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328 THE HISTORY OF THE QUR'ANIC TEXT

of Utrecht, who in 1705 composed a unique work in Latin, subsequently
translated and published in London under the title, Four Treatises Concerning
the Doctrine, Discipline andWorship if the Mahometans (1712).

The Jewish People, tho they had the holiest Institutes and Laws that
ever were ... could not escape the Spite of wicked Men, who charg'd
many things upon them which were absolutely false. Tacitus himself,
who wanted not Opportunitys of consulting the Jews in their own
Affairs, writes that they ... were expel'd Egypt for the Scab; and that
they consecrated the Image of an Ass, which had taught them to expel
their Thirst, and cease from their Wanderings. Plutarch relates ... that
the Feast of Tabernacles was celebrated in Honour of Bacchus; nay,
that the very Sabbath was consecrated to that Divinity. ... Rutilius
[called] the Jewish Sabbaths, Cold Sabbaths, and said their Hearts
were colder than their Religion; for this reason, that many of the Jews
'" did not kindle Fire upon the Sabbath-day -'
But when the Christians left the Jews, and set up a distinct Worship
... what an ugly Representation was there made of our Religion by
the Heathens? ... The Heathens charg'd it on the Christians, That
their God was hoof'd like an Ass; that they worship'd the Genitals of
a Priest; that they feasted those who were to be initiated, on a young
Child cover'd over with Flower; that, after having ended their solemn
Feasts, and put out the Lights, the Men and "Vomen embrac'd one
another as Chance guided them; that they threaten'd the Destruction
of the whole World by Fire.... The very Doctrine of worshipping one
God laid them under the Imputation of Atheism... , And to sum up
all in the words of Tertullian, in his Apology, They were counted Murderers,
Incestuous, Sacrilegious, publick Enemys of Mankind, guilty cf all Wickedness,
andtherifore Enemys qf the Gods, qf Emperors, of Morality, andqf Universal
Nature. 23
But if we carry our Thought down to our own Times, we shall fmd
Mankind is not a whit more just in this respect .... What did not the
Church of Rome charge us with, when we departed from her...? They
assert in their Books, that we hold good Works in detestation; that we
affirm God to be the Author of Evil; that we despise Mary the Mother
of Christ, Angels, and the Memory of the Saints; ... that we are
divided into a hundred and twenty six abominable Sects, the Names
of which cannot be read without Laughter; ... that Luther convers'd
familiarly with the Devil, and ended his Days with a String; that Calvin
was guilty of horrible Wickedness, and dy'd of an Ulcer in his Privities,
that was inflicted by Heaven, despairing of Salvation; ... that Luther's
Name, in Hebrew Lulter, express'd the number of Antichrist 666 [and]

22 H. Reland, Four Treatises Concerning theDoctrine, DisciplineandVt0rship iftheMahometans,
London, 1712, pp. 5-6.
23 ibid, pp. 6-7.