Edouard Marie Gallez: THE MESSIAH AND HIS PROPHET - At the origins of Islam.

Volume I: From Qumran to Muhammad. 524 pages.

Volume II: From the Muhammad of the Caliphs to the Muhammad of History. 582 pages.
Editions de Paris 2005.

At the Grand Seminary of Vannes, in the years 1956-1957, Father Théry, a Dominican, had given us an interesting
conference on the origins of Islam. He argued that the Quran originated from the lessons of a Jewish rabbi given to
Mohammed took a lot from the Old Testament. The Arabs of Mecca had spread it during their
conquests. Under the pseudonym of Hannah Zacharias, Father Théry had published several books in this regard... Since then, in
the presentation of the origins of Islam, even in historical studies, I remained unsatisfied: most of the
At the time, we only spoke of the revelation of the Quran made to Muhammad by the archangel Gabriel on behalf of Allah;
a few words only on the final formatting of the Book by the care of Omar and the destruction of the manuscripts
The disciples were mentioned by some specialists... Historical-critical research in biblical literature we
was used to something else....

Out of curiosity, I found traces of P. Théry and his works on the Internet, as well as some research.
Recent findings on the origins of Islam. Among them, developed versions of the thesis by Father Edouard Marie.
Gallez, supported in Strasbourg in 2004 published in two volumes and entitled "The Messiah and his prophet, to
origins of Islam. " Since the book was available at the diocesan library, I was able to dedicate some time
in reading this book and I am trying to present it here. But I admit that I do not have enough of
historical knowledge of these periods, especially in the Middle East, and to ignore the Arabic or Hebrew language
to benefit from all the research done by the author and the countless notes in the work.
The T I, in its first part, is a dive into messianic and eschatological literature.
She is present in the last two centuries before Christ and in the early centuries of our era. The
Bible specialists surely know 'the Inter-Testamental Writings' published by the Pléiade in
1987. They give access to all these movements of which the history of the early Christian centuries keeps the
souvenir: messianic movements, gnostic movements, etc.… The author will embark on the study,
comparison of these texts and others like those of Philo or Flavius Joseph to see the filiations, the
incompatibilities, sometimes the manipulations. It is in this research that he compares the Essene movement,
focused on Qumran "at the tree that hides the forest," the forest represented by all these religious currents that
endure, transform as the Essenes disappear into the throes of the Jewish revolt of 66-
The Qumran manuscripts have more diverse origins than the Essene origin...
E-M Gallez (E.M.G) conducts a precise study of the main texts: he seeks to shed light on
the originality of certain messianic texts. It is in this way that he studies at length the Testament of the Twelve
Patriarchs. More quickly, the second book of Baruch, the Apocalypse of Elijah, the 4thBook of Ezra and the
Parables of Enoch. There is a certain unity in these often revised, transformed writings. This current
Messianic distinguishes itself from Orthodox Jews (Rabbanites) and from Christians, who were also divided during this period.
through the disputes over the divinity of Christ. It reveals the expectation of a celestial figure (some speak of the
Messiah Jesus, Son of Mary, reserved during the crucifixion and taken up to heaven; he will return to restore
the chosen people in its rights and its laws; to restore the Temple and its worship and to reestablish Jerusalem at the center
of the world; then will come the final destruction of its enemies. The proponents of this messianism live in
the waiting for Jesus recognized as Messiah and simply messiah but not as Son of God. Jesus will return
to establish the Kingdom of God in Jerusalem and on earth. They will be able to contribute by the strength of arms
to this establishment of the Kingdom...

