eSword - John of Damascus

Thanks to Kevin P. Edgecomb at biblicalia blog, an English translation of John of Damascus' the Heresy of the Ishmaelites is now available as an e-Sword topic file.

Kevin graciously gave permission to port his translation over to e-Sword earlier this week. The file is now available in my eSword Islam folder on eSnips at:

http://esnips.com/web/eSword-Islam

Here's a brief sample:

And there is also the up until now strong and people-deceiving superstition of the Ishmaelites, being the forerunner of Antichrist. And it is born from Ishmael, who was born from Hagar to Abraham, from which they are called Hagarenes and Ishmaelites. And they call them Saracens, as from Σαρρας κενοι (those empty of Sarah), because of what was said by Hagar to the angel: “Sarah has sent me away empty.” So then, these were idolaters and reverenced the morning star and Aphrodite, who they indeed named Khabar in their own language, which means great. Therefore, until the time of Heraclius, they were plainly idolaters. From that time and until now came up among them a false prophet called Mamed, who, having encountered the Old and New Testament, as it seems, having conversed with an Arian monk, he put together his own heresy. And under the pretext of seeming pious, attracting (?) people, he reported that a book was sent down to him from heaven by God. Therefore some of the compositions written by him in a book, worthy of laughter, which he handed down to them as an object of reverence.

Hilaire Belloc drew on John of Damascus for Belloc's later work, The Great Heresies. Christian apologists should be familiar with both works and their arguements. You'll find chapter four of Belloc's The Great Heresies on The Great and Enduring Heresy of Mohammed in the same folder.

Source: biblicalia blog