخرى بسيطة غير منظورة‬،‫ احدھما مر ّكبة ومنظورة‬،‫مميّزتان‬
.‫ كما قُلنا‬،‫ إحداھما إلھيّة واألخرى إنسانيّة‬،‫صار ذا طبيعتين مميّزتين‬

29. However, he continues to be one Messiah and one Son, on account of

the oneness of his persona.”130

128
Sections 28 and 29 of the Arabic text represent a redacted form of the original Syriac. The
Syriac text has been condensed and certain illustrations have been removed.
129
Appeared as ‫ اثنين‬in MS 662.
130
The Arabic term ‫ شخص‬is used to represent the orginal Syriac term ‫ ܦܪܨܘܦܐ‬, which in turn is a
Syriac rendering of the Greek term προσωπον. For this reason the Arabic has been translated as
“persona” rather than simply as “person.”

50
‫ من اجل وحدانيّة‬،‫ ال يزال أن يكون مسيحا ً واح ًدا وابنا ً واح ًدا‬،‫ مع ذلك‬- ٢٩
.‫شخصه‬

4. Christ is the Son of God, Not His Slave

‫ المسيح ابن ﷲ ال عبده‬- ٤

a) The first objection and its response

‫ اإلعتراض االول وحلّه‬- ‫أ‬

30. Then our victorious King said to me: “Did Jesus (Peace be upon him)
not say, ‘Surely I will return to my God and your God?’”

‫ أما قال عيسى )عليه السالم( }إنني سأنطلق إلى إلھي‬:‫ فملكنا المظفّر قال لي‬- ٣٠
‫وإلھكم{؟‬

31. And we answered saying: “Verily, our Savior truly brought this verse,
but you find another verse written before it, which deserves mentioning, namely:
‘Surely I will go to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God?’”131

‫ ولكن توجد آية أخرى‬.ً‫إن مخلّصنا أتى بھذه اآلية حقيقة‬

ّ :‫ ونحن جاوبنا قائلين‬- ٣١
ّ ‫ التي تستح‬،‫مسطورة قبلھا‬
.{‫ وھي }إنني سأمضي الى أبي وابيكم والى إلھي وإلھكم‬،‫ق الذكر‬

b) The second objection and its response

‫ اإلعتراض الثاني وحلّه‬- ‫ب‬

131
Jn. 20:17.

51
 32. Then our King said: “Surely, one finds a contradiction here. How can
that be? So, if he is his Father, he is not his God, and if he is his God, he is not his
Son.”

،‫ ليس بإلھه‬،‫ كيف يمكن ذلك؟ فإن كان أباه‬.‫ إنه يوجد تناقض ھھنا‬:‫ فقال ملكنا‬- ٣٢
.‫وإن كان إلھه ليس بابنه‬

33. And we answered him saying: “Oh King, lover of God, one does not
find contradiction here at all. Because, in that he is his Father by nature, he is not
his God by nature, and in that he is his God by nature, he is not his Father by
nature, rather he is his Father by divine nature insofar as he begat him eternally,
like the birth of rays by the sun and the word by the soul. And he is also his God,
in view of his human nature, insofar as he was born of Mary temporally.

‫ ألنّه بما‬.‫ ال يوجد ھھنا تناقض البتة‬،‫ أيّھا الملك محب ﷲ‬:‫ فنحن جاوبناه قائلين‬- ٣٣
‫ بل ھو ابوه‬.ً ‫ ليس اباه طبيعيّا‬،‫ وبما أنّه إلھه بالطبيعة‬.‫ ليس إلھه بالطبيعة‬،ً‫أنّه ابوه طبيعيّا‬
ً‫ وھو أيضا‬.‫ والكلمة من النفس‬،‫ كاتّالد األشعّة من الشمس‬،ً‫ اذ ھو َول َده أزليّا‬،‫بالطبيعة اإللھيّة‬
.‫ اذ ھو مولود من مريم زمنيًّا‬،‫ نظ ًرا الى الطبيعة البشريّة‬،‫إلھُه‬

34. Therefore, Christ is one, and he possesses two bearers; one of the two
is eternal, and the other is temporal.”132

.‫ واآلخر زمن ًّي‬،‫ احدھما أزل ﱞي‬:‫ وله والدان‬،‫ فواحد ھو المسيح‬- ٣٤

Conclusion: Christ Was Born of the Holy Spirit

‫ المسيح مولود من الروح القدس‬:‫الخاتمة‬

132
Sections 33 and 34 represent a significant reduction of the original Syriac text. Various
illustrative examples and analogies have been removed.

52
 35. Then our victorious King said to me: “How is it possible that the Spirit
begets, since it does not possess organs of procreation?”

ّ ‫ كيف يمكن‬:‫ فملكنا المظفّر قال لي‬- ٣٥

‫ إذ ليس له اعضاء الوالدة؟‬،‫أن الروح يَلِد‬

36. We answered him: “How is it possible that the Spirit creates, since it
does not possess organs of effectuation? So, as he fashioned creation,133 without
these organs, in the same way he begat the Word without organs of procreation.

‫ إذ ليس له أعضاء فاعليّة؟ فكما أنّه خلق‬،‫أن الروح يَخلُق‬

ّ ‫ كيف يمكن‬:‫ جاوبناه‬- ٣٦
.‫ ھكذا ولد الكلمة دون اعضاء الوالدة‬،‫البرايا بدون ھذه االعضاء‬

37. And just as the sun begets rays of light without organs of effectuation,
in such a way - God (May he be exalted and majestified) is able to beget and
create, although he is a simple, pure, and non-composed spirit; thus, he begets the
Son, and the Spirit emanates from his essence, just as heat is emanated from the
sun.”

‫ دون اعضاء فاعليّة؛ ھكذا ﷲ )ع ّز‬،‫أن الشمس تَلد األش ّعة من النور‬
ّ ‫ ومثلما‬- ٣٧
َ ُ‫وج ّل( قادر أن يَلد ويَخل‬
‫ ويُص ِدر‬،‫ فيلد االبن‬.‫ ولو أنّه روح بسيط محض وغير مر ّكب‬،‫ق‬
.‫أن الشمس تُصدر الحرارة‬
ّ ‫ كما‬،‫الروح من جوھره‬

133
The Arabic phrase, ‫ خلق البرايا‬is translated above as, “fashioned creation;” however, the phrase
literally means “created creation.”

53
 The Second Section: The Holy Trinity

‫ الثالوث المقدّس‬:‫الباب الثاني‬

Introduction

‫المقدّمة‬

38. Then our King said to me: “Do you believe in the Father, the Son, and
the Holy Spirit?”

‫ أتؤمن باآلب واالبن والروح القدس؟‬:‫ ث ّم قال لي ملكنا‬- ٣٨

39. I answered him: “Yes.”

!‫ نعم‬:‫ فجاوبته‬- ٣٩

1. Three Hypostases, and Not Three Gods

‫ ثالثة اقانيم وال ثالثة آلھة‬- ١

Introduction

‫المقدّمة‬

40. Then he said to me: “So, surely you, therefore, believe and confess in
three gods.”

.‫ فإنّك ا ًذا تؤمن وتعتقد بثالثة آلھة‬:‫ فقال لي‬- ٤٠

54
 41. Then we answered him saying: “Oh King, surely confessing in these
three names is confessing in three hypostases.134 I mean the Father, the Son, and
the Holy Spirit: these are one God, one nature, and one essence. This we believe
and confess, according to what Jesus135 (Peace be upon him) clearly taught us,
and we learned that also from the prophets.

ّ ،‫ أيّھا الملك‬:‫ فجاوبناه قائلين‬- ٤١

‫إن االعتقاد بھذه االسماء الثالثة ھو االعتقاد بثالثة‬
.‫ الذين ھو إله واحد وطبيعة واحدة وجوھر واحد‬،‫ أعني اآلب واالبن والروح القدس‬،‫أقانيم‬
.‫كذا نؤمن ونعتقد على ما علّمنا صريحا ً عيسى )عليه السالم( وتعلّمنا ذلك أيضا ً من األنبياء‬

a) Proof in the creations

‫ برھان في المخلوقات‬- ‫أ‬

42. We have proof of this in the creations. Just as our King, lover of God,
is one with his word and with his spirit without being three kings and it is not
possible that his word and his spirit be separated from him, nor that he be called a
king without his word and his spirit; in such a way, God Most High is one with
his Word and his Spirit, without being three gods, insofar, as it is not possible that
the Word and the Spirit be separated from him.

ّ ‫ فكما‬.‫ ولنا برھان على ذلك في المخلوقات‬- ٤٢

‫أن ملكنا محبّ ﷲ ھو واحد مع‬
‫ وال أن يُس ﱠمى‬،‫ص َل منه كلمتُه ورو ُحه‬
ِ َ‫ وال يمكن أن ينف‬،‫ وليس بثالثة ملوك‬،‫وروحه‬
ِ ‫كلمتِه‬
‫ إذ‬،‫ وليس بثالثة آلھة‬،‫وروحه‬
ِ ‫ إنّه واحد مع كلمتِه‬:‫ملكا ً دون الكلمة والروح؛ ھكذا ﷲ تعالى‬
.‫ينفص َل منه الكلمة والروح‬
ِ ‫ال يمكن أن‬

134 ̈
The Arabic term ‫ أقانيم‬is a rendering of the original Syriac ‫ܩܢܘܡܐ‬, which was very misleadingly
translated by Alphonse Mingana as “Persons.” This translation of ‫ أقانيم‬throughout the medieval
period was often wrongfully translated by Muslim scholars as ‫اشخاص‬.
135
Here the translator of the Arabic text uses the Islamic and Qur’ānic name ‫ عيسى‬for Jesus,
instead of using the Arabic name ‫يسوع‬, which is a direct reflection of the Syriac name ‫ܝܫܘܥ‬.

55
 43. Likewise, the sun, with its rays and its heat, is one and is not three
suns.”136

.‫ ھي واحدة وليس بثالثة شموس‬،‫ مع اشعّتھا وحرارتِھا‬،‫ كذا الشمس‬- ٤٣

44. At that moment, the King said to me: “Can the Word and the Spirit be
separated from God?”

‫ ھل ينفصل الكلمة والروح من ﷲ؟‬:‫ حينئ ٍذ قال لي الملك‬- ٤٤

45. Then we answered him: “God forbid, never! Just as the rays and the
heat are not separated from the sun, ever, in such a way, the Word of God and his
Spirit are not separated from him, ever. And, just as if the rays of the sun and its
heat were separated from it, its light and heat will cease, and it is not possible to
be called a sun. Likewise, God (May he be praised), if the Word and Spirit were
separated from him, would be non-speaking and non-living.137

،ً‫أن األشعة والحرارة ال تنفصالن من الشمس قطعا‬

ّ ‫ فكما‬.‫ حاشا وكال‬:‫ فجاوبناه‬- ٤٥
‫ إذا انفصلت أش ّعةُ الشمس وحرارتُھا‬،‫ وكما أنّه‬. ‫ھكذا كلمةُ ﷲ ورو ُحه ال ينفصالن منه اب ًدا‬
‫ اذا انفصل منه‬،‫ وال يمكن أن تُدعى شمسا ً؛ ھكذا ﷲ سبحانه‬،‫ يزول نو ُرھا وحرارتُھا‬،‫منھا‬
.ً ‫ يكون ال ناطقا ً وال حيّا‬،‫الكلمة والروح‬

46. As for the speaker of such, surely one may not say that he is deprived
of life and spirit, for if one would dare to say such about God, that he existed at a
certain time without the Word and the Spirit, therefore, he would have
blasphemed. Because the Word was with God (May he be praised), from time

136
After section 43, in the Syriac, Timothy and al-Mahdī further discuss the status of the Word
and Spirit.
137
Here, Timothy is using the figurative speech of Epiphanius. For more information, see
Sweetman, above n 21, 75.

56
immemorial,138 was born as a source of speech. And, in the same way, the Spirit
emanates from him eternally as a source of life.”

‫ فإن تجاسر أح ٌد وقال عن‬.‫ وأ ّما الناطق ال يقال عنه إنّه معدوم الحياة والروح‬- ٤٦
ّ .‫ فقد َج ّدف‬،‫ دون الكلمة والروح‬،‫ﷲ إنّه كان موجو ًدا في زمان ما‬
‫ منذ‬،‫ألن ﷲ سبحانه‬
.‫ وكذا ينبثق منه الروح سرمديًّا كيَنبوع الحياة‬.‫ كان له الكلمة مولودًا كينبوع النطق‬،‫األزل‬

b) Proof from the Book

‫ برھان من الكتاب‬- ‫ب‬

47. And our King said to me: “Do you have scriptural evidences that the
Word and the Spirit were with God from time immemorial?”

ّ ‫ ھل لك بيّنات كتابيّة على‬:‫ وملكنا قال لي‬- ٤٧

‫أن الكلمة والروح كانا في ﷲ منذ‬
‫االزل؟‬

48. Then we answered him saying: “We have, regarding that, various
evidences.

:‫ لنا على ذلك بيّنات شتّى‬:‫ فجاوبناه قائلين‬- ٤٨

a. From the Books of the Prophets:

:‫ من كتب األنبياء‬- ‫أ‬

49. First, from the Books of the Prophets:

138
This idiomatic phrase, “from time immemorial,” has been used to represent the Arabic phrase
“‫منذ األزل‬,” which literally means “from the eternity,” to avoid awkwardness.

57
 ً - ٤٩
:‫ من كتب األنبياء‬،‫فأوال‬

50. The Prophet David said: ‘By the Word of the Lord the heavens were
made, and by the breath139 of his mouth all its soldiers.’140 He also said: ‘I praise
the Word of God.’141 Subsequently, when teaching of the resurrection of the dead,
he says: ‘You send your spirit, therefore, you create, and you will renew the face
of the earth.’142 Here the Prophet David would not glorify nor praise creation, nor
would he call the created and the fashioned, creator and fashioner. In another
place, he speaks about the Word of God that it has no beginning and no end, when
he says: ‘Forever, Oh Lord, your immutable Word is in heaven.’143

.{‫ وبروح فيه ك ّل جنودھا‬،‫ }بكلمة الرب صُنعت السموات‬:‫ قد قال داود النبى‬- ٥٠
،‫روحك فتُخلَق‬
َ ِ ُ‫ }ت‬:‫ يقول‬،‫ إذ يُعلّم عن قيامة األموات‬،‫ ث ّم‬.{‫}أسبّح لكلمة ﷲ‬:َ ‫وقال ايضا‬
‫رسل‬
‫ وال يُس ﱢمي للمخلوق‬،‫ فھنا لم يكن داود النبي يُمجّد ويُسبّح للخليقة‬.{‫وتج ّدد وجه االرض‬
‫ اذ‬،‫مكان آخر يتكلّم عن كلمة ﷲ أنّه ليس له بداية وال نھاية‬
ٍ ‫ وفي‬.‫والجبول خالقا ً ومجد ًدا‬
.{‫ كلمتك مثبّتة في السموات‬،‫ يا رب‬،‫ }إلى األبد‬:‫يقول‬

51. And likewise, the Prophet Isaiah also, like David, speaks about the
Word of God, since he says: ‘Grass dries, flowers wilt, but the Word of our God
persists forever.’144

‫ }يبس‬:‫ إذ يقول‬،‫ يتكلّم عن كلمة ﷲ‬،‫ مثل داود‬،‫ وھكذا أيضا ً أشعيا النبي‬- ٥١
.{‫ فتدوم إلى األبد‬،‫ وأما كلمة إلھنا‬.‫ وذبل الزھر‬،‫الحشيش‬

139
Timothy used the Arabic term ‫ روح‬meaning “breath” in this particular Biblical verse; however,
in many modern translations, the Arabic word ‫ نسمة‬is used to denote breath.
140
Ps. 33:6.
141
Ps. 56:5.
142
Ps. 104:30.
143
Ps. 119:89; In Samir’s edition of the text, the verse is listed as Ps. 118:89.
144
Isa. 40:8.

58
b. From the Holy Gospel:

:‫ من اإلنجيل المقدس‬- ‫ب‬

52. Second, from the Holy Gospel: ‘In the beginning was the Word, and
the Word was with God, and the Word was God.’145 Next, it speaks about the
Spirit in such a way: ‘In him was the life and the life was the light of mankind.’146
I mean, in God was the Word and the life; that is to say, the spirit.

‫ وكان‬،‫ والكلمة كان عند ﷲ‬،‫ }في البدء كان الكلمة‬:‫ من اإلنجيل المقدس‬،ً ‫ ثانيا‬- ٥٢
‫ اعني‬.{‫ والحياة كانت نور الناس‬،‫ }فيه كانت الحياة‬:‫ ث ّم عن الروح يقول ھكذا‬.{‫الكلمة ﷲ‬
.‫ اي الروح‬،‫في ﷲ الكلمة والحياة‬

53. However, its expression ‘the Word was,’ does not indicate that it (the
Word) has a beginning, but means that it (the Word) was before all ages. Then, by
the expression “the Word” one does not indicate its creation, but rather its
eternality, because it is not created.

‫ بل يعني أنّه كان قبل‬،‫أن له بداية‬

ّ ‫ ال يشير بذلك‬،{‫ }كان الكلمة‬،‫ وأ ّما قوله‬- ٥٣
.‫ على انّه غير مخلوق‬،‫ بل على أزليّته‬،‫ ث ُم بالكلمة ال يد ّل على خلقته‬.‫الدھور‬

54. And since the Spirit is the life and the life exists in God, from time
immemorial, then the Spirit exists, therefore, in God eternally and the Spirit of
God, subsequently, is the life and the light for mankind.

‫ فالروح ا ًذا‬،‫ والحياة موجودة في ﷲ منذ االزل‬،‫ وإذ كان الروح ھو الحياة‬- ٥٤
.‫ وروح ﷲ فھو حياة ونور للبشر‬.ً ‫موجود في ﷲ أزليّا‬

145
Jn. 1:1.
146
Jn. 1:4.

59
 55. Then, Jesus (Peace be upon him), when he used to speak to his Father,
said: ‘Now glorify me, Oh Father, with that glory, which I had with you before
the creation of the world.’147 So, with this, he confirms that he had a glory before
all creation148 and that his glory does not begin, when he said: ‘By that glory,
which I had with you before the creation of the world.’

‫ بذاك‬،‫ }اآلن م ّجدني يا ابتاه‬:‫ ل ّما كان يخاطب أباه قال‬،(‫ ث ّم عيسى )عليه السالم‬- ٥٥
،‫ فبھذا يثبت أنّه كان له مجد قبل ك ّل الخالئق‬.{‫المجد الذي كان لي عندك من قبل إنشاء العالم‬
.{‫ }بذاك المجد الذي كان لي عندك قبل إنشاء العالم‬:‫ من حيث يقول‬،‫وليس لمجده بداية‬

56. And when he ascended149 to heaven, he ordered the apostles150 saying:

‘Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.’151 Jesus (Peace be upon him) would not
count the created152 with the Creator, nor that which is temporal with that which
does not have a beginning or an end.

ً ‫ أمر الحواريين‬،‫ وحينما عرج إلى السماء‬- ٥٦

،‫ }اذھبوا وتلمذوا جميع األمم‬:‫قائال‬
‫ فعيسى )عليه السالم( لم يكن يُحصي المخلوقات‬.{‫ع ّمدوھم باسم اآلب االبن والروح القدس‬
.‫ وال الذي ھو زمني مع الذي ليس له بداية وال نھاية‬،‫مع الخالق‬

Summary

147
Jn. 17:5.
148
The Arabic term ‫ خالئق‬can literally be translated as, “created things” or “creations” it has been
singularized to follow the normative English convention.
149
The Arabic term used for ascension is ‫ ;عرج‬interestingly, Muhammad’s midnight journey
discussed in Sūrat Banī Isrā’īl 17:1 is described in Islamic sources as ‫ المعراج‬meaning “the
ascension.” Both words share a common root and meaning.
150
The Arabic term used for Apostles is ‫حواريين‬, which is the common Qur’ānic term for Apostles.
Ḥawārīyūn can be seen in the following Qur’ānic verses: 3: 52; 5:111; 5:112; and 61:14.
151
Mt. 28:19.
152
The Arabic term ‫ مخلوقات‬is plural for “created things” as before its has been singularized.

60
 ‫الخالصة‬

57. Just as logicians do not count things of a different nature with each
other, (like the sun, stone, horse, pearl, copper, etc.), but they count, for example,
three pearls with each other, or three stars, which are equal with each other in
nature and resemble each other in everything; in such a way, Christ would not
have been able to count the Word and the Spirit with God, if he had not known
that the two were equal in nature [to him].

ّ ‫ وكما‬- ٥٧
‫ان االشياء المختلفة بالطبيعة )كالشمس والحجر والفرس واللؤلؤ‬
ً ‫ بل يع ّدون‬،‫والنحاس الخ( ال يحصيھا المنطقيّون بعضھا مع بعض‬
‫مثال ثالثة آللئ مع‬
،‫ أو ثالثة نجوم التي مساوية لبعضھا بالطبيعة وتشبُه بعضھا بعضا ً في كل شيء‬،‫بعضھا‬
.‫ لو لم يعرف أنھما متساويان بالطبيعة‬،‫ھكذا المسيح لم يقدر ان يع ّد الكلمة والروح مع ﷲ‬

58. Otherwise, how could he have been able to render equal to God, in
honor and royal power, that which is not God by nature? And how would he
associate, in essence, that which is temporal with the eternal? Because, it is not
slaves that participate in royal honor, but sons.”

‫ ذاك الذي ليس ھو‬،‫ وإالّ كيف يُمكن أن يُساوي ﷲ باإلكرام والسلطان الملكي‬- ٥٨
‫إله بالطبيعة؟ وھل يشترك بالجوھر من ھو زمن ّي مع األزل ّي؟ اذ ليس للعبيد أن يشتركوا‬
.‫ بل للبنين‬،‫باإلكرام الملكي‬

2. Three Distinct Hypostases without Separation

‫ ثالثة اقانيم متميّزة دون انفصال‬- ٢

Introduction

61
 ‫المقدّمة‬

59. Then our King said: “What type of distinction does one find between
the Son and the Spirit? And how is the Son not the Spirit and the Spirit not the
Son given that one does not find a difference with God whether he be a generator
or emanator? Because you said: ‘That he is simple and not composed.’”

ّ ‫ي تمييز يوجد بين االبن والروح؟ وكيف‬

،‫أن االبن ليس بالروح‬ ّ ‫ أ‬:‫ ث ّم قال ملكنا‬- ٥٩
‫ }إنّه‬: َ‫ ألنّك قلت‬،‫والروح ليس باالبن؟ اذ ال يوجد فرق عند ﷲ بأن يكون ُمولّ ًدا او مصد ًرا‬
.{‫بسيط وغير مر ّكب‬

a) A philosophical explanation of the idea

ً ‫ توضيح الفكرة فلسفيا‬- ‫أ‬

60. Then we answered him saying: “Oh King, surely, regarding the
essence of the hypostases, one does not find between them any distinction.
However, regarding their relationship to each other,153 one finds this distinction.
That is to say that one possesses a quality154 that is not born, and the other that is
born, and the other that is emanated.