In the second part of this volume, the author will explore the history of the early centuries in search of the
traces of these often rebellious messianists, hunted down, but always present until the 7thcentury.The
Revolts like the one in 135 are known, but there are others known only by a few traces.
left in the grand history of the Byzantine Empire and noted by one or another of its chroniclers
long period: during the 4ththcentury for example, then during the Iranian expedition of the Sassanids to
Jerusalem in 614...
It remains to find the origin of this movement. We know, through the Acts of the Apostles, the first
the community of Jerusalem led by James, 'the brother of the Lord', James the Just... Their gospel is
the Gospel of Matthew written in Aramaic, the prayer is made by turning towards Jerusalem. The crises of
The year 70 will break this Judeo-Christian community. Thus, later, the Church Fathers speak
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of groups that emanate from it: the Ebionites for example, whom they describe as abstaining from wine and waiting
the return of the messiah…Sometimes, moreover, some confuse them, mistakenly, with the Gnostic sects. Others
talk about Nazarenes...(In Jean Daniélou and Henri Marrou-New History of the Church: I - from the origins to
Gregory the Great, several chapters on the crisis of Judeo-Christianity and its expansion in the Middle Ages
Orient; ch. 3 to 6 pp 59-110. passim
The term 'Judeo-Nazarene' is a term created by Edouard Marie Gallez to distinguish it from the
many other currents. This identification allows him to locate it better: it is present in the regions
on the fringes of imperial power (Syria, then Yatrib); he develops a vision of history and the world
focused on salvation and this salvation, its proponents are convinced that they are chosen by God to bring it, if necessary by
the force, to allow this return of the messiah. Some of their prayers announce the shahada of the Muslims.
The T II can now address the question of the origins of Islam and its links with Judaism and
Christianity is precisely the Nazarene Jewish movement illuminated by volume I that allows it to see the
the genesis of this religion. It is the beginning of an exciting but difficult reading. Let us be content to quote the
main stages of this investigation.
THE QURANIC DOCUMENTS AND THEIR STUDY...
First, the first part addresses Muslim tradition directly to enter into the reading of
Quran and to highlight the questions and difficulties that arise... The researcher encounters the sacred book, the
Quran but also Tradition, the Sunna. The Sunna and its collections of hadiths, attributed to the Prophet or to his
close, indicate the way to read and understand the Quranic text. Together they form a block where it is
Difficult if not impossible to appeal to historical sources. There is no mention of the current.
Jew of Nazareth.
Fortunately, the origins of Islam have been studied by Muslims themselves, especially in the
first centuries of their history and also by Eastern Christians, then those of the West - and for these
less since the Middle Ages. Finally, in our time, studies are multiplying and often with new costs.
It is already known that Islamic sources are late and date back 150 to 300 years after the period they refer to.
are supposed to describe. Furthermore, we do not possess any copy of the Quran prior to the 9th.thcentury; the
the oldest fragmentary manuscripts are from the end of the 7th centuryor from the beginning of the 8thcentury and their study
systematics is in its early stages and is not easy (see the case of the Quranic fragments found in a
cache of the Sanaa mosque, discovered in 1972, photographed by Gerd Puin, a scholar
German, and part of the images have been censored by the Yemeni authorities). This makes it difficult to study
these old documents.
A RESEARCH ON CERTAIN TEXTS OF THE QURAN
Edouard Marie Gallez (EMG) studies certain texts of the Quran to raise questions:
Thus, Muhammad's night journey to the sky to receive the Quran that he forgets which compels the angel
Gabriel later dictated it to him. Why does Muhammad go to Jerusalem to ascend to heaven? Isn't it?
So that the Quran gains the label of revealed religion? Is it not also so that Jerusalem is recognized?
as a holy place of Islam?
Thus, Surah 5 (the Surah of the Table) highlights strange expressions: verse 116.
criticism of Christians for placing Mary, the mother of Isa-Jesus, in the Trinity. The error would stem from the fact that the
The word Spirit is feminine in Aramaic and could thus be referred to as the Mother of Jesus.
It detects shifts in the meaning of certain terms; it highlights this in surah 5.
pp 74-98): while verse 82 of the said surah 5 indicates that the Nazarenes are close to the Muslims, at
v.51, it is recommended for them not to befriend the yahud (the Jews) and the nazarene (term
who now designates the Christians)... Shift in meaning: the term 'Nazarenes' initially referring to the
Judeo-Nazarenes, according to the author, before designating later the Christians and the word that had designated them until then,
mushrikun (associators) became free to designate the polytheists of Mecca who opposed
Muhammad... Similarly, the word "Umma" designating the community of believers becomes reserved for the
Muslims when they are only a handful of faithful...
EMG studies other passages of the Quran, following other researchers such as Régis Blachère and
Antoine Moussali. Thus, Surah 61 (t II pp 135-153). The entirety of the Surah appears as a
parallel between Moses and Jesus where the people refuse to recognize in them messengers of God. But verse 6
It poses a problem because there are two versions: the official version naming an Ahmad (for Muhammad)

