I learn from incidents here and there that some of the priests are giving vent to the utmost condemnation of us, that is the Catholic priests, that they attribute any sort of thing to us, pronounce anathema, and say we are the cause of misleading the people. We say nothing as regards them, nothing at all. But we shall mention this much, and this is to awaken you that you may be aware that such conversations, such speeches, such calumnies and libels are not specialized to us. It has always been thus.
In the time of Abraham, religious leaders, Pharisees Haran, anathemized His Holiness Abraham, saying, "This person is satan, He misleads the people; He misguides them; He pronounces evil words with regard to our idols; this person must be killed." At best because the government was rather fair, the learned men assembled and decided that His Holiness Abraham should be rescued and they caused him to flee. Thus the alienation of Abraham from his native land was caused by the anathema of the priests. "Abraham," they said, "is misguided and misguiding the people."
Then we come to the. period of Moses. All the priests of Egypt pronounced anathema regarding Moses, saying, "This person is the cause of corruption and sedition and this person must be killed. He must be effaced."
Then we come to the time of Christ. When His Holiness Christ appeared, the first people who objected to His Holiness were the Jewish priests. They said, "This Christ is not the promised Christ, this Christ is an imposter." They then pronounced the name which means in the Arabic The Ugly One, and according to the text of the Gospel the name of His Holiness was made to read Beelzebub, and this is an explicit text of the Gospel.
That glorious personage was debased; that Heavenly Radiance they pronounced as darkness; that Guide of the nations was accounted as misguidance of the people; that personified Spirit they pronounced as sheer body. All the rabbis of the Jews assembled forming a great body of learned men famous among the Jews and they consulted together regarding the killing or martyrdom of His Holiness Christ. They left no calumny unapplied to Him. There was no word of detestation which they did not pronounce regarding Him. At last they pronounced His death sentence, saying that Christ is both misguided and misguiding the people and deserving of punishment or killing, that His blood should be spilled but after due trial.