ّ ،‫ أيّھا الملك‬:‫ فجاوبناه قائلين‬- ٦٠

‫ال يوجد بينَھم تمييز‬،‫ نظ ًرا إلى الجوھر‬،‫إن األقانيم‬
ّ ‫ وھو أي‬.‫ يوجد ھذا التمييز‬،‫بعضھم بعض‬
‫ الواحد له خاصّة أن‬155‫أن‬ ِ ‫ نظ ًرا إلى‬،‫ ولكن‬،‫البتﱠة‬
.‫ واآلخر أن ينبثق‬،‫ واآلخر أن يولد‬،‫ال يولد‬

153
The Arabic phrase ‫نظ ًرا إلى بعضھم بعض‬, which literally means “regarding their relationship to
each other,” can be contextually translated as, “regarding the substance of each hypostasis.”
154
Hans Putman, in his French translation of the text, asserts that the Arabic term ‫ خاصّة‬attempts to
parallel the meaning of the Greek term ιδιοτης, which can be translated as “property” or
“attribute.”
155
Appeared as ‫ اى انّه‬in MS 662.

62
 61. So, the Father is the source of both the Son and Holy Spirit. From time
immemorial, he begets the former and emanates the later and that is not through
corporeal separation or disjunction, nor through means of birthing or emanative
organs.

‫ منذ‬،‫ ويُص ِدر ھذا‬،‫ھذا‬ 156

‫ فيولد‬.ً ‫ فاآلب ھو مبدأ لالبن والروح القدس معا‬- ٦١
.‫ وال بواسطة األعضاء المولّدة وال ُمصدرة‬،‫ وذلك ليس بانفصال وانقسام جسم ّي‬.‫األزل‬

62. Nevertheless, God is neither composed nor corporeal. The separation

and the members spoken of are attributed to bodies, and every body is
constructed. So, therefore the separation and members are also specific to
constructed and bodily things, whereas God is not so. So, therefore, it is not
possible that the Most High be afflicted by some form of separation and division
mentioned above.

‫ واالنفصال واألعضاء تُقال عن‬.‫بجسمي‬

‫ﱟ‬ ‫أن ﷲ ليس بمر ّكب وال‬ ّ ‫ على‬- ٦٢
‫ فإ ًذا االنفصال واألعضاء ھي مختصّة ايضا ً باألشياء‬.‫ وك ّل جسم ھو مر ّكب‬،‫األجسام‬
‫يعتريَهُ تعالى شي ٌء من االنفصال‬
ِ ‫ ال يمكن أن‬،‫ فإ ًذا‬.‫ وﷲ ليس بذلك‬.‫المر ّكبة واألجسام‬
.‫واالنقسام المذكو َرين‬

b) An explanation of the idea through parallels from nature

‫ توضيح الفكرة بتشبھات من الطبيعة‬- ‫ب‬

63. And we have another comparison from nature: Which is that the soul
bears the word and produces love without separation and without the means of
organs. The love is distinct from the word, and the word is not the love.

156
Appeared as ‫ فيلد‬in MS 662.

63
،‫أن من النفس تتّلد الكلمة وتصدر المحبة‬
ّ ‫ وھو‬.‫ ولنا تشبيه آخر في الطبيعة‬- ٦٣
.‫ والكلمة ليست بالمحبة‬،‫ المحبة مميﱠزة عن الكلمة‬.‫دون انفصال وبال واسطة األعضاء‬

64. Likewise, the sun emanates light and heat without separation or
appropriate organs; so, the light is born entirely of the whole sun and the heat
emanates from the sphere of the sun in its entirety.

‫ وليس ذلك بانفصال او بأعضاء‬،‫إن الشمس تُصدر النور والحرارة‬

ّ ‫ وكذا‬- ٦٤
.‫ والحرارة تصدر من دائرة الشمس كلّھا‬،‫ فالنور يتّلد كلّه من الشمس كلّھا‬.‫مخصّصة‬

65. So, the word and the love are, in their entirety, present with the soul,
while the light and the heat are, likewise, with the sun, and the light is not mixed
with the heat, and the heat is not mixed with the light.

‫ والنور والحرارة كذلك ھما‬،‫ فالكلمة والمحبّة بأسرھما موجودتان عند النفس‬- ٦٥
.‫ وال الحرارة تختلط بالنور‬،‫ وال يختلط النور بالحرارة‬.‫عند الشمس‬

66. Likewise, this applies to the Word and the Spirit: the one is begotten,
and the other is emanated from God the Father, not through separation and not
through means of appropriate organs, but rather, in an incomprehensible and
indefinable manner. Therefore, regarding their properties, the Son is not the
Spirit, and the Spirit is not the Son.

،‫ ليس بانفصال‬.‫ واآلخر يصدر من ﷲ اآلب‬،‫ الواحد يتّلد‬:‫ كذا الكلمة والروح‬- ٦٦
،‫ واالبن ال يكون الروح‬.‫ بل بنوع غير ُمد َرك وغير مح ّدد‬،‫وال بواسطة أعضاء مخصّصة‬
.‫ نظ ًرا إلى خاصّتھما‬،‫والروح ال يكون االبن‬

67. So, just as the scent and the flavor emanate from the apple, therefore,
the scent does not emanate from a certain part of it and the flavor from another,
rather both of the two emanate from the entire apple; so, therefore, the flavor is

64
not the scent, nor the scent the flavor. In such a way, the Son is begotten by the
Father and the Spirit emanates from him, in an indefinable manner. I mean, the
eternal produced from the eternal157 and the unproduced emanates from the
unproduced.

ّ ‫ ث ّم كما‬- ٦٧
‫ فليس الرائحة تصدر من جز ٍء‬،‫أن الرائحة والذوق يصدران من التفاحة‬
،‫ بل كالھما يصدران من التفاحة كلّھا؛ فالذوق ال يكون الرائحة‬،‫منھا والذوق من جز ٍء آخر‬
،‫ بنوع غير مح ّدد‬،‫وال رائحة تكون الذوق؛ ھكذا يتّلد االبن من اآلب ويصدر منه الروح‬
.‫ وغير المصنوع يصدر من غير المصنوع‬،‫أعنى األزلي يخرج من األزلي‬

Conclusion

‫الخاتمة‬

68. Therefore, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are not separated
from each other, nor confused, nor mixed; they are differentiated in the
hypostases and are equal in the nature, because God Most High is unique in
essence and nature, while threefold in hypostases.”

،‫ وال يمتزجون‬،‫بعضھم بعض‬

ِ ‫ فاآلب واالبن والروح القدس ال ينفصلون من‬- ٦٨
ّ .‫ ويتساوون بالطبيعة‬،‫ ويتميّزون باألقانيم‬.‫وال يختلطون‬
‫ألن ﷲ تعالى ھو واحد بالجوھر‬
.‫ ومثلّث باألقانيم‬،‫والطبيعة‬

3. Are the Three Hypostases, Therefore, Incarnated?

‫سد ا ًذا األقانيم الثالثة؟‬

ّ ‫ ھل تج‬- ٣

157
The Arabic phrase ‫األزلي يخرج من األزلي‬, is a rendering of the Syriac phrase ‫ܡܬܘܡܝܐ ܡܢ ܡܬܘܡܝܐ‬,
which simply means, “the eternal from the eternal.”

65
 69. Then our King said to me: “If the hypostases were neither separated
nor divided one from the other, then, therefore, the Father and the Holy Spirit are
incarnated with the Word.”

158
‫من بعضھم‬ [‫ إن كان األقانيم ال ينفصلون وال ]يفترقون‬:‫ ث ّم قال لي ملكنا‬- ٦٩
.‫ فا ًذا اآلب والروح القدس تج ّسدا مع الكلمة‬،‫بعض‬

a) The first response: the example of the written word

‫ مثال الكلمة المكتوبة‬:‫ الرد األ ّول‬- ‫أ‬

70. So, we answered saying: “Just as the word of the King when unified
(that is to say when written on the papyrus)159 is not to be said that his soul and
his intelligence are unified (that is to say are drawn on the papyrus); although, his
soul and his intelligence are not separated from the word. Likewise, the Word of
God took on a body, without separation or differentiation from the Father and the
Holy Spirit and it may not be said about the Father and the Holy Spirit that they
took on a body.

،(‫ إذا اتّحدت )أي سُطّرت في القرطاس‬،‫أن كلمة الملك‬

ّ ‫ كما‬:‫ فجاوبنا قائلين‬- ٧٠
ّ ‫فسه و ِذھنِه إنّھما اتّحدا )أي ُرسما في القرطاس( مع‬
‫أن نف َسه وذھنَه ال‬ ِ ‫ليس يُقال عن ن‬
‫ من دون أن ينفصل ويفترق من اآلب‬،‫ينفصالن من الكلمة؛ ھكذا كلمة ﷲ اتّخذ جس ًدا‬
.‫ وال يقال عن اآلب والروح القدس إنّھما اتّخذا جس ًدا‬.‫والروح القدس‬

b) The second response: the example of the pronounced word

158
In Samir’s edition of the text, the word appears as ‫ يقترقون‬which has been edited to its proper
form.
159
The Arabic word ‫ قرطاس‬is directly borrowed from Syriac. In George Kiraz’s A New Syriac
Primer, he states, “The word ‫‘ ܩܪܛܝܣܐ‬card’ shares a common ancestry with the English word
card. Both come from the Greek chartés.” The word found its way into French, Italian, and
English by way its Latinized form charta meaning ‘leaf of papyrus’

66
 ‫ مثال الكلمة الملفوظة‬:‫ الرد الثاني‬- ‫ب‬

71. And just like the word, which is born of the soul, is clothed with the
voice by means of the vibrations of the air without separating from the soul and
the intellect and it may not be said about the soul and the intellect that the voice
clothes them. (For no one will ever say that: ‘I have heard the soul of so and so or
the intellect of so and so,’ rather one will say: ‘I have heard the word of so and
so,’ which is not far from the soul and from the intellect and which is not
separated nor differentiated from them.) Likewise, the Word of God took on our
flesh and he was not separated nor distanced from the Father and the Spirit, and it
may not be said – ever – about the Father and the Spirit that they clothed
themselves with a body together with the Word.”

ّ ً ‫ وكما أيضا‬- ٧١
‫أن الكلمة التي تتَلد من النفس تلبس الصوت بواسطة مفعوالت‬
‫ وال يُقال عن النفس وعن الذھن إنّھما لبسا‬.‫ من دون أن ينفصل من النفس والذھن‬،‫الھواء‬
ُ
‫ بل يقول }سمعت‬،{‫سمعت نفس فالن أو ذھن فالن‬ ‫الصوت )اذ ال واحد يقول قطّ }انّني‬
‫ التي ليست بعيدة عن النفس والذھن وال تنفصل وتفترق منھما(؛ كذا كلمة ﷲ‬،{‫كلمة فالن‬
‫ وال يقال قطّ عن اآلب والروح إنھما‬،‫ وال انفصل وال ابتعد عن اآلب والروح‬،‫اتّخذ جس َدنا‬
.‫لبسا جس ًدا مع الكلمة‬

67
 The Third Section: Christ, Our Leader and Our Guide

‫ المسيح رئيسنا ومرشدنا‬:‫الباب الثالث‬

Introduction

‫المقدّمة‬

72. And after we explained that, our King said to us: “Who is your leader
and your guide?”

‫ َمن ھو رئي ُسك و ُمرش ُدك؟‬:‫ وبعدما شرحنا ذلك قال لنا ملكنا‬- ٧٢

73. I answered him: “Verily, it is Jesus Christ (Peace be upon him).”

(‫ إنّه يسوع المسيح )عليه السالم‬:‫ جاوبتُه‬- ٧٣

1. Why Are You Not Circumcised Like Your Guide?

‫ لماذا ال تختتنون مثل مرشدكم؟‬- ١

74. Then the king asked me: “Had Christ been circumcised or not?”

‫ ام ال؟‬160ً ‫ ھل ان المسيح كان مختتنا‬:‫ ثم سألني الملك‬- ٧٤

75. So, I answered him: “Yes.”

.‫ نعم‬:‫ فجاوبته‬- ٧٥

160
Appeared as ‫ مختنا‬in MS 662.

68
 76. Then the king said to me: “Why then, are you not circumcised? If your
leader and guide, Jesus Christ, had been circumcised, then it obliges you by
necessity to be circumcised as well.”

‫ لماذا ا ًذا أنت ال تختتن؟ إذا كان رئي ُسك ومرش ُدك يسوع‬:‫ فقال لي الملك‬- ٧٦
.ً ‫ فيلزمك من الضرورة أن تختتن أنت أيضا‬،‫المسيح قد اختتن‬

a) Christ abolished circumcision through his baptism

‫ ابطل المسيح الختانة بعماده‬- ‫أ‬

77. I answered him saying: “Oh King, surely Jesus Christ had been
circumcised and baptized as well. His circumcision occurred after eight days,
according to the injunction161 of the law, and his baptism occurred nearly 30 years
later. He abolished the circumcision through his baptism.162

‫إن يسوع المسيح قد اختتن واعتمد ايضا ً؛ وختانته‬ ً ‫ فجاوبتُه‬- ٧٧

ّ ،‫ ايّھا الملك‬:‫قائال‬
‫ حسب أمر الناموس؛ وعما ُده صار بعد ثالثين سنة تقريبا ً؛ وأبطل‬،‫كانت بعد ثمانية ايّام‬
.‫الختانة بعما ِده‬

78. Therefore, Christ observed the law, in its entirety, to attract the Jews
toward salvation. However, I am not obliged to observe any law, but the Gospel.
On account of that, even if Christ had been circumcised, I am not circumcised,
rather I am baptized by the water and the Spirit163 like him and I believe in him. If
Christ was baptized, therefore, it is a necessity that I adhere to baptism. And

161
The Arabic phrase ‫ امر الناموس‬is a translation of the Syriac phrase ‫ܦܘܩܕܢܐ ܕܢܡܘܣܐ‬, which was
rightly translated by Mingana as, “the injunction of the law.”
162
Rom. 2:25-29; 4:9-12.
163
Mt. 5:17; Jn. 3:5.

69
through this I leave the shadow and the sign, and I follow the source and the
truth.”

‫لست ُملتزما ً بأن‬

ُ ‫ وأنا‬.‫ فالمسيح حفظ الناموس كلّه ليجذب اليھود إلى الخالص‬- ٧٨
‫ بل اعتمد‬،‫ فأنا ال اختتن‬،‫ ألجل ذلك فلو أن المسيح قد اختتن‬.‫ إالّ اإلنجيل‬،‫أحفظ الناموس‬
‫ أترك‬،‫ فالضرورةُ تلزمني بالعماد؛ وبذلك‬،‫ وإن المسيح اعتمد‬.‫ وأعتقد به‬.‫بالماء والروح مثلَه‬
.‫ وأتبع األصل والحقيقة‬،‫الظ ّل والرمز‬

b) Because circumcision is a sign for his baptism

ّ -‫ب‬
‫ألن الختانة رمز لعماده‬

79. Then the King asked me: “How did Jesus (Peace be upon him) abolish
circumcision? And what is the sign of which you speak about?”

‫ كيف أبطل يسوع )عليه السالم( الختان؟ وما ھو الرمز الذي‬:‫ ث ّم سألني الملك‬- ٧٩
‫قات عنه؟‬

80. We answered him: “Oh King, the Torah, in its entirety, was a symbol
for the Gospel164 and the sacrifices, which were written in the law, were a symbol
of the sacrifice for Christ.165 Furthermore, the priesthood and the high-
priesthood166 of the law were a symbol of the priesthood of Christ and his high-
priesthood, and the bodily circumcision was a symbol for his spiritual
circumcision.

164
Rom. 10:4; Gal. 3:19; Heb. 8:5 and 13.
165
Heb. 9:15; 10:11.
166
The Arabic translator, by using the Arabic ‫حبريّة‬, is attempting to reflect the orginal Syriac word
‫ܟܘܡܪܘܬܐ‬, which according to J. Payne Smith’s Compendious Syriac Dictionary means
“priesthood.” The Arabic text, by juxtaposing the terms ‫ الكھنوت‬and ‫حبريّة الناموس‬, is attempting to
reflect the Syriac text, which uses the terms ‫ ܟܗܢܘܬܐ‬and ‫ܟܘܡܪܘܬܐ ܕܢܡܘܣܐ‬, which again have been
justifiably translated by Mingana as “priesthood” and “high-priesthood.”

70
‫ والذبائح التي‬،‫ان التوراة بأسرھا كانت رمزاً لإلنجيل‬
ّ ،‫ ايّھا الملك‬:‫ فجاوبناه‬- ٨٠
‫ ث ّم الكھنوت وحبريّة الناموس كانتا‬،‫كانت مسطورة في الناموس كانت رمزاً لِذ ْبح المسيح‬
.‫ والختانة الجسديّة كانت رمزاً لختانتِه الروحيّة‬،‫رمزاً لكھنوت المسيح وحبريّته‬

81. And as he abrogated the Torah by his Gospel, and the sacrifices by his
sacrifice, and the high-priesthood of the law by his high-priesthood, in such a
way, he had abolished circumcision which was fulfilled by the action of the hands
of mankind by his circumcision (that is to say his baptism) which did not occur by
the actions of the hands of mankind but by the power of the Holy Spirit. It (his
baptism) is the mystery of the Kingdom of Heaven and of the resurrection of the
deceased.”

‫ وبحبريتِه الحبرية الناموسيّة؛‬،‫وبذبحه الذبائح‬

ِ ،‫ وكما أبطل بإنجيلِه التوراة‬- ٨١
‫ التي لم‬،(‫ھكذا قد أبطل الختانة التي كانت تكمل بفعل األيادي البشريّة بختانته )اي بعماده‬
‫ وعن القيامة‬،‫ وھي س ّر عن ملكوت السماء‬.‫ بل بق ّوة الروح القدس‬،‫تصر بفعل أيادي البشر‬
.‫من بين األموات‬

c) The abolition of circumcision is not contrary to the law

‫ وليس بإبطالة الختانة مضا ّدة الناموس‬- ‫ت‬

82. So, our King said to me: “If Jesus (Peace be upon him) had abolished
the law and all of its prescriptions, then, therefore, he was its enemy and
antagonist, because antagonism is said of things which destroy each other.”

،‫أوامره‬
ِ ‫ إذا كان عيسى )عليه السالم( أبطل الناموس وجميع‬:‫ فقال لي ملكنا‬- ٨٢
ّ .‫فإ ًذا كان عد ًّوا له ومضا ًّدا‬
.ً ‫ألن المضا ّدة تقال عن األشياء التي تنقض بعضھا بعضا‬

71
 83. We answered him saying: “Just as the light of the stars is nullified by
the light of the sun, and the childish acts by the acts of maturity,167 and the entire
earthly kingdom by the heavenly kingdom, for that reason, it may not be said that
the sun is opposed to the stars, or man to himself, or the Kingdom of God to the
Kingdom of Man. Likewise, Jesus (Peace be upon him), when he abrogated the
Mosaic Law with his Gospel was neither its antagonist nor its enemy.”

ّ ‫ كما‬:‫ فجاوبناه قائلين‬- ٨٣

‫ واألفعال الطفوليّة‬،‫أن ضياء النجوم يبطل بنور الشمس‬
ّ ‫ فال يقال‬،‫ والكمال والملكوت األرضي بالملكوت السماوي‬،‫بأفعال الرجوليّة‬
‫إن الشمس ھي‬
‫ ل ّما أبطل عيسى )عليه‬،‫ أو ملكوت ﷲ لملكوت البشر؛ ھكذا‬،‫ أو اإلنسان لِذاتِه‬،‫مضا ّدة للنجوم‬
.‫ ليس ھو مضا ًدا له وال عد ًّوا‬،‫السالم( الناموس الموسوي بإنجيله‬

2. Why Do You Not Pray Toward Jerusalem Like Your Guide?

‫ لماذا ال تصلّون نحو القدس مثل مرشدكم؟‬- ٢

84. So, our King said to me: “From the birth of Jesus (Peace be upon him)
to his ascension to heaven, where did he used to pray and worship? Was it not in
the Holy House and toward Jerusalem?”

،‫ من حين والدة عيسى )عليه السالم( إلى صعو ِده إلى السماء‬:‫ فملكنا قال لي‬- ٨٤
‫أين كان يُصلّي ويسجد؟ أال في البيت المق ّدس وفي أورشليم؟‬

85. We responded to him: “Yes.”

.‫ نعم‬:‫ فجاوبناه‬- ٨٥

86. So, the King said to me: “So why do you worship and pray to God in
the direction of the east?”
167
A similar sentiment can be found in 1 Cor. 13:11.

72
 ‫ في المشرق؟‬168‫ فلماذا أنت تس ُجد وتصلّي ﷲ‬:‫ فقال لي الملك‬- ٨٦

87. We answered him: “Oh King, surely true worship is that which is
performed by mankind for God in the Kingdom of Heaven. And if the earthly
paradise was a symbol of the heavenly garden, and the location of the garden was
in the east,169 then, therefore, it is proper that we worship and pray toward the
east, where the earthly paradise was, which was a symbol of the garden, as we
said.”

‫في‬ ّ ،‫ ايّھا الملك‬:‫ فجاوبناه‬- ٨٧

‫إن السجدة الحقيقية ھي التي تصير من البشر‬
‫ والحال أن الفردوس‬.‫ وإن الفردوس األرضي كان رمزاً عن الجنّة السماويّة‬:‫ملكوت السماء‬
‫ حيث كان الفردوس‬،‫ بالصواب نحن نس ُجد ونصلّي في المشرق‬،‫ فا ًذا‬.‫كان في المشرق‬
.‫ الذي كان رمزاً عن الجنّة كما قلنا‬،‫األرضي‬

3. How is Christ Your God, When He Prays and Worships?

‫ وھو يصلّي ويسجد؟‬،‫ كيف المسيح آلھكم‬- ٣

88. At that moment, our King said to me: “What do you say about Jesus
(Peace be upon him)? Did he pray as well as worship?