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announced by Isa-Jesus, son of Mary and the version said by Ubayy in which the same Isa-Jesus announces a
prophet whose ummah will be the last and through whom God will put a seal on the prophets and messengers.
Which one is authentic? Perhaps neither one. Both Quranic versions would be additions to
more coherent primitive text without them. But these verses and others (s.33, 7 and 40) present Muhammad
like the crowning in the succession of prophets. The author emphasizes that the verse is poorly balanced.
by the mention of "and of you" and would be an addition for him.

MUHAMMAD, A PROPHET?
Traditionally, Muhammad is attributed the title of prophet. But what is the reality?
pp 98-114
According to Muslim sources, this title was recognized for him late: the inscription on the Dome of the Rock at
Jerusalem (694) only designates him as messenger (rasul) like Isa-Jesus; a meeting between
Bishop Jean and the emir of Homs (644) do not mention Muhammad or the Quran: the emir refers to the Torah in Hebrew and
the Maghra law, that of the muhajirun (The Emigrants, those who made the Emigration to Yatrib), first
designation of believers before that of Muslims...
When he is referred to as a prophet in Jewish sources, for example in 'The Didache of Jacob' (before
640) or 'The Secrets of Rabbi Simon', Jewish apocalypse of the 8ththcentury, it's because Muhammad is
considered by these orthodox Jews (Rabbanites) as the one who precedes the Messiah, a new Elijah in some way
sort, and not the messenger of a new religion.
WHAT ARE MUHAMMAD'S SOURCES OF INSPIRATION?
These are Muslim sources that report the sources of inspiration of Muhammad.
131) of which traces can be found in the Quran (s.25,4-5; s 41,44; s 75,17-18; s 16, 103). The traditions
Muslims cite various figures presented as having played a role with Muhammad but their
historicity is not guaranteed: the monk Bahira-Sargis (Serge added to his name, is a popular saint among
the Christians of Syria) known from a Syriac writing from before 828; several names of Jews converted to Islam, a
Perse, an Arab; Zayd, Muhammad's Jewish secretary who knows Arabic, Hebrew, and is learning Syriac.
the request of his master; finally, Waraqa, cousin of Khadijah, the wife of Muhammad, designated as
priest; he is the one who would have married them. He would have been a Nazarene and would have translated the Hebrew gospel, that is to say the
Matthew's version in Aramaic, the only gospel of the Nazarenes and named the Injil in the Quran; another
the author claims that he was part of the group of the Qurays or Qorashites.

A proto-Islam? (T II pp 132-135)
This character is amazing and the others mentioned allow EMG to sketch the traits of a proto-
Islam which aligns with the entirety of its thesis: the Judeo-Nazarenes engaged with a
Arabs of the Quraish and won them over to their messianism. Waraqa played a major role through the ties.
established between the families and the two groups, Messianic Jews and Qorashites but also as a translator of
the gospel and undoubtedly other texts that will be included in the Quran: catechesis intended for the Arabs;
He will not be the only one doing this work: Zayd will continue later and up to the caliphs... Several have thought about it.
eme
from the 8th century in the East but this influence was attributed to the Orthodox Jews and not to the Judeo-Nazarenes.

HISTORY OF THE QURANIC TEXT (vol II, pp 179-265)

°EMG then discusses the origins of the Quran as we know it. It is during the arrival to power
from the Umayyads in Damascus that the memory of the warrior-preacher Muhammad, who died in 632, is restored.
honor. And at the beginning, it seems, by opponents of the caliphate. This is for the reminder of origins but also
like the necessary messenger to stand against the Jews to whom Moses gave the Torah and the Christians to
who Jesus gave the Gospels. Muhammad is the one who gave the Arabs the Quran, their sacred book.
But what is the origin of this text and how did we arrive at the current text?
First, what does the word Quran or Qur'an mean: the root qr' means to read or recite in public; in Syriac,
The word qeryana referred to what we today call a lectionary of biblical texts. Jews and
Christians used such lectionaries under the term miqr'a; the same applies to the term surah.
designates the chapters in the Quran: its origin would be the word sura which means in Hebrew Targum a
element of the scroll-book but it can also be related to the Hebrew root sîr (to sing which gives sîra,
chant: this would be the most suitable meaning based on biblical similarities.

