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IS THE OLD TESTAMENT GOD’S

WORD?

Monqith Ben Mahmoud Assaqar, PhD

Translated from Arabic by


Ali Qassem, PhD.
True Guidance and Light series (2) (2)

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

First, all praise and thanks to Allah - God Almighty. It is with great
honor that I present this humble work to my reader, hoping that God
Almighty will help him benefit from it, and makes him and me among
those who know the truth and among the guided.

Following the tradition of prophet Mohammad (PBUH) in thanking


people who did us a favor, I would like to thank the many people
from whom I benefited in completing this work, and possibly my
success in this work was a result of their prayers to God Almighty to
help me to do so.

I wish to express my appreciation and gratitude to my noble parents,


who have done the greatest favor for me, in continuously fostering
and cherishing me. I also extend my appreciation to my faithful wife,
for her continuous support, help, and for her standing beside me
during the completion of this work.

I would also wholeheartedly like to express my thanks and gratitude


to the translator, who played a major role in enabling this book to
reach the English speaking reader, Dr. Ali Qassem.

I also extend my thanks and appreciation to all my brothers, friends


and colleagues, who played any role in the completion of this book.

Munqidh Bin Mahmoud Assaqqar, PhD


(3) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

INTRODUCTION
Praise to Allah1 (S.W)2, the cherisher and sustainer of the worlds,
and may peace and blessings be upon all of His messengers.

In every age and generation there will be honest people who are
looking for the true guidance. Allah (S.W.) had sent his messengers
with signs, light, and true guidance. “It was We who revealed the
law (to Moses): therein was guidance and light.” (Holy Quran,
Surah 5. Al-Ma'ida – 44) “And in their footsteps We sent Jesus
the son of Mary, confirming the Law that had come before him:
We sent him the Gospel: therein was guidance and light, and
confirmation of the Law that had come before him: a guidance
and an admonition to those who fear Allah.” (Holy Quran, Surah
5. Al-Ma'ida – 46)

The Holy Quran, the final divine book, then was revealed to reveal
the light and the true guidance. “O people of the Book! There hath
come to you our Messenger, revealing to you much that ye used
to hide in the Book, and passing over much (that is now
unnecessary). There hath come to you from Allah a (new) light
and a perspicuous Book,- Wherewith Allah guides all who seek
His good pleasure to ways of peace and safety, and leads them
out of darkness, by His will, unto the light,- guides them to a
path that is straight.” (Holy Quran, Surah 5. Al-Ma'ida – 15 -16)
1
- Muslims prefer using the name “Allah”, which is one of many other beautiful names and it is God
Almighty’s greatest name, instead of the English word “God”. The word “Allah” is pure and unique
unlike the English word “God”, which can be used in many forms. If we add ‘s’ to the word “God” it
becomes “Gods”, that is a plural of God. Allah is one and singular, there is no plural of Allah. If we add
‘dess’ to the word ‘God’, it becomes ‘Goddess’, that is a female God. There is nothing like male Allah or
female Allah. (taken from: “The Concept of God in Major Religions”, Dr. Zakir Abdul Kareem, pp 18)
(Added by the translator)
2
- Muslims do not mention the name of Allah without glorification. The letters “S.W” is an abbreviation
of the two Arabic words “Sobhanahu Wataala”, which means, “Glory to Him! He is high above all”
(Holy Quran 17:43). The English meaning of these two words is from the “Meaning of the Holy Quran by
Abdullah Yusof Ali”. (Added by the translator)
2
True Guidance and Light series (2) (4)

However, the previous books of Allah (S.W.) that revealed to


prophets were lost due to the circumstances of writing and the way of
conservation, and they were subject to distortion and loss. Thus,
people went astray from the guidance and the right path, and people
used other books that attributed to Allah (S.W.).
These books do not contain – except slightly - the true guidance and
light. These written books contain and conclude the weakness of the
human beings and their ignorance. They are full of contradictions,
and issues, which no sane or wise person would accept their
attribution to Allah (S.W.). This does not mean that these books are
lack of the true guidance completely, but, as I mentioned, they were
subject to alteration and human contradiction.

This is the Muslims’ belief of the previous books. Muslims believe in


the books that Allah (S.W.) had revealed to his prophets, but they do
not accept that the Old Testament is Allah’s (S.W.) word, even
though it contains some of His revelation and guidance.

However, Christians and Jews believe that these books (The books
of the Old Testament) are divine, and consider them the word of
Allah (S.W.) that He revealed to His prophets and the Jews read and
kept throughout their long history.

With this significant difference between the two teams, I propose the
question, “Is the Old Testament Allah’s (S.W.) word?”, which I will try
to answer in this book of this series, and present it to those who are
searching for the true guidance among the people of the book
(Christians and Jews).

In this series, I will search the folds of the sacred books of the
Christians, to look, through the big pile of falsehood, for the truth that
the prophet had spoken. In addition, I will prove, to those who believe
in the divinity of these books, that they are not the word of Allah
(S.W.). I have endorsed my evidence with the sayings of the church
scholars, its councils, and foundations. Moreover, I used some of the
sayings of the Western free thinkers, who spoke some of the truth
that we are looking for in this series; the true guidance and light
series.

Oh our Lord (Allah S.W), guide us to the truth by your will, indeed,
you guide whom you want to the right path. Amen.
(5) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

Dr. Monqith Ben Mahmoud Assaqar


Makkah Al Mokarramah
Shaaban, 1423 Hejra
mongiz@maktoob.com
www.tojesusway.com

THE MUSLIMS’ BELIEF OF MOSES’ (PBUH)1 TORAH

The Holy Quranic verses show clearly the Muslims’ opinion of the
Torah revealed by Allah (S.W.) to Prophet Moses peace be upon
him. The Holy Quran tells us that it was Allah’s (S.W.) revelation,
which He revealed as guidance to the children of Israel. “It was We
who revealed the law (to Moses): therein was guidance and
light. By its standard have been judged the Jews, by the
prophets who bowed (as in Islam) to Allah’s will” (Holy Quran,
Surah 5. Al-Ma'ida – 44) “He sent down the Law (of Moses) and
the Gospel (of Jesus) before this, as a guide to mankind” (Holy
Quran, Surah 3. Al-Imran – 3)

Allah (S.W.) commands Muslims to believe in all of the previous


revelations. He says, “Say ye: "We believe in Allah, and the
revelation given to us, and to Abraham, Isma'il, Isaac, Jacob,
and the Tribes, and that given to Moses and Jesus, and that
given to (all) prophets from their Lord: We make no difference
between one and another of them: And we bow to Allah (in
Islam)." (Holy Quran, Surah 2. Al Baqara – 136)

Describing the men of faith, Allah (S.W.) says, “The Messenger


believeth in what hath been revealed to him from his Lord, as do
the men of faith. Each one (of them) believeth in Allah, His
angels, His books, and His apostles. "We make no distinction
(they say) between one and another of His apostles”. (Holy
Quran, Surah 2. Al Baqara – 285)

The Holy Quran mentions that Allah (S.W.) had entrusted the people
of the book to protect their book. “For to them was entrusted the
protection of Allah’s book, and they were witnesses thereto”
(Holy Quran, Surah 5. Al-Ma'ida – 44) However, were the children of
Israel reliable and trust worthy?
1
- Muslims do not mention the name of a Prophet without honoring him with prayer and invocation. The
letters “PBUH” is an abbreviation of the sentence, “Peace Be upon Him” when mentioning a prophet, or
“Peace Be Upon Her” when mentioning the Pure Virgin Mary, and the letters “PBUT” is an abbreviation
of the sentence, “Peace Be Upon Them”, when mentioning more than one prophet. (Added by the
translator)
True Guidance and Light series (2) (6)

The Holy Quran mentions that the Jews had altered the book, its
meanings, and its context. It mentions that, “they change the
words from their (right) places and forget a good part of the
message that was sent them” (Holy Quran, Surah 5. Al-Ma'ida –
13)
Allah (S.W.) tells us that the Jews had concealed some of what He
had revealed to them, and He sent His prophet (Mohammad PBUH)
with the truth of what they used to hide. “O people of the Book!
There hath come to you our Messenger, revealing to you much
that ye used to hide in the Book, and passing over much (that is
now unnecessary).” (Holy Quran, Surah 5. Al-Ma'ida – 15)

In addition, one of their largest misdeeds is that they wrote books of


their own, and then attributed them to Allah (S.W.). “Then woe to
those who write the Book with their own hands, and then say:
"This is from Allah," to traffic with it for miserable price! Woe to
them for what their hands do write, and for the gain they make
thereby.” (Holy Quran, Surah 2. Al Baqara – 79) “There is among
them a section who distort the Book with their tongues: (As
they read) you would think it is a part of the Book, but it is no
part of the Book; and they say, "That is from Allah," but it is not
from Allah. It is they who tell a lie against Allah, and (well) they
know it!” (Holy Quran, Surah 3. Al Imran – 78)

Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) explained this when he said, “The


children of Israel had written a book, followed it and neglected the
Torah”1 This meaning instilled in the mind of the prophet’s
companions and the men of faith after them. The Son of Abbas (may
Allah (S.W.) be pleased with both of them) said, “How do you ask the
people of the book about something and your book, which was
revealed to the Messenger of Allah is the latest? You read it and it is
pure and not altered. The prophet told you that the people of the
book had altered the book of God Almighty, changed it, and wrote
the book in their hands and said: "This is from Allah," to traffic with it
for miserable price!” 2

This does not preclude the validity of some places in the Torah, in
which there are some of the prophets’ guidance. There is right and
wrong in the Torah. Allah (S.W.) says, “Ye People of the Book!

1
- Narrated by Addarmy, No. 480, and Attabarani, No. 5548, and Al Albani, No. 2832
2
- Narrated by Al Bukhari, No. 7363
(7) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

Why do ye clothe Truth with falsehood, and conceal the Truth,


while ye have knowledge?” (Holy Quran, Surah 3. Al Imran – 71)

Similarly, Allah (S.W.) says, “But why do they come to thee for
decision, when they have (their own) law before them? therein
is the (plain) command of Allah.” (Holy Quran, Surah 5. Al-Ma'ida
– 43)

That is regarding the stoning of adulterous, which the book of


Deuteronomy mentions. “If a damsel that is a virgin be
betrothed unto an husband, and a man find her in the city,
and lie with her; Then ye shall bring them both out unto
the gate of that city, and ye shall stone them with stones
that they die. The damsel, because she cried not, being in
the city; and the man, because he hath humbled his
neighbor's wife: so thou shalt put away evil from among
you.” (Deuteronomy: 22: 23-24)

Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) said, “Do not believe nor disbelieve the
people of the book, but say ‘we believe in Allah and what has been
revealed to us and to you”.1 He (PBUH) explained the reason for not
disbelieving them because there is some truth in their books.

He (PBUH) also said, “Do not believe nor disbelieve what the people
of the book tell you, but say ‘we believe in Allah and his
messengers’. Hence, if what they told you was wrong, you did not
believe it, and if it was right, you did not deny it”. 2

Therefore, we (Muslims) strongly believe in Moses’ (PBUH) Torah.


We believe that it was altered, the Jews had hide things from it and
written other things, many parts of it were lost, and what they have
now contain some of the truth.

However, we often see Christians cite the verses of the Holy Quran
and the sayings of prophet Mohammad (PBUH), which praise the
book of Moses (PBUH), to prove the validity of their books; claiming
that they validate the books that they have now. Have they no other
way to do so? How could they try to prove the validity of these books
from the Holy Quran and the Sunnah3, which declare their alteration?

1
- Narrated by Al Bukhari, No. 4485
2
- Narrated by Abu Dawood, No. 3644
3
- The teachings, sayings, and practices of prophet Mohammad (PBUH)
True Guidance and Light series (2) (8)

We see them, and it is always their way, strip the Quranic verses
arbitrarily, quote some and overlook many that do not serve their
ideas. “Then is it only a part of the Book that you believe in and
you reject the rest?” (Holy Quran, Surah 2. Al Baqara – 85)
Allah (S.W.) describes them as, “But those in whose hearts is
perversity follow the part thereof that is allegorical, seeking
discord, and searching for its hidden meanings” (Holy Quran,
Surah 3. Al Imran – 7)

When putting all these verses in one place, the truth will be clear,
and the person who is looking for the truth will foresee the straight
path of Allah (S.W.).

What proves that these books are not the Torah of Moses (PBUH) is
that the Holy Quran attributes to the Torah many meanings that are
not in it now; for example:

First, “Allah hath purchased of the believers their persons and


their goods; for theirs (in return) is the garden (of Paradise):
they fight in His cause, and slay and are slain: a promise
binding on Him in truth, through the Law (the Torah), the
Gospel, and the Quran” (Holy Quran, Surah 9. At Tawba – 111)
and there is no such meaning in the Old or New Testaments.

Secondly, “Nay (behold), ye prefer the life of this world; But the
Hereafter is better and more enduring. And this is in the Books
of the earliest (Revelation), The Books of Abraham and Moses.”
(Holy Quran, Surah 87. Al A’la – 16 - 19) this meaning is not in the
books that attributed to Moses, which do not contain information
about the hereafter and the resurrection, never mind the comparison
between them and the life of this world.

Thirdly, "Those who follow the apostle, the unlettered Prophet,


whom they find mentioned in their own (scriptures); in the law
and the Gospel; for he commands them what is just, and forbids
them what is evil; he allows them as lawful what is good (and
pure) and prohibits them from what is bad (and impure); He
releases them from their heavy burdens and from the yokes that
are upon them.” (Holy Quran, Surah 7. Al A’raf – 157) this meaning
is also not in the Torah.

Many verses like these are in the Holy Quran but they are not in the
scriptures that the Jews and Christians have today. This shows the
(9) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

invalidity of their reasoning to document their books using the Holy


Quran’s verses. The praising in the Holy Quran is for the book of
Allah (S.W.) and His revelation, not for the altered books of theirs,
which falsely attributed to Him (S.W.).
THE BOOKS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

The Torah, in which the Christians and the Jews believe, contains
few parts.

A) The Pentateuch - Five books attributed to Moses, The Torah.


(The Book of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and the
Book of Deuteronomy)

B) The Historical Books – Twelve books attributed to a number


of prophets who lived through these historical ages of the life
of the children of Israel. (The Book of Joshua, Judges, Ruth,
First Samuel, Second Samuel, First Kings, Second Kings,
First Chronicles, Second Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and the
Book of Esther)

C) The Poetic Books – Five books (The Book of Job, Psalms,


Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon). These
books are generally attributed to David and Solomon.
However, there are (23) Psalms attributed to unknown people
namely, bani Korah, Asaf, and Ethan, and (51) Psalms -
traditionally known as the 'Orphan Psalms' – are of unknown
authors.

D) The Prophetic Books – Seventeen books, the first six of them


are called ‘Major Prophets’ and the rest of them are called
‘Minor Prophets. (The Book of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations,
Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah,
Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and the
Book of Malachi)

E) The Apocryphal Books – Seven Books, (The book of


Baruch, Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach First Maccabees, and
the Book of the Second Maccabees) that some call ‘the hidden
books’. The early church’s fathers doubted these books. Saint
Jerome had translated them into Latin but he did not include
them with the canonical books. However, some had accepted
them, and the Christian sects had accepted them in the
True Guidance and Light series (2) (10)

Council of Hippo (393 CE) and the Council of Carthage (397


CE)1, and they remained as such until the 16th century CE.2
In the 16th century, the Protestants appeared and, like the Jews3,
rejected the Apocryphal Books. However, the Orthodox and the
Catholic Christians had accepted them, even though some of them
print them separately for the sake of religious unity between the
Christian sects.

During the Council of Trent (1554 -1563), the Catholic had canonized
all of these books, and during the Synod of Jerusalem (1672), the
Orthodox did the same.

It is worth mentioning here that some Christian churches add other


books to the Holy Bible. Encyclopedia Biblica says, “In addition to
the Canonical Books, the Ethiopian Church accepts the Book of The
shepherd of Hermas, the Canon of the Councils, and the Letters of
Clement. It also accepts the Book of the Maccabees, Tobit, Judith,
Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, the Four Books of Esdras, Martyrdom and
Ascension of Isaiah, the Life of Adam and Eve, Joseph, Enoch, and
the Book of Jubilees.” 4

Similarly, the early church fathers had accepted the letter that
attributed to Jeremiah. It is in the most important and oldest codex
and manuscripts, such as Codex Alexandrinus, Codex Vaticanus, the
Syriac, the Coptic, and the Ethiopian. Encyclopedia Biblica says,
“The early church fathers tended to consider this letter as part of the
canonical books. Origen, Ebiphanius, Cyril of Jerusalem, and
Athanasius included it in their canonical books; therefore, it was
officially accepted in the council of Laodicea (360 CE) 5. Later, this
letter became among the apocryphal books that were falsely inserted
to the Holy Bible”.

Christians – not the Jews – call the parts that mentioned above ‘The
Old Testament’; some call them ‘The Books’ or ‘The Law’; and the
last three parts are called ‘The Torah’ metaphorically.

1
- The letters “CE” is an abbreviation of the two words (Christian Era, or Common Era)
BCE = Before Christian Era, or Before Common Era
2
- Introduction to the Old Testament, Priest Dr. Samuel Yusof, pp 39
3
- In order to see the Protestants arguments in rejecting these books, see Methodical Divinity Science,
James Anas, pp 60 -65
4
- Encyclopedia Biblica, Vol. 1 pp 82
5
- Encyclopedia Biblica, Vol. 1 pp 189, see also The History of the Church, Eusebius, pp 274
(11) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

The origin of this name ‘The Old Testament’ is attributed to Paul


when he called it so in his saying, “In the reading of the old
testament” (2Corinthians: 3: 14), making the Gospels and the
Epistles as the New Testament. 1

Stephen Langton, the Archbishop of Canterbury divided The Old


Testament into chapters in the year 1200 CE, and then the verses
were numbered in 1551 CE in Paris. The arrangement or the order of
these books was done more than once. The Council of Rome (382
CE) had accepted one arrangement, then it was changed in the
Council of Trent (1564 CE). That change had a strong relation with
the value, the importance, and the degree of validity of these books.

The Christians and the Jews do not believe in a literal inspiration


(Word for word or letter for letter) for the Holy Bible. They believe that
each one of the authors of these books wrote in his own style as
inspired by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Bible’s Dictionary says, “They
did not speak with their own authority, did not draw from personal
knowledge, and did not announce their own opinions and ideas to
the people… The Holy Spirit had inspired them what they wrote, and
guided them as they wrote; however, the Holy Spirit did not eliminate
their personalities, but each of them wrote using his own style.” 2

Peter said, “No prophecy of the scripture is of any private


interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by
the will of man: but holy men of God spoke as they were
moved by the Holy Ghost”. (2Peter: 1: 20 - 21)

Regarding the authors and the writers of the books of the Old
Testament, Saint Demiana Church said, “The Old Testament books
were written during 2500 years BCE by forty writers. They differed in
their attributes; some of them were philosophers, such as Moses,
some were simple shepherds like Amos, some were military
commanders like Joshua, some were servants to the King like
Nehemiah, an some were men of fame like Isaiah, Daniel the Prime
Minister and King Solomon, the wise… They also differed in the
conditions of recording the divine revelation. Moses recorded his
books in the wilderness; Jeremiah recorded his in the darkness of
the pit, while David recorded his Psalms in the hillsides while he is
taking care of his sheep. In spite of all these, we find that the Holy
1
- The first who used this term was Melito of Sardis in 180 CE. See Introduction to the Old Testament,
Priest Dr. Samuel Yusof, pp 17
2
- pp 1020 -1021
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Bible is characterized with a significant unity with no contradictions


or shortcomings.” 1

The editors of the Holy Bible’s Dictionary added the following. They
said, “The book is the essence of the Christian faith and its source,
which is free from mistakes and errors, and contains all that related
to faith and to the spiritual life… God revealed His word to the
prophets and messengers and they convey it using human
language. The inspired author either wrote himself what is revealed
to him, or dictated the revelation to a writer to write for him. However,
we have not received yet any of the originals of those inspired men
or their writers.2

The Christian belief of these books – as you have seen – is that


these books are the word of Allah (S.W.); they were written by Allah’s
(S.W.) prophets, and with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. These
claims are what we are going to examine and discover their validity
or invalidity in this book of the True Guidance and Light Series.

GLIMPSE OF THE HISTORY OF THE CHILDREN OF


ISRAEL
1
- The Holy Bible in the Scale, Abdus Salam Mohammad, pp 92 – 96, the Holy Bible’s Dictionary, pp 762
2
- The Holy Bible’s Dictionary, pp 763
(13) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

I believe that before we proceed to revoke the attribution of the Old


Testaments’ books to the prophets, we need to review – even quickly
– the most prominent stages of the history of the Children’s of Israel,
as mentioned in the Torah and other references that quoted from it.

The history of the Children of Israel began with their father Jacob, the
son of Isaac, the son of Abraham (PBUT). Later, Jacob was named
as “Israel”, and begat twelve children. Each of his children begat
children and they multiplied until they became a nation called “a
tribe” attributable to him. Thus, the tribes of Israel are the offspring of
Jacob from his twelve children.

Jacob and his children entered Egypt during the time when the
Hexos controlled it. They lived therein, and when the Hexos were
cast out of Egypt, the Egyptians humiliated and tortured the Israelis.

Allah (S.W) sent Moses (PBUH) to them and he saved them from
Pharaoh’s captive and humiliation. Moses (PBUH) then led them
towards the Holy Land, but they cringed to enter it; and they
remained in Sinai Dessert for forty years, where Moses and Aaron
(PBUT) died.

In the 12th century BCE, Joshua (Moses’ trustee), led them and
entered the Holy Land, and after his death, the tribes of Israel were
divided and governed by a number of judges for almost one and a
half centuries. Then, Prophet Samuel chose Saul as a king for them,
and he ruled for 10 years, followed by David and then his son
Solomon, who died in 922 BCE.

His successor was his son Rehoboam. However, Jeroboam the son
of Nebat revolted against him and ten Israeli tribes followed him.
They established a northern state called ‘The kingdom of Israel’ and
its capital was ‘Shechem’ (Nablus), and it remained as such until 722
BCE, when the Assyrians invaded them and ruled the country.

The southern state was called ‘Judah’, and its capital was Jerusalem.
It was ruled by Solomon’s offspring until 586 BCE when
Nebuchadnezzar came, killed its king ‘Zedekiah’, captured its people,
and took them to Babylon. They remained in Babylon until the year
538 BCE, when Cyrus, king of Persia, brought them back.
True Guidance and Light series (2) (14)

They remained in Palestine under the ruling of the Greek, and then
the Romans, who entered Jerusalem in the year 64 BCE and
remained in control of Palestine until the appearance of Islam.
(15) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

THE TORAH’S TEXTS

We have three different texts of the Torah. I am not talking here


about three translations, but I mean that, there are three different
texts. These texts are:

1- The Greek (The Septuagint) – Its different copies were the


basis from which St. Jerome made his copy (the Vulgate). He,
then, translated it – with some modifications from the Hebrew
originals – into Latin, from which the Catholic and the Orthodox
took their Torah.
2- The Hebrew – which is accepted by the Jews and the
Protestants
3- The Samaritan – which is accepted by the Samaritan Jews
only

These texts are similar generally, but different and contradictory in


some of the details. Moreover, there are two major differences
between them.

First, the Greek (The Septuagint) has seven Apocryphal books more
than the Hebrew. Secondly, the Greek (The Septuagint) and the
Hebrew are more than the Samaritan, which contains only the
Pentateuch.

Examples of the difference between the biblical texts

Critics have spoken of the differences between these three texts.


According to Encyclopedia Britannica, the Samaritan text differs from
the Greek text (in the Pentateuch) by over four thousand differences,
and differs from the standard Hebrew text by more than six thousand
differences. 1

Following are some examples of these differences:

- While talking about Moses’ children from his wife Zipporah, the
Catholic Torah, and the Protestants Torah speak of the birth of his
son Gershom. However, the Catholic Torah says, “And she bore
another, whom he called Eliezer, saying: For the God of
my father, my helper, hath delivered me out of the hand of

1
- About the Reliability of the Gospels and the Torah, Mohammad As Saadi, pp 114, Introduction to the
Old Testament, Priest Dr. Samuel Yusof, pp 52, the Holy Bible’s Dictionary, pp 451
True Guidance and Light series (2) (16)

Pharaoh” (Exodus: 2:22)1. This verse is not in the Hebrew Torah,


in which the Jews and the Protestants believe.

- The saying of Abraham in the Greek text, which also published in


the (Christian Community Bible Catholic Pastoral Edition)2, says,
“The LORD God of heaven and god of earth, which took me
from my father's house” (Genesis: 24:7). The words ‘and god
of earth’ are deleted from the Protestants’ copies, which considers
only the Hebrew text.

- The Torah speaks about Amnon raping his sister Tamar after the
advice of the very wise Jonadab. Describing David’s feelings when
he came to know, the Hebrew and the Protestants’ Torah says, “But
when king David heard of all these things, he was very
wroth.” (2Samuel: 13: 21) then, it continues to describe the
feelings of Absalom, the son of David.

However, the Catholic and the Orthodox Torah says, “he was very
angry; but he did not make trouble for Amnon his son, for
he was dear to David, being his oldest son”. The Hebrew
copy had deleted this sentence. It might be because they thought
that it is impossible that a father’s response to his daughter’s rape
would be as such.

- In the Jews and the Protestants’ Hebrew Torah, the Book of Esther
ends with chapter 10/3. However, it continues with extra nine pages
in the Catholic Torah, and ends with chapter 15/24. In the Jesuit
Priesthood’s copy, the addition is only two pages, one added to
chapter 10, and the other added to the beginning of the fifth chapter.

- In the Hebrew Torah, the Book of Daniel ends with chapter 12. The
Catholic Torah includes two chapters that are not in the Hebrew text.
The Hebrew Torah also denied the prayer of Ezria, which is more
than three pages, and should be in the third chapter of this book;
between verse 23 and 24 of the Hebrew text.

- Among the differences between the Catholic and the Protestant


Torah is what comes in them regarding Moses asking Allah (S.W) to
support him with his brother Aaron as a prophet. The Hebrew text
makes Moses’ words towards Allah (S.W) rude. It says, “And he
said, Ah Lord! Send by the hand of him whom thou wilt
1
- This verse can be found only in Douay-Rheims Bible
2
- http://www.bible.claret.org/bibles/ or http://www.scribd.com/doc/23231257/Genesis
(17) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

send. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against


Moses”. (Exodus: 4:13 - 14) The Catholic text gives a better
picture of Moses’ words towards Allah (S.W.). It says, “Oh, my
Lord, send whom you will send”. However, the good manner
that they mentioned did not prevent God’s anger; the text continues
saying, “And the anger of the LORD was kindled against
Moses”.

- Trying to correct the text, the writers of the Greek text involved
themselves again in the story of Absalom’s betrayal to his father
David. The Hebrews wrote that, “At the end of forty years - after
his return from Geshur- that Absalom said unto the king, I
pray thee, let me go and pay my vow, which I have vowed
unto the lord”. (2Samuel: 15:7) His saying ‘forty years’ is
incorrect; for, “Some scholars believe that it should be four years not
forty, as it in the Syriac and Septuagint copies”.1 In the copies that
follow the Septuagint, the verse reads, “Now at the end of four
years, Absalom said to the king, let me go to Hebron and
give effect to the oath which I made to the Lord”. The
question here is who gave the translators of the Septuagint and the
other texts the right to correct the word of Allah (S.W)?

- The Hebrew Torah mentions that Job said, “And when after my
skin this is destroyed, then without my flesh shall I see
God”. (Job: 19:26) This verse speaks of the destruction of Job’s skin
and he shall see Allah (S.W), but not in the flesh. This verse is
different in the Catholic Torah. It says, “And I shall be clothed
again with my skin, and in my flesh I shall see my God”.
The skin here will not be destroyed, but it will cover the body, and he
will see Allah (S.W) in the flesh. These are two contradictory verses,
which one is Allah’s (S.W) word?

- The Hebrew text mentions that, “And he smote of the men of


Beth-shemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the
Lord, he smote of the people seventy men, and fifty
thousand men; and the people mourned, because the Lord
had smitten the people with a great slaughter”. (1Samuel: 6:
19) However, this big number of the dead people disturbed the
writers of the Greek text; thus, they reduced it from fifty thousand to
seventy people only.
The Catholic text says, “And he smote of the men of Beth-
shemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the Lord,
1
- Encyclopedia Biblica, (Absalom)
True Guidance and Light series (2) (18)

he smote of the people seventy men, and they were fifty


thousand men; and the people mourned, because the Lord
had smitten the people with a great slaughter”. (1Samuel: 6:
19)

Darby Bible and the Bible in Basic English did not mention anything
about the fifty thousand men. It says, “And he smote among the
men of Beth-shemesh, because they had looked into the
ark of the Lord, and smote of the people seventy men; and
the people lamented, because the Lord had smitten the
people with a great slaughter”. (1Samuel: 6: 19)

- The Book of Samuel talks about Elkanah, the son of Jeroham the
Ephraimite, and the portions that he gave to his two wives Hannah
and Peninnah. The Hebrew text says, "But unto Hannah he
gave a double portion; for he loved Hannah" (1Samuel 1: 5).
However, the Greek text and the copies that depend on it (such as
the Bible in Basic English) discovered an error in the text so the
corrected it. "But to Hannah he gave one part, though
Hannah was very dear to him". (1Samuel 1: 5)

- The Book of Chronicles talks about Ashhur. The Hebrew text


mentions that he was born after the death of his father Hezron in the
city of Caleb-ephrathah and that his mother was Abijah. It says,
"And after that Hezron was dead in Caleb-ephrathah, then
Abijah Hezron's wife bare him Ashhur". (1Chronicles 2: 24)

The verse in the Septuagint is different. It made the name of


Ashhur’s mother Ephrathah, not Abijah; thus, (Ephrathah) is no
longer a name of a place, and made Ashhur a son of Caleb the son
of Hezron, the name (Caleb) became a name of a man after it was a
name of a place. Encyclopedia Biblica says, "The paragraph in the
Septuagint is as follows: “After the death of Hezron, Caleb
went in to Ephrathah, the wife of Hezron his father, and
she bore him Ashhur". 1

- The Samaritan Torah mentions that Shem was six hundred years
when he died, but this verse does not exist in the Hebrew and the
Greek text. “He had more children and died at the age of six
hundred." (Genesis 11:11)

- In the Hebrew text, we read, "And Cain told Abel his brother.
1
- Encyclopedia Biblica (Caleb-ephrathah, Ashhur)
(19) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

And it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain
rose up" (Genesis 4: 8), and it does not mention what Cain said,
while in the Samaritan and Catholic Torah the verse is complete. It
reads, "Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let's go for a walk."
And when… "

- The thirtieth chapter of Exodus in the Samaritan Torah begins with


the verse number 11, while the thirtieth chapter of Exodus in the
Hebrew and the Greek Torah begin ten verses earlier.

- One of the differences between the copies of the Torah is the


known dispute between the Samaritans and the Hebrews about
Allah’s (S.W.) holy mountain, on which He ordered them to build the
altar. The Hebrews it is Mount Ebal, "Ye shall set up these
stones, which I command you this day, in mount Ebal"
(Deuteronomy 27: 4), while in the Samaritan, the Latin translation
and the Catholic copies it is Gerizim. "Ye shall set up these
stones, which I command you this day, in mount Gerizim".

- When examining the ages of the parents in the fifth chapter of


Genesis according to the Hebrew Torah, we understand that the
flood of Noah happened after 1656 years from the creation of Adam.
However, the Greek Torah makes it in the year 2262 and the
Samaritan in1307. How one could combine these three texts?

- According to the Hebrew text, Christ's birth was in 4004 of the


creation of Adam, but in the Greek, it was in 5872, and in the
Samaritan 4700. Depending on Jerome’s translation (the Vulgate),
modern editions of the Orthodox and the Catholic Torah reconciled
the verses that concern the ages of those ancient parents.

- Similarly, is the difference of the time between the flood and the
birth of Abraham, in the Hebrew Torah it is 292 years, but in the
Greek 1072 years, and in the Samaritan 932 years. 1

The two Torahs do not end with these differences, but go up to


complete blatant contradiction. The Book of Job says, "God does
not pay attention to injustice". (Job 24:12) The Syriac
translation changed the word (injustice) to (prayer) "God does not
take note of their prayer", still, other versions uses the word
(folly). “Yet God regards not the folly” Which of these words
(prayer, injustice, folly) did Allah (S.W.) reveal?
1
- The Truth Revealed, Al Hindi, Vol.3 pp 858 - 871
True Guidance and Light series (2) (20)

In Psalms according to the Hebrew Torah, we read, "Ascribe unto


the Lord glory and strength" (Psalm 29:1), but the verse in the
Greek and the Latin translations reads, "bring to the Lord the
offspring of rams". What kind of harmony between the glory and
strength and the small rams!

The author of Psalm (118) said about his enemies in the Hebrew
copy, "They compassed me about like bees; They are
quenched as the fire of thorns". (Psalm 118:12) In the Greek
copy it reads, "They surrounded me like bees, and they
burned like fire among thorns". There is a great difference
between the burning and extinction, what do you wise people think?!

According to the Hebrew Book of Job, the wife of Prophet Job said to
him after he had ulcers, "Do thou still continue in thy
erectness? Bless God and die " (Job 2: 9), while the Greek Book
of Job says, "His wife asked him, "Are you still holding on
to your principles? Curse God and die!" it is known that the
cursing and blessings are opposites; so, did she ask her husband to
curse Allah (S.W.) or to request blessing from Him, and which one
the inspired by the Holy Spirit wrote?

We read in the last book of the Bible a great threat for those who add
and reduce the word of Allah (S.W.). "I testify unto every man
that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, if any
man shall add unto them, God shall add unto him the
plagues which are written in this book. and if any man
shall take away from the words of the book of this
prophecy, God shall take away his part from the tree of
life, and out of the holy city, which are written in this
book." (Revelation 22:18-19)

Would Allah (S.W.) strike the Catholics and the Orthodox, who added
the seven apocryphal books and others to their book? Would He
(S.W.) delete the names of the Protestants from the Book of Life, for
what they have deleted from the word of Allah (S.W.), which both of
the two teams insist that it does not go away or changed? "The
word of our God shall stand forever" (Isaiah 40: 8)!

We have to say, which of these various texts is the word of Allah


(S.W.), and what is the proof that the Hebrew Torah (Protestants and
Jews) primary to the Samaritan or the Greek Orthodox and Catholic
(21) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

Torah, or its Latin translation. What is the proof that makes one
sacred and the other altered? “Say: "Produce your proof if ye are
truthful.” (Holy Quran, Surah 2. Al Baqara – 111)

Finally, we wonder, is it possible to restore the original text of the


Torah, through the combination of these different texts?

The Christian scholars answer is, "Which of the text to choose, in


other words, how to get a Hebrew text that is the closest to the
original text?.. Real scientific solution requires us to treat the Holy
Bible as we treat all the books of the ancient civilization. That is, to
put a genealogical tree for each of all our witnesses after we have
studied very carefully all the various readings; The Masoretic, the
various texts of Qumran, the Samaritan Torah, the Greek
translations - the Septuagint and others -, the Aramaic, the Syriac
translations, and the old Latin translations. With all of these
comparisons and by all the witnesses, we can restore the original
form, which usually belongs to about the fourth century before
Christ."

The best we can reach after we combine all these texts, is reaching a
text that belongs to the fourth century BCE, a text written a thousand
years after Moses, and it is impossible to reach the text that written
Moses (PBUH).

THE HOLY BIBLE’S CODEX

Christians are so proud of the thousands of the Holy Bible’s


manuscripts, which fill the world libraries and beautify their shelves.
This is true; however, the surprise is that the authors of these
True Guidance and Light series (2) (22)

manuscripts are unknown, and we do not know their capability,


honesty, and their reliability. Another surprise is that among these
thousands of manuscripts no two are identical.

In this regard, it is sufficient to mention three testimonies.

The first is Jehovah Witness’ testimony in the introduction to the Holy


Bible. It says, “Copying the original manuscripts by hand involved
human weakness; therefore, among the thousands of the
manuscripts that exist today no two are identical”.

The second is Frederick Grant’s testimony. In his book, "The


Gospels, their origin and their growth", Frederick Grant, the professor
of theological studies of the Bible in the Federal Institute of Theology
in New York said, “The text used to be kept in manuscripts copied by
tired writers. Today, there are 4700 of these manuscripts between
pieces of paper and complete manuscripts sheets of skin or cloth.
The texts of all these manuscripts vary considerably, and we cannot
say that none of them is without mistakes.. Most copies of all sizes
have been subject to changes by correctors whose works were not
always the right re-reading." 1

The third is Encyclopedia Americana’s testimony. It says, “We have


not received any copy of the original author-written books of the Old
Testament. The texts that we have today came to us by many
generations of scribes and copyists. We have abundant evidence
showing that the scribes may have changed - intentionally or
unintentionally - in the documents and the books, of which their main
work was to write and copy. The unintentional changes had occurred
when they read some of the words wrongly. It also occurred when
they were copying the word or the line twice and sometimes forgot to
write some words, and even whole paragraphs.

They had practiced the intentional changes in the original text with
entire paragraphs when they thought that the writing that was in their
hands was written wrongly. They also deleted or added certain
words or paragraphs, or added explanatory paragraphs to the
original text. There is no reason to assume that the Old Testament’s
books were not subject to regular types of corruption during the
process of copying; at least during the time prior to considering them
sacred.” 2
1
- The Gospels, their origin and their growth, Frederick Grant, pp 32
2
- Forgiveness between Islam and Christianity, Ibrahim Khalil Ahmad, pp 38 -39, and Christ in the Quran,
the Torah, and the Gospel, Abdul Karim al Khateeb, pp 101 - 102
(23) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

In the nineteenth century, a group of scholars and senior priests in


Germany collected all of the Greek manuscripts in the world, and
compared them line by line. They have found two hundred thousand
differences, as announced by the director of the Institute concerned
at the University of Munich, professor Bristol.

The situation of these manuscripts gets worse when we know that


Moses (PBUH) lived in the fifteenth century BCE, while the oldest
biblical manuscripts belong to the time after the birth of Christ.
(Excluding the Qumran manuscripts that discovered recently, which
belong to the second century BCE) That means there are almost
sixteen centuries only between Moses and these manuscripts!

To explain further, I will state the Bible’s oldest manuscripts, and the
supposed date of their writing.

- Qumran manuscripts, which discovered recently, and belong to the


second and third century BCE, they were discovered in 1947 CE
near the Dead Sea. These manuscripts are still mysterious; for, the
content of them were not announced until now.

- John Rylands Papyrus, which contains about five pages from the
Book of Deuteronomy and was written in the second century BCE.

- Chester Beatty Papyri, which discovered by an English scholar in


1929 CE, contains parts of nine books of the books of the Old
Testament, and was written between the second and the fourth
centuries CE.

- Codex Vaticanus (Kept in the Vatican), The church considers it the


greatest of the Greek manuscripts of the Old Testament because it
contains all of the Old Testament. It was found in 1481 CE, and it
belongs to the fourth century CE.

- Codex Alexandrinus, which is kept in the British Museum in


London, and it belongs to the fourth or fifth century CE, or more than
that.

- Codex Sinaiticus, belongs to the fourth or fifth century CE, and


contains parts of the book of Genesis, some of the Prophets’ books
and the book of Wisdom, and the Apocryphal books.
True Guidance and Light series (2) (24)

Examples of what Grant, Encyclopedia Americana, and others


mentioned regarding the mistakes and the additions of the Old
Testament’s writers are as follows:

- We begin with the first book of Samuel when it says, “And the
servant answered Saul again, and said, Behold, I have in
my hand the fourth part of a shekel of silver: that will I
give to the man of God, to tell us our way. (Beforetime in
Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, thus he said,
Come, and let us go to the seer; for he that is now called a
Prophet was beforetime called a Seer) then said Saul to his
servant, Well said; come, let us go. So they went unto the
city where the man of God was As they went up the ascent
to the city, they found young maidens going out to draw
water, and said unto them, Is the seer here And they
answered them, and said, He is; behold, he is before thee”.
(1Samuel: 9:8 -12)

The explanation of the word ‘Seer’ and that it was an old word that
means ‘prophet’, is not from the author of the book, Samuel as they
say. It is an interpretation from the writer, who understood the
difficulty of understanding this word in his time; since the use of the
word ‘seer’ ceased to exist long ago.

This word ‘seer’ ceased to exist long after Samuel. It was used
during the time of King Ezia. “Amaziah said unto Amos, O
thou seer, go, flee thou away into the land of Judah” (Amos:
7:12) How could this addition become part of the revelation and a
paragraph of the Holy Bible?

It is important to note that this sentence of the transcriber is not in the


right place. It appears in the ninth paragraph without an introduction
or a meaning.

The reason for that is that the transcriber’s pen had jumped two
lines. It is supposed to be after the word ‘Seer’ in the tenth verse. In
order that the sentence makes sense, it should be, “So they went
unto the city where the man of God was As they went up
the ascent to the city, they found young maidens going out
to draw water, and said unto them, Is the seer here?
(Beforetime in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God,
thus he said, Come, and let us go to the seer; for he that is
(25) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

now called a Prophet was beforetime called a Seer) And


they answered them, and said He is.”

- In the first book of Samuel, the word ‘Galgal’ appears twice. The
transcriber forgot the first one and he put the second. “And
Samuel arose, and gat him up from Gilgal unto Gabaa of
Benjamin.” (1Samuel: 13: 15) The Greek translator was alert and
did not do the same mistake. In Douay-Rheims Version, the verse is,
“And Samuel arose and went up from Galgal to Gabaa of
Benjamin. And the rest of the people went up after Saul, to
meet the people who fought against them, going from
Galgal to Gabaa, in the hill of Benjamin”.

- Similarly, the word ‘Sent’ appears twice in chapter 2, verse 29 in the


First Book of Kings. The transcriber stated the second one, and
deleted the first word and sentence between them. “Fled into the
tabernacle of the Lord, and was by the altar: and Solomon
sent Banaias, the son of Joiada.” (1kings: 2: 29) The verse in
the Good News Bible is, “fled to the Tent and was by the altar,
Solomon sent a messenger to Joab to ask him why he had
fled to the altar. Joab answered that he had fled to the
LORD because he was afraid of Solomon. So King Solomon
sent Banaias”.

- The transcriber of the Second Book of Samuel made a mistake


reading a word, thus, changing the meaning of the verse. “King
David began to long for Absalom once people had
consoled him over Amnon's death.” (2Samuel: 13: 39) The
word ‘David’ is not in the original text, instead, there is the word
‘soul’, which looks like the word ‘David’ in writing. The Revised
Version’s editors corrected this mistake. In the Revised Version, the
verse is, “And the soul of king David longed to go forth unto
Absalom: for he was comforted concerning Amnon, seeing
he was dead”.

- Among the transcribers mistakes also is in the beginning of the


Song of Solomon. “I am black but beautiful, O ye daughters
of Jerusalem, as the tents of Cedar, as the curtains of
Solomon.” (Songs: 1: 5) Using the word ‘Solomon’ is incorrect and
it is the transcriber’s mistake. The original sentence, as it is in the
Jesuit Priesthood copy, is “as the tents of Cedar, as the
marquees of Selma”. They wrote in the margin the reason for this
change. It says, “In the Hebrew text (Solomon), Selma and Cedar
True Guidance and Light series (2) (26)

are two Arabian Bedouin tribes, and the difference in the reading of
Solomon and Selma is vowels”. They knew the mistake and
corrected it. However, millions of people are still reading the
sentence wrongly, and think that Allah (S.W.) says, “As the
curtains of Solomon”. While in fact, it is about the Arabian tribe
Selma, not Solomon.

