We will now take in order the several heresies that made themselves noticeable in Spain, or Gothic Gaul, during the Arab supremacy, and see if we can trace any relation between them and the Moslem faith.

To take an unimportant one first, a heresy is mentioned as having arisen in Septimania (Gothic Gaul), presumably during the eighth century.[3] It was more practical than speculative, and consisted in a denial of the need of confession to a priest, on the (unimpeachable) ground that men ought to confess to God alone.  This appears to us Protestants a wholly laudable and reasonable contention; but not so to the worthy abbe who records it:  cette doctrine, si favorable a libertinage, trouva un grand nombre de partisans, et excite encore le zele d’Alcuin.[4]

[1] Alcuin ad Elipandum, iv. 13—–­“Audi me, obsecro, patienter, scholastica Hispaniae congregatio, tibi loquentem, quae novi semper aliquid audire vel praedicare desideras, non contenta ecclesiae universalis Catholica fide, nisi tu aliquid per te invenies, unde tuum nomen celebrares in mundo.”

    [2] Lateran Council, 1215.

    [3] See, however, Alcuin’s letter to the clergy of the
    province, Ep., 71.  Migne, vol. ci. p. 1594.

    [4] Rohrbacher, “Hist.  Univ. de l’Eglise Cathol.,” ix. 309.

That this error was due in any sense to the influence of the Arabs in the neighbouring territories of Spain, it is of course impossible to affirm, but at all events the reform was quite in the spirit of the verses of the Koran:  “O ye who have received[1] the Scripture come to a just determination between us and you, that we worship not any except God, and associate no creature with Him:  and that the one of us take not the other for lords, beside God.”  And “They take their priests and monks for their lords besides God."[2]

[1] Chap. iii. p. 39.  See Sale’s note:  “that is, come to such terms of agreement as are indisputably consonant to the doctrine of all the prophets and Scriptures, and therefore cannot reasonably be rejected.”

[2] Chap. ix.  Mohammed charged the Jews and Christians with
idolatry both on other grounds and because “they paid too
implicit an obedience to their priests and monks, who took upon
them to pronounce what things were lawful and what unlawful,
and to dispense with the laws of God.”  See Sale, Ibid.

    Cp.—­

Haughty of heart and brow the warrior came,
In look and language proud as proud might be,
Vaunting his lordship, lineage, fights, and fame,
Yet was that barefoot monk more proud than he. 
And as the ivy climbs the tallest tree,
So round the loftiest soul his toils he wound;
And with his spells subdued the fierce and free. 
Till ermined age and youth in arms renowned
Honouring his scourge and hair-cloth meekly kissed the ground.