67

64 pel,1 but your principal men obliterated it." The
Nazarene asked: " Do yoo possess that Gospel
" which is correct?" TheMuselman avowed: " We
" do not." Then the Nazarene resumed: " Hence
tc your falsehood is evident; you deny the Gospel ;
" for if you did not, you would preserve it, as we,
" who are Christians, preserve the Pentateuch,
" which is the book of Moses ; but you keep neither
" the Pentateuch nor the Gospel, and if there had
" been mentioned in the Gospel any thing of your
" prophet, we would without doubt, according to
" the words of Jesus, adhere to it, because, in con-

chapter LXIII. 1. 6. etc.; moreover in Habacuc, III. 3. etc. Besides, the
town of Medina, being inhabited by a tribe of conquered Jews, who were
expecting a promised Messiah, Muhammcd presented himself as one for
all nations, and the credulous easily confounded him who was expected
by the Jews with the upstart Arabian prophet.

1 The Moslims have a Gospel in Arabic, attributed to Saint Barnabas,
in which, it is said, they have inserted the very name of their prophet
Muhammed, Ahmed, Mahmud, as being the translation of the Greek
word -rtspixXvTos, periclytos, " famous, illustrious." which they have
substituted for TrapaxXvjTo;, paracl&tos, " comforter, called upon, advo-
« catus;" which is found in St. John's Gospel, XIV. 26; XV. 26; XVI. 7.;
and by which is designated Jesus, or the Holy Ghost (see Sale's Koran,
Prel. Disc., p. 98). The interpretation of ihe word periclytos might
also have found place in the Arabian translation of the Bible, made by
Werka, the cousin of Muhammed's first wife. Whatever it be, we read in
chap. LXI. v. 6. of the Koran: " And when Jesus, the son of Mary, said :
** * 0 children of Israel, verily I am the apostle of God, sent unto you,
" ' confirming the law which was delivered before me, and bringing
'* * good tidings of an apostle who shall come after me, and whose name
** ' shall be Ahmed.' "