- Wrongly, the transcribers related Jonathan to Manasseh.


“Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, he
and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan”. (Judges: 18:
30) The fact is that Jonathan was the grandson of Moses (PBUH),
whom the First Book of Chronicles mentions. Using the word
‘Manasseh’ is the transcriber’s mistake. The editors of the Holy Bible
became aware of it, and they corrected it; it is now, “Jonathan, the
son of Gershom, the son of Moses”.

- Another mistake of the transcribers is the saying, “Chushan


rishathaim King of Aram-naharaim” in the Book of Judges
(Judges: 3: 8). Chushan was not the king of Aram-naharaim in Iraq,
but he was the king of Edom, south of the Dead Sea in Jordan. The
editors of the Holy Bible, again, became aware of it, and they
corrected it; it is now, “Chushan rishathaim King of Edom”. It
is likely that there has been confusion between Aram and Edom.

This confusion between Aram and Edom repeated many times in the
Holy Bible. (See (2Kings: 3: 26), (2Kings: 16: 6), (2Chronicles: 20: 2)
Minority of the Holy Bible’s editors have changed these mistakes.
The rest of those, who believe in the infallibility of the Holy Bible, still
read some copies without noticing the transcribers’ mistakes. Those
transcribers, who have read some letters wrongly, hence, changed
the meanings, and the Christian believers will not know the correct
meaning.

- Psalms (106) speaks of the Israelis and describes them as “They


rebelled at the sea, at the Red Sea” (Psalms: 106: 7), which is a
wrong reading. The Good News Bible’s editors corrected it to “They
rebelled against the Almighty at the Red Sea.”, and they
wrote in the margin that it is ‘at the sea’ in the Hebrew original.
However, according to them, they have made a slight change to the
word to reach the correct reading. This reading has nothing to do
with the meaning of the previous reading.
(27) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

- The transcribers’ wrong or corrected readings created hundreds of


differences in the Torah’s readings. Praising the tribe of Naphtali, the
Book of Genesis says, “Naphtali is a hind let loose; He gives
goodly words” (Genesis: 49: 21). However, the editors of the
English Standard Version were uncertain about this meaning;
therefore, they changed it to, “Naphtali is a doe let loose that
bears beautiful fawns”.1

- The transcribers’ readings also differed while talking about David’s


intentions towards Nabal. It reads, “He has requited me evil for
good. So and more also do God to the enemies of David”.
(1Samuel: 25: 21 - 22) In the Bible in Basic English version, this
verse reads, “He has requited me evil for good. May God's
punishment be on David”. These are two different readings; one
speaks of David and the other of his enemies.

- In the second book of Samuel we read, “Howbeit, because by


this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of
the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto
thee shall surely die”. (2Sam: 12: 14) This verse is different in the
English Standard Version. It reads, “Nevertheless, because by
this deed you have utterly scorned the LORD, the child
who is born to you shall die”. The first reading speaks of the
gloating of God’s enemies. These enemies are not mentioned in the
second reading, which speaks of scorning God – Allah (S.W.) Far be
from it – by doing that sin.

- The transcriber, sometimes, used to add a note so he could


remember, and then that note would become part of Allah’s (S.W.)
word. In Psalms we read, “My mouth shall tell of thy
righteousness, And of thy salvation all the day; For I know
not the numbers thereof” (Psalms: 71: 15) The sentence, ‘For I
know not the numbers thereof’’ is the transcriber’s words. Its
correct translation, according to the Jesuit Priesthood edition, reads,
‘I do not understand the letters’. They deleted it from the text in this
version and they wrote in the margin, “No doubt that this sentence is
a comment from the transcriber, who did not understand the word”.

We wonder how the believers in the sanctity of these books justify


such errors, differences, and additions, and when the editors of the
Holy Bible are going to correct them. Until then, we wonder, which of
1
- In the Bible in Basic English version this verse reads, “Naphtali is a roe let loose, giving fair
young ones”. (added by the translator)
True Guidance and Light series (2) (28)

these different readings is – truly – Allah’s (S.W.) revelation and


words?

NULLIFICATION OF ATTRIBUTING THE PENTATEUCH


TO MOSES (PBUH)

The Jews and the Christians claim that Moses (PBUH) wrote the
Pentateuch. In his debate with the Muslim scholar Ahmad Deedat,
Priest Jimmy Swaggart said, “We believe that Moses wrote the first
five books with the exception of few hymns and Deuteronomy. He
(29) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

may have wrote Deuteronomy, too, because we know that the Lord
has the power to reveal to Moses exactly how he would die, and
reveal to him precisely how his funeral would be, and this is not a
problem for the Lord”. 1

There is no proof to support this claim except what the Biblical texts
mention. However, when we review the Pentateuch books, we find
that they were written long after Moses (PBUH); following are some
of the evidence:

Moses’ Torah is shorter than the present one

- The books of the Old Testament speak of Moses’ Torah. In


Deuteronomy, we read, “And Moses wrote this law, and
delivered it to the priests the sons of Levi, who carried the
ark of the covenant of the Lord”. (Deuteronomy 31: 9) The
Torah’s end supposed to be here, but there are three chapters after
this verse. It supposed that the Torah was given to the priests the
sons of Levi; this indicates that Moses did not write the text that tells
the story.

- Moses’ Torah is short, but the present Pentateuch is 400 pages.


Moses ordered the Israelis, women, men, children, and even the
stranger who passes by their land, to gather every seven years to
hear the Torah during the feast of tabernacles. (See Deuteronomy
31: 9 -12) If the Torah was as long as we have it now, it would be
difficult for those people to hear it.

Another indication that Moses’ Torah was short is that he


commanded it to be written on the altar’s walls. “And when you
are passed over the Jordan into the land which the Lord
thy God will give thee, thou shalt set up great stones, and
shalt plaster them over with plaster, That thou mayst
write on them all the words of this law….And thou shalt
write upon the stones all the words of this law plainly and
clearly.” (Deuteronomy 27: 2 - 8)

Joshua, Moses’ trustee, executed this command and wrote the Torah
on the altar’s wall, and then he read it to the people. “And he
wrote there upon the stones a copy of the law of Moses,
which he wrote, in the presence of the children of Israel
….After this, he read all the words of the blessing and the
1
- See also, Introduction to the Old Testament, Priest Dr. Samuel Yusof, pp 37
True Guidance and Light series (2) (30)

cursing, and all things that were written in the book of the
law….He left out nothing of those things which Moses had
commanded, but he repeated all before all the people of
Israel, with the women and children, and strangers, that
dwelt among them.” (Joshua 8: 32 - 35)

The Book of Joshua contradicts the Pentateuch

Joshua’s breaching of the contents of the Pentateuch assures that it


is not Moses’ Torah. If Joshua knew the Pentateuch or believed in its
authenticity, he would not have breached it; either to say that the
Book of Joshua is false, or it is incorrect to attribute the Pentateuch
to Moses.

Allah (S.W.) ordered Moses not to take any of Ammon’s land. Moses
said, “The Lord spoke to me, saying, “Thou shalt pass this
day the borders of Moab, the city named Ar, And when
thou comest nigh the frontiers of the children of Ammon,
take heed thou fight not against them, nor once move to
battle. For, I will not give thee of the land of the children of
Ammon, because I have given it to the children of Lot for a
possession”. (Deuteronomy 2: 17 - 19)

However, Joshua in his book stated that Moses divided the land of
Ammon. Joshua said, “And Moses gave unto the tribe of Gad,
unto the children of Gad, according to their families. And
their border was Jazer, and all the cities of Gilead, and
half the land of the children of Ammon, unto Aroer that is
before Rabbah….. This is the inheritance of the children of
Gad”. (Joshua13: 24 - 28) The Book of Joshua claims that Allah
(S.W.) gave Moses half of the land of Ammon and that is contrary to
Allah’s (S.W.) order to Moses. If the Pentateuch is Moses’ Torah,
then Joshua would not attribute this clear violation to Moses.

The Pentateuch mentions events that happened after Moses

The Pentateuch mentions events that happened after Moses, which


indicates that it was written after him.

- The Torah says, “And the children of Israel did eat the
manna forty years, until they came to a land inhabited;
they did eat the manna, until they came unto the borders
of the land of Canaan”. (Exodus 16: 35) The writer of this book
(31) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

had witnessed the discontinuity of the manna, and he knew that the
Israelis had eaten it for forty years. Moses (PBUH) did not witness
that. The discontinuity of the manna happened during the time of
Joshua and years after the death of Moses. In Joshua we read,
“And the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal.. at even in
the plains of Jericho. And they did eat of the produce of the
land on the morrow after the Passover And the manna
ceased on the morrow, after they had eaten of the produce
of the land”. (Joshua 5: 10 -12) how did Moses speak about an
event that happened after his death? It is important to note that the
verse is in the past tense, not the future tense; therefore, we cannot
consider it as a prophecy from Moses (PBUH).

- The Book of Numbers describes the manna to the readers; surely, it


is telling them about something that they did not see. It is strange to
attribute this description to Moses. Why should he describe the
manna, its taste, and how to cook it, to those, who cook it and eat it
of his contemporaries? It says, “And the manna was like
coriander seed, and the appearance thereof as the
appearance of bdellium. The people went about taking it
up from the earth, crushing it between stones or
hammering it to powder, and boiling it in pots, and they
made cakes of it: its taste was like the taste of cakes
cooked with oil”. (Numbers 11: 7-8) (See also Exodus 16:31) This
is another proof that Moses did not write these books.

- The Book of Numbers mentions what indicates that its writer wrote
it after the children of Israel had left the wilderness of Sinai and
entered Palestine. It says, “And while the children of Israel
were in the wilderness, they found a man gathering sticks
upon the Sabbath day”. (Numbers 15: 32) The writer was not in
the wilderness, which means he was not Moses (PBUH). Moses died
in the wilderness before the Israelis entered the holy land.
- In Deuteronomy we read, “And dwelt in their stead; as Israel
did unto the land of his possession, which the Lord gave
unto them”. (Deuteronomy 2: 12) This indicates that the writer had
witnessed the entrance of the children of Israel to the holy land,
which happened after the death of Moses (PBUH).

- The writer of Genesis, who supposed to be Moses, said, “And


Abram passed through the land unto the place of
Shechem, unto the oak of Moreh. And the Canaanite was
then in the land (Palestine)”. (Genesis 12: 6) The writer had
True Guidance and Light series (2) (32)

witnessed the Canaanite’s exit from the holy land after the children of
Israel entered it; he is not Moses.

- The writer of Genesis said, “At that time the Canaanites and
the Perizzites were still living in the land.” (Genesis 13: 7)
Few of the Bible’s versions put this verse between two brackets to
indicate that it is an addition. The truth is that it is original, and the
book is of late authorship.

The writer of Genesis said, “And these are the kings that
reigned in the land of Edom, before there reigned any king
over the children of Israel”. (Genesis 36: 31) The writer had
witnessed the Kings’ Time, which was four centuries after Moses.
The scholar Adam Clark admitted this fabrication. He said, “Probably
Moses did not write this verse, and the verses after it until the thirty-
ninth verse. I think and it is close to certainty that these verses were
written in the margin of a correct copy, and the transcriber thought it
was part of the text.” 1

Clark did not clarify the evidence that creates his thought that is
close to certainty. However, this justification of Clark leads us to
doubt the entire Holy Bible, for, as it was permissible for the
transcriber to insert this verse into the text, it may occur in the rest of
the book.

- The great disaster is the mentioning of the death of Moses (PBUH)


and the weeping of the children of Israel, in a book that is attributed
to Moses. “So Moses the servant of Jehovah died there in
the land of Moab, according to the word of Jehovah. And
he buried him in the valley in the land of Moab over
against Beth-peor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre
unto this day. And Moses was a hundred and twenty years
old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural
force abated. And the children of Israel wept for Moses in
the plains of Moab thirty days: so the days of weeping in
the mourning for Moses were ended.” (Deuteronomy 34: 5 - 8)
Again, we note that it is in the past tense, not the future tense.

- It is unacceptable to attribute to Moses the Pentateuch’s praise to


him while using the past tense. In fact, this praise was from a third
party. It is unlikely that Moses would say about himself:

1
- The Truth Revealed, Rahmatu Allah Al Hindi, Vol.2 pp 468
(33) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

“Moses was very meek, above all the men that were upon
the face of the earth” (Numbers 12: 3)

“Moses the man of God” (Deuteronomy 33: 1)

“The man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in


the sight of Pharaoh's servants, and in the sight of the
people” (Exodus 11: 3), these are the testimonies of others to him.

Names that appeared after Moses

The Pentateuch mentions the names of many things that the children
of Israel knew only after Moses. Those things were named centuries
after the death of Moses; how did the Torah of Moses mentioned
them?

- In Genesis we read, “And went after them as far as Dan”


(Genesis 14: 14). Dan had had its name during the time of Judges,
more than a hundred years after Moses. The Book of Judges says,
“And they took that which Micah had made, and the priest
whom he had, and came unto Laish…And they called the
name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father”.
(Judges 18: 27 - 29)

- In Genesis we read, “For indeed I was stolen away out of


the land of the Hebrews” (Genesis 40: 15) Palestine did not have
this name in Moses’ time; for, the Hebrews did not enter it yet.

- Similarly, in Genesis we read, “And Jacob came to his father


Isaac at Mamre, at Kiriath-arba, that is, Hebron” (Genesis
35: 27). Hebron had this name in the time of Joshua, as mentioned in
his book. “And Joshua blessed him; and he gave Hebron
unto Caleb.. ow the name of Hebron beforetime was
Kiriath-arba; which Arba was the greatest man among
the Anakim.” (Joshua14: 13 - 15) The writer of Genesis had
witnessed Joshua’s entrance to Palestine, and the change of the
city’s name from Arba to Hebron.

This is what the liberal Bible’s scholars say. The others, as Priest
Samuel quoted, think, “These verses are no more than clarifying
additions by the transcribers through periods of time, and with the
True Guidance and Light series (2) (34)

holy inspiration”.1 They confess that these verses are the


transcribers’ additions, but the Holy Spirit inspired these transcribers
to do that. The most important issue for them is that “Moses remains
the author of Genesis”. 2

Exciting Confessions

After all this, it was necessary for the fair and just among the people
of the book to acknowledge the nullification of attributing the
Pentateuch to Moses. Ibn Ezra, the Jewish Rabbi, was the first to do
so when he mystified his confession in this regard, fearing
prosecution and death. In his commentary on Deuteronomy, he said,
“Beyond the River Jordan ... If you know the secret of the twelve ...
Moses wrote his law also ... The Canaanite was in the land ... Would
reveal it on the mountain of God ... Behold, his bed, a bed of iron,
then you know the truth”. Ibn Ezra did not dare to reveal the truth, so
he mystified it.

The Jewish critic Espinoza interpreted Ibn Ezra’s saying. He


explained that Ibn Ezra meant that Moses did not write the Torah,
because he did not cross the river, and the book of Moses had
engraved clearly on twelve stones, thus, its size was not as the size
of the Pentateuch. Moreover, it is improper that the Torah says that
Moses wrote the Torah, and how it says that the Canaanites were
then in the land; while that only happened after their expulsion. The
mountain of God was called by that name centuries after Moses, and
the iron bed of Og, mentioned in Deuteronomy (3: 11 -12), which
indicates that it was written long after him.

In the nineteenth century, Rev. Norton confessed that the


Pentateuch could not be attributed to Moses. He said, “Certainly, the
Torah is a fabrication, and not of Moses”. 3

In the introduction of the Bible (1971), the editors recorded their


doubts of attributing the Pentateuch to Moses; therefore, they said,
“The author was probably Moses”.

The introduction to the Catholic Torah and the introduction to the


French Holy Bible say, “No Catholic scholar in our time believes that
Moses wrote all the Pentateuch from the story of creation, or that he
1
- Introduction to the Old Testament, Priest Dr. Samuel Yusof, pp 84
2
Ibid
3
- Comparing Religions, Mohammad Abdullah Ash Sharqawy, pp 71 – 75, and Forgiveness between
Islam and Christianity, Ibrahim Khalil Ahmad, pp 44 - 46
(35) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

supervised the text that written by many after him. It must be said
that there were increments caused by social and religious occasions
of the following eras”.

The 19th century Encyclopedia says, “Modern science, especially the


German critics, had proved after extensive research in archeology,
history, and linguistics that Moses did not write the Torah. It is the
work of Rabbis who did not mention their names on it, and authored
it depending on stories they heard before the Babylon captivity”.

In his book, “Semitic languages”, Noldeke said, “The Torah was


collected nine hundred years after Moses. Its authorship and
collection took long years, in which it was subject to increment and
decrement. It is difficult to find a complete word in the Torah from
what was revealed to Moses”.1

Is it proper to say, after all that, that the five books are the words of
Moses, or that they are Allah’s (S.W.) revelation to his Prophet
Moses?

Roger Garaudy was right when he said in his book, “Israel and
Political Zionism”, “There is no scholar, or interpreter of the Torah
does not realize that the oldest texts of the Torah was authored and
written during the time of Solomon. These texts are only a
compilation of oral stories. If we commit to substantive historical
standards, we have to acknowledge that these novels that talk about
epics that passed through the centuries, are not more historical - in
the strict sense of the word - than the Iliad or the Ramayana”.
NULLIFICATION OF ATTRIBUTING THE PROHPETS’
BOOKS TO THEM

The Jews and the Christians do not have any evidence - albeit weak
– to prove the authenticity of attributing the scriptures to the people
to whom they are attributed. These books do not contain any
evidence to support their claims. Rather, they contain evidence that
proves the contrary. It is clear from the texts and the testimonies that
I will show, which invalidate the attribution of the Old Testament to
the prophets (PBUT). I will just show some testimonies of some of
these books, leaving the measurement of the rest of them to you.

The Book of Joshua


1
- The Holy Books Between Accuracy and Alteration, Yahya Rabee, pp 100, and The Holy Bible in the
Scale, Abdus Salam Mohammad, pp 97 - 98
True Guidance and Light series (2) (36)

Traditional studies attributed this book to the Prophet Joshua son of


Nun, Moses’ (PBUH) trustee. However, a careful reading of this book
reveals that it was written long after Joshua.

It mentions the news of Joshua’s death in the past tense. “And


after these things Joshua the son of Nun the servant of the
Lord died, being a hundred and ten years old. And they
buried him in the border of his possession in
Thamnathsare.” (Joshua 24: 29 - 30)

It also mentions events that happened after his death using the past
tense and speaks of him as a third person. “And Israel served
the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the
elders that outlived Joshua, and had known all the work
of the Lord, that he had wrought for Israel” (Joshua 24: 31)
(See also Joshua 8: 35, and Joshua 6: 27)

The Book of Joshua repeatedly states the village of Debir, which


Joshua fought. It says, “And Joshua returned, and all Israel
with him, to Debir, and fought against it” (Joshua 10: 38)
“and the border went up to Debir from the valley of
Achor” (Joshua 15: 7) and other verses. This is another proof that
Joshua did not write the book that attributed to him; for, the village of
Debir did not have this name until the time of Judges. “Judah's
army went to attack Debir, which at that time was called
Kiriath-Sepher” (Judges 1: 11)

We also find in many verses that the author tells us about the
survival of some names that named during the time of Joshua, and
that they have not changed through the years. Certainly, Joshua was
not the author, as these names appeared during his time, and it is
unlikely that the names of cities would change in a short time. It says,
“Wherefore the name of that place was called Gilgal, unto
this day” (Joshua 5: 9), meaning that it still have the same name
until the time of writing the Book of Joshua.

Similarly, “And they raised over him a great heap of stones,


unto this day; and Jehovah turned from the fierceness of
his anger. Wherefore the name of that place was called,
The valley of Achor, unto this day”. (Joshua 7: 26)
(37) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

The Jewish critic Espinoza admitted that the author of this book is
unknown. Moreover, the Catholic introduction to the Holy Bible says,
“However, the Holy author who we do not know his name or time….”.

The editors of the Holy Bible’s Dictionary suggested a number of


names of the writers of this book. It says, “The author of this book is
unknown, and it was attributed to many. However, many cling to the
belief that is acceptable to the Jews and the ancient Christians that
the author was Joshua. Calvin thought that the writer was Eliezer
Ben Aaron. Others claim that the writer was Vidhas, Samuel, or
Jeremiah”.1

I should point out that all these suggestions are assumptions with no
evidence, and most likely that the author is unknown. Thus, how can
they attribute a book of unknown author to Allah (S.W.)?

The Book of Judges

This book speaks of the period after Joshua and before the kings’
reign, and it was an early period of the history of the Children of
Israel. The Jewish tradition attributed this book to Prophet Samuel,
the last judge of the Children of Israel.

However, the book contains what indicates that it was written during
the kings’ time. It says, “In those days there was no king in
Israel” (Judges 21: 25) and, “In those days there was no king
in Israel” (Judges 17: 6). The writer had lived during the kings’
time, and not the judges’ time.

Regarding the author, the introduction of this book says, “Probably


Samuel”. This is just an assumption upon which priest William Marsh
agreed and added more assumptions. He believed – according to the
scholar Al Hindi – that, the author is unknown, but the book is
attributed to Samuel or Ezra, and it is possible that each judge had
written during his own time.

The authors of the Introduction to the Holy Bible said, “We do not
know the writer of the book. It is possible that the collection and
classification of its contents were from records after the time of
Judges. It mentions, “In those days there was no king in
Israel” three times (17:6, 18:1, and 21:25), which forces us to
1
- The Holy Bible’s Dictionary, pp 1070
True Guidance and Light series (2) (38)

believe that the collection and classification of its contents had


happened after the reign of the kings in Israel”.1

Father Lofever told us that the book of Judges was written and edited
many times before it became to this stage; and that its historical
events are lacking accuracy. Lofever did not tell us whether he
believed in the infallibility of those unknown people who participated
in writing and editing this book or not. If he was not, how could their
additions and changes become part of Allah’s (S.W.) revelation?

The Book of Ruth

This book tells the story of Ruth the Moabite, who married an Israeli,
and after he died, she married Boaz, and bore him Obed, David’s
grandfather. No one knows specifically who the author of this story
was. In this regard, priest William Marsh said that the author is
“Unknown”.

George Boost said, “We cannot tell with certainty the time or the
author’s name of this story; some people attributed it to Samuel,
some to Hezekiah, and others to Ezra”. Moreover, the introduction to
the book says that the author is “Not specifically known”.

In addition, the introduction of the Applied Interpretation of the Holy


Bible says, “The author is unknown; some think that he was Samuel,
however, the book contains what indicates that it was written after
his death”. 2

The Catholic Torah’s introduction of this book says that the unknown
author of this book had lived in a later time; “Its language itself in the
Hebrew text indicates that it is the production of the period after the
Babylon Captivity”. 3

The First and the Second Books of Samuel

These two books are attributed to Samuel. However, the first book
mentions the death of Prophet Samuel and his burial. “And
1
- Introduction to the Holy Bible, John Balchin and others, pp 76
2
- The Applied Interpretation of the Holy Bible, few theologians, pp 538
3
- Judaism and Christianity, Mohammad Dia Ar- Rahman al Athamy, pp 110, Is the Bible God’s word?
Ahmad Deedat, pp 80, 126, and The Holy Bible in the Scale, Abdus Salam Mohammad, pp 99
(39) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

Samuel died; and all Israel gathered themselves together,


and lamented him, and buried him.” (1Samuel 25: 1) Who,
then, wrote the rest of the First Book of Samuel, and who wrote the
second?

Regarding the author of the two books, the revisers of the Holy Bible,
which was reviewed by the Secretary General of the Bible Society in
New York, said, “Unknown, possibly it was Ezra who wrote and
reviewed them”.

The editors of the Bible’s Edition (1971) said, “The author was
possibly Samuel”. Others said the author was Jeremiah; however,
the introduction to the Catholic Torah considers this opinion as a
“Childish opinion, but it is possible that the author was one of
Jeremiah’s students”. 1

The Applied Interpretation of the Holy Bible says, “The author is


unknown, and some believe that the author was Zabud the son of
Nathan”. (1Kings: 4: 5) 2

The Books of Ezra and Nehemiah

The two books talk about the life of the children of Israel after the
captivity. It is assumed that the authors of the two books were Ezra
and Nehemiah, but researchers believe that it is likely that the author
was the same author of Chronicles, and that they were written
around 300 BCE.

Nehemiah was contemporary with the Babylon Captivity, but the


author talked about Joshua the Levites, who returned from the
Captivity. It says, “Now these are the priests and the Levites
that went up with Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and
Joshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra”. (Nehemiah 12: 1) Then, it
mentions that among those who returned from the captivity was
Joshua the Levites; it says, “Moreover the Levites: Joshua,
Binnui, Kadmiel”. (Nehemiah 12: 8)

1
- Fabrication in the Torah, Mohammad Al Khouly, pp 4, 110 -111, Is the Bible God’s word? Ahmad
Deedat, pp 58, and The Holy Bible in the Scale, Abdus Salam Mohammad, pp 99
2
- The Applied Interpretation of the Holy Bible, few theologians, pp 632
True Guidance and Light series (2) (40)

However, the author of the Book of Nehemiah wrote about the fifth
generation of Joshua the Levites. He said, “And Jeshua begat
Joiakim, and Joiakim begat Eliashib, and Eliashib begat
Joiada, and Joiada begat Jonathan, and Jonathan begat
Jaddua”. (Nehemiah 12: 10 -11) This cannot be attributed to
Nehemiah, who returned from the captivity, while the book speaks of
the fifth generation of those who returned from the captivity. Thus,
the author had lived – at least – during the fifth generation after the
captivity; who was he then?

The French introduction answers by saying, “Usually, Chronicles,


Ezra, and Nehemiah are attributed to one unknown author called
‘The news editor’”.

William Marsh said, “According to the Jewish tradition, the author


was Ezra. This is also the opinion of the majority of the church’s
men. However, some modern scholars say that an unknown author
wrote the books of Ezra, and Nehemiah”.

The Book of Esther

In this book, the Jewish had imagined that the queen of Persia was a
Jewish queen, who was powerful and who used this power for the
benefit of the Jewish people.

This book does not mention the name of Allah (S.W.) at all. Its
introduction in the Catholic Torah justifies the reason for that. It says
about the Esther’s Hebrew text, "Maybe it was because of the fear
that improper slogans and cheering would accompany the name of
God from those who feel the joy, and this is harmful to the respect to
the name of God". I wonder why they were not careful and not to
mention the name of Allah (S.W.) in the Song of Solomon, which is a
set of romantic love songs?

Regarding the author, in his book, “The Seekers Guide”, Dr. Samaan
Kahloon said that the author is ‘Unknown’. In addition, Dr. Boost
said, "There are some who attributed it to Ezra, others to a priest
named Jehoiakim, and some attributed it to the members of the
Great Council, however, the majority attributed it to Murdoch." The
introduction to this book in the Catholic copy believes that it was
written “during the second generation before Christ”.
(41) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

There were some people who questioned the authenticity of this


book. Melito of Sardis deleted it from his list of the holy books that
mentioned in his book "The Summary". Luther as well refused to
consider this book among the inspired ones, as stated in the Holy
Bible’s Dictionary; 1 and he said, “I wish this book did not exist”.

In the Greek copy adopted by the Catholics, there are additions that
are not in the Hebrew copy, like Murdoch’s dream and blessings and
other issues. The Catholic introduction to this book stated that the
Greek translators had added these additions to indicate a religious
look to the Hebrew copy of this book, which has no indication that it
is a religious one.

The editors of the Holy Bible’s Dictionary said, “There is no


consistency or harmony between the Hebrew copy and these
additions, but there are contradictions between them. These
additions mention that the King of Persia at that time was Artzrksys
instead of Ruksys, and that Haman was a Macedonian rather than a
Persian”. 2

The Book of Job

The author of this book supposed to be Prophet Job. However, there


is a verse in the middle of the book indicates that another author had
his hand in it. At the end of chapter 31, we read, “The words of
Job are ended” (Job 31: 40), but this is not the end of the book;
there are 11 chapters after that speak of Job.

Moreover, at the end of the book, we read, “And after this Job
lived a hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his
sons' sons, even four generations. So Job died, being old
and full of days” (Job 42: 16 - 17); did Job write this?

Dr. Samuel Schultz’s opinion, that the date of the writing of this book
is unknown, as well as the time of the historical background and the
name of the author.

The Catholic introduction to the Book of Job attempted to determine


the time of the writing. It says that, “The author of this book came
1
- The Holy Bible’s Dictionary (Esther), and The History of the Church, Eusebius, pp 189
2
- The Holy Bible’s Dictionary, pp 66, The Truth Revealed, Al Hindi, Vol. 1, pp 147, The Torah;
Presentation and Analysis, Fuad Husain Ali, pp 56-57, and The Holy Bible in the Scale, Abdus Salam
Mohammad, pp 101
True Guidance and Light series (2) (42)

after Jeremiah and after Ezekiel. He had his inspiration from


Jeremiah. He was earlier than the Greek era, and most likely he was
from the fifth generation”. 1

The editors of the Holy Bible’s Dictionary tried to tell us about the
unknown writer, and the time of the writing. They said, "It is believed
that the writer was one of the people of Palestine, but the date of the
writing cannot be set with certainty. Some critics thought that he had
written it in the time of Jeremiah, and others thought it was written
after the captivity.. However, others think that he wrote it in the fourth
century BCE .. It is likely belongs to the second millennium BCE”.
Which date of these dates, which are confusing with their
divergence, would you choose? However, any way, they agree that
the author is unknown. 2

It is important to note here that the Greek Catholic copy of the Book
of Job is less by nearly the fifth of what is in the Hebrew copy.

The Book of Psalms

The Book of Psalms contains one hundred and fifty psalms attributed
to different authors. Seventy-three psalms are attributed to Prophet
David, one psalm to Moses, twelve psalms to Asaf, nine psalms to
the sons of Korah, two psalms to Solomon, and another one to
Ethan. The remaining Psalms (51 Psalms), are called the ‘Orphan
Psalms’; for, there are of unknown authors!!!

How can we consider them inspired? Were the sons of Korah also
prophets? Was Asaph, the great singer in David’s court a prophet,
and what is the evidence of their prophet-hood? No one has the
answers to these questions.

An examination of Psalms would show clearly that they belong to the


time after David and Solomon, specifically to the sixth century BCE,
to the days of the Babylon Captivity.

The following examples will show:

In the seventy-ninth Psalm, which is attributed to the great singer


1
- The Torah; Presentation and Analysis, Fuad Husain Ali, pp 61-62, and The Holy Bible in the Scale,
Abdus Salam Mohammad, pp 101
2
- The Holy Bible’s Dictionary, pp 148
(43) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

Asaph, we read, “O God, the nations are come into thine


inheritance; Thy holy temple have they defiled; They have
laid Jerusalem in heaps. The dead bodies of thy servants
have they given to be food unto the birds of the heavens,
the flesh of thy saints unto the beasts of the earth” (Psalms
79: 1 - 2)

Similarly, “The Lord doth build up Jerusalem; He gathered


together the outcasts of Israel. He heals the broken in
heart, And binds up their wounds” (Psalms 147: 2 -3), and
“By the rivers of Babylon, There we sat down, yea, we
wept, When we remembered Zion. Upon the willows in the
midst thereof We hanged up our harps. For there they that
led us captive required of us songs, And they that wasted
us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of
Zion” (Psalms 137:1-3), and other verses.

These verses prove that Psalms were written at least four centuries
after David. Thus, they cannot be attributed to him or to his
contemporaries. However, the church insists that Allah (S.W.)
inspired them and it has a strange proof.
It says that these Psalms "are used today for worship in the Christian
church, and they suit all communities alike, and perhaps this is
evidence of being inspired by God." 1

The Books of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon

According to the Church and the Jewish traditions, these three books
are attributed to Prophet Solomon (PBUH). However, contemplating
the Book of Proverbs shows paragraphs that cannot be attributed to
Solomon. Reading these paragraphs shows that they had more than
one author. Repeating more than a hundred Proverbs verbally or in
their meanings, as in (Proverbs 18: 8, 26: 22, and 19: 24), is the
proof.

The book tells that some of these proverbs are Solomon’s, it begins
by saying, “Proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of
Israel" (Proverbs 1:1), and then in chapter 10, confirms it. The
twenty-fifth chapter also confirms that Solomon is the author, and
adds that the men of King Hezekiah had copied it from him. It says,
“These also are proverbs of Solomon, which the men of
Hezekiah king of Judah copied out”. (Proverbs 25:1)
1
- The Holy Bible’s Dictionary, pp 431
True Guidance and Light series (2) (44)

We do not know who the men of Hezekiah were, how the words of
Prophet Solomon reached them, and whether they were prophets or
not. Note that Hezekiah was the twelfth king after Solomon.

In chapter thirty, the proverbs are attributed to someone else, not


Solomon. It says, "The words of Agur the son of Jakeh; The
oracle" (Proverbs 30:1), and the book does not mention his
prophet-hood or inspiration. In the following chapter we read, “The
words of king Lemuel; the oracle which his mother taught
him” (Proverbs 31:1), the book does not tell us how to consider
what his mother taught him as a revelation.

The introduction to the Roman Catholic Bible says, "The book is not
entirely written by this King, it is attributed to two important groups ...
Without doubt, the composite group had been completed in its final
form after the captivity ... It is impossible to determine the origin of
these groups, even those that attributed to Solomon .. Large number
of these proverbs does not have a religious character at all."
The authors of the Introduction to the Holy Bible believe that the
book is a production of an unknown number of anonymous authors,
and the book tells us the names of only three of them. It says, "Many
writers had participated in the writing of the Book of Proverbs. Three
of these writers are listed by name, Solomon, Agur, and Lemuel, and
there is at least one section of this book of an unknown writer." 1

Regarding Ecclesiastes, we read in its beginning, “The words of


Ecclesiastes, the son of David, king of Jerusalem.”
(Ecclesiastes 1:1) and in another verse, it says, “I Ecclesiastes
was king over Israel in Jerusalem”. (Ecclesiastes 1:12)

The first Book of Chronicles (3: 1 -22) mentions the kings of the
Children of Israel and there is no king by the name of Ecclesiastes
among them. Therefore, theologians attribute this book to Solomon.
This is not right: for, he said, “And moreover I saw under the
sun, in the place of justice, that wickedness was there; and
in the place of righteousness, that wickedness was there”
(Ecclesiastes: 3:16), such a pessimistic picture could not come form
Prophet Solomon, who had the power to raise justice and stabilize it.

Similarly, "Then I returned and saw all the oppressions that


are done under the sun: and, behold, the tears of such as
1
- Introduction to the Holy Bible, John Balkain and others, pp 207
(45) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

were oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the


side of their oppressors there was power; but they had no
comforter." (Ecclesiastes 4:1) and many other verses; such
pessimistic pictures could not be issued by a prophet and a king.

The Song of Solomon is the most exciting book, and had much
reluctance before it was added to the Bible. Scholars believe it
belongs to the third or the second century BCE, even though it
includes some very ancient songs.

The French introduction says, "This little book is one of the most
disputing issues of the texts of the Holy Bible. What is the meaning
of that poem or that group of poems in the Old Testament... We do
not find any key to a biography, who wrote it, when, and why? It is
clear that the author was not Solomon”.

Philsian Chali said, “Other works came from various believers who
are different from those, to whom the books are traditionally
attributed. The Song of Solomon, for example, is certainly not the
work of Solomon.1

Its introduction in the Catholic Torah says, “Only few believers read
the Song of Solomon, because it does not suit them much". Wishton
said, "It is a debauchery singing, take it out of the Holy books", and
Ward the Catholic called it as “Unclean singing". 2

The Book of Isaiah

This book is attributed to Prophet Isaiah, who was a contemporary


with King Uzziah, then Jotham, then Ahaz, and then Hezekiah in the
eighth century BCE. However, the book talks about the period
between the eighth and the sixth centuries BCE, which confirms that
there was a writer or two writers who had written that after Isaiah.

Speaking of the great state of Babylon and predicting its collapse,


and talking about Cyrus the Persian, who returned the Jews from the
captivity, are examples. (See Isaiah 44: 28 - 45: 1)

1
- Summary Of Religions History, Philsian Chali, pp 160
2
- The Truth Revealed, Al Hindi, Vol. 1, pp 150, The Torah; Presentation and Analysis, Fuad Husain Ali,
pp 67, and The Holy Bible in the Scale, Abdus Salam Mohammad, pp 103
True Guidance and Light series (2) (46)

The book also speaks of the return of the captives and the starting of
building the temple in chapters 56 to 66. Therefore, the German
scholar Staehelin said, "From the fortieth chapter until the sixty-sixth
cannot be attributed to Isaiah ". 1

The Catholic Introduction to the book states that, "A growing number
of Catholic commentators are now considering that the work of
Prophet Isaiah was followed by other prophets, who were important
as him, but they did not leave their names to us."

The Book of Jeremiah

The Church’s traditions attribute it to Prophet Jeremiah. This


attribution is not valid, as it is the work of several authors, evidenced
by its contradiction in one event, such as the contradiction in the way
of Jeremiah’s arresting and imprisonment. (See: Jeremiah 37: 11 -
15, and 38: 6 - 13)

The book also contains a confession that someone else had added
some additions. "Then took Jeremiah another roll, and gave
it to Baruch the scribe, the son of Neriah, who wrote
therein from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the
book which Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the
fire; and there were added besides unto them many like
words. " (Jeremiah: 36: 32) In another verse, we read, "Thus far
are the words of Jeremiah". (Jeremiah 51: 64), However, the
book continues, who, then, completed it?

Conclusion

I conclude with an important confession recorded in the introduction


to the Catholic Bible. It says, "All these books were issued by people
who were convinced that God called them to configure people who
would occupy a place in history, and their number is unknown. Most
of their work compiled from the traditions of the community, and
before their books took their final version, they were spread for a
long time among the people. These books bear the marks of the
reactions of the readers in the form of revisions and comments, and
even by re-wording some texts to a significant or insignificant

1
- The Truth Revealed, Al Hindi, Vol. 1, pp 150
(47) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

importance. The latest books among them are only interpretation


and updating of old books."

Morris Vorn was right when he said, "If we ask, at which time any
book of the books of the Torah was collected, which condition, which
circumstances, who wrote it, we will not find anyone who may
answer these questions and similar ones except with very different
answers. The summary is that the new scientific methods reject most
of the comments of the scholars of copying, which is the basis of the
Christians and Jews, destroy the structure of the former claims, and
exonerate the prophets of these writings."

He continued and said, "What can we do since we are confused for a


hundred years between evidence that erase each other; the new is
contradictory to its former, and the former is contradictory to its
former, and some times one evidence is contradictory. We have
given up getting to know the real author of the book." 1

Then, these books are of unknown authors and cannot be attributed


to the prophets. They are the work of the Jewish people throughout
the ages of the Jewish history, who produced these writings from
their traditions, not from Allah (S.W.) and His revelation. All these
prove that these books are not the word of Allah (S.W.); for, we do
not know the situations of those anonymous writers. Were they
honest true believers, or accused ones, who left the marks of their
manipulation - in the book - clear for everyone to see?

Do the wise accept a document of sale, purchase, or credit issued by


unknown people regarding simple issues related to a handful of
dollars? If they do not accept it, how to accept the accounts of
unknown people in a case that affects the fate of billions of human
beings?!

Allah (S.W.) is right when He says, “Woe to those who write the
Book with their own hands, and then say: "This is from Allah,"
to traffic with it for miserable price! Woe to them for what their
hands do write, and for the gain they make thereby.” (Holy
Quran, Surah 2. Al Baqara – 79)

1
- The Difference between the Creation and the Creator, Abd Ar Rahman Baji Al Baghdadi, pp 468 - 469
True Guidance and Light series (2) (48)

Keeping the Torah (The Pentateuch)

- While Moses was on Mount Horeb, he received two panels of


stones from Allah (S.W.), on which He (Allah (S.W.) had written the
Ten Commandments as a reminder to the children of Israel. “The
LORD said to Moses, "Come up on the mountain and stay
here for a while. I will give you the two flat stones on
which I have written the laws that my people must obey."
(Exodus 24:12) (See Exodus 20:1 - 17) and (Deuteronomy 5: 5 - 23)

- Allah (S.W.) commanded Moses to put the two panels in the Ark of
Covenant. "And shall put in the ark the testimony that I
shall give thee." (Exodus 25: 21)

- Moses commanded the Israelis to read the Torah to all the children
of Israel every seven years. "At the end of every seven years,
at the time fixed for the ending of debts, at the feast of
tents, When all Israel has come before the Lord your God
in the place named by him, let a reading be given of this
law in the hearing of all Israel." (Deuteronomy 31: 9 - 11)

He said to the Levites, "Take this book of the law and put it by
the ark of the Lord's agreement, so that it may be a
witness against you. For I have knowledge of your hard
and uncontrolled hearts: even now, while I am still living,
you will not be ruled by the Lord; how much less after my
death? For I am certain that after my death you will give
yourselves up to sin, wandering from the way which I
have given you; and evil will overtake you in the end,
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because you will do evil in the eyes of the Lord, moving


him to wrath by the work of your hands." (Deuteronomy 31:
26 - 29)

- Joshua re-wrote the Torah, and he wrote it in clear letters on the


stones of the altar. "And he made there on the stones a copy
of the law of Moses, writing it before the eyes of the
children of Israel. And after, he gave them all the words of
the law, the blessing and the curse, as it is all recorded in
the book of the law; Reading to all the meeting of Israel,
with the women and the children and the men from other
lands who were living among them, every word of the
orders which Moses had given." (Joshua 8: 32-35)
From the above we know that Moses wrote the Torah, and he
ordered the Israelis to put it in the Ark of Covenant between the
stones, and ordered them to read it every seven years.
True Guidance and Light series (2) (50)

The Loss of the Torah (The Pentateuch)

The loss of the Torah, as the Book of Samuel mentions, (1Samuel


4:11) began when the children of Israel lost the Ark of Covenant in a
battle with the Palestinians, and then was returned to them after
seven months. However, when they opened it, "There was
nothing in the ark but the two flat stones which Moses put
there at Horeb". (1Kings 8: 9)

Jerusalem had an invasion in 945 BCE by Shishak the king of Egypt.


This invasion was sufficient for the loss of all the copies of the Torah
that were in the house of God. "Now in the fifth year of King
Rehoboam, Shishak, king of Egypt, came up against
Jerusalem; And took away all the stored wealth from the
house of the Lord, and from the king's house, and all the
gold body-covers which Solomon had made." (1Kings 14: 25
- 26) Then, the Torah was lost for many years, and nothing of it
remained, since the children of Israel returned to idolatry, and there
was no mentioning of the Torah.

