So there’s a complaint floating out there that it’s inappropriate of the media and politicians to refer to “the Prophet Mohammed” because it implies an affirmation that he is, indeed, a prophet — where, at the same time, no secular journalist would use a label in reference to Jesus that implies any belief, e.g., it’s “Jesus” or maybe “Jesus of Nazareth” but never “Jesus Christ” or “Christ Jesus” or “the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Annoyingly, I can’t find this any longer. I thought this was somewhere on National Review
But in thinking about this further, it seems to me that this isn’t altogether than unreasonable, if it’s treated as a title: the Prophet Mohammed, the Reverend John Smith, or Father Bill. Or: as the equivalent to the practice, for Catholics, of bestowing the title “Saint.”
Which led me to wonder — and to ask my readers: what does the AP Stylebook counsel with respect to individuals who have been canonized as a saint:
Is it Saint Paul, and Saint Patrick, and Saint Nicholas of Myra, when talking about these historical figures, or just Paul of Tarsus, Patrick the first bishop of Ireland, and Nicholas, bishop of Myra?
And is it Saint John Paul II? Or just Pope John Paul II?
Anyone know?
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