veneration by sending him goods and servants, building churches for him, and loading him with favours. But even such high distinction and patronage could not save the Christian deputation from being humiliated by the authorities of Islam. When they presented themselves before Mohammed, they were clothed in fine raiment, lined with silk; and the prophet, observing this, refused to speak with them till they had first stript themselves of their fine robes (probably the gifts of Christian princes), and put on the monastic dress instead. So plainly they were given to understand, at the outset, that they must not presume to carry their heads high, or pretend to a position of equality, before the Mussulmans and their prophet.

Ibn Ishak, in the following words, summarises the exposition of their faith, which they gave on that occasion: 'Like all the Christians they said, "Jesus is God, the Son of God, and the third of three." They proved His being God, from His having raised the dead, healed the sick, revealed the hidden, made the form of a bird out of clay, and converted it into a real bird by breathing into it. They proved His being the Son of God, from no father being known of Him, and from His having spoken already in the cradle, which no other child of man had done before Him. They proved further that He is the third of three, namely, God, Christ, and Mary, because it is said, "We have created, we have decreed;" whereas if God were one, it would have to be said, I have created, I have decreed."'

This summary is obviously not one of diplomatic exactness, but was made from a Mohammedan point of view, so as to admit of an easy and triumphant refutation in the Koran. For no Bishop of the orthodox Catholic Church and distinguished theologian, of those days, could possibly have represented the Holy Trinity to consist of God, Christ, and Mary, after the whole Eastern world had been resounding for centuries with the profound and searching controversies and the sharply defined dogmas respecting that fundamental subject of the Christian Faith. But how could it be expected that the founder of a rival religion should fairly examine and duly weigh the arguments in favour of Christianity, which, if accepted, would have left no room whatever for

the very existence of Islam? Instead of wishing to be enlightened on the all-important subject of Christianity, Mohammed's one desire plainly was, to show its insufficiency and imperfection, so as to enhance the superior claims of his own rival system.

The result of his controversy with the Najranite Christians and their learned Bishop, as communicated by Ibn Ishak, fully confirms this view. He says: 'When the priests had thus spoken with Mohammed, he called upon them to become Moslems. They replied, "We are Moslems" (i.e. resigned and surrendered to God). He repeated his request, and they answered, "We have long been Moslems." Then Mohammed said: "You lie: if you were Moslems, you would not affirm that God has a Son, would not worship the cross, nor eat swine's flesh." Thereupon they asked: "Who, then, was Christ's Father?" Mohammed remained silent, giving no answer at all. Then, in order to refute these words, God revealed the Sura Al-i-Amran (the third), up to beyond its eightieth verse.' In the Koran Mohammed had his own way and found it easy, without being staggered by opposing argumentation, to enunciate the nullity of the Christian doctrines, or rather what he represented as such; and to declare that 'the true religion before God is Islam' (Sura iii. 17), or 'the Faith of Abraham, who was neither a Jew, nor a Christian, but a Hanif and a Moslem' (Sura iii. 60). Mohammed also made a proposal, to settle the question of superiority between Christianity and Islam, by a mutual invocation of God's wrath upon the party in the wrong (Sura iii. 54); and, in doing so, he may have been looking not only to God's retributive judgment, but equally to his own material power for preventing or producing the intended effects of such invocation. No wonder the Christians declined the proposed strange method of solving doctrinal problems.

As the views and arguments of the Najranite Christians had to give way before Mohammed's religious dictatorship, so also their civil rights and national independence had to succumb to the overbearing power of the political despot. The Christian commissioners were sent back to their country in the company of Abu Obeida, who had to go with them