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Nathan Ron, Nicholas of Cusa and tioned, having even copied some parts
Muhammad: A Critical Revisit, Peter of the Contra principales errores perfidi
Lang, New York, 2023, pp.104 Machometi of Torquemada in his
Epistula. Ron argues that, unlike the
Nathan Ron’s Nicholas of Cusa and Cribratio, De Pace Fidei and its nature
Muhammad: A Critical Revisit is a as a “fictional dialogue” does not
monograph published by Peter Lang constitute a source of inspiration for
on the famous humanist’s mainly two the Epistula of Pius II. Here it is
works entitled Cribratio Alkorani, (A important to mention that the idea in
Scrutiny of the Qur’an) and De Pace the Cribratio Alkorani was the as-
Fidei (On the Peace of the Faith) as well sertion that the Qur’an and Islam
as his other writings including some were a tampered form of the Bible and
of his sermons. Ron scrutinizes the of Christianity and thus the Koran
contemporary idea of “inter-religious was substantially a plagiarism of the
dialogue” and argues whether ascri- Bible. The author further claims that
bing it to Nicholas of Cusa’s De Pace the Cribratio Alcorani was not only
Fidei by contemporary writers is inspired by the Contra Legem Sara-
anachronistic at best. cenorum c. 1300 (Against the Saracen
The renown Epistula ad Mahu- Law) of Ricoldo da Montecroce, but
metem of Pius II was inspired by two that Cusanus also asked Dionysius
works: the Cribratio Alkorani of the Carthusian (Denis van Rijke, c.
Nicholas of Cusa (1401–1464) and 1402-1471) to compose a book
Contra principales errores perfidi against the Qur’an. Ron writes that,
Machometi (Against the Principal indeed Dionysius’ book entitled Con-
Errors of the Perfidious Mohammed) by tra Perfidiam Mahumeti was indeed
Juan de Torquemada (1388–1468). used by Cusanus and that a copy of it
The former was a German cardinal is found in the Codex Cusanus and
and the latter one was one of the Cusanus mentioned using the
major supporters on the idea of aforementioned book for composing
crusade (together with Bessarion) at the Cribratio Alkorani.
the Congress of Mantua. Pius is In another Vatican manuscript
supposed to have received the infor- written by Giovanni Battista Gigli,
mation on Islam in his famous dedicated to Pope Paul V, entitled Il
writing, from these two works men- Maomettano (The Mohammedan) dated

Mediterranea - ricerche storiche - Anno XX - Dicembre 2023
ISSN 1824-3010 (stampa) ISSN 1828-230X (online)