batch.motif.islamic-koran-sale-gutenberg-l2224-l2298
---
record_id: batch.motif.islamic-koran-sale-gutenberg-l2224-l2298
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
passage_locator:
label: THE KORAN. / PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE / SECTION I. / SECTION II.; lines 2224-2298
start: '2224'
end: '2298'
translation: The Koran (Al-Qur'an)
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: ''
summary: The passage describes the state of Christianity, especially eastern churches,
around the time of Mohammed's appearance. It presents Christian institutions as
divided by doctrinal controversies, corrupted by clerical ambition, superstition,
bribery, political interference, violent rivalry for office, and general moral
decline, and says these conditions aided the spread of Mohammedism.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The section heading frames the passage as an account of Christianity, eastern
churches, Judaism, and the establishment of Mohammed's religion at the time of
Mohammed's appearance.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The passage says Christian groups were divided by controversies, schisms,
and contentions that destroyed peace, love, and charity among them.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: The passage says superstitions and corruptions were established in the church
of Rome during the described period.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: The passage says worship of saints and images had reached a scandalous pitch
and gave advantages to the propagation of Mohammedism.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: The eastern church is described as engaged in perpetual controversies and
torn by disputes involving Arians, Sabellians, Nestorians, and Eutychians.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:6
text: The passage describes contentious prelates travelling between councils and
clergy connected with court using dependants and bribery.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:7
text: Damasus and Ursicinus are described as contesting the episcopal seat at Rome
with open violence and murder.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:8
text: Viventius the governor is described as unable to suppress the violence and
as retiring into the country.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:9
text: The passage says 137 people were found killed in one day in the church of
Sicininus during the conflict.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:10
text: The passage describes bishops or officeholders as enriched by presents, travelling
in chariots and sedans, and feasting sumptuously.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:11
text: Constantius is described as confusing Christian religion with superstitions,
perplexing it with questions, exciting disputes, and fomenting altercations.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:12
text: Justinian is described as thinking it no crime to condemn to death a man of
a different persuasion from his own.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:13
text: The passage says corruption of doctrine and morals among princes and clergy
was followed by general depravity among the people, who sought money by any means.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Christian world / Christian churches
description: The collective Christian world and churches discussed as divided by
controversies and moral corruption.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Clergy, prelates, and bishops
description: Religious leaders described as ambitious, contentious, involved in
councils, patronage, bribery, and luxury.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:7
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Eastern church
description: The eastern church, described as engaged in perpetual controversy after
the Nicene council.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Damasus
description: One of the contenders for the episcopal seat at Rome; he eventually
prevailed.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Ursicinus
description: One of the contenders for the episcopal seat at Rome.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Viventius
description: The governor who was unable to suppress the violence between Damasus
and Ursicinus and retired into the country.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Constantius
description: An emperor described as exciting and fomenting religious disputes.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Justinian
description: An emperor described as willing to condemn a man to death for differing
religious persuasion.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: People of all conditions
description: The general people described as depraved and focused on getting money
by any means.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: Mohammed
description: Named in the section heading as the temporal point of reference for
the account of Christianity, Judaism, and the establishment of his religion.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
roles:
- id: role:1
label: divided religious body
assigned_to:
- fig:1
- fig:3
basis: The Christian world and eastern church are described as divided by schisms,
contentions, and doctrinal controversies.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- id: role:2
label: contentious and corrupt religious leadership
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The clergy and prelates are associated with ambition, councils, bribery,
patronage, and luxury.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: role:3
label: rival claimants to ecclesiastical office
assigned_to:
- fig:4
- fig:5
basis: Damasus and Ursicinus are described as contesting the Roman episcopal seat
with violence and murder.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:4
label: civil authority unable to suppress conflict
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: Viventius is said to have been unable to suppress the violence and to have
withdrawn.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:5
label: imperial fomenter of religious disputes
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: Constantius is described as exciting disputes and fomenting altercations.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:6
label: imperial religious coercer
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: Justinian is described as willing to condemn to death a man of different
persuasion.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:7
label: morally depraved populace
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: The people are described as following the corruption of princes and clergy
and seeking money by any means.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: role:8
label: founder associated with new religion's establishment
assigned_to:
- fig:10
basis: The section heading refers to Mohammed's appearance and methods for establishing
his religion.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: worshipped saints and images
literal_form: Saints and images as objects of worship
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:2
label: episcopal seat
literal_form: The episcopal seat at Rome contested by Damasus and Ursicinus
associated_figures:
- fig:4
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:3
label: chariots and sedans
literal_form: Chariots and sedans used by enriched church officeholders when going
abroad in state
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Historical frame at Mohammed's appearance
summary: The section introduces the religious condition of Christianity, eastern
churches, and Judaism at the time of Mohammed's appearance and the establishment
of his religion.
