“The Angel Gabriel Reveals to the Prophet Muhammad the Eighth Sura of the Qur’an”
(16th-century illustration from the Ottoman Turkish epic “Siyer-i Nebi”)
In his 8th-century refutation of Islam, The Heresy of the Ishmaelites, St. John Damascene laid the foundation for future Eastern Orthodox polemics against Islam and its founder, the Prophet Muhammad. John criticizes Muhammad’s moral character, accusing him of devising the religion of Islam—a Christian heresy by the saint’s estimation—for his own personal gain. Throughout the following centuries, prominent Orthodox Christian writers, from St. Gregory Palamas to St. Justin Popović, continued to attack Muhammad’s moral character, frequently claiming that he had spread Islam by the sword and had commanded his followers to do likewise. Such a view was perhaps inevitable given that Arab and Turkish conquests of Byzantine lands were often portrayed by Muslims themselves as the realization of the Prophet’s military goals. Even the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453 was interpreted as fulfilling one of Muhammad’s prophecies in the hadith. To this day, Muhammad is often looked upon by Orthodox Christians as someone who stood in total opposition to our faith. Read More