Then, in 622 BCE, after eighteen years of the reign of King Josiah,
who wanted to restore the Children of Israel to worship Allah (S.W.),
the priest Hilkiah claimed that he found the Book of the Law. He said,
"I have made discovery of the book of the law in the house
of the Lord. So Hilkiah gave it to Shaphan; And it came to
pass when the king heard the words of the book of the law,
that he rent his garments" (2Kings 22: 4 - 11)

The verses do not indicate what Hilkiah had found after all these
(51) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

years. Did he find the two stones, or what Moses had written, or did
he mean Deuteronomy or Leviticus? 1

In the year 605 BCE, King Nebuchadnezzar attacked Jerusalem,


pillage, plunder, burned, and kidnapped ten thousand of its people.
(See 2Kings 24: 11-15) Then, in 586 BCE, Nebuchadnezzar returned
to Jerusalem, "And he had the house of the Lord and the
king's house and all the houses of Jerusalem, even every
great house, burned with fire" (2Kings 25: 9), and Hilkiah’s
Torah was lost as Christian scholars confessed.
Clement Alexandrinus said, "The heavenly books were lost;
therefore, Ezra was inspired to write them again". The editors of the
Holy Bible’s Dictionary confirmed that by saying, "There is no doubt
that most of the scriptures were damaged or lost during the era of
the apostasy from God, and the persecution during the reign of King
Manasseh." 2

Dr. Samuel Yusof said, "The early church fathers, including


Irenaeus, Tertullian, Clement of Alexandria, and Jerome believed
that Moses was the author of five books. They also believed that
Nebuchadnezzar had burned them during his attack on Jerusalem.
Ezra re-wrote them with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit". 3

The Book of Nehemiah mentions the overwhelming joy that the


children of Israel had when Ezra re-wrote the lost Torah. "And
Nehemiah, who was the Tirshatha, and Ezra, the priest
and scribe, and the Levites who were the teachers of the
people, said to all the people, This day is holy to the Lord
your God; let there be no sorrow or weeping; for all the
people were weeping on hearing the words of the law… So
the Levites made all the people quiet, saying, Be quiet, for
the day is holy; and do not give way to grief… And on the
second day the heads of families of all the people and the
priests and the Levites came together to Ezra the scribe, to
give attention to the words of the law." (Nehemiah 8: 9 -14)

Irenaeus said, “When the scriptures wiped out and the Jews returned
to their country after seventy years, Ezra the priest was inspired to

1
- The editors of the Holy Bible’s Dictionary and Priest Dr. Samuel Yusof suggest that what Hilkiah found
was a large part of Deuteronomy or its essence. The Holy Bibles Dictionary, pp 1120, An Introduction to
the Old Testament, Priest Dr. Samuel Yusof, pp 75
2
- The Holy Bible’s Dictionary, pp 1120
3
- Introduction to the Old Testament, Priest Dr. Samuel Yusof, pp 73
True Guidance and Light series (2) (52)

bring back all the words of former prophets and to restore the Law of
Moses to the people ". 4

Thiofelct said, "The holy books were perished, and Ezra re-made
them again by inspiration". Ezra had written these books while he
was in the Babylon Captivity. The king of Persia called him Ezra the
writer (The scribe). He said, "Artaxerxes, king of kings, unto
Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven,
perfect and so forth”. (Ezra 7: 12)

The Book continues to talk about Ezra’s skills and capabilities that
have helped him in writing the Scriptures. "This Ezra went up
from Babylon: and he was a ready scribe in the law of
Moses, which Jehovah, the God of Israel, had given… For
Ezra had set his heart to seek the law of Jehovah, and to
do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and ordinances…Ezra
the priest, the scribe, even the scribe of the words of the
commandments of Jehovah." (Ezra 7: 5 - 11)

An examination of the previous paragraph shows what nullify


describing Ezra as a prophet or inspired. The king called him a
priest, not a prophet. If he was a prophet, the king would not call him
a priest. Moreover, the book mentions the personal skills of Ezra,
which is also contrary to the characteristics of the prophets, whom
Allah (S.W.) prepares to receive His books. Prophet-hood is a divine
gift and a grant, and not a personal gain to Ezra or others.

Is the Pentateuch Ezra’s Torah, and if not, who wrote it?

We have seen that some have claimed that Ezra had rewritten the
Torah inspired by Allah (S.W.). This is one of many claims, to which
the drowning person clings while struggling in his last breaths.

It cannot be certain that the Torah (The Pentateuch) is the writing of


Ezra because of many things, especially the presence of errors and
contradictions, which could not come from a single author. When I
say that, I do not mind that Ezra may synthesis the accounts that
reached him.

However, the most important evidence that prove that Ezra was not
the author is the scientific and accurate studies that Christian
4
- The History of the Church, Eusebius, pp 216
(53) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

scholars have made through long researches. These researches


confirmed that the authors of these books were more than hundred
authors. These authors belong to four schools appeared in the
eighth and ninth centuries BCE in the kingdoms of Israel and Judah -
the four-source theory of the Torah (JEDP).

This theory appeared after a series of studies, started with the study
of Jean Struck in 1753 CE. He had published it, but he dared not to
mention his name. The senior researcher Einhorn in 1780 to 1783
CE, did the same, followed by EaIigen in 1798, David Carr in 1834,
Herman Hopfield in 1853, and then professor Lodes in 1941.
Scholars have now accepted this theory. In the preface to his book
“dec origins au milieu du 8 siecle”, Israel Lodes said, "This great
effort had produced results that are generally acceptable in their
major lines". The Catholic introduction to the Holy Bible also
acknowledged this theory.

The four-source theory of the Torah (JEDP) means that there were
four different and distinct sources during four different successive
eras in history participated in the writing of the Torah. Then editors
blended, combined, and edited the four sources over the centuries
into the single document (the Torah) that we have today, which is not
free from many contradictions and errors.

These four sources are:

1) The first source: (The Jahwist – Yahwist )

It was written between the tenth and the eighth century BCE, and
likely in the ninth BCE, in the southern kingdom of Judah. The
language of this source is crude and old. It talks about Allah (S.W.) in
human bad image. It talks about the beginning of the creation and
extends to the death of Jacob. It shows a sense of nationalism and
the Israel's control over Canaan. It emphasis the most on Allah’s
(S.W.) promise to Israel of the land of Canaan.

This source is largely of Genesis and shares the second and the fourth
sources with Exodus and Numbers. The main feature of this source is
calling God (Jehovah).

2) The second source: (The Elohist)

It is later than the first source at the time of writing; it belongs to the
True Guidance and Light series (2) (54)

eighth or the seventh century BCE. This source wrote about God in a
better manner and quality than the first source. It focuses on the
events of Abraham, Jacob, and Joseph, and it is in the three books
(Genesis, Exodus, and numbers). The main feature of this source is
calling God (Elohim).

3) The third source: (The Deuteronomic)

This source is generally restricted to the Book of Deuteronomy, and


dating back to the eighth or seventh century BCE. The language of
this source is hortatory and advises to follow the Law, and to fulfill
the Covenant. In addition, there is much of "Hear, O Israel,", and it
filled with legislation. Its focus and purpose is the worship of Jehovah
in a special place, Jerusalem. Deuteronomy had undergone later
reforms that we can find by comparing the book with the rest of the
four books.

4) The fourth source: (The Priestly)

Dates back to the Babylon Captivity (the sixth century BCE), and it is
the work of some Rabbis, and the subjects of this source are the
laws, the ritual teachings, and how to apply these religious teachings.
This source mentions news and its opposite according to its writer,
(See Numbers 4: 3, and Numbers 8: 24), and it uses the name
(Elohim) when talking about God. It has a significant role in the Book
of Leviticus and the Book of Numbers, and participates in Genesis
and Exodus.

Father Devoux mentioned the numbers of the paragraphs that follow


the Jahwist source and those that follow the Elohist, and so on, and
he said, "The Pentateuch was formed of words of different nations. It
was compiled by editors and sometimes they placed their collection
side by side, and sometimes changed these stories to create unity;
leaving to the eye unreasonable and contradicted things.”

Encyclopedia Britannica says, "The Old Testament was written in


different eras, and by the hands of different authors from different
cultures".

In his book, "The Story of Civilization", Will Durant said that these
stories had been mixed, and took their final form in 300 BCE. He
said, "Scholars agree that the earliest book of the Old Testament’s
books is Genesis, some of it was written in Judah, and some in
(55) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

Israel. Then what was written here and there was combined after the
fall of the two countries. The prevailing opinion is that the five books
of the Torah took their final form in about 300 BCE".

However, other scholars said that the Pentateuch took its final status
in 400 BCE, while the rest of the Old Testament’s books in 200 BCE.

Ancient Paganism and the Torah

The Jewish writers depended in writing the holy books on the pagan
cultures that neighbored the Israelis, and some of their writings are
identical copies of the pagan writings.

The writers of the Old Testament copied many of the legends of the
previous nations that were before the Children of Israel and they
appear clearly in the Old Testament.

An example is what the Book of Genesis mentions about Lot’s sexual


intercourse, (See Genesis 19: 30 - 37) that the Old Testament’s
unknown writers plagiarized from an old Egyptian myth, which
Shawki Abdel-Hakim mentioned in his book, “The Arab world’s Myths
and folklore."

The legend speaks of the god of death "Aphrodite", who was hoping
to have a child from her older brother Osiris, therefore, she made him
drunk and slept with him, and she bore him the god Onuses.

The Book of Esther states the story of Esther and her cousin
Mordechai, and her revenge from Haman, the minister of the king of
Persia. The story is similar to the Babylonian culture that mentioned
in the epic of the Babylonians and Elemis. Each champion in the
biblical story has a similar one in the Babylonian myth. The Jewish
Esther is the Babylonian Ashtar, Haman is the god of Elemis, and
Mordechai is the Babylonian Murdock.

What assures this plagiarism is that the Persian history does not
True Guidance and Light series (2) (56)

mention anything about the heroes of the biblical story, especially


Esther, and Queen Veshani. 1

Psalms are similar to the Egyptian and other songs and hymns. In
his valuable book, "An Egyptian source for the Proverbs of
Solomon", which he presented in 1924, the scholar Arman followed
by Breasted, believe that Psalm 104 is almost a verbatim copy of
Akhenaton’s song, particularly the paragraphs (20 - 30).

Encyclopedia Biblica confirmed that. It says, "Archaeological


research in Babylon and Egypt had revealed songs ... also the
discovery of the Canaanites literature in the Ugarite ... have provided
us with important poems similar to the Psalms since the time of
Moses." 2

Researchers believe that the twenty-ninth Psalm is adapted from a


poem of Ugarite to ‘Baal’, with the replacement of the name ‘Baal’ by
the name ‘Jehovah’. The beginning of Psalm 19 is the same prayers
that people offered to the sun’s god.

Will Durant believed that the Book of Songs was written by Hebrew
poets who were influenced by the Hellenic belief that came with the
invasion of Alexander. It might be taken from an Egyptian literature;
the evidence is that the lovers were talking to each other: my brother,
my sister, which was an ancient Egyptian style.

The two scholars Arman and Breasted assure that the Book of
Proverbs was taken from the book of the ancient Egyptian
Amenhotep, ‘The Wisdom’. Amenhotep divided his book into thirty
chapters, and was famous by the title, "Thirty chapters of wisdom".
The biblical author of the Book of Proverbs copied these chapters
with simple changes in their words.

In his book, "The Torah", Mustafa Mahmoud mentioned some forms


of these similarities. Amenhotep said, "The author who is skilled in
the job, will find that he is qualified to work in the courtiers". Copying
him, the Book of Proverbs says, "Have you seen a man who is
expert in his business? He will take his place before
kings". (Proverbs 22: 29)
1
- A study on the Torah and the Gospel, Kamel Safan, pp 14, 158 - 159
2
- Encyclopedia Biblica, Vol. 4, pp 233-234, The Holy Bible’s Dictionary, pp 902
(57) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

Amenhotep said, "Do not accompany a man, who is hot tempered,


and do not converse with him", the Book of Proverbs says, "Do not
be friend with a man who is given to wrath; do not go in
the company of an angry man" (Proverbs 22: 24). 1

It is impossible that a prophet, because of the pessimism that


controls the writer who quoted from Babylonian mythology, wrote the
Book of Ecclesiastes. The gods advised Gilgamesh, saying,
"Gilgamesh, fill your stomach, and have fun at night and day. Be
cheerful night and day, satisfied, cleanse your clothes, wash your
head with water, and pay attention to the young, who holds your
hand. Enjoy the wife, and hug her to your chest".

This is similar to what the Book of Ecclesiastes mentions. It says,


"Come; take your bread with joy, and your wine with a
glad heart. God has taken pleasure in your works. Let
your clothing be white at all times, and let not your head
be without oil. Have joy with the woman of your love".
(Ecclesiastes 9: 7-9). 2

The writers of the Torah had copied the story of the flood from the
Sumerians whose manuscripts date 3000 BCE. The third and the
fourth column of the eleventh tablet of the epic of Gilgamesh, as
Firas Sawwah stated in his book, "Treasures of the Deep, Reading in
the Epic of Gilgamesh", are similar to the story in Genesis.

The Epic of Gilgamesh says, "Just as dawn began to glow, there


arose from the horizon a black cloud... Erragal pulled out the
mooring poles, forth went Ninurta and made the dikes overflow...
Stunned shock over Adad's deeds overtook the heavens, and turned
to blackness all that had been light. The... land shattered like a... pot.
All day long the South Wind blew ..., blowing fast, submerging the
mountain in water, overwhelming the people like an attack. No one
could see his fellow, they could not recognize each other in the
torrent. The gods were frightened by the flood… Six days and seven
nights came the wind and flood, the storm flattening the land. When
the seventh day arrived, the storm was pounding; the flood was a
war--struggling with itself like a woman writhing (in labor). The sea
calmed, fell still, the whirlwind (and) flood stopped up… On Mt.

1
- An Introduction to the Torah and the Old Testament Studies, Mohammad Al Baar, pp 129- 131,
Presentation and Analysis of the Torah, Fuad Husain Ali, pp 68-71, The Torah, Mustafa Mahmoud, pp 13
2
- A Study on the Torah and the Gospel, Kamel Saafan, pp 174
True Guidance and Light series (2) (58)

Nimush the boat lodged firm… I sent forth a dove and released it.
The dove went off, but came back to me… I sent forth a raven and
released it. The raven went off, and saw the waters slither back. It
eats, it scratches, it bobs, but does not circle back to me."

These excerpts from the epic are very similar to the flood story in the
Book of Genesis. It says, "And the waters overcame
everything and were increased greatly on the earth, and
the ark was resting on the face of the waters. And the
waters overcame everything on the earth; and all the
mountains under heaven were covered. And the fountains
of the deep and the windows of heaven were shut, and the
rain from heaven was stopped. And the waters went
slowly back from the earth, and at the end of a hundred
and fifty days the waters were lower.

And on the seventeenth day of the seventh month the ark


came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. And still the
waters went on falling, till on the first day of the tenth
month the tops of the mountains were seen. Then, after
forty days, through the open window of the ark, which he
had made, Noah, sent out a raven, which went this way
and that till the waters were gone from the earth. And he
sent out a dove, to see if the waters had gone from the face
of the earth. But the dove saw no resting-place for her
foot, and came back to the ark, for the waters were still
over all the earth; and he put out his hand, and took her
into the ark. And after waiting another seven days, he sent
the dove out again. And the dove came back at evening,
and in her mouth was an olive-leaf broken off: so Noah
was certain that the waters had gone down on the earth.
And after seven days more, he sent the dove out again, but
she did not come back to him." (Genesis 7:18 - 8:12)

Gerges Sabri was close to the truth when he described the Torah in
his book, "The Zionist Jewish heritage". He said that the Torah is
“Hardly more than a selection of myths and stories that had been
formulated in a style that is full of legendary excitement, which is
contrary to reason and logic, mired in contradictions, saturated
absurdity ....". 1

1
A Study on the Torah and the Gospel, Kamel Saafan, pp 140, The Holy Bible’s Dictionary, pp 582- 584
(59) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

The introduction to the French Torah acknowledges the impact of


these nations on the Torah. It says, "The authors of the Holy Bible
did not hesitate, when they saw the beginning of the world and
humanity, to get their information directly or indirectly from the
traditions of the ancient Near East; especially the traditions of
Mesopotamia, Egypt and the Phoenician Canaanite region".

Philsian Chali said, "Respecting their God, some Israelis authored -


since the tenth century until the seventh – the myths that will be put
later in their Holy Book; such as the creation of the world and man,
the lost Paradise, and the flood. Many of the elements of these
myths were borrowed from the countries to which Israel had been
linked; particularly from Egypt and Babylon in". 1

In addition, the Laws of the Torah are similar to those of Hammurabi,


which preceded the appearance of the Jews and their books several
centuries. These similarities are many, so that one would think that
the Torah with its Laws is a copy of the Laws of Hammurabi, the
pagan, and the gored ox is an example.

The Book of Exodus says, "If an ox comes to be the cause of


death to a man or a woman, the ox is to be stoned, and its
flesh may not be used for food; but the owner will not be
judged responsible. But if the ox has frequently done such
damage in the past, and the owner has had word of it and
has not kept it under control, so that it has been the cause
of the death of a man or woman, not only is the ox to be
stoned, but its owner is to be put to death. If the death of a
man-servant or of a woman-servant is caused by the ox,
the owner is to give their master thirty shekels of silver,
and the ox is to be stoned. "(Exodus 21: 28 - 32)

In the Laws of Hammurabi (250 -252), we read, “If an ox, while


walking in the street, gored a man and killed him, then there is no
right for claims of any kind. However, if the ox had gored before, and
its owner knew this fact but he did not break its horns or tied it, if this
ox gored a free man and killed him, then the owner must pay thirty
shekels of silver. However, if the ox gored a slave, the owner must
pay twenty shekels of silver to the master.”

Other similarities are between (Exodus 22: 7) and 124 of the Law of
1
- Summary of Religions History, Philsian Chali, pp 176
True Guidance and Light series (2) (60)

Hammurabi, as well as, (Exodus 22:10 - 12) and 244 - 246 – 266 of
the Law of Hammurabi, (Exodus 21:18 - 19) and 206 of the Law of
Hammurabi, while (Exodus 21: 22) is similar to 209 of the Law of
Hammurabi.

Encyclopedia Biblica says, "Thus, there are many similarities


between the Law of Moses and the Laws of Hammurabi ... We
cannot say for sure that these similarities were the result of chance...
When the Israelis had a connection with the Babylonian civilization
after they had entered the land of Canaan, it was natural to use what
they found useful for them from what that civilization had produced".1

1
- Encyclopedia Biblica, Vol.3, pp178 -179, The Holy Bible’s Dictionary, pp 1018
(61) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

The Sanctity of the Torah

The Torah was the product of dozens of authors who had worked
hard in recording the history of the Israelis. In addition, it never came
to their mind that their writings would be regarded as sacred writings,
because if they did, they would write them in a better way.

If this is the case, when, then, did these texts became holy, and did
that happen for all of the books together, or was it gradually?

In answer to that, I say, it is normal when we talk about a divine


book; we do not need to talk about its sanctity because the book
itself take it from its divine source. It takes its sanctity in the first
moment that Allah (S.W) reveals it to humans. This did not happen
with the biblical books that needed human decisions to become
sacred. According to Encyclopedia Americana, the Pentateuch was
approved in the end of the fourth century BCE, specifically in 398
BCE, when the Persian Empire recognized the Law of the Jews.

Espinosa said, "It is clear that there was not a canonical set of the
holy books before the age of the Maccabees (the second century
BCE), and the present canonical books were selected by the second
temple’s Pharisees after Ezra, the scribe, rebuilt it".

This choice of the Pharisees in that time was not with the agreement
of the various Jewish communities. Espinoza said, "The Pharisees
selected them from among many other books, and that was the
decision of them alone".

According to Espinoza, those Pharisees had approved the


Pentateuch and the books of the Prophets (Joshua - Judges -
Samuel and Kings). This group was not equivalent to the authority of
True Guidance and Light series (2) (62)

the Pentateuch, it was considered as commentaries and an


extension of the Pentateuch. 1

In 90 CE, the Pharisees had a council in Jamnia (The "Council of


Jamnia" also called "Jabneh" or "Javneh") and decided to consider
Psalms, Proverbs, Song of Solomon, Ruth, Daniel, Job, Ezra,
Nehemiah, and Chronicles as canonical. They considered this list as
final, and rejected the rest of the books, which were thirty-six books.
Priest Elias Mqar said, "The Christian Church received from the
Jewish the Old Testament that was approved by the Jews in the
Council of Jamnia in 90 CE".

The Jews sects had no agreement on that list. The Pharisees, for
example, considered the Book of Daniel as canonical, while the
Sadducees did not.2 The group of Qumran had many books that
were not included in the canonical list, like the Book of Enoch, the
Jubilees, and others. The books that were not included in the list
were thirty-five books as Charles mentioned in the introduction to his
book, ‘Apocrypha’.

In the Nicene Council 325 CE, Christian conferees recognized the


Book of Judith only, and kept eight books as questionable. In the
Council of Laodicea 364 CE, the conferees approved another book,
which is the Book of Esther. In 397 CE, the Council of Carthage
added another six books to the list, (Tobit, Baruch, Wisdom, Joshua
Ben Sirach, and the two Books of Maccabees) and the participants
considered Baruch as a part of Jeremiah, and then split them in the
Council of Trullo in 692 CE. The majority of Christians accepted
these books until the appearance of the Protestants in the sixteenth
century.

The Ethiopian Church still believes in some other books. They accept
“the Shepherd of Hermas, the laws of the synagogues, the letters of
Clement, the Maccabees, Tobit, Judith, wisdom, Joshua Bin Sirach,
Baruch, the four Books of Esdras, the ascension of Isaiah, the Book
of Adam, Joseph Ben-Gurion and Enoch and Jubilee". 3

However, the Christian founding fathers considered the Letter of


Jeremiah - rejected today – as part of the inspired word of Allah
1
- Forgiveness between Islam and Christianity, Ibrahim Khalil Ahmad, pp 36- 37, An Introduction to the
Torah and the Old Testament Studies, Mohammad Al Baar, pp 166- 167, The Holy Bible in the Scale,
AbdesSalam Mohammad, pp 85- 86
2
- An Introduction to the Old Testament, Dr. Samuel Yusof, pp 39
3
- Encyclopedia Biblica, (Ethiopia)
(63) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

(S.W.). Origen cited it and others in the list of the canonical books
when interpreted Psalm (1), and later the councils rejected them.1

We can say that people’s own hands have written these books and
then attributed them to Allah (S.W.), and then, the human councils
made them holy.

Critical Study of the Old Testament’s Text

Paul said, "Every holy Writing which comes from God is of


profit for teaching, for training, for guiding, for education
in righteousness". (2Timothy 3:16) This is a good speech, and a
valid measure to judge the Holy Bible. It is unacceptable to attribute
useless, immoral, or indecent words that encourage deviation of
behavior or faith to Allah (S.W.).

Let us start by applying this rule to look at the Torah’s perception of


Allah (S.W.), its perception of the prophets, and then its perception of
ethics and morals; and see if its books are useful for teaching,
training, guiding, and education.

It is natural, when we talk about a book that is attributed to Allah


(S.W.), to find it full of text that talk about Allah (S.W.) and His
attributes, His prophets, His religion and ways of worship, and
Paradise and Hellfire.

The Old Testament is truly a history book of the children of Israel. Its
books do not contain talks about Allah (S.W.) except in relation to
history. What the Old Testament says about Allah (S.W.), His
prophets, and the Hereafter?

Allah (S.W.) and His attributes in the Old Testament

The Torah talks in various verses about Allah (S.W.) with what fits
His Majesty and His greatness. It says, "Give ear, O Israel: the
Lord our God is one Lord. And the Lord your God is to be
loved with all your heart and with all your soul and with
all your strength". (Deuteronomy 6: 4 - 5)

It also mentions that no one can see God. "Verily thou art a
hidden God, the God of Israel." (Isaiah 45:15) Allah (S.W.) said
1
- Encyclopedia Biblica, (Prophet Jeremiah), The History of the Church, Eusebius, pp 274
True Guidance and Light series (2) (64)

to Moses, “Thou cannot see my face; for man shall not see
me and live". (Exodus 33:19 - 20) There is nothing (At all) like unto
Allah (S.W.). In this regard, Moses said, “There is none like unto
God” (Deuteronomy 33: 26), and Solomon said, "O God, the God
of Israel, there is no God like thee, in heaven, or on earth".
(2Chronicles 6: 14)

It says that Allah (S.W.) is alive forever, “As I live forever"


(Deuteronomy 32: 40) and it mentions other good perfect attributes
of Allah (S.W.) the Almighty. There is no doubt that these paragraphs
are the prophets’ words, and the remaining of Allah’s (S.W.)
revelation in the Old Testament.

However, the Torah in several uncountable verses talks about Allah


(S.W.) as a human being, who has the quality of human beings. It
attributes to Allah (S.W.) humans’ weaknesses and even their
mistakes and misguidance - Allah (S.W.) far above all that.

A God or a man?

Genesis mentions that Allah (S.W.) created man in His own image
and likeness. “And God said; Let us make man in our image,
like us.” (Genesis 1: 26) In the largest Catholic Church in Rome, St.
Peter, Michelangelo painted a portrait of Allah (S.W.) like human.

The verses talk about the similarities between Allah (S.W.) and
humans as the Old Testament writers imagined. The Book of Daniel
says that Allah (S.W.) has a head and white hair. "One that was
ancient of days did sit: his raiment was white as snow,
and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was
fiery flames, and the wheels thereof burning fire." (Daniel 7:
9)

He also has eyes and eyelids, “His eyes see, his eyelids test the
children of man" (Psalm 11: 4), and He has lips. “His lips are
full of indignation, and his tongue is as a devouring fire.
and his breath is as an overflowing stream, that reacheth
even unto the neck." (Isaiah 30: 27 - 28)

He (Allah (S.W.) has two feet that can be seen. “and came down;
And thick darkness was under his feet." (Psalm 18: 9)
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"Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and


seventy of the elders of Israel. And they saw the God of
Israel; and there was under his feet as it were a paved
work of sapphire stone, and as it were the very heaven for
clearness. And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he
laid not his hand." (Exodus 24: 9 - 11)

He also has a mouth and a nose from which smoke and fire would
come out. "There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, And
fire out of his mouth". (Psalm 18: 8)

His divinity and greatness do not prevent Him from riding the angels
for his movements, and from having ears. "In my distress I
called upon Jehovah; Yea, I called unto my God: And he
heard my voice out of his temple, And my cry came into
his ears. hen the earth shook and trembled, The
foundations of heaven quaked And were shaken, because
he was wroth. There went up a smoke out of his nostrils,
And fire out of his mouth devoured: Coals were kindled by
it. He bowed the heavens also, and came down; And thick
darkness was under his feet. And he rode upon a cherub,
and did fly; Yea, he was seen upon the wings of the wind."
(2Samuel 22: 7 - 11)

In the Holy Bible’s Dictionary, the cherub is a type of Angels. The


Book of Ezekiel said that each one of them has two faces, one of
them in the form of a human face and the other in the form of a lion
cub. (See Ezekiel 41: 18) He (Allah S.W.) had repeated riding the
cherub. “And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up
from the cherub, whereupon it was, to the threshold of the
house." (Ezekiel 9:3)

When riding the cherub became a routine, King Hezekiah praised


Him for this act. "And Hezekiah prayed before the LORD and
said: "O LORD, the God of Israel, enthroned above the
cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms
of the earth; you have made heaven and earth." (2Kings
19:15)

Thus, Israel Lodes in his book "Dec origins au milieu du 8 siecle",


considered that: "The natural concept of Jehovah is a bio image like
the human image. It seems that Jehovah has a kind of spiritual body,
True Guidance and Light series (2) (66)

and anyway; he has parts like the human parts, such as eyes, ears,
mouth, nostril, hands, heart, and gut… He has a mind and emotions
similar to those in humans, and he is particularly characterized with
violent anger if he is offended." 1

The Human Acts of God

The Old Testament speaks of human acts and attributes them to


Allah (S.W.). He walks, according to their creed, but on the top of the
mountains. "For see, the Lord is coming out from his place,
and will come down, stepping on the high places of the
earth... All this is because of the wrongdoing of Jacob and
the sins of the children of Israel." (Micah 1: 3 - 5)

He also walked in heaven, and Adam heard His footsteps. "And


there came to them the sound of the Lord God walking in
the garden in the evening wind. And the voice of the Lord
God came to the man, saying, Where are you? And he said,
Hearing your voice in the garden I was full of fear,
because I was without clothing: and I kept myself from
your eyes. And he said, Who gave you the knowledge that
you were without clothing? Have you taken of the fruit of
the tree which I said you were not to take?" (Genesis 3: 8)

God (Allah S.W. is far and above all that) also had visited Abraham
and He ate butter and yogurt. “Now the Lord came to him by
the holy tree of Mamre, when he was seated in the
doorway of his tent in the middle of the day. And lifting up
his eyes, he saw three men before him; and seeing them,
he went quickly to them from the door of the tent, and
went down on his face to the earth… And he took butter
and milk and the young ox which he had made ready and
put it before them, waiting by them under the tree while
they took food... And the Lord went on his way when his
talk with Abraham was ended, and Abraham went back to
his place.” (Genesis 18: 1 - 33)

He - Allah (S.W.) - appeared to Jacob, and they wrestled until dawn.


"And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for, said
he, I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved."
(Genesis 32: 30)
1
- Summary of the History of Religions, Philsian Chali, pp 172
(67) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

When He was angered by Mary and Aaron, He “came down in a


pillar of cloud, taking his place at the door of the Tent…
And he said, Now give ear to my words… With him I will
have talk mouth to mouth, openly and not in dark
sayings". (Numbers 12: 5 - 8)

In another verse, Moses saw Him. "And the Lord had talk with
Moses face to face, as a man may have talk with his
friend." (Exodus 33:11) To see more verses of seeing Allah (S.W.),
see (Isaiah 6: 1 - 11)

The Book of Genesis mentions that Allah (S.W.) was pleased with
Noah and his people after He smelled the smell of the burning
offerings of Noah. "And Noah made an altar to the Lord, and
from every clean beast and bird he made burned offerings
on the altar, and the smell of the burning offering pleased
God..." (Genesis 8: 20 - 21)

In Ezekiel, we read that Allah (S.W.) had entered the temple using a
door, and He ordered to close it forever. "And the Lord said to
me, This doorway is to be shut, it is not to be open, and no
man is to go in by it, because the Lord, the God of Israel,
has gone in by it; and it is to be shut." (Ezekiel 44: 2)

Is God Incapable or Ignorant?

The Old Testament attributes to Allah (S.W.) acts and deeds such as
those of humans. It shows that Allah (S.W.) is weak and incapable.
Regarding the wrestling with Jacob, Genesis says, “Then Jacob
was by himself; and a man was fighting with him till
dawn. But when the man saw that he was not able to
overcome Jacob, he gave him a blow in the hollow part of
his leg, so that his leg was damaged. And he said to him,
Let me go now, for the dawn is near. But Jacob said, I will
not let you go till you have given me your blessing. Then
he said, What is your name? And he said, Jacob. And he
said, Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel: for in
your fight with God and with men you have overcome.
Then Jacob said, What is your name? And he said, What is
my name to you? Then he gave him a blessing. And Jacob
gave that place the name of Peniel, saying, I have seen
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God face to face.” (Genesis 32: 24 - 32) (The meaning of the word
‘Peniel’ is Allah’s (S.W.) face.) Jacob has wrestled Allah (S.W.) and
won!

The Book of Judges says, "And the Lord was with Judah; and
he took the hill-country for his heritage; but he was
unable to make the people of the valley go out, for they
had war-carriages of iron". (Judges 1:19) How is the case with
the modern sophisticated weapons, and is God unable to fight the
countries that possess such weapons?!

The Torah also says that Allah (S.W.) feels fatigue and needs to rest.
"And on the seventh day God came to the end of all his
work; and on the seventh day he took his rest from all the
work which he had done." (Genesis 2: 2)

"The Lord says, Heaven is the seat of my power, and earth


is the resting-place for my feet: what sort of house will
you make for me, and what place will be my resting-
place?” (Isaiah 66: 1)

It attributes to Allah (S.W.) ignorance, shortcomings, and weakness.


It says that when He wanted to punish the Egyptians, He asked
Moses and Aaron to put marks on the Israelis’ houses, so He will
recognize them. "And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron in
the land of Egypt… For on that night I will go through the
land of Egypt, sending death on every first male child, of
man and of beast, and judging all the gods of Egypt: I am
the Lord. And the blood will be a sign on the houses where
you are: when I see the blood I will go over you, and no
evil will come on you for your destruction, when my hand
is on the land of Egypt" (Exodus 12: 1 - 13)

He asked them to put the sign of blood on the Israeli houses, so He


would not destroy them with the rest of the houses. Does the All-
Knowing, the Omniscient God require such a mark to distinguish
between the houses of the Egyptians and the Israelis?

The Torah speaks of Allah (S.W.) as if Adam had angered Him when
he (Adam) ate from the tree of knowledge and the distinction
between good and evil. It shows that Allah (S.W.) created us and did
not want us to distinguish good from evil. Then, He was afraid that
Adam eats from the tree of life, so he might become immortal as
(69) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

God; therefore, He put guards and flaming swords in the way to this
tree. "And the Lord God gave the man orders, saying, You
may freely take of the fruit of every tree of the garden. But
of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil
you may not take… And the Lord God said, Now the man
has become like one of us, having knowledge of good and
evil; and now if he puts out his hand and takes of the fruit
of the tree of life, he will go on living for ever. So the Lord
God sent him out of the garden of Eden to be a worker on
the earth from which he was taken. So he sent the man
out; and at the east of the garden of Eden he put winged
ones and a flaming sword turning every way to keep the
way to the tree of life." (Genesis 2: 16 – 3: 23)

This perception of Allah (S.W.) is unacceptable. The book portrays


Allah (S.W.) as if He wants humans to be ignorant, afraid of their
learning and then their immortality, if they surprised Him and eat from
the tree of life!

The Torah also mentions that Allah (S.W.) was afraid of the people’s
meeting, unity, and their intention to build a great tower that its top
would be in the sky. Therefore, He came down and dispersed them
before they achieve their intention. "And they said, Come, let us
make a town, and a tower whose top will go up as high as
heaven; and let us make a great name for ourselves, so
that we may not be wanderers over the face of the earth.
And the Lord came down to see the town and the tower
which the children of men were building. And the Lord
said, See, they are all one people and have all one
language; and this is only the start of what they may do:
and now it will not be possible to keep them from any
purpose of theirs. Come, let us go down and take away the
sense of their language, so that they will not be able to
make themselves clear to one another. So the Lord God
sent them away into every part of the earth: and they gave
up building their town." (Genesis 11: 4 - 8)

Is it possible that the Creator of heavens and earth, the Great Lord
fears the completion of this tower, and seeks dispersion of the
people before their tower reaches heaven? Here, I wonder about
how tall is the tower that human beings would build thousands of
years ago. I also wonder; does not God know that human beings are
incapable of reaching the clouds, let alone reaching heaven!
True Guidance and Light series (2) (70)

Similarly, the Torah attributes deficiency to Allah (S.W.). It mentions


that after He flooded the earth during Noah’s time, He put the
rainbow as a mark to remind Him of His agreement with every living
thing on earth. He said to Noah and to those who were with him,
"And I will make my agreement with you; never again will
all flesh be cut off by the waters. Never again will the
waters come over all the earth for its destruction will put
my bow in the cloud and it will be for a sign of the
agreement between me and the earth.... And the bow will
be in the cloud, and looking on it, I will keep in mind the
eternal agreement between God and every living thing on
the earth". (Genesis 9: 11 – 17)

Like Human beings, who benefit from the advice of each other for
their disability to understand the consequences of things, the Torah
mentions that God asked the advice of the angels who accompanied
Him on his way to Abraham and Lot. “And the Lord said, Am I to
keep back from Abraham the knowledge of what I do?"
(Meaning to Lot’s people) Then He said, "I will go down now,
and see if their acts are as bad as they seem from the
outcry which has come to me; and if they are not, I will
see." (What to do with them) (Genesis 18:17 - 21)

The Torah also attributes remorse and regret to Allah (S.W).


Remorse, regret, or repentance is a branch of ignorance. " I regret
that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from
following me and has not performed my commandments."
(1Samuel 15:10)

When the Children of Israel worshiped the calf, God – according to


the Torah - was angry. "And the Lord said to Moses, I have
been watching this people, and I see that they are a stiff-
necked people. Now do not get in my way, for my wrath is
burning against them; I will send destruction on them."

Moses answered Him and said, "Turn from thy fierce wrath,
and repent of this evil against thy people. Remember
Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou
swore by your own self, and said unto them, I will
multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land
that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they
shall inherit it for ever. And Jehovah repented of the evil
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which he said he would do unto his people". (Exodus 32: 9 -


14)

Similarly, the Book of Judges says, "And when Jehovah raised


them up judges, then Jehovah was with the judge, and
saved them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of
the judge: for it repented Jehovah because of their
groaning." (Judges 2:18)

God also regret after killing a large number of the Israelis. The Book
of Samuel says, "So Jehovah sent a pestilence upon Israel
from the morning even to the time appointed; and there
died of the people from Dan even to Beer-sheba seventy
thousand men. And when the hand of the angel was
stretched out in the direction of Jerusalem, for its
destruction, the Lord had regret for the evil, and said to
the angel who was sending destruction on the people, It is
enough; do no more." (2Samuel 24:15-16)

The Torah has attributed remorse and sorrow to Allah (S.W.) at the
time of Noah when he saw humans’ evil deeds. "And the Lord
saw that the sin of man was great on the earth, and that
all the thoughts of his heart were evil. And the Lord had
sorrow because he had made man on the earth, and grief
was in his heart… for I have sorrow for having made
them." (Genesis 6: 5 - 7) (See Jeremiah 26:19, 42/11, Amos 7: 6,
and Genesis 18: 20)

Does God Command Such Things?

The Torah mentions that Allah (S.W.) had commanded strange


commandments, from which Allah (S.W.) is highly far.

It mentions that Allah (S.W.) had ordered His prophet Hosea to take
Gomer the adulterous as a wife to give birth to sons from others to
him. "When the Lord spake at the first by Hosea, the Lord
said unto Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredom
and children of whoredom; for the land doth commit great
whoredom, departing from the Lord." (Hosea 1: 2)

In another verse, "And the Lord said unto me, Go again, love
a woman beloved of her friend, and an adulteress, even as
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the Lord loveth the children of Israel, though they turn


unto other gods, and love cakes of raisins". (Hosea 3:1)

Commenting on this verse, Christian scholars said, "The boldness of


Prophet Hosea is surprising. He embodies from his own life a
symbolic embodiment of the relationship between God and the traitor
people... Hosea’s marriage was and still the most controversial
matter of the interpretation of the book... It is unlikely that we are
facing just a metaphor... Hosea’s marriage is not fiction, but a
symbol, so it is nearly impossible and not useful to find the historical
event in it. It is a prophetic work, like the work done by the prophets
(See Isaiah 20: 1-6, and the Acts of the Apostles 21: 10-14), which
they interpreted them themselves."

Does God order such a thing to portray to the children of Israel their
situation with Him? Does God order us to do immorality to teach us a
lesson of honesty and morality? This command suites and should be
attributed to the devil and not to God Almighty.

Similar to this story, the Torah says that Allah (S.W.) ordered His
Prophet Isaiah to strip naked and barefooted for three years; and
why? To show the children of Israel the disgrace, the humiliation, and
nudity that will happen to them by the hands of the king of Assyria.
"At that time the Lord spake by Isaiah the son of Amoz,
saying, Go, and loose the sackcloth from off thy loins, and
put thy shoe from off thy foot. And he did so, walking
naked and barefoot. And Jehovah said, Like as my servant
Isaiah hath walked naked and barefoot three years for a
sign and a wonder concerning Egypt and concerning
Cush. so shall the king of Assyria lead away the captives
of Egypt, and the exiles of Cush, young and old, naked and
barefoot, and with buttocks uncovered, to the shame of
Egypt." (Isaiah 20: 2 - 4)

Commenting on this paragraph, The Applied Interpretation of the


Holy Bible said, "God commanded Isaiah to walk around naked for
three years and it was a humiliating test. God used Isaiah to indicate
what will happen to Egypt and Cush of humiliation at the hands of
Assyria, but the message was, in fact, to Judas". 1

Thus, that the Israelis see their prophet naked for three years is a big
lesson! Is there no other way to explain better than this naked
1
- The Applied Interpretation of the Holy Bible, few theologians, pp 1406
(73) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

method, and is this sensible? Does God order his prophet to be


naked for three years?

The Book of Ezekiel mentions that Allah (S.W.) commanded His


prophet Ezekiel many commandments. One of them is that Allah
(S.W.) commanded the Children of Israel to eat barley cakes that is
baked with human waste. When it became difficult for Ezekiel, Allah
(S.W.) allowed him to bake the cake with the cow dung instead of the
human waste.

Here is the full statement. "And thou shalt eat it as barley


cakes, and thou shalt bake it in their sight with dung that
cometh out of man. And the Lord said, Even thus shall the
children of Israel eat their bread unclean, among the
nations whither I will drive them. Then said I, Ah Lord!
behold, my soul hath not been polluted; for from my youth
up even till now have I not eaten of that which dieth of
itself, or is torn of beasts; neither came there abominable
flesh into my mouth. Then he said unto me, See, I have
given thee cow's dung for man's dung, and thou shalt
prepare thy bread thereon." (Ezekiel 4: 12 - 15)

The Christians’ holy verses continue with these dirty verses by telling
us how Allah (S.W.) – Far be from it – throws dung on the faces of
the disobedient Children of Israel. "If ye will not hear, and if ye
will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith
the Lord of hosts, then will I send the curse upon you, and
I will curse your blessings; yea, I have cursed them
already, because ye do not lay it to heart. Behold, I will
rebuke your seed, and will spread dung upon your faces,
even the dung of your feasts; and ye shall be taken away
with it. And ye shall know that I have sent this
commandment unto you." (Malachi 2: 2-4) This is unacceptable
even if it a metaphor or a symbol.

The Torah mentions that Allah (S.W.) ordered the children of Israel to
steal their Egyptian friends, and that He had participated in this fraud
when He made the Egyptians agree to give the Israelis the gold, the
jewels, and the clothes.

It says, “And the Lord said unto Moses, Yet one plague
more will I bring upon Pharaoh, and upon Egypt;
afterwards he will let you go hence: when he shall let you
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go, he shall surely thrust you out hence altogether. speak


now in the ears of the people, and let them ask every man
of his neighbor, and every woman of her neighbor, jewels
of silver, and jewels of gold. And the Lord gave the people
favor in the sight of the Egyptians… And the children of
Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they asked
of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and
raiment. And the Lord gave the people favor in the sight of
the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked.
And they despoiled the Egyptians." (Exodus 11:1 - 12: 36)

It also mentions that Allah (S.W.) ordered people to lie, and that He
was looking for someone to guide him to entice Ahab. "And the
Lord said, Who shall entice Ahab, that he may go up and
fall at Ramoth-gilead? And one said on this manner; and
another said on that manner. And there came forth a
spirit, and stood before the Lord, and said, I will entice
him. And Jehovah said unto him, Wherewith? And he said,
I will go forth, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all
his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt entice him, and shalt
prevail also: go forth, and do so." (1Kings 22: 20-22)

The Book of Numbers speaks of a strange law in which a man can


discover his wife’s betrayal or her innocence. That is drinking the
curse bitter water that mixed with the dust of the house. If her
stomach swell and her thigh fall, then she is guilty, but if she survives
this strange water, she is innocent.