ً ‫ ماذا تقول عن عيسى )عليه السالم(؟ ھل صلّى ھو أيضا‬:‫ حينئ ٍذ قال لي ملكنا‬- ٨٨
‫وسجد؟‬

89. So, we answered him: “Yes, he prayed and also worshiped.”

168
The Arabic text more correctly should be written ‫تصلي‬.
169
Gen 2:8.

73
 .‫ ھو أيضا ً صلّى وسجد‬،‫ نعم‬:‫ فجاوبناه‬- ٨٩

90. Then our King said to me: “In saying this, you deny the divinity of
Messiah. If he prays and worships, he is not God; and if he was God, then he
would not pray nor worship.”

،‫ إن كان قد صلّى وسجد‬.‫ أنت بھذا القول تُنكر الھوت المسيح‬:‫ ث ّم قال لي ملكنا‬- ٩٠
.‫ فلم يص ﱢل ولم يسجد‬،ً‫ وإن كان الھا‬.‫ليس بإله‬

91. So, we answered him: “In that he is God, he did not worship and he
did not pray, rather to him one worships and prays. In that he is a man, he
worshiped and prayed and we have clarified previously that he is God and man
together.”170

،‫ بما أنّه إنسان‬،‫ بل له يُس َجد ويُصلّى‬،ّ‫ لم يسجد ولم يصل‬،‫ بما أنّه إله‬:‫ فجاوبناه‬- ٩١
.ً ‫وإنسان معا‬
ٌ ٌ‫ وقد بيّنا آنفا ً أنه إله‬.‫سجد وصلّى‬

170
This is referring back to section 13.

74
 The Fourth Section: Why Do You Not Accept the
Testimony of the Scriptures Regarding Muhammad?

‫ لماذا ال تقبل شھادة الكتب عن مح ّمد؟‬:‫الباب الرابع‬

Introduction

‫المقدّمة‬

92. After that, our King transitioned from this subject to another topic, and
he said to me: “What is the reason that you accept Christ and the Gospel from the
testimony of the Torah and of the (Books) of the Prophets and you do not accept
the testimony of Christ and the Gospel regarding Muhammad (Peace be upon
him)?”

‫ ما ھو السبب‬:‫ وقال لي‬،‫ بعد ذلك ملكنا انتقل من ھذا البحث إلى موضوع آخر‬- ٩٢
‫ ولست تقبل شھادة المسيح واإلنجيل‬،‫أنّك تقبل المسيح واإلنجيل من شھادة التوراة واألنبياء‬
‫عن مح ّمد )عليه السالم(؟‬

1. We Accept Christ Because One Finds Many Testimonies Regarding Him.

.‫ نقبل المسيح لوجود شھادات كثيرة عنه‬- ١

93. So, I answered saying: “Oh King, surely we received regarding Christ
numerous testimonies from the Torah and the (Books) of the Prophets, all of
which testify unanimously about that.

ٍ ‫ إنّنا اقتبلنا عن المسيح شھادا‬،‫ ايّھا الملك‬:‫قائال‬

‫ت كثيرة من التوراة‬ ً ‫ فجاوبت‬- ٩٣
.‫ جمي ُعھم يشھدون اتّفاقا ً على ذلك‬.‫واألنبياء‬

75
a) Testimonies about his birth and about his miracles.

‫ شھادات عن والدته ومعجزاته‬- ‫أ‬

94. At times, they testify, regarding his mother, saying: ‘Behold, the virgin
conceives and begets a son.’171 And from this we know that he had been
conceived and that he had been born without the union of a man with a woman.
Such was befitting for the Word of God, which was born of the Father without a
mother, to be born of a mother without a father. Therefore, his second birth will
be a testimony of the first birth.

‫ ومن ذلك نعلم‬.{ً ‫ }ھوذا العذراء تحبل وتلد ابنا‬:‫ تارةً يشھدون عن أ ّمه قائلين‬- ٩٤
‫ الذي ولد من‬،‫ كذا كان يليق بكلمة ﷲ‬.‫رجل مع امرأة‬ ٍ ‫أنّه قد ُحبل به و ُولد من دون اقتران‬
ٍ ‫ أن يولد من أُ ّم دون أ‬،‫اآلب دون أُ ّم‬
.‫ لتكون والدتُه الثانية شھادة عن الوالدة األولى‬،‫ب‬

95. Sometimes they announce for us his name, since it is said about him
that: ‘He will be called Immanuel, Marvelous Councilor, Omnipotent God,
Leader of the World.’172

ً ‫ وعجيبا‬،‫ إذ قيل عنه إنّه }يُدعى اس ُمه ع ّمانُوئيل‬،‫ وتارةً يصرّحون لنا اسمه‬- ٩٥
.{‫ رئيس العالم‬،‫ إلھا ً قدي ًرا‬،ً‫ومشيرا‬

96. At other times, they speak of his miracles and marvels thusly: ‘Behold,
surely your God brings vindication; a part of God himself will come and he will
redeem you. At that moment, the eyes of the blind will be opened and ears of the
deaf will be opened; at that time, the lame will jump like a gazelle and the tongue
of the mute will sing.’173

171
Isa. 7:14.
172
Isa. 7:14; 9:5.
173
Isa. 35: 4-6.

76
 ّ ‫ }ھا‬:‫ وتارةً يتكلّمون عن عجائ ِبه ومعجزاتِه ھكذا‬- ٩٦
‫ وجزاء‬،ً‫إن إلھكم يأتي منتقما‬
ُ ‫ وتتفتح آذان ال‬،‫ حينئ ٍذ تتفتح عيون ال ُعميان‬.‫ﷲ نف ُسه يأتي ويُخلّصكم‬
‫ حينئ ٍذ يقفز األعرج‬.‫ص ّم‬
.{‫مثل الغزال ويترنّم لسان األبكم‬

b) Testimonies of his passion, his resurrection, and his second coming

.‫ شھادات عن آالمه وقيامته ومجيئه الثاني‬- ‫ب‬

97. At other times, they teach us of his passion saying: ‘He is pierced for
our sins and abased for our crimes.’174

‫ ويتّضع ألجل‬،‫ }وھو يُذبح ألجل خطايانا‬:‫ وتارةً يعلّمونا عن آال ِمه قائلين‬- ٩٧
.{‫آثامنا‬

98. Then, concerning his resurrection, they say: ‘Because you would not
abandon my soul in hell nor allow your friend to be cast into perdition,’175 and
‘The Lord said to me: “You are my Son, today I have begotten you.”’176

‫ }ألنّك لم تترك نفسي في الجحيم ولم تعط لصفيّك أن‬:‫ ث ّم عن قيامته يقولون‬- ٩٨
.{‫ فأنا اليوم ولدتك‬،‫ أنت ابني‬:‫ و}الرب قال لي‬.{‫يرى الفساد‬

99. Then, regarding his ascension to heaven, it is said: ‘You ascended on

high, you led captivity captive, and received gifts from mankind,’177 and also
‘God ascended with glory, and the Lord with a burst of the trumpet.’178

174
Is. 53:5.
175
Ps. 16:10.
176
Ps. 2:7.
177
Ps. 68:18.
178
Ps. 47:6.

77
‫ وقبلت‬،ً ‫ وسبيت سبيا‬،‫ }صعدت الى العالء‬:‫ ث ّم عن صعوده الى السماء قيل‬- ٩٩
.{‫ والرب بصوت البوق‬،‫ }صعد ﷲ بالمجد‬:ً ‫ وأيضا‬.{‫مواھب لبني البشر‬

100. And in another place, it is said of his second coming from heaven: ‘I
was contemplating in the visions of the night, and, behold, coming on the clouds
of heaven, like the Son of Man, he came and arrived upon the Ancient of Days,
and they presented him before him. And he was given dominion, honor, and a
kingdom, in order that all the people, nations, and languages may serve him.
Surely, his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which will never vanish, and his
kingdom will never cease.’179

ُ
‫وكنت أرى في رؤيا‬ } :‫ وفي مح ًّل آخر قيل عن مجيئه الثاني من السماء‬- ١٠٠
.‫ وق ّدموه إلى ق ّدامه‬،‫ جاء ووصل إلى القديم األيام‬،‫ وإذا مع سحاب السماء مثل ابن بشر‬،‫الليل‬
ٌ
‫سلطان‬ ّ .‫ لتتعّبد له ك ّل الشعوب واألمم واأللسنة‬،ً‫فأعطي سلطانا ً وكرامةً وملكوتا‬
‫إن سلطانه‬
.{‫ وملكوتَه لن ينقضي‬،‫أبدي لن يُنزع‬

Summary

‫الخالصة‬

101. Therefore, these verses and a number of others revealingly bear-

witness to Jesus Christ; however, I have never seen absolutely one solitary verse
in the Gospel, in the (Books) of the Prophets or in others, bearing witness to
Muhammad, his works, or his name.”

ً‫ ولكن لم أر البتّة آية‬.‫ فھذه اآليات وغيرھا كثيرة تشھد جليّا ً عن يسوع المسيح‬- ١٠١
.‫ تشھد عن مح ّمد وعن أعمالِه واس ِمه‬،‫ في اإلنجيل أو في األنبياء وغيرھم‬،‫واحدة‬

179
Dan. 7:13-14.

78
2. Is Not the Paraclete180 a Testimony to Muhammad?

‫ أليس الفارقليط شھادة عن مح ّمد؟‬- ٢

102. At that moment, our gentle and humble King signaled me to no

longer speak of this. Then he asked me again: “Do you not see a testimony to
Muhammad (Peace be upon him).”

‫ ث ّم سألني‬.‫ حينئ ٍذ ملكنا الحليم الوديع أشار إل ّي أن ال أقول أكثر من ھذا‬- ١٠٢
‫ ألم تر شھادةً عن مح ّمد )عليه السالم(؟‬:‫تكرا ًرا‬

103. And I answered him: “No, Oh King, lover of mankind.”

.‫ ايّھا الملك محب البشر‬،‫ كال‬:‫ فجاوبتُه‬- ١٠٣

a) Who is the Paraclete?

‫ من ھو الفارقليط؟‬- ‫أ‬

104. Then he asked of me: “Who is the Paraclete?”

‫ ومن ھو الفارقليط؟‬:‫ فسألني‬- ١٠٤

105. So, I answered him: “The Paraclete is the Spirit of God.”

ّ :‫ فجاوبته‬- ١٠٥
.‫ان الفارقليط ھو روح ﷲ‬

180
Paraclete = παράκλητος = ‫الفارقليط‬.

79
 106. Then the King asked me: “And what is the Spirit of God?”

‫ وما ھو روح ﷲ؟‬:‫ فسألني الملك‬- ١٠٦

107. So, I answered him: “Verily the Spirit of God is God; it possesses the
divine nature and it has the quality of emanation, as Jesus Christ taught us about
it.”

ّ :‫ فجاوبته‬- ١٠٧
‫ كما‬،‫ وله خاصّة أن ينبثق‬،‫ ذو الطبيعة اإللھيّة‬،‫إن روح ﷲ ھو ﷲ‬
.‫علّمنا عنه يسوع المسيح‬

108. And our victorious King said to me: “And who is the one which Jesus
(Peace be upon him) spoke of.”

‫ ومن ھو الذي تكلّم عنه عيسى )عليه السالم(؟‬:‫ وملكنا المظفّر قال لي‬- ١٠٨

109. I answered him: “Surely, Christ said to his disciples: ‘When I ascend
to heaven, I will send to you the Paraclete Spirit, who emanates from the Father,
who the world is not able to receive, and he will be with you and amongst you, he
who knows everything and examines everything, even the profundities of God.
And he will remind you of the truth, which I spoke to you. He will glorify me,
because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.’”181

ّ :‫ فجاوبته‬- ١٠٩
‫ أرسل لكم الروح‬،‫ }ل ّما أصعد إلى السماء‬:‫إن المسيح قال لتالميذه‬
‫ وھو عن َدكم وفي وسطكم؛ الذي‬،‫الفارقليط الذي ينبثق من اآلب؛ الذي العالم لم يقدر أن يقبله‬
ّ ‫ وھو يُذ ّكركم بجميع الح‬.‫ حتى أعماق ﷲ‬،‫ ويف َحص ك ّل شيء‬،‫يعرف ك ّل شيء‬
‫ق الذي قلتُه‬
.{‫ ألنّه يأخذ م ّما لي ويُخبركم‬،‫ ذاك يم ّجدني‬.‫لكم‬

181
Jn. 14:16-17; Acts. 1:8; Col. 2:10.

80
 110. Then our King said to me: “All this designates the coming of
Muhammad (Peace be upon him).”

.(‫ ھذه جميعھا ت ُد ّل عن مجيء مح ّمد )عليه السالم‬:‫ فملكنا قال لي‬- ١١٠

b) Surely, Muhammad is not the Paraclete

‫ ان مح ّم ًدا ليس بالفارقليط‬- ‫ب‬

111. I answered him: “If Muhammad was the Paraclete, and the Paraclete
is the Spirit of God, then, therefore, Muhammad was the Spirit of God.

‫ فالفارقليط ھو روح ﷲ؛ فإ ًذا‬،‫إن كان مح ّمد ھو الفارقليط‬ ً ‫ فجاوبته‬- ١١١

ْ :‫قائال‬
.‫مح ّمد ھو روح ﷲ‬

112. And the Spirit of God is undefined182 like God, so, therefore,
Muhammad is not defined; and that which is not defined is invisible,183 so,
therefore, Muhammad is invisible; and that which is invisible is not embodied, so,
therefore, Muhammad is not embodied; and that which is not embodied is not
constructed, so, therefore, Muhammad is not constructed;

‫ والذي ھو غير‬.‫ وروح ﷲ ليس بمحدود كا ؛ فإذاً مح ّمد ھو غير محدود‬- ١١٢
‫ ھو غير‬،‫ والذي ھو غير مدرك بالنظر‬.‫ ال يُدرك بالنظر؛ فا ًذا مح ّمد ال يُدرك بالنظر‬،‫محدود‬
‫ فا ًذا مح ّمد ھو‬،‫ ھو غير مر ﱠكب‬،‫ والذي ھو غير مج ﱠسم‬.‫مج ﱠسم؛ فا ًذا مح ّمد ھو غير مج ﱠسم‬
.‫غير مر ّكب‬

182
The Arabic phrase ‫ ليس بمحدود‬is a rendering of the Syriac phrase ‫ܐܠ ܡܣܝܟܐ‬, which is translated
by Mingana as “uncircumscribed.” In J. Payne Smith’s Compendious Syriac Dictionary the phrase
is translated as either “uncircumscribed” or “undefined.”
183
The Arabic phrase, “‫ ”ال يٌدرك بالنظر‬carries a literal meaning of “is not comprehended through
vision.”

81
 113. And if Muhammad was constructed, embodied, visible, and defined,
he is not the Spirit of God; and that which is not the Spirit of God is not the
Paraclete, so, therefore, Muhammad is not the Paraclete.

.‫ ليس ھو بروح ﷲ‬،‫ وإن كان مح ّمد ھو مر ّكب و ُمج ﱠسم ومنظور ومحدود‬- ١١٣
.‫ فا ًذا مح ّمد ليس ھو الفارقليط‬،‫ ليس ھو الفارقليط‬،‫والذي ليس ھو بروح ﷲ‬

114. Subsequently, the Paraclete is from heaven and from the Father,
whereas Muhammad is from earth and from the nature of Adam; so, therefore,
Muhammad is not the Paraclete.

ّ ‫ ث ّم‬- ١١٤
‫ ومح ّمد ھو من األرض من طبيعة‬،‫ان الفارقليط ھو من السماء ومن اآلب‬
.‫آدم؛ فاذا مح ّمد ليس بالفارقليط‬

115. And the Paraclete also knows the depths of God,184 but Muhammad
acknowledged that he was ignorant of the things, which will happen to him as
well as to those who believe in him;185 so, therefore, he is not the Paraclete.

ً ‫ ولكن مح ّمد يعترف بأنّه يجھل أيضا‬،‫ والفارقليط أيضا ً يعرف أعماق ﷲ‬- ١١٥
.‫ به وبالذين يؤمنون به؛ فا ًذا مح ّمد ليس ھو الفارقليط‬186‫األمور التي تقع‬

116. Surely, the Paraclete was with the Apostles and amongst them when
Christ was speaking to them, whereas Muhammad was not with the Apostles nor
amongst them; so, therefore, he is not the Paraclete.

184
1 Col. 2:10.
185
Timothy here is referencing multiple passages in the Qur’ān where Muhammad claims to be
ignorant of things to come. Mingana notes the Qur’ān 6:50, 7:188.
186
Appeared as ‫ تصنع‬in Cheikho’s edition of the text. See Samir’s notes on this section in his critical edition

82
‫ كما قال المسيح إذ كان‬،‫إن الفارقليط كان مع الح ّواريّين وفي وسطھم‬ّ ‫ ث ّم‬- ١١٦
.‫ ومح ّمد لم يكن مع الحواريين وال في وسطھم؛ فا ًذا ليس ھو بالفارقليط‬.‫يخاطبُھم‬

117. Moreover, surely the Paraclete manifested to the Apostles ten days
after the ascension of Jesus (Peace be upon him) to heaven, whereas Muhammad
appeared more than six hundred years later; so, therefore, Muhammad is not the
Paraclete.

ّ ،ً‫ وأيضا‬- ١١٧

‫ بعد عشرة إيّام لصعود عيسى )عليه السالم( الى‬،‫إن الفارقليط‬
.‫ ومح ّمد بعد ستمائة سنة ونيّف ظھر؛ فا ًذا مح ّمد ليس بالفارقليط‬.‫ تظاھر للحواريّين‬،‫السماء‬

118. Furthermore, surely the Paraclete187 taught the Apostles that God has
three hypostases, whereas Muhammad did not believe that; so, therefore, he is not
the Paraclete.

‫ ومح ّمد ال يعتقد‬،‫إن الفارقليط علّم الحواريّين عن ﷲ أنّه بثالثة أقانيم‬

ّ ،ً‫ وايضا‬- ١١٨
.‫بذلك؛ فا ًذا ليس ھو الفارقليط‬

119. Then the Paraclete performed many miracles and a number of signs
by the hands of the Apostles, whereas Muhammad did not produce one sign by
the hands of his companions or his followers; so, therefore, he is not the Paraclete.

‫إن الفارقليط قد صنع على أيادي الحواريّين معجزات كثيرة وآيات‬ ّ ‫ ث ّم‬- ١١٩
.‫ ومح ّمد لم يصنع آيةً واحدة على ايدي أصحابِه وتابعيه؛ فاذاً ليس ھو بالفارقليط‬،‫متع ّددة‬

120. Additionally, the Paraclete is equal to the Father and to the Son in
188
nature. From that, one knows that he is also the creator of the celestial forces.

187
In the original Syriac, Paraclete is replaced here by Jesus.

83
As the Prophet David said regarding the Spirit of God: ‘By his Spirit all the
celestial and earthly forces were created.’189 And the fact is that Muhammad was
not a creator; so, therefore, he is not the Paraclete.

ً ‫ان الفارقليط ھو مساوي لآلب واالبن بالطبيعة؛ ومن ذلك يُعرف انّه ايضا‬
ّ ‫ ث ّم‬- ١٢٠
‫وبروحه ُخلِقت جميع الق ّوات‬
ِ } ،‫ مثلما قال داود النبي عن روح ﷲ‬،‫خالق الق ّوات السماويّة‬
.‫ فا ًذا ليس ھو بالفارقليط‬.‫ والحال أن مح ّمد ليس ھو بخالق‬،{‫السماويّة واالرضيّة‬

Conclusion: There is No Mention of Muhammad in the Gospel

‫ ال ذكر لمح ّمد في اإلنجيل‬:‫الخاتمة‬

121. If Muhammad had been mentioned in the Gospel, it would have been
necessary to declare, in the books, his coming and his name, and to mention his
mother, and his people, as one finds concerning the coming of Jesus (Peace be
upon him) in the Torah and the (Books) of the Prophets with clarity. But none of
that is mentioned about him (Muhammad) at all. And there is no mention of him
in the Gospel ever.”

‫ لكان ينبغي ان يصرّح عن مجيئه واسمه‬،‫ لو كان صار له ذكر في اإلنجيل‬- ١٢١
‫ كما يوجد مح ّر ًرا عن مجيء عيسى )عليه السالم( في التوراة‬،‫وذكر أ ّمه وشعبه في الكتب‬
.ّ‫ وليس له ذك ٌر في اإلنجيل قط‬.‫ فال شيء من ذلك مذكور عنه البتة‬.‫واألنبياء بنوع واضح‬

3. Did You Not Falsify Your Books Suppressing the Testimonies of

Muhammad?

188
The Arabic phrase ‫ مساوي بالطبيعة‬literally meaning “equal in nature” is a representation of the
Syriac ‫ ܫܘܐ ܒܐܝܬܘܬܐ‬meaning “equal in essence or being,” which is a representation of the Greek
ομοουσιος meaning “equal in essence,” which is often translated into English as “consubstantial.”
189
Ps. 33:6.

84
 ‫ حاذفين الشھادات عن مح ّمد؟‬،‫ ألم تحرفوا كتبكم‬- ٣

122. Then our King, lover of God, said to me: “As the Jews did to Jesus
(Peace be upon him), and did not accept him, likewise, the Christians190 also did
to Muhammad (Peace be upon him), and did not accept him.”

‫ كما صنع اليھود في عيسى )عليه السالم( وما‬:‫ فملكنا محبّ ﷲ قال لي‬- ١٢٢
!‫ ھكذا فعل النصارى ايضا ً في مح ّمد )عليه السالم( ولم يقبلوه‬،‫قبلوه‬

123. I answered him saying: “The Jews, since they did not receive Christ,
deserved punishment and chastisement, because the Torah and the (Books) of the
Prophets are full of proofs and testimonies about him (Christ). But, we did not
accept Muhammad because we did not have one proof of him in our books;
therefore, we are not guilty in this.”

،‫ إذ لم يقبلوا المسيح استحقّوا الجزاء والقصاص‬،‫ان اليھود‬ ً ‫ فجاوبتُه‬- ١٢٣

ّ :‫قائال‬
‫ من‬،‫ ولكن نحن لم نقبل مح ّمد‬.‫ألن التوراة واألنبياء مشحونة من البراھين والشھادات عنه‬
.‫حيث ليس لنا برھان واحد عنه في كتبنا؛ فلذلك ليس لنا ذنب في ھذا‬

a) The accusations: You falsified the books

‫ حرّفتم الكتب‬:‫ اإلتّھام‬- ‫أ‬

124. Then the King said to me: “There were in your books many proofs
and testimonies about Muhammad (Peace be upon him), but you have corrupted
the books and falsified them.”

190
The Arabic term ‫ النصارى‬is Qur’ānic, and means “Nazarenes.” This term can be found
throughout the Qur’ān in the following passages, 2:62, 2:111, 2:113, 2:120, 2:135, 2:140, 5:14,
5:18, 5:51, 5:69, 5:82, 9:30, and 22:17.