figure_refs:
- fig:10
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Christian schism and loss of religious substance
summary: The Christian world is described as losing peace, charity, and the substance
of religion through controversy, ambition, schisms, and rancour.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Corrupt worship aiding Mohammedism
summary: The passage states that superstitions and corruptions, especially worship
of saints and images, became established and gave advantage to the propagation
of Mohammedism.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:4
label: Eastern church controversies and clerical patronage
summary: After the Nicene council, the eastern church is described as torn by controversies
while prelates travel between councils and clergy use patronage and bribery.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:5
label: Violent contest for the Roman episcopal seat
summary: Damasus and Ursicinus contend for the episcopal seat at Rome, violence
and murder occur, Viventius withdraws, and Damasus prevails.
figure_refs:
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: scene:6
label: Imperial interference and general depravity
summary: Constantius and Justinian are described as worsening religious conflict
through dispute and coercion, and corruption among rulers and clergy is followed
by general depravity among the people.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:7
- fig:8
- fig:9
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Religious fragmentation before the rise of a new religious movement
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The passage portrays Christianity as divided and corrupted and explicitly
says these conditions gave advantages to the propagation of Mohammedism.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
confidence: medium
cautions: This is a historical-polemical pattern in the passage, not a mythic narrative
motif; no supplied taxonomy reference directly matches it.
- id: motif:2
label: Contest for sacred office leading to violence
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The struggle between Damasus and Ursicinus for the episcopal seat is described
as escalating to open violence, murder, and many deaths.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
confidence: high
cautions: The passage treats the event as church history rather than myth; the motif
label is a descriptive extraction only.
- id: motif:3
label: Ruler-backed doctrinal coercion
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Constantius is said to foment religious disputes, and Justinian is described
as willing to condemn a person to death for differing persuasion.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage gives examples of political-religious coercion but does not
develop a full narrative sequence.
- id: motif:4
label: Moral corruption spreading from leaders to people
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The passage says corruption of doctrine and morals among princes and clergy
was necessarily followed by general depravity among the people.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
confidence: high
cautions: This is an ethical-historical pattern, not a taxonomy-supported myth motif.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 2224-2231
quote_or_summary: Section title states that the topic is the state of Christianity,
especially eastern churches, and Judaism at the time of Mohammed's appearance,
along with methods and circumstances for establishing his religion.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary only.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 2232-2253
quote_or_summary: Christianity is described as afflicted by clerical ambition, abstruse
controversy, schisms, contentions, malice, rancour, and loss of the substance
of religion.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary only.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 2253-2261
quote_or_summary: The passage says superstitions and corruptions were established
in the church of Rome and that worship of saints and images reached a scandalous
pitch, giving advantages to Mohammedism.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary only.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 2262-2277
quote_or_summary: After the Nicene council, the eastern church is described as torn
by Arian, Sabellian, Nestorian, and Eutychian disputes, with prelates travelling
to councils and clergy using dependants and bribery.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary only.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 2278-2290
quote_or_summary: Damasus and Ursicinus contest the Roman episcopal seat through
violence and murder; Viventius withdraws; 137 are reported killed in one day in
the church of Sicininus; officeholders are described as enriched and luxurious.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary only.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 2291-2296
quote_or_summary: Constantius is blamed for exciting and fomenting disputes, and
Justinian is described as willing to condemn to death a man of different persuasion.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary only.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 2296-2298
quote_or_summary: The passage says corruption among princes and clergy was followed
by general depravity of the people, who made it their business to get money by
any means.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary only.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: uncertain
notes: The passage is historical and polemical rather than mythic. Literal extraction
is straightforward, but motif candidates are descriptive patterns without direct
taxonomy matches. No comparison claims were added because the passage itself does
not support a specific comparative mythology claim.
reviewer_status:
status: needs_review
reviewer: ''
reviewed_at: ''
notes: Machine-generated draft from OpenAI Batch; not human-reviewed.
extracted_by: openai_batch:gpt-5.5
extracted_at: '2026-04-28'
notes: |-
Used only the supplied passage and metadata. Available taxonomy references were not applied because none were directly supported by this passage.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:islamic-koran-sale-gutenberg__l2224-l2298
passage_sha256=f5235810550de7b543837e328bd6f5d0c7139669eeebae7bda75b713fd57c701