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It is about an Arabic lectionary called the Quran in several surahs (s.43; s.13; s.20)
but it would not be the text that we now call the Quran.
In the current Quran, which biblical texts are most frequently mentioned?
The prophets are mentioned but always as a group...
The psalter of David is mentioned only once: "Yes, they will inherit the Earth, my servants, good people."
a clearly messianic text.
° But it is the Torah and the Gospel (the Injil) that are often cited together. The Gospel in question is that of
Matthias in Aramaic, the only one known among the Judeo-Nazarenes. The lectionary in use among them and its translation in
The usage among the rallied Arabs consisted of the Torah and the Injil. In a text with a polemical tone, one ...
"Then bring forth a Book from God that guides better than these two, that I may follow it" (s.28, 49);
The reproach directed at Rabbanite Jews is that they do not apply the Torah on certain points and the gospel,
particularly for not having received the Messiah Isa-Jesus. But often, reproaches are directed at Christians,
the polytheists or associators: the main thing, indeed, is having 'set alongside God another god.'
Many passages are allusions to these leaves of the lectionary derived from the Torah or the Gospel.
The author highlights certain aspects during his work on the Quranic text.
An interesting part of the work is the study of the CALIPH'S QURAN: it is to study the long
the editing work of the Quran that we know and the processes implemented to achieve it.
First, EMG tries to set the dates that may be useful to its purpose.
In 638, the project of the Arabs and the Judeo-Nazarenes from Medina (Yathrib) is achieved: Jerusalem is
Conquered, the reconstruction of the Temple is undertaken even if it is in a summary way. But the Messiah
announced does not descend from heaven to establish the expected universal earthly power...
Hence the break between the Judeo-Nazarenes and their Arab allies. The latter, disciples of Muhammad, are
now consider themselves as the true people of God and reject, sometimes violently, the Judeo-Nazarene.
Ancient Muslim traditions keep the memory of it, Christian sources speak of jealousy and
of expulsions around 640. Perhaps the conflict with the rabbinic Jews present in Jerusalem also played a role.
role in the breakup.
Then, for Caliph Umar, the lieutenant of God on earth, it becomes necessary to justify power.
acquired by the Arabs. The Jews have the Torah and the Talmuds, the Christians have the New Testament.
The only writings in Arabic that the victors had were those that the Judeo-Nazarene had translated.
for them: the lectionary-Quran, partial translations of other texts but also occasional writings
intended for the catechesis of the Arabs.
Muslim traditions speak of several collections of the Quranic texts: in Kufa and Basra (Iraq),
in Syria, in Medina. The necessity of a single text becomes essential, if only for the soldiers: they are
find themselves facing various versions, which generates disputes among them. Umar and the caliphs of Damascus will
to work on this edition. Under the control of power, the work consists of collecting, deleting, and adding and
this for nearly 80 years. The text will be divided into 114 surahs: it is their length that determines their place
in the book and not their supposed dictation date. It is then difficult to assign a date to the different
texts. The collections in circulation until then will be destroyed, but was this undertaking completed?
era?
Finally, this organization of texts from different origins also aims to present the Quran.
like a third revelation completing those of Moses and Jesus and addressed this time to the
Arabs. The Quran says that the inhabitants of Mecca were polytheists and they opposed Muhammad who,
with a few followers, takes refuge in Yathrib. It is even the date that marks the beginning of the Muslim era 622
which is designated as the Hijra (The Emigration).
But historical studies from the 20th century teach us that there were Christian Arabs before.
Muhammad and they use the word Allah to refer to God... Archaeological excavations have revealed
evidence of the presence of bishoprics along the Arab shore of the Persian Gulf, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates
Unis; others reveal the evangelization of both sedentary populations and nomadic populations; it is
the work of the Nestorian or Jacobite churches and their monks; it is better understood this way that the
Judeo-Nazarenes wanted to win over these recently Christianized populations and sometimes
still malleable. Some texts, including Muslim ones, highlight the freedom enjoyed by the
women in this society: some led tribes; some will be determined opponents to