85
‫ كانت موجودة في كتبكم براھين وشواھد كثيرة عن مح ّمد‬:‫ فالملك قال لي‬- ١٢٤
.‫ ولكنّھم أفس ْدتم الكتب وح ّرفتُموھا‬،(‫)عليه السالم‬

b) The first objection: Where is the book devoid of falsification?

‫ اين الكتاب الخالي من التحريف؟‬:‫ الر ّد اال ّول‬- ‫ب‬

125. I answered him saying: “Oh King, from where do you have
information that we have falsified the books? And where do you find such a book
devoid of falsification, which taught you that we have falsified our books? Bring
it, so that we may see it and adhere to it and renounce the falsified book. So from
where, therefore, do you know that the Gospel is falsified?

‫ من أين لكم معلومات بأنّنا ح ًّرفنا الكتب؟ واين‬،‫ ايّھا الملك‬:‫قائال‬

ً ‫ فجاوبته‬- ١٢٥
‫ لنراه‬،‫ الذي تعلّمتم منه أنّنا قد ح ًّرفنا كتابنا؟ إيتُوا به‬،‫يوجد ذاك الكتاب الخالي من التحريف‬
ّ ‫ ف ِمن أين ا ًذا تعرفون‬.‫ونتمسّك به ونترك الكتاب المح ﱠرف‬
‫بأن اإلنجيل ھو محرّف؟‬

c) The second objection: What advantage would we have from (its) falsification?

‫ أيّة فائدة لنا من التحربف؟‬:‫ الر ّد الثاني‬- ‫ت‬

126. And what advantage would we have in its falsification? For if one
found a mentioning of Muhammad in the Gospel, we would not have suppressed
his name, but rather we would have said, ‘He has not yet come, and this is not the
one of whom you speak, but he will come.’

‫ لما كنﱠا‬،‫ وأيّة فائدة كانت لنا من تحريفه؟ فلو ُوجد ذكر مح ّمد في اإلنجيل‬- ١٢٦
‫ بل مزمع‬،‫ وليس ھو ھذا الذي تقولون أنتم عنه‬،‫ بل كنّا نقول انّه لم يأت بعد‬.‫نرفع اسمه منه‬
.‫أن يأتي‬

86
 127. Just as the Jews were not able to omit the name of Jesus (Peace be
upon him) in the Torah and in the (Books) of the Prophets, but rather they still
dispute us saying: ‘Surely Christ has not yet come to the world, but he will come.’
And with this they resemble the blind who do not have eyes and deny the
appearance of the sun at midday.

ّ ‫ كما‬- ١٢٧
‫أن اليھود لم يستطيعوا أن يحذفوا اسم عيسى )عليه السالم( من التوراة‬
ّ :‫ بل يخاصمونا قائلين‬.‫واألنبياء‬
‫ بل سوف يأتي! وبذلك‬،‫إن المسيح لم يأت بعد إلى العالم‬
.‫ وينكرون ظھور الشمس في نصف الظھر‬،‫ الذين ليس لھم عيون‬،‫يشبھون العميان‬

128. Likewise, we also would not have been able to remove the name of
Muhammad from the Book, but we would have opposed you regarding the time
and regarding the person, like the Jews.

ْ ‫ ھكذا نحن أيضا ً لم‬- ١٢٨

‫ بل كنّا‬،‫نكن نستطيع أن نرفع اسم مح ّمد من الكتاب‬
.‫نضاددكم عن الزمان وعن الشخص كاليھود‬

Conclusion

‫الخاتمة‬

129. But I speak the truth, if I saw a single prophecy in the Gospel
regarding the coming of Muhammad, I would abandon the Gospel and follow the
Qur’ān, and I would pass from one to the other, as I passed from the Torah and
the (Books) of the Prophets to the Gospel.”

ُ
‫لتركت‬ ُ
،‫رأيت نب ّوة واحدة في اإلنجيل عن مجيء مح ّمد‬ ّ ‫ ولكن أقول الح‬- ١٢٩
‫ لو‬:‫ق‬
ُ
‫انتقلت من التوراة واألنبياء إلى‬ ُ
‫ كما‬،‫ وكنت أنتقل من ھذا الى ھذا‬.‫وتبعت القرآن‬ ‫اإلنجيل‬
.‫اإلنجيل‬
87
4. Supplementary: The Qur’ān was not confirmed by signs

‫ القرآن لم يثبت بآيات‬:‫ ملحق‬-٤

130. Then our King said to me: “What do you say about our book, was it
revealed by God?”

‫ ماذا تقول عن كتابنا؟ أليس ھو منزل من ﷲ؟‬:‫ ثم ملكنا قال لي‬- ١٣٠

131. I answered him saying: “If it was revealed by God, I am not able to
judge that, but I say that the Word of God, written in the Torah, the (Books) of the
Prophets, the Gospel, and (Books) of the Apostles, had been entirely confirmed
by signs and miracles, which is known by your Majesty as well;191 however, I say
this book (the Qur’ān) was not confirmed by one solitary sign.

ً
:‫ ولكن أقول‬.‫ ال أستطيع أن أحكم بذلك‬،‫منزال من ﷲ‬ ً ‫ فجاوبته‬- ١٣١
‫ إن كان‬:‫قائال‬
‫ قد تثبﱠت كلّه بآيات‬،‫أن كالم ﷲ المسطور في التوراة واألنبياء واإلنجيل والحواريّين‬
ّ
.ّ‫ ھذا الكتاب لم يُثَبﱠت بآي ٍة واحدة قط‬:‫ كما ال يُخفى ايضا ً دولتكم؛ ولكن أقول‬،‫ومعجزات‬

132. It would be necessary that other signs and miracles appear for its
verification. In the same way, when God (May he be exalted and majestified)
wanted to abrogate the Old Testament, which had been confirmed by many signs
and miracles, he made the Gospel its substitute by producing other signs and
marvels by the hand of Jesus (Peace be upon him) and the Apostles. Therefore, he
confirmed the Gospel and abrogated the Old Testament.

191
The Arabic phrase ‫ كما ال يُخفى ايضا ً دولتكم‬translates literally as, “as is not hidden to your Majesty
as well.”

88
،(‫ كما ان ﷲ )عز وج ّل‬.‫ وكان ينبغي أن تُظھر بحقّه آيات ومجعزات أخرى‬- ١٣٢
‫ ويجعل عوضه‬،‫ الذي كان قد ثبﱠته بآيات ومعجزات كثيرة‬،‫ل ّما اراد أن يُبطل العھد العتيق‬
‫ صنع آيات أُخرى وعجائب على يد عيسى )عليه السالم( والحواريّين؛ فثبّت‬،‫اإلنجيل‬
.‫ وأبطل العھد العتيق‬،‫اإلنجيل‬

133. Likewise, it would be required that one produce new miracles and
signs in support of the confirmation the Qur’ān and abrogation the Gospel. This is
because the signs and the marvels are a decisive proof of the will of the Most
High; from that, your Majesty knows the conclusion.”192

‫ ألجل إثبات القرآن‬،‫ ھكذا كان يقتضي أن يصنع معجزات وآيات جديدة‬- ١٣٣
ّ ‫ وذلك‬.‫وتبطيل اإلنجيل‬
‫ألن اآليات والعجائب ھي برھان قاطع عن إرادته تعالى؛ ومن ذلك‬
.‫تعلم دولتكم النتيجة‬

5. Did Isaiah Not Prophesy About Muhammad?

‫ ألم يتنبّأ اشعيا عن مح ّمد؟‬- ٥

Introduction: He Prophesied About Darius and Cyrus

‫ تنبأ عن داريوس وكورش‬:‫المق ّدمة‬

134. And our victorious King said to me: “Who is the one who is said to
have been seen riding a camel?”

‫ من ھو ذاك الذي قيل عنه إنّه شوھد وھو راكب‬:‫ وملكنا المظفّر قال لي‬- ١٣٤
ً
‫جمال؟‬
192
The final sentence in the Syriac text reads, “Since signs and miracles are proofs of the will of
God, the conclusion drawn from their absence in your Book is well known to your Majesty.” The
implications of Timothy’s words are much clearer in the Syriac.

89
 135. We answered him saying: “That this verse was given by the Prophet
Isaiah when he said: ‘I saw a pair of cavalrymen, one riding a donkey, and one
riding a camel.’”193

ً ‫ص َر ر ّكابا‬ ّ :‫ فجاوبناه قائلين‬- ١٣٥

َ ‫ }فأب‬:‫ حيث يقول‬،‫ان ھذه اآلية أتى بھا أشعيا النبي‬
.{‫ ومن راكب جمل‬،‫ من راكب حمار‬،‫أزواج فوارس‬

136. And our King asked me: “Who is the rider of the donkey and the
rider of the camel?”

ً ‫ من ھو الراكب حما ًرا والراكب‬:‫ وماكنا سألني‬- ١٣٦

‫جمال؟‬

137. So, I answered him: “That the rider of the donkey is Darius, son of
Artaxerxes the Mede; and the rider of the camel is Cyrus, the Persian who is from
Elam. And he (Cyrus) seized the Kingdom of the Medes and annexed it to the
Kingdom of the Persians, while Darius the Mede seized the Kingdom of the
Babylonians and annexed it to the Kingdom of the Medes.”

ّ :‫ فجاوبته‬- ١٣٧
‫ والراكب‬،‫أن الراكب حما ًرا ھو داريوش ابن احشورش المادي‬
ً
‫ وأضافھا على‬،‫جمال ھو كورش الفارسي الذي ھو من عيالم؛ وھو ضبط مملكة الماديّين‬
.‫ وأضافھا على مملكة الماديّين‬،‫ وداريوس المادي قد ضبط مملكة البابليّين‬.‫مملكة الفرس‬

a) The first indication: From the context of the speech

‫ من سياق الكالم‬:‫ الدليل األ ّول‬- ‫أ‬

138. And our King asked me: “How can you confirm that?”

193
Isa. 21:7.

90
 ‫ كيف تُثبت ذلك؟‬:‫ وملكنا سألني‬- ١٧٨

139. So, I answered him: “I confirm this from context, because the
Prophet Isaiah had previously said, in the same mentioned scripture: ‘Arise, Oh
Elam, siege Media!’194 Therefore, Elam designated Cyrus the Persian, the rider of
a camel, and Media designates Darius, the rider of a donkey.

‫ في‬،ً‫ألن النب ّي أشعيا قد قال سابقا‬

ّ ‫ انّني أثبت ھذا من سياق الكالم؛‬:‫ فجاوبته‬- ١٣٩
‫ فبعيالم أشار الى‬.{‫ وحاصري يا مادي‬،‫ يا عيالم‬،‫ }اصعدي‬:‫ذات االصحاح المذكور‬
ً ‫كورش الفارسي الراكب‬
.‫ وبمادي أشار إلى داريوس الراكب حما ًرا‬،‫جمال‬

140. Then the aforementioned Prophet said: ‘And with a cavalry of men,
pairs of horses came. So, I answered and said: “It was the fall, it was the fall, of
Babylon.”’195 This verse clearly designates Darius and Cyrus, because the two of
them destroyed the Kingdom of the Babylonians.”

‫ أزواج من الفرسان‬،‫ب من الرجال‬

ٍ ‫ }وإذا برك‬:‫ ثم يقول النبي المشار اليه‬- ١٤٠
،‫ فيشير جليّا ً بھذه اآلية إلى داريوس وكورش‬.{‫ سقطت بابل‬،‫سقطت‬
ْ :‫ فأجاب وقال‬.‫أتوا‬
.‫ألنھما قَ َرضا مملكة البابليّين‬

b) The second indication: From geography

‫ من الجغرافيا‬:‫ الدليل الثاني‬- ‫ب‬

141. Then our King asked me saying: “Why were these kingdoms
compared with a rider of a camel and a rider of a donkey?”

194
Isa. 21:2.
195
Isa. 21:9.

91
 ً ‫ ث ّم سألني ملكنا‬- ١٤١
‫ لماذا ُشبّھت ھذه الممالك براكب جمل وراكب حمار؟‬:‫قائال‬

142. I answered him saying: “Because in the region of the Medes you find
the most donkeys, and in the region of Persis and Elam you find camels. So, by
the mounts of donkeys and camels, the Prophet (Isaiah) designates through
metaphor the regions, and by the regions the kingdoms, which were going to
produce from them the two aforementioned kings.196

ً ‫ فجاوبته‬- ١٤٢
ّ :‫قائال‬
‫ وفي ناحية‬،‫ألن في ناحية الماديّين توجد على األكثر حمير‬
،‫ فبدوابّ الحمير والجمال يشير النبي باالستعارة إلى النواحي‬.‫فارس وعيالم توجد جمال‬
.‫وبالنواحي إلى الممالك التي كان عتي ًدا أن يخرج منھا ]الملكان[ المشار اليھما‬

143. Then the Kingdom of the Medes was on the verge to become slow
and weak, whereas the Kingdom of Persia and Elam was going to become strong
and energetic. So, therefore, God compared the Kingdom of Medes to a docile
donkey and the (Kingdom) of Persia and Elam to a strong and vigorous camel.

‫ ومملكة الفرس‬،‫إن مملكة الماديّين كانت ُمزمعة أن تصير رخوةً وضعيفة‬

ّ ‫ ث ّم‬- ١٤٣
،‫ فلذلك شبّه ﷲ مملكة الماديّين بالحمار الرخو‬،‫أو عيالم كانت عتيدة أن تصير قويّة ونشيطة‬
ّ ‫والفرس أو عيالم بالجمل القو‬
.‫ي والنشيط‬

c) The third indication: From the Book of Daniel.

‫ من سفر دانيال‬:‫ الدليل الثالث‬- ‫ت‬

144. Likewise, the Prophet Daniel compared the Kingdom of Medes to a

weak bear, and the Kingdom of Elamites and Persians to a rapidly moving tiger

196
In Samir’s edition of the text, the final word in the section appeared as ‫مكان‬. It has been
corrected to its appropriate form, which is ‫ملكان‬.

92
when he said: ‘Behold the second beast resembled a bear, raised on one side, and
in its mouth between its teeth were three ribs. Then I looked, and behold the other
(beast) like a tiger, which had four wings like a bird on its back.’197

‫ ومملكة العيالميّين‬،‫ وأيضا ً دانيال النبي شبّه مملكة الماديّين بالدبّ الرخو‬- ١٤٤
‫ وقف‬، ّ‫ }واذا بالحيوان اآلخر الثاني كشبه الدب‬:‫ حيث يقول‬،‫والفرس بالنمر السريع الحركة‬
ُ
‫ وله أربعة‬،‫ واذا اآلخر مثل النمر‬.‫كنت أنظر‬ ‫ ث ّم‬...‫ في فمه بين أسنانه ثالثة ألضلُع‬،ً‫ناحية‬
.{‫اجنحة مثل الطائر على ظھره‬

145. Then in Daniel, God Most High compared the Kingdom of the Medes
to silver, because it is pliant, and the Persians and the Elamites to bronze because
it is hardened;198 so, therefore, the Prophet, by the donkey designated the
Kingdom of Medes and by the camel the Kingdom of the Persians and the
Elamites.”

‫ والفرس‬،‫ ث ّم في دانيال قد شبّه ﷲ تعالى مملكة الماديّين بالفضّة ألنھا ليّنة‬- ١٤٥
‫ وبالجمل مملكة‬،‫ بالحمار يُريد مملكة الماديّين‬،‫ النبي‬،‫ فا ًذا‬.‫والعيالميّين بالنحاس ألنّه صلب‬
.‫الفرس والعيالميّين‬

d) The fourth indication: From history

‫ من التاريخ‬:‫ الدليل الرابع‬- ‫ث‬

146. And our King said to me: “Surely, the rider of the donkey was Jesus
(Peace be upon him), and the rider of the camel was Muhammad (Peace be upon
him).”

197
Dan. 7:5-6.
198
Dan. 2:32-33.

93
‫وراكب الجمل‬
َ ّ :‫ وملكنا قال لي‬- ١٤٦
،(‫إن راكب الحمار ھو عيسى )عليه السالم‬
.(‫ھو مح ّمد )عليه السالم‬

147. So, I answered him saying: “The arrangement of the times and events
negates such a connection to Jesus and Muhammad. In this situation, the truth is
learned by observing the times and prophecies of the prophets. Surely, the
expression ‘donkey’ indicates the Medes, while the expression ‘camel’ indicates
the Elamites and not another people.

ً ‫ فجاوبته‬- ١٤٧
ّ :‫قائال‬
‫إن ترتيب األزمنة واألمور ينفي نسبة ھذا المعنى إلى يسوع‬
199
ّ .‫من مالحظة األزمنة ورؤيات األنبياء‬
‫إن لفظة‬ ‫ وتُعلَم الحقيقة‬.‫ في ھذا الموضع‬،‫ومح ّمد‬
.‫ وال إلى أشخاص آخرين‬،‫ ولفظ جمل إلى العالميّين‬،‫الحمار تشير إلى الماديّين‬

148. So, perhaps people have necessarily assigned the expression ‘donkey’
to Jesus, since one finds in another place written of him, in (the Book of)
Zachariah: ‘Look here, your King is coming; he is just, victorious, and humble
and he rides a donkey, and a foal the son of a she-donkey.’200

‫ اذ يجود في‬،‫ فربّما عبارة الحمار أناس يطلقونھا اضطرا ًرا على يسوع‬- ١٤٨
،‫ ھو عادل ومنصور وضيع‬،‫ }ھا ھوذا ملكك يأتيك‬:‫موضع آخر مسطور عنه في زكريا‬ ٍ
.{‫وراكب حما ًرا وجحشا ً ابن أتان‬

149. And as for the expression ‘camel,’ it is not possible to be assigned to

Muhammad ever.”

.‫ وأ ّما عبارة الجمل ال يمكن أن تُطلق على مح ّمد البتّة‬- ١٤٩

199
Appeared as ‫ حقيقة‬in Cheikho’s edition. See Samir’s notes on this section in his critical edition.
200
Zach. 9:9.

94
e) The fifth indication: From the Holy Scriptures

‫ من الكتاب المقدس‬:‫ الدليل الخامس‬- ‫ج‬

150. Our King said to me: “For what reason?”

ّ ‫ وأل‬:‫ وملكنا قال لي‬- ١٥٠

‫ي سبب؟‬

151. I answered him: “Because the Prophet Jacob said in the Book of
Genesis: ‘The scepter will not depart from Judah, (that is to say the scepter of
power), nor the leader201 from his loins (that is to say the possessor of profecy),
until he comes, he who possesses (that is to say Jesus Christ, the King and the
Judge), and to him the people will obey.’202 By mentioning this, Jacob clarified
that after the coming of Jesus the prophets and prophecies would cease.

‫ }ال يزول القضيب من‬:‫ ألن يعقوب النبي قال في سفر التكوين‬:‫ جاوبته‬- ١٥١
‫يھوذا )أي قضيب الحكم( والمدبّر من بين رجليه )أي ذو النب ّوة( حتى يجيء الذي له )أي‬
‫ وله يكون خضوع الشعوب{ وبذلك يبيّن يعقوب المذكور‬،(‫يسوع المسيح له الملك والحكم‬
ّ
.‫ تنتھي األنبياء والنب ّوات‬،‫ بعد مجيء عيسى‬،‫أن‬

152. Likewise, the Prophet Daniel said: ‘Know and understand that from
the going forth of the Word to rebuild Jerusalem until the (coming of the)
Messiah, the Leader, (will be) seven weeks, and two and threescore weeks: and he
will rebuild the street and the moat in troubled times.’203 And likewise: ‘after the
two and threescore weeks, Christ will be killed and he will not have a successor,

201
The Arabic word ‫ مدبّر‬is a somewhat difficult to translate. Its Arabic meaning carries a general
meaning of someone who leads or directs.
202
Gen. 49:10.
203
Dan. 9:25.

95
and the people of the Prince will come to destroy the city and the sanctuary.’204
Therefore, the prophecy of Daniel clarified that, through Christ, the prophecies
and the visions were accomplished.

ً ‫ }فاعلم وادر انّه من خروج الكالم لتُبني ايضا‬:‫ دانيال النبي قال‬،ً‫ وايضا‬- ١٥٢
‫ ويبنى ايضا ً السوق والخليج‬.ً ‫ سبعة أسابيع واثنان وستّون أسبوعا‬،‫ إلى المسيح القائد‬،‫أورشليم‬
،‫ يُقتل المسيح وال يكون له‬،ً‫ }وبعد االثنين والستين أسبوعا‬:‫ وكذا‬.{‫في ضيقة األوقات‬
‫أن في المسيح تتّم‬
ّ ‫ وبذلك بيّن دانيال النبي‬.{‫وشعب الرئيس اآلتي يخرّب المدينة والقدس‬
.‫األنبياء والرؤيات‬

153. And Jesus himself, likewise, said: ‘All the (Books) of the Prophets
and the Torah, prophesied until John the Baptist.’205 So, therefore, all the
prophecies, which had taken place, finished with Messiah; and after Messiah there
will be neither prophecy nor prophets; so, all the prophets prophesied about Jesus
Christ.

ّ ً ‫ ويسوع نف ُسه قال ايضا‬- ١٥٣

‫ }جميع األنبياء والتوراة تنبأوا إلى يوحنّا‬:‫إن‬
‫ ومن بعد المسيح ال تكون نب ّوة‬،‫ انتھت بالمسيح‬،‫ جميع النب ّوات التي صارت‬،‫المعمدان{؛ فا ًذا‬
.‫ فاألنبياء جمي ُعھم تنبّأوا عن يسوع المسيح‬.‫وال نب ّي‬

The Conclusion: Jesus is the Seal of the Prophets

‫ يسوع خاتم األنبياء‬:‫الخاتمة‬

154. Christ taught us about the Kingdom of Heaven. Therefore, it does not
benefit us any longer to obtain other knowledge, concerning mortal and earthly

204
Dan. 9:26.
205
Mt. 11:13.

96
things, after we had obtained knowledge about the mystery of the divinity and of
the Kingdom of Heaven;

‫ فلم يَعُد يفيدنا ان نكتسب معرفة أخرى‬،‫ والمسيح علّمنا عن ملكوت السماء‬- ١٥٤
.‫دائر االمور البشريّة واألرضيّة بعد اكتسابنا معرفة عن س ّر الّالھوت وملكوت السماء‬

155. Because the prophets prophesied, at times, about the things of this
world and of its kingdoms, and sometimes about the appearance of the Word of
God in the flesh; however, Christ did not teach about human things, but of the
divine things and of the Kingdom of Heaven, as we have said.