Let us see this strange test. The book of Numbers says, "Then
shall the man bring his wife unto the priest, and shall
bring her oblation for her, the tenth part of an ephah of
barley meal; he shall pour no oil upon it, nor put
frankincense thereon; for it is a meal-offering of jealousy,
a meal-offering of memorial, bringing iniquity to
remembrance. And the priest shall bring her near, and set
her before Jehovah. And the priest shall take holy water in
an earthen vessel; and of the dust that is on the floor of the
tabernacle the priest shall take, and put it into the water.
And the priest shall set the woman before Jehovah, and let
the hair of the woman's head go loose, and put the meal-
offering of memorial in her hands, which is the meal-
offering of jealousy: and the priest shall have in his hand
the water of bitterness that causeth the curse. And the
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priest shall cause her to swear, and shall say unto the
woman, If no man have lain with thee, and if thou have
not gone aside to uncleanness, being under thy husband,
be thou free from this water of bitterness that causeth the
curse. But if thou have gone aside, being under thy
husband, and if thou be defiled, and some man have lain
with thee besides thy husband. then the priest shall cause
the woman to swear with the oath of cursing, and the
priest shall say unto the woman, Jehovah make thee a
curse and an oath among thy people, when Jehovah doth
make thy thigh to fall away, and thy body to swell. and
this water that causeth the curse shall go into thy bowels,
and make thy body to swell, and thy thigh to fall away.
And the woman shall say, Amen, Amen.

And the priest shall write these curses in a book, and he


shall blot them out into the water of bitterness. and he
shall make the woman drink the water of bitterness that
causeth the curse; and the water that causeth the curse
shall enter into her and become bitter. And the priest shall
take the meal-offering of jealousy out of the woman's
hand, and shall wave the meal-offering before Jehovah,
and bring it unto the altar. and the priest shall take a
handful of the meal-offering, as the memorial thereof, and
burn it upon the altar, and afterward shall make the
woman drink the water. And when he hath made her
drink the water, then it shall come to pass, if she be
defiled, and have committed a trespass against her
husband, that the water that causeth the curse shall enter
into her and become bitter, and her body shall swell, and
her thigh shall fall away: and the woman shall be a curse
among her people. And if the woman be not defiled, but be
clean; then she shall be free, and shall conceive seed. his is
the law of jealousy, when a wife, being under her
husband, goeth aside, and is defiled." (Numbers 5:15 -29)

Does the All-Knowing Great God order such a thing? Is this method
fair or adequate to prove the purity or manipulation of women? What
if the woman gets sick and her stomach was swollen because of this
strange water and not because of the curses, do you consider her
sinful and guilty, take her out for burning, flogging, or stoning?

Among the strange legislation in the Old Testament, is to disdain the


menstruating women, consider them unclean and impure, and make
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any one touch them unclean. "When a woman has a discharge,


and the discharge in her body is blood, she shall be in her
menstrual impurity for seven days, and whoever touches
her shall be unclean until the evening.
And everything on which she lies during her menstrual
impurity shall be unclean. Everything also on which she
sits shall be unclean. And whoever touches her bed shall
wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be
unclean until the evening. And whoever touches anything
on which she sits shall wash his clothes and bathe himself
in water and be unclean until the evening.

Whether it is the bed or anything on which she sits, when


he touches it he shall be unclean until the evening. And if
any man lies with her and her menstrual impurity comes
upon him, he shall be unclean seven days, and every bed
on which he lies shall be unclean. "If a woman has a
discharge of blood for many days, not at the time of her
menstrual impurity, or if she has a discharge beyond the
time of her impurity, all the days of the discharge she
shall continue in uncleanness.

As in the days of her impurity, she shall be unclean. Every


bed on which she lies, all the days of her discharge, shall
be to her as the bed of her impurity. And everything on
which she sits shall be unclean, as in the uncleanness of
her menstrual impurity. And whoever touches these
things shall be unclean, and shall wash his clothes and
bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening."
(Leviticus 15: 19 -27) One wonders why all this, and what did a
woman do during her period do to deserve such a menial status?

Another Strange Thing in the Old Testament is the law of stoning the
killer bull and even stoning its owner if he knows that his bull has
been accustomed to gore. The Book of Exodus says, "When an
ox gores a man or a woman to death, the ox shall be
stoned, and its flesh shall not be eaten, but the owner of
the ox shall not be liable. But if the ox has been
accustomed to gore in the past, and its owner has been
warned but has not kept it in, and it kills a man or a
woman, the ox shall be stoned, and its owner also shall be
put to death." (Exodus 21: 28 - 29) What is the guilt of the bull’s
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owner to be punished – no doubt, he has fallen short - but he does


not deserve to die anyway.

Leviticus speaks of leprosy and how to clean it; then it moves on to


talk about leprosy, which affects the clothes and the walls, detailing
the method of disposing it with the assistance of the priest, fearing
that the leprosy would spread to other clothes and walls.

It says, "Then he who owns the house shall come and tell
the priest, 'There seems to me to be some case of disease in
my house.' Then the priest shall command that they empty
the house before the priest goes to examine the disease,
lest all that is in the house be declared unclean. And
afterward the priest shall go in to see the house. And he
shall examine the disease.

And if the disease is in the walls of the house with greenish


or reddish spots, and if it appears to be deeper than the
surface, then the priest shall go out of the house to the
door of the house and shut up the house seven days. And
the priest shall come again on the seventh day, and look.
If the disease has spread in the walls of the house, then the
priest shall command that they take out the stones in
which is the disease and throw them into an unclean place
outside the city.

And he shall have the inside of the house scraped all


around, and the plaster that they scrape off they shall
pour out in an unclean place outside the city. Then they
shall take other stones and put them in the place of those
stones, and he shall take other plaster and plaster the
house.

"If the disease breaks out again in the house, after he has
taken out the stones and scraped the house and plastered
it, then the priest shall go and look. And if the disease has
spread in the house, it is a persistent leprous disease in the
house; it is unclean.

And he shall break down the house, its stones and timber
and all the plaster of the house, and he shall carry them
out of the city to an unclean place. Moreover, whoever
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enters the house while it is shut up shall be unclean until


the evening, and whoever sleeps in the house shall wash
his clothes, and whoever eats in the house shall wash his
clothes." (Leviticus 14: 35 - 47)
I wonder and ask how to apply such legislation if the contagious
leprosy hit a skyscraper; will it be demolished and the people should
carry its iron and stones out of the city!

The same nonsense repeated again when talking about the clothes
leprosy. The Book of Leviticus says, "When there is a case of
leprous disease in a garment; whether a woolen or a linen
garment, in warp or woof of linen or wool, or in a skin or
in anything made of skin. If the disease is greenish or
reddish in the garment, or in the skin or in the warp or the
woof or in any article made of skin, it is a case of leprous
disease, and it shall be shown to the priest.

And the priest shall examine the disease and shut up that
which has the disease for seven days. Then he shall
examine the disease on the seventh day. If the disease has
spread in the garment, in the warp or the woof, or in the
skin, whatever be the use of the skin, the disease is a
persistent leprous disease; it is unclean." (Leviticus 13: 47-
51). Where in the world do we hear about such diseases and such
methods for treating the walls and clothes?

Deuteronomy orders the brother to marry his brother’s widow in


some social conditions. If he refuses, then he deserves the penalty
that the book mentions, namely, that she should strip his shoes, and
spit in his face.

It says, "And if the man does not wish to take his brother's
wife, then his brother's wife shall go up to the gate to the
elders and say, 'My husband's brother refuses to
perpetuate his brother's name in Israel; he will not
perform the duty of a husband's brother to me.'

Then the elders of his city shall call him and speak to him,
and if he persists, saying, 'I do not wish to take her,' then
his brother's wife shall go up to him in the presence of the
elders and pull his sandal off his foot and spit in his face.
And she shall answer and say, 'So shall it be done to the
man who does not build up his brother's house.' And the
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name of his house shall be called in Israel, 'The house of


him who had his sandal pulled off." (Deuteronomy 25: 7 - 10)

This legislation includes the enforcement of marriage, but families


are not based on something like this. We wonder how such marriage
would be if the widow of the brother is older than her new husband
by forty years!

In addition, the punishment of stripping the shoes, and spitting in the


face are somewhat absurd. It shows the weakness of human beings
and their naivety of thinking.

The Torah also mentions that Allah (S.W.) ordered to kill women,
children, and the innocent people. He ordered the children of Israel
to kill the people of Palestine. "But in the cities of these peoples
that the LORD your God is giving you for an inheritance,
you shall save alive nothing that breathes." (Deuteronomy
20/16)

He killed the innocent children of Israel when He was angry with


David. The Angel – by His order - killed seventy thousand men
without sin or guilt. Then David said, "Behold, I have sinned,
and I have done wickedly. But these sheep, what have they
done? Please let your hand be against me and against my
father's house." (2Samuel 24:17)

The Torah also mentions that Allah (S.W.) ordered His Prophet
Joshua to kill all the people of the city of Ai, which he did according
to this terrible order. He burned the city and killed its people. “Then
you shall rise up from the ambush and seize the city, for
the LORD your God will give it into your hand. And as
soon as you have taken the city, you shall set the city on
fire. You shall do according to the word of the LORD. See, I
have commanded you.

So Joshua sent them out. And they went to the place of


ambush and lay between Bethel and Ai, to the west of Ai,
but Joshua spent that night among the people. Joshua
arose early in the morning and mustered the people and
went up, he and the elders of Israel, before the people to
Ai. And all the fighting men who were with him went up
and drew near before the city and encamped on the north
side of Ai, with a ravine between them and Ai.
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He took about 5,000 men and set them in ambush between


Bethel and Ai, to the west of the city. So they stationed the
forces, the main encampment that was north of the city
and its rear guard west of the city. But Joshua spent that
night in the valley. And as soon as the king of Ai saw this,
he and all his people, the men of the city, hurried and went
out early to the appointed place toward the Arabah to
meet Israel in battle. But he did not know that there was
an ambush against him behind the city.

And Joshua and all Israel pretended to be beaten before


them and fled in the direction of the wilderness. So all the
people who were in the city were called together to pursue
them, and as they pursued Joshua they were drawn away
from the city. Not a man was left in Ai or Bethel who did
not go out after Israel. They left the city open and pursued
Israel.

Then the LORD said to Joshua, "Stretch out the javelin


that is in your hand toward Ai, for I will give it into your
hand." And Joshua stretched out the javelin that was in
his hand toward the city. And the men in the ambush rose
quickly out of their place, and as soon as he had stretched
out his hand, they ran and entered the city and captured
it.

And they hurried to set the city on fire. So when the men of
Ai looked back, behold, the smoke of the city went up to
heaven, and they had no power to flee this way or that, for
the people who fled to the wilderness turned back against
the pursuers. And when Joshua and all Israel saw that the
ambush had captured the city, and that the smoke of the
city went up, then they turned back and struck down the
men of Ai.

And the others came out from the city against them, so
they were in the midst of Israel, some on this side, and
some on that side. And Israel struck them down, until
there was left none that survived or escaped. But the king
of Ai they took alive, and brought him near to Joshua.

When Israel had finished killing all the inhabitants of Ai


in the open wilderness where they pursued them, and all
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of them to the very last had fallen by the edge of the


sword, all Israel returned to Ai and struck it down with
the edge of the sword. And all who fell that day, both men
and women, were 12,000, all the people of Ai. But Joshua
did not draw back his hand with which he stretched out
the javelin until he had devoted all the inhabitants of Ai to
destruction. Only the livestock and the spoil of that city
Israel took as their plunder, according to the word of the
LORD that he commanded Joshua. So Joshua burned Ai
and made it forever a heap of ruins, as it is to this day."
(Joshua 8: 7-28)

The Torah claims that Allah (S.W.) ordered Prophet Samuel to kill
and crush every one of the people of the city, babies, children,
women, and even animals. It says, "Thus says the LORD of
hosts, now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction
all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man
and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and
donkey." (1Samuel 15: 2-3)

However, Saul did not adhere strictly to the Lord’s command. "And
he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive and devoted
to destruction all the people with the edge of the sword.
But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the
sheep and of the oxen and of the fattened calves and the
lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly
destroy them. All that was despised and worthless they
devoted to destruction". (1Samuel 15: 8 - 9)

They have killed humans and the worthless animals, and spared the
best animals. Then, as a result, the wrath of Allah (S.W.) was upon
Saul, " The word of the LORD came to Samuel, I regret that
I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from
following me and has not performed my commandments".
(1Samuel 15:10-11)

The spirit of the prophet Samuel interpreted this when the sorcerer
brought it. His soul said, "Because you did not obey the voice
of the LORD and did not carry out his fierce wrath against
Amalek, therefore the LORD has done this thing to you
this day". (1Samuel 28:18) Allah (S.W.) was angry with him
because he did not complete this massacre to the end. Does Allah
(S.W.) commands such thing?!
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The Torah repeats this commandment of killing children and falsely


attributes it to Allah (S.W.). However, this time with an emphasis on
killing embryos in the wombs of their mothers, in order that none of
those who did not see the world yet survive." Samaria shall bear
her guilt, because she has rebelled against her God; they
shall fall by the sword; their little ones shall be dashed in
pieces, and their pregnant women ripped open." (Hosea
13:16) They had been punished for the sins of their parents, does
Allah (S.W.) commands such injustice?!

Children, as we have seen, have eligible share of death and


destruction; a share that has been mentioned continuously by the
Torah. It gives blessings to those who kill the children of Babylon. "O
daughter of Babylon, doomed to be destroyed, blessed
shall he be who repays you with what you have done to
us. Blessed shall he be who takes your little ones and
dashes them against the rock." (Psalm 137: 8-9)

On that day, the day of the Lord, which would befall on Babylon,
"Whoever is found will be thrust through, and whoever is
caught will fall by the sword. Their infants will be dashed
in pieces before their eyes; their houses will be plundered
and their wives ravished. Behold, I am stirring up the
Medes against them, who have no regard for silver and do
not delight in gold. Their bows will slaughter the young
men; they will have no mercy on the fruit of the womb;
their eyes will not pity children. And Babylon, the glory of
kingdoms, the splendor and pomp of the Chaldeans, will
be like Sodom and Gomorrah when God overthrew them.
It will never be inhabited or lived in for all generations".
(Isaiah 13:15-20)

To read more massacres attributed to the Lord in the Old Testament,


(See Ezekiel 9: 6-7), (Numbers 31: 14 - 18), and (Jeremiah 51: 20-
23). Moreover, you can read the biography of Hitler and the Nazis,
and the insane crimes they have made to humanity in the book of
massacres that attributed to Prophet Joshua.

The Torah continues to mention the ruining of the earth, and


attributes it to Allah (S.W.). "And you shall attack every
fortified city and every choice city, and shall fell every
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good tree and stop up all springs of water and ruin every
good piece of land with stones." The next morning, about
the time of offering the sacrifice, behold, water came from
the direction of Edom, till the country was filled with
water. When all the Moabites heard that the kings had
come up to fight against them, all who were able to put on
armor, from the youngest to the oldest, were called out
and were drawn up at the border.

And when they rose early in the morning and the sun
shone on the water, the Moabites saw the water opposite
them as red as blood. And they said, "This is blood; the
kings have surely fought together and struck one another
down. Now then, Moab, to the spoil!" But when they came
to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose and struck the
Moabites, till they fled before them.

And they went forward, striking the Moabites as they


went. And they overthrew the cities, and on every good
piece of land every man threw a stone until it was covered.
They stopped every spring of water and felled all the good
trees, till only its stones were left in Kir-hareseth, and the
slingers surrounded and attacked it" (2Kings 3:19-25).

Among the injustice, that the Torah attributes to Allah (S.W.) is the
deprivation of the people with disabilities from having the honor of
entering the assembly of the Lord. "No one whose testicles are
crushed or whose male organ is cut off shall enter the
assembly of the LORD." (Deuteronomy 23:1)

This deprivation includes people with other disabilities, do not accept


their sacrifices, and they cannot even get close to the altar of
worship. "Speak to Aaron, saying, none of your offspring
throughout their generations who has a blemish may
approach to offer the bread of his God. For no one who has
a blemish shall draw near, a man blind or lame, or one
who has a mutilated face or a limb too long, or a man who
has an injured foot or an injured hand, or a hunchback or
a dwarf or a man with a defect in his sight or an itching
disease or scabs or crushed testicles.

No man of the offspring of Aaron the priest who has a


blemish shall come near to offer the LORD's food
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offerings; since he has a blemish, he shall not come near to


offer the bread of his God. He may eat the bread of his
God, both of the most holy and of the holy things, but he
shall not go through the veil or approach the altar,
because he has a blemish, that he may not profane my
sanctuaries, for I am the LORD who sanctifies them."
(Leviticus 21: 17-23)

It continues the expulsion of the innocents from the Assembly of God


including the illegitimate son, and the sons Ammonite or Moabite until
the tenth Generation. This, according to the Torah, is the penalty for
them because their ancestors did not greet the Children of Israel.
"No one whose testicles are crushed or whose male organ
is cut off shall enter the assembly of the LORD. "No one
born of a forbidden union may enter the assembly of the
LORD. Even to the tenth generation, none of his
descendants may enter the assembly of the LORD.

"No Ammonite or Moabite may enter the assembly of the


LORD. Even to the tenth generation, none of them may
enter the assembly of the LORD forever, because they did
not meet you with bread and with water on the way, when
you came out of Egypt, and because they hired against
you Balaam the son of Beor from Pethor of Mesopotamia,
to curse you." (Deuteronomy 23:1-4)

One of the Old Testament’s strange laws is to break the neck of the
firstborn donkey that its owner did not redeem. The donkey is
punished for its owner’s failure to redeem it. The Book of Exodus
says, "All that open the womb are mine, all your male
livestock, the firstborn of cow and sheep. The firstborn of
a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, or if you will not
redeem it you shall break its neck. All the firstborn of your
sons you shall redeem. And none shall appear before me
empty-handed". (Exodus 34:19-20) Does the Lord order such
injustice and cruelty?

What I have mentioned are some of the Torah’s rules, which the
Torah itself describes as corrupted. In the Book of Ezekiel we read,
"Moreover, I gave them statutes that were not good and
rules by which they could not have life". (Ezekiel 20: 25)
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The New Testament also describes the Torah as aging, weak, and
useless. The unknown author of Hebrews said, "For on the one
hand, a former commandment is set aside because of its
weakness and uselessness (for the law made nothing
perfect); but on the other hand, a better hope is
introduced, through which we draw near to God." (Hebrews
7: 18 -19), and he meant the Torah and its laws that concern the
Levite.

In order to justify the abolition of the Torah’s laws, he said, "For if


that first covenant had been faultless, there would have
been no occasion to look for a second" (Hebrews 8: 7), and its
weakness is its aging. "And what is becoming obsolete and
growing old is ready to vanish away". (Hebrews 8: 13)

Repugnant likening to Allah (S.W.) in the Old Testament

The Old Testament mentions that Allah (S.W.) compares himself to


strange repugnant imageries. It mentions that He figures Himself as
an animal sometimes and as a drunk some other times. Even the
sane and wise humans would not accept to express and compare
themselves in such ways. You, for example, will not accept to
describe you as a donkey for your patience and tolerance as the
donkey also has both; or as a cat for your nurturance on your
children, or as dog for your loyalty.

Nevertheless, much of that the Torah attributes to Allah (S.W). It


says, "So I am to them like a lion; like a leopard I will lurk
beside the way. I will meet them as a bear that is bereaved
of her whelps, and will rend the caul of their heart; and
there will I devour them like a lioness; the wild beast shall
tear them." (Hosea 13: 7 - 8)

"Therefore will I be unto Ephraim as a moth, and to the


house of Judah as a caterpillar" (Hosea 5:12)

The Book of Micah attributes the wailing of ostriches and the female
foxes to the Lord after what happened to the children of Israel. It
says, "The word of the Lord which came to Micah… For this
I will be full of sorrow and give cries of grief; I will go
uncovered and unclothed: I will give cries of grief like the
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jackals and will be in sorrow like the ostriches." (Micah 1: 1-


8)

In another verse, the Torah mentions His sadness and sorrows for
His people and their virgin daughter, Jerusalem. He says to Prophet
Jeremiah, "And you are to say this word to them, Let my
eyes be streaming with water night and day, and let it not
be stopped; for the virgin daughter of my people is
wounded with a great wound, with a very bitter blow."
(Jeremiah 14: 17)

He was grief-stricken to the extent that He calls the doom and


destruction upon Himself. "For the Lord has said… Woe is me
because of my hurt! my wound is grievous" (Jeremiah 10: 18
- 19)

In another repugnant picture, the Torah describes Allah’s (S.W.)


wrath on the enemies of Israel among the Moabite and the people of
Edom, in a way that people with dignity would not accept. It says,
"From his sanctuary God has said… Ephraim is my helmet
and Judah my royal scepter. But I will use Moab as my
washbowl, and I will throw my sandals on Edom." (Psalms
60: 6-8) Signifying His indignation, He made the Moabite – as a
metaphor and analogy - a place to clean His dirt, and expressed His
outrage at the people of Edom by throwing His shoe on them!

The Torah continues with its nonsense by describing Allah (S.W.) the
Almighty as a woman sometimes, and as a husband sometimes. It
says, "For your Maker is your husband; the Lord of armies
is his name.. For Jehovah hath called thee as a wife
forsaken and grieved in spirit, even a wife of youth, when
she is cast off, saith thy God." (Isaiah 54: 5-6)

In another verse, it says, "and for your evil-doing was your


mother put away" (Isaiah 50: 1), "and as the bridegroom
rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over
you". (Isaiah 62: 5)

Another bad description of Allah (S.W.) the Great in the Torah, is


describing Him as a drunken soldier. "Finally the Lord woke
up, and he shouted like a drunken soldier, and he smote
his adversaries backward: He put them to a perpetual
reproach." (Psalm 78: 65)
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According to the Book of Isaiah, Allah (S.W.) would shave His head,
the hair of His legs, and His beard with a razor. It says, "In that
day will the Lord shave with a razor that is hired in the
parts beyond the River, even with the king of Assyria, the
head and the hair of the feet; and it shall also consume the
beard." (Isaiah 7: 20)

These repugnant and silly descriptions and expressions cannot be


from Allah (S.W.) the Almighty, or to be described with, is there not a
better way to express the God’s anger or love!!

How these analogies are attributed to Allah (S.W.) when He is


denying likening Him to others? “To whom then will ye liken
God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him…. To
whom then will ye liken me, that I should be equal to him?
saith the Holy One?" (Isaiah 40:18 -25)
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The Prophets in the Old Testament

Allah (S.W.) had chosen His prophets among the rest of humans,
and had given them the blessing by making them the carriers of His
religion to the people. They were the first to believe, and they were
role models to humanity. “Those were the (prophets) who
received Allah’s guidance: Copy the guidance they received”
(Holy Quran, Surah 6. Al An’am – 85)

This requires - by reason - that those whom Allah (S.W.) had chosen
to guide humanity, to be the best people. How could it not be when
the Torah speaks of the infallibility of priests, and their innocence of
sin, because they are the holders of Law and who preach it to the
people? Those priests are – with no doubt – lesser than the
prophets’ rank.

Regarding Levi and his tribe, Malachi said, "My covenant was
with him of life and peace; and I gave them to him that he
might fear; and he feared me, and stood in awe of my
name. The law of truth was in his mouth, and
unrighteousness was not found in his lips: he walked with
me in peace and uprightness, and turned many away from
iniquity. For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and
they should seek the law at his mouth; for he is the
messenger of Jehovah of hosts." (Malachi 2: 5-7)

The Torah, in some verses, commends some of these prophets. It


says about David, “I will be his father, and he shall be my
son” (2Samuel 7: 14), and about Noah, "Noah was a righteous
man, and perfect in his generations: Noah walked with
God." (Genesis 6: 9)

Regarding Abraham, the Torah says that Allah (S.W.) told him in a
vision, "Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy
exceeding great reward." (Genesis 15:1), and regarding Isaac,
"And the Lord blessed him". (Genesis 26:12)
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However, all these nice comments are lost in an ocean of vices that
the Torah falsely attributes to the prophets.

Noah, peace be upon him

The Torah mentions that Prophet Noah (PBUH) was drunk and
naked in his tent. Then Ham, his young son, saw him and told his
brothers what he had seen. The two brothers came walking
backwards and covered their drunken father’s body. When he woke
up, and knew what his little son Ham did, he said, "I now put a
curse on Canaan! (The son of Ham) He will be the lowest
slave of his brothers… May Canaan be his slave".

Here is the entire story. "Noah farmed the land and was the
first to plant a vineyard. One day he got drunk and was
lying naked in his tent. Ham entered the tent and saw him
naked, then went back outside and told his brothers. Shem
and Japheth put a robe over their shoulders and walked
backwards into the tent.

Without looking at their father, they placed it over his


body. When Noah woke up and learned what his youngest
son had done, he said, "I now put a curse on Canaan! (The
son of Ham and the father of the Palestinians, who has nothing to do
with that event, and who was not born yet) He will be the lowest
slave of his brothers I ask the LORD my God to bless Shem
and make Canaan his slave. I pray that the LORD will give
Japheth more and more land and let him take over the
territory of Shem. May Canaan be his slave." (Genesis 9: 20
- 27)

Rather than guiding his young son to an appropriate behavior when


the father gets drunk, he cursed Canaan the son of Ham, who
perhaps was not created yet. What was the fault of this Canaan, of
course, he had no fault, except that he will be the grand father of the
people of Palestine, the enemies of the Jews!
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What was the guilt of his father, who did not deserve all this; what
about the father (Noah) who drank the wine; what punishment he
deserved, and why the Lord did not punish him?

Abraham, peace be upon him

Regarding Abraham, Allah’s (S.W.) beloved, the Torah mentions that


he made a mistake towards Allah (S.W.) when He (Allah S.W.)
wanted to destroy Lot’s people. It mentions that he addressed and
even advised Allah (S.W.) in a bad manner; a manner that a sane
person does not accept from his friend or his son let alone his poor
slave. "And Abraham came near, and said, Will you let
destruction come on the upright with the sinners? If by
chance there are fifty upright men in the town, will you
give the place to destruction and not have mercy on it
because of the fifty upright men? Let such a thing be far
from you, to put the upright to death with the sinner: will
not the judge of all the earth do right." (Genesis 18: 23 - 25)

Lot, peace be upon him

Regarding Lot (PBUH), the prophet who fought against


homosexuality, the Torah mentions that when Allah (S.W.) wanted to
destroy his people, he sought refuge to a cave with his two
daughters. The two daughters, then, made their father drink wine,
and had sexual intercourses with him without his awareness.

Moab and Ben-ammi, from whom the Moabites and Ammonite, the
enemies of Israel, descended were the result of those two sins.
"Now Lot went up out of Zoar and lived in the hills with
his two daughters, for he was afraid to live in Zoar. So he
lived in a cave with his two daughters. And the firstborn
said to the younger, "Our father is old, and there is not a
man on earth to come in to us after the manner of all the
earth. Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we
will lie with him, that we may preserve offspring from our
father."
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So they made their father drink wine that night. And the
firstborn went in and lay with her father. He did not know
when she lay down or when she arose. The next day, the
firstborn said to the younger, "Behold, I lay last night
with my father. Let us make him drink wine tonight also.
Then you go in and lie with him, that we may preserve
offspring from our father." So they made their father
drink wine that night also. And the younger arose and lay
with him, and he did not know when she lay down or
when she arose. Thus both the daughters of Lot became
pregnant by their father. The firstborn bore a son and
called his name Moab. He is the father of the Moabites to
this day " (Genesis 19: 30 - 37).

Justifying this evil sin, the book said that the big sister said, "Our
father is old, and there is not a man on earth to come in to
us after the manner of all the earth … That we may
preserve offspring from our father" (Genesis 19: 31 - 32). The
verse shows that the earth was free of men, or that Lot and his
daughters would stay in the cave forever; thus, there was no way to
preserve offspring except incest!

Jacob, peace be upon him

The Torah continues with these bad attributes to reach Jacob


(PBUH), the father of the Children of Israel. His paternity to them did
not prevent the Torah’s writers of attributing bad deeds to him. The
Torah mentions that he had stolen the blessing of his elder brother
Esau, when he deceived his father Isaac, made him drink wine, and
made him think that he is Esau. Isaac was not able to distinguish
between the feeling of his elder son and the goat’s skin, which Jacob
put on his hand. (See: Genesis 27: 16 - 25)

He blessed Jacob thinking he was Esau, and said to him, "See, the
smell of my son is as the smell of a field that the LORD has
blessed! May God give you of the dew of heaven and of the
fatness of the earth and plenty of grain and wine. Let
peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you. Be lord
over your brothers, and may your mother's sons bow
down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you, and
blessed be everyone who blesses you." (Genesis 27: 27 - 29)
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Then after a while, Esau came to his father, and the father
discovered the trick, but it was too late. Thus, the blessing was
stolen; this is a lie to Allah (S.W.) the giver of the blessing, not to
Isaac. Muslims wonder why Isaac did not redeem his blessing, and
what kind of blessing that produce wine and slavery of the people?

This blessing did not seem to have a great impact on Jacob’s live; he
was punished for tricking his father. His uncle Laban tricked him and
made him marry his eldest daughter, Leah. He (Jacob) slept with
Leah, who was not the one whom he wanted to marry (Rachel); that
was committing adultery, but not intentionally. (See: Genesis 29: 24)

Jacob returned this trick to his uncle when he tricked him with his
sheep. (See: Genesis 30: 37-42)

Then, when Jacob aged, Shechem assaulted his daughter and raped
her. (See: Genesis 34: 2)

Then, one of his sons (Judah) committed adultery with Tamar, his
daughter-in-law, and she conceived two of his sons. (See: Genesis
38:18)

His eldest son Reuben went and slept with Bilhah, Jacob’s
concubine and Jacob did not do anything. (See: Genesis 35: 21 - 22)
Where, then, is the impact of the stolen blessing in all this?

Moses and Aaron, peace be upon them

The Torah also harms Moses (PBUH), the greatest prophet of Israel.
It mentions abusing words that Moses would not mention. "Moses
said to the LORD, "Why have you dealt ill with your
servant? And why have I not found favor in your sight,
that you lay the burden of all this people on me? Did I
conceive all this people? Did I give them birth, that you
should say to me, 'Carry them in your bosom, as a nurse
carries a nursing child,' to the land that you swore to give
their fathers?

Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they


weep before me and say, 'Give us meat, that we may eat.' I
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am not able to carry all this people alone; the burden is


too heavy for me. If you will treat me like this, kill me at
once, if I find favor in your sight, that I may not see my
wretchedness." (Numbers 11: 11 -15) Does a servant – let alone a
prophet – speak with his lord in such manner?

The Torah mentions that Moses during his war with the Midianites –
with whom he stayed for years - ordered to kill all the males. When
the army did not implement his command, "Moses was angry
with the officers of the army, the commanders of
thousands and the commanders of hundreds, who had
come from service in the war. Moses said to them, "Have
you let all the women live? Behold, these, on Balaam's
advice, caused the people of Israel to act treacherously
against the LORD in the incident of Peor, and so the
plague came among the congregation of the LORD.

Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and
kill every woman who has known man by lying with him.
But all the young girls who have not known man by lying
with him keep alive for yourselves." (Numbers 31:14 -18) The
book Did not tell us about the way to distinguish between the virgins
and the others, would a prophet order such thing?!

Regarding Aaron, the holy, as in the Book of Psalms "Aaron the


saint of the Lord" (Psalm 106/16), the Book of Exodus accuses
him of making the calf for the children of Israel to worship. It says,
"So Aaron said to them, "Take off the rings of gold that are
in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters,
and bring them to me." So all the people took off the rings
of gold that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron.
And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it
with a graving tool and made a golden calf. And they said,
"These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of
the land of Egypt." (Exodus 32/2-4) Is this something the Lord’s
saint would do?

The distorted Torah also mentions that Allah (S.W.) prevented


Moses and Aaron from entering the holy land for their betrayal and
lack of faith. It says, "And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron,
"Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy
in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not
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bring this assembly into the land that I have given them."
(Numbers 20:12) "Because you broke faith with me in the
midst of the people of Israel at the waters of Meribah-
kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin, and because you did not
treat me as holy in the midst of the people of Israel."
(Deuteronomy 32: 51)
The Book of Exodus mentions a strange story. It mentions that Allah
(S.W.) wanted to kill Moses while he was in the Sinai desert, when
he was heading to preach Pharaoh as the Lord commanded him.
What saved him from death was his wife’s intelligence, when she
realized that the reason for the Lord’s anger was that Moses did not
circumcise his son. Then, she circumcised him quickly, and put his
foreskin near his feet; thus, saved Moses.

It says, “At a lodging place on the way the LORD met him
and sought to put him to death. Then Zipporah took a flint
and cut off her son's foreskin, and cast it at his feet and
said, "Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me!" So he
let him alone. It was then that she said, "A bridegroom of
blood," because of the circumcision". (Exodus 4: 24-26) The
book did not indicate the reason for this claimed divine outrage; it
simply explains this strange way to appease the Lord.

However, we may discover the secret when we read the Jesuit


Fathers’ comments on this story, which reveals to us that Zipporah
had deceived to the Lord, and she succeeded. They said, "It is an
unclear story because it is too short and the absence of any
context... We may guess and say that the Moses’ foreskin brought
the wrath of God and that that anger was gone when Zipporah
circumcised her son, and pretended that she circumcised Moses,
and she touched his genitalia". Allah (S.W.) is high and above that.

Joshua, son of Nun, peace be upon him

Joshua’s (Moses’ trustee) name is associated in the Torah with a


series of massacres, which include women, children, men, and
animals. The massacre of Jericho, which no one – except Rahab, the
adulterous and her fellows – had survived, is an example. "The
people went up into the city, every man straight before
him, and they captured the city. Then they devoted all in
the city to destruction, both men and women, young and
old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys, with the edge of the
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sword… And they burned the city with fire." (Joshua 6: 20-
24)

The Book of Joshua continues to display a series of massacres that


affected innocent women and children, all by the order of Joshua.
"Joshua captured it on that day and struck it, and its king,
with the edge of the sword. He devoted to destruction
every person in it; he left none remaining. And he did to
the king of Makkedah just as he had done to the king of
Jericho. Then Joshua and all Israel with him passed on
from Makkedah to Libnah and fought against Libnah. And
the LORD gave it also and its king into the hand of Israel.
And he struck it with the edge of the sword, and every
person in it; he left none remaining in it. And he did to its
king as he had done to the king of Jericho. Then Joshua
and all Israel with him passed on from Libnah to Lachish
and laid siege to it and fought against it.

And the LORD gave Lachish into the hand of Israel, and he
captured it on the second day and struck it with the edge
of the sword, and every person in it, as he had done to
Libnah. Then Horam king of Gezer came up to help
Lachish. And Joshua struck him and his people, until he
left none remaining. Then Joshua and all Israel with him
passed on from Lachish to Eglon.

And they laid siege to it and fought against it. And they
captured it on that day, and struck it with the edge of the
sword. And he devoted every person in it to destruction
that day, as he had done to Lachish. Then Joshua and all
Israel with him went up from Eglon to Hebron. And they
fought against it and captured it and struck it with the
edge of the sword, and its king and its towns, and every
person in it.

He left none remaining, as he had done to Eglon, and


devoted it to destruction and every person in it. Then
Joshua and all Israel with him turned back to Debir and
fought against it and he captured it with its king and all
its towns.

And they struck them with the edge of the sword and
devoted to destruction every person in it; he left none
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remaining. Just as he had done to Hebron and to Libnah


and its king, so he did to Debir and to its king. So Joshua
struck the whole land, the hill country and the Negeb and
the lowland and the slopes, and all their kings. He left
none remaining, but devoted to destruction all that
breathed, just as the LORD God of Israel commanded."
(Joshua 10: 28- 40)
This long series of massacres, which remind us of the massacres of
Jews today, show us how the book relates these massacres to the
Lord’s command. At the end, it says, "Just as the LORD God of
Israel commanded." (Joshua 10: 40)

David, peace be upon him

David (PBUH), whom the Holy Quran describes as full of patience,


constancy, and always turned to Allah (S.W.), the Torah attributes to
him bad deeds that it does not attribute to the other prophets. It
mentions that when he wanted to marry the daughter of Saul, the first
king of Israel, he gave him a strange dowry. "David arose and
went, along with his men, and killed two hundred of the
Philistines. And David brought their foreskins, which
were given in full number to the king, that he might
become the king's son-in-law." (1Samuel 18: 27) What was the
fault of those poor people who died of non-guilt or sin?

The Book of Samuel mentions that prophet David was dancing and
revealing his genitalia, while he was happy because of the
recovering of the Ark of Covenant from the hands of the Palestinians.
His wife, Michal, was upset and despised him. "And David
danced before the LORD with all his might... And Michal
the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said,
how glorious was the king of Israel to-day, who
uncovered himself to-day in the eyes of the handmaids of
his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly
uncovered himself." (2Samuel 6:14 - 20)

Then the Torah mentions the story of David with Uriah the Hittite and
his wife. "In the mean time it happened that David arose
from his bed after noon, and walked upon the roof of the
king's house: And he saw from the roof of his house a
woman washing herself, over against him: and the
woman was very beautiful. And the king sent, and
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inquired who the woman was. And it was told him, that
she was Bethsabee the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Urias
the Hethite.

And David sent messengers, and took her, and she came in
to him, and he slept with her: and presently she was
purified from her uncleanness: And she returned to her
house having conceived. And she sent and told David, and
said: I have conceived. And David sent to Joab, saying:
Send me Urias the Hethite. And Joab sent Urias to David.
And Urias came to David. And David asked how Joab did,
and the people, and how the war was carried on. And
David said to Urias: Go into thy house, and wash thy feet.

And Urias went out from the king's house, and there went
out after him a mess of meat from the king. But Urias slept
before the gate of the king's house, with the other servants
of his lord, and went not down to his own house. And it
was told David by some that said: Urias went not to his
house. And David said to Urias: Didst thou not come from
thy journey?

Why didst thou not go down to thy house? And Urias said
to David: The ark of God and Israel and Juda dwell in
tents, and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord abide
upon the face of the earth: and shall I go into my house, to
eat and to drink, and to sleep with my wife? By thy
welfare and by the welfare of thy soul I will not do this
thing. Then David said to Urias: Tarry here to day, and to
morrow I will send thee away. Urias tarried in Jerusalem
that day and the next.

And David called him to eat and to drink before him, and
he made him drunk: and he went out in the evening, and
slept on his couch with the servants of his lord, and went
not down into his house. And when the morning was
come, David wrote a letter to Joab: and sent it by the hand
of Urias, Writing in the letter: Set ye Urias in the front of
the battle, where the fight is strongest: and leave ye him,
that he may be wounded and die.” (2Samuel 11: 2 -15)

It happened as he wanted, and Uriah died. Then David took that


adulterous as a wife, and she bore him Solomon, whom the Gospels
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writers gave him the honor by making him one of the ancestors of
Christ.

The Torah also mentions insane massacres that David did to the
Ammonites. It says, "And he brought forth the people that
were therein, and put them under saws, and under
harrows of iron, and under axes of iron, and made them
pass through the brickkiln: and thus did he unto all the
cities of the children of Ammon. And David and all the
people returned unto Jerusalem." (2Samuel 12: 31) This is a
great lie; glory to Allah (S.W.).

Surprisingly, in spite of all these false stories of Prophet David, the


Torah gives him glorious attributes and the characteristics of
perfection. It says that Allah (S.W.) said, “David the son of Jesse
is the kind of person who pleases me most! He does
everything I want him to do." (Acts 13/22), and considers him
the Ideal king among the kings of Israel.

In addition, the Torah mentions that Allah (S.W.) did not destroy
Solomon’s kingdom for the sake of his father because he kept Allah’s
(S.W.) commandments. It says, "Howbeit I will not take the
whole kingdom out of his hand; but I will make him prince
all the days of his life, for David my servant's sake whom I
chose, who kept my commandments and my statutes."
(1Kings 11: 34)

The Book of Kings confirms David's integrity regarding Allah’s (S.W.)


commandments, and blames Solomon that he was not like his father,
who followed Allah’s (S.W.) commands exactly. It says, "And
Solomon did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah,
and went not fully after Jehovah, as did David his father."
(1Kings 11: 6) The books of the Torah do not consider any of the
deeds attributed to David as a sin, with the exception of his story with
Uriah’s wife.

According to the Torah, the alleged massacres that he did to the


Palestinians, to gather the dowry of his fiancée Michal, and burning
and cutting the bones of the Ammonites, were not sins! "David did
that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah, and turned
not aside from anything that he commanded him all the
days of his life, save only in the matter of Uriah the
Hittite." (1Kings 15: 5)
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Solomon, peace be upon him

Prophet Solomon, the wise, whom the Holy Quran and the Torah
testify of his wisdom (See 2Chronicles 2:12), has a larger share in
the series of prophet’s sins in the Torah. The Torah has made him a
worshiper of his women’s (who have reached a thousand) idols. He
also, according to the Torah, had built temples to worship those
idols, and the Lord became angry.

The Torah says, "And he had seven hundred wives,


princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives
turned away his heart. For it came to pass, when Solomon
was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other
gods; and his heart was not perfect with Jehovah his God,
as was the heart of David his father. For Solomon went
after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after
Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.

And Solomon did that which was evil in the sight of


Jehovah, and went not fully after Jehovah, as did David
his father. Then did Solomon build a high place for
Chemosh the abomination of Moab, in the mount that is
before Jerusalem, and for Molech the abomination of the
children of Ammon. And so did he for all his foreign wives,
who burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods.

And Jehovah was angry with Solomon, because his heart


was turned away from Jehovah, the God of Israel, who
had appeared unto him twice, and had commanded him
concerning this thing, that he should not go after other
gods: but he kept not that which Jehovah commanded.
Wherefore Jehovah said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this
is done of thee, and thou hast not kept my covenant and
my statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will surely
rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy
servant." (1Kings 11: 3-11)
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The Torah, at the same time, pays tribute to Solomon, and mentions
Allah’s (S.W.) promise to his father David, that he will build Allah’
(S.W.) house. It describes him as pure, expressed by the son-ship to
Allah (S.W.); which indicates righteousness as is it usually used in
the Torah.

It says, "Behold, a son shall be born to thee, who shall be a


man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies
round about; for his name shall be Solomon, and I will
give peace and quietness unto Israel in his days. he shall
build a house for my name; and he shall be my son, and I
will be his father; and I will establish the throne of his
kingdom over Israel for ever." (1Chronicles 22: 9 -10)

According to Torah, Allah (S.W.) called him “Jedidiah" (the Lord’s


beloved), because "the Lord loved him" (2Samuel12: 24). Did
Solomon neglect the orders of the Lord? Have he built temples for
the idols to satisfy his wives; or he was the Lord’s beloved, as the
Holy Quran mentions. “To David We gave Solomon (for a son),-
How excellent in Our service! Ever did he turn (to Us)!” (Holy
Quran, Surah 38. Sad – 30)

We wonder: if these were the deeds of the prophets, then what is the
point of sending prophets? If the selected people from among
humans were as such, how could we hope to reform humans and
cleanse them from the impurity of sin after what we have read?

