200 OBJECTIONS ON THE GROUND OF MUHAMMAD'S

Messiah's name; the Samaritan Targum implies the same. LXX. τα αποκειμενα αυτω .] Jesus was born of the tribe of Judah, and the Gentiles have in large measure already been gathered to Him.

206. M. Deut. xxxii. 21 "I will move them to jealousy with those which are not a people," &c. This refers to the Arabs. It cannot refer to the Greeks to whom Paul and other Apostles preached, for they were celebrated for their learning and philosophy, and were not "a foolish nation."

C. But "The wisdom of this world is foolishness with God" (1 Cor. iii. 19). Mention is made not of a person, Muhammad or any one else, but of a nation. If we grant that it refers to the Arabs, many of their tribes were Christian before they were compelled to embrace Islam (Himyar, Ghassan, Rabi'ah, Najran, Hirah, &c.). But such verses as Eph. ii. 11-13, 1 Pet. ii. 10, give a sufficient explanation.

207. M. In Deut. xxxiii. 2 the words "The Lord came from Sinai" refer to the giving of the Taurat to Moses. "And rose up from Seir unto them" speaks of the descent of the Gospel: while "He shined forth from Mount Paran1 "clearly

1 The same argument (as the Rev. C. H. Stileman points out) is often founded on the words, "The Holy One from Mount Paran," in Hab. iii. 3. (Vide Ghabril's full answer in Ibhathu'l Mujtahidin, pp. 84 sqq.) The Bishop of Lahore says: "I have answered by pointing out that the passage (Hab. iii. 3) goes on in the singular ('His glory covered,' &c.), from which it is plain that only one 'coming' is denoted by the dual expression."
DIVINE MISSION AS LAST OF THE PROPHETS 201

denotes the bestowal of the Qur'an, for Paran is one of the mountains near Mecca.

C. This verse speaks of the extent of country over which the glory of God's manifestation was visible to the Israelites when they were encamped in the desert near Mount Sinai. A glance at the map will show you that Sinai, Seir, and Paran are three mountains quite close to one another. Mount Paran is many hundreds of miles from Mecca. If you read the verses in which Mount Paran and the desert of Paran are mentioned1, you will see that it was in the Sinaitic Peninsula, not far from the borders of Egypt. The verse has nothing to do with either the Gospel or the Qur'an.

208. M. Ps. xlv is a clear prophecy of Muhammad, "the prophet with the sword," compare verses 3-5.

C. Verse 6 shows that this explanation is impossible, for Muhammadans never apply to Muhammad the title of "God." The Psalm was therefore evidently fulfilled in Christ (cf. Pss. ii, lxxii, cx). The "king's daughter" of verse 13 is the bride of Christ, that is the Christian Church (cf. Rev. xxi. 2), and the conquest is primarily that of Satan and all his hosts (cf. Rev. xix. 11-21). In Heb. i. 8, 9 it is clearly stated that verse 6 refers to Christ2.

1 Gen. xiv. 6; Num. x. 12; xii. 15; xiii. 3; Deut. i. 1, &c.; also 1 Kings xi. 18.
2 Rev. Dr. Hooper calls attention to Bp. Westcott's comment on Ps. xlv. 6.