‫ وتارةً عن ظھور‬،‫ تارة عن أمور ھذا العالم وعن ممالكه‬:‫ ألن األنبياء تنبأُوا‬- ١٥٥
‫ بل عن األمور االلھيّة وعن‬،‫ لم يعلّمنا عن األمور البشريّة‬،‫ وأ ّما المسيح‬.‫كلمة ﷲ بالجسد‬
.‫ كما قلنا‬،‫ملكوت السماء‬

156. So, therefore, if the prophecies were accomplished by Christ, as we

have seen, and after the age of Christ, the Kingdom of God is to be announced as
the power of Jesus then it is vain and, therefore, futile to believe in another
prophecy, after the incarnation of the Word of God, to which one prostrates
himself.

‫ ومن عھد المسيح فيما‬،‫ إن كانت النب ّوات قد انتھت بالمسيح كما رأينا‬،‫ فا ًذا‬- ١٥٦
‫فباطال ا ًذا وعبثا ً يكون اعتقا ُدنا في نب ّوة أخرى بعد تجسّد‬
ً ،‫بعد يُب ّشر بملكوت ﷲ كق ّوة يسوع‬
.‫كلمة ﷲ المسجود له‬

157. The good and just order is that which elevates us from bottom to top,
from the human things to the divine things, and from earthly (things) to heavenly
(things), whereas the declension from the top to the bottom, and from the divine
things to the human things, and from the heavenly (things) to the earthly (things),
therefore, is an inversed and disapproved arrangement.”

97
‫‪ - ١٥٧‬ألن الترتيب الحسن والجيّد ھو ذاك الذي يُصعدنا من أسفل الى فوق‪ ،‬من‬
‫األمور البشريّة إلى األمور اإللھيّة‪ ،‬ومن األرضيّات إلى السماويّات‪ .‬وأ ّما النزول من فوق‬
‫إلى أسفل‪ ،‬ومن األمور اإللھيّة إلى األمور البشريّة‪ ،‬ومن السماويّات إلى االرضيّات‪ ،‬فھو‬
‫ترتيب معكوس ومرذول‪.‬‬

‫‪98‬‬
 The Fifth Section: What Do You Say about Muhammad?

‫ ماذا تقول عن مح ّمد؟‬:‫الباب الخامس‬

Introduction

‫المقدّمة‬

158. And our patient King, full of wisdom, said to me: “What do you say
about Muhammad?”

‫ ماذا تقول عن مح ّمد؟‬:‫ وملكنا الحليم المملوء حكمةً قال لي‬- ١٥٨

1. Muhammad Followed in the Path of the Prophets

‫ سلك مح ّمد في طريق االنبياء‬- ١

159. I answered him saying: “Surely, Muhammad deserves the praise of

all speakers, which is due to the fact that he followed in the path of the prophets
and of the friends of God, because all of the prophets had taught about the unity
of God and Muhammad taught about that; so, therefore, he followed in path of the
prophets as well.

ّ ‫إن مح ّمداً يستح‬

‫ وذلك ألجل‬،‫ق المدح من جميع الناطقين‬ ً ‫ فجاوبته‬- ١٥٩
ّ :‫قائال‬
‫ ومح ّمد‬،‫ ألن سائر األنبياء قد علّموا عن وحدانيّة ﷲ‬.‫سلوكه في طريق األنبياء ومحبّي ﷲ‬
.‫ ھو ايضا ً سلك بطريق األنبياء‬،‫ فا ًذا‬.‫علّم عن ذلك‬

160. Then, just as all the prophets distanced the people from evil and
wicked things and attracted them toward goodness and virtue, in such a way,
Muhammad distanced the children of his nation from evil and attracted them

99
toward goodness and virtues; so, therefore, he followed in the path of the
prophets.

ّ ‫ ث ّم كما‬- ١٦٠
‫ وجذبوھم إلى‬،‫ان جميع األنبياء أبعدوا الناس عن الش ّر والسيّئات‬
.‫ وجذبھم إلى الصالح والفضائل‬،ّ‫ ھكذا مح ّمد أبعد بني أ ّمته عن الشر‬،‫الصالح والفضيلة‬
.‫ ھو ايضا ً قد سلك في طريق األنبياء‬،‫فا ًذا‬

161. Next, all the prophets prohibited the children of mankind from
worshipping devils and serving idols and they encouraged them toward serving
God (May he be exalted and majestified) and toward worshipping his majesty.
Likewise, Muhammad prohibited the children of his nation from serving the
devils and worshipping idols and he exhorted them toward the knowledge of God
and worshipping of the Most High, who is one God and there is no other god
equal to him. It is, therefore, clear that Muhammad followed in path of the
prophets.

ّ ‫ ث ّم‬- ١٦١
،‫إن جميع األنبياء منعوا بني البشر من سجدة الشياطين وعبادة األوثان‬
‫ ھكذا مح ّمد منع بني أ ّمته من عبادة‬.‫ والسجود لجاللته‬،(‫وحرّضوھم على عبادة ﷲ )ع ّز وج ّل‬
‫ الذي ھو وحده إله‬،‫ وحرّضھم على معرفة ﷲ والسجود له تعالى‬،‫الشياطين والسجدة لألوثان‬
.‫أن مح ّمداً قد سلك في طريق األنبياء‬
ّ ‫ فقد اتّضح ا ًذا‬.‫وليس بإله آخر سواه‬

162. So, if Muhammad had taught regarding God, his Word, and his
Spirit, as all the prophets had prophesied regarding this, then, therefore,
Muhammad had followed in the path of the prophets.

‫ فجميع األنبياء تنبأوا عن‬،‫ ثم إن كان مح ّمد قد علّم عن ﷲ وكلمتِه وروحه‬- ١٦٢
.‫ فمح ّمد ا ًذا قد سلك في طريق األنبياء‬.‫ذلك‬

2. The Zeal of Muhammad Was Like the Zeal of Moses and Abraham.

100
 ‫ غيرة مح ّمد تشبه غيرة موسى وابراھيم‬- ٢

163. So, who would not praise, nor venerate, nor honor the one that
struggles for God, not with speech only, but with the sword as well he
demonstrated zealotry on behalf of the Most High Creator?

،‫ فمن ال يمدح ويكرّم ويبجّل ذاك الذي يحارب من أجل ﷲ؟ ليس بالكالم فقط‬- ١٦٣
‫بل وبالسيف أيضا أظھر الغيرة ألجل الباري تعالى؟‬

164. And as the Prophet Moses did with the sons of Israel, who had made
a calf of gold and worshipped it, that is to say he killed (them) with the sword and
destroyed all those who worshipped the calf;206 likewise, Muhammad did as well
when he exhibited his zeal207 on behalf of the Creator (May the Most High be
praised), whom he loved and honored more than himself, his tribe, and the sons of
his nation.

ً
‫عجال من الذھب‬ ‫ وكما فعل موسى النبي في بني إسرائيل الذين صنعوا‬- ١٦٤
‫ ل ّما اظھر‬،‫ فقتل بالسيف وأباد جميع الذين سجدوا للعجل؛ ھكذا مح ّمد أيضا ً صنع‬،‫وسجدوا له‬
.‫ وأحبّه وكرّمه أكثر من نفسه وعشيرته وبنى أ ّمته‬208،(‫الغيرة ألجل الباري )سبحانه تعالى‬

165. Those who followed him in the honoring of God and his fear (of
God), he praised them and he honored them, and he glorified them, and he
promised them paradise as well as honor and respect on behalf of God, in this
world and in the hereafter, in paradise. While those who served the idols and
worshipped them, he fought them and warned them of the painful chastisement in

206
Ex. 32:25-28.
207
The Arabic literally says “the zeal,” but it is referring back to the phrase, “ ‫غيرة مح ّمد تشبه غيرة‬
‫ ”موسى وابراھيم‬therefore it has been translated as, “his zeal.”
208
The phrase ‫ سبحانه تعالى‬is omitted from Cheikho’s edition of the text. See Samir’s notes on this
section in his critical edition

101
the fire of hell, which in it the hypocrites will be burned, and in it they will remain
forever.

‫ كان يمجّدھم ويكرّمھم‬،‫ والذين كانوا يتبعونه في إكرام ﷲ ومخافته‬- ١٦٥

‫ ويوعد لھم ايضا ً الجنّة والمجد واإلكرام من لدن ﷲ في ھذا العالم وفي اآلخرة‬،‫ويمدحھم‬
ٍ ‫ كان يحاربھم وينذرھم بعذا‬،‫ والذين كانوا يعبدون األصنام ويسجدون لھا‬.‫بالجنّة‬
‫ب أليم في‬
.‫ التي بھا يحترق المنافقون وھم فيھا خالدون‬،‫نار الجحيم‬

166. And as Abraham did, the friend of God,209 who abandoned the idols
and his people and followed God and worshipped him; therefore, he began to
teach the oneness of God to the nations. Likewise, Muhammad did as well, when
he abandoned worshipping the idols and those who worshipped them from
amongst the sons of his people and others from amongst the foreigners; so, he
solely honored that which is the one the True God and he worshipped him.

‫ وتبع ﷲ وسجد‬،‫ الذي ترك االوثان وأبناء جنسه‬،‫ وكما فعل إبراھيم خليل ﷲ‬- ١٦٦
‫ ل ّما ترك سجدة االوثان والذين‬،‫ فصار يعلّم عن وحدانيّة ﷲ لألمم؛ ھكذا صنع ايضا ً مح ّمد‬،‫له‬
‫ فأكرم فقط ذاك الذي ھو وحده إله‬،‫كانوا يسجدون لھا من بني جنسه وغيرھم من غرباء‬
ّ ‫الح‬
.‫ق وسجد له‬

3. Thus, God Glorified Him and Caused Him to Reign over the Nations.

‫ لذلك ك ّرمه ﷲ وسلّطه على األمم‬- ٣

167. On account of that, God Most High greatly honored him and put
under the footstool of his feet two powerful nations that roared like a lion, whose
voice could be heard in the world like thunder; I mean the nation of the Persians
and the nation of the Byzantines. The first worshipped created beings in place of

209
The Arabic phrase, “‫ ”خليل ﷲ‬is a common epithet of Abraham.

102
their Creator and the other attributed passion and death in the flesh to that who
absolutely does not suffer nor die.210

‫ وأخضع تحت مواطئ قدميه الدولتين‬،‫ ألجل ذلك كرّمه ﷲ تعالى ج ًدا‬- ١٦٧
‫ أعني دولة‬،‫ وكالرعد كان يُسمع في العالم صوت كليھما‬،‫القويّتين اللتين كانتا تزأران كاألسد‬
‫ واألخرى كانت‬،‫ فاألولى كانت تسجد للمخلوقات عوض خالقھا‬.‫الفُرس ودولة الرومانيّين‬
.ً ‫تنسب آالما ً وموتا ً بالجسد لذاك الذي ال يتألّم وال يموت مطلقا‬

168. So, God Most High expanded the authority of his kingdom by the
hand of the Emir of the Believers and his descendents, from the east to the west,
and from the north to the south. So, who would not praise, Oh victorious King,
the one whom God praises? Who would not weave the laurel of praise and honor
for he who is praised and honored by God? So, therefore, I and all those who love
God, for this and that (reason), speak (in such a way) about Muhammad, Oh
victorious King.”

‫ من المشرق إلى‬،‫ بيد أمير المؤمنين وأوالده‬،‫ فوسّع ﷲ تعالى سلطة مملكته‬- ١٦٨
‫ ﷲ؟‬211‫ ذاك الذي مدحه‬،‫ ايّھا الملك المظفّر‬،‫ فمن ال يمدح‬.‫ ومن الشمال إلى الجنوب‬،‫المغرب‬
‫ أنا وجميع‬،‫من ال يضفّر إكليل التمجيد والتبجيل لذاك الذي مجّده ﷲ وبجّله؟ فذلك ومثل ذلك‬
.‫ أيّھا الملك المظفّر‬،‫محبّي ﷲ ما نقول عن مح ّمد‬

4. Thus, Profess the Unity of God

210
The translator of the of the Arabic text is critiquing Byzantine Dyophysite Orthodoxy. From the
Greek, meaning “two natures,” Dyophysitism is the Christological belief that Jesus Christ
possessed two natures, one divine and one human. Dyophysitism can be further broken down into
Orthodox and Nestorian Dyophysitism. Orthodox Dyophysitism determines that the two natures of
Jesus Christ are mysteriously and perfectly unified, while Nestorian Dyophysitism determines that
the two natures of Jesus Christ are completely and absolutely separated from one another.
Consequently, in Nestorian Christology, the divine nature of God is in no way connected to the
suffering of Jesus Christ.
211
The word ‫ مدحه‬is omitted from Cheikho’s edition of the text. See Samir’s notes on this section
in his critical edition

103
 !‫وحد اذاً ﷲ‬
ّ -٤

169. And our king said to me: “So, therefore, you should accept the word
of the Prophet.”

.‫ ينبغي لك أن تقبل كالم النبي‬،‫ فا ًذا‬:‫ وملكنا قال لي‬- ١٦٩

170. I answered him: “Of which word do you speak our King?”

ّ ‫ عن أ‬:‫ فجاوبته‬- ١٧٠

‫ي كالم يقول ملكنا؟‬

171. So, the king said to me: “The word that he said about God, that he is
one and there is not another apart from him.”

.‫ إنّه واحد وليس آخر دونه‬،‫ الكالم الذي يقوله عن ﷲ‬:‫ فقال لي الملك‬- ١٧١

Conclusion: Unity in Tri-unity

.‫ توحيد في تثليث‬:‫الخاتمة‬

172. I answered him saying: “The belief in one God I have learned, Oh
King, from the Torah, the (Books) of the Prophets, and the Gospel and for it
(belief in one God) I am devoted and, on account of it, I am willing to die.”

‫ من التوراة‬،‫ أيھا الملك‬،‫ان اإلعتقاد بإله واحد قد تعلّمته‬ ً ‫ فجاوبته‬- ١٧٢

ّ :‫قائال‬
.‫ ومن أجله أموت‬،‫ واإلنجيل؛ وبه أنا متمسّك‬،‫واألنبياء‬

173. And our victorious king said to me: “You believe and confess in one
God as you said, but you say that this God is triune and one.”

104
ّ ‫ ولكن تقول‬،‫ انّك تؤمن وتعتقد بإله واحد كما قلت‬:‫ وملكنا المظفّر قال لي‬- ١٧٣
‫إن‬
.‫ھذا اإلله ھو مثلّث وواحد‬

174. And I answered him: “I do not deny that, Oh King, but I confess that
God is one and he is triune. However, he is not triune in the divinity, but in the
hypostases of his Word and his Spirit. Again, he is triune and one. However, he is
not one in the hypostases, but in the divinity, as we confirmed above.”212

‫أن ﷲ واحد وھو مثلّث؛ ولكن‬

ّ ‫ بل اعترف‬،‫ أيّھا الملك‬،‫ ال أنكر ذلك‬:‫ فجاوبته‬- ١٧٤
‫ وأنّه ايَضا ً مثلّث وواحد؛ ولكن ليس واح ًدا‬.‫ بل بأقانيم كلمته وروحه‬،‫ليس مثلّث باأللوھيّة‬
.ً ‫ كما ثبتنا ذلك آنفا‬،‫ بل باأللوھيّة‬،‫باألقانيم‬

212
Interestingly, throughout the Arabic version of the text, small sections of redundant examples
and explications have been redacted. However, sections 157-174 of the Arabic version of the text
have been appended to the orginal Syriac.

105
 The Sixth Section: The Death of Christ on the Cross

‫ موت المسيح على الصليب‬:‫الباب السادس‬

1. Why Do You Worship the Cross?

‫ لماذا تسجدون للصليب؟‬-١

175. So, our victorious king said to me: “Why do you worship the cross?”

‫ لماذا انتم تسجدون للصليب؟‬:‫ فملكنا المظفّر قال لي‬- ١٧٥

176. I answered him saying: “Surely, we worship the cross, because it is

the cause of life.”

.‫ إنّنا نسجد للصليب ألنّه علّة الحياة‬:‫قائال‬

ً ‫ فجاوبته‬- ١٧٦

177. Then our victorious king said to me repeatedly: “The cross is not the
cause of life, but of death.”

.‫ان الصليب ليس علّة الحياة بل علّة الموت‬

ّ :‫ فملكنا قال لي تكرا ًرا‬- ١٧٧

178. I answered him: “Oh King, surely the cross is a cause of death, as you
said, but the death is the cause of the resurrection, and the resurrection is the
cause of life and immortality; so, therefore, the cross, Oh King, is the cause of life
and immortality; so, therefore, through it, we worship God Most High, who
opened for us the wellspring of life and immortality.

106
 ّ
‫ولكن الموت ھو‬ .‫ كما قلت‬،‫إن الصليب ھو علّة الموت‬
ّ ،‫ أيھا الملك‬:‫ فجاوبته‬- ١٧٨
‫ ھو علّة الحياة وعدم‬،‫ ايّھا الملك‬،‫ فا ًذا الصليب‬.‫ وھي علّة الحياة وعدم الموت‬،‫علّة القيامة‬
.‫ الذي فتح لنا به ينبوع الحياة وعدم الموت‬،‫تعالى‬ ‫ فلذلك نق ّدم بواسطته السجدة‬.‫الموت‬

179. He who said in the beginning: ‘Light shines from the darkness,’213
made, through bitter wood, sweet the bitter water,214 and by way of the murderous
serpent gave life to the children of Israel;215 he has produced for us from the wood
of the cross the fruit of life, and also illuminated for us from between the arms216
of the cross rays of life and immortality.

‫ }إنّه من الظالم يُشرق النور{ وأحلى المياه المرّة‬:‫ فذاك الذي قال في البدء‬- ١٧٩
‫ ھو أخرج لنا من خشبة‬،‫ وبمنظر الحيّة القتّالة أعطى الحياة لبني اسرائيل‬،‫بخشبة المرة‬
.‫وعدم الموت‬
ِ ‫ وھو ايضا ً أشرق لنا بين اغصان الصليب أشعّة الحياة‬،‫الصليب ثمار الحياة‬

180. As we take pains in honoring the trees and serving it, out of love for
their fruits, likewise we honor the cross and venerate it, out of respect for the fruit
of life, which is drawn from it.

‫ حبّا بأثمارھا؛ ھكذا نحن‬،‫ وكما أننا نبذل الجھد في إكرام األشجار وخدمتھا‬- ١٨٠
ً
.‫إجالال لثمرة الحياة التي خرجت منه‬ ،‫نكرّم الصليب ونوقّره‬

181. Furthermore, surely the luminous rays of the love of God were to
shine upon all created things visible and invisible; however, when he forsook his

213
2 Cor. 4:6.
214
Ex. 15:23-25.
215
Num. 21:9.
216
The Arabic phrase ‫ اغصان الصليب‬carries a literal meaning of “branches of the cross.”

107
son to death on the wooden cross,217 out of love for the salvation of all, their life
and resurrection, the rays of this life shone even brighter for mankind.

‫ ولئِ ﱠن أشعّة محبّة ﷲ الساطعة تتألأل نحو الك ّل في المخلوقات المنظورة‬،‫ ث ّم‬- ١٨١
‫ حبًّا بخالص الك ّل‬،‫ ولكن ل ّما أسلم ابنه إلى الموت على خشبة الصليب‬.‫والغير المنظورة‬
.‫ ازدادت أشعّة ھذه الحياة تألل ًؤا نحو الناطقين‬،‫وحياتھم وانبعاثھم اكثر‬

182. So, with appropriateness, Oh victorious King, all are supposed to

display their love for God by means of the cross, by which the Most High
manifested his love for all.”

‫ يُفت َرض على الك ّل أن يُظھروا محبّتھم‬،‫ ايّھا الملك المظفّر‬،‫ فبالصّواب‬- ١٨٢
.‫ الذي أظھر به تعالى محبّته نحو الجميع‬،‫بواسطة الصليب‬

2. Did Christ Die on the Cross?

‫ ھل مات المسيح على الصليب؟‬-٢

a) It is not possible that God can die

‫ ال يمكن أن يموت ﷲ‬- ‫أ‬

183. And our king said to me: “Is it possible that God can die, being what
he is?”

‫ أيمكن أن يموت ﷲ كائنًا ما كان؟‬:‫ وملكنا قال لي‬- ١٨٣

217
The Arabic phrase ‫ خشبة الصليب‬literally means, “the wood of the cross;” however, the phrase is
usually rendered in English as “wooden cross.”

108
 184. Then I answered him saying: “Surely, Jesus, in that he is God, did not
die; however, he died, in human nature, in that he is a man.

‫ بل مات في الطبيعة البشريّة بما‬،‫إن يسوع بما أنّه إله لم يمت‬ ً ‫ فجاوبته‬- ١٨٤
ّ :‫قائال‬
.‫أنّه إنسان‬

185. Just as, humiliation is attributed to the King himself, when his purple
cloak is torn in half in dishonor or (when) his royal garments are torn in derision,
in a similar fashion, the death of Jesus (Peace be upon him), which happened to
the body, is attributed to his divine hypostasis.”

‫ أو تتم ّزق‬،‫ق أرجوانه بإھانة‬

ّ ‫ حينما ينش‬،‫أن اإلھانة تُنسب للملك نفسه‬
ّ ‫ فكما‬- ١٨٥
‫ يُنسب ألقنومه‬،‫ الذي صار في الجسد‬،(‫ثيابه الملوكيّة بحقارة؛ ھكذا موت يسوع )عليه السالم‬
.‫اإللھي‬

b) They did not kill him, nor crucify him, but it seemed as though to them.

‫ ولكن شبّه لھم‬،‫ وما صلبوه‬،‫ ما قتلوه‬- ‫ب‬

186. So, our King said to me: “God forbid! Surely, (regarding) Jesus
(Peace be upon him): ‘They did not kill him, nor crucify him, but it seemed as
though to them.’”218

ّ ! ‫ أعوذ بإ‬:‫ فملكنا قال لي‬- ١٨٦

،‫ وما صلبوه‬،‫ }ما قتلوه‬:(‫إن عيسى )عليه السالم‬
.{‫ولكن ُشبّه لھم‬

187. I answered him saying: “Surely, it is written in Sūrat ‘Īsa; [however,

we saw these verses in Sūrat Maryam, namely]:219 ‘Peace be upon me, the day I

218
Sūrat an-Nisā’ 4:156.

109
was born, the day I will die, and the day when I will resurrect.’220 So, it is
obviously clarified by these verses that Jesus died and resurrected.

‫ إنّه مكتوب في سورة عيسى ]ولكن نحن رأينا ھذه اآليات في‬:‫قائال‬
ً ‫ فجاوبته‬- ١٨٧
‫ فيتضّح من ھذه‬.{‫ ويوم أبعث حيًّا‬،‫ ويوم أموت‬،‫ولدت‬
ُ ‫ }السالم عل ّي يوم‬:‫ وھي‬،[‫سورة مريم‬
.‫اآلية جليّا ً أ ّن يسوع قد مات وقام‬

188. And in Sūrat Āl ‘Imrān: “God said to Jesus, ‘Surely I will take you
and raise you up to me.’”221

.{‫ إنّى متوفّيك ورافعُكَ إل ّي‬:‫ }قال ﷲ لعيسى‬:‫ وفي سورة آل عمران‬- ١٨٨

c) Christ did not die yet, but he will die.

