Words Deemed Blasphemous
Introduction
On this day, April 7, 1321 Brother Thomas of Tolentino and three other Franciscans witnessed for Christ. On either the 8
th or 9
th
of April, after torture, they were beheaded. Traveling toward China the
party had been detained near Bombay. A local Cadi summoned them to
discuss religion. Thomas and his associates upheld the divinity of
Christ. The Cadi then demanded to know what they thought of Mohammed.
Thomas replied that since Mohammed’s claims did not square with
Christ’s, the Cadi, if he were wise, should be able to determine what to
think of him. The Cadi and his attendants would not accept this evasive
reply but demanded a direct response. The answer below, when it came,
caused the Muslims to shout that Thomas had blasphemed the prophet and
to call for his death.
Quote
“Since ye can only repeat
What do I say of him,
I should blush to refuse the reply ye seek. I reply then, and tell you
that Muhammad is the son of perdition and has his place in hell with the
devil his father, and not he only but all such as follow and keep his
law, false as it is, and pestilent and accursed, hostile to God and the
salvation of souls.”
Source
The quote is from
Cathay and the Way Thither: Being a Collection of Medieval Notices of China. The date is from Internet encyclopedias and saints’ sites.
