A very ostentatious title by a very obstreperous writer. I have been reading this Irish author for quite some time and every now and then he makes a slightly interesting point that requires a bit of head scratching.

Author

John Toland (30 November 1670 – 11 March 1722) was an Irish rationalist philosopher and freethinker, and occasional satirist, who wrote numerous books and pamphlets on political philosophy and philosophy of religion, which are early expressions of the philosophy of the Age of Enlightenment. Born in Ireland, he was educated at the universities of Glasgow, Edinburgh, Leiden and Oxford and was influenced by the philosophy of John Locke.

Publication notes

Printed and sold by J. Brotherston at Black Bull Cornhill, 1718.

Book cover

Introduction

I am hoping this book will give me information on multiple topics, judging from the title that the author chose. It seems the author accumulated all the groups that had something to say about Jesus. He, the author, has not traveled to any Muslim land or spoken to any Muslims but has gathered all his information from other authors who also have not traveled to any Muslim lands. All in all the whole book is a commentary on other books written by western authors.

Summary of content

The book touches on the important groups but gives very little to quite familiar information about them. The author does have some concerns about the Christians treating the Jews in quite an abhorrent manner and treating their law as odious. The book is a reprint so we had to renumber the pages. Our numbering starts with the first page of the preface.

Analysis

Q. When did John discover the Quran?

A. Page 2. John reluctantly calls it the Quran; his reference to the book is either “New Gospel” or “Mohametan Gospel.” He discovered a copy in Amsterdam, in the year 1709.

Q. What is said about the Nazarene?

A. Page 3. Nazarene are called heretics and people who never understood the message. It is similar to the disciples who were constantly corrected by Jesus and seldom understood the sophistry parables told by him. This could also be all made up; so the narrator of the gospels could have his input and show the disciples as dumb. The main reason for this was because the disciples never worshiped Jesus nor considered his an anything more than a human being.

Q. What were the two groups?

A. Page 5. There were two main groups in the beginning. One group emerged from the true disciples of Jesus, we do not know what they called themselves, but for now we will call them Christian Jews. The second group came from idolaters and non-Jewish people, they were called Gentile Christians. The (CJ) followed the law—Jewish law. The (GC) did not follow any law, in fact they had no laws at all except one: Jesus died for your sins. How is it that these two groups could ever be brothers in any worship place? These were two completely different people with completely different laws as stated in (Rom 10:12, Gal 3:28, Col 3:11). John says this is union without uniformity. It would seem to me that the author is using some very sophisticated sophism as an elixir to absolve the errata in his holy book. The rule is clearly defined in the Quran 2:120 that they will never accept you until you become one of them, meaning either a Christian or a Jew. Same rule applies to the Gentile Christians and the first generation Nazarene.

Q. What rule does John agree on?

A. Page 6. He agrees that Jesus did not take away or cancel the Jewish Law in any sense whatsoever.

Q. Who is Sergius?

A. Page 31. In the Islamic history, the name of the monk was Bahira. This actually is not a name but rather an adjective which means a person who has been tested. Later, to make the story more authentic, a name was added, and that name was Sergius; a Nestorian monk.

Q. What other Gospels are important?

A. Page 33. Gospel of Barnabas and Gospel of Matthias. Matthias was the replacement for Judas (Acts 1:15-26). These are considered as apocryphal books of the New Testament.

Q. What malingering argument does John use?

A. Page 33. He used the age-old argument that Muslims are forced to accept the previous books—word for word—in their current state.

Q. Where is John getting most of his information about Quran?

A. Page 36. He is getting almost all of his information from a Dutch author “Adrian Reland”. This person never left Netherland in his life and is writing books about Quran and Muhammad.