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Muhammad; The presence of female monastic communities in these regions may explain the place
importance of the Arab woman at this time...
The study conducted by EMG on several surahs shows the insertions in the text that change the meaning of
certain words or the forgetting of certain expressions (the Holy Spirit of the original leaves thus becomes the spirit
of the Saint and refers to the angel Gabriel). The ultimate goal is to reinforce the feeling that the third revelation is
addressed by Allah to the Arabs, descendants of Ishmael, son of Abraham.

WOULDN'T IT BE IN SYRIA THAT EVERYTHING WOULD HAVE BEGUN? (T II pp 267-335)

Based on the research from the previous two parts, based on indications from Arab authors or from
Eastern Christians, the author turns to the geography and history of Syria. A certain number
of indices allow him to see the region where Islam was born.
Among these clues:
° The ancient presence of the Qoréchites or the Quraysh tribe in Syria: around 485, their raids of pillaging are
reported in Syrian regions. In the following century, they became prosperous merchants and this
change of plea for a Christianization. Moreover, the main generals of Muhammad will be
Qorechites.
A careful study of place names in Syria also reveals other clues, particularly in 4 regions.
there are names reminiscent of the Nazarenes and also the Qurays (Quraish). For the latter, it would be
starting points of trade routes to the sea or Mesopotamia
Then, the research focuses on these Qurays, presented in the Sunna as the pagans of Mecca.
hostile to Muhammad. Arab sources, cited by Ibn Khaldun, see them imposing themselves on the Arabs.
from the north of Syria. The important event is the Hijrah, the 'Judeo-Arab' emigration from Syria to Yathrib
who will become Medina and the date of the beginning of the Muslim era (622). The author suggests that this is the period when the
Basileus reconquers the lands lost during the Sassanid invasion of 614. The Judeo-Nazarene and the
Arabs who had participated in this invasion would have captured this distant city to seek refuge.
from which they will depart for the conquest of new lands, particularly Jerusalem...
But Syria holds other discoveries: the tomb of Ismail or a city named Mekka (Moka)
from Ptolemy) in the region of Petra. One of the directions of prayer for Muslims was Jerusalem at
the origin (as for the Jews and the Judeo-Nazarenes); but after the conquest of Jerusalem and the non-return
of the Messiah, the direction of prayer is towards the north, the East or the West depending on the city inhabited but it would be
always towards Syria. Jacques d'Edesse believes that it is towards a Ka'ba, ancient sanctuary of the Qurays or of
Nazarenes.
What about Mecca and the Kaaba, which is one of its main monuments?
Mecca, the holy city of Islam, is presented in Muslim tradition as a city famous for
his trade and his wealth and the birthplace of Muhammad. The historian Patricia Crone, after examining
antique sources conclude that this city is not known at the time for its commerce, its
port, its junction of caravan paths: it is too remote. Did Muhammad even live there? And it turns out
as this holy city is a creation of the caliphs of Damascus. According to Muslim traditions, the Ka'ba
traces back to Abraham, if not to Adam.
Mecca, located in a mostly desert site, subject to the violent torrents that will destroy it.
sometimes, it becomes the holy city after 660 by the will of the Umayyads... The Ka'bah burned in 683 is
rebuilt the following year by a dissident leader, then reconstructed according to standards in 692.

