He went on to say: Does not anyone possessed of the least particle of reason realize that such an episode could never take place between Satan and a deity? Had he truly been God, he would have driven the Devil away from himself long before an angel came to his aid from his Lord; nor would he have declared,

“We have been commanded not to test God, to prostrate before the Lord, and to worship none beside Him.”

How could he fail to restrain Satan from himself before restraining him on behalf of his followers?

He continued: When a reflective person ponders these matters, they appear thoroughly repugnant—their contradictions are many, their inconsistencies grave, and their confusion intense.

He further said: Another point that prompts astonishment is your belief that the eternal Son united with the Messiah so that the two became one in one respect, never separating from the moment of union; that He remained thus in his mother’s womb for nine months, then emerged as a newborn nourished by milk; a dependent infant sustained by food until he reached the age of thirty, during which nothing of the apparatus of divinity manifested itself—no sign befitting that rank appeared. There was no difference between him and other human beings: no radiant light shone from him, no aura of tranquillity enveloped him, no angels surrounded him with praise, nor did he endure hardship beyond what the prophets before him had experienced.

For God spoke to Moses from the burning bush in whatever manner He willed, and the surroundings shone with light; He spoke to him from Mount Sinai, and flames quaked within the mountain. A brilliant radiance covered Moses’ face so that he would veil it whenever he sat with the Children of Israel, for they were unable to gaze upon him. Then Moses asked his Lord—Mighty and Majestic—when he drew near