‫ ولكن سوف يموت‬،‫ لم يمت المسيح بعد‬- ‫ت‬

189. So, our King said to me: “Surely, Jesus did not die yet; he will die.”

ّ :‫ فملكنا قال لي‬- ١٨٩

.‫ سوف يموت‬،‫إن عيسى لم يمت بعد‬

190. I answered him saying: “If Jesus had not died until now, then he
would not have risen to heaven, nor been resurrected, rather he will rise and then
he will be resurrected. But, if the ascension of Jesus to heaven and his resurrection
were, Oh King, known and confirmed by all long ago, as was testified in your
book as well, then rightly we say that Jesus had died on the wooden cross, as the
prophets prophesied before his coming.”

219
This bracketed section is an addition to the Syriac text. The added section clarifies the passage
and redirects the reader to the proper Sūrah.
220
Sūrat Maryam 19:33.
221
Sūrat Āl ‘Imrān 3:55.

110
 ‫‪ - ١٩٠‬فجاوبته ً‬
‫قائال‪ :‬إن كان عيسى لم يمت حتى اآلن فلم يصعد بعد إلى السماء‪،‬‬
‫ولم يُبعث حيّا‪ ،‬بل سوف يصعد فيُبعث حيّا‪ .‬ولكن إن كان‪ ،‬ايّھا الملك‪ ،‬معلوما ً ومق ّر ًرا لدى‬
‫الجميع صعود يسوع إلى السماء منذ أمد مديد‪ ،‬وانبعاثه حيّا‪ ،‬كما يشھد عن ذلك كتابك ايضا ً؛‬
‫ب نقول إن عيسى قد مات على خشبة الصليب‪ ،‬كما تنبّأ عنه األنبياء قبل مجيئه‪.‬‬
‫فبصوا ٍ‬

‫‪d) The prophets did not prophesy about the death of Christ‬‬

‫ث ‪ -‬لم يتنبأ األنبياء عن موت المسيح‬

‫‪191. Then our King said to me: “Which of the prophets prophesied about‬‬
‫”?‪Jesus that he would die on the wooden cross‬‬

‫ي من األنبياء تنبّأ عن عيسى أنّه يموت على خشبة‬

‫‪ - ١٩١‬فملكنا قال لي‪ :‬وأ ّ‬
‫الصليب‪.‬‬

‫‪192. I answered him: “Surely, many of them prophesied that.‬‬

‫‪ - ١٩٢‬فجاوبته‪ّ :‬‬
‫إن كثيرين من ھؤآلء تنبأوا عن ذلك‪.‬‬

‫‪193. So, first the Prophet David said: ‘They pierced my hands and feet.‬‬
‫‪They counted all my bones, and they looked and gazed at me; they divided my‬‬
‫‪garments between them, and they cast lots for my clothes.’222 And it was said in‬‬
‫‪the Gospel that all this had already taken place.‬‬

‫‪ - ١٩٣‬فأ ّو ًال قال داود النبي‪} :‬ثقبوا يد ّ‬

‫ي ورجل ّي‪ ،‬وأحصي ك ّل عظامي‪ .‬وھم نظروا‬
‫وتفرّسوا ف ّي‪ ،‬وقسموا ثيابي بينھم‪ ،‬وعلى لباسي اقترعوا{‪ .‬وقيل في اإلنجيل ّ‬
‫أن ھذه جميعھا‬
‫قد جرت بالفعل‪.‬‬

‫‪222‬‬
‫‪Ps. 22:17-19.‬‬

‫‪111‬‬
 194. Then the Prophet Isaiah says of Messiah that: ‘He will be wounded
for our sins, and crushed for our iniquities.’223 And the aforementioned prophet
said regarding the person of Jesus: ‘I gave my back to those who would strike me,
and my cheeks to those who would pull out my hair, and I did not cover my face
from those who would blame me and spit at me.’224

‫ ويتّضع ألجل‬،‫ }يُذبح ألجل خطايانا‬:‫ ث ّم أشعيا النبي يقول عن المسيح إنّه‬- ١٩٤
‫ وخ ّدي‬،‫ }جسدي أعطيته للضاربين‬:‫ ويقول النبي المشار إليه بمنزلة شخص عيسى‬.{‫آثامنا‬
.{‫ لم أستر وجھي عن المعيّرين والباصقين‬.‫للناتفين‬

195. Then the Prophet Jeremiah thusly says: ‘I was like a tame lamb one
sends forth to the slaughter and they trampled me, saying: “Let us discard the
branch and its sustenance, and let us eradicate him from the land of the living.”’225

‫ وإنّھم‬.‫ }وأنا مثل حمل داجن يُساق إلى الذبح‬:‫ ث ّم أرميا النبي يقول ھكذا‬- ١٩٥
‫ لنُ ﱠ‬:‫ف ّكروا عل ّي نيّات قائلين‬
.{‫ ونھلكه من أرض األحياء‬،‫لقين العود في خبزه‬

196. Likewise, the Prophet Daniel said: ‘Surely, Christ will be killed, and
he will not have a successor.’226

ّ } :‫ وأيضا ً دانيال النبي يقول‬- ١٩٦

.{...‫ وال يكون له‬،‫إن المسيح يُقتل‬

223
Is. 53:5.
224
Is. 50:6 – The syntax of this sentence has been slightly changed to avoid awkward English
constructions. The Arabic words ‫ضاربين‬, ‫ناتفين‬, ‫معيّرين‬, and ‫ باصقين‬literally mean beaters,
hairpluckers, blamers, and spitters.
225
Jer. 11:19.
226
Dan. 9:26.

112
 197. Likewise, the Prophet Zachariah speaks: ‘What are these wounds in
your hands? So, he said: “Those which I was wounded by in the house of my
beloveds. Oh Sword, awaken against my shepherd.”’227

‫ ھذه التي بھا‬:‫ }ما ھذه الجروح في يديك؟ فيقول‬:‫ كذلك زكريّا النبي يقول‬- ١٩٧
ُ
.{‫ أنتبه على راع ّي‬،‫ يا أيّھا السيف‬.‫ُرحت في بيت أحبّائي‬
‫ج‬

198. Therefore, the prophets said this and much more about the death of
Christ and his murder and crucifixion.”

.‫ فذلك وأكثر من ذلك قال األنبياء عن موت المسيح وقتله وصلبه‬- ١٩٨

e) And when they prophesied, these were the allegories.

ً ‫ فھذا كان تشبيھا‬،‫ واذا تنبأوا‬- ‫ج‬

199. Then our King said to me: “Surely, the prophets described Christ
allegorically in such a way.”

.‫إن األنبياء تشبيھا ً شبﱠھوا المسيح ھكذا‬

ّ :‫ ث ّم ملكنا قال لي‬- ١٩٩

200. Then I answered him: “From whom did they receive this allegory, Oh
King, from God or from Satan? So, if this is from God (May he be praised), how
would he inspire the prophets (to do something) that does not truly exist? Since it
is absolutely unbefitting of the Most High that he inspire something by which
mankind be deceived.

227
Zach. 13:6-7.

113
‫ أو من الشيطان؟ فإن‬،‫ أمن ﷲ‬.‫ أيّھا الملك‬،‫ م ﱠمن أتاھم ھذا التشبيه‬:‫ فجاوبته‬- ٢٠٠
‫ كيف كان يوحي إلى األنبياء ما ليس له وجود حقيقةً؟ اذ ال يليق به تعالى‬،‫كان من ﷲ سبحانه‬
.‫ُمطلقا ً أن يوحي شيئا ً يُ َغشّ به الناس‬

201. And if God (May his eminence be exalted) had offered this allegory,
devoid of truth, and if the Apostles had written what was revealed to them, then
he is the cause of this deception for everyone; however, this condition is
impossible.

‫ والحواريّون‬،‫ أتى بھذا التشبيه الخالي عن الحقيقة‬،(‫ فإن كان ﷲ )ج ّل شأنه‬- ٢٠١
ّ
.‫ولكن ھذا محال وغير ممكن‬ .‫ فصار ھو علّه ھذا الغشّ للجميع‬،‫كتبوا ما اوحى إليھم‬

202. So, who offered such an allegory and revealed it to the Apostles?
Was it Satan? But, what commonality does Satan (May God humiliate him) have
with the Apostles in things specified for divine providence? And who would be so
bold in saying that the cursed Devil was able to deceive the Apostles, who
through divine strength suppressed and expelled him, and he fled from before
them running away and wailing? So, therefore, it must be said that this was
revealed by God.”

‫ وأظھره للحواريّين؟ ھل الشيطان؟ ولكن أيّة مشاركة له‬،‫ ف َمن أتى بكذا تشبيه‬- ٢٠٢
‫الشيطان )أخزاه ﷲ( مع الحواريّين في األمور المختصّة بالعناية الربّانيّة؟ ومن يتجاسر على‬
ّ ‫القول‬
‫بأن الشيطان الرجيم كان يستطيع أن يغش الحواريّين الذين كانوا بالقوة اإللھيّة‬
‫أن‬ ْ
ّ ‫ يجب القول‬،‫ومتولوال؛ فإ ًذا‬ ‫ وھو كان يھرب من أمامھم مدبّ ًرا‬،‫يضطھدونه ويطردونه‬
.‫ذلك موحى من ﷲ‬

3. How Could Christ Die If He is an Omnipotent God?

‫ كيف يموت المسيح وھو اإلله القدير؟‬- ٣

114
Introduction

‫المقدّمة‬

203. Then our King said to me: “Surely, Jesus Christ was honored next to
God. Therefore, it is not possible that he (God) would have delivered him into the
hands of the Jews so that they could kill him.”

‫ فلم يكن يسلّمه بيد‬.‫إن عيسى المسيح كان مكرّما ً لدى ﷲ‬

ّ :‫ فملكنا قال لي‬- ٢٠٣
.‫اليھود ليقتلوه‬

204. So, I answered him saying: “Surely, the prophets who suffered death
by the Jews were not despised for such by God; so, therefore, not all those killed
by the Jews are rejected and despised. This is in regards to the prophets.

ً ‫ فجاوبته‬- ٢٠٤
ّ :‫قائال‬
‫ لم يصيروا بذلك‬،‫إن األنبياء الذين احتملوا القتل من اليھود‬
ً
‫ ھذا ما‬.‫مرذوال ومحقو ًرا‬ ‫ ليس ك ّل مقتول من اليھود‬،‫ فا ًذا‬.‫مرذولين لدى ﷲ ومحقورين‬
.‫يالحظ األنبياء‬

a) The death of Messiah took place according to his own will.

‫ قتل المسيح ت ّم حسب إرادته‬- ‫أ‬

205. As for Jesus, we say: ‘Surely, the Jews truly crucified him, not
because he was feeble and not because he lacked power over them, but because he
endured that of his own free will, as he said in the Gospel of John: “Verily, I lay
down my life in order that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I
lay it down myself. I have the power to lay it down, and I have the power to take

115
it up again.’”228 So, therefore, Christ showed, by this, that he will suffer of his
own will and not due to the fact that he was weak and the Jews strong.

‫ ال من‬،ً‫إن اليھود قد صلبوه حقيقة‬

ّ :‫ فنقول‬،‫ وأ ّما نظ ًرا إلى يسوع المسيح‬- ٢٠٥
‫ كما قال ھو في إنجيل‬،‫ بل من حيث احتمل ذلك بإرادته‬،‫حيث كان ضعيفا ً ولم يقدر عليھم‬
‫ لي‬.‫ بل أضعھا أنا من ذاتي‬،‫ ليس أح ٌد يأخذھا منّي‬.ً ‫ آلخذھا ايضا‬،‫ }إني أضع نفسي‬:‫يوحنا‬
،‫ فالمسيح ا ًذا أظھر بذلك أنّه تألّم بإرادته‬.{ً ‫ ولي سلطان أن آخذھا ايضا‬،‫سلطان أن أضعھا‬
.‫وال من اجل انّه كان ضعيفا ً واليھود أقوياء‬

206. For he who was on the wooden cross, caused the heavens to shake,
the earth to quake, the light of the sun to darken, and signs of blood in the moon
to appear. On account of this, rocks split, the tombs opened, and the dead were
resurrected. Truly, he was neither feeble nor unable to save himself from the
hands of the Jews. So, therefore, his passion on the wooden cross was of his own
will and freedom.”

ّ - ٢٠٦
‫ وزلزل األرض وأظلم‬،‫الن الذي زعزع السماء وھو على خشبة الصليب‬
‫ و ِمن أجله الصخور تشقّقت والقبور تفتّحت‬،‫نور الشمس وأظھر عالمات الدم في القمر‬
.‫ وال م ﱠمن ال يستطيع أن يخلّص نف َسه من يد اليھود‬،ً ‫ لم يكن حقيقةً ضعيفا‬،‫والموتى انبعثت‬
.‫ تألﱡمه على خشبة الصليب كان بإرادته وحريّته‬،‫فا ًذا‬

b) But that does not mean that the Jews are innocent.

ّ ‫ ولكن ذلك ال يعني‬- ‫ب‬

‫أن اليھود غير مذنبين‬

207. So, our King then said to me: “So, therefore, the Jews are not guilty
for the crucifixion of Christ and his death, because they accomplished his will.”

228
Jn. 10:17-18.

116
‫ ألنّھم‬،‫ اليھود ليس لھم ذنب في صلب المسيح وموته‬،‫ فا ًذا‬:‫ فملكنا قال لي‬- ٢٠٧
.‫ك ّملوا إرادته‬

208. I answered him in such a way: “If the Jews had crucified Christ, for
this purpose, that he may radiantly resurrect from amongst the dead and that he
may gloriously ascend to heaven, then they are not only not guilty, but they
deserve praise and commendation.

‫ وھي أن يقوم‬،‫ إن كان اليھود صلبوا المسيح ألجل ھذه الغاية‬:‫ فجاوبته ھكذا‬- ٢٠٨
‫ ال بل يستحقّون المدح‬،‫ فليس لھم ذنب‬،ً‫من بين األموات من ّو ًرا ويصعد إلى السماء ُممجّدا‬
.‫والتبجيل‬

209. But, since the purpose of the Jews, in crucifying Christ, was oriented
towards his death and his demise, on account of this, they deserve chastisement
and death, because they crucified Christ in order that he might descend into hell;
however, God glorified him, since he resurrected him from amongst the dead and
caused him to ascend to heaven.”

‫ إذ كانت مو ﱠجھة إلى قتله وإھالكه من‬،‫ ولكن غاية اليھود في صلب المسيح‬- ٢٠٩
.‫ لكي يھبط إلى الجحيم‬،‫ ألنّھم صلبوا المسيح‬،‫ ألجل ذلك يستحقّون العذاب والموت‬،‫االرض‬
.‫ وأصعده إلى السماء‬،‫ إذ أقامه من بين االموات‬،‫فا مجّده‬

c) The death of Messiah took place according to his own volition and because the
hatred of the Jews.

‫ قتل المسيح ت ّم بإرادته وبسبب حقد اليھود‬- ‫ت‬

210. Our King, lover of God, said to me: “Which of these two things do
you say? Did Christ want to be crucified or not? If he wanted (to be crucified)
then the Jews are not guilty, because they have done his will; so, therefore, why

117
would they be cursed and rejected? And if he had been crucified against his will,
the Jews were stronger than him; so, how is it possible that he be called God, he
who was not able to save himself from the hands of his crucifiers, for their will
was much stronger than his will?”

‫ }ھل كان يريد المسيح‬:‫ أيّا من ھذين األمرين تقول‬:‫ وملكنا محب ﷲ قال لي‬- ٢١٠
‫ ألنھم عملوا إرادته؛ فلماذا يكونون‬،‫ فاليھود ليس لھم ذنب‬،‫ أم ال{؟ فإن كان يريد‬،‫أن يُصلب‬
‫ فكيف يمكن أن‬.‫ فاليھود صاروا أقوى منه‬،‫ب دون إرادته‬
َ ِ‫صل‬
ُ ‫ملعونين ومرذولين؟ وإن كان‬
‫يكون ويُدعى إلھا ً َمن لم يستطع أن ينجّي نف َسه ِمن يد صالبيه؟ فإرادتھم صارت أقوى من‬
.‫إرادته ج ًّدا‬

211. I answered him and I also refuted him thusly:

.‫ ھكذا‬،‫ فجلوبته وانا ايضا ً معترضا ً عليه‬- ٢١١

212. “What does our plentifully intelligent and abundantly sagacious King
think? Which of these two things does he say? Did God (May he be praised) want
that the angel become Satan or not? If you responded positively then it is not
possible to blame Satan, since he had done the divine will and accomplished it in
such a way. If you respond negatively then the will of Satan would therefore
conquer the will of God and it would have been superior. Then how is it possible
and how can he be called God he whose will is conquered by the will of the
Devil”

‫ ايّا من ھذين األمرين يقول؟‬،‫ ماذا يفتكر ملكنا الغني الذھن والغزير الحكمة‬- ٢١٢
‫ فلم يبق عتاب‬،ً‫ أم ال؟ فإن قلت إيجابيا‬،ً‫أن المالك يصير شيطانا‬
ّ (‫ھل كان يريد ﷲ )سبحانه‬
‫ فإرادة‬،ً‫ وإن جاوبتَه سلبيّا‬.‫ ألنّه صنع اإلرادة اإللھيّة وك ّملھا‬،‫ اذ صار ھكذا‬،‫على الشيطان‬
‫ فكيف يمكن ان يكون ويدعى إلَھا ً ذاك الذي ُغلبت‬.‫الشيطان ا ًذا تغلّبت على إرادة ﷲ وقويت‬
‫إرادته من إرادة إبليس؟‬

118
 213. I also say: “Did the Creator (May he be praised) want to expel Adam
from the garden (that is to say paradise) or not? If you respond positively then
Satan is rescued from blame, because he aided the will of God (May his essence
be exalted) in the expulsion of Adam from the garden and his casting him out.
And if you respond negatively then do you not say that the will of God was
conquered and became feeble, since apart from his will something happened?

‫ ھل كان يريد الباري )سبحانه( أن يطرد آدم من الجنّة )اي من‬:ً ‫ أقول ايضا‬- ٢١٣
ّ‫ )جل‬،‫ ألنه ساعد إرادة ﷲ‬،‫ فينجو الشيطان من العتاب‬،ً‫ ام ال؟ فإن قلت إيجابيا‬،(‫الفردوس‬
ّ ‫ فكيف ال تقول‬،ً‫ وإن جاوبت سلبيّا‬.‫ في إخراج آدم من الجنّة وطرده منھا‬،(‫شأنه‬
‫إن ﷲ ُغلِبَت‬
‫ اذ من دون مشيئته حدث األمر؟‬،ً ‫إرادتُه وأضحى ضعيفا‬

214. Likewise, the Most High Creator persists to be an Omnipotent God,

although the Devil and Adam sinned against his divine will. Furthermore, Adam
and the Devil are not devoid of guilt, even if God was contented with each of
them (that is to say that the Devil fell from heaven and Adam was caste out of
paradise); this is because the two of them were not sinners for following the will
of the Most High, but due to the fact that the two of them completed their will
through sin. In this way, Jesus Christ continues to be and should be called God the
Possessor of Power.

‫ وإن أخطأ إبليس وآدم‬،‫أن الباري تعالى ال يزال أن يكون إلَھا ً قدي ًرا‬
ّ ‫ فكما‬- ٢١٤
ّ ‫ ثم‬.‫ض ّد إرادته اإللھيّة‬
ّ ‫ وإن كان ارتضى ﷲ بكليھما )أ‬،‫إن آدم وإبليس ال يخلوان من الذنب‬
‫ي‬
ً ‫ وذلك ألنّھما لم يكونا مخطئين تبعا‬،(‫ ويُط َرد آدم من الفردوس‬،‫بأن إبليس يسقط من السماء‬
ّ
‫ بل ألجل تكميل إرادتھما في الخطيئة؛ ھكذا يسوع المسيح ال يزال أن يكون‬،‫إلرادته تعالى‬
.‫ويُدعى إلَھا ً ذا القدرة‬

Conclusion

119
 ‫الخاتمة‬

215. If we said that the Jews affronted and crucified him without his will,
then surely they do not have the power to save themselves from hell and
malediction, even though Christ had agreed to suffer on the wooden cross out of
his love for the salvation of mankind.

ّ 229‫إن اليھود تجاسروا وصلبوه من دون إرادته‬

‫إن ھؤآلء ال يقدرون‬ ّ ‫ وإن قلنا‬- ٢١٥
ّ .‫أن ينجّوا انفسھم من الجحيم واللعنة‬
،‫وان المسيح قد ارتضى بأن يتألم على خشبة الصليب‬
.‫حبًّا بخالص البشر‬

216. Because the Jews did not crucify Jesus following his will, but rather
on account of hatred and resentment toward him and he who sent him; so,
therefore, this is the reason why they crucified him, in order that he die and perish
from the earth. But Christ wanted to be crucified, in order that, by his death, he
will give life to all, as we said.”230

‫ بل ألجل البغضة والحقد نحوه‬،‫ألن اليھود لم يصلبوا عيسى تبعا ً إلرادته‬

ّ - ٢١٦
‫ وا ّما المسيح أراد‬.‫ أي لكي يموت ويھلك في االرض‬،‫ونحو الذي أرسله فلھذا السبب صلبوه‬
.‫ حتى بموته يُحيي الجميع كما قلنا‬،‫أن يُصلَب‬

229
Appeared as ‫ صلبوه باثمھم فال يقدرون‬in Cheikho’s edition. See Samir’s notes on this section in his
critical edition.
230
After section 216 of the Arabic edition, a large section of the original Syriac is omitted. In this
omitted section, Timothy and al-Mahdī discuss various issues concerning the Gospel, specifically
its origins and possible contradictions. In the omitted section, Timothy also criticizes the Muslim
conception of martyrdom.

120
 The Seventh Section: Why We Do Not Believe That Muhammad
is a Prophet

‫ لماذا ال نؤمن انّ مح ّمداً نبي‬:‫الباب السابع‬

Introduction

‫المقدّمة‬

217. And our victorious King said to me: “Oh Catholicos, it is necessary
to know that God (May he be exalted and majestified) first gave the law (that is to
say the Sharī’a) by the hand of Moses, and after that, the Gospel by the hand of
Jesus; likewise, he produced salvation231 by the hand of Muhammad (Peace be
upon him).”

