Page 46 - New English Book L

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seashore,” which word “multiply” was used by the Angel
to Hagar in the Wilderness: I will multiply thy offspring
to an innumerable multitude, and that Ishmael (pbuh)“shall
become a fruitful man” (Gen. xvi. 12). Now the Christians
have translated the same Hebrew word, which means
“fruitful” of “plentiful” from the verb para –identical with
the Arabic wefera- in their versions “a wild ass”! Is it not a
shame and impiety to call Ishmael (pbuh) “a wild ass” whom
God styles “Fruitful” or “Plentiful”?

It is very remarkable that Christ himself, as reported
in the Gospel of St. Barnabas, reprimanded the Jews who
said that the Great Messenger whom they call “Messiah”
would come down from the lineage of King David (pbuh)
, telling them plainly that he could not be the son of
David (pbuh) , for David (pbuh) calls him “his Lord,” and
then went on to explain how their fathers had altered the
Scriptures, and that the Covenant was made, not with
Isaac (pbuh) , but with Ishmael (pbuh) , who was taken to
be offered a sacrifice to God, and that the expression
“thy only begotten son” means Ishmael (pbuh) , and not
Isaac (pbuh) . St. Paul, who pretends to be an apostle of
Jesus (pbuh) Christ (pbuh) , uses some irreverent words
about Hagar (Gal. vi. 21-31 and elsewhere) and Ishmael
(pbuh) , and openly contradicts his Master. This man has
done all he could to pervert and mislead the Christians
whom he used to persecute before his conversion; and I
doubt very much that the Jesus (pbuh) of Paul may not be
a certain Jesus (pbuh) , also son of Mary, who was hanged
on a tree about a century or so before Christ, for his
Messianic pretentions. In fact, the Epistles of St. Paul
as they stand before us are full of doctrines entirely
repugnant to the spirit of the Old Testament, as well as
to that of the humble Prophet of Nazareth. St. Paul was
a bigoted Pharisee and a lawyer. After his conversion
to Christianity, he seems to have become even more