The Holy War — Page 137
Proceedings—Debate 29 May 1893 137 from among the Christians considers Jesus to be God, the other sect rejects their claim, and the Jews forcefully reject their claims as well; furthermore, intellect also opposes these unreasonable ideas. And then there is that last Prophet, who has established with hundreds of proofs and Signs, that I am a true Prophet. Thus, despite so many proofs against it, what purpose can the idea of one particular sect serve? And even that, without any proofs that the Messiah was indeed God! And what respect does it merit being given? That is why I had said that since so many concerted attacks are being made on your claim, you should present such proof in order to establish the Divinity of the Messiah that is altogether free of igno- rance and obscurity, and regarding which no one could have any dif- ference of opinion. Unfortunately, you have not paid any attention to this and say that the prophecies you present are proofs and not claims. Dr. sahib, please ponder justly. When there are so many people standing over these prophecies to oppose and refute them, and the very people who are inheritors of the Old Testament do not accept the meanings that you ascribe to them, and when Christendom itself is split on the issue—then, are these not mere claims or are they something else? In other words, when the matter is in dispute among your own sects, you should first settle the issue with the Jews, then come to a decision with the Unitarians, and then, when everyone has come to an agreement that the Promised Messiah who was to come is indeed God, you can present this to the Muslims by way of a decisive argument. Then, you say that for us there is no need of any Signs in this age, that the Signs were specific to the earlier epochs, and that when an object is once established, what need is there for Signs? I say that had this matter been established, why would there have been so many disputes and why would there have been people present within your own faith to refute these meanings? Thus, since neither the soundness of these prophecies has been established, nor the claim by the Messiah that they apply to him, nor indeed consensus [among