Consequently, certain doubts must be raised in the Koran, and certain questions about which, since the Saracens will not be able to give an account, they are not only invited but compelled to enter the banquet of truth ^[1] .

(6) The first question ^[2] .

The first question is: What did the Quran mean by so many times referring to God speaking of Himself in plural terms ? ^[3]

(9) For it is said in the chapter Ilbachera in the person of God: "We said to the angels: Worship Adam" etc. And this he continued afterwards until the end of the book, sometimes speaking of God in the plural and sometimes in the singular. And it is most certain to all Christians, Jews and Saracens who use reason, that God is one and alone and simple, and has not and cannot have a partner. Why then does he speak of himself in the plural? And they cannot say that God speaks of himself and of the angels; for it is said there "We said to the angels"; therefore it is the speech of God, not of angels but to angels.

(17) Furthermore, in the chapter Sad it is said that “all the angels worshipped Adam except the devil.” Therefore, God said to all the angels, “Worship Adam” ^[4] .

(19) Furthermore, in many places in the Quran such expressions are introduced about God in the plural, in such actions in which angels in no way communicate with God ^[5] , as in the creation of the world and in the justification of the wicked. For it is said in the Quran in many places in the person of God: “We, I say, created heaven and earth and everything in between not for play,” and we justified man, etc., and we sent Christ the son | 211r | of Mary, and we gave him the Holy Spirit and the gospel and miracles, and other such things in which angels can in no way communicate with God. For the angels were created by God and were not co-creators with God in creating heaven and earth and everything in between. Nor can the Saracens say that that voice in the plural is the voice of God and the soul of God, or the voice of God and some other most excellent created intellect through whom God made all things, as they say. For it is clear that whatever exists apart from God is a creature and created by God, and no creature can be co-creator with God.

( 33 ) Furthermore, it cannot be said that God speaks of himself in the plural because of the diverse qualities that are in him, such as power, wisdom, justice, and the like, which the Arabs call saffat ^[6] . For these are neither accidents nor diverse in God, but are the divine essence itself; hence they do not make any composition or plurality in God, so that through them God speaks of himself in the plural. Indeed, neither can man or angel speak of himself in the plural because of those diverse qualities, speaking of one, although in man and in angel they are accidents and make some composition in them.

(41) And certainly such a way of speaking - namely that God, although He is one, speaks of Himself in the plural - is found once introduced by Moses in Genesis. For in the formation of man God spoke, saying: "Let us make man in our image." And the Jews say that it is the voice of God to the angels; which is contrary to sacred Scripture, which never says that man was created in the image of an angel but in the image of God. And this is what Moses immediately subjoins after those words, saying: "And God created man in his own image and likeness, in the image of God created he him." Therefore that voice is the voice of the Father to the Son, or of the whole Trinity to one another; for God, who is one and simple in essence, is three in persons ^[7] .

(51) And the Quran would have said the same thing simply, except that he feared that there could be no distinction of persons without a distinction of essence. And therefore he says in the chapter Elnesa : «O family of the book, do not waver in your law and do not say anything about God except the truth, because Christ Jesus the son of Mary is the messenger of God and the word of God which He placed in her through the Holy Spirit». Here he names God «the Word of God and the Holy Spirit». But fearing that the divine essence would be divided or multiplied or determined by this, he immediately added: «And do not say three, because God is one God». See how close he came to that which is most difficult in faith, as if he were saying with John: «The Father, the Word and the Holy Spirit and these three are one» ^[8] . Therefore, in the Quran, Muhammad introduces God speaking | 211v | about himself in plural terms and he does not know the reason.

(62) And thus it is clear from the first question that we hold in common with them, that God is one and alone and simple . ^[9] And they have in the Koran that God is God and has His Word and the Holy Spirit . ^[10] And thus we hold that He, who is truly God one and simple, properly speaks of Himself singularly; and because He is three in persons, He sometimes speaks of Himself plurally.