WHO IS MUHAMMAD REALLY? (T II pp 335-489)

Muhammad deserves, first of all, that we try to understand the meaning of his name and to outline as much as
to make the historical portrait of this personality.
This name does not appear before him but then becomes a very common first name among Muslims.
Many researchers believe that it is a nickname. It remains to clarify its meaning. The Arabic word
It could be mhmd or Mhmt, but its meaning related to praise is difficult to grasp. Hebrew includes
a root hmd but with a meaning other than to praise: it revolves around the idea of 'desiring, coveting'. In the
Book of Daniel, the nickname given to the Prophet by the angel Gabriel is "is-hamudôt" or "man of
preferences" (cf. Dan. 9:23-24; 10:11 and 10:19). The equivalent term in Arabic would be "mu-hammad". The
Judean Nazarenes for whom Daniel, who announces the coming of the Son of Man, is a revered prophet would have
given to the Arab war chief, their ally, the nickname 'He who desires to please God.'
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 But Muslims translate this name as 'The Most Praiseworthy or The Most Renowned'. EMG explains this
evolution through an apologetic reason: Moses announced Jesus, a prophet coming after him (Dt 18). In the
p. 61, 6, an insertion announces a certain ahmad by Isa-Jesus. The commentators, using John
15, 26 and other verses where Jesus announces the coming of the Paraclete will take a detour through Syriac: the
Paraclete translates to Menahhemanna (comforter and reviver). The apologists of the caliph's court
will play on the consonants used in Greek for paraklétos and périklutos. The latter term means
literally "the one who is talked about around"; Jesus would thus have announced Muhammad, "the very
renowned.
The other mentions of this name in the Quran allow us to address other questions such as death.
Muhammad, the question of the selection of hadiths placed in the Quran, references to biblical texts or
references to Moses or Isa-Jesus, the great messengers (rasul) of God. This provides a thorough study of s.8
According to EMG, these two surahs would be a reinterpretation of events after a failure of the Arabs and
their allies in the march toward Jerusalem in 614 behind the Sassanids.
The historical 'Muhammad'. The author then tries in a few pages to outline 'the historical portrait
likely" of the one who plays a major role at that moment. In twenty pages (t II pp.369-389), he outlines the
important points of his itinerary.
Without knowing the year of his birth (between 580 and 590), we can follow the traditions that make him a
merchant who married Hadija, the wealthy merchant, the cousin of the priest Waraqa, a Judeo-Nazarene
who gives him 4 daughters. In 614, she died and Muhammad is part of the expedition against the Sassanids.
Jerusalem with the Judeo-Nazarenes. Even if for them the messianic aspect of this war was a failure,
They will draw the consequences from it.
Instead of returning to Syria, they settle in Ansiriyé near Saïda, close to Palestine, then, during
the Byzantine reconquest, they gain the oasis of Yatrib which they will name Medina.
The reconquest of Jerusalem, still on the agenda, requires the adherence of many other tribes.
Arabs, many of whom were already Christianized. Adherence or submission of these tribes and the promise of
butin and paradise where rivers of wine flow. Muhammad is invested in this mission.
Non-Muslim sources provide many insights into the Medina period:
The war chief that Muhammad has become is also, in the eyes of the rabbinic Jews, refugees as well to
Medina, a preacher who knows the Torah well and invites them to live according to the Law and to return to conquer.
Jerusalem. Some see there the new Elijah who announces the Messiah. But some are wary in front of this.
a man who uses violence to impose himself: he cannot be the expected prophet....
In relation to Arab Christians who await the return of Christ at the end of times, Muhammad also plays
on the return of the Messiah-Jesus. He thus gains allies on both fronts.
He thus prepares, through his messianic preaching, by rallying the Arab tribes, the conquest of Jerusalem.
and of the world "that belongs to those whom God has chosen to submit it to Him." It is a new Exodus.
that the muhajirun (the emigrants from Yathrib) undertook on the path of God… There was even an attempt
to take back Palestine in 629... but it was once again a failure.
It is also known that Muhammad died in Yathrib-Medina. The date: 832 in general; some sources
advances 629; others 634 while the conquests are underway and a Syrian chronicle recounts the
Battle of Gaza between the Romans (the Byzantines) and the Arabs of Muhammad on February 4, 634. It is
Moreover, the first mention in a written record of the name of this warrior preacher and this Arab victory is the
result of his political work and the Judeo-Nazarene messianic movement that he has adopted.
Before the general conclusion, NUMEROUS ANNEXES:
• Judeo-Nazarene archaeology with the study of 2 villages in Syria and the sign of the tâw discovering
the coexistence between sedentary Judeo-Nazarene and traveling Qorechites
• Mecquois Site and Islamic "New Jerusalem".
• Lieutenant of God or successor of the prophet of God.
• Five short Quranic studies.
• Medina, a biblical name attributed to Yathrib: a transition from Modin to Medina.
• Rasul and Nabiy in Judeo-Nazarene theology: rasul-messenger and nabiy-prophet.