Q. Who else denied that Jesus died?

A. Page 43. Basilidians denied that Jesus suffered, but that Simon of Cyrene was crucified in his place. The Cerinthians and Carpocratians also believed Jesus to be a mere man. Photius read a book entitled, The Circuits/Journeys of the Apostles written by Leucius Charinus, relating the acts of Peter, John, Andrew, Thomas and Paul, it said that Christ was not crucified and someone else was killed in his place. Photius wrote The Bibliotheca (Ten Thousand Books). Concerning the crucifixion of Jesus, Photios of Constantinople reports thus what Leucius Charinus wrote: “He said that Christ was not crucified, but another in his place, while he himself laughed at the mistake of the executioners.” The laughing of Jesus was also reported by the Basilidians.

Q. Where is the Gospel of Barnabas?

A. Page 46. Fragments of Barnabas were in the Baroccian Manuscript.

Q. What is John so angry about?

A. Page 47. He is angry that the Muslims have used all these Apocryphal books and Gospels to write their Quran. He is confused though how the Muslims were able to preserve these books where as they did not and there is no sign of any of these books currently. The Gospel of the Infancy of Christ, Gospel of Nicodemus, and the Gospel of James is an example. James’ Gospel is considered the first Gospel to have been written. He mentions that Ahmad ibn Idris al-Fasi had the copies.

Q. How does the Gospel of Barnabas end?

A. Page 48. “Jesus being gone, the Disciples scattered themselves into many parts of Palestine, and of the rest of the world; and the truth, being hated of Satan, was persecuted by falshood, as it ever happens. For certain wicked men, under pretence of being Disciples, preached that Jesus was dead, and not risen again: others preached that Jesus was truly dead, and risen again: others preached, and still continued to preach, that Jesus is the Son of God, among which persons Paul has been deceived. We therefore, according to the measure of our knowledge, do preach to those who fear God, to the end that they may be saved at the last day of divine judgment; Amen. The end of the Gospel.”

Q. Who hated Paul?

A. Page 50. All the disciples of Jesus, James, Peter and later Barnabas. They did not want to preach anything to the Gentiles. This hate and perversion of true Christianity by Paul is not an invention os Mahometans but rather by all people who have been labeled heretics. These people were all the disciples. Paul wholly metamorphosed and perverted true Christianity.

Q. Who else hated Paul?

A. Page 51. Ebionites called Paul and Apostle from the Law; and rejected all his Epistles. Paul was the enemy and an Imposter.

Q. Who were the Nazarens?

A. Page 52. The Jewish people who accepted Jesus as a prophet were all called Nazarens. Luke, or the author of Acts, also calls Paul the ringleader of the Nazarens. The Nazarens were the Disciples of Jesus, James, Peter, and others; not Paul. There was another group also called Jesseans after Jesus. Later the name Christian after Christ was used by other groups probably at Antioch.

Q. What is Socinianism?

A. Page 54. Socinianism is a Nontrinitarian Christian belief system developed and co-founded during the Protestant Reformation by the Italian Renaissance humanists and theo
logians Lelio Sozzini (Latin: Laelius Socinus) and Fausto Sozzini (Latin: Faustus Socinus), uncle and nephew, respectively.

It was developed among the Polish Brethren in the Polish Reformed Church between the 16th and 17th centuries, and embraced by the Unitarian Church of Transylvan
ia during the same period. Socinianism is most famous for its Nontrinitarian Christian beliefs about the unitary nature of God and the human nature of Jesus but
contains a number of other distinctive theological doctrines, such as the denial of divine foreknowledge regarding the actions of free agents and rejection of
the pre-existence of Christ.

Q. Who are Mineans?

A. Page 55. Arabs and Persians call the Christians “Nazari”, and the Jews call then “Nozerim.” The Jews did not have any word in their book so they created one and has now changed to Christian. Christians were also called Mineans or Heretics by the Jews. The Jews cursed them day, evening, and night in their Synagogues.

