22 The Preliminary Difcourje. Sed. I.
And alfo The Jnvs, who fled in great numbers into Arabia from the fearthejm
|-u| deftrudtion of their country by the Romans, made profelytes
o f feveral tribes, thofe o f Kenanah, al Hareth Ebn Caaba, and Ken-
dah1 in particular, and in time became very powerful, and pof-
feflfed of feveral towns and fortreffes there. But the JewiJh religion
was not unknown to the Arabs, at leaft above a century before;
Abu Curb Afad, taken notice of in the Koran % who was king of
Taman, about 700 years before Mohammed, is faid to have introduced
Judaifm among the idolatrous Hamyarites. Some of his fucceflors
alfo embraced the fame religion, one o f whom, Tufef, furnamed Dhu
Nowas», was remarkable for his zeal, and terrible perfection of all
who would not turn Jews, putting them to death by various tortures,
the moft common of which was throwing them into a glowing
pit of fire, whence he had the opprobrious appellation of the
Lord o f the pit. This perfecution is alfo mentioned in the Koran *.
AndChri- Chrijlianity had likewife made a very great progrefs among this nation,
before Mohammed. Whether St. Paul preached in any part of Arabia,
properly fo called*, is uncertain; but the perfecutions, and dif-
orders, which happened in the eaftern church foon after the beginning
of the third century, obliged great numbers of Chrifiians to
feek for fhelcer in that county of liberty; who being for the moft
part of the Jacobite communion, that fe£t generally prevailed among
the Arabs6. The principal tribes that embraced Chrijlianity, were
Hamyar, Ghajfan, Rabid, Taghlab, Bahra, Ponuch 7, part of the tribes
of Pay and ‘Kodaa, the inhabitants of Najrdn, and the Arabs of
Hira%. As to the two laft, it may be obferved, that thofe of Najrdn
became Chrifiians in the time of Dhu Nowas 0; and very probably,
i f the ftory be true, were fome of thofe who were converted on the
following occafion, which happened about that time, or not long before.
The Jews of Hamyar, challenged fome neighbouring Chrifiians,
to a publick difputation, which was held fub dio for three days,
before the king and his nobility, and all the people; the difputants
being Gregentius, bifhop of Pephra (which I take to be Dhafdr) for
the ChriJUans, and Herbanus for the Jews. On the third day, Her-
bonus, to end the difpute, demanded that Jefus of Nazareth, if he
were really living, and in heaven, and could hear the prayers of his
worfhippers, fhould appear from heaven in their fight, and they would
1 Al Moftatraf. 2 Chap. 50. 3 See before p. 10. & Baronii annal. ad fee. VI. A Chap. 85.
See Galat. i. 17: 6 Abulfarag. p, 149. 7 A l Moftatraf. s V. Poc. Spec. p. 137. 9 Al
Jannab. apud Poc. Spec. p. 63.
then
then believe on him ; the Jews crying out with one voice, Shew us
your Chrift, alas, and we will become Chriftians. Whereupon, after a
terrible ftorm of thunder and lightning, Jefus C£n-/2 appeared in the
air, furrounded with rays of glory, walking on a purple cloud, having
a-fword in his hand, and an ineftimable diadem on his head, and
fpake thefe words over the heads of the affembly; Behold I appear to
you in your fight, I , who was crucified by your fathers. After which the
cloud received him from their fight. The ChriJUans cried out Kyrie
eleefon, i. e. Lord, have mercy upon us-, but thejew s were ftricken blind,
and recovered not, till they were all baptized '.
The Chrifiians at Hira, received a great acceflion by feveral tribes,
who fled thither for refuge from the perfecution of Dhu Nowds. A l
Nooman, furnamed Abu Kabus, king o f Hira, who was flain a few
months before Mohammed’s birth, profeffed himfelf a Chrifiian on
the following occafion. This prince, in a drunken fit, ordered two of
his intimate companions, who overcome with liquor had fallen
afleep, to be buried alive. When he came to himfelf, he was ex-
treamly concerned at what he had done, and to expiate his crime,
not only raifed a monument to the memory of his friends, but fet a-
part two days, one of which he called the unfortunate, and the other
the fortunate day, making it a perpetual rule to himfelf, that whoever
met him on the former day, fhould be flain, and his blood
fprinkled on the monument, but he that met him on the other day,
fhould be difmiffed in fafety, with magnificent gifts. On one of thofe
unfortunate days, there came before him accidentally an Arab, o f
the tribe of Pay, who had once entertained this king, when fatigued
with hunting, and feparated from his attendants. The king, who
could neither difeharge him, contrary to the order of the day, nor
put him to death, againft the laws of hofpitality, which the A -
rabians religioufly obferve, propofed, as an expedient, to give the unhappy
man a year’s refpite, and to fend him home with rich gifts,
for the fupport of his family, on condition, that he found a furety
for his returning at the year’s end, to fuffer death, t One of the
prince’s court, out of compaflion, offered himfelf as his furety, and
the Arab was difeharged. When the laft day of the term came,
and no news of the Arab, the king, not at all difpleafed, to fave
his hoft’s life, ordered the furety to prepare himfelf to die. Thofe
who were by reprefented to the king, that the day was not yet expired,
and therefore he ought to" have patience till the evening: but
1 V. Gregentii difput. cum Herbano Judaeo.
m