Did the heavenly revelation issue the perpetuation of this filth? If


what the Torah reports is true, what good does it bring to be
mentioned in Allah’s (S.W.) revelation? This is a great lie; glory to
Allah (S.W.).

To those who seek refinement and spiritual perfection through the


lines of the Holy Bible, I say, “if this book is divine, it was unable to
refine the prophets, to whom it was revealed; as we have seen. They
have killed, committed adultery, got drunk, and built temples for the
idols, therefore the book is too weak to give guidance to its other
readers!
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Morals and Ethics in the Old Testament

Paul said, "Every holy writing which comes from God is of


profit for teaching, for training, for guiding, for education
in righteousness". (2Timothy 3:16) Does the Holy Bible actually
rebuke the sin, teach righteousness, guide the behaviour, and valid
for correction?

The Bible books are full of verses that mention the vices practiced by
the children of Israel and others, and tell about their wine drinking,
there adultery, and there idolism.

One may think that these books mention these verses to correct,
teach righteousness, and to show the consequences of the criminal
acts. Surprisingly, the Holy Bible, which contains dozens of rude and
filthy verses that represent even open romance and sex, does not
mention any punishment. The stories focus on the elements of
crimes, but you hardly find punishments or warnings of these crimes.

I wonder, what is the point of mentioning all this in a book that the
Christians and the Jews claim that it was Allah’s (S.W.) inspiration?
What is the benefit of mentioning ten cases of incest in a holy book?
It is surprising that the Torah relates all these ten cases to the
prophets and their children. In addition, there are dozens of dirty love
stories; what is the benefit of all that?

The Torah mentions several examples, like the story of Judah and
Tamar, and the judge Samson and the harlot. (See Judges 16: 1 - 3)
It also mentions Amnon (the son of David) raping his sister Tamar
with the advice of Jonadab, whom the Torah describes with a
strange character as ‘very wise’ (See 2Samuel 13: 3 - 22), and many
more verses are the same.

However, when we search for a punishment for the criminal, we will


not find. Moreover, the Torah does not tell us that the punishment for
adultery mentioned in Leviticus (20: 17) had been applied even once.
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Here, I will mention, as an example of the missing biblical


punishments, the story of Eli the chief priests and the Judge of the
Children of Israel. "Now Eli was very old; and he had news
from time to time of what his sons were doing to all Israel.
and how that they lay with the women that did service at
the door of the tent of meeting And he said to them, Why
are you doing such things? for from all this people I get
accounts of your evil ways. No, my sons, the account
which is given me, which the Lord's people are sending
about, is not good." (1Samuel 2: 22 - 24) Is this all what the Chief
Judge of the Children of Israel did with those who committed adultery
in the meeting tent!?

There are also many debauchery verses, which we only can find in
the books of sex and debauchery. I will offer some of these verses
with my apologies to you about what you read.

In the first chapter of the Book of Songs, which is attributed to


Solomon, we read, "Let him give me the kisses of his mouth:
for his love is better than wine. Sweet is the smell of your
perfumes; your name is as perfume running out; so the
young girls give you their love. Take me to you, and we
will go after you: the king has taken me into his house. We
will be glad and full of joy in you, we will give more
thought to your love than to wine: rightly are they your
lovers. Your face is a delight with rings of hair, your neck
with chains of jewels. We will make you chains of gold
with ornaments of silver. As a bag of myrrh is my well-
loved one to me, when he is at rest all night between my
breasts." (Songs 1: 1 - 13)

In this way, the rest of the verses continue and get even worse. "By
night on my bed I was looking for him who is the love of
my soul: I was looking for him, but I did not see him…
when I came face to face with him who is the love of my
soul. I took him by the hands, and did not let him go, till I
had taken him into my mother's house, and into the room
of her who gave me birth...." (Songs 3: 1 - 5)

“But I had already undressed and bathed my feet. Should I


dress again and get my feet dirty? My beloved put his
hand through the key hole, and my bowels were moved at
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his touch.” (Songs 5: 3 - 4) "Return, return, O Shulammite,1


Return, return, that we may look upon thee; Why will ye
look upon the Shulammite, as upon the dance of
Mahanaim? (Songs 6: 13)
“How beautiful are your feet in sandals, O noble
daughter! Your rounded thighs are like jewels, the work of
a master hand. Your navel is a rounded bowl that never
lacks mixed wine. Your belly is a heap of wheat, encircled
with lilies. Your two breasts are like two fawns, twins of a
gazelle. Your neck is like an ivory tower.

Your eyes are pools…How beautiful and pleasant you are,


O loved one, with all your delights! Your stature is like a
palm tree, and your breasts are like its clusters… Oh may
your breasts be like clusters of the vine, and the scent of
your breath like apples, and your mouth like the best
wine. It goes down smoothly for my beloved, gliding over
lips and teeth.

I am my beloved's, and his desire is for me. Come, my


beloved, let us go out into the fields and lodge in the
villages; let us go out early to the vineyards and see
whether the vines have budded, whether the grape
blossoms have opened and the pomegranates are in
bloom. There I will give you my love….” (Songs 7: 1 -13)

“If you were my brother, I could kiss you whenever we


happen to meet, and no one would say I did wrong. I could
take you to the home of my mother, who taught me all I
know. I would give you delicious wine and fruit juice as
well. Put your left hand under my head and embrace me
with your right arm.” (Songs 8: 1 - 3)

In his book "Fake Suspicions", priest Manis Abdel Nour justifies the
existence of romance in these verses. He said, "The book describes
the joys of marriage, and there is nothing wrong with sex that is
within the marriage"; as if the Bible is a book that given to those who
are about to be engaged and seeking marriage. The priest also
forgot about those verses that speak of the wrong relationship
outside marriage.

1
- According to some Bible’s commentators, the word ‘Shulammite’ is the name of King Solomon’s wife,
others suggests that it is the feminine name of Solomon, and it means ‘the kings bride and his life partner’.
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Following priest Abdel Nour’s pattern, priest Samuel Yusof justifies


the existence of these romance verses in the book. He said, "These
verses give perfection to the holy books, because God cares about
every aspect of human life ... Reading the Book of Songs, cleanses
our hearts more, and we become aware of the right and the wrong.
There is a number of people who fall into that wrong due to the lack
of trust between married couples; the book’s aim is moral and
educational."1

In his book, “The Story of Civilization”, Will Durant said, “Whatever


these romance writings are, their presence in the Old Testament is a
hidden mystery ... We do not know how the clergymen neglected the
sensuality emotions in these songs and allowed them to be in the
Holy Bible.”

The introduction of the Jesuit Fathers’ copy says, "Only a few


believers read the Songs of Solomon, because it does not suit them
much."

Several books of the Old Testament repeat the same dirty picture.
Among them is the symbolic story of the two harlots, which stands for
the cities of Samaria and Jerusalem that Allah (S.W.) delivered them
to the hands of their lovers and they were killed. This symbolism
does not justify the story’s filth.

"The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying, Son of
man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother.
And they committed whordomes in Egypt, they committed
whordomes in their youth: there were their breasts
pressed, and there they bruised the teats of their
virginities. And the names of them were Aholah the elder,
and Aholibah her sister: and they were mine, & they bare
sonnes and daughters: thus were their names: Samaria is
Aholah, and Jerusalem Aholibah.

And Aholah played the harlot, when she was mine, and
she doted on her lovers, on the Assyrians her neighbors,
Which were clothed with blew, captains and rulers, all of
them desirable young men, horsemen riding upon horses.
Thus she committed her whordomes with them, with all
them that were the chosen men of Assyria, and with all on
1
Introduction to the Old Testament, Priest Dr. Samuel Yusof, pp 245
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whom she doted, with all their idols she defiled her self.
Neither left she her whoredomes brought from Egypt: for
in her youth they lay with her, and they bruised the
breasts of her virginities, and powered their whoredome
upon her.
Wherefore I have delivered her into the hand of her lovers,
into the hand of the Assyrians, upon whom she doted.
These discovered her nakedness; they took her sons and
her daughters, and slew her with the sword: and she
became famous among women, for they had executed
judgment upon her. And when her sister Aholibah saw
this, she was more corrupt in her inordinate love then she,
and in her whoredoms more then her sister in her
whoredomes.

She doted upon the Assyrians her neighbors, captains and


rulers clothed most gorgeously, horsemen riding upon
horses, all of them desirable young men. Then I saw that
she was defiled, that they took both one way; And that she
increased her whoredomes: for when she saw men
portrayed upon the wall, the images of the Caldeans
portrayed with vermilion, And as soon as she saw them
with her eyes, she doted upon them, and sent messengers
unto them into Caldea. And the Babylonians came to her
into the bed of love, and they defiled her with their
whoredome, and she was polluted with them, and her
mind was alienated from them.

So she discovered her whoredomes, and discovered her


nakedness; then my mind was alienated from her, like as
my mind was alienated from her sister. Yet shee
multiplied her whoredomes, in calling to remembrance
the days of her youth, wherein she had played the harlot
in the land of Egypt. For she doted upon their paramours,
whose (Their penises) is as the flesh of asses, and whose
issue (Their sperms) is like the issue of horses." (Ezekiel 23: 1-
20)

This impurity is also in the Book of Proverbs. It says, " In the


twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night: And,
behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an
harlot, and subtil of heart. (She is loud and stubborn; her
feet abide not in her house… So she caught him, and kissed
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him, and with an impudent face said unto him, I have


peace offerings with me; this day have I payed my vows.

Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy


face, and I have found thee. I have decked my bed with
coverings of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen
of Egypt. I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and
cinnamon. Come, let us take our fill of love until the
morning: let us solace ourselves with loves. For the
goodman is not at home, he is gone a long journey: He
hath taken a bag of money with him, and will come home
at the day appointed.

With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with
the flattering of her lips she forced him. He goeth after her
straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool
to the correction of the stocks; Till a dart strike through
his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not
that it is for his life " (Proverbs 7: 9 - 23)

The Book of Proverbs also mentions similar to these words, but this
time talking about the wife. It says, "Let blessing be on your
fountain; have joy in the wife of your early years. As a
loving hind and a gentle doe, let her breasts ever give you
rapture; let your passion at all times be moved by her
love." (Proverbs 5: 18- 19)

Is this a revelation from Allah (S.W.), or is it from the sick souls that
cannot tolerate being away from sex and its speeches?

The holy books also contain some rude insults, as the saying, "God
has said in his holy place… Moab is my washpot; over
Edom will I put out my shoe”. (Psalm 60: 6-8)

Does the great God consider a nation that He creates as a place to


clean Himself from dirt, does He has a need or dirt, and does He
need a toilet, even as a metaphor?

Among the insults, that far from Allah (S.W.) and His revelation is
what the book says about King Saul. It says that he said to his son
Jonathan, "Thou son of the perverse rebellious woman, do
not I know that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse (David) to
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thine own confusion, and unto the confusion of thy


mother's nakedness?" (1Samuel 20: 30)

Similar to this, that Isaiah said to the children of Israel, "But draw
near hither, ye sons of the sorceress, the seed of the
adulterer and the harlot." (Isaiah 57: 3)
What are the effects of reading the Bible?

A look at the Western society and a quick study of the figures of


immorality in Europe cause panic, and lead to think and search for
the source of this scourge.

We believe that the Holy Bible is one of the causes of this scourge,
as Christ said, “Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men
gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every
good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree
bringeth forth evil fruit”. (Matthew 7: 16 -17)

The spread of drinking alcohol and adultery, are not surprising at all
in a nation that believes that its prophets were adulterers and
practicing incest. According to the Holy bible, they did all that and
were drinking alcohol and Allah (S.W.) did not punish them or take
off their holiness, but blessed their illegitimate sons and made them
the grandparents to His son Christ!!

The spread of drinking alcohol is not a surprise in a nation whom its


Holy Bible advises to drink wine, and sees it as a solution to the
problems and the burdens of the poor. The Book of Proverbs says,
“It is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong
drink: Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the
judgment of any of the afflicted. Give strong drink unto
him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of
heavy hearts. Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and
remember his misery no more.” (Proverbs 31: 5 - 7)

It is not surprising that crimes would spread in a society that believes


that Allah (S.W.) orders the killing of innocent, women, children, and
animals, and without reason.

Bernard Shaw was right when he said, “The Bible is the most
dangerous book on the face of the earth, put it in a locked safe”. 1

1
- Is the Holy Bible God’s Word? Ahmad Deedat, pp 54, 70
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The Human character of the Old Testament

The Old Testament is a history book that is full of mistakes and


contradictions, which even junior writers may not make, not to
mention the seniors and the professionals.

Stories for fun not for benefit

In many of the Bible’s paragraphs, the useful information, which are


suppose to use the historical events for a religious purpose, is
missing. Rather, what you find in them is similar to what you find in
the books of fun and cheap entertainment that is far from benefits
and lessons.

What are the benefits of some of these stories that the Holy Bible
contains? What is the point of the story of Judah committing adultery
with his daughter-in-law Tamar after marrying his sons one after
another? He – according to the story - had committed adultery with a
harlot without knowing that she was his daughter-in-law. When he
knew that his daughter-in-law was pregnant, he said, "Bring her
forth, and let her be burnt".

However, when he knew that she became pregnant by him, he said,


“she is more righteous than I”. (See Gen. 38: 1 - 26) Where is
the moral of the story? A woman whom her husbands died one after
another and the Lord punished them because they did not have
sexual intercourse with her, and then she committed adultery with
their father; two sons were the result of this sin, one of them was
Perez who had the honor and became one of Christ’s ancestors.
(See Matthew 1: 2)

The story then goes on without warning or penalty. Is the isolation


from the wife in sexual intercourse punishable by death, while no
punishment for the crime of incest; adding giving a testimony that
she was ‘more righteous’? What kind of righteousness in seducing
the father of her husbands?!
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In another story, the Torah says, "And Jephthah vowed a vow


unto the LORD, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver
the children of Ammon into mine hands. Then it shall be,
that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to
meet me, when I return in peace from the children of
Ammon, shall surely be the LORD'S. And I will offer it up
for a burnt offering". When he received the victory, to his
daughter was the first who congratulated him, so he killed her.
"Who, did with her according to his vow which he had
vowed.” (Judges 11: 30 - 40) What is the point of the story even if it
was true, and why does God keep it in his book and revelation?

The same is Allah’s (S.W.) killing of the children who mocked


Prophet Elijah. "And he went up from thence unto Bethel:
and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little
children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto
him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head. And he
turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the
name of the LORD. And there came forth two she bears out
of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them."
(2Kings 2: 23-24) Is it possible that a prophet would curse young
children because they mocked him, and would Allah (S.W.) respond
and kills innocent children for misbehaving?

Even if this was true, what is the point of keeping it in a book


attributed to Allah (S.W.)? What good or guidance would humanity
learn from it; is it to kill our children and curse them if they misbehave
with us or with others?

Moreover, the Torah says, "And the children of Israel also


wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat? We
remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the
cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions,
and the garlic: But now our soul is dried away: there is
nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes. And the
manna was as coriander seed, and the colour thereof as
the colour of bdellium. And the people went about, and
gathered it, and ground it in mills, or beat it in a mortar,
and baked it in pans, and made cakes of it: and the taste of
it was as the taste of fresh oil." (Numbers 11: 5-8)

However, the author of Exodus contradicted the author of Numbers


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regarding the taste of that manna; and perhaps, the difference of


tastes was because the scribes’ tastes differ. It says, "And the
house of Israel called the name thereof Manna: and it was
like coriander seed, white; and the taste of it was like
wafers made with honey." (Exodus 16: 31)
One of the stories that without benefits is the story of eating the
boiled child whose mother and her neighbor agreed to share eating
their sons during the Samaria hunger. “And there was a great
famine in Samaria… And she answered, This woman said
unto me, Give thy son, that we may eat him to day, and we
will eat my son to morrow. So we boiled my son, and did
eat him: and I said unto her on the next day, Give thy son,
that we may eat him: and she hath hid her son.” (2Kings 6:
25-29)

We can see this absurdity even in the books of wisdom and poetry,
which are supposed to contain wisdom. In the Book of Ecclesiastes
we read, "For everything there is a season, and a time for
every matter under heaven. a time to be born, and a time
to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is
planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break
down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to
laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast
away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time
to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time
to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to
cast away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep
silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to
hate; a time for war, and a time for peace." (Ecclesiastes 3:
1-8)

Historical information of no value

Nearly 90% of the topics of the Holy Scriptures are historical


information, which are pointless and useless. Many of them do not
have any benefit even historically. Among those, is what the book of
Samuel mentions about the food that Nabal’s wife provided to David
so he would not kill him and his family. "Then Abigail made
haste and took two hundred loaves and two skins of wine
and five sheep already prepared and five seahs of parched
grain and a hundred clusters of raisins and two hundred
cakes of figs, and laid them on donkeys." (1Samuel 25:18)
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what does humanity benefit from this information, and the book, - as
Paul said - is ‘useful for correction and guidance’!

First Chronicles (24 - 27) introduces to us a long list of David’s


agents. What is the relationship between this and Allah’s (S.W.)
revelation, and where are the correction and guidance in that?
There are two full chapters in the First Book of Kings describe the
structure, length and width, thickness, height, the number of windows
and doors, and other details, which the Torah claims that they are
specification that the Lord wants for His eternal home (see 1Kings
6:1 - 7: 51).

In another verse the Torah says, “But will God indeed dwell on
the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot
contain you; how much less this house that I have built".
(1Kings 8: 27)

In First Chronicles, there are sixteen pages about the genealogy of


Adam and his grandchildren and Abraham and his descendants.
(See 1Chronicles 1: 1 - 9: 44)

In the Book of Ezra, there is a list of the names of the returnees from
Babylon according to their families, the numbers of each family, and
even the numbers of their donkeys and camels. (See Ezra 2:1 - 67)

There are also other lists of the numbers of armies and the
gatekeepers of every tribe, and the number of each army. (See
1Chronicles 23: 1 - 27: 34) In addition, in Exodus Moses ordered
making the Ark with detailed specifications in nine pages.

Sometimes the writers make the readers feel that they have a
reliable source of that historical information and that they do not
simply say them. Talking about king Jehu killing Jezebel, who came
asking him for peace, the writer of Kings said that Jehu "lifted up
his face to the window, and said, who is on my side? who?
And there looked out to him two or three eunuchs." (2Kings
9: 32) The unknown writer of Kings, who was inspired to write the
story, was doubtful about the number of eunuchs who answered the
king. He was honest and mentioned his confusion; they were either
“two or three ", he wanted to prove to the reader his integrity,
honesty, and accuracy. He also demonstrated that he wrote
according to his information and sources, not from Allah’s (S.W.)
inspiration.
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The Scriptures inadequacy regarding religious issues

When we search the five books of the Torah looking for a verse
about the Day of Judgment, Paradise, Hellfire, and the Resurrection,
we would not find a clear explicit one. The closest indication to the
Day of Judgment is in Deuteronomy. "Is not this laid up in store
with me, Sealed up among my treasures? Vengeance is
mine, and recompense, at the time when their foot shall
slide." (Deuteronomy 32: 34 - 35) This verse - as you can see – is
not explicit, and with reading the verses that before and after it, you
will see that it speaks about an earthly day, on which Allah (S.W.) will
punish them.

We also do not find in the Torah – even though it mentions matters of


no importance - a description of how to pray to the Lord, and it rarely
mentions His greatest name ‘Jehovah’. "They shall know that
my name is Jehovah." (Jeremiah 16: 21), The Holy book
mentions Allah (S.W.) using the names God and Lord and neglects
his greatest!

Surprisingly, the Torah claims that this name was unknown to the
prophets before Moses. "And I appeared unto Abraham, unto
Isaac, and unto Jacob, as God Almighty; but by my name
Jehovah I was not known to them." (Exodus 6: 3) 1

Trite repetition

The Old Testament books have verbatim repetition of certain events.


Did Allah (S.W.) or the Holy Spirit forget that he had dictated them
before, or it was the writers, who forgot and made mistakes?

An example of the trite and pointless repetition is in chapters 25 - 30


of Exodus, which contain detailed description of the tent of meeting,
as the Lord commanded it to be.

1
- This is not true, for Abraham knew that this name is Allah’s (S.W.) name, and he called the place in
which he wanted to sacrifice his son ‘Jehovah-jireh’ (Genesis 22:14) which means , ‘The Lord sees’.
(113) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

The same full description is repeated when Moses called upon


Bezalel and Oholiab to start the construction, and this repetition
takes five chapters (36 - 40). It would be sufficient if he said, “Bezalel
the son of Uri and Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, did everything that
the Lord had ordered Moses”.

The Old Testament writers had practiced plagiarism, as the matching


between (2Kings 19: 1 - 12) and (Isaiah 37: 1 - 12), word for word,
and letter for letter. Explaining this matching, the Chief Priest of
Sweden Sjoberg said, "This is the greatness of the book"!

The writers sometimes repeated identically a number of lines that


they had already wrote without understanding why this happened. An
example of this is when the writer of Chronicles talked about the
ancestors and the sons of King Saul. (See 1Chronicles 8: 29-36, and
compare it with 1Chronicles 9: 35-43)

This is also repeated in other chapters with a very little change in


some words. (See 1Chronicles 17, and 2Samuel 7, 1Chronicles 18,
and 2Samuel 8), 1Chronicles 19, and 2Samuel 10, and 1Kings 8,
and the 2Chronicles 6)

The reader of the Holy Bible would accept the referring in a book to
another book of the holy books. However, he would wonder about
some referring inside the word of Allah (S.W.) to places outside the
word of Allah (S.W.). That means that these referring are from
human beings, and the writer did not want to repeat information that
he had read in another book, or in some historical writings, or rather
a lost book from the Scriptures.

An example is the referring between the writers of the Book of Kings


and Chronicles in many places. The Book of Kings refers to
Chronicles saying, “Now the rest of the acts of Amaziah, are
they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings
of Judah” (2Kings 14: 18), which indicates that Chronicles have
been written before the Book of Kings.

However, the author of Chronicles humbly refers its reader to the


book of Kings. “Now the rest of the acts of Amaziah, first and
last, behold, are they not written in the book of the kings
of Judah and Israel?” (2Chronicles 25: 26) Which one of these
books was written first? This exchange was repeated between them
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repeatedly. Both of the authors insist that the other had written first,
and that he left some details, which he had read in the writings of the
other. (See 2Kings 15: 36 and 2Chronicles 27: 7 and 2Chronicles 36:
8) and (2Kings 24:5)
Exaggerations and mythical stories and news

The Old Testament contains stories and news that is closer to be


mythical rather than being reasonable. One of these stories is the
story of Samson and the tufts of his hair, which was the reason of his
strength, wonders, and victories. The Bible mentions that while
Samson was walking, "behold, a young lion roared against
him. Then the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon him, and
although he had nothing in his hand, he tore the lion in
pieces as one tears a young goat". (Judges 14: 5 - 6) The Book
of Judges (after two pages) mentions the story of this Samson, upon
whom the Spirit of the Lord rushed, committing adultery with a
Gazan prostitute (See Judges 16: 1); his wonders had no limits!

When his people tied him up and handed him over to the
Palestinians, "his bands dropped from off his hands. And he
found a fresh jawbone of an ass, and put forth his hand,
and took it, and smote a thousand men therewith. And
Samson said: with the jawbone of an ass, heaps upon
heaps, with the jawbone of an ass have I smitten a
thousand men”. (Judges 15: 14 -16)

I would like to draw attention to the important note that the author of
Judges wanted us to know, that the jawbone of the donkey was fresh
(soft). Samson killed them with a fresh soft jawbone, how would it be
if it was tough hard one? This is the way that elderly people tell
legendary and mythical stories. This exaggeration is the type of
exaggeration of excitement used by the grandmother when telling
her grandchildren a story before bedtime.

Among Samson’s strange deeds and wonders is what he did to the


fields of Palestinians in order to revenge from his Palestinian wife.
He brought three hundred foxes, tied their tails to each other – tail to
tail -, and then put a firebrand in the midst between every two tails.
Then, he let them go to the fields of the Palestinians and they burnt
them. How did he collect and catch these foxes, and how did he tie
them up; indeed it is a very strange story. (See Judges 15: 4-6)

Similarly, is what he did to the door of Gaza City, where "it was
(115) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

told the Gazites, saying, Samson is come hither. And they


compassed him in, and laid wait for him all night in the
gate of the city, and were quiet all the night, saying, Let be
till morning light, then we will kill him. And Samson lay
till midnight, and arose at midnight, and laid hold of the
doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and
plucked them up, bar and all, and put them upon his
shoulders, and carried them up to the top of the mountain
that is before Hebron". (Judges 16: 2-3) (See also Judges 16:
14-16)

Humans exaggerate when they talk about their heroes, and the same
is the Torah when talking about the children of Israel, their numbers,
and their victories. Abishai the hero, for example," lifted up his
spear against three hundred and slew them." (2Samuel
23:18) According to the Torah, another hero, Jashobeam, “lifted
up his spear against three hundred and slew them at one
time". (1Chronicles 11:11)

The Book of Samuel calls the hero Jashobeam ‘Josheb’, and


increases the number of the dead to eight hundred – by one shake of
his spear. “Josheb-basshebeth a Tahchemonite; he was
chief of the three. He wielded his spear against eight
hundred whom he killed at one time." (2Samuel 23: 8) How
long was the spear, and how that happened!

Shamgar the son of Anath, however, killed six hundred men of the
Palestinians without a weapon; he killed them with an ox goad.
"And after him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who smote
of the Philistines six hundred men with an ox-goad."
(Judges 3: 31) How did that happen, why did not they run away, did
they wait for their turns one after another!

The exaggerations are alike regarding everything about the Children


of Israel. "And the amount of Solomon's food for one day
was thirty measures of crushed grain and sixty measures
of meal, Ten fat oxen and twenty oxen from the fields, and
a hundred sheep, in addition to harts and gazelles and
roes and fat fowls " (1Kings 4: 22 - 23 )

A ridiculous exaggeration is that the earth split by the power of the


singing voice and the joy of the Children of Israel. "And all the
people went up after him, playing on pipes, and rejoicing
True Guidance and Light series (2) (116)

with great joy, so that the earth was split by their noise"
(1Kings 1: 40)

The wonders of the Children of Israel did not cease. Absalom the son
of David was so handsome with a very heavy hair. "And when he
cut the hair of his head (now it was at every year's end
that he cut it; because it was heavy on him, therefore he
cut it); he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred
shekels, after the king's weight." (2Samuel 14: 26) This is
equivalent to two and a quarter kilos! Is this possible, where in the
world we saw or heard such thing?

However, this would not prevent us from recognizing that the author
of the books of the Bible - like many authors – was tactful and
respectable. He apologized to the readers if he had failed to write
properly or had fallen short. At the end of the Second Maccabees,
(the last book of the Catholic Bible), we read, "And if I have done
well, and as is fitting the story, it is that which I desired:
but if slenderly and meanly, it is that which I could attain
unto. For as it is hurtful to drink wine or water1 alone; and
as wine mingled with water is pleasant, and delighteth the
taste: even so speech finely framed delighteth the ears of
them that read the story" (2Maccabees 15: 38 - 39)

1
- I do not agree with the author that drinking water alone is hurtful, and there is no medical reference
agrees with him. Drinking water is actually beneficial, and you can try that yourself.
(117) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

Alterations in the Old Testament

The Holy Quran mentions in many noble verses the alteration of the
Torah. Allah (S.W.) says, “Ye People of the Book! Why do ye
clothe Truth with falsehood, and conceal the Truth, while ye
have knowledge?” (Holy Quran, Surah 3. Al-Imran – 71), “Of the
Jews there are those who displace words from their (right)
places” (Holy Quran, Surah 4. An-Nisa’ – 46), and “Seeing that a
party of them heard the Word of Allah, and perverted it
knowingly after they understood it.” (Holy Quran, Surah 2. Al-
Baqara – 75)

Regarding their alteration by reduction, Allah (S.W.) says, “Say:


"Who then sent down the Book which Moses brought?- a light
and guidance to man: But ye make it into (separate) sheets for
show, while ye conceal much (of its contents)” (Holy Quran,
Surah 6. Al-An’am – 91), “Those who conceal Allah’s revelations
in the Book, and purchase for them a miserable profit,- they
swallow into themselves naught but Fire; Allah will not address
them on the Day of Resurrection. Nor purify them: Grievous will
be their penalty.” (Holy Quran, Surah 2. Al-Baqara – 174), and, “O
people of the Book, There hath come to you our Messenger,
revealing to you much that ye used to hide in the Book.” (Holy
Quran, Surah 2. Al-Ma’ida – 15)

Regarding their alteration by additions and lies, Allah (S.W.) says,


“Then woe to those who write the Book with their own hands,
and then say: "This is from Allah," to traffic with it for miserable
price!- Woe to them for what their hands do write, and for the
gain they make thereby.” (Holy Quran, Surah 2. Al-Baqara – 79)
and He says, “There is among them a section who distort the
Book with their tongues: (As they read) you would think it is a
part of the Book, but it is no part of the Book; and they say,
"That is from Allah," but it is not from Allah. It is they who tell a
lie against Allah, and (well) they know it!” (Holy Quran, Surah 3.
Al-Imran – 78)

The alteration happens by either reduction or addition, and both


occurred in the Torah, as we shall see. However, before we view
some of the alterations and distortion in the Torah, we would answer
True Guidance and Light series (2) (118)

a question that Christians always ask; is it possible to alter the word


of Allah (S.W.), and how did He allow that?
I say, the Holy Bible speaks of the possibility and the prophets’
testimonies of its alteration. If the alteration for the Holy Bible was
not possible, then there will be no point or meaning for its last
paragraph.

"I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the
prophecy of this book. If any man shall add unto them,
God shall add unto him the plagues, which are written in
this book. And if any man shall take away from the words
of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part
from the tree of life, and out of the holy city, which are
written in this book." (Revelation 22:18 -19)

This paragraph warns against the alteration or distortion of the book,


and threatens the person who does so; this indicates that the
alteration is possible.

Prophet Amos predicted the loss of the word of the Lord. He said,
"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord Jehovah, that I will
send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a
thirst for water, but of hearing the words of Jehovah. And
they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north
even to the east; they shall run to and fro to seek the word
of Jehovah, and shall not find it". (Amos 8: 11- 12)

This paragraph - as you can see – is a prophecy about the loss of


the book, and the first one is a threat to those who add seven
apocryphal books to the Holy Bible, take them away from it, or any
other form of alteration.

Regarding the question, ‘how did Allah (S.W.) allow that’, I say, those
who ask this question had forgotten Allah’s (S.W.) law regarding the
disbelievers. Allah (S.W.) allows them - according to His will and fate
– to insult, disbelief, and disobey His orders. The alteration of the
book, which Allah (S.W.) ordered the Children of Israel to keep, is the
same case. They lost it and altered it as they lost and forgot all
Allah’s (S.W.) laws, and as they, killed His prophets.
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Alterations by reduction

Among the alterations by reduction in the Torah is the Gospels’ many


referring to the Torah that are not in the Torah that we have now.
The Gospel of Mathew says, "And came and dwelt in a city
called Nazareth; that it might be fulfilled which was
spoken through the prophets, that he should be called a
Nazarene." (Matthew 2: 23)

There is nothing in this regard in the Torah. The Christian scholar,


Memfred said, "The books that contain this verse were perished,
because the books of the prophets that we have now do not contain
- in any one of them - that Jesus will be called Nazarene". 1

Christ himself had testified of that when he said, "Or have ye not
read in the law, that on the sabbath day the priests in the
temple profane the sabbath, and are guiltless" (Matthew 12:
5), and there is nothing like that in the words of the Torah.

Another verse is, "He that believeth on me, as the scripture


hath said, from within him shall flow rivers of living
water" (John 7: 37), and this is missing from the books of the
Torah.

In the Book of Lamentations, we cannot find the lament of King


Josiah, as the writer of Chronicles had said. "And Jeremiah
lamented for Josiah: and all the singing men and the
singing women spake of Josiah in their lamentations to
this day, and made them an ordinance in Israel: and,
behold, they are written in the lamentations" (2 Chronicles
35: 25)

The Book of Lamentations does not mention this and the Jesuit
Fathers testified to that. They said, "Lamentations, which is
attributed to Prophet (Jeremiah) does not contain anything related in
particular to this King (Josiah); the text that the news editor
mentioned is missing". 2

Other missing words are in the end of chapter two of Exodus, which
1
- The Truth Revealed, Al- Hindi, Vol.2 pp 538 - 539
2
- Introduction to the Old Testament, Dr. Samuel Yusof, pp 303
True Guidance and Light series (2) (120)

ends suddenly by saying, "God saw the people of Israel--and


God knew" (Exodus 2 / 25), and the Jesuit Fathers have pointed
that the chapter was cut.

Similarly, some words in the Book of Ezekiel are missing, some


translations use stars or (-), and others do not translate them. “Then
I said (UNTRANSLATED TEXT) now she will go on with her loose
ways. And they went in to her, as men go to a loose
woman: so they went in to Oholibah, the loose woman."
(Ezekiel 23: 43 Bible in Basic English)

The same is in the sixth chapter of the Book of Zechariah. "And


they that are far off shall come and build in the temple of
the LORD, and ye shall know that the LORD of hosts hath
sent me unto you. And it shall come to pass, if ye will
diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD your God -- "
(Zechariah 6: 15 - Jewish Publication Society Bible).

Similar to that is the loss of the name of the priest of Miniamin; whom
the writer of Nehemiah forgot. “of Abijah, Zichri; of Miniamin,
of Moadiah, Piltai;" (Nehemiah 12: 17)

The book of Tobit (one of the apocryphal books) attributes to the


Torah of Moses what is not in it. "And the maid is fair and wise.
now therefore hear me, and I will speak to her father; and
when we return from Rages we will celebrate the
marriage. (For I know that Raguel cannot marry her to
another according to the law of Moses, but he shall be
guilty of death), because the right of inheritance doth
rather appertain to thee than to any other." (Tobit 6: 13) This
punishment does not exist in the Law of Moses.

The thousands of manuscripts, of which Christians are proud, did not


succeed in bringing forth these lost texts; even though they are so
many, they were not able to tell us the biblical complete texts.

The lost books

Not only there are some missing texts from the Old Testament, but
also entire books; among those, is the Book of the Wars of the Lord,
which the book of Numbers mentions. "As it says in the book of
the Wars of the Lord, Vaheb in Suphah, and the valley of
the Amon" (Numbers 21:14).
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The Book of Jashar is another example. The Book of Joshua says,


"Is not this written in the book of Jashar? And the sun
stayed in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down
about a whole day." (Joshua 10: 13), and " and he bade them
teach the children of Judah the song of the bow: behold, it
is written in the book of Jashar" (2Samuel 1:18)

Scholars feel sorry for the loss of the Books of ‘Samuel the seer’,
‘Nathan the prophet’, and ‘Gad the seer’, which the book of
Chronicles mentions. “The acts of David the king first and
last, behold they are written in the book of Samuel the
sear, and in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the
book of Gad the sear" (1Chronicles 29: 29)

The books of Semeias the prophet, the book of Addo the seer, and
the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite were also lost. “Now the acts
of Roboam first and last are written in the books of
Semeias the prophet, and of Addo the seer, and diligently
recorded.” (2Chronicles 12: 15) “are they not written in the
book of Nathan the prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah
the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer"
(2Chronicles 9: 29)

There is also a book attributed to Prophet Isaiah mentioned by the


writer of Chronicles. "Now the rest of the acts of Uzziah, first
and last, were recorded by Isaiah the prophet, the son of
Amoz.” (2Chronicles 26: 22) It is known that the current Book of
Isaiah had never spoken about King Uzziah; either this was lost from
the current book of Isaiah, or the referral is to another book written by
the prophet Isaiah, and was lost like many other books of the Torah.

Adam Clark said, "The hearts of the scholars have great worries for
the eternal loss of the history of creations". He meant what the Book
of Kings stated about Solomon. "And he spake three thousand
proverbs; and his songs were a thousand and five. And he
spake of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon even unto
the hyssop that springeth out of the wall; he spake also of
beasts, and of birds, and of creeping things, and of fishes"
(1Kings 4: 32 - 33); where is this book?

Christian scholars agree that, "The lost books of the Scriptures are
not less than twenty." 1 Among these books is the Book of Enoch that
1
- The Truth Revealed, Al- Hindi, Vol.2 pp 583, 587
True Guidance and Light series (2) (122)

mentioned in Judas letter, and was the cause of the delay of the
recognition of this letter. It says, "And to these also Enoch, the
seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, Behold, the Lord
came with ten thousands of his holy ones. to execute
judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all
their works of ungodliness which they have ungodly
wrought, and of all the hard things which ungodly sinners
have spoken against him". (Jude 1: 14 - 15)

This book already exists, and the quotation of Judah is in (Enoch 1:


9) as the editors of the Holy Bible’s Dictionary mentioned. However,
the Christian Church’s fathers considered it as a fake book. The
editors of the Holy Bible’s Dictionary said, "This is one of the
apocryphal books… it is filled with news of the visions of the Messiah
and the Last Judgment and the kingdom of glory... The early
Christian Fathers had quoted some of its contents in the first
Christian centuries... However, Christian leaders later denied this
book and rejected it". 1

Alterations by Addition

Another way of altering the Scriptures that the Jews and Christians
used is the alteration by additions. This type of altering is a large
section that includes the texts that they added and attributed to the
prophets, the historical information, and the names that appeared
after them - as mentioned earlier. It also includes the fake and
fabricated news about Allah (S.W.) and His messengers, which I
have mentioned before.

The first example is that the author of Genesis mentioned the name
of Isaac in the context of the story of the slaughtered instead of
Ishmael. Allah (S.W.) ordered Abraham to slaughter his only son.
"And he said to him, Take your son, your dearly loved
only son Isaac." (Genesis 22: 2)

The Torah has stated that the eldest son of Abraham was Ishmael,
and that he was born fourteen years before Isaac. “Abram was
eighty-six years old when Hagar gave birth to Ishmael"
(Genesis 16:16) While Isaac was born fourteen years after that.
"Now, Abraham was a hundred years old when the birth
of Isaac took place." (Genesis 21: 5)
1
- The Holy Bible’s Dictionary, pp 32
(123) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

Nevertheless, Christians claim that we cannot consider Ishmael as a


son of Abraham because he was from Abraham’s maid, Hager. They
forgot or denied that he was a legitimate son as the Torah itself
states. "And Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar the Egyptian,
her handmaid, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the
land of Canaan, and gave her to Abram her husband to be
his wife. And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived."
(Genesis 16: 3-4) In another verse, we read, "And Hagar bare
Abram a son: and Abram called the name of his son, whom
Hagar bare, Ishmael." (Genesis 16: 15)

When Sarah became jealous of Hagar, she said to Abraham, “Cast


out this handmaid and her son. For the son of this
handmaid shall not be heir with my son, Isaac. And the
thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight on account of
his son (Ishmael). And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be
grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of
thy handmaid." (Genesis 21:10-12) The book proves – again –
that he was Abrahams’ son; it says, "And Isaac and Ishmael,
his sons, put him to rest in the hollow rock of Machpelah".
(Genesis 25: 9)

The Torah has never said that Ishmael was illegitimate son of
Abraham. Sarah, Abraham’s wife, knew that she would not give
Abraham children; thus, she preferred to let him marry Hagar. "Go
in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by
her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai " (Genesis
16: 2 ), "And Hagar bare Abram a son: and Abram called
the name of his son, whom Hagar bare, Ishmael." (Genesis
16: 15)

Moreover, how could the believers in the Holy Bible claim that Allah
(S.W.) ordered Abraham to slaughter Isaac, while He promised to let
Abraham see Isaac’s children before even he was born? Abraham
knew that his son Isaac will not die and will not be slaughtered, but
will grow, and will have offspring as Allah (S.W.) had promised. "In
all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice;
for in Isaac shall thy seed be called." (Genesis 21: 12)
Thus, the words: ‘Take your son, your dearly loved only son’
is true, and the word ‘Isaac’ is an addition. In another verse we
read, "Seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only
True Guidance and Light series (2) (124)

son, from me" (Genesis 22:12), and it did not mention the name of
Isaac.

The translators of some translations replaced the word ‘only’ with the
word ‘favorite or preferred’. This - with no doubt – is an alteration;
for, the Hebrew text uses the word (Ekhidakha), which means: ‘the
only’, and not ‘the preferred’.

The Translators Alterations

The translators of the Holy Bible have their share of the corruption
and the alteration, where they manipulate the texts while they
translated them.

For example:

The Christian translators of the twenty-second Psalm fabricated the


verse to be alleged prophecy about Jesus, who died on the cross
and had his hands and feet pierced. It says, " For dogs have
encompassed me; an assembly of evil-doers have
surrounded me: they pierced my hands and my feet"
(Psalm 22:16) The Hebrew text does not contain the word (‫רו‬ ִּ ‫ ָּכֲא‬-
meaning pierced), but uses the word (‫רי‬ ִ‫א‬ ֲ ‫ )ָּכ‬which means lion; and
here is the text in full:
"‫רְגָלי‬
ַ ‫די ְו‬
ַ ‫ ָי‬,‫רי‬
ִ‫א‬
ֲ ‫קיפּוִני; ָּכ‬
ִּ ‫ה‬
ִ ,‫עים‬
ִ‫ר‬ֵ‫מ‬
ְ ‫דת‬
ַ‫ע‬
ֲ :‫בים‬
ִ ‫ ְּכָל‬,‫בבּוִני‬ָ‫ס‬ ְ ‫ "ִּכי‬.

That means
“For dogs have encompassed me; a company of evil-doers
have inclosed me; like a lion, they are at my hands and my
feet.” (Jewish Publication Society Bible)

Christian scholars confessed and stated that, "According to the


common Latin translation, and the Hebrew word means: (like a lion)
and it is mysterious". The mystery of the words (like a lion) made
them manipulate the text and change it to (they pierced my hands
and my feet)!

The Books accuse the children of Israel of alteration

The Old Testament’s books accuse the Children of Israel of


(125) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

alteration. When they were in Babylon, Ezra the scribe began to write
the lost books, which the Children of Israel lost for long time.
However, prophet Jeremiah, - one of the greatest prophets of the
pre-captivity - spoke of a lot to false prophets, who went to Babylon
and attributed their lies to Allah (S.W.). “I have heard what the
prophets have said, that prophesy lies in my name,
saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed." (Jeremiah 23: 25)

He also said, “How is it that you say, we are wise and the
law of the Lord is with us? But see, the false pen of the
scribes has made it false" (Jeremiah 8: 8); so, the hands of the
liar scribes had altered the word of Allah (S.W.).

He confirmed the alteration and threatened to punish those who were


still talking about the words of the Lord, which they had altered.
"And when this people, or the prophet, or a priest, shall
ask thee, saying, What is the burden of the LORD? thou
shalt then say unto them, What burden? I will even
forsake you, saith the LORD. And as for the prophet, and
the priest, and the people, that shall say, The burden of the
LORD, I will even punish that man and his house. Thus
shall ye say every one to his neighbour, and every one to
his brother, What hath the LORD answered? and, What
hath the LORD spoken? And the burden of the LORD shall
ye mention no more: for every man's word shall be his
burden; for ye have perverted the words of the living God,
of the LORD of hosts our God"(Jeremiah 23: 33-36)

Similarly, the alteration happened to Jeremiah’s own book. "Then


took Jeremiah another roll, and gave it to Baruch the
scribe, the son of Neriah; who wrote therein from the
mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the book which
Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire. And there
were added besides unto them many like words." (Jeremiah
36: 32) The book did not tell us who added these ‘many like
words’ to the words of Prophet Jeremiah.

