[2] Before the Muslim religion arose, worship of idols existed throughout the world. The reason for this was that the churches before the Lord's Advent were all representational churches. The Israelite Church was even such a church. The Tabernacle in it, the vestments of Aaron, the sacrifices, all the appointments of the Temple at Jerusalem, and moreover the statutes, were representative. Furthermore, among the ancients there was a knowledge of correspondences, which includes a knowledge of representations. It was the principal study of the wise, cultivated especially by the Egyptians, from which came their hieroglyphics. From that study they knew what animals of every kind symbolized, also trees of every kind, likewise mountains, hills, rivers, springs, and so too the sun, moon and stars. Through that knowledge they had a cognizance of spiritual things as well, since the concepts thus represented were such things as are matters of spiritual wisdom in angels and were the origins of the representations. [3] Now because all of their worship was representational, consisting of nothing but correspondent forms, therefore they held rites of worship on mountains and hills, and likewise in groves and gardens. Therefore they also consecrated springs, and in their venerations turned their faces to the rising eastern sun. Moreover they made carved images of horses, oxen, calves, lambs, indeed of birds, fishes, and serpents, and placed these in their houses and elsewhere, setting them in an order to reflect that of the spiritual things of the church to which they corresponded or which they represented. They also placed objects like these in their temples, to recall to mind the sacred elements in their worship which they symbolized. In the course of time, when a knowledge of correspondences became extinguished, their posterity began to worship the carved figures themselves as sacred in themselves, not knowing that their ancient forebears did not see any intrinsic sacredness in them, but only that they represented and so symbolized sacred things by virtue of their correspondences. In consequence of this idolatries arose, which filled the whole world, both the Asiatic world with its surrounding islands and the African and European worlds. [4] In order to eradicate all these idolatries, of the Lord's Divine providence it came to pass that a new religion was introduced, suited to the native characters of orientals, in which there would be something from each of the two Testaments of the Word; a religion which would teach that the Lord came into the world, and that He was a very great prophet, the wisest of all men, and the Son of God. This was accomplished through Muhammad, from whom this religion received the name Muhammadanism. It is apparent from this that this religion was raised up of the Lord's Divine providence and suited, as said, to the native characters of orientals, in order to put an end to the idolatries of so many nations, and to provide them with some awareness of the Lord before they came into the spiritual world, as happens with everyone after death. This religion would not have been adopted by so many countries, and would not have been able to eradicate their idolatries, unless it was conformable to their ideas. Especially not, had not polygamy been permitted; and this for the additional reason that, without that permission, orientals would have blazed up more than Europeans into foul adulteries and perished.