ّ ‫ كما‬،‫ ينبغي أن تعلم أنّه‬،‫ أيّھا الجاثليق‬:‫ وملكنا المظفّر قال لي‬- ٢١٧
‫أن ﷲ )ع ّز‬
ً ‫وج ّل( أعطى‬
‫ وبعده اإلنجيل على يد عيسى؛‬،‫أوال الناموس )أي الشريعة( على يد موسى‬
.(‫ھكذا أيضا ً جعل الخالص على يد مح ّمد )عليه السالم‬

1. God Announced That the Gospel Abrogated the Old Testament

‫ اعلن ﷲ ان اإلنجيل ينسخ العھد القديم‬- ١

Introduction

231
Interestingly, the Arabic text uses the word ‫خالص‬, which generally means “salvation” to
represent the word ‫ ܦܘܪܩܢܐ‬that is used in the Syriac text. However, the word ‫ فرقان‬exists, which is
an Arabicized form of the Syriac ‫ܦܘܪܩܢܐ‬. So, it is interesting to note that the translator of the text
used a completely different word to denote salvation, when a common word existed in both Syriac
and Arabic. The word ‫ فرقان‬is used in seven verses in the Qur’ān, including: Q 2:53, 2:185, 3:4,
8:29, 8:41, 21:48, and 25:1.

121
 ‫المق ّدمة‬

218. I answered him saying: “Oh King, regarding the Mosaic Law, which
was on the verge to be abrogated, God previously announced and openly
proclaimed this publicly by the mouth of the prophets.

ً ‫ فجاوبته‬- ٢١٨
‫ نظ ًرا إلى الشريعة الموسويّة التي كانت مزمعة أن‬،‫ ايّھا الملك‬:‫قائال‬
.‫ قد سبق ﷲ وأعلن عنھا جھ ًرا بفم األنبياء‬،‫تنتسخ‬

a) He announced this by the mouth the Prophet Jeremiah

‫ اعلن ذلك على فم ارميا النبي‬- ‫أ‬

219. So, God Most High spoke through the Prophet Jeremiah thusly:
‘Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant
with the people of Israel and Judah: Not like the covenant that I promised their
fathers the day when I took them by their hand in order to bring them forth from
the land of Egypt; because they broke my covenant, I grew weary of them, the
Lord says: But this is the covenant that I will conclude with the people of Israel;
after these days, the Lord says, I will place my law to be their foundation and I
will write it on their heart, then I will be their God and they will be my people.
Man will no longer teach his lord or his brother saying, “Know the Lord,” for they
will all know me, all of them, from their young to their old.’232

‫ وأعاھد آل‬،‫ يقول الرب‬،‫ }ھا أيّام تأتي‬:‫ فيقول ﷲ تعالى في أرميا النبي ھكذا‬- ٢١٩
‫ يوم أمسكت بأيديھم‬،‫ ليس مثل العھد الذي عاھدت به آباءھم‬،‫إسرائيل وآل يھوذا عھ ًدا جدي ًدا‬
‫ بل ھذا يكون‬.‫ يقول الرب‬،‫ وأنا سئمتھم‬،‫ حيث ھم نقضوا عھدي‬،‫ألخرجھم من ارض مصر‬
،‫ أجعل شريعتي في أحشائھم‬:‫ يقول الرب‬،‫ بعد تلك االيّام‬،‫العھد الذي به أعاھد آل إسرائيل‬

232
Jer. 31:31-34.

122
‫ وال يُعلّم أيضا ً الرجل صاحبه‬.ً ‫ وھم يكونون لي شعبا‬،ً ‫ وأكون لھم إلَھا‬،‫وأكتبھا على قلوبھم‬
‫ ألنّھم سيعرفونني بأجمعھم من صغيرھم إلى‬،{‫ }اعرفوا الرب‬:‫قائال‬
ً ،‫واإلنسان اخاه‬
.{‫كبيرھم‬

220. So, these verses clearly announce the abrogation of the Old
Testament (this is to say the Mosaic Law) and the revelation of a New
Testament,233 (that is to say the Gospel and its establishment).

ّ ‫ فھذه اآليات تُعلن واضحا ً بانتساخ العھد العتيق )اي الناموس الموسو‬- ٢٢٠
(‫ي‬
ّ ‫وبانزال العھد الجديد )ا‬
.(‫ي اإلنجيل وإثباته‬

b) He announced this by the mouth the Prophet Joel

‫ اعلن ذلك على فم يوئيل النبي‬- ‫ب‬

221. Likewise, through the Prophet Joel, God (May he be exalted and
majestified) clearly speaks regarding the imminent signs that were to occur at the
time of the abrogation of the Mosaic Law and of the establishment of the Gospel,
as well as of the Paraclete Spirit, which was to be received by the Apostles, so he
says:

‫ وأيضا ً في يوئيل النب ّي يتكلّم ﷲ )ع ّز وج ّل( صري ًحا عن المعجزات المزمع‬- ٢٢١
‫ وعن الروح الفارقليط الذي‬،‫ في زمان انتساخ الشريعة الموسويّة واثبات االنجيل‬،‫حدوثھا‬
:‫ فيقول‬،‫كان عتي ًدا ان يُقبَل من الحواريّين‬

222. ‘It will be after this that I will pour my spirit upon all mankind; then,
your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your elders will dream dreams, your
young people will see visions: Even upon the slaves and upon the servants I will

233
The Arabic word used for revelation is ‫انزال‬

123
spread my Spirit these days.’ 234 So, he designates by the Paraclete Spirit who,
after the ascension of Jesus to heaven, was sent to the Apostles, as Jesus
previously promised them;

‫ فيتنبأ بنوكم وبناتُكم‬،‫بشر‬

ٍ ‫ – }ويكون بعد ھذه أني أفيض روحي على ك ّل‬٢٢٢
‫ أفيض روحي‬،‫ وعلى اإلماء‬،ً ‫ وعلى العبيد أيضا‬.‫ ويرى شبّانكم ر ًؤى‬،ً ‫ويحلم شيو ُخكم أحالما‬
‫ أرسل‬،‫ بعد صعود يسوع المسيح إلى السماء‬،‫ فيريد بالروح الفارقليط الذي‬.{‫في تلك االيّام‬
.‫ كما سبق عيسى ووعدھم‬،‫إلى الحواريّين‬

223. Then the aforementioned prophet says: ‘I will produce signs in

heaven and on earth, blood and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun will change to
darkness, and the moon to blood.’235 And all this occurred, in front of everyone,
when Jesus Christ suffered on the wooden cross.

ً ‫ دما‬،‫ }وأجعل معجزات في السماء وعلى األرض‬:‫ ث ّم يقول النب ّي المشار إليه‬- ٢٢٣
‫ فھذه جميعھا جرت أمام‬.{‫ الشمس تتح ّول إلى ظلم ٍة والقمر إلى دم‬.‫ونا ًرا وأعمدةً من دخان‬
.‫ عندما تألّم يسوع المسيح على خشبة الصليب‬،ّ‫الكل‬

224. So, when the Prophet Joel warned with these signs, he added saying:
‘That the great and feared day of the Lord will come,’236 that day on which the
Word of God, the incarnated in our nature, will appear in heaven like lightning,
with force and great glory, that day on which all the forces of the heavens will be
shaken and when stars will fall from heaven,237 as Jesus himself said in the
Gospel.

234
Joel 2:28-29.
235
Joel 2:30-31.
236
Joel 2:31.
237
Mk. 13:25.

124
‫ }انّه يأتي يوم الرب العظيم‬:‫قائال‬
ً ‫ أردف‬،‫ فل ّما أنذر بھذه اآليات يؤيل النبي‬- ٢٢٤
‫ مع قّو ٍة‬،‫المخوف{؛ ذاك اليوم الذي به كلمة ﷲ المتأنّس في طبيعتنا يظھر من السماء كالبرق‬
،‫ والنجوم تسقط من السماء‬،‫ومج ٍد كثير؛ ذاك اليوم الذي به جميع ق ّوات السموات تتزعزع‬
.‫كما قال يسوع نفسه في االنجيل‬

225. Then this prophet said: ‘All those who will invoke the name of the
Lord will be saved.’ This is to say, all those who read the Gospel of God, and
does that which he orders in it, will obtain eternal life.

‫ ك ّل من يقرأ‬:‫ }ويكون ك ّل من يدعو باسم الرب ينجو{ اي‬:‫ ثم يقول ھذا النبي‬- ٢٢٥
.‫ ينال الحياة الدائمة‬،‫ ويفعل بما يأمر به‬،‫إنجيل ﷲ‬

Conclusion

‫الخاتمة‬

226. So, therefore, God, by these verses,238 far removed from every
corruption and falsification, clearly declared the abrogation of the Old Testament
(that is to say the Mosaic Law) and the passage from it to the New Testament
(that is to say the Gospel). But, such an abrogation of the Gospel and a passage
from it to something else (that is to say the Qur’ān), the Most High (May he be
praised) did not teach anywhere.

ّ ‫ فاتضح ا ًذا‬- ٢٢٦

‫ أعلن جليًّا‬،‫ المن ّزھة عن ك ّل غشّ وكذب‬،‫ان ﷲ بھذه اآليات‬
ّ ‫بانتساخ العھد العتيق )أي الناموس الموسو‬
.(‫ي( وباالنتقال منه إلى العھد الجديد )أي اإلنجيل‬
‫ لم يعلّ ْم سبحانُه‬،(‫ واالنتقال منه إلى شي ٍء آخر )أي إلى القرآن‬،‫ولكن عن انتساخ اإلنجيل‬
.‫موضع البتة‬
ٍ ‫تعالى في‬

238
In Arabic, the word ‫ آية‬carries a meaning of both “verse” and “sign.”

125
 227. Therefore, the Old Testament was a symbol of the Gospel and the
Gospel was the symbol of the Kingdom of Heaven, which nothing is more
preferred than it.”

،‫ ث ّم العھد القديم كان رمزاً عن اإلنجيل واإلنجيل ھو رم ٌز عن ملكوت السماء‬- ٢٢٧

.‫الذي ال شيء أفضل منه‬

2. God Did Not Signify Muhammad by Saying: “Surely, the Lord Will Raise
for You a Prophet Like Me from amongst Your Brothers.”

.{‫ }أنّ الرب يقيم لكم نبيّا ً مثلي من بين إخوتكم‬:‫ لم يقصد ﷲ مح ّم ًدا في قوله‬- ٢

Introduction

‫المق ّدمة‬

228. And our victorious King said to me: “Did Moses (Peace be upon him)
not say publicly to the children of Israel, in Deuteronomy: ‘Surely the Lord will
raise for you a prophet like me from amongst your brothers.’239 And who are the
brothers of the children of Israel other than the Ishmaelites and who had been a
prophet like Moses other than Muhammad?”

‫ قال عالنيّةً لبني‬،(‫ أليس موسى )عليه السالم‬:‫ وملكنا المظفر قال لي‬- ٢٢٨
‫إن الرب سوف يقيم لكم نبيًّا مثلي من بين اخوتكم{؟ ف َمن ھم‬
ّ } :‫ في تثنية االشتراع‬،‫اسرائيل‬
‫ سوى مح ّمد؟‬،‫ سوى اإلسمعيليّين؟ ومن صار نبيًّا مثل موسى‬،‫إخوة بني اسرائيل‬

a) Explanation: “From amongst your brothers”

239
Deut. 28:18.

126
 ‫ }من بين إخوتكم{؟‬:‫ تفسير‬- ‫أ‬

229. Then I answered him saying: “Oh King, one finds many brothers of
the children of Israel, apart from the Ishmaelites, designated by this expression.

،‫ايّھا الملك إنّه يوجد اخوة كثيرة لبني إسرائيل في ھذا االعتبار‬:‫قائال‬
ً ‫ فجاوبته‬- ٢٢٩
:‫ما خال اإلسمعيليّين‬

230. First, surely the Edomites are closer to the sons of Israel than the
children of Ishmael, because the Israelites were born of Jacob and the Edomites
were linked240 to Esau.241 As for Jacob and Esau, they were the sons of Isaac,
father of the Jews and brother of Ishmael, whom, from him, the Muslims descend;
so, therefore, the Edomites are closer to the children of Israel than the children of
Ishmael.

ّ ،ً‫ فأ ّوال‬- ٢٣٠

ّ ‫ وذلك‬.‫إن اآلدوميّين ھم أقرب لبني إسرائيل من بني إسمعيل‬
‫ألن‬
‫ وأ ّما يعقوب وعيسو كانا‬.‫ واآلدوميّين قد تسلسلوا من عيسو‬،‫اإلسرائيليّين قد ُولدوا من يعقوب‬
‫ فا ًذا اآلدوميّون ھم أقرب لبني‬.‫ وأخي اسمعيل الذي منه المسلمون‬،‫ أبي اليھود‬،‫ابني اسحاق‬
.‫اسرائيل من بني اسمعيل‬

231. So, therefore, if the words, which Moses said, regarding the brothers
of the children of Israel are not to be applied to the 12 tribes, but rather to their
other relatives, we say that it is necessary that they be applied more appropriately
to the Edomites, because they are closer to the children of Israel than are the
children of Ishmael, as we have seen.

240
The Arabic term ‫ تسلسلوا‬is used here to denote a genealogical link or connection.
241
Esau is the eldest son of Isaac and older brother of Jabob, who is the father of the 12 tribes of
Israel. The story of Isaac, Jacob, and Esau can be read in Gen. 25.

127
‫ فا ًذا ان كان الكالم الذي قال موسى عن اخوة بني اسرائيل ال يُطلَق على‬- ٢٣١
‫ نقول إنّه ينبغي أن يُطلق باألحرى على‬،‫ بل على أنسابھم األخر‬،‫أسباطھم االثني عشر‬
.‫ كما رأينا‬،‫ ألنّھم أقرب لبني إسرائيل من بني إسمعيل‬،‫اآلدوميّين‬

232. Second, surely the brothers of the Israelites are not solely the
Ishmaelites, but also the Ammonites and the Moabites.

ّ :ً ‫ ثانيا‬- ٢٣٢
‫ بل والعمونيّون‬،‫إن اخوة اإلسرائيليّين ما ھم اإلسمعيليّون فقط‬
.‫والموابيّون‬

233. Third, in addition to this, Moses did not say anything to the
Ishmaelites, but rather to the children of Israel: ‘That the Lord will raise from
amongst your brothers (and not from amongst strangers) a prophet like me (not
different from me in teaching).’242

ّ ‫ ث ّم‬:ً ‫ ثالثا‬- ٢٣٣

ّ } :‫ بل لبني اسرائيل‬،‫ان موسى لم يقل إلسمعيليّين‬
‫أن الرب يقيم من‬
.{(‫ }نبيًّا مثلي )ال مخالفا ً لي في التعليم‬،(‫ )وال من الغرباء‬،{‫إخوتكم‬

234. This verse is similar to that which the Most High Creator addressed
to his people regarding a king saying: ‘From amongst your brothers, I will raise
for you a king.’243 And surely raising this king from the brothers of the children of
Israel does not designate the children of Ishmael; likewise, in raising (a prophet)
from amongst their brothers does not indicate the sons of Ishmael.

ً ‫ملك‬
‫ }من‬:‫قائال‬ ٍ ‫ فھذه اآلية تشبه تلك التي خاطب بھا البارئ تعالى شعبه عن‬- ٢٣٤
ّ ‫ فكما‬.{ً ‫بين إخوتكم أقيم عليك ملكا‬
‫ ال تد ّل على‬،‫إن إقامة ھذا الملك من بين إخوة بني إسرائيل‬
.‫ ال تشير إلى بني إسمعيل‬،‫بني اسمعيل؛ ھكذا إقامة نب ّي من بين إخوتھم‬

242
Deut. 28:18.
243
Cf. 1 Kings 14:14; Jer. 30:10.

128
b) Explanation: “A prophet like me”

{‫ }نبيّا ً مثلي‬:‫ تفسير‬- ‫ب‬

235. And likewise it is necessary that we recognize the comparison in this

verse, when Moses said to the people of Israel: ‘Surely the Lord will raise for you
a prophet like me.’

‫ حيث يقول موسى‬،‫ وأيضا ً ينبغي أن ننظر إلى التشبيه المصرّح في ھذه اآلية‬- ٢٣٥
.{‫إن الرب يقيم لك نبيًّا مثلي‬
ّ } :‫لشعب إسرائيل‬

236. If Muhammad was a prophet like Moses, it is required that he

produce many signs and miracles, as Moses did; however, Muhammad did not
offer any miracles; so, therefore, he is not like Moses.

‫ كان يقتضي ان يصنع آيات ومعجزات‬،‫ فإن كان مح ّمد نبيًّا مثل موسى‬- ٢٣٦
.‫ فإ ًذا ليس مح ّمد مثل موسى‬.‫ ولكن مح ّمد لم يأت بمعجزات البتّة‬.‫ كما فعل موسى‬،‫كثيرة‬

237. And then, if Muhammad had been a prophet like Moses, he would
have been required to observe the Torah and teach the law that was given on
Mount Sinai, including the circumcision, the Sabbath, and the festivals, as Moses
used to do, but Muhammad did not do that; so, therefore, he is not like Moses.”

‫ ويعلّم‬،‫ كان ينبغي أن يحفظ التوراة‬،‫إن كان مح ّمد نبيّا ً مثل موسى‬
ْ ‫ ث ّم‬- ٢٣٧
‫ كما كان يفعل‬،‫ السبوت واألعياد‬،‫ مالزما ً مع الختانة‬،‫الناموس الذي أُعطي في جبل سينا‬
.‫ فا ًذا ليس ھو مثل موسى‬.‫ ولكن مح ّمد لم يعمل بذلك‬.‫موسى‬

3. Muhammad is Not a Prophet, Because We Do Not Await Any Prophet

Except Elijah

129
 ‫ ألنّنا ال ننتظر نبيّا ً سوى إليّا‬،ً‫ – ليس مح ّمد نبيّا‬٣

Introduction

‫المق ّدمة‬

238. And our king said to me: “Surely, your speech would be agreeable
and your announcement good, if you would accept Muhammad amongst the
prophets.”

ّ :‫ وملكنا قال لي‬- ٢٣٨

‫ لو قبلت مح ّم ًدا بين‬،‫إن كالمك ظريف ومعانيك حسنة‬
.‫األنبياء‬

239. I answered him thusly: “Surely, it is mentioned for us that one

prophet will come to the world after the ascension of Christ to heaven and before
his descent244 from there, as we learned from the Prophet Malachi and from the
angel Gabriel, who announced to Zachariah the conception of his son John.”

‫أن نبيّا ً واح ًدا يأتي إلى العالم بعد صعود‬

ّ ‫ إنّه مذكور عندنا‬:‫ فجاوبته ھكذا‬- ٢٣٩
‫ ومن‬،‫ كما تعلّمنا ذلك من مالخي النبي‬،‫ ومن قبل نزوله من ھناك‬،‫المسيح إلى السماء‬
.‫جبرائيل المالك الذي ب ّشر زكريّا بحبل يحي ابنه‬

240. And our king said to me: “And who is this prophet of whom you
speak?”

‫ ومن ھو ھذا النبي الذي قلت عنه؟‬:‫ وملكنا قال لي‬- ٢٤٠

244
The Arabic word ‫ نزول‬literally means “descent;” however, contextually the word implies Jesus’
second coming or his return from heaven.

130
a) The prophecy of Malachi

‫أ – نبوءة مالخي‬

241. So, I answered him thusly: “Surely, it is Elijah.

‫ إنّه إليّا‬:‫ فجاوبته ھكذا‬- ٢٤١

242. Because God Most High, through the Prophet Malachi (who brought
the last prophecy of the Old Testament), spoke of him in such a way: ‘Remember
the Law of Moses my servant, which I prescribed to him on (Mount) Horeb for all
of Israel, the orders and the judgments. Behold, I am going to send you the
Prophet Elijah, before the great and redoubtable day of the Lord arrives: then he
will return the hearts of the fathers to their sons and the hearts of the sons to their
fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a curse.’245

(‫ألن ﷲ تعالى في مالخي النبي )الذي أتى اخيراً بالنب ّوة في العھد العتيق‬
ّ - ٢٤٢
،‫ لك ّل اسرائيل‬،‫ التي أمرته بھا في حوريب‬،‫ }اذكروا شريعة موسى عبدي‬:‫يقول عنه ھكذا‬
‫ فير ّد‬.‫ قبل أن يجيء يوم الرب العظيم المخوف‬،‫ ھاءنذا أُرسل إليكم إليّا النبي‬.ً ‫أوامر وأحكاما‬
‫ لئال آتي أنا‬،‫ وقلوب األبناء على آبائھم‬،‫ وقلوب اآلباء على األبناء‬،‫قلوب اآلباء على األبناء‬
.{‫وأضرب االرض بالحرم‬

b) Prophecy of John son of Zachariah

‫ النبوءة عن يحي بن زكريا‬- ‫ب‬

243. And the angel Gabriel, when he announced to Zachariah the

conception of John, came with these very words, ‘The angel said to him: “Do not

245
Mal. 4: 4-6.

131
worry Zachariah: because your prayer has been heard; and your wife Elizabeth
will beget a son, and you will name him John. And you will have joy and
cheerfulness; and many will rejoice of his birth. For he will be great before the
Lord, and in the womb of his mother he will be filled with the Holy Spirit; he will
restore many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God. He will proceed before
him with the spirit and power of Elijah, to restore the hearts of the fathers to the
children, and the rebels to the thoughts of righteousness, in order to prepare for
the Lord a people of good disposition.’”246

‫ }فقال له‬:‫ أتى بھذا الكالم نفسه‬،‫ وجبرائيل المالك ل ّما ب ّشر زكريّا بحبل يحي‬- ٢٤٣
‫ وتُسميّه‬،ً ‫ألن صالتك ُس ِم َعت وامرأتك اليصابات ستلد لك ابنا‬
ّ ،‫ يا زكريا‬،‫ ال تخف‬:‫المالك‬
،‫ وكثيرون سيفرحون بوالدته ألنّه يكون عظيما ً أمام الرب‬،‫ ويكون لك فرح وابتھاج‬،‫يوحنّا‬
‫ وير ّد كثيرين من بني إسرائيل إلى الرب إلَھھم ويتق ّدم‬.‫ومن بطن أ ّمه يمتلئ من الروح القدس‬
‫ كي يھيّئ للرب‬،‫ والعصاة إلى فكر األبرار‬،‫ لي ُر ﱠد اآلباء على األبناء‬،‫أمامه بروح إليّا وق ّوته‬
.{‫شعبا ً مستع ًدا‬

244. Behold, Oh victorious King, how is it that the angel calls Jesus
Christ, ‘Lord and God?’ So, surely the preceding verses teach us the following:
That is to say, just as John, the son of Zachariah, preceded the coming of Jesus
Christ in the flesh, and announced him247 to all, saying, ‘Here is the Lamb of God
who removes the sin of the world,’248 and ‘This is he who baptizes with the Holy
Spirit and the fire.’249 ‘This is he, the Son of God, of which I am not worthy to
untie the strap of his sandal.’250

246
Lk. 1: 13-18.
247
The Arabic phrase ‫ أرى إيّاه‬carries a literal meaning of “he showed him;” however, in English,
John the Baptist is usually said to have announced the coming of Jesus.
248
Jn 1:29.
249
Mt. 3:11.
250
Lk. 3:16.

