batch.motif.islamic-koran-sale-gutenberg-l717-l755
---
record_id: batch.motif.islamic-koran-sale-gutenberg-l717-l755
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 717-755
start: '717'
end: '755'
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: '"hide his prize in his sleeve"'
summary: The passage reports a preface to a Spanish version of the Gospel of Barnabas,
in which Fra Marino finds the desired gospel in Pope Sixtus V's library, secretly
carries it away, and by reading it converts to Mohammedism. Sale then describes
the Gospel of Barnabas as a history of Jesus from birth to ascension, argues that
it favors the Mohammedan system by interpolating predictions of Mohammed, and
criticizes it as a forgery. He closes by acknowledging faults and delays in his
own translation work.
language: English
quote_policy: quoted
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: A Spanish version is said to have been translated from Italian by an Arragonian
Moslem named Mostafa de Aranda.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: A preface attributes the discovery of the original manuscript to a Christian
monk named Fra Marino.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: Fra Marino reads a writing of Irenus that speaks against St. Paul and cites
the Gospel of St. Barnabas as authority.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: Fra Marino becomes desirous to find the Gospel of St. Barnabas.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: Fra Marino is said to become intimate with Pope Sixtus V and to be with him
in the Pope's library.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: When Pope Sixtus V falls asleep, Fra Marino reaches down a book to read and
finds it is the gospel he wanted.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:7
text: Fra Marino hides the discovered book in his sleeve and leaves with it after
the Pope awakes.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:8
text: The book is described as a celestial treasure, and Fra Marino becomes a convert
to Mohammedism by reading it.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:9
text: The Gospel of Barnabas is described as containing a complete history of Jesus
Christ from birth to ascension.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:10
text: Sale states that many circumstances from the four Gospels appear in the Gospel
of Barnabas but are turned to favor the Mohammedan system.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:11
text: Sale states that Mohammed is named and foretold in the text as messenger of
God and great prophet who would perfect the dispensation of Jesus.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:12
text: Sale calls the Gospel of Barnabas a forgery and argues from the use of the
title Messiah for Mohammed that it was likely prepared by a renegade Christian
or affected by translation.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: obs:13
text: Sale states that the title Messiah, or al Mash, is appropriated to Jesus in
the Koran and applied by Mohammedans to Jesus, not to Mohammed.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:14
text: Sale acknowledges that his own translation is not free from faults and asks
readers to excuse delays caused by other professional duties.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Mostafa de Aranda
description: An Arragonian Moslem named as translator of the Spanish version from
Italian.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Fra Marino
description: A Christian monk presented as discoverer of the original manuscript
and later convert to Mohammedism after reading it.
role_refs:
- role:2
- role:3
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Irenus
description: Writer whose work against St. Paul cites the Gospel of St. Barnabas.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: St. Paul
description: A figure opposed in a writing attributed to Irenus.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: St. Barnabas
description: Named in the title of the Gospel of St. Barnabas.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Pope Sixtus V
description: The Pope in whose library Fra Marino finds the desired gospel while
the Pope is asleep.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Jesus Christ
description: The subject of the Gospel of Barnabas from birth to ascension and the
figure to whom Sale says the title Messiah is applied in the Koran and by Mohammedans.
role_refs:
- role:9
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:7
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Mohammed
description: Named in the Gospel of Barnabas, according to Sale, as messenger of
God and great prophet who would perfect Jesus's dispensation; also discussed in
relation to the title Messiah.
role_refs:
- role:11
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: George Sale / narrator
description: The writer who evaluates the Gospel of Barnabas and comments on his
own translation work.
role_refs:
- role:12
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:8
roles:
- id: role:1
label: translator
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Mostafa de Aranda is named as translating the work from Italian.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: manuscript discoverer
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The preface identifies Fra Marino as the discoverer of the original manuscript.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:3
label: secret taker of book
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Fra Marino hides the book in his sleeve and carries it away.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:4
label: convert through reading
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The passage says he became a convert to Mohammedism by reading the book.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:5
label: cited author
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: A writing of Irenus is said to cite the Gospel of St. Barnabas.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:6
label: opposed religious figure
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The writing of Irenus is described as speaking against St. Paul.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:7
label: eponymous gospel figure
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: The desired text is named the Gospel of St. Barnabas.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
- id: role:8
label: library holder
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The desired book is found in Pope Sixtus V's library while he sleeps.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:9
label: subject of sacred biography
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: The Gospel of Barnabas is said to contain a history of Jesus Christ from
birth to ascension.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:10
label: Messiah title bearer
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: Sale says the title Messiah is appropriated to Jesus in the Koran and by
Mohammedans.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: role:11
label: foretold messenger in disputed text
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: Sale states that Mohammed is spoken of and foretold by name as messenger
of God and great prophet in the Gospel of Barnabas.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:12
label: critical commentator
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: Sale evaluates the Gospel of Barnabas as a forgery and comments on his own
translation.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:8
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: desired gospel manuscript
literal_form: The Gospel of St. Barnabas / the book found in the Pope's library
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:5
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: sym:2
label: Pope's library
literal_form: Pope Sixtus V's library
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:3
label: sleeve hiding place
literal_form: Fra Marino's sleeve used to hide the book
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:4
label: celestial treasure
literal_form: The discovered gospel described as a celestial treasure
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:5
label: Messiah title
literal_form: The title Messiah, or al Mash
associated_figures:
- fig:7
- fig:8
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Fra Marino seeks the Gospel of Barnabas
summary: After reading a writing of Irenus that cites the Gospel of St. Barnabas
against St. Paul, Fra Marino desires to find that gospel.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:2
label: Discovery in the Pope's library
summary: Fra Marino is in Pope Sixtus V's library; while the Pope sleeps, he reaches
for a book and finds the gospel he wanted.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:3
label: Secret removal and conversion
summary: Fra Marino hides the gospel in his sleeve, leaves with it, and becomes
a convert to Mohammedism by reading it.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:3
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:4
label: Sale's critique of the Gospel of Barnabas
summary: Sale describes the text as a history of Jesus from birth to ascension but
argues that it adapts Gospel material to favor the Mohammedan system and names
Mohammed prophetically.