Q. Where did Paul get his Gospel?

A. Page 56. First let’s establish where he did not get his Gospel from. He did not get it from those who were directly taught by Christ himself. Paul preached a Gospel which he called “my gospel” in Rom 2:16 and 16:25, not received from any man or taught by any man but rather revealed to him directly from Jesus Christ. He further claims that he did not go up to Jerusalem to the Apostles but rather he went to Arabia and Damascus, Gal (1:17). After three years he went to Jerusalem [he stayed in Arabia and Damascus for 3 years, doing what exactly?]. Later he says that he only spoke with Peter and James. After that he went preaching the Gospel to the Gentiles. After fourteen years of preaching he went back to Jerusalem and privately told them, who were of reputation, about the Gospel he preached. He was fearful of the Jews and Nazarens who would not approve of his eliminating the Law completely [why fear if it is straight from Jesus Christ?].

Q. What exactly was Paul’s religion at birth?

A. Page 61. Paul was a Tarsus and originally a Heathen. Paul said, “I am a man from Tarsus of Cilicia, a citizen of an important city. Now I ask you, let me speak to the people”, Acts 21:39. Paul came to Jerusalem, stayed there for some time, and had a mind to marry the High Priest’s daughter; on the account he because a proselyte, and was circumcised. Afterward, not obtaining the young woman, he was angry, and wrote against Circumcision, against the Sabbath, and against the keeping of the Law.
A person could be born a Jew and later because the most basic tenants of the faith will make them a Heathen. How can a person be a Jew if they do not keep and adhere to the Law and commandments?

Q. Was Paul a charlatan and chameleon?

A. Page 62. He is Jew with the Jews and a Heathen with the Gentiles, Acts 21:20-26. A man who teaches two completely different teachings to two different type of people. When he is with the Nazarens (Disciples), he follows the Law of Moses, but when he is with the Gentile Christians, he teaches them that the Law is abolished.

Q. What was the purpose of Jesus?

A. Page 65. As per the Nazarens, Jesus was here to reform the Law and strike out the abuses which had gradually crept in upon it. Pharisees had almost wholly perverted, transformed, and made it of no effect, by their Traditions, Explications, and even Dispensations. They had Gospel of the Hebrews, the Apostles for the true guidance of the message of Jesus.

Q. What were the two groups?

A. Page 67. Jews believing in Christ who kept the Law and Gentile Christians who abolished the Law.

Q. Did the Disciples encourage the Gentile Christians to keep the Law?

A. Page 70. The Disciples did not encourage the Gentile Christians to keep the Law, but they insisted the Law should be kept by the Nazarens. Disciples disagreed with Acts 10:35. You cannot pretend to be accepted by God just because you make your own rules of doing good and follow them.

Q. What does Paul say to eat?

A. Page 75. Eat everything that offered without asking any questions. But if it is said that some food was an offering to an idol, do not eat that food, Cor 10:25-32.

Q. Which writer does John dislike?

A. Page 77. John dislikes Epiphanius whom he says was ignorant of Grammar, History, Chronology, and Hebrew tongue.

Q. What was the true original plan of Jesus?

A. Page 78. Jesus’ plan was to only correct the Jews and none other, no Gentiles.

Q. What Law did the great lawgiver Paul bring?

A. Page 53. Paul basically said do what ever comes into your head and do not observe anything from the Jewish law, Gal 4:10, Col 2:16.

Q. What was done on the Sabbath?

A. Page 81. Heal sick people by oils, Jam 5:14-15, Mar 6:13. These were the Cerinthians and Ebionites. They were hated by the Gentile Christians for not parting with the Law.

Q. What did Jerome call Jewish Synagogues?

A. Page 85. Synagogues of Satan. He hated the Jews observing the Law or Sabbath.

Q. What does John say about Mahometan?

A. Page 87. John does not have a Quran, All his information is from hearsay and is concluding that the Gospel must be an ancient copy of Barnabas or some other copy of Christian Heresy. He bases his conclusion solely on the fact that Muslims have the same exact Laws as the Jews regarding dietary habits and Levitical Laws.