132
 ّ ‫ كيف‬،‫ يا ايّھا الملك المظفّر‬،‫ فانظر‬- ٢٤٤
‫إن المالك يدعو عيسى المسيح ربًّا‬
‫ كما أن يحي بن زكريا سبق مجيء يسوع‬،‫ أي أنّه‬.‫إن اآليات السابقة تعلّمنا ما يأتي‬
ّ ‫ ث ّم‬.ً ‫وإلَھا‬
ً ‫ وأرى الجميع إيّاه‬،‫المسيح بالجسد‬
‫قائال }ھوذا حمل ﷲ الذي يرفع خطيئة العالم{ و}ھذا ھو‬
.{‫ ھذا ھو ابن ﷲ الذي لست مستحقا أن أح ّل سيور حذائه‬،‫الذي يع ّمد بالروح القدس والنار‬

245. Thus, the Prophet Elijah will come, before the appearance of Jesus
Christ from heaven, and he will precede him to warn all mankind and to urge
them to be ready to meet him at (the time of) his glorious second coming and
Christ’s rebuking of the Anti-Christ.

‫ فيسبق‬،‫ قبل شروف عيسى المسيح من السماء‬،‫ ھكذا سوف يأتي إليّا النبي‬- ٢٤٥
،‫ ومحرّضا ً إيّاھم على إن يكونوا بظھوره المجيد الثاني مستع ّدين للقائه‬،‫منذ ًرا جميع الناس‬
.‫وموبّخا ً المسيح الدجاّل‬

Conclusion

‫الخاتمة‬

246. So, there is not a difference between John the Baptist and the Prophet
Elijah, regarding the force of the spirit, which speaks through them; for it is one.

،‫ نظراً إلى ق ّوة الروح المتكلّم فيھما‬،‫ فال فرق بين يوحنّا المعمدان وإليّا النبي‬- ٢٤٦
.‫إذ انّه واحد‬

247. But John the Baptist had come and Elijah will come before Jesus,
who will appear from heaven with power and great glory to resurrect men from
amongst the dead, because he is the Word of God and he created, in the

133
‫‪beginning, all the creation; so, in the end, he will renew everything. He is the‬‬
‫‪King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, and his reign will not end.”251‬‬

‫أن يوحنّا المعمدان قد أتى‪ ،‬وإليّا سوف يأتي أمام يسوع‪ ،‬الذي سيظھر من‬
‫‪ - ٢٤٧‬إال ّ‬
‫السماء بق ّوة ومجد كثير‪ ،‬ليقيم البشر من بين األموات‪ .‬ألنّه كلمة ﷲ‪ ،‬وخالق في البدء كلّ‬
‫البرايا‪ ،‬فھو يج ّددھا أخي ًرا كلّھا‪ ،‬وھو ملك الملوك ورب األرباب‪ ،‬ولملكه ال يكون انقضاء‪.‬‬

‫‪251‬‬
‫‪Luke 1:33.‬‬

‫‪134‬‬
 The Eighth Section: The Absence of Falsification in the
Torah, the (Books) of the Prophets, and the Gospel

‫ وال اإلنجيل‬،‫ عدم تحريف ال التوراة واألنبياء‬:‫الباب الثامن‬

Introduction

‫المقدّمة‬

248. Then our abundantly wise King, said to me: “If you had not changed
the Torah and the Gospel, you would have seen Muhammad along with the other
prophets.”

‫ لكنتم‬،‫ لو لم تغيّروا التوراة واإلنجيل‬:‫ ث ّم ملكنا الغزيرة حكمته قال لي‬- ٢٤٨
.‫تشاھدون مح ّم ًدا أيضا ً مع األنبياء األخر‬

249. So, I answered him saying: “Oh great King, surely God Most High
bestowed the crown, the thrown, and the royal scepter (upon you); and with all
this, he has also given you an abundant intellect and a vast and willing heart to
direct the affairs of the community and of the individuals as your nation deserves.
Therefore, it is befitting in your great dignity to examine all these things of which
you speak.

ّ ،‫ ايّھا الملك المعظّم‬:‫قائال‬

‫إن ﷲ تعالى منحكم التاج والعرش‬ ً ‫ فجاوبته‬- ٢٤٩
‫ وقلبا ً وسيعا ً ومستع ًدا لتدبير‬،‫ أعطاكم أيضا ً ذھنا ً غزي ًرا‬،‫والصولجان المملكي؛ ومع ھذه كلّھا‬
ّ ‫ كما تستح‬،‫أمور الجماعة واألفراد‬
‫ فيليق بشأنكم العزيز أن تفحصوا عن جميع‬.‫ق دولتكم ذلك‬
.‫ھذه األمور التي تقولون عنھا‬

250. So, which things caused us to change the books?

135
 ّ ‫ فأ‬- ٢٥٠
‫ي شيء كان يحملنا على أن نغيّر الكتب؟‬

1. The Absence of Falsification in the Torah and the (Books) of the Prophets.

‫ عدم تحريف التوراة واألنبياء‬- ١

a) The Torah and the (Books) of the Prophets testify to all the Christian teachings

‫ التوراة واالنبياء يشھدان بالتعليم المسيحي كله‬- ‫أ‬

251. Indeed, the Torah and the (Books) of the Prophets collectively
proclaim, like the sound of thunder, and teach about the divinity of Christ, his
humanity, and his divine birth that took place from the Father before all ages,
which nobody is able to describe at all, as the Prophet Isaiah said: ‘And who will
describe his generation?’252

‫ ويعلّمان عن ألوھيّة‬،‫ ألن التوراة واألنبياء يصيحان ُجملةً كصوت الرعد‬- ٢٥١
،‫ التي صارت من اآلب قبل ك ّل الدھور‬،‫ وعن والدته اإللھيّة العجيبة‬،‫ وعن ناسوته‬،‫المسيح‬
.{‫ }وجيله من يصفُه؟‬:‫ كما قال أشعيا النبي‬،‫التي ال يقدر أحد أن يصفھا البتّة‬

252. So, this has been said of him and of his origin: ‘Since the beginning,
before the creation of the world;’253 and ‘From a womb, before the dawn, I have
begotten you;’254 and also, ‘Before the sun, his name existed.’255

‫رحم قبل‬
ٍ ‫ }ومن‬:‫ قبل ِخلقة العالم‬،‫ من البدء‬،‫ فھو الذي قيل عنه وعن صدوره‬- ٢٥٢
.{‫ }وقبل الشمس موجد اسمه‬:‫ وأيضا‬.{‫الفجر ولدتك‬

252
Isa. 53:8.
253
Prov. 8:23-24.
254
Ps. 110: 3.
255
Ps. 2:7; 72:17.

136
 253. And then of his temporal birth from the mother, the Prophet Isaiah
said: ‘Behold, the virgin is pregnant and will give birth to a son and he will be
called Immanuel.’256

ّ ‫ }ھا‬:‫ يقول أشعيا النبي‬،‫ وث ّم عن والدته الزمنيّة من األ ّم‬- ٢٥٣

‫إن العذراء تحبل‬
.{‫وتلد ابنا ً ويُدعى اسمه ع ّمانوئيل‬

254. And surely King David, Isaiah, and all the prophets have taught
openly and clearly of the miracles and marvels that he was to do at the moment of
his appearance in the flesh, and of the true knowledge of God, which the world
will be filled with at the moment of his coming into the world.

‫وإن داود الملك وأشعيا واألنبياء أجمعين يعلّمون صريحا ً وواضحا ً عن‬
ّ - ٢٥٤
‫ وعن معرفة ﷲ‬،‫ في وقت ظھوره بالجسد‬،‫العجائب والمعجزات التي كان عتي ًدا أن يفعلھا‬
.‫الحقيقية التي كانت تمتلئ منھا المسكونة في وقت مجيئه إلى العالم‬

255. And they informed us of his passion, his crucifixion, and his death in
the flesh, as we have previously said. They also spoke of his resurrection from
amongst the dead, and of his ascension to heaven, and of his second coming to the
world, and of the resurrection of the dead, and of the Last Judgment by which all
will be judged, because he is God and the Word of the Father.

‫ ويتكلّمون أيضا ً عن‬.ً ‫ كما قلنا آنفا‬،‫ ويخبّرونا عن آالمه وصلبه وموته بالجسد‬- ٢٥٥
‫ وعن قيامة‬،‫ وعن مجيئه الثاني الى العالم‬،‫ وعن صعوده إلى السماء‬،‫قيامته من بين األموات‬
.‫ ألنّه إله وكلمة اآلب‬،‫ وعن الدينونة التي يدين بھا الجميع‬،‫الموتى‬

256
Isa. 7:14.

137
 256. And because all of the Christian teaching was contained in the Torah
and the (Books) of the Prophets, for what reason would we change it?

ّ ‫ فألجل ا‬،‫ ول ّما كان التعليم المسيحي كلّه محتويا ً في التوراة واألنبياء‬- ٢٥٦
‫ي سبب‬
‫كنّا نغيّره؟‬

b) How did the Christians and Jews mutually agree on the same falsification?

‫ كيف اتّفق النصارى واليھود على نفس التحريف؟‬- ‫ب‬

257. Then, if we suppose that we changed and falsified the Torah and the
(Books) of the Prophets, which we possessed amongst us, how were we able to
change and falsify those which were in the hands of the Hebrews?

،‫ وث ّم لو فرضنا أننا قد غيّرنا وحرّفوا التوراة واألنبياء التي ھي عندنا وبيننا‬- ٢٥٧
‫ولكن كيف كنّا نستطيع أن نغيّر ونحرّف التي ھي بيد العبرانيين؟‬

258. Then, if anyone objects, saying: ‘Surely, the Christians have changed
and falsified the books that were in their hands, and the Jews have done likewise
with theirs,’ then we would say:

ً ‫ ث ّم إذا اعترض أحد‬- ٢٥٨

ّ } :‫قائال‬
‫إن النصارى غيّروا وحرّفوا الكتب التي كانت‬
:‫ فنقول‬،{‫ واليھود صنعوا كذلك بكتبھم‬،‫بيدھم‬

259. ‘For what reason have the Jews not changed and omitted the existing
verses in their books, of which the Christian religion is proud and of which it (the
Christian religion) is based upon, because you do not find an enmity in the world -
previously or currently - like that between the Christians and Jews.’

138
 ّ ‫ أل‬- ٢٥٩
‫ التي تفتخر بھا‬،‫ي سبب لم يغيّر ويحذف اليھود اآليات الموجودة في كتبھم‬
ً ‫الديانة المسيحيّة وتستند عليھا؟ إذ ليس توجد عداوة في العالم مثلما كانت‬
‫ بين‬،‫ واآلن‬،‫قبال‬
.‫النصارى واليھود‬

260. And if we said that the Jews definitively changed and falsified their
books, then how would we keep silent regarding these falsified verses of theirs,
for it is upon them that the object of our religion rests?

‫ فكيف نحن كنّا نسكت عن ھذه‬،‫إن اليھود غيّروا وح ّرفوا كتبھم‬

ّ ‫ وإذا قلنا‬- ٢٦٠
.‫اآليات المحرّفة من ھوآلء؟ اذ عليھا يقوم مدار ديانتنا‬

261. But, neither Christians nor Jews changed or falsified the books, as is
testified by the existing enmity between them, which because of it, it is not
possible that they would agree with each other on such an important matter.

‫ كما تشھد العداوة‬،‫ ال نصارى وال اليھود غيّروا أو حرّفوا الكتب‬،‫ ولكن‬- ٢٦١
ٍ ‫ التي من سببھا ال يمكن ان يتّفقوا مع بعضھم في كذا‬،‫الموجودة بينھم‬
.‫أمر مھ ّم‬

Conclusion

‫الخاتمة‬

262. So, therefore, it appears that it is impossible that the Christians and
the Jews would agree with one another regarding the falsification of the books.
We do not deny that the Jews have disputed us on the interpretation of some
words and names, and on times. But, regarding the existence of expressions and
words and their truthfulness, there is no antagonism between us at all, because the
expressions and the words exist with the two parties one and the same.

139
‫‪ - ٢٦٢‬فاتضح ا ًذا أنّه لم يكن ممكنا ً أن يتّفق مع بعضھم النصارى واليھود في‬
‫تحريف الكتب‪ .‬وال نُنكر ّ‬
‫أن اليھود يخاصموننا في شرح بعض الكلمات واألسماء‪ ،‬وعن‬
‫األزمنة‪ .‬ولكن‪ ،‬نظ ًرا الى وجود األلفاظ والكلمات وحقيقتھا‪ ،‬ليس مخاصمة بين بعضنا قط‪،‬‬
‫ألن األلفاظ والكلمات ھي موجودة عند الطرفين على ح ّد سواء‪.‬‬
‫ّ‬

‫‪2. The Absence of Falsification in the Gospel‬‬

‫‪ - ٢‬عدم تحريف اإلنجيل‬

‫‪Introduction‬‬

‫المق ّدمة‬

‫‪263. Oh King, we did not change or falsify the Torah and the (Books) of‬‬
‫‪Prophets. And it is necessary that we say the same regarding the Gospel, because‬‬
‫‪what the first prophets said of Christ is written in the Gospel about him. So,‬‬
‫‪therefore, one is the ray of light that shines upon us from the Torah, from the‬‬
‫‪(Books) of the Prophets, and the Gospel; however, with this difference, that is to‬‬
‫‪say, that in the Torah and the (Books) of the Prophets there had been words and‬‬
‫‪symbols, while in the Gospel they appeared as facts and reality.‬‬

‫‪ - ٢٦٣‬فيا ايّھا الملك‪ ،‬نحن لم نغيّرْ او نحرّف التوراة واألنبياء‪ .‬وكذلك ينبغي أن‬
‫نقول عن اإلنجيل؛ ّ‬
‫ألن ما قال األنبياء األ ّولون عن المسيح‪ ،‬ھو مكتوب في اإلنجيل عنه‪.‬‬
‫فا ًذا‪ ،‬واحد ھو شعاع النور الذي يضئ لنا من التوراة واألنبياء واإلنجيل‪ .‬ولكن مع ھذا‬
‫الفرق‪ ،‬وھو‪ّ :‬‬
‫أن في التوراة واألنبياء قد سبق الكالم والرموز‪ ،‬وفي اإلنجيل ظھرت األفعال‬
‫والحقيقة‪.‬‬

‫‪140‬‬
 264. The Gospel warns us of that which the prophets taught regarding the
divinity of Christ and his humanity, without the slightest change, because one is
the Giver of the Torah and the (Books) of the Prophets, and he is God.

‫ دون أدنى‬،‫ فاإلنجيل ينذرنا بما علّم األنبياء عن الھوت المسيح وناسوته‬- ٢٦٤
ّ ‫تغيير؛‬
.‫ وھو ﷲ‬،‫الن واح ًدا ھو معطي التوراة واألنبياء‬

a) If we had falsified the Gospel, we would have omitted the contemptible things.

‫ لو حرّفنا اإلنجيل لكنّا حذفنا منه األمور الحقيرة‬- ‫أ‬

265. Even if we had changed and falsified the books, we would have tried
to change and falsify the things considered vile, contemptible, and contrary to our
religion, like: the fear, the beatings, the passion, the crucifixion, the death, and
similar things.

‫ لكنّا نجتھد في تغيير وتحريف األمور المظنونة‬،‫ ث ّم لو غيّرنا وحرّفنا الكتب‬- ٢٦٥
.‫ كالخوف والضرب واآلالم والصليب والموت وما أشبه ذلك‬:‫دنيّة وحقيرة ومضا ّدة لديانتنا‬

266. But, not only have we never changed these things, but we are proud
of and honor them, as we are proud of and honor the things which are sublime and
great in our religion. Because we believe, just as well, that Jesus is God without
beginning and without end, equal in nature to the Father; in the same way, we
believe that he is truly man and equal to us through the human nature.

‫ كما نفتخر ونكرّم‬،‫ بل نفتخر بھا ونكرّمھا‬،‫ ال فقط لم نغيرْ ھذه األمور‬،‫ ولكن‬- ٢٦٦
‫ ليس له بداية‬،‫ النّنا كما نعتقد في يسوع أنّه إله‬.‫األمور التي ھي سامية في ديانتنا وعظيمة‬
‫ وھو مساو لنا بالطبيعة‬،ً‫ وھو مساو لآلب بالطبيعة؛ ھكذا نعتقد به أنّه إنسان حقيقة‬،‫وال نھاية‬
.‫البشريّة‬

141
 267. We have not, therefore, changed or falsified one solitary line in the
book of God.

.‫ سط ًرا واح ًدا من كتاب ﷲ‬،‫ أيھا الملك‬،‫ فلم نغيّر او نحرّف‬- ٢٦٧

b) If the name of Muhammad was found in our books, we would have awaited
him more than we awaited the Jewish Messiah.

.‫ لو كان اسم مح ّمد في كتبنا لكنّا أنتظرناه بأكثر مما انتظرنا المسيح اليھودي‬- ‫ب‬

268. If the name of Muhammad was found in our books, we would have
awaited with impatience his coming, as we desired to receive the ones of whom
the prophets had written.

‫ كما‬،‫ لكنّا ننتظر إلى مجيئه باإلشتياق‬،‫ فلو كان موجو ًدا اسم مح ّمد في كتبنا‬- ٢٦٨
.‫اشتقنا إلى استقبال الذين كتب عنھم األنبياء‬

269. Then, what relationship do we have with the Jews more so than we
have with the Ishmaelites? Why would we have received Christ who was of the
Jewish race and would have refused Muhammad, who originally descended from
the offspring of the Ishmaelites, because our natural relationship with the
Ishmaelites as well as the Jews is one.

‫ أكثر م ّما لنا مع اإلسمعيليّين؟ ولماذا كنّا نقبل‬،‫ ث ّم أيّة قرابة لنا مع اليھود‬- ٢٦٩
ّ ‫ ونرفض مح ّم ًدا الذي ظھر من ذريّة اإلسمعيليّين؟‬،‫ الذي ھو من جنس اليھود‬،‫المسيح‬
‫ألن‬
.‫ وث ّم مع اليھود‬،‫ ث ّم مع اإلسمعيليّين‬،‫واحدة ھي قرابتنا بالطبيعة‬

270. And the truth obliges me to say that, before the appearance of Christ,
the Jews possessed respect from every nation and from God as well, but after the
appearance of the Word of God in the flesh from amongst them, they have
become rejected and despised by God and by mankind, because they closed their

142
eyes so as not to see and not to enjoy the light which came to the world to shine
upon mankind; thus, the Jews have become horrible and detested by all.

ّ ‫ق يضطرّني أن أقول‬
‫ كان اليھود ذوي اعتبار‬،‫ قبل ظھور المسيح‬،‫إن‬ ّ ‫ والح‬- ٢٧٠
‫ صاروا مرذولين‬،‫ وبعد ظھور كلمة ﷲ في الجسد منھم‬.ً ‫ وعند ﷲ ايضا‬،‫عند جميع األمم‬
‫ ألنّھم غ ّمضوا عيونھم لئال يُبصروا ويتمتّعوا بالنور الذي أتى‬،‫ومحقورين عند ﷲ والناس‬
.‫ فاضحى ا ًذا اليھود مبغوضين ومكروھين من ك ّل اح ٍد‬.‫إلى العالم لينير البشر‬

271. The Ishmaelites, on the contrary, are honored and respected by God
and by mankind for they have abandoned worshipping idols and Satan, and they
adore and honor God alone. Therefore, they merit that all love them and honor
them.

،‫ فإنّھم مكرّمون ومعتبرون عند ﷲ والناس‬.‫ بالعكس‬،‫ وأ ّما اإلسمعيليّون‬- ٢٧١

ّ ‫ فلذلك يستحقّون‬.‫ وسجودھم وتكريمھم وحده‬،‫لتركھم عبادة األوثان والشيطان‬
‫أن الجميع‬
.‫يحبّونھم ويكرّمونھم‬

Conclusion

‫الخاتمة‬

272. So, if one found in the books a prophesy in their favor, not only
would we not change it and falsify it, but we would have regarded it with a great
joy, as we await the one who will come in the end, as we have said above, for we
do not correct the commandments of God, but to the contrary, we observe them.”

ْ ‫ ليس فقط لم‬،‫ فلو ُوجد في الكتب نب ّوة ما بحقّھم‬- ٢٧٢

‫ بل كنّا‬،‫نكن نغيّرھا ونحرّفھا‬
.‫ كما قلنا عنه اعاله‬،‫ كما ننتظر إلى ذاك الذي سيأتي في المنتھى‬،‫ننتظر اليھا بفرح عظيم‬
.‫ بل باألحرى حافظينھا‬،‫ألنّنا لسنا منقّحين وصايا ﷲ‬

143
 Conclusion

‫الخاتمة‬

273. Then our King said to me smiling: “Let us abandon the discussion
and we will speak of these things at a later time, when an opportunity befalls us in
order that we may engage it further.”

ٍ ‫ ونتكلّم عن ھذه األمور في وق‬،‫ نترك اآلن المحاورة‬:ً ‫ فماكنا قال لي متبسّما‬- ٢٧٣
‫ت‬
.‫ حينما يصير لنا فرصة لنعكف عليھا‬،‫آخر‬

274. And we praised God, who is the King of Kings and the Lord of
Lords, who gives wisdom and comprehension to kings in order that they
administer their kingdoms with justice and mercy. Then we prayed for the King
and for his nation, beseeching God to strengthen it and protect it in the world
always, and to establish his throne with justice and equity forever. Amen.

‫ وھو يعطي الحكمة‬،‫ الذي ھو ملك الملوك ورب األرباب‬،‫ ونحن مجّدنا ﷲ‬- ٢٧٤
‫ طالبين من‬،‫ وث ّم دعونا للملك ولدولته‬.‫ لكي يدبّروا ممالكھم بالعدالة والرحمة‬،‫والفھم للملوك‬
.‫ امين‬.‫ وأن يثبّت س ّدة عرشه بالعدل والب ّر إلى األبد‬،‫ﷲ أن يؤيّدھا ويحفظھا في العالم دائمة‬

275. And thus, we parted from him.

.‫ وھكذا خرجنا من عنده‬- ٢٧٥

144
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