Jeremiah also spoke about those who claim to prophet-hood, and the
Lord did not send them. " For thus saith the LORD of hosts,
the God of Israel; Let not your prophets and your diviners,
that be in the midst of you, deceive you, neither hearken to
your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed. For they
True Guidance and Light series (2) (126)

prophesy falsely unto you in my name: I have not sent


them, saith the LORD" (Jeremiah 29 / 8 - 9)

He continued to talk about those whom he saw writing books and


attributing them to Allah (S.W.). He said, “Horrible and grievous
things are done in the land. The prophets prophesy
falsely, and the priests rule at their direction; my people
love to have it so". (Jeremiah 5: 30 - 31) Everyone was in this
misrepresentation, false prophets, the priests, and the Jewish
people.

Prophet Isaiah said, “Cursed are those who go deep to keep


their designs secret from the Lord, and whose works are
in the dark, and who say, who sees us? And who has
knowledge of our acts? Oh your perverseness!" (Isaiah 29:15
- 16), and In Ezekiel, "They have seen vanity and lying
divination, saying, The LORD saith: and the LORD hath
not sent them: and they have made others to hope that
they would confirm the word. Have ye not seen a vain
vision, and have ye not spoken a lying divination,
whereas ye say, The LORD saith it; albeit I have not
spoken?" (Ezekiel 6: 13 - 7)

Thus, the Torah shows two types of alterations; the alteration of the
scribes who claim revelation, and the alteration of the Children of
Israel who twisted the words of Allah (S.W.), which spoken by His
prophets.

What Moses peace be upon him had expected had happened. He


said, "Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the
ark of the covenant of the LORD your God… For, I know
that, after my death, you will do wickedly, and will
quickly turn aside form the way that I have commanded
you." (Deuteronomy 31: 24 - 29)

Confessions of the alterations occurrence


(127) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

Christian scholars admit the occurrence of the alterations and the


continuous increment in the Holy Bible. The Papal Biblical
Commission in 1948 said, "There is a gradual increment in the
Mosaic Laws caused by the following social and religious events”.

Kurt said, "The current Holy Bible does not contain the Torah and the
Gospel of God, and scholars has acknowledged the touches of
humanity in the preparation of this Holy Bible."

James Gesting said, "However, we expect to find some parts of the


original Torah and the Gospel through the pages of the Holy Bible,
which necessitates a serious study in order to make the content of
the Holy Bible understood".

I conclude with what the famous Jewish critic Espinosa said about
biblical alterations. He said, "Most commentators do not
acknowledge the occurrence of any alteration in the text, even in
other parts, and decided that God has kept the Torah from any loss
with unique care. Regarding the difference in readings, they believe
that it is a sign of deep secrets, and debating about the twenty-eight
stars that in the middle of one of the paragraphs. Even the forms of
the letters look as if they contain great secrets. I do not know if this is
due to dementia and a kind of insane elderly faith, or they said that
out of vanity and malice; to make us believe that they alone are the
custodians of the secrets of God. However, I only know that I did not
find anything at all that has any secret in their books, and I did not
find but childish acts". 1

The Old Testament Contradictions

1
- The Truth Revealed, Al Hindi, Vol. 1 pp 38 -39
True Guidance and Light series (2) (128)

Wise people agree that the internal consistency of a book is a basic


requirement in order to attribute that book to Allah (S.W.). We should
not consider the book that contains lies in some of its parts as a holy
book and sacred. Lying in one part raises doubts about the entire
book and its lying source.

“Do they not consider the Qur'an (with care)? Had it been from
other Than Allah, they would surely have found therein Much
discrepancy.” (Holy Quran, Surah 4. An-Nisa’ – 82)

The existence of contradictions in the Holy Bible has many


indications. The most important one is that it proves that these books
are originally human’s. The writers of these books had made
mistakes that the weak humans who have ignorance, make. If Allah
(S.W.) inspired these books, they would not have any contradiction in
the historical, scientist, and other information.

The occurrence of an error of a simple and easy to memorize issue


from one of writers of the books of the Torah indicates the possibility
of the occurrence of errors in theological issues, which need more
attention and scrutiny.

These contradictions, which I will quote below, most of which what


we reached through the study of parts that the scribes had re-written.
If the rest of the parts written again, it will have contradictions
affecting every page of this book, which some claim to be sacred.

The Biblical contradictions are many, some related to the belief and
some related to Allah’s (S.W.) attributes; the Torah describes Allah
(S.W.) with an attribute, and contradicts it with another.

The Torah mentions that Allah (S.W.) is "the everlasting God,


the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth
not, neither is weary." (Isaiah 40/28), and this is a fact without
any doubt. However, the Torah contradicts this statement elsewhere
by claiming that Allah (S.W.) needs to rest. The Torah claims –
falsely - that Allah (S.W.) rested after He created the heavens and
the earth. It says, “And on the seventh day God ended his
work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh
day from all his work which he had made". (Genesis 2: 2)
(129) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

Exodus says the same. “for in six days Jehovah made heaven
and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was
refreshed" (Exodus 31: 17)

The Torah tells us about Allah (S.W.) the great. It mentions that He is
not like human beings and their weaknesses; he does not regret nor
lie. It says, "God is not a man, that he should lie, nor is the
son of man, that he should be changed. Hath he said then,
and will he not do? hath he spoken, and will he not fulfill?"
(Numbers 23:19) Regret is the character of humans, who do not
know the consequences of things. "And also the Glory of Israel
will not lie or have regret, for he is not a man, that he
should have regret." (1Samuel 15: 29)

However, in the contrary, the Torah mentions that Allah (S.W.) did
regret about things that He made. "I regret that I have made
Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and
has not performed my commandments." (1Samuel 15:10)
Does Allah (S.W.) regret or not?

The Torah mentions that Allah (S.W.) cannot be seen, "Verily


thou art a God that hidest thyself, O God of Israel" (Isaiah
45:15), and man is incapable of seeing Him. Allah (S.W.) said to
Moses, “And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there
shall no man see me, and live". (Exodus 33: 20)

However, the biblical books mention that many people have seen
Allah (S.W.), among them were the elders of the Children of Israel.
"Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and
seventy of the elders of Israel: And they saw the God of
Israel." (Exodus 24: 9 - 10) Jacob also saw Allah (S.W.) when he
wrestled with Him. “And Jacob called the name of the place
Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is
preserved" (Genesis 32: 30)

There are people who would argue that those who saw Allah (S.W.)
saw him during the incarnation and not His real image in his glory.
They believe that the meaning is that we cannot see Allah (S.W.) in
His glory. This distinction has no proof and the verses that talk about
people who saw the image of Allah (S.W.) in His glory refute this
claim.
True Guidance and Light series (2) (130)

Isaiah saw Allah (S.W.) on his throne and the angels around Him,
and feared to die, because he saw Allah (S.W.), and the texts
threaten who sees Allah (S.W.) with death. It says, “In the year
that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a
throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.
Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings;
with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered
his feet, and with twain he did fly.

And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is
the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. And
the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried,
and the house was filled with smoke. Then said I, Woe is
me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips,
and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for
mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. Then
flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in
his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the
altar: And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this
hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away,
and thy sin purged." (Isaiah 6:1-7)

According to the Book of Kings, Prophet Micah also saw Allah (S.W.)
on His throne. It says, " And he said, Hear thou therefore the
word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne,
and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right
hand and on his left." (1Kings 22: 19)

Moses asked Allah (S.W.) to see Allah’s (S.W.) glory and the Book of
Exodus mentions that he saw Him but could not see his face. "And
he said, Show me, I pray thee, thy glory. And he said, I
will make all my goodness pass before thee, and will
proclaim the name of Jehovah before thee; and I will be
gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy
on whom I will show mercy. And he said, Thou canst not
see my face; for man shall not see me and live. And
Jehovah said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou
shalt stand upon the rock. and it shall come to pass, while
my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a cleft of the
rock, and will cover thee with my hand until I have passed
by. and I will take away my hand, and thou shalt see my
back; but my face shall not be seen" (Exodus 33:18-23) The
(131) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

story states that Allah’s (S.W.) face cannot be seen, but Moses saw
His real body.
The Torah describes Allah (S.W.) as with absolute power in some
verses, and as incapable in other verses. The Book of Job describes
Allah (S.W.) as, "I know that you can do all things, and that
no purpose of yours can be thwarted" (Job 42: 2).

This belief is true, but the Torah contradicts it in many verses; like
when Jacob wrestled with Him. (See Genesis 32: 24 - 32) According
to the Book of judges, The Lord was unable to expel the Canaanites
because they owned chariots of iron. "And Jehovah was with
Judah; and drove out the inhabitants of the hill-country;
for he could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley,
because they had chariots of iron." (Judges 1:19)

The Torah speaks of Allah’s (S.W.) mercy and for-bearing. It says,


"The Lord is gracious, and merciful; Slow to anger, and of
great loving kindness" (Psalm 145: 8), and then contradicts this
by mentioning what happened with the people of Beth Shemesh,
who saw the ark, and that He killed more than fifty thousand men of
them. "And he smote of the men of Beth-shemesh, because
they had looked into the ark of the Lord, he smote of the
people seventy men, and fifty thousand men; and the
people mourned, because the Lord had smitten the people
with a great slaughter." (1Samuel 6: 19) Does such act deserve
the death penalty, while Allah (S.W.) is merciful and slow to anger!

The Torah also describes Allah’s (S.W.) sight and His knowledge of
what His servants do. It says, “For the eyes of the Lord run to
and fro throughout the whole earth" (2Cronicles 16: 9), and
the Book of Proverbs confirms it. “The eyes of the Lord are in
every place, Keeping watch upon the evil and the good"
(Proverbs 15: 3) " For the Lord is a God of knowledge"
(1Samuel 2: 3).

However, the Book of Genesis contradicts these by making Him


ignorant of some of His servants’ deeds. When Adam hid himself in
the garden, God searched for him. "And God called unto the
man, and said unto him, where art thou? (Genesis 3: 9) Then,
He did not know that Adam had eaten from the tree, became
knowledgeable of good and evil, and that he had realized his nudity.
Then God said to him, "And he said, who told thee that thou
True Guidance and Light series (2) (132)

wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I


commanded thee that thou should not eat?" (Genesis 3: 11)

Similarly, when the people of Babylon started to build their city and
their tower, God wanted to know what they were doing. "And God
came down to see the city and the tower, which the
children of men builded. And God said, Behold, they are
one people, and they have all one language; and this is
what they begin to do: and now nothing will be withhold
from them, which they purpose to do." (Genesis 11: 5-6) It
seems as if He feared the unity of humans and its possible
consequences; thus, He said, "Come, let us go down, and there
confound their language, that they may not understand
one another's speech. So Jehovah scattered them abroad
from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off
building the city". (Genesis 11: 7 - 8)

- The Torah contradicts itself regarding the inheritance of sin and


guilt. The Book of Exodus mentions that God said, "but will send
punishment on children for the sins of their fathers, and
on their children's children to the third and fourth
generation" (Exodus 34: 7); therefore, the children are punished
for their parents’ sins. However, the Book of Ezekiel says, "The
soul that sinneth, it shall die: the son shall not bear the
iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the
iniquity of the son; the righteousness of the righteous
shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall
be upon him " (Ezekiel 18: 20).

- The Book of Ezekiel mentions that God blamed the Children of


Israel because they left their ordinance and followed the ordinance of
neighboring nations. Then He said, "and ye shall know that I
am the Lord: for ye have not walked in my statutes,
neither have ye executed mine ordinances, but have done
after the ordinances of the nations that are round about
you". (Ezekiel 11:12)

However, the book itself contradicts this when it states that they did
not follow the ordinance of Allah (S.W.) or the ordinance of the
nations around them. It says, "Therefore thus saith the Lord:
Because ye are turbulent more than the nations that are
round about you, and have not walked in my statutes,
neither have kept mine ordinances, neither have done
(133) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

after the ordinances of the nations that are round about


you". (Ezekiel 5: 7) Then, did they follow the ordinance of their
neighboring nations or did they not?
- A strange contradiction is between the last chapter of the First Book
of Samuel, and the first chapter of the Second Book of Samuel; both
talk about different end of King Saul. The First Book of Samuel says
that he had committed suicide by his sword. It says, "Then said
Saul to his armorbearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me
through therewith, lest these uncircumcised come and
thrust me through, and abuse me. But his armorbearer
would not; for he was sore afraid. Therefore Saul took his
sword, and fell upon it. And when his armorbearer saw
that Saul was dead, he likewise fell upon his sword, and
died with him". (1Samuel 31: 4-5)

However, when we turn to the next page, we find that Saul died by a
man of Amalekite and that David killed that man to revenge for the
death of Saul. "And the young man that told him said, As I
happened by chance upon mount Gilboa, behold, Saul was
leaning upon his spear; and, lo, the chariots and the
horsemen followed hard after him. And when he looked
behind him, he saw me, and called unto me. And I
answered, Here am I. And he said unto me, Who art thou?
And I answered him, I am an Amalekite. And he said unto
me, Stand, I pray thee, beside me, and slay me; for
anguish hath taken hold of me, because my life is yet
whole in me. So I stood beside him, and slew him, because
I was sure that he could not live after that he was fallen:
and I took the crown that was upon his head, and the
bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought them
hither unto my lord." (2Samuel 1: 6-10) Did Saul kill himself or
by an Amalekite man, and why are these two methods in the book?

Answering this question, the Jesuit Fathers said, "Another tradition of


the death of Saul ... which is a mixture of different elements."

Whatever the method of Saul’s death was, Allah (S.W.) killed him
because of his mistakes. One of those mistakes that he asked
counsel from a sorcerer and did not ask Allah (S.W.). "So Saul
died for his trespass which he committed against the Lord,
because of the word of the Lord, which he kept not; and
also for that he asked counsel from a woman who talked
True Guidance and Light series (2) (134)

to spirits of the dead and inquired not of the Lord:


therefore he slew him." (1Chronicles 10:13 - 14)

The Book of Samuel absolves Saul from this sin; for, Saul did ask
Allah (S.W.) before asking the sorcerer. "And when Saul
inquired of God, God answered him not, neither by
dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets. Then said Saul
unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar
spirit, that I may go to her." (1Samuel 28: 6 - 7) Did Saul ask
Allah (S.W.) or not before asking the sorcerer?

- The death of Saul is not as wondrous as the death of Goliath the


Palestinian; for, the Holy Bible made him die twice. First, in the days
of Saul at the hands of David, as in the First Book of Samuel, "And
as he talked with them, behold, there came up the
champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of
the ranks of the Philistines", and then the book goes on
showing how did David (PBUH) killed him. "Then David ran, and
stood over the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it
out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his
head therewith. And when the Philistines saw that their
champion was dead, they fled." (1Samuel 17: 23 - 51)

The Second Book of Samuel mentions that Elhanan the son of


Jaareoregim was the one who killed Goliath during the reign of
David. “And there was again war with the Philistines at
Gob; and Elhanan the son of Jaareoregim the Beth-
lehemite slew Goliath the Gittite." (2Samuel 21:19) Who killed
Goliath, David, or Elhanan?

The writer of Chronicles tried to solve this dilemma, and he said,


"And there was again war with the Philistines; and
Elhanan the son of Jair slew Lahmi the brother of Goliath
the Gittite". (1Chronicles 20: 5) David killed Goliath, and Elhanan
killed his brother. What the Second Book of Samuel mentions is an
inadvertent error. The reason for that - as priest Samuel Yusof
quoted from some scholars – is, "This confusion happened when re-
writing the book of Samuel. In Hebrew, there is similarity between
the word ( ‫את‬ֵ ) (Passive), and the Word ( ‫חי‬
ִ‫א‬
ֲ ) which means brother,
and thus, Elhanan killed the brother of Goliath the Palestinian whom
David killed.” 1
1
- Introduction to the Old Testament, Priest Dr. Samuel Yusof, pp 165
(135) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

Nevertheless, such simple solution would not satisfy the Holy Bible’s
scholars; therefore, they suggested different solutions, which make
the issue more complicated.

Encyclopedia Biblica says, "There are some assumptions to solve


this issue:

• There were two champions by the name of Goliath; David killed


one, and the other killed by Elhanan

• "Goliath" was a nickname for a group of the champions

• To claim that the word "brother" fell from the Book of Samuel

• To claim that the author of Chronicles added the word "brother" to


solve the problem

• Eawald and Kennedy argue that the story was originally about
Elhanan, and then attributed to David, and the one that David killed
was an anonymous champion

• Jerome and the Hebrew translation – according to ancient tradition


- mentioned that David and Elhanan were names for one person ". 1

Thus, solutions are different and conflicting, but - after all – they
agree in testifying that this contradiction is not the word of Allah
(S.W.).

It is important, before we leave the story of Goliath’s death, to point


out a historical mistake by the author of the Book of Samuel. He said,
"And David took the head of the Philistine, and brought it
to Jerusalem; but he put his armor in his tent". (1Samuel 17:
54) Jerusalem was not one of the Jews’ cities at the time of Goliath’s
death, and King Saul was then a resident of Gibeah. (See 1Samuel
14: 2) Then David had officiated Jerusalem in the eighth year of his
reign and had made it the capital of his kingdom. (See 2Samuel 5: 5
- 7) It is a clear mistake to mention that David went to Jerusalem, the
capital of the Jebusites at that time. Christian scholars has
acknowledged this mistake and said, "This verse is an addition, as
Jerusalem was not opened until later."
1
- Encyclopedia Biblica, Vol. 1 pp 366
True Guidance and Light series (2) (136)

- The contradiction regarding the killing of Saul, and Goliath is not as


wondrous as what the Book of Proverbs mentions. The Book of
Proverbs gives two contradictory advices in a single paragraph. In
the first, it advises not to answer a fool according to his folly. In the
second, it advises to answer a fool according to his folly, which
leaves the reader wondering which advice he/she should take.
"Answer not a fool according to his folly, Lest thou also be
like unto him. Answer a fool according to his folly, Lest he
be wise in his own conceit." (Proverbs 26: 4-5) How should
those, who embrace the guidance of the book, respond to the fool?

- The Book of Kings mentions that Allah (S.W.) promised David


saying, "but unto David, and unto his seed, and unto his
house, and unto his throne, shall there be peace forever”.
(1Kings 2: 33) However, the Book of Samuel contradicts this
completely. It says that Allah (S.W.) had told him, "Now therefore
the sword shall never depart from thy house, because thou
hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the
Hittite". (2Samuel 12:10) Did Allah (S.W.) promise him eternal
sword or eternal peace; sword and peace are opposites and cannot
be together.

- The Book of Genesis mentions in chapter six that the animals that
survived with Noah were in twos. "But I will establish my
covenant with thee. And thou shalt come into the ark,
thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with
thee. Of the birds after their kind, and of the cattle after
their kind, of every creeping thing of the ground after its
kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them
alive." (Genesis 6: 20-21)

Then, it contradicts this statement in the seventh chapter. "Of every


clean beast thou shalt take to thee seven and seven, the
male and his female; and of the beasts that are not clean
two, the male and his female: of the birds also of the
heavens, seven and seven, male and female, to keep seed
alive upon the face of all the earth. " (Genesis 7: 2-3)

The Old Testament has contradictions and inconsistencies even in


the description of specific things or historical events, and the inspired
writers did not realize their contradictions with earlier verses.
(137) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

- The Book of Chronicles gives a precise description of the brass


altar that made by Solomon, and that it was "three thousand
baths". (2Chronicles 4: 5)

The Book of Kings had cited an accurate description of the same


altar in conformity with the statement in the book of Chronicles.
However, the capacity of the altar vary by 33%. It states, “it held
two thousand baths". (1Kings 7: 26) Did the Holy Spirit forget
what it dictated, or what is the reason for this contradiction between
the numbers?

- The Book of Kings mentions that Solomon “had forty thousand


stalls of horses for his chariots and twelve thousand
horsemen". (1Kings 4: 26)

This figure is very large, especially with the small size of Jerusalem
at Solomon’s (PBUH) time; but anyway, it contradicts the Book of
Chronicles. “And Solomon had four thousand stalls for
horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen."
(2Chronicles 9: 25)

Stanley Sjoberg, the senior pastor of Sweden had tried to remove


this contradiction during his debate with the Muslim scholar Deedat.
In a funny desperate attempt he said, "This proves God's blessing; in
the beginning, Solomon had four thousand stalls, increased to forty
thousand stalls by the end of the year". 1

- The Book of Samuel talks about David’s gains from the king of
Zobah. It says, "David smote also Hadadezer the son of
Rehob, king of Zobah, as he went to recover his dominion
at the River. And David took from him a thousand and
seven hundred horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen:
and David hocked all the chariot horses, but reserved of
them for a hundred chariots". (2Samuel 8: 3-4) He had taken
1700 horsemen beside the footmen.

These figures do not agree with the figures mentioned in the Book of
Chronicles; it makes the captured horsemen 7000. "And David
smote Hadarezer king of Zobah unto Hamath, as he went
to establish his dominion by the river Euphrates. And
David took from him a thousand chariots, and seven
thousand horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen; and
1
- Two Debates in Stockholm, Ahmad Deedat, pp 60
True Guidance and Light series (2) (138)

David hocked all the chariot horses, but reserved of them


for a hundred chariots." (1Chronicles 18: 3-4)

- The Book of Samuel tells about the war between Aram and the
Israelis. It says, “David slew of the Syrians the men of seven
hundred chariots, and forty thousand horsemen".
(2Samuel 10:18)

Then, the writer of Chronicles said, “And the Syrians fled before
Israel; and David slew of the Syrians the men of seven
thousand chariots, and forty thousand footmen".
(1Chronicles 19/18)

The two books have clear contradiction in two points:

First, how many chariots did the Israelis’ army kill, 700, or 7000?
However, the book does not explain to us how to kill chariots;
perhaps it meant the people inside them.

Second, were the dead horsemen or footmen, and how the inspired
writer could not distinguish between them?

- The Book of Samuel mentions that God commanded David to count


the Israelis. It says, "And again the anger of God was kindled
against Israel, and he moved David against them, saying,
Go, number Israel and Judah", and David did. “And Joab
gave up the sum of the numbering of the people unto the
king: and there were in Israel eight hundred thousand
valiant men that drew the sword; and the men of Judah
were five hundred thousand men.

Then, David felt regret for counting the Children of Israel, and said to
the Lord, “Great has been my sin in doing this; but now, O
Lord, be pleased to take away the sin of your servant". This
is a strange remorse, as he followed the order of Allah (S.W.), and
did just as He ordered.

Then Allah (S.W.) instructed Prophet Gad to tell David about Allah’s
(S.W.) punishment to him. Allah (S.W.) gave him choices; “Shall
seven years of famine come to thee in thy land? or wilt
thou flee three months before thine adversaries while they
pursue thee? or shall there be three days' pestilence in thy
(139) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

land? Now be aware and consider what word I shall bring


again to him that sent me". (2Samuel 24: 1 - 13)

The Book of Chronicles differs from the Book of Samuel in telling the
same story. It says, "Then Satan stood against Israel and
incited David to number Israel .... And Joab gave the sum
of the numbering of the people to David. In all Israel there
were 1,100,000 men (one million one hundred thousand) who
drew the sword, and in Judah 470,000 who drew the
sword But God was displeased with this thing, and he
struck Israel.

And David said to God, "I have sinned greatly in that I


have done this thing. But now, please take away the
iniquity of your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.
And the LORD spoke to Gad, David's seer, saying, "Go and
say to David, 'Thus says the LORD, Three things I offer
you; choose one of them, that I may do it to you. either
three years of famine, or three months of devastation by
your foes while the sword of your enemies overtakes you,
or else three days of the sword of the LORD, pestilence on
the land, with the angel of the LORD destroying
throughout all the territory of Israel.' Now decide what
answer I shall return to him who sent me." (1Chronicles 21:
1 - 12)

The two paragraphs have few contradictions:

1) Who ordered the counting of the children of Israel, the Lord, or


Satan? "The Devil and the Lord are not synonymous in any religion",
as Deedat mentioned. 1

2) The number of the children of Israel in the Book of Samuel is


800000, and the number of the men of Judah is 500000. In the Book
of Chronicles, the number of the children of Israel is 1.100000, and
the number of the men of Judah is 470000. Which one is correct; and
who made this contradiction, was it the Holy Spirit, or the inspired
writers?

3) Was the penalty for David three or seven years of famine?


- The Book of Deuteronomy speaks about the place of the death and
burial of Allah’s (S.W.) prophet, Aaron. It says, "The people of
1
- Two Debates in Stockholm, Ahmad Deedat, pp 29
True Guidance and Light series (2) (140)

Israel journeyed from Beeroth Bene-jaakan to Moserah.


There Aaron died, and there he was buried". (Deuteronomy
10: 6) In another verse, the same book claims that Aaron died in
another place. It says, "Aaron your brother died in Mount
Hor". (Deuteronomy 32: 50)

Trying to combine the two places and remove the contradiction


between the two verses, Encyclopedia Biblica says about Moserah,
"It also called Moser, and Aaron died and was buried there ... It must
be close to Mount Hor; for, Aaron died in Mount Hor". 1

The truth is that Mount Hor is far from Moser (Moserah). The
Children of Israel passed by Moserah on their way to Edom, they left
it, and they passed by other six places before they got to Mount Hor.
The book of Numbers says, "And they went on from
Hashmonah, and put up their tents in Moseroth. And they
went on from Moseroth, and put up their tents in Bene-
jaakan. And they went on from Bene-jaakan, and put up
their tents in Hor-haggidgad. And they went on from Hor-
haggidgad, and put up their tents in Jotbathah.

And they went on from Jotbathah, and put up their tents


in Abronah. And they went on from Abronah, and put up
their tents in Ezion-geber. And they went on from Ezion-
geber, and put up their tents in the waste land of Zin
which is Kadesh. And they went on from Kadesh, and put
up their tents in Mount Hor, on the edge of the land of
Edom. And Aaron the priest went up into the mountain at
the order of the Lord, and came to his death there".
(Numbers 33: 31-38) Therefore, Mount Hor is far from Moser by six
places (Cities or villages), so, were did Aaron die and was buried?

- The Books of Ezra and Nehemiah, mention a long list of the


numbers of returnees from the Babylon Captivity. (See Ezra 2: 1-64,
and Nehemiah 7: 6-66) They agree in many of the figures and differ
in many of them. Below are some of these figures, I have put them in
a table to make it easy to view them.

Tribe’s name Ezra Nehemiah Tribe’s name Ezra Nehemiah


Parosh 2172 2172 Bezai 323 324
Shephatiah 372 372 Hashum 223 328
Arah 775 652 Jericho 345 345
1
- Encyclopedia Biblica, Vol. 4 pp 161
(141) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

Pahath-moab 2812 2818 Bethlehem 123 (‫)معًا‬


188
Elam 1254 1254 Netophah 56
Zattu 945 845 Anathoth 128 128
Zaccai 760 760 Azmaveth 42 42
Bani 642 648 Harim 320 320
Bebai 623 628 Ater 98 98
Azgad 1222 2322 Bethel and Ai 223 123
Adonikam 666 667 Micmash 122 122
Bigvai 2056 2067 The other Nebo 52 52
Adin 454 655 Senaah 3630 3930
Ramah and 621 621 Elam 1254 1254
Geba
Jorah 112 112 Gibbar 95 95
The temple 392 392 Lod, Hadid and 725 721
servants and the Ono
descendants of
the servants of
Solomon
Delaiah and 652 642 the descendants 74 74
Tobiah of Jeshua and
Kadmiel
Jedaiah 973 973 :The singers 128 148
the
descendants of
Asaph
Immer 1052 1052 Magbish 156 Not mentioned
Pashhur 1247 1247 Harim 1017 1017
The gatekeepers 139 138 Kiriath Jearim, 743 743
:of the temple Kephirah and
the Beeroth
descendants of
Shallum,
,Ater, Talmon
Akkub,
Hatita and
Shobai
total according 42360 42360 total correct 29818 31089
Bible the

Total according to the Bible = 42360 (Both Ezra and Nehemiah)


The correct total = (29818 – Ezra) and (31089 – Nehemiah)

These figures between the two books – as you noticed - vary


remarkably. Therefore, one of the inspired writers or both were
definitely wrong. The person, who errs in such simple matters,
cannot be held reliable in theological and other important matters.
Surprisingly, despite their differences in the numbers of some tribes,
the two books agree that the total number of the returnees is
(42360). The Book of Ezra says, "The number of all the people
together was forty-two thousand, three hundred and
True Guidance and Light series (2) (142)

sixty." (Ezra 2: 64), and the Book of Nehemiah says, "The


number of all the people together was forty-two thousand,
three hundred and sixty." (Nehemiah 7: 66)

Both of them are wrong without doubt, as the returnees according to


Ezra (29818) and according to Nehemiah (31089). Who made the
mistake of calculating the numbers of returnees from captivity, the
scribes, or the Holy Spirit, whom Christians claim that it inspired
these writers, or those who made the words of humans holy and
claimed that Allah (S.W.) inspired their mistakes?

Contradictory Biblical news

- In the Book of Kings, we read, "Ahaziah was twenty-two


years old when he became king" (2Kings 8: 26), and the Book
of Chronicles contradicts it. “Forty and two years old was
Ahaziah when he began to reign." (2Chronicles 22: 2)

No doubt, that what the Book of Chronicles mentions is wrong. King


Jehoram, the father of Ahaziah had died at the age of forty years,
and his son Ahaziah succeeded him, thus, his son Ahaziah’s age
could not be forty-two years.

Therefore, some Bible editions has changed the verse in Chronicles


and made it ‘twenty-two years’ instead of forty-two. In the Bible in
Basic English, the Contemporary English Version, and the
International Standard Version, for example, the verse is now,
“Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king,
and he was ruling in Jerusalem for one year”. (2Chronicles
22: 2) Unfortunately, Christian scholars did not correct this verse in
hundreds of translations that millions of Christians read.

Dr. Manis Abdel Nour, despite his defense of the Bible,


acknowledged this mistake in Chronicles. He put the blame on the
transcriber and the similarity of the letter, which indicates number (2),
and the letter, which indicates number (4). However, he denied the
importance of this mistake, because, “This mistake of a scribe does
not change a Jewish or a Christian doctrine"! 1

I wonder: If the error occurred from only one of the copyist of the
thousands of manuscripts, of which Christians are proud, why they
1
- False Suspicions about the Holy Bible, Priest Manis Abdenoor, pp 166
(143) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

left the correct ones and took the wrong one, and when are they
going to correct this error.

I think that none of them would dare to say that the mistake is in all
the copies, because it will be the fault of the original author of the
book or the fault of the Holy Spirit that inspired him.

Moreover, did the scribes make mistakes in other paragraphs that do


affect the faith? How can we be certain that they are infallible in
matters of faith and creed, when they were fallible in the historical
issues that constitute most parts of the Holy Bible?

- Similarly is the contradiction about the age of Jehoiachin, the king


of Israel. The Second Book of Kings says, "Jehoiachin was
eighteen years old when he began to reign; and he reigned
in Jerusalem three months" (2Kings 24: 8)

The Book of Chronicles contradicts it. It says, "Jehoiachin was


eight years old when he began to reign; and he reigned
three months and ten days in Jerusalem". (2Cronicles 36: 9)

Thus, the editors of the Holy Bible’s Dictionary said, “Most likely that
the story in the Second Book of Kings is the correct one." 1

- The Book of Chronicles speaks of King Saul and makes him a


descendant of Kish, the son of Ner. It says, "And Ner begat Kish;
and Kish begat Saul " (1Chronicles 8: 33), and this is contrary to
the book of Samuel, which tells us that Ner and Kish were brothers.
"Abner the son of Ner, Saul's uncle, and Kish was the
father of Saul; and Ner the father of Abner was the son of
Abiel " (1Samuel 14: 50-51) (See also 1Samuel 9: 1)

- The Old Testament’s writers also contradicted each other regarding


Jether, the father of Amasa. He was an Ishmaelite according to the
Book of Chronicles, "the father of Amasa was Jether the
Ishmaelite" (1Chronicles 2: 17), and an Israeli according to the
author of Samuel. "Now Amasa was the son of a man, whose
name was Ithra the Israelite." (2Samuel 17: 25)

Which one is correct? It is impossible that Jether was a descendant


of Israel (Jacob the son of Isaac the son of Abraham) and at the
same time a descendant from his uncle, Ishmael the son of
1
- The Holy Bible’s Dictionary, pp 1099
True Guidance and Light series (2) (144)

Abraham. The world had not heard about a man who belongs to two
brothers, except this Jether and another one that I will talk about in
my other book about the New Testament.

- The First Book of Kings mentions the gifts that sent by King Hiram
to Solomon, and that they were 420 talents of gold. It says, "And
Hiram sent in the navy his servants, shipmen that had
knowledge of the sea, with the servants of Solomon. And
they came to Ophir, where they got four hundred and
twenty talents of gold, and took it back to King Solomon"
(1Kings 9: 28)

However, the Second Book of Chronicles makes them 450 talents of


gold. It says, "And Huram sent him by the hands of his
servants ships, and servants that had knowledge of the
sea; and they came with the servants of Solomon to Ophir,
and fetched from thence four hundred and fifty talents of
gold, and brought them to king Solomon". (2Cronicles 8:18)
The difference is 30 talents of gold; did the Holy Spirit made this
mistake or was it the writers, who were subject to mistakes and
forgetting?

The writers, who made mistakes in such simple matters, would do


mistakes related to theological and other issues. That who is lack of
inspiration and infallibility may be wrong in all his words.

- The Book of Samuel says, “And Absalom was the father of


three sons and of one daughter named Tamar, who was
very beautiful” (2Samuel 14: 27), but the Book of Kings mentions
another daughter beside Tamar. "Maacah, the daughter of
Absalom" (1Kings 15: 2) Why the Book of Samuel claims that
Tamer was the only daughter?

- Chronicles mentions that Rehoboam loved Maacah, the daughter of


Absalom, and had bore him Abijah. It says, “And Rehoboam
appointed Abijah the son of Maacah to be chief”
(2Chronicles 11: 22), Thus, Maacah the daughter of Absalom was
the mother of Abijah. However, the book itself says, “In the
eighteenth year of king Jeroboam began Abijah to reign
over Judah. Three years reigned he in Jerusalem: and his
mother's name was Micaiah the daughter of Uriel of
Gibeah". (2Chronicles 13: 1-2) The name of his mother has
(145) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

changed from Maacah the daughter of Absalom to Micaiah the


daughter of Uriel; both cannot be his mothers!

Then, we see the wonder of the Book of Kings; when it talks about
Asa the son of Abijam (Abijah), who reigned after his father, Abijam.
(See 1Kings 15: 8) It says about Asa, "And in the twentieth
year of Jeroboam king of Israel began Asa to reign over
Judah. And forty and one years reigned he in Jerusalem:
and his mother's name was Maacah the daughter of
Abishalom" (1Kings 15: 8 -10)

According to the Book of Kings, Maacah was the wife of Abijam and
the mother of his son, Asa. While we have seen in the Book of
Chronicles that she was the mother of Abijam, not his wife. "Abijah
the son of Maacah." (2Chronicles 11: 22) Was she the wife of
Abijah and the mother of his sons as in the Book of Kings, or was
she his mother as in Chronicles; she cannot be both.

- The Book of Samuel mentions that, "Michal the daughter of


Saul had no child unto the day of her death". (2Samuel 6: 23)
However, the book itself states that she had five children. It says,
"And the five sons of Michal the daughter of Saul, whom
she bare to Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite".
(2Samuel 21: 8)

The truth is that there is no contradiction here, but an error by the


writer of the Book of Samuel, who did not distinguish between Michal
and her sister Merab, who married Adriel Meholathite. The book of
Samuel says, "And it came to pass at the time when Merab
Saul's daughter should have been given to David, that she
was given to Adriel the Meholathite as wife " (1Samuel 18:
17), and then the book continues in telling the story of her sister’s
(Michal) marriage to David.

The editors of the Holy Bible’s Dictionary admitted this error and
referred it to an error of some ancient manuscripts.1

In order to correct this big mistake, the Bible in Basic English, the
English Standard Version, the Good News Bible, and Darby Bible
replaced Michal with Merab. However, this mistake still exists in the
majority of the world’s translations to show that this book is not the
word of Allah (S.W.).
1
- The Holy Bible’s Dictionary, pp 939
True Guidance and Light series (2) (146)

- Among the Torah’s contradictions is the number of Solomon’s


officers, who bare rule over the people. The Book of Kings claims
that they were 550 officers, while Chronicles mentions that they were
only 250 officers. The Book of Kings says, “These were the chief
officers that were over Solomon's work, five hundred and
fifty, who bare rule over the people that wrought in the
work … But Pharaoh's daughter". (1Kings 9: 23)

"Now these were the chief men in authority whom King


Solomon had: two hundred and fifty of them, in authority
over the people." (2Cronicles 8:10)

- The Holy Books mention about the chief police of Nebuchadnezzar,


who went to Jerusalem, and captured some of its nobles. However,
they are contradictory in this regard in three places.

First, the number of the captured, who were close to the King; the
Book of Jeremiah says, "And out of the city he took an officer
that was set over the men of war; and seven men of them
that saw the king's face, that were found in the city".
(Jeremiah 52: 25) This, however, is contradictory to the Book of
Kings, which makes the captured five only. It says, "And out of the
city he took an officer that was set over the men of war;
and five men of them that saw the king's face, who were
found in the city". (2Kings 25:19)

Secondly, the height of the crown that the chief police of Babylon
wore; the Book of Jeremiah mentions that it was five cubits, while the
Book of Kings says it was three. "And a capital of brass was
upon it; and the height of the one capital was five cubits."
(Jeremiah 52: 22) The Book of Kings says, “And a capital of
brass was upon it; and the height of the capital was three
cubits". (2Kings 25: 17)

Thirdly, the day on which the chief police came to Jerusalem; the
Book of Kings mentions that the coming was, “in the fifth month,
on the seventh day of the month, which was the nineteenth
year of king Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came
Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, a servant of the
king of Babylon, unto Jerusalem”. (2Kings 25: 8) The book of
Jeremiah states that he came on the tenth day, not the seventh.
"Now in the fifth month, in the tenth day of the month,
(147) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

which was the nineteenth year of king Nebuchadrezzar,


king of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan the captain of the
guard, who stood before the king of Babylon, into
Jerusalem." (Jeremiah 52:12) Which book is the word of Allah
(S.W.)?

- When David wanted to build an altar to the Lord, he bought the


place of the altar from Araunah, who offered to donate the place of
the altar, but David refused and insisted on paying the price; how
much was the price?

The Book of Samuel mentions that it was fifty shekels of silver.


"And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will verily
buy it of thee at a price. Neither will I offer burnt-offerings
unto my God which cost me nothing. So David bought the
threshing-floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver And
David built there an altar unto God, and offered burnt-
offerings and peace-offerings." (2Samuel 24: 24-25) This price
is much lower than that mentioned in Chronicles, which makes the
price six hundred shekels of gold. "David gave to Ornan for the
place six hundred shekels of gold by weight. And David
built there an altar unto Jehovah, and offered burnt-
offerings and peace-offerings." (1Chronicles 21: 25-26)

- The unknown author of the Book of Kings told us about the


Samaritan King Jehu, and that he reigned in Samaria for twenty-eight
years. "And the time that Jehu reigned over Israel in
Samaria was twenty and eight years." (2Kings 10: 36)

If I ask you in which of the years of king Jehoash did Jehu die, you
will not find big trouble in saying that it was in the twenty-first year of
the rule of Jehoash; because "In the seventh year of Jehu
began Jehoash to reign; and he reigned forty years in
Jerusalem". (2Kings 12: 1) Jehu had fulfilled his twenty-eight years
and died twenty-one years after Jehoash became a king of Judah. In
simplicity, about which no wise men would disagree, 28 - 7 = 21;
thus, Jehu died in the twenty-first year of king Jehoash.

The following chapter of the Book of Kings contradicts this result. It


reports that the death of Jehu and the reign of his son, Jehoahaz,
were in the twenty-third year of the reign of King Jehoash, not the
twenty-first. "In the three and twentieth year of Joash the
son of Ahaziah, king of Judah, Jehoahaz the son of Jehu
True Guidance and Light series (2) (148)

began to reign over Israel in Samaria." (2Kings 13: 1) Were


the death of King Jehu and the reign of his son in the twenty-first
year of the rule of Jehoash or in the twenty-third year?

- It is amazing when the contradiction occurs in a single page,


leaving the reader surprised and perplexed of what he is reading.
The Book of Kings tells us about the duration of the reign of the
Samaritan King Jehoahaz son of Jehu, and that he reigned
seventeen years, began in the twenty-third year of the rule of King
Jehoash. "In the three and twentieth year of Joash the son
of Ahaziah, king of Judah, Jehoahaz the son of Jehu began
to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned seventeen
years." (2Kings 13: 1) If I ask you, in which of the years of king
Jehoash did Jehoahaz die, you will answer that it was the fortieth
year of the rule of Jehoash.

No matter how different our cultures and our mathematics knowledge


are, we will not find it difficult to get to the answer quickly; because,
23 + 17 = 40.

However, the anonymous author of the Book of Kings did not reach
this simple result. In the same page, he said, "In the thirty and
seventh year of Joash king of Judah began Jehoash the
son of Jehoahaz to reign over Israel in Samaria". (2Kings
13: 10) Was the death of Jehoahaz in the fortieth year of the rule of
Jehoash – as you reached - or in the thirty-seventh year of it? I am
keeping many thanks and appreciation for the genius who would tell
me which verse is the truth that Allah (S.W.), the Omniscient, had
revealed?

- The occurrence of a contradiction in one page, is not wondrous


than its occurrence in one paragraph. The Book of Chronicles tells us
about Sheshan, the son of Ishi. It says, "The son of Sheshan:
Ahlai" (1Chronicles 2: 31); two lines after that the author said,
"Sheshan had no sons, only daughters". (1Chronicles 2: 34)

In order not to make you wonder for long time, I convey to you what
the Jesuit Fathers say about a contradiction in only two lines. They
said, "This is a tradition that is different from the tradition in verse
31". That means it is from another source, and another writer; for, it
is impossible that one author would make such a mistake.
(149) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

Nevertheless, let me acknowledge that the authors of Encyclopedia


Biblica had succeeded in removing this contradiction when they said
that Ahlai was "The name of the son of Sheshan, or rather the name
of his daughter, based on what in verse 34; Sheshan had no sons". 1

Yes, they have succeeded this time, because Ahlai was the daughter
of Sheshan, and not his son. The inspired writer made a mistake
when he said "The son of Sheshan: Ahlai ", and he should have
said, "The daughter of Sheshan: Ahlai".

