batch.motif.islamic-koran-sale-gutenberg-l581-l630
---
record_id: batch.motif.islamic-koran-sale-gutenberg-l581-l630
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
passage_locator:
label: LIFE OF GEORGE SALE. / R. A. DAVENPORT. / INTRODUCTION / TO THE READER.;
lines 581-630
start: '581'
end: '630'
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 offers a qualified assessment of Mohammed, saying that despite
the author's condemnation of him as imposing a false religion, his virtues should
be acknowledged. It then discusses earlier translations of the Koran, criticizing
some versions and describing Latin, Italian, and Arragonian translation histories
and the people involved in them.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The author states that Mohammed should not be denied praise for real virtues,
even while accusing him of imposing a false religion.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Spanhemius is described as acknowledging Mohammed's natural endowments, attractive
person, subtle wit, agreeable behavior, liberality to the poor, courtesy, fortitude
against enemies, reverence for God's name, and preaching of moral virtues.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:5
- id: obs:3
text: The author says that among extant translations of the Koran, only one tolerably
represents the sense of the original, and that it is in Latin, making a new English
version necessary for English readers.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: Bibliander's published Latin translation is criticized as having liberties,
omissions, and additions that leave little resemblance to the original.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: The Latin version discussed is said to have been finished in 1143 by Robertus
Retenensis with the assistance of Hermannus Dalmata, at the request of Peter,
Abbot of Clugny.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:6
text: Andrea Arrivabene's Italian version is said to have been taken from the Latin
version despite claims in its dedication that it was translated directly from
Arabic.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:7
text: Johannes Andreas, described as a native of Xativa who became a Christian priest
after being a Mohammedan doctor, translated the Koran, its glosses, and seven
books of the Sonna from Arabic into Arragonian at the command of Martin Garcia.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Mohammed
description: Religious figure whom the author condemns as imposing a false religion
while also attributing virtues to him through Spanhemius's assessment.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:5
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Spanhemius
description: A pious and learned scholar cited as acknowledging Mohammed's natural
and moral qualities despite calling him a wicked impostor.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:5
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Bibliander
description: Publisher associated with a Latin translation of the Koran that the
author criticizes severely.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Robertus Retenensis
description: An Englishman said to have finished a Latin version of the Koran in
1143.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Hermannus Dalmata
description: Assistant to Robertus Retenensis in producing the Latin version.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Peter, Abbot of Clugny
description: Patron who requested the Latin translation and paid the translators.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Andrea Arrivabene
description: Associated with an Italian version said to derive from the Latin version
despite claims of direct Arabic origin.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Johannes Andreas
description: A native of Xativa, formerly a Mohammedan doctor and later a Christian
priest, who translated the Koran, glosses, and books of the Sonna into Arragonian.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Martin Garcia
description: Bishop of Barcelona and Inquisitor of Arragon who commanded Johannes
Andreas's translation.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
roles:
- id: role:1
label: evaluated religious founder
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The passage evaluates Mohammed's alleged wrongdoing and acknowledged virtues.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:5
- id: role:2
label: cited moral evaluator
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Spanhemius is cited for a balanced assessment of Mohammed's qualities and
faults.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:5
- id: role:3
label: publisher of criticized translation
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Bibliander's published Latin translation is criticized as inaccurate.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:4
label: translator or translation assistant
assigned_to:
- fig:4
- fig:5
basis: Robertus Retenensis and Hermannus Dalmata are described as producing the
1143 Latin version.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:5
label: translation patron or commissioner
assigned_to:
- fig:6
- fig:9
basis: Peter requested and paid for the Latin translation; Martin Garcia commanded
Johannes Andreas's Arragonian translation.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- id: role:6
label: Italian version maker
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: Andrea Arrivabene is associated with an Italian version said to be derived
from the Latin translation.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:7
label: convert translator
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: Johannes Andreas is described as formerly a Mohammedan doctor, later a Christian
priest, and a translator from Arabic into Arragonian.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
symbols: []
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Qualified assessment of Mohammed
summary: The author condemns Mohammed's religious claims but argues that his virtues
should still be recognized, citing Spanhemius's list of personal and moral qualities.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:5
- id: scene:2
label: Critique and genealogy of Koran translations
summary: The author reviews earlier translations of the Koran, criticizing Bibliander's
Latin version, describing the 1143 Latin translation, identifying the Italian
version as derivative, and noting Johannes Andreas's Arragonian translation.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
- fig:8
- fig:9
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
candidate_motifs: []
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: 581-593
quote_or_summary: The author says Mohammed should not be denied praise for real
virtues despite being condemned as imposing a false religion; Spanhemius is cited
as acknowledging his natural gifts, personal qualities, reverence for God, severity
toward wrongdoing, and preaching of moral virtues.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: 594-604
quote_or_summary: The author states that only one extant translation tolerably represents
the original and that it is Latin; Bibliander's published Latin version is criticized,
and the 1143 Latin version is attributed to Robertus Retenensis with Hermannus
Dalmata at Peter of Clugny's request.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: 605-609
quote_or_summary: Andrea Arrivabene's Italian version is described as taken from
the Latin version despite dedication claims that it was translated directly from
Arabic, and the author judges it more faulty than its source.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: 610-619
quote_or_summary: Johannes Andreas, formerly a Mohammedan doctor and later a Christian
priest, translated the Koran, its glosses, and seven books of the Sonna from Arabic
into Arragonian at Martin Garcia's command; publication is uncertain.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: 620-630
quote_or_summary: The footnotes cite Spanhemius's Latin description of Mohammed's
qualities and give notes about Arrivabene's claims and sources for the translation
history.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: uncertain
comparison_claims: high
notes: The passage is historical and polemical introductory prose rather than a
mythic narrative. No symbols, mythic scenes, or comparative motif claims are directly
supported beyond translation-history and character-evaluation material.
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: |-
No candidate motifs or comparison claims were extracted because the passage does not itself present a mythic narrative or explicit comparative mythology pattern.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:islamic-koran-sale-gutenberg__l581-l630
passage_sha256=1feb092318ddf76466aa861ac7a7bf2617b0cfe060c6b8da0b41929113ecc553