Q. Who talks about faith and works?

A. Page 88. James says you need both and that faith without works has no meaning. By works in it intended to mean Levitical rites. Paul says you only need faith. Another mystery in Christianity regarding faith and works, Paul or James. This is the main reason today’s Christians are condescending to Muslims when they see the Muslims praying, fasting, and giving obligatory charity; all the religious duties Jesus performed in his life and encouraged all Jews—not gentiles—to perform also.

Q. What was the difference between Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians?

A. Page 91. Jewish Christians obey and observe all Jewish Laws and accept Jesus, The Gentile Christian only observe not drinking blood and food offered to idols.

Q. What is Noachic law?

A. Page 95. The descendants of Noah were commanded with seven precepts: to establish laws, (and the prohibitions of) blasphemy, idolatry, adultery, bloodshed, theft, and eating the blood of a living animal.

Q. What does John call Christianity?

A. Page 97. Heathenish polytheism and idolatry, pious frauds and superstitious fopperies, sophistical subtitles and unintelligible mysteries, damning uncharitableness and inhuman perfections, vain pomp and ridiculous pageantry, absolute authority over conscience, making temporal rewards or punishments the means of supporting religion.

Q. Who misunderstood the message of Jesus and why?

A. Page 99. Jews and Gentiles. The reason was because the Monks were the sole transcribers, and the sole keepers of all books good or bad; but in the passage of time it because almost absolutely impossible to distinguish history from fable or truth from errors, as to the beginnings and the original monuments of Christianity.

Q. What is the mystery about the Disciples of Jesus?

A. Page 100. Only two things could be said about the Disciples: (1) They did not understood the message of Jesus, (2) They understood the message and since they were illiterate, they could not pen down the message themselves and false things were written about them.

Q. How does the mystery continue?

A. Page 102. Since the Nazarens or Ebionites are the first Christians from the Jews who accepted the message of Jesus and believed him to be the Christ; they lived with Jesus, they heard his words first hand, they knew him and spoke to him and lived with him, they were the true witnesses to all of the affairs, how could they be called heretics or people who misunderstood the message or form wrong conceptions of the doctrine? The Gentiles, who never met Jesus, never knew him in real life, started believing in Jesus long after his death, by the preaching of persons who also never met Jesus in real life, to have the truer message? Deifying a dead man and introducing former polytheism but claiming the name Christianity.

Q. What are the clever ways to hide the Gospel books?

A. Page 106. They don’t label is as Apocryphal, nor receive it as Canonical, but place it as Ecclesiastical book. Example being the Gospel of the Hebrews.

Q. What others sects were there at the time after the Nazarens?

A. Page 106. The Encratites (“self-controlled”) were an ascetic 2nd-century sect of Christians who forbade marriage and counselled abstinence from meat. Severians, a tribe or tribal union of early East Slavs from the 8th to the 10th centuries. Severian Encratites, a sect of gnostic Encratites, a 2nd-century sect of Christians. Severians, the followers of the 6th-century Patriarch Severus of Antioch.

Q. More sects?

A. Page 107. Valentinians and Marcionites and many others; all had Apostolical Succession in their mouth.

Q. How does Paul say about other writings?

A. Page 109. Fables and endless genealogies, Tim 1:4. Such as Megaletor.

Conclusion

John is an interesting character; he never obtained a copy of the Quran because the Quran was translated into English in 1734 by George Sale. John Toland died in 1728. In his book he calls Muslims “Heathens”, without even knowing their doctrine or the Quran so that tells me that this man was not truly searching for truth but just wanted to collect and read books for his delight and write things to impress the upper echelons. He does rebuke many people for insulting the Jews who follow the Law and also insisted that the Disciples followed the Law because this was the original teachings of Jesus. John never clearly says that the current Christianity is an abomination, deformity, abhorrent and perverse form Heathenism. Probably because he still wants to visit and be friends with the upper clan and not get excommunicated; which he did later on by writing another book which we will discuss later.