- The reader of the Holy Bible will be so surprise of the series of


contradictions that the writer of the Second Book of Kings had made.
He had contradicted himself time after time, when he wrote about
King Jehoram, the son of Ahab the king of Israel. He had succeeded
his brother Ahaziah during the reign of King Jehoram the son of
Jehoshaphat, King of the Kingdom of Judah, specifically in the
second year of the reign of King Jehoram. The author of the Book of
Kings said, "Jehoram (the son of Ahab) became king in his
place in the second year of Jehoram the son of
Jehoshaphat, king of Judah. (2Kings 1: 17)

However, the book’s author – who was inspired according to the


Christian belief - soon changed his mind. He claimed that the rule of
Jehoram was in the eighteenth year of King Jehoshaphat the father,
not in the reign of his son as he had claimed. He said, "In the
eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, Jehoram
the son of Ahab became king over Israel in Samaria".
(2Kings 3: 1)
The difference between the two dates is nine years, which are the
remaining seven years of the rule of the father Jehoshaphat, (See
1Kings 22: 42), in addition to the first two years of the rule of his son.

Despite the difference that I have mentioned above, he became a


king after the two had ruled Jerusalem. This is what the anonymous
writer of the Book of Kings contradicted. He claimed that Jehoram
son of Ahab reigned Samaria before the King Jehoram the son of
Jehoshaphat became a king of Jerusalem. He said, "In the fifth
year of Joram the son of Ahab, king of Israel, when
Jehoshaphat was king of Judah, Jehoram the son of
Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, began to reign". (2Kings 8:16)

1
- Encyclopedia Biblica, Vol. 1 pp 88
True Guidance and Light series (2) (150)

A strange contradiction of one author that I put between the hands of


those who still claim that this book is part of Allah’s (S.W.) revelation!

- The wonders of the Second Book of Kings regarding the two kings
named (Jehoram) do not end. King Jehoram of Judah - as we saw in
the previous verses - ruled for eight years began in the fifth year of
the Samaritan King Jehoram the son of Ahab, which means he died
in the thirteenth year of the reign of the Samaritan king.

This is a simple calculation; however, the author of Kings belied


twice. First, when he claimed that the death of King of Judah and the
ruling of his son were after twelve years of the reign of the Samaritan
king. He said, "In the twelfth year of Joram the son of Ahab,
king of Israel, Ahaziah the son of Jehoram, king of Judah,
began to reign" (2Kings 8: 25)

However, he belied himself and claimed that Jehoram of Judah died


in the eleventh year of King Jehoram the Samaritan. He said, "In
the eleventh year of Joram the son of Ahab, Ahaziah
began to reign over Judah". (2Kings 9: 29) Is there anyone who
dares to say that the author of Kings wrote this book by inspiration by
Allah (S.W.) after he had contradicted himself in all these verses?

The differences and errors in the age of the kings have brought
historians to closed doors. Thus, priest Samuel Yusof said, “It is hard
to count the periods of the kings’ rulings, and to discuss them
specifically. Rehoboam the king of Judah and Jeroboam the king of
Israel began to reign at the same time and Ahaziah the king of Judah
and Jehoram the king of Israel lived at the same time.
The total number of the years of the kingdom of Judah until that time
is 95 years, and for the kingdom of Israel is 98 years... Samaria, the
capital of the northern kingdom of Israel, fell in the sixth year of
Hezekiah the king of Judah, and the total number of the years of the
Kingdom of Israel until that period is 143 years, and for the Kingdom
of Judah is 165 years."

This large difference disturbed the priest; hence, he put forward cold
excuses blaming the Holy Spirit; for, it had not a fixed base in
inspiring the inspired writers. He said, "In some writings they did not
count, for example, the year of setting on the throne, and counted
(151) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

the following year, while in other writings, they counted from the year
of setting on the throne". 1

Allah (S.W.) is right when he says, “Do they not consider the
Qur'an (with care)? Had it been from other Than Allah, they
would surely have found therein much discrepancy.” (Holy
Quran, Surah 4. An-Nisa’ – 82)

The mistakes of the Old Testament

When talking about a holy book, it is natural to recognize the


infallibility of this book, and that Allah (S.W.) revealed its contents.
The presence of an error in it means that Allah (S.W.) is wrong, the
Holy Spirit is wrong, or that the prophet is wrong.

Nations and by reasoning agree on rejecting these possibilities, as


the status of error is human and cannot come from the Allah’s (S.W.)
trustees of the angels or the messengers.

However, when we read the books of the Holy Bible, we find many

1
- Introduction to the Old Testament, Priest Dr. Samuel Yusof, pp 180 - 181
True Guidance and Light series (2) (152)

Biblical mistakes; each of them is a testimony that Allah (S.W.) did


not reveal this book.

- The Book of Genesis tells about the betrayal of Joseph's brothers to


him. It says that Midianites merchants lifted him out of the pit, and
sold him to some people of the Ishmaelites by twenty pieces of silver;
and that these Ishmaelite brought him with them to Egypt. "Then
there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew
and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the
Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought
Joseph into Egypt." (Genesis 37:28)

In Egypt, Joseph was sold to Potiphar, and it supposed that he was


sold to Potiphar by the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt after they
had bought him for twenty pieces of silver. However, the author of
the book had made a mistake. He said, "And the Midianites sold
him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh's, and
captain of the guard". (Genesis 37: 36) It supposed that the
Ishmaelites were the ones who sold him to Potiphar, and this is the
truth; for, the Book of Genesis says, " And Joseph was brought
down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh,
captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the
hands of the Ishmaelites, which had brought him down
there". (Genesis 39: 1)

Who is responsible for this error? Is he Allah (S.W.), the unknown


writer of the book, the copyists of the thousands of manuscripts, who
were not honest in their writings, or those who considered these
historical writings - including their defects and mistakes - the word of
Allah (S.W.)?
Whatever the answer is, the Holy Bible is not free from mistakes and
errors, which prevent it to be Allah’s (S.W.) word.

- The Book of Chronicles claims that the Samaritan King Baasha was
alive in the thirty-sixth year of the reign of King Asa, and that he built
Ramah. It says, " In the six and thirtieth year of the reign of
Asa, Baasha king of Israel came up against Judah, and
built Ramah" (2Chronicles16: 1), which is wrong - no doubt -
because the King Baasha died nine years before this date.

Proving that is easy. King Baasha reigned in the third year of the
rule of Asa, and remained as a king for twenty-four years; that means
that he died in the twenty-seventh year of the reign of King Asa. The
(153) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

Book of Kings says, “In the third year of Asa king of Judah
began Baasha the son of Ahijah to reign over all Israel in
Tirzah, twenty and four years" (1Kings15: 33)

To confirm that, there were three kings who succeeded him during
those nine years and the kings were his son, Elah, then Zimri, and
then Omri. The Book of Kings defines – exactly - the ruling years of
those three kings. It says, "So Baasha slept with his fathers,
and was buried in Tirzah: and Elah his son reigned in his
stead… In the twenty and sixth year of Asa king of Judah
began Elah the son of Baasha to reign over Israel in
Tirzah… And Zimri went in and smote him, and killed him,
in the twenty and seventh year of Asa king of Judah, and
reigned in his stead… In the thirty and first year of Asa
king of Judah began Omri to reign over Israel, twelve
years". (1Kings16: 6-23) How could Baasha build Ramah, in the
thirty-sixth year of the rule of Asa, while he died nine years earlier!

- Among the writers mistakes in the same context of the story of


building Ramah, is that when King Baasha, the king of northern
kingdom of Israel, proceeded to build Ramah, angered King Asa, the
king of South Judah. Then King Asa asked Ben-hadad, the king of
Aram, for help by fighting his brothers in the Northern Kingdom of
Israel. Then, King Ben-hadad came with his armies, striking the
water springs and the food stores in the Kingdom of Israel, which
forced King Baasha to stop building. (See 2Chronicles 16: 1-6)

Hanani the seer did not like King Asa’s act. Then he said to him,
"At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa, king of Judah,
and said to him, because you have put your faith in the
king of Aram and not in the Lord your God, the army of
the king of Aram has got away out of your hands".
(2Chronicles 16: 7)

His saying, ‘the army of the king of Aram has got away out
of your hands’ is without doubt a mistake, because the army that
survived was the army of Israel, not the army of Aram, who allied
with the army of Judah. The Good News Bible’s editors had noticed
this error and corrected it. It says, "The army of the king of
Israel has escaped from you".

Despite my disagreement of this human intervention with what they


True Guidance and Light series (2) (154)

call the word of Allah (S.W.), this correction is better than to insist on
the error, and I wish all the new versions would do the same.

- Another mistake is in the Book of Samuel regarding the age of King


Saul, when he ruled Israel. It says, "Saul was a child of one
year when he began to reign, and he reigned two years
over Israel". (1Samuel 13:1 - Douay-Rheims Bible) This is
unreasonable at all. In addition, it is contrary to all of the information
about the great King Saul in the Torah, the way he was chosen, and
his refusal to let his daughter Michal to marry David. All that proves
the existence of the error in this verse, and to avoid mentioning this
mistake, some modern translations deliberately leave the place of
the age empty. In Darby Bible and the English Standard Version, for
example, the verse reads, "Saul was...years old when he
became king; and he reigned two years over Israel."

In his book "Facilitating the difficulties of the Holy Bible", and in a


further attempt to justify this mistake, Samaan Alhasroni, the Bishop
of Damascus, said, "That statement does not mean that Saul was
one year of age. It means that when he became a king was
righteous and did not know fraud just like a one-year-old child.
When he ruled for two years, the fraud entered his heart, and
became great as a knowledgeable old man. It says, "He was a king
for two years only, I mean that he did not adhere to righteousness
except for two years only; and then he committed fraud, sin, and
God’s displeasing". 1

The weakness of this justification is obvious to the reader. It is one of


the acrobatic statements that made by those who are tired of
tinkering the dilemmas that they found in their book.
- The writers sometimes made mathematics mistakes that young
school students would not do. One of these mistakes is the error that
occurred in the Book of Numbers, when the writer calculated the
number of the Levite males who were over one month. He said,
"And Moses numbered them according to the word of the
LORD… [There numbers were as follows:] these are the families
of the Gershonites. Those that were numbered of them,
according to the number of all the males, from a month
old and upward, even those that were numbered of them
were seven thousand and five hundred [7500]… These are
the families of the Kohathites. In the number of all the
males, from a month old and upward, were eight
1
- The Holy Bible in the Scale, Abdussalam Mohammad, pp 124 - 125
(155) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

thousand and six hundred, [8600] keeping the charge of the


sanctuary… These are the families of Merari, And those
that were numbered of them, according to the number of
all the males, from a month old and upward, were six
thousand and two hundred [6200]." (Numbers 3:15-34)

You do not need a calculator to realize that the total number is


(22300). In simple mathematics, 7500 + 8600 + 6200 = 22300.
Surprisingly, the inspired writer made a mistake. He said, "All that
were numbered of the Levites, which Moses and Aaron
numbered at the commandment of the LORD, throughout
their families, all the males from a month old and upward,
were twenty and two thousand. [22000]" (Numbers 3: 39)

- Another mistake is in the Book of Chronicles. "For the LORD


brought Judah low because of Ahaz king of Israel"
(2Chronicles 28:19) The verse claims that Ahaz was the king of
northern kingdom of Israel. The truth is that King Ahaz was the king
of the southern kingdom of Judah, and because of him, Allah (S.W.)
humiliated his kingdom. According to the editors of Holy Bible’s
Dictionary, he was the eleventh king of the kings of the southern
kingdom of Judah.

- There is also an error stated in the Book of Judges. "And there


was a young man out of Bethlehemjudah of the family of
Judah, who was a Levite." (Judges 17: 7) That boy cannot be a
descendant of Judah, and a descendant of Levi at the same time;
both were the sons of Jacob, thus, no doubt, he was a descendant of
one of them.

Hubei Kent and the commentator Harsli had acknowledged this


mistake, and stated that the sentence "who was a Levite" is an
addition, and Hubei removed it from the text. 1

- The author of Exodus had made a mistake when he claimed that all
the livestock of the Egyptians had died, and then, after few lines, said
that the cattle suffered boils and blisters. It says, " And the LORD
did that thing on the morrow, and all the cattle of Egypt
died: but of the cattle of the children of Israel died not
one". (Exodus 9: 6)

"And the LORD said unto Moses and unto Aaron, Take to
1
- The Truth Revealed, Al Hindi, Vol.2 pp 487 - 488
True Guidance and Light series (2) (156)

you handfuls of ashes of the furnace, and let Moses


sprinkle it toward the heaven in the sight of Pharaoh. And
it shall become small dust in all the land of Egypt, and
shall be a boil breaking forth with blains upon man, and
upon beast, throughout all the land of Egypt. And they
took ashes of the furnace, and stood before Pharaoh; and
Moses sprinkled it toward the heavens; and it became
boils with blisters breaking out on man and on cattle."
(Exodus 9: 8-10) How could their cattle hit while they all died?

The biblical text goes again to talk about the cattle of the Egyptians
and Moses’ threat to Pharaoh of destroying it; while supposedly, all
the cattle were dead! He said to Pharaoh, "Behold, to morrow
about this time I will cause it to rain a very grievous hail,
such as hath not been in Egypt since the foundation
thereof even until now. Send therefore now, and gather
thy cattle, and all that thou hast in the field; for upon
every man and beast which shall be found in the field, and
shall not be brought home, the hail shall come down upon
them, and they shall die. He that feared the word of the
LORD among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants
and his cattle flee into the houses". (Exodus 9: 18-20)

- When mentioning the relationship between King Jehoiachin and


King Zedekiah, whom king Nebuchadnezzar appointed after the
isolation of Jehoiachin, the Old Testament writers also made a
mistake. The Book of Chronicles mentions that Jehoiachin and
Zedekiah were brothers. It says, "And when the year was
expired, king Nebuchadnezzar sent, and brought him to
Babylon, with the goodly vessels of the house of the LORD,
and made Zedekiah his brother king over Judah and
Jerusalem." (2 Chronicles 36:10)

The truth is that Zedekiah was Jehoiachin’ uncle, as the age of


Jehoiachin, the eldest son of his father’s, when he became a king
was about eight years, and he had reigned for three months and ten
days only. (See 2Chronicles 36: 9) Zedekiah, at that time was then
twenty-one years old, (See 2Chronicles 36: 9 - 11) if he was the
brother of Jehoiachin, his age should be less than eight years
because Jehoiachin was the eldest son.

The editors of the Holy Bible’s Dictionary admitted this error, and to
justify it, they said, "He was called a brother of Jehoiachin means his
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in-law or that they were from one origin." In his book, "The mistakes",
Ward the Catholic also acknowledged this mistake.

- Another Mistake is what the Book of Genesis mentions of Esau’s


mother, and that she knew what her son kept in his heart. It says,
"And Esau said in his heart, the days of mourning for my
father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob. And
the words of Esau, her elder son, were told to Rebekah."
(Genesis 27: 41-42), it supposed that Esau said in his heart, so
how did she know it?

- The Torah mentions the trip of Hagar and her son Ishmael,
however, the writer also made a mistake. The Torah mentions that
the trip was after the birth and the weaning of Isaac. Then it mentions
that Hagar carried her son Ishmael on her shoulder, as if he was a
small child. He was not less than sixteen years old, as evidenced by
the age of Abraham at the birth of his sons. (See Genesis 16:16 and
21: 5)

The writer had made a mistake and had forgotten that he was writing
about a young man, a teenager, and not a small child. The writer
said, "And the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham
made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned…
And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took
bread, and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar,
putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her
away: and she departed… And the water was spent in the
bottle, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs. And
she went, and sat her down over against him a good way
off, as it were a bowshot: for she said, Let me not see the
death of the child… and the angel of God called to Hagar
out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar?
fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he
is. Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand... and
she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad
drink." (Genesis 21: 7-19)

- Genesis speaks about Sarah’s, Abraham's wife, beauty and that the
Pharaoh of Egypt liked her even though she was sixty-five years old.
This is unusual; women’s beauty will wilt before this age, and a
woman who is sixty-five years old does not fit to impress kings and
move their desires. Then, when she became more than ninety, she
moved the desirability of Abimelech the king of Gerar.
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To illustrate this issue, I say that Sarah was ten years younger than
her husband Abraham was. Genesis says that Abraham said,
"Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said
in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an
hundred years old? And shall Sarah, that is ninety years
old, bear?" (Genesis 17:17), thus, there were ten years between
them.

Abraham left Haran when Sarah was sixty-five years old. "Abram
was seventy and five years old when he departed out of
Haran. And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his
brother's son, and all their substance that they had
gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran.
and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan."
(Genesis 12: 4-5)

Then he went to Egypt, where Pharaoh was impressed and liked


Sarah, even though she had exceeded sixty-five years of age.
"And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into
Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife. Behold now, I
know that thou art a fair woman to look upon. Therefore
it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee,
that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me,
but they will save thee alive…And it came to pass, that,
when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld
the woman that she was very fair. The princes also of
Pharaoh saw her, and commended her before Pharaoh:
and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house." (Genesis
12: 11-15)
Then Genesis mentions that Abraham reached ninety-nine years old
and that he was circumcised at that age; (See Genesis 17: 24-25)
that means that Sarah was ninety. The book, then, continues in
telling about the journey of Abraham and his old wife to the South, to
be admired and liked - this time - by Abimelech the king of Gerar.
"And Abraham journeyed from thence toward the south
country, and dwelled between Kadesh and Shur, and
sojourned in Gerar. And Abraham said of Sarah his wife,
she is my sister: and Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and
took Sarah." (Genesis 20: 1-3) Is it possible that kings would fall in
love with a woman who is almost ninety? It is one of the mistakes of
the Holy Bible, and one of the proofs that it is man-made.
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- Among the Mistakes in the Holy Bible are those promises that the
Torah promised, and then had not been fulfilled, which indicate that
they are mistakes; if they were true, the promise should be fulfilled.

- The Torah mentions that Allah (S.W.) said to Abraham, "And thou
shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a
good old age. But in the fourth generation they shall come
hither (Palestine) again". (Genesis 15: 15-16)

In fact, the historical reality belies this; the third and fourth
generations of Abraham, the tribes and their children, were those
who entered Egypt, not those who left it. Those who left Egypt were
the sixth generation of Abraham.

Among these false promises is the claim of the writer of Chronicles.


He said that Allah (S.W.) promised Israel by saying to Nathan the
prophet, "Also I will ordain a place for my people Israel,
and will plant them, and they shall dwell in their place,
and shall be moved no more; neither shall the children of
wickedness waste them any more, as at the beginning".
(1Chronicles 17: 9)

This promise was not fulfilled; the Israelis were humiliated by


Nebuchadnezzar, and driven away from their homes, and what
Nathan was promised did not happen. "And when thy days be
fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up
thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels,
and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build an house
for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom
for ever." (2Samuel 7:12 - 13)
The Torah mentions that Allah (S.W.) promised Nebuchadnezzar -
the pagan - a promise, which was not fulfilled; thus, it is - no doubt -
one of the mistakes.

It claims that Allah (S.W.) promised him to become the king of the
city of Tyrus, but that did not happen. Then Allah (S.W.) promised
him the land of Egypt, and that did not happen. This indicates,
however, that these promises were not from Allah (S.W.), because
Allah (S.W.) is able to fulfill His promises.

The Book of Ezekiel says, "For thus saith the Lord GOD;
Behold, I will bring upon Tyrus Nebuchadrezzar king of
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Babylon, a king of kings, from the north, with horses, and


with chariots, and with horsemen, and companies, and
much people. He shall slay with the sword thy daughters
in the field: and he shall make a fort against thee, and cast
a mount against thee, and lift up the buckler against thee.

And he shall set engines of war against thy walls, and


with his axes he shall break down thy towers. By reason of
the abundance of his horses their dust shall cover thee:
thy walls shall shake at the noise of the horsemen, and of
the wheels, and of the chariots, when he shall enter into
thy gates, as men enter into a city wherein is made a
breach.

With the hoofs of his horses shall he tread down all thy
streets: he shall slay thy people by the sword, and thy
strong garrisons shall go down to the ground. And they
shall make a spoil of thy riches, and make a prey of thy
merchandise: and they shall break down thy walls, and
destroy thy pleasant houses: and they shall lay thy stones
and thy timber and thy dust in the midst of the water…
thou shalt be built no more: for I the LORD have spoken it,
saith the Lord GOD." (Ezekiel 26: 7-14)

However, this promise was not fulfilled as noted above; for, it was
difficult for the king of Babylon to enter Tyrus, and he did not enter it;
thus, he was promised the land of Egypt instead. The book says,
"The word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man,
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon caused his army to serve
a great service against Tyrus. every head was made bald,
and every shoulder was peeled: yet had he no wages, nor
his army, for Tyrus, for the service that he had served
against it: Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I
will give the land of Egypt unto Nebuchadrezzar king of
Babylon; and he shall take her multitude, and take her
spoil, and take her prey; and it shall be the wages for his
army. I have given him the land of Egypt for his labour
wherewith he served against it, because they wrought for
me, saith the Lord GOD." (Ezekiel 29: 17-20)

That promise has not been fulfilled also, since Nebuchadnezzar


never ruled the land of Egypt, even though his armies reached the
borders of Egypt in 605 BCE. His forces defeated the Egyptians at
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the Battle, but Egypt had been under the sixteenth family of the
Pharaohs.

Other promises, which occupy four chapters of the Book of Ezekiel,


were not fulfilled as well. "Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD;
Behold, I will bring a sword upon thee, and cut off man
and beast out of thee. And the land of Egypt shall be
desolate and waste…I will make the land of Egypt utterly
waste and desolate, from the tower of Syene even unto the
border of Ethiopia. No foot of man shall pass through it,
nor foot of beast shall pass through it, neither shall it be
inhabited forty years.

And I will make the land of Egypt desolate in the midst of


the countries that are desolate, and her cities among the
cities that are laid waste shall be desolate forty years: and
I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and will
disperse them through the countries.

Yet thus saith the Lord GOD; At the end of forty years will
I gather the Egyptians from the people whither they were
scattered: And I will bring again the captivity of Egypt,
and will cause them to return into the land of Pathros,
into the land of their habitation; and they shall be there a
base kingdom. It shall be the basest of the kingdoms;
neither shall it exalt itself any more above the nations: for
I will diminish them, that they shall no more rule over the
nations." (Ezekiel 29: 8-15)

It goes on and says, "Thus saith the LORD; They also that
uphold Egypt shall fall; and the pride of her power shall
come down: from the tower of Syene shall they fall in it by
the sword, saith the Lord GOD. And they shall be desolate
in the midst of the countries that are desolate, and her
cities shall be in the midst of the cities that are wasted.
And they shall know that I am the LORD…Thus saith the
Lord GOD; I will also make the multitude of Egypt to cease
by the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon.” (Ezekiel
30: 6 - 10)

"For thus saith the Lord GOD; The sword of the king of
Babylon shall come upon thee. By the swords of the
mighty will I cause thy multitude to fall, the terrible of the
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nations, all of them: and they shall spoil the pomp of


Egypt, and all the multitude thereof shall be destroyed. I
will destroy also all the beasts thereof from beside the
great waters; neither shall the foot of man trouble them
any more, nor the hoofs of beasts trouble them.

Then will I make their waters deep, and cause their rivers
to run like oil, saith the Lord GOD. When I shall make the
land of Egypt desolate, and the country shall be destitute
of that whereof it was full, when I shall smite all them that
dwell therein, then shall they know that I am the LORD."
(Ezekiel 32: 11 - 15) None of these promises was fulfilled, and that
indicates that they were the writers’ mistakes and a proof of the
invalidity of the book and the lies of the writers.

- The Book of Jeremiah tells about David’s descendants. It says, "As


the host of heaven cannot be numbered, neither the sand
of the sea measured: so will I multiply the seed of David
my servant, and the Levites that minister unto me."
(Jeremiah 33: 22), but the reality proves the contrary. The number of
the Jews is the smallest among the people of the earth; the entire
Jewish population does not exceed sixteen million, and the majority
of them are not from Israeli’s origins.

This also leads us to talk about the huge numbers of the Children of
Israel, during Moses’ time and beyond, that the Torah provides. The
Torah mentions that the origin of the Israelis was Jacob and his
sons, and they were seventy people when they migrated to Egypt.
(See Exodus 1: 3) The Torah, then, states that they "were fruitful,
and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed
exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them."
(Exodus 1: 7)
The Torah also mentions that after two hundred years – of suffering
and persecution - they left Egypt. When they stepped in Sinai, the
Torah states that Moses ordered to number Israel. "So were all
those that were numbered of the children of Israel, by the
house of their fathers, from twenty years old and upward,
all that were able to go forth to war in Israel. Even all they
that were numbered were six hundred thousand and three
thousand and five hundred and fifty. (603550) But the
Levites after the tribe of their fathers were not numbered
among them." (Numbers 1: 45- 47) If the men, who were able to
go forth to war from eleven tribes, had reached six hundred
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thousand, then, it is understood from this that the Children of Israel


were over a million.

What questions this biblical large figure is that Moses (PBUH), who
was one among those who left Egypt, was of the second generation
of the people who came Egypt. He was Moses, the son of Amram,
the son of Kohath, the son of Levi. (See Exodus 6:16 - 20) His
grandfather Kohath was of those who entered Egypt as the Torah
mentions. (See Genesis 46:11)

It is impossible that their number would multiply to that large number


– over a million - during two or three generations. The first generation
of the sons of Levi, for example, were only three people (See
Genesis 46:11) when they entered Egypt, how, then, they became
twenty-two thousand males after three generations only? (See
Numbers 3: 39)

The mind cannot comprehend this increment in any way. If each of


the three sons of Levi had ten sons, each of them had ten sons, then
each of these ten had another ten sons, and no one among all of
them died, the number of the sons of Levi and his grandchildren
would not exceed four thousand males. This figure is so far from the
biblical figure (22000).

Another proof that shows that these numbers are incorrect is that the
children of Israel had their wives helped during birth by two midwives
only, Shiphrah and Puah; (See Exodus 1:15) such huge figures are
not performed by two midwives only.

Then the Torah talks about the wars of the Israelis, and mentions
incredible figures of the armies and the dead. The Book of
Chronicles says, "And Abijah and his people slew them with
a great slaughter: so there fell down slain of Israel five
hundred thousand chosen men" (2Chronicles 13:17), and this
was in one part of the Israelis.

If seventy people had multiplied - just in two centuries – to a million,


then after three thousand years they should number thousands of
millions, and even many times more than the earth's population.
However, the reality – as I mentioned earlier - proves the contrary.
The entire Jewish population in the entire earth does not exceed
sixteen million, and the majority of them are not from Israeli’s origins.
True Guidance and Light series (2) (164)

Moreover, the Torah mentions another census, a census that took


place in the land of Moab after thirty-eight years of Moses’ first one.
The result of the second census was not more than the first one, but
was less by two thousand people (601730). (See Numbers 26: 51) If
the children of Israel were growing at that terrible rate, their number
would be multiplied tens of times in the second census.

If we ask about the real number of those who departed from Egypt,
Encyclopedia Britannica reveals that the number did not exceed
fifteen thousand. Allah (S.W.) is right as he says, “These (Israelites)
are but a small band”. (Holy Quran, Surah 26. Ash-Shu'ara'– 54)

Another biblical mistake is regarding to the duration that the Children


of Israel stayed in Egypt. The Torah states that Allah (S.W.) said to
Abraham, "Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a
stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them;
and they shall afflict them four hundred years". (Genesis
15: 13) It clearly states that the duration of their humiliation in the
land of Egypt was four hundred years, a figure that the Book of
Exodus confirms. It says, "Now the sojourning of the children
of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty
years". (Exodus 12: 40)

Undoubtedly, that what the Torah mentions is wrong, because they


did not stay in Egypt more than two hundred and fifteen years.
Christian scholars admitted this error and strived to correct it. Priest
Manis Abdenoor claimed that the period mentioned in the Torah
starts from the beginning of Abraham’s preaching in Iraq.
Adam Clark said the same in his interpretation, as well as the
collectors of Henry Waskat’s interpretation. 1

What they have done was a correction to the text according to


historical information. However, it was a manipulation of the text,
which states that, “afflict them four hundred years”, and, “the
sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt,
was four hundred and thirty years (Exodus 12: 40); the two
verses do not indicate or mention any period prior to there entry into
Egypt.

1
- False Suspicions about the Holy Bible, Priest Manis Abdenoor, pp 65, The Seekers’ Guide to the
Precious Holy Bible, Samaan Kahloon, pp 346; he mentioned that Jacob and his children entered Egypt in
1706 BCE, and they had crossed the Caspian Sea and Pharaoh’s died in 1491 BCE.
(165) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

The wonder is not only the previous mistakes, but also those
mistakes, which there is no author, no matter how weak is his writing
skills, would make. One of those is that Joshua listed the Palestinian
cities that every tribe of the tribes of the children of Israel would take.
He said about the tribe of Judah’s share, "And the uttermost
cities of the tribe of the children of Judah toward the coast
of Edom southward were Kabzeel, and Eder. and Jagur,
And Kinah, and Dimonah, and Adadah, And Kedesh, and
Hazor, and Ithnan, Ziph, and Telem, and Bealoth, And
Hazor, Hadattah, and Kerioth, and Hezron, which is
Hazor, Amam, and Shema, and Moladah, And
Hazargaddah, and Heshmon, and Bethpalet, And
Hazarshual, and Beersheba, and Bizjothjah, Baalah, and
Iim, and Azem, And Eltolad, and Chesil, and Hormah, And
Ziklag, and Madmannah, and Sansannah, And Lebaoth,
and Shilhim, and Ain, and Rimmon: all the cities are
twenty and nine, with their villages". (Joshua 15: 21-32) He
stated thirty-seven cities, and claimed that their number is twenty-
nine; the difference is eight cities.

In order to reduce the difference, Darby Bible, the English Standard


Version, and the American Standard Version combined some of the
names. (Hazor, and Hadattah = Hazor-hadattah, Kerioth,
and Hezron = Kerioth-hezron) etc.

In the next paragraph, the writer mentioned fifteen cities, and then
made a mistake when he said, "fourteen cities with their
villages". (Joshua 15: 36) Commentators have suggested deleting
the last name, so the verse reads, "and Gederah and its
suburbs" instead of saying, "and Gederah, and Gederothaim"
(Joshua 15: 36).2

I will end these mistakes with a surprising one, signed by the author
of the Book of Samuel. In order for you to enjoy the story, I will tell it
from the beginning. The author tells us that King Saul hurt by an evil
spirit from the Lord, and then he said to his servants, "Provide me
now a man that can play well, and bring him to me. Then
answered one of the young men, and said, Behold, I have
seen a son of Jesse the Beth-lehemite, that is skilful in
playing, and a mighty man of valor, and a man of war,
and prudent in speech, and a comely person; and the Lord
is with him.
2
- The Holy Bible’s dictionary, pp 254
True Guidance and Light series (2) (166)

Wherefore Saul sent messengers unto Jesse, and said,


Send me David thy son, who is with the sheep… And David
came to Saul, and stood before him: and he loved him
greatly; and he became his armor bearer. And Saul sent to
Jesse, saying, Let David, I pray thee, stand before me; for
he hath found favor in my sight.

And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was
upon Saul, that David took the harp, and played with his
hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil
spirit departed from him". (1Samuel 16: 17-23) There is no
doubt that you are aware of the trust and attention given to David by
King Saul.

In the following chapter, the author told us that when the fighting
between the Jews and the Palestinians began, David stood to fight
Goliath, and before the fight, David met King Saul and they had a
long dialogue. (See 1Samuel 17: 32-37) Then Saul clothed David
with his (Saul) clothes and gave him his sword, and then David went
out to fight him. (See 1Samuel 17: 38-40)

Here, the writer explodes an unexpected surprise, he said, "And


when Saul saw David go forth against the Philistine, he
said unto Abner, the captain of the host, Abner, whose son
is this youth? And Abner said, As thy soul liveth, O king, I
cannot tell. And the king said, Inquire thou whose son the
stripling is. And as David returned from the slaughter of
the Philistine, Abner took him, and brought him before
Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand. And Saul
said to him, Whose son art thou, thou young man? And
David answered, I am the son of thy servant Jesse the
Beth-lehemite". (1Samuel 17: 55-58)

The author of this final scene did not know that the king and his court
knew David and that he had a meeting with the King in preparation
for that fight. One does not imagine the absence of the army
commander from that great event.

This dilemma has puzzled the Holy Bible’s commentators. I will let
you enjoy reading the cold acrobatic interpretations offered by the
interpreters of the Applied Interpretation of the Holy Bible.
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They said, "Even though David played the harp many times before
Saul, his question to Abner indicates that Saul did not know David
well. There are a few suggestions for this puzzling statement, 1 -
Saul wanted to know more about the family of David, because David
would marry the daughter of Saul if he succeeded (17/25). 2 - Saul's
troubled mental health prevented him from recognizing David. 3 -
David was still working in Saul’s palace, and Saul may not have
cared to recognize him or know much about him". 1

Other scholars explain Saul’s strange question by saying, "They


used to bring David to Saul while Saul was epileptic and did not
know about anything around him, it is normal that he did not
recognize David".

The Jesuits Fathers were more honest, they have recognized the
contradiction, and said, "It is why; therefore, the old Greek translation
neglected the verses (17: 55 -18: 5), and neglected (17: 12-13)".2

Mistakes in the Torah proved by the discoveries of


modern science

The Torah has many verses, which contradict modern scientific facts.
These contradictions indicate that the Torah is not the word of Allah
(S.W.) who is far from errors and ignorance of science facts that man
discovered later. Allah (S.W.), the Omniscient, would not tell in his
book except the truth. He has a complete perfect knowledge of every
thing in the universe.

- The Torah mentions the story of the creation in Genesis, where it


talks about the creation of the universe in six earthly days consisting
of mornings and evenings.

According to the biblical order, on the first day, He created the earth,
the light, the darkness, and the water. On the second day, He
created the sky when He put a firmament between water and water,
1
- the Applied Interpretation of the Holy Bible, Few Theologians, pp 603
2
- Interpretation of The Book of Samuel, The Virgin’s Church, Fajjalah, Egypt, pp 67
True Guidance and Light series (2) (168)

and on the third day, the water gathered under the firmament, the
land appeared and the herbs and grass grew.

On the fourth day, He created the sun, the moon, and the stars that
above the firmament (the sky), and on the fifth day, He created the
marine animals and the birds. On the sixth day, He created Adam
and the wild animals, and finished the creation on that day. (See
Genesis 1: 1 - 31)

Scientists note that the order and the directing of the story of the
beginning of the universe are rejected by modern science that Allah
(S.W.) gave to humanity. If these books were from Allah (S.W.), they
would not contain these continuous errors.

Genesis talks about six earthly days consisting of days and nights
(And there was evening and there was morning), and the
seventh day was the Sabbath, on which the Creator rested (God
Almighty is far above that). It is well known scientifically that the
creation of the universal happened during periods of millions of
years. Allah (S.W.) is right when He mentions in the Holy Quran the
difference between His days and human days. “Verily, a Day in the
sight of thy Lord is like a thousand years of your reckoning.”
(Holy Quran, Surah 22, Al-Hajj – 47)

Scientists say that the Earth’s surface took millions of years to cool
down and became suitable for living. Genesis says that the water
appeared on earth on its first day, then the appearance of the plants
on its third, and the animals on the fourth and the fifth days.

The biblical order of the appearance of the creations contradicts the


findings of geologic history. The presence of water on the face of the
earth on the first day contradicts the scientific theory that the earth
and the universe were gas at the beginning of creation. In addition,
the plants cannot appear before the existence of the sun, and the
marine animals and birds were not before wild animals.

Scientifically, saying that the creation of the earth was before the
creation of the sun and the stars (on the fourth day) is wrong.
Moreover, the appearance of the night and the day for three days,
without the sun is surprising!

In addition, saying that the appearance of plants was three days


before man is wrong. Scientific discoveries tell us that the presence
(169) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

of vegetations was millions of years before the presence of man. The


majority of the objections about this story of creation are in father
Devoux’s criticism of Genesis. 1

- Among the scientific observations on the Torah, is that it speaks at


length about the age of the founding fathers from Adam to Abraham.
It makes the birth of Abraham in the twentieth century from the
beginning of human existence on earth, specifically in the year1948
of the creation of the universe and the appearance of man on earth.

There is no historical accurate information about the period between


Abraham and Jesus, but historians estimated it to be eighteen
centuries, depending on the biblical sources. Therefore, the
appearance of Christ was thirty-eight centuries after the creation of
Adam.

According to the Hebrew date, the year (2000) is equal to the year
5761 of the creation of the universe; therefore, the biblical
information makes human life on earth no more than six thousand
years.

This contradicts the scientific data, which consider the biblical


accounts as nonsense, dramatically. Science has proved the
existence of civilizations five thousand years before the birth of
Jesus.

Archaeologists believe that there was a bloody war between the


north and the south of Egypt in 4042 BCE, and won by the people of
the Egyptian Delta. However, their victory was not decisive, as the
Egyptian civilization recorded history started with the first family,
which ruled Egypt between 3400 to 3200 BCE, and there is much
that that had not been recorded.

Archaeologists also found human-made things that belong to more


than five thousand years BCE, and the mission of Cairo University
found traces of humans in the Fayoum region belong to tens of
thousands of earlier years.

Encyclopedia Britannica states that the human traces in Palestine

1
- The Torah, the Gospel, and the Quran and Science, Maurice Bocaille , pp 44 – 51, A study on the Torah
and the Gospel, Kamel Saafan, pp179, Readings in the Holy Bible, Abderrahim Mohamad, Vol.2, pp 182 -
183
True Guidance and Light series (2) (170)

belong to two hundred thousand years. Donald Jean said in 1979,


"The human presence on earth was four million years ago". 1

Allah (S.W.) is right when He affirms in the Holy Quran that humanity
started long centuries ago. “(Pharaoh) said: "What then is the
condition of previous generations?" He replied: "The knowledge
of that is with my Lord, duly recorded: my Lord never errs, nor
forgets.” (Holy Quran, Surah 20, Ta Ha – 51 - 52) “As also 'Ad and
Thamud, and the Companions of the Rass, and many a
generation between them.” (Holy Quran, Surah 25, Al Furqan – 38)
“Has not the story reached you, (O people!), of those who
(went) before you of the people of Noah, and 'Ad, and Thamud?
- And of those who (came) after them? None knows them but
Allah.” (Holy Quran, Surah 14, Ibrahim – 38)

- In addition, there are many things the Torah mentions that are
contrary to the scientifically well established facts. It mentions that
the rabbit is one of the ruminant animals! It says, "Nevertheless
these ye shall not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them
that have the hoof cloven: the camel, and the hare, and the
coney; because they chew the cud but part not the hoof,
they are unclean unto you" (Deuteronomy 14: 7)

- It also mentions that the serpent was punished by eating or licking


the soil, (See Genesis 3:14), as in the Book of Micah. “They shall
lick the dust like a serpent; like crawling things of the
earth" (Micah 7: 17) All types of snakes that scientifically classified
eat insects and reptiles and others, they never eat or lick soil.

- Leviticus speaks of legendary birds that have four legs - some leap,
and some walk -, which do not exist except in legendary fiction. It
says, "All winged creeping things that go upon all fours
are an abomination unto you. Yet these may ye eat of all
winged creeping things that go upon all fours, which have
legs above their feet, wherewith to leap upon the earth.
Even these of them ye may eat... But all winged creeping
things, which have four feet, are an abomination unto
you." (Leviticus 11: 20-23) No archaeological reports or other
information states that something like this was on the face of earth
one day.

1
- The Torah, the Gospel, and the Quran and Science, Maurice Bocaille , pp 20, A study on the Torah and
the Gospel, Kamel Saafan, pp179
(171) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

- Among the scientific errors also is what the Book of Genesis


mentions (30: 37-43). It claims that Jacob’s sheep produced, and the
color of the production was different from the color of the parents. He
prepared some rods of fresh poplar and almond and pealed white
streaks on them. Seeing these peeled rods, the sheep craved, and
brought forth ring streaked, speckled, and spotted sheep. If this was
true, the sheep’s production in spring would be green, but this
nonsense is contrary to what scientists know about genes and
genetic codes.

- The Book of Genesis mentions the strangest birth story, namely the
story of Tamar, the adulterous, delivering the twins from Judas, her
father-in-law and the father of her husbands. "And it came to pass
in the time of her travail, that, behold, twins were in her
womb. And it came to pass, when she travailed, that one
put out a hand: and the midwife took and bound upon his
hand a scarlet thread, saying, This came out first.

And it came to pass, as he drew back his hand, that,


behold, his brother came out: and she said, Wherefore
hast thou made a breach for thyself? Therefore his name
was called Perez. And afterward came out his brother,
that had the scarlet thread upon his hand: and his name
was called Zerah" (Genesis 38: 27-30) The first-born put his hand
out of his mother's womb, which is unusual during the birth process.
However, the baby wanted to affirm his right of being the first-born
child, and the midwife understood him, and bound upon his hand a
scarlet thread.

Then a stranger thing, which medical theories cannot explain,


happened. The first-born gave a space so his twin brother so he
could come out into the world, and then he (whom his hand had a
scarlet thread) followed him. This story cannot be accepted
scientifically, and append it to the stories of the elderly better than
append it to Allah’s (S.W.) word and revelation.

- The Book of Job gives a strange vision of the creation of the fetus.
It is poured in a template as pouring milk, then clots in the middle of
this template, as the clotting milk transformed into cheese. This has
nothing to do whatsoever with what scientists know about the stages
of the creation of the fetus.
True Guidance and Light series (2) (172)

Addressing Allah (S.W.), the Book of Job says, “Remember, I


beseech thee, that thou hast fashioned me as clay; And
wilt thou bring me into dust again? Hast thou not poured
me out as milk, And curdled me like cheese? Thou hast
clothed me with skin and flesh, And knit me together with
bones and sinews.” (Job 10: 9 -11)

- The Torah claims that the earth has pillars, has corners, and it is
flat, approving the scientific mainstream during the time of the
writing. It says, "The sun also arises, and the sun goes down,
and haste to its place where it arises." (Ecclesiastes 1: 5) The
writer did not know neither that the earth is spherical, nor that it spins
on its axis to create the sunrise and sunset.

The author of that verse was not Allah (S.W.) the Omniscient, who
says, “He created the heavens and the earth in true
(proportions): He makes the Night overlap the Day, and the Day
overlap the Night: He has subjected the sun and the moon (to
His law)” (Holy Quran, Surah 39, Az-Zumar – 5)

Describing Allah (S.W.), the Torah says that He is "That shaketh


the earth out of its place, And the pillars thereof tremble".
(Job 9: 6) The holy books’ writers confirmed this misconception.
They claimed that Allah (S.W.) said to Job, "Where were you
when I put the earth on its base? Say, if you have
knowledge. By whom were its measures fixed? Say, if you
have wisdom; or by whom was the line stretched out over
it? On what were its pillars based, or who laid its corner-
stone" (Job 38: 4-6), and the Book of Samuel says. "For the
pillars of the earth are Lord's, and he hath set the world
upon them." (1Samuel 2: 8).

The New Testament confirms this naive and wrong perception of the
earth; it is flat, with pillars, and with four corners, in some verses,
which I will mention them in their place of this series.

Ecclesiastes speaks about the water cycle on earth and why the sea
would not be full, although much water is poured into it from rivers. It
mentions that the seawater goes back again to the springs of the
rivers, so the sea would not be full. It says, "All the rivers run
into the sea, yet the sea doth not overflow: unto the place
(173) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

from whence the rivers come, they return, to flow again ".
(Ecclesiastes 1: 7)

Finally, the Torah ratifies that humans have the ability of bringing the
souls of the dead, and tells that this actually happened. The sorcerer
was able to bring Prophet Samuel’s spirit to King Saul, and explained
the talk between them. (See1Samuel 28: 3-20) This is close to
witchcraft and myth more than anything else.

