Forged ancient relics supplied proof texts for the Immaculate Conception doctrine

Evidence

The Sacromonte lead books provided very many texts to back up the “Franciscan” doctrine, hence the attraction they exercised over many of the faithful. There were, for example, in these texts such welcome statements as one allegedly uttered by Saint Peter himself to the effect that “Mary was not touched by sin” (“Lam darakaha al-dhanb al-awwal”). So these ancient local relics did not only flatter the vanity of local historians in Granada, but they also supplied proof texts that, if genuine, would make these books of absolutely primary theological importance throughout the Christian world. It is not going too far to say that the Sacromonte excavations claimed to yield up what appeared to amount to long-lost but vital supplementary scriptures. — L. P. Harvey, Muslims in Spain, 1500 to 1614, 1260

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to discussions of forgery and contested relics as instruments of theological-political leverage.
• SEED: Angle: forged ‘scripture’ as a political weapon — how fabricated holy texts become doctrinal lighthouses for whole communities.