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THE GENERAL CONCLUSION (t II pp.505-511) synthesizes all the work accomplished: 'The track
The research pursued here is one that has been seen for a long time but remained underexploited, at least
up to the most recent studies. This perspective spans over a thousand years of history - it certainly required two
takes to expose it - and the research will have to continue in multiple directions; but the results
obtained are sufficient to determine a new and decisive understanding of Islam.
The author recalls the starting point of the research: "the texts and testimonies of a movement
qualifiable as messianic, in the eschatological-warrior sense and determined to establish the Kingdom of God on the
land. »...Then, following the message of Jesus, after the destruction of the Temple in the year 70, a salvation ideology is born.
which is at once a counterfeit, a drift, and a reversal of the Kingdom of God announced by the
gospels. This ideology promoted by the movement referred to by the author as Judeo-Nazarism.
has persisted well beyond the two centuries that are recognized until now. Based on an ethnic reality
Jewish, it only opened up to the Arabs at the end of the 6th.thcentury.
It also summarizes the terminus ad quem: a better understanding of the historical origins of Islam.
Under Umar, the joint project of the Judeo-Nazarene and proto-Muslim communities resulted in such a
deadlock; another one is substituted for him; but the way of thinking remains the same. Simply, it has received a
new attire from historical and conceptual viewpoints, and has thus reached us.
Historical dressing by erasing the Jewish past and creating a fictitious Arab past through the creation of a city, La
Mecca, allegedly dating back to Abraham and through the compilation of selected papers from those that the
the Judeo-Nazarene had left in Arabic and were to manifest God's choice on the Arab nation in place
and the place of Israel.
Conceptual dressing that focuses on the Quran and its status is gradually being established. First,
Around 680, it is a book dictated by God to Muhammad, the war leader of origins. A century later,
the schema of the three revelations appears: Moses, Jesus, Muhammad. In the wake, the compiled draft
under Umar and many times revised afterwards attains the status of an uncreated Book, dictated word for word by the Angel
Gabriel.
As the author states, many questions are thus opened for future research. This research
will be "both specialized and necessarily transdisciplinary" to bear fruit.
The bibliography occupies more than 40 pages. Among the authors, those who paved the way: Louis of
Premiere with "At the Origins of Islam"... Patricia Crone with "Macca Trade and The Raising of Islam"
Christophe Luxenberg (Studies on Syriac and Aramaic in the Quran), Antoine Moussali, Lazarist priest
of Lebanese origin, passed away in 2003, and with whom the author worked for ten years.
The index of verses or groups of cited Quranic verses provides 480 references.
CONCLUSION
The Messiah and his prophet, at the origins of Islam, is a thesis. Like any thesis, it is a
opening, it opens new avenues, it normally allows for a debate. It is surely a work
imposing that addresses important issues for our time and the future. It deals with historical questions about
based on available sources; he sometimes calls on archaeology; he uses other exegesis methods
than the traditional ones from the Quran; the knowledge of languages such as Hebrew, Syriac, Greek, in addition
The Arabic language and its evolutions are welcome.
It sheds light on presentations of Islam that are emerging even in journals like 'Le
World of Religions'. I thus reread with interest the issue of September-October 2006 dedicated to the Quran; in particular
‘One must interpret the Quran by Malek Chebel’ and ‘The word confiscated by writing’ by Mohammed Arkoun.
recent television broadcasts providing platforms for researchers from various backgrounds and for Muslims who
seek ways to open Islam to current society, bringing in new elements even if they do not create
no allusion to this thesis.
It undoubtedly requires effort to study it, but I think it allows, in addition to the discoveries
on many points of history, a reasoned openness to the Muslim tradition.

Herménégilde Cadouellan