figure_refs:
- fig:7
- fig:8
- fig:9
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: scene:5
label: Sale's comment on his own translation
summary: Sale returns to his work, admits it is not free from faults, and asks readers
to excuse publication delay due to other duties.
figure_refs:
- fig:9
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: theft or secret removal of a sacred text
taxonomy_refs:
- sacred_theft
basis: Fra Marino secretly hides the desired gospel in his sleeve and carries it
away from the Pope's library; the object is called a celestial treasure.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage is an eighteenth-century critical account of a preface, not
a mythic narrative proper, and Sale reports the story skeptically in a polemical
context.
- id: motif:2
label: hidden or desired religious book brings transformative knowledge
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: Fra Marino desires the Gospel of Barnabas, finds it unexpectedly in the library,
reads it, and becomes a convert.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
confidence: medium
cautions: The transformation is described as conversion through reading; the passage
does not elaborate a formal initiation or revelation scene.
- id: motif:3
label: sacred biography from birth to ascension
taxonomy_refs:
- ascent
- sacred_birth
basis: The Gospel of Barnabas is said to contain a complete history of Jesus Christ
from birth to ascension.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
confidence: low
cautions: The passage only summarizes the contents of another text and gives no
narrative details of the birth or ascension.
- id: motif:4
label: prophetic announcement of a later messenger
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Sale says the Gospel of Barnabas includes passages in which Mohammed is spoken
of and foretold by name as messenger of God and great prophet who will perfect
the dispensation of Jesus.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
confidence: medium
cautions: No available taxonomy reference directly matches this motif; the report
occurs within Sale's argument that the text is a forgery.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 717-720
quote_or_summary: The Spanish version is said to be translated from Italian by an
Arragonian Moslem named Mostafa de Aranda.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from supplied passage.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 720-725
quote_or_summary: The preface says Fra Marino, a Christian monk and discoverer of
the original manuscript, read a writing of Irenus against St. Paul that cited
the Gospel of St. Barnabas, making him desire to find it.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from supplied passage.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 725-730
quote_or_summary: Fra Marino, intimate with Pope Sixtus V, is in the Pope's library;
when the Pope falls asleep, he reaches for a book and finds the gospel he wanted.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from supplied passage.
- id: ev:4
type: quote
locator: lines 730-733
quote_or_summary: Fra Marino is said to "hide his prize in his sleeve" and carry
away the "celestial treasure," by reading which he becomes a convert to Mohammedism.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation from supplied passage.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 733-738
quote_or_summary: The Gospel of Barnabas is described as a complete history of Jesus
Christ from birth to ascension, containing many circumstances from the four Gospels
but altered to favor the Mohammedan system.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from supplied passage.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 738-745
quote_or_summary: Sale says the text includes interpolated stories and passages
that speak of and foretell Mohammed by name as messenger of God and great prophet,
and he calls the work a forgery.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from supplied passage.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 745-751
quote_or_summary: Sale argues that calling Mohammed Messiah is suspicious, because
the title Messiah, or al Mash, is applied to Jesus in the Koran and by Mohammedans,
not to Mohammed.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from supplied passage.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: lines 751-755
quote_or_summary: Sale returns to his own work, says his translation is not free
from faults, and explains that publication was delayed because it was done at
leisure amid professional duties.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-sale.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from supplied passage.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: high
notes: The passage is a translator's introduction containing a reported manuscript-discovery
story and critical commentary. Motif labels are limited to features explicitly
reported in the supplied lines.
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 external comparisons were added because the passage itself does not establish a relation to another mythic corpus beyond its own discussion of Gospel and Koranic titles.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:islamic-koran-sale-gutenberg__l717-l755
passage_sha256=157223693217b55445ebfd68dcca520a077e1a6bf93bd69f79a5228c5b0be73c