" 

 : I disagree. I am absolutely sure that you are not an idiot. And I beg your pardon for not coming back to you sooner. - Concerning the challengers, I'm with Tilman Nagel here: I find it difficult to believe that sometime in the seventh or eighth century AD ""a few people sat down together and invented a good 150 years of past history"". On the other hand, even Nagel has Crone on his reference list. She may hold minority views, but she is a respected scholar. It is okay with me that the IP removed that statement; if however the statement could be referenced to someone like Crone, it certainly should be put back in again. Cheers,   "