These errors and others testify that this book is not the word of Allah
(S.W.), if it is from Allah (S.W.) it would not contain these errors,
which today's young students know, let alone the scientists. The
word Allah (S.W.) does not err, nor teach people lies or error.

The Christians stance of the mistakes of the Bible

We wonder after all this: What is the Church’s stance of the Biblical
errors?

The Church has remained stubborn about acknowledging the


mistakes of the Holy Bible for long centuries. St. Jerome said, "It is
impossible that God knows what is incompatible with the truth".

Then it was necessary to acknowledge these mistakes and others


and search for ways to solve them. The beginning of admitting
defeat was by justifying that the Bible’s mistakes belong to the
copying and the scribes; for, revelation does not make mistakes.

The Vatican Council (1869 - 1870 CE) announced that the


Scriptures, Old and New Testaments, "Written by the inspiration of
the Holy Spirit, the author is God, and thus given to the church".

In this regard, and in an article entitled, "The truth about the Holy
Bible", ‘Look magazine’ in 1952 stated that in 1720 CE a panel of
True Guidance and Light series (2) (174)

British experts estimated that the number of errors in the Bible is at


least twenty thousand errors.

Recent studies raised the number to fifty thousand as stated in


"Wake" magazine that issued by Jehovah Witnesses in its issue of
September 1957. It says, "There are approximately fifty thousand
mistakes crept into the text of the Holy Bible".

Summarizing the view of the church, Dr. Sabri Johara said, "God
allows a person (the author of one of the holy books) to put his
feelings, experiences and sensitivities, and inclinations in the text, as
long as they do not change the meanings of the moral and the
religious teachings that God intended. Therefore, the church
acknowledges the book’s inaccuracy of the astronomical,
geographical, historical, and geological information. The intention of
the book is to teach religion and morality, and to help reaching the
path of righteousness and happiness." 1

Priest Dr. Al Khodary confirms this meaning. He said, "The Holy


Bible is the book of God. It is not a scientific book or a scientific
encyclopedia that written by a group of specialists in various
subjects, whom their objectives were avoiding the historical and the
geographical errors... The book is a letter or a message before being
a scientific book. Its objective is not to explain the scientific rules
correctly, but to deliver the message to man." 2

The Vatican Council 1962 - 1965 CE discussed the difficult problems


of the Holy Bible, and issued a document, for which 2344 people of
those who were present voted and only six of them rejected it.

The document says in chapter IV, "The Old Testament allows


everyone to know who is God, and who is man, as well as knowing
God’s acts in His mercy and justice with man. However, even though
that these books contain impurities and some of the invalidity, there
is a testimony of God’s teachings in them. " 3

This result agrees or is close to the result of the critical studies of the

1
- Introduction to the Torah and the Old Testament Studies, Mohammad Albaar, pp 16
2
- The History of the Christian Ideology, Priest Dr. Hanna Jerjes Al Khodary, Vol. 1 pp 169 -170
3
- The Holy Bible in the Scale, AbdesSalam Mohammad, pp 140, The Torah, the Gospel, and the Quran
and Science, Maurice Bocaille, pp 43,59,64, Differences in the Holy Bible’s Translations, Ahmad Abdel
Wahab, pp 91 - 92
(175) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

history of the Bible, which is, "The Jewish Bible, is not substantially
different from the sacred texts of other religions; thus, it is human." 1

Conclusion

Thus, was my writing about the Torah and the Old Testament’s
books, and you got the answer to an important question answered by
successive researches in this regard, which I have mentioned; that
question is what I put forward in the introduction to this book: Is the
Old Testament God's Word?

Yes, you knew how the Torah of Moses, in which Muslims believe,
was lost; and that the evidence proved that Moses and the prophets
did not write the books attributed to them.

We knew who the writers of these books were, and who made them
holy. Moreover, we got knowledge of the oldest manuscripts, which
date back nearly fifteen centuries after Moses.

Then we looked into the texts of these books and analyzed their
verses that talk about Allah (S.W.) and His Messengers. We have
seen proofs that it is inappropriate to attribute these books to Allah
(S.W.), and that became more obvious after we reviewed the biblical
morals and ethics. We also have seen many proofs that prove the
human character of the Old Testament.

1
- Summary of the religions’ History, Philsian Chali, pp, 160
True Guidance and Light series (2) (176)

Then we saw many and widespread evidence of the alterations of


the Torah, and its contradictions and errors became clear. All these
proved to us that the Old Testament is not the word of Allah (S.W.)
that He (S.W.) had revealed to Moses and the prophets (PBUT).

We can only say as what our God Allah (S.W.) says, “Then woe to
those who write the Book with their own hands, and then say:
"This is from Allah," to traffic with it for miserable price! Woe to
them for what their hands do write, and for the gain they make
thereby.” (Holy Quran, Surah 2. Al Baqara – 79)

Finally, I thank you for reading these lines, and gladly invite you to
read the following part of this series, which is "Is the New Testament
God’s Word?”

I pray and ask our God (Allah S.W), to guide us to the truth by His
will; He guides whom He wishes to a straight path.

Sources and References

1. The meaning of the Holy Quran, Abdullah Yusof Ali

2. The Holy Bible

• King James Version


• Modern King James Version
• King James Version (Red Letters)
• King James Version with Apocrypha
• Good News Bible
• American Standard Version
• Contemporary English Version
• International Standard Version
• English Standard Version
• Bible in Basic English
• Geneva Bible
• Darby Bible
• Douay-Rheims Bible
• Bishops Bible
• Wycliffe New Testament
(177) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

• The Amplified Bible


• Jewish Publication Society Bible

3. Israel Altered the Gospels and the Scriptures. Ahmed Abdel


Wahab
4. The Scriptures before Islam, Saber To'eima

5. The Truth Revealed, Rahmatu Allah Al Hindi

6. The Clear Proof of the Alteration of Ancient Books, Ahmed


Abdel-Wahab

7. The History of the Church, Eusebius of Caesarea

8. Alterations in the Torah, Mohammed Ali Al-Kholi

9. Applied Interpretation of the Bible, group of theologians

10. The Torah, Mohammed Shalabi Shteiwi

11. The Torah, the Gospel, and the Quran and science, Maurice
Bucaille

12. About the reliability of the Torah and the Gospels, Mohammed
Al Saadi

13. Encyclopedia Biblica

14. A study of the Torah and the Gospel, Kamel Saafan

15. Pagan beliefs in the Christian religion, Mohammed Tahir and


Mohammad Majthoub

16. Readings in the Holy Bible, Abdel Rahim Mohammad

17. The Holy Quran and the Holy Bible, Which is the word of
God? Ahmed Deedat

18. The Holy Bible in the Scale, Abdel Salam Mohammad

19. Allah (S.W.) and the prophets, peace be upon them in the
Torah and the Old Testament, Mohammed Ali Albar
True Guidance and Light series (2) (178)

20. Introduction to the Old Testament, Priest Dr. Samuel Yusof

21. An Introduction to the Holy Bible, John Balkan and others

22. Introduction to the Study of the Torah and the Old Testament,
Mohammed Ali Albar

23. The Modern Debate in the science of comparative religion,


Ahmed Deedat

24. The Debate of time, Ahmed Deedat and Priest Anis Shoroush

25. Two Debates in Stockholm, Ahmed Deedat and Reverend


Sjoberg

26. The differences in words and meanings between the


Samaritan and Hebrew Torah, Ahmad Hijazi Sakka

27. Prophet-hood and prophets in Judaism, Christianity, and


Islam, Ahmed Abdel-Wahab

28. Criticism on the Torah, Ahmad Hijazi Sakka,

29. Is the Bible God's Word? Ahmed Deedat,


(179) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

True Guidance and Light series (2)

IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

Monqith Ben Mahmoud Assaqar, PhD

Translated from Arabic by


Ali Qassem, PhD.
True Guidance and Light series (2) (180)

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

First, all praise and thanks to Allah - God Almighty. It is with great
honor that I present this humble work to my reader, hoping that God
Almighty will help him benefit from it, and makes him and me among
those who know the truth and among the guided.

Following the tradition of prophet Mohammad (PBUH) in thanking


people who did us a favor, I would like to thank the many people who
I benefited from in completing this work, and possibly my success in
this work was a result of their prayers to God Almighty to help me to
do so.

I wish to express my appreciation and gratitude to my noble parents,


who have done the greatest favor for me, in continuously fostering
and cherishing me. I also extend my appreciation to my faithful wife,
for her continuous support, help, and for her standing beside me
during the completion of this work.

I would also wholeheartedly like to express my thanks and gratitude


to the translator, who played a major role in enabling this book to
reach the English speaking reader, Dr. Ali Qassem.

I also extend my thanks and appreciation to all my brothers, friends


and colleagues, who played any role in the completion of this book.

Munqidh Bin Mahmoud Assaqqar, PhD


(181) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

INTRODUCTION
Allah1 (S.W)2 had sent his messengers – one after another – with
signs, true guidance and light, to reveal them to people.

Among these faithful prophets was the great messenger and


prophet, the Messiah, Jesus (PBUH)3 . Allah (S.W.) bestowed the
Gospel on him. “Then, in their wake, We followed them up with
(others of) Our apostles: We sent after them Jesus the son of
Mary, and bestowed on him the Gospel; and We ordained in the
hearts of those who followed him Compassion and Mercy. But
the Monasticism which they invented for themselves, We did
not prescribe for them: (We commanded) only the seeking for
the Good Pleasure of Allah. but that they did not foster as they
should have done. Yet We bestowed, on those among them who
believed, their (due) reward, but many of them are rebellious
transgressors.” (Holy Quran, Al Hadid: 27)

Allah (S.W.) asks the believers to believe in all prophets and in the
revelations; He (S.W.) has given them. Say ye: "We believe in
Allah, and the revelation given to us, and to Abraham, Isma'il,
Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, and that given to Moses and
Jesus, and that given to (all) prophets from their Lord: We make
no difference between one and another of them: And we bow to
Allah (in Islam)." (Holy Quran, Al Baqara: 136)

Describing the believers, Allah (S.W.) says, "The Messenger


believeth in what hath been revealed to him from his Lord, as do
1
- Muslims prefer using the name “Allah”, which is one of many other beautiful names and it is God
Almighty’s greatest name, instead of the English word “God”. The word “Allah” is pure and unique
unlike the English word “God”, which can be used in many forms. If we add ‘s’ to the word “God” it
becomes “Gods”, that is a plural of God. Allah is one and singular, there is no plural of Allah. If we add
‘dess’ to the word ‘God’, it becomes ‘Goddess’, that is a female God. There is nothing like male Allah or
female Allah. (taken from: “The Concept of God in Major Religions”, Dr. Zakir Abdul Kareem, pp 18)
(Added by the translator)
2
- Muslims do not mention the name of Allah without glorification. The letters “S.W” is an abbreviation
of the two Arabic words “Sobhanahu Wataala”, which means, “Glory to Him! He is high above all”
(Holy Quran 17:43). The English meaning of these two words is from the “Meaning of the Holy Quran by
Abdullah Yusof Ali”. Therefore, in this book I will use the words “Allah (S.W)” when referring to God
Almighty, except for excerpts and quotations.
(Added by the translator)
2

3
- Muslims also do not mention the name of a Prophet without honoring him with prayer and invocation.
The letters “PBUH” is an abbreviation of the sentence, “Peace Be upon Him” when mentioning a prophet,
or “Peace Be Upon Her” when mentioning the Pure Virgin Mary, and the letters “PBUT” is an
abbreviation of the sentence, “Peace Be Upon Them”, when mentioning more than one prophet. (Added by
the translator)
True Guidance and Light series (2) (182)

the men of faith. Each one (of them) believeth in Allah, His
angels, His books, and His apostles. "We make no distinction
(they say) between one and another of His apostles." (Holy
Quran, Al Baqara: 285)

The Gospel that Allah (S.W.) revealed to Jesus (PBUH) is not


necessarily the chapters of the New Testament, which Christians
consider holy, and was written by Jesus' (PBUH) disciples and those
after them. These human stories, biographies, and letters are not the
revelation that Allah (S.W.) had revealed to Jesus (PBUH).

How could people attribute their own writings to Allah (S.W.) falsely?
“Then woe to those who write the Book with their own hands,
and then say: "This is from Allah," to traffic with it for miserable
price!- Woe to them for what their hands do write, and for the
gain they make thereby.” (Holy Quran, Al Baqara: 79)

This verse is clear divine evidence that the people of the book (Jews
and Christians) had altered and changed the word of God. It declares
that what they have now, Old and New Testaments is not the word of
Allah (S.W.).

Nevertheless, Muslims have no objection that some of the New


Testament passages, which tell us about Jesus' (PBUH) advices,
sayings and deeds, are true. This is the Muslims' opinion regarding
this issue. Christians believe that the New Testament is Allah's
(S.W.) word that was written by holy men with the inspiration of the
Holy Spirit.

However, do the scientific historical evidence (and even the New


Testament passages) support what the Holy Quran says or do they
support the Christians belief?

In our first book of this series, we proved that the Old Testament is
not the word of Allah (S.W.). In this message, which is the second in
this series, we will answer another question; is the New Testament
God's word?

To answer this question, we will investigate the Holy Bible, Christian


theologians, researchers, and the science and history scholars, and
following a scientific methodology.
Asking and praying to Allah (S.W.) to guide us all to the right path, I
present this work to anyone who is looking for the truth.
(183) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

Dr. Monqith Ben Mahmoud Assaqar


Makkah Al Mokarramah
ThoElhijjah, 1423 Hejra (Lunar Calendar)
mongiz@maktoob.com

THE NEW TESTAMENT


True Guidance and Light series (2) (184)

The New Testament is a collection of the four Gospels, the book of


Acts, the twenty-one Epistles, and revelation, which are the content
of the Christians' sacred book. These books are attributed to eight
writers, who lived in the first and the second generations of
Christianity; Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, the writers of the
Gospels, Paul, the writer of fourteen epistles1, and Peter, James and
Judah, to whom some epistles are attributed.

Matthew, John, Peter, James and Judah were Jesus' (PBUH)


disciples. Mark, who was Peter's student, and Paul became
Christians after Jesus' (PBUH) time, and they never met him in
person. Luke, who was Paul's student, became Christian by Paul,
who as we mentioned did not meet Jesus (PBUH).

Christians confess that Jesus' (PBUH) disciples and their followers


wrote the Gospels and the Epistles, how, then, the writings of some
humans became holy?

During the Vatican Council (1869 – 1870), the church made a


decision regarding the Holy Bible, Old and New Testaments. It says,
"The books of the Holy Bible were authored by God, written with the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit and were given to the church as such."

Less than a century after that, there was another council in the
Vatican. This council (1962 – 1965) was held to discuss the
problems the church faced with the critical studies of the Holy Bible.
It decided, by the majority of 2344 people, and the objection of six
people only, the following:

"The Torah had fail short (To be the word of God), and the Gospels
are better in this regard; and they (The Gospels) came to us with a
divine inspiration by the Holy Spirit. The church declares, with great
insistence and perseverance, that the four Gospels always assure
their historical authenticity. The Gospels tell us honestly the deeds
and teachings of Jesus the Son Of God. The holy writers wrote the
four Gospels to reveal to us true and honest things about Christ." 2

The church also declares that the writers had changed some of the
words; thus, Allah (S.W.) is not the author, but the evangelists with
the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. In their book, "Summary of the
Coptic Nation's History, the Coptic scholars said, "The Holy Bible is a
compilation of books written by Allah's men with the inspiration of the
Holy Spirit during different times."
1
- If we accept some scholars’ opinion, who doubly attribute Hebrews to Paul
2
- Differences in the translations of the Holy Bible, Ahmad Abdul Wahab, pp 91 - 92
(185) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

Christians do not believe in the literal inspiration (Word for word or


letter for letter) as Muslims do. They believe that, “If Allah, the
Almighty, wants to tell humans some of his secrets, He would inspire
a chosen writer to write the chapter. Then, He will support the writer
and inspire him to choose the events, situations, deeds and words,
which He wants for His servants’ benefits. Allah also will be the
writer’s mentor and guide, and He will protect him from any mistake
or shortcoming, and to write only what Allah has inspired him to
write… this is enough to attribute the book to Allah”.

Priest Fender explained the Christians’ belief in revelation. He said,


“We believe that prophets and disciples were subject to forgetting
and mistakes in everything, but they were infallible in telling and
writing. If a reader notices some differences or impossibility
somewhere in their writings, the reason for that is because of the
reader’s lack of knowledge and comprehension.” 1

This is in brief the Christians’ belief of the New Testament.

THE NEW TESTAMENT’S CODEX


We received the books of the New Testament through thousands of
manuscripts, of which Christians are so proud. They believe that
these manuscripts – with their high number – are clear evidence of

1
- The Truth Revealed, Rahmatullah Al Hindi, Vol. 1 pp 39 - 42
True Guidance and Light series (2) (186)

the infallibility of Allah’s (S.W.) word, which the disciples of Jesus


(PBUH) had written.

In order to comprehend the importance of these manuscripts and


their dates for Christians, we will quote what the Priest Jimmy
Swaggart said in his debate with the Muslim scholar Ahmad Deedat.
He said, “There are about twenty four thousand hand-written
manuscripts of God’s word of the New Testament, the oldest belong
to three hundred and fifty years C.E.. However, the original copy or
the first manuscript of God’s word does not exist”.

The New Testament’s manuscripts fall under three categories.

First, the Papyrus Codex

The writing in papyrus was used during the second and the third
century. These manuscripts contain two parts of the New Testament.
One contains two passages of the Gospel according to John (John
18: 31, and 18: 37-38) and was written in the second century and
now they are in Manchester. The other one contains two passages of
the Gospel according to Matthew (Matthew 1: 1- 9, and 12: 14 – 20),
there are also some papyrus papers, which belong to later centuries,
contain short biblical passages.

Second, the Greek Codex

These manuscripts were written on animals’ skin, and this way of


writing used to be during the fourth century. There are many of these
manuscripts and contain the most important ones among the codex,
Codex Alexandrinus, Codex Sinaiticus, and Codex Vaticanus.

Third, manuscripts belong to the thirteen century and later.

Codex Basilensis is the most important among these manuscripts.

Codex Alexandrinus, Codex Sinaiticus, and Codex Vaticanus are the


most important amongst the Greek Codex. They were written, as
mentioned, at least in the fourth century. We have explained them in
our previous book about the Old Testament; therefore, we will
mention only what concern the New Testament.

1- Codex Vativanus

The introduction of the Catholic New Testament says, “The most


ancient manuscripts that contain the majority of the New Testaments
books or its full text are two holy books belong to the fourth century,
(187) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

and Codex Vativanus is the most important. We do not know the


resource of this codex, and unfortunately, it has some damages. It
contains the New Testament except Hebrews (9: 14, 13: 25), first
and second Timothy, Titus, Philemon, and revelation, and an
unknown writer added these letters and epistles in the fifteenth
century. In this codex, the Gospel according to Mark ends with the
verse (16: 9)”.

2 - Codex Sinaiticus

The French introduction of the New Testament says, “Not only that
this codex contains all of the New Testament, but also adds the
epistle of Barnabas and part of the shepherd of Hermas, which are
not among the canon writings”. This codex does not contain the end
of the Gospel according to Mark (16: 9 - 20), and there is no empty
page, but the beginning of Luke starts after the verse (8)
immediately.

3 - Codex Alexandrinus

This codex contains the New Testament with some shortage. An


example of these shortages is from the beginning of the Gospel
according to Matthew to chapter (25: 6) and in the Gospel according
to John from (6: 51) to (8: 52). It also contains the two epistles of
Clement, and other writings, which are not included in the Holy Bible.

4 - Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus

This codex contains the New Testament only, and it is now in the
National Library in Paris. Scholars assume that it was written in the
sixth or the seventh century, and some say it was in the fifth.

5 - Codex Bezae Cantabrigensis

This codex belongs to the fifth century, and it is now in Cambridge


University. It contains the four Gospels and the Book of Acts, with
shortage of many passages such as the beginning of John’s Gospel.
The writer of this codex was copying freely. He had copied Jesus’
linage list as recorded in Matthew, and then, when he copied Luke’s
list and noticed the difference, he inserted Matthew’s list in Luke’s
Gospel. However, since Matthew’s list lacks many names, he added
some names from his own thought.

6 - Codex Basilensis
True Guidance and Light series (2) (188)

Scholars suggested that it belongs the eighth century, and it is now it


is in the library of the University of Basel in Switzerland. It contains
the New Testament with huge shortage.

7 - Codex Laudianus

This codex belongs to the ninth century, and it is now in Bodleian


Library in Oxford. It contains the Book of Acts only. 1

THE DIFFERENCES IN THE NEW TESTAMENT’S CODEX


The first thing we notice about the New Testament manuscripts is
that, they were not written by the people whom they are attributed to,
they were not written during their existence, and the first manuscript
was written, at least, two centuries after the death of those people.
1
- See Comparison between religions, Mohammad Ezzat Tahtawi, pp 47 – 51, The holy Bible in the Scale,
Abdus Salam Mohammad, pp 91, Readings in the Holly Bible, Abdur Rahim Mohammad, Vol. 2, pp 269
– 270.
(189) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

Christians cannot prove otherwise, and Priest Fringe confessed on


that during his debate with the Muslim scholar Al Hindi. Apologizing,
Priest Fringe said, “The reason that we (Christians) lost the records
is the difficulties and the problems that Christians faced for three
hundreds and thirteen years”. The Muslim scholar Al Hindi had
accepted this explanation, but that does not free them from bringing
these records; for, such matters cannot rely on assumptions,
guessing and uncertainty. Moreover, there are no two identical
manuscripts among all the New Testaments manuscripts. All of them
were subject to adding and deleting according to the writer’s opinion,
and this what Christians confess.

Trying to reduce the importance of these differences between the


manuscripts, Jimmy Swaggart said, “Regarding the ancient writings
the scientific principles tell us that, if we have ten copies of a certain
book, we do not need its original. We have twenty four thousand
copies and we do not deny that they have differences among them.
However, the important thing is that the essence of the context did
not change”.

In his book, “The truth about the Bible”, Dr. Robert did not agree with
Swaggart and answered him. Moreover, Robert had prepared a
scientific leaflet to be printed with the Holy Bible, but he was not
allowed to do that. When he was asked about the reason, he said,
“This leaflet would make people lose their trust in this book”.

He also said, “There is no book that contain alteration, mistakes and


fabrications as the Holy Bible”, and he added that the church’s
fathers confess of the intentionally made fabrications, but the
disagreement among them is just about who made it. He added, “No
one would claim that God is the author of all of the Holy Bible’s parts,
or that God inspired these fabrications”. 1

Ken Rime said, “Theologians today agree on one thing; that only
very small parts of the Holy Bible were not altered”.

In Encyclopedia Britannica, Maurice Nourn said, “The earliest codex


of the Canon Gospels was written in the fifth century. The time
between the disciples and the fifth century did not leave to us any
codex of these four Gospels. Even though it is close to our time, it
has considerable fabrications, specially the Gospels of Mark and
John”.

1
- See, The biggest Debate between Al Hindi and the Priest Fender, pp 372
True Guidance and Light series (2) (190)

Regarding the Gospel according to Mark, in his book, “Saint Mark”,


Dennis Nineham said, “Inevitably changes, both intentional and
unintentional, crept in, and, of the hundreds of manuscripts (that is,
hand-written copies) of Mark that have survived, no two agree
exactly”. 1 He also said, “We do not have any hand-written codex
that we can compare with others”.

Priest Chorer said that the Gospels manuscripts contain 50 000


differences, while Kris Bach said they have 150000. Encyclopedia
Britannica assures that saying, “The Church fathers’ selection of the
New Testament, which covers almost all of it, shows more than one
hundred and fifty thousand differences between the passages”.

Christians try to find an excuse for these differences. In his book,


“The Seekers Guidance”, Dr. Samaan Kalhoon said, “Do not be
surprised of the differences in the holy books copies; for, before the
invention of printing in the fifteenth century, these copies were hand-
written, some of those writers were ignorant and forgetful”. 2

This is true, but it is only half of the truth, for he ignored the writers’
intentional fabrications, of which the writers of the French
introduction to the New Testament confess.

It says, “The New Testament manuscripts that we have are not the
same, but a person can see many differences of various importance.
… There are differences that include different meanings of the entire
paragraphs, and to discover the reasons of these differences is not a
difficult task. Writers, whose ability of the work is different, have
copied the text of the New Testament throughout the centuries, and
no one of them is infallible of various errors.... In addition, some
transcribers sometimes tried to correct what seemed to them
contained obvious errors or lack of accuracy in theological
expression, and thus introduced a new reading of the text that is
almost all wrong.

We can add to all this, that the use of many of the paragraphs of the
New Testament in the course of worshipping led to the introduction
of some decorations for the purpose of making them nicer or to
make them easier during loud recitation.

1
- Saint Mark, D. E. Nineham, pp 11
2
- See, the Truth Revealed, Rahmatullah Al Hindi, Vol.2, pp 542 – 543, The holy Bible in the Scale,
Abdus Salam Mohammad, pp 94 - 95
(191) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

It is clear that what the writers introduced accumulated over the


centuries. The text that eventually reached the time of printing was
full of many alterations and changes… The highest aim of the
science of criticism is to examine the texts of these various
documents, in order to assess the text as close as possible to the
first original, and, it is impossible to reach that original copy. "

In his book, "The Gospels, their origin and their growth", Frederick
Grant, the professor of theological studies of the Bible in the Federal
Institute of Theology in New York said, “The text used to be kept in
manuscripts copied by tired writers. Today, there are 4700 of these
manuscripts between pieces of paper and complete manuscripts
sheets of skin or cloth. The texts of all these manuscripts vary
considerably, and we cannot rely that none of them is without
mistakes.. Most copies of all sizes have been subject to changes by
correctors whose works were not always the right re-reading." 1

The published text of the New Testament is not final; it depends on


the discovery of more manuscripts. The Jesuit Priesthood’s
introduction to the New Testament says, "Today, we can prepare the
text of the New Testament as a good one, and there is no need to
reconsider otherwise unless we find new documents”.

It is a temporary New Testament, until further notice!

Examples of the transcribers’ alterations

No one who examines the Gospels’ texts would find it difficult to find
some of the transcribers’ intentional additions in the text. The
following paragraphs will show some of them.

Matthew said, "So when you see the abomination of


desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in
the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those
who are in Judea flee to the mountains." (Matthew: 24: 15 –
1
- The Gospels, their origin and their growth, Frederick Grant, pp 32
True Guidance and Light series (2) (192)

16) The sentence, (let the reader understand), is an addition


added by the transcriber who wanted to point out the importance of
the subject, it was not said by Jesus (PBUH) while he was talking to
his disciples.

The end of the Gospel according to John reads as follows, "This is


the disciple who is bearing witness about these things,
and who has written these things, and we know that his
testimony is true." (John: 21: 24) the sentence, “we know that
his testimony is true” is an addition added by the transcribers.
Giving their opinion about that, the editors of the Jesuit Priesthood’s
Version of the Holy Bible said, “The group that wrote this Gospel saw
it as a permanent testimony that agreed with that time, which
brought by the beloved disciple”.

Another verse in the Gospel according to John is, "At once there
came out blood and water, He who saw it has borne
witness--his testimony is true, and he knows that he is
telling the truth--that you also may believe." (John: 19: 34
-35) in the last sentence, the writer wanted to point and assure
John’s honesty, it is not John’s.

Among the additions in the Gospel according to Luke is what he


attributed to Jesus (PBUH) answering the two disciples John and
James when they asked him if they could bring down fire to destroy
the Samaritans. He (PBUH), then, turned towards them and rebuked
them. However, the transcribers added “saying: you know not
of what spirit you are”. (Luke 9:55)

Father Matta Al Miskeen said, “With No exception, all theologians


agree that this verse is an addition that was added early by one of
the transcribers, because the earlier codex does not contain it. Any
way, it agrees with the meaning and the situation in the text. In the
ancient codex, the verse ends with the words, “rebuked them”. 1

This addition was removed from a few Holy Bible’s versions, such as
the American Standard Version, the English Standard Version, and
the Good News Bible. 2

1
- The Gospel according to Luke, Father Matta Al Miskeen, pp 428
2
- This addition can be found in all King James Versions , Bishops Bible 1568, Geneva bible1587, Darby
bible 1889, Douay-Rheims bible 1899, and Murdock New Testament. “But He turned and rebuked
them and said, you do not know of what spirit you are.” (added by the Translator)
(193) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

Similarly, the transcribers either added or deleted a passage in the


fifth chapter of the Gospel according to John. It says, “In these lay
a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered,
waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went
down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the
water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the
water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease
he had. And a certain man was there, which had an
infirmity thirty and eight years.” (John 5: 3, 4, 5, King James
Version)

According to father Matta Al Miskeen,1 the majority of the important


codexes do not contain the following sentence, (waiting for the
moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain
season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever
then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was
made whole of whatsoever disease he had.). Therefore, the
Good News Bible and other versions’ editors removed it. “A large
crowd of sick people were lying in the porches – the blind,
the lame, and the paralyzed. A man was there who had
been sick for thirty-eight years.” (John 5:3 and 5 - no number
4 - Good News bible)

Nullification of the claim that the New Testament writers were


inspired

None of the New Testament’s writers – except Paul – claimed that he


was inspired, but their writings are confessions that their works were
human efforts that were not intended to be holy books.

Luke confessed in his book that he had no idea about inspiration or


whatsoever. He said, "Inasmuch, as many have undertaken
to compile a narrative of the things that have been
accomplished among us; just as those who from the
beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word
have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also,
1
- The Gospel according to John, Father Matta Al Miskeen, Vol. 1, pp 328
True Guidance and Light series (2) (194)

having followed all things closely for some time past, to


write an orderly account for you, most excellent
Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the
things you have been taught." (Luke: 1: 1-4)

His introduction shows that his Gospel is a personal letter, he wrote it


for personal matters, he had copied accurately from some
references, and many others wrote about this issue too. Luke did not
mention in his introduction about a divine inspiration that inspired him
to write, nor that the Holy Spirit came down upon him, he did not
claim or even know that he was inspired!

This is not only for Luke, but also for all the New Testament writers.
They did not claim inspiration for their writings. Priest Dr. Manees
Abden Noor said, “Never came across any of the New Testament
writers’ mind that his writing about Christ would become the
Christians’ holy book, which Christians read for centuries around the
world”. 1

If the disciples and their followers did not know or claim that they
were inspired, how did Christians know that? There is no evidence in
the Gospels to support that claim except what Paul had claimed
about himself.

Personal letters that have nothing to do with inspiration

Reading Paul’s and the disciples letters, will show, in many places,
passages that bear witness that these letters and epistles are
personal and have nothing to do with inspiration.

John said, “The children of your elect sister greet you”. (John
(2) 1/13) He continued to send more greetings to his beloved. “The
beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth. Beloved, I pray that
all may go well with you and that you may be in good
health, as it goes well with your soul……I hope to see you
soon, and we will talk face to face. Peace be to you. The
friends greet you. Greet the friends, every one of them.
(John (3) 1 – 14)
1
- Fake suspicions about the Bible, Priest Manees A.Noor, pp 42
(195) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

Paul’s epistles contain the same. "The churches of Asia send


you greetings. Aquila and Prisca, send you hearty
greetings….All the brothers send you greetings. Greet one
another with a holy kiss." (Co (1) 16/19-20)

Paul also recorded his feelings towards his friend Timothy in the
beginning of his letter. He said, "As I remember you constantly
in my prayers night and day. As I remember your tears, I
long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. I am
reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in
your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now,
I am sure, dwells in you as well." (Ti (2) 1/3-5)

Then, he wrote some of his personal needs and told Timothy to tell
his friends in Corinth. He said, "When you come, bring the
cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and
above all the parchments. Send my regards to Riska and
Akila and Anisiphorus’ family. I left Trophimus, who was
ill. Do your best to come before winter." (Ti (2) 4/13-21)
Paul’s letters continue in the same manner of sending greetings and
regards to his friends and relatives, and they are long, almost a
page. (See Roman 16/1-21)

He sent a letter to Titus saying, "When I send Artemas or


Tychicus to you, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis,
for I have decided to spend the winter there. Do your best
to speed Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way; see
that they lack nothing." (Titus 3/12-13) the reader may notice
that Paul – who was inspired to write this passage according to those
who believe in his letters’ holiness – did not know whom of his
friends he would send to call Titus to Nicopolis where he will spend
the winter!

There are many of these personal greetings, (See (Co (1) 16/20),
(Phi 1/21-24) and (Phi 2/26-28, 4/21-22), are these Allah’s words and
inspiration!

Passages that impossible to be inspiration

When we read the Gospels, we do not find in any of them what


indicates that the writer was inspired. Luke, for example, said,
"Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty
True Guidance and Light series (2) (196)

years of age, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph."


(Luke 3/23) his words ‘about, as was supposed’ should not come
from someone who was inspired, know and sure about what he was
writing. These words disturbed the Church’s scholars, so they
deleted them from the Revised Standard Version.

John also did not know the distance that the disciples rowed before
they saw Jesus (PBUH). He said, "When they had rowed about
three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea."
(John 6/19), if he was inspired, he should know exactly how far.

He also said, "This is the disciple who is bearing witness


about these things, and who has written these things, and
we know that his testimony is true”, he did not mention
anything about inspiration, and then he wrote what proves that this
writing is man work. He said, "Now there are also many other
things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be
written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain
the books that would be written." (John 21/ 24-25), this
exaggeration is obvious and it is a man work used to bring the
reader’s attention.

There are passages in the letters confess by themselves that the


writer was talking from his own mind and thought and had nothing to
do with inspiration. Giving his opinion about a man who is married to
an unbeliever woman, Paul said, "To the rest I say (I, not the
Lord)”. (Co (1) 7/12) His opinion regarding this matter has nothing
to do with inspiration, but Christians consider it part of Allah’s (S.W.)
word. Concerning the betrothed women, he said, "Now
concerning the betrothed, I have no command from the
Lord, but I give my judgment." (Co (1) 7/25), should we believe
Paul in this confession, or the Christians who say that these words
are Allah’s (S.W.) words?

Paul emphasized again that what comes from him is purely his
human opinion. He said, “I say this not as a command, but to
prove by the earnestness of others … And in this matter I
give my judgment.”(Co (2) 8/8-10)

He also declared that his words are not holy. He said, "What I am
saying with this boastful confidence, I say not with the
Lord's authority but as a fool." (Co (2) 11/16-17), and trying to
be nice to his audience, he said, "I wish you would bear with
(197) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

me in a little foolishness." (Co (2) 11/1). Was he inspired to call


himself a fool, or does Allah (S.W.) apologize and fear that his
inspiration is too heavy for those who read it?

Important events that the inspired writer should not forget

What disproves the writers’ inspiration claim is that some of them did
not mention very important events, even though they had mentioned
many useless and unimportant events.

The four evangelists mentioned the event when Jesus ride on both a
donkey and a colt, but only one of them (John) had mentioned Jesus’
first miracle, which is transferring water into wine, see (John 2/1-11),
was riding in the two animals more important than this miracle?

John is the only evangelist that had mentioned the miracle of


bringing Lazarus back from the dead. Was riding in the two animals
more important than bringing Lazarus from the dead in front of huge
crowds, who believed in Jesus after that? See (John 11/1-46)

Moreover, entering Jerusalem riding in the two animals is not - in any


way – more important than Jesus’ will to preach to the nations and
baptize people by the name of the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit.
This unique and important passage is the Christians’ mainstay of
proving the Trinity, however, only Matthew had mentioned it. See
(Matt 19/28)

Jesus’ ascending to heaven is a very important event. However, the


two disciples Matthew and John – who supposed to be present at
that moment and wetness it – did not mention it. Mark and Luke –
who were absent that day – were inspired to mention this event!

The scholars’ denial of the New Testament’s writers’ inspiration

The passages that we mentioned above and others, made scholars


and researchers deny that the New Testament’s writers were
inspired. The authors of the Ecumenical Translation said, “The
evangelists had collected and wrote according to their own opinion,
what they had received from oral traditions”. There is no inspiration
then.
True Guidance and Light series (2) (198)

Regarding James’ Epistle, Luther, the founder of the Protestant


Christian sect, said, “It is an epistle of straw even though it is from
James. The disciple had no authority to give a religious provision
from his own; this position was for Jesus only”. We understand from
Luther’s words that he did not consider James inspired.

In his encyclopedia, Reese said, “Mekaels considered the books that


written by the disciples’ followers – Mark, Luke and Acts – not
inspired”.

Pointing to an important and true fact regarding Paul, Habeeb Saeed


said, “When Paul wrote his letters, he did not know or even thought
that his words would be an asset for the coming generations.”
Surprisingly, Paul himself did know about the holiness of his words,
but Christians insist on saying that.

In the Vatican, Pope John formed a committee led by the scholar


Hans Comb to study the Gospels, and after deep research, the
committee concluded, “The Gospels are humans’ words, and there is
no prove that they came directly from God”. 1

Nullification of the claim that the New Testament writers were


messengers

First, Muslims do not consider any of the disciples was a messenger.


Moreover, none of them had declared that except Paul. Nor do
Muslims believe in the testimonies that made Christians claim
prophet-hood to these writers.

Muslims do not believe that the Holy Spirit descended on the


disciples fifty days after Jesus’ ascending to heaven; that strange
event that Luke mentioned. He said, "And they were all filled
with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as
the Spirit gave them utterance." (Act 2/4). Moreover, Paul and
Luke were not among those people; they were not believers that day
yet.

1
- The Truth Revealed, Rahmatullah Al Hindi, Vol. 2, pp 356 – 379. Two Debates In Stockholm, Ahmad
Deedat, pp 27
(199) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

Muslims also do not believe in the miracles that New Testament


attributes to the disciples, for, these news have no considerable
prove. Searching and studying the New Testament books prove that
those disciples were not messengers. They were humans like others,
except they were with Jesus and he asked them to preach his
message after him.

First, were the writers of the New Testament prophets?

The Gospels and the Epistles are full of passages that nullify this
claim. The prophet-hood of those writers must be put on the scale
that Jesus’ disciples had taken from their master. In John’s First
Epistle we read, "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but
test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many
false prophets have gone out into the world." (John (1) 4/1).

How do Christians consider Paul or the disciples infallible and


trustworthy of inspiration and prophet-hood while Judah the betrayer
was among them? Judah was one of the twelve disciples that Jesus
sent; messengers and prophets do not do such treason.

Messengers and prophets do not do what Peter did when he denied


Jesus three times on the night of his capture, which was very tough
night. See (Luke 22/34)

Quoting Jesus, Luke said, "but the one who denies me before
men will be denied before the angels of God." (Luke 12/9),
this denial forced Pastor Ibrahem Saeed to describe Peter as
“Sunken in a sea of infidelity” 1 and his company with Jesus will not
intercede him.

How could a person who was filled with the Holy Spirit deny Jesus,
and how could we consider a person whom Jesus Called ‘Satan’ a
prophet? "But he turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me,
Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting
your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man."
(Matt 16/23)

The Gospels’ passages make us doubt the faith of the closest


disciples to Jesus, which make them untrustworthy of preaching his
teachings, never mind the prophet-hood. According to Matthew,
Jesus said to Peter, " O you of little faith, why did you
1
- Explaining Luke’s Gospel, Ibraheem Saeed, pp 580
True Guidance and Light series (2) (200)

doubt?" (Matt 14/31), this made Saint Eckstein describe Peter


saying, “He was unstable because he believed some times and
doubted some times”. 1

If this what is said about Peter, were the other disciples better? In
many passages, the New Testament tells us that they were of little
faith too. Jesus described them as such many times. Matthew said,
"And they went and woke him, saying, "Save us, Lord; we
are perishing. And he said to them, "Why are you afraid,
O you of little faith?" (Matt 8/25-26) and he also said, "But
Jesus, aware of this, said, "O you of little faith, why are
you discussing among yourselves the fact that you have
no bread?" (Matt 16/8)

Luke said, "But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in


the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven,
how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith?"
(Luke 12/28). See also (Mark 4/40, Matt 6/30), should we believe
such people’s stories, never mind consider them inspirations?

The strongest among these examples is when Jesus (PBUH)


described them, as they had no faith at all. Matthew said, "Why
could we not cast it out? He said to them, "Because of your
little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a
grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain,
'Move from here to there,' and it will move, and nothing
will be impossible for you." (Matt 17/ 19-20) are those who did
not have faith even like a grain of mustard seed prophets and
trustworthy of writing Allah’s (S.W.) inspiration.

Secondly, the disciples’ miracles do not prove that they were


prophets

If Christians consider the disciples as prophets or messengers


because they had performed some miracles, performing those
miracles do not prove that. The holy passages tell us that even false
prophets can perform miracles and signs. Jesus said, "For false
christs and false prophets will arise and perform great
signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even
the elect. See, I have told you beforehand." (Matt 24/24-25)
Moreover, the New Testament does not mention any miracle for
Mark or Luke.
1
- The Truth Revealed, Rahmatullah Al Hindi, Vol. 1, pp 234
(201) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

Jesus (PBUH) had warned from those false prophets, and told that
they would claim believing his message. He said, "On that day
many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in
your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do
many mighty works in your name? And then will I declare
to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers
of lawlessness. "Beware of false prophets, who come to
you in sheep's clothing…You will recognize them by their
fruits." (Matt 7/5-23)

Miracles are not – in any way – proofs for more than faith and
believing. According to the Gospel, each believer is capable of
performing miracles. Quoting Jesus, Matthew said, "He said to
them, "Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you,
if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say
to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will
move, and nothing will be impossible for you." (Matt 17/20)

Commenting on this passage, the Jesuit Priesthood says, “The


believer is capable of moving a mountain like God Himself”.

Jesus also said, ""Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever


believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater
works than these will he do”. (John 14/12)

According to this, each Christian is capable of performing Jesus’


miracles including healing the sick, bringing back the dead and even
greater miracles. Christian scholars were in embarrassing situation
because of this passage, for, it is not appropriate to say that the
disciples and the believers can perform miracles greater than the
miracles of Christ. However, they said, “The Lord Christ did not say
that his disciples would perform greater miracles than his, bringing
back the dead is the most we can do.” 1
All they can do is bringing back the dead!

Thirdly, prophet-hood – according to the Holy Bible – does not


guarantee infallibility in preaching

Considering that the disciples were prophets, does not mean –


according to Christians beliefs - that they were infallible from making
mistakes in telling and even lying. In First kings we read, "Now
1
- Applied Interpretation of the Holy Bible, Few theologians, pp 2222
True Guidance and Light series (2) (202)

there dwelt an old prophet in Beth-el; and one of his sons


came and told him all the works that the man of God had
done that day in Beth-el…And he went after the man of
God and found him sitting under an oak. And he said to
him, "Are you the man of God who came from Judah?"
And he said, "I am. Then he (The prophet) said to him,
"Come home with me and eat bread. And he said, "I may
not return with you, or go in with you, neither will I eat
bread nor drink water with you in this place. for it was
said to me by the word of the LORD, 'You shall neither eat
bread nor drink water there, nor return by the way that
you came." And he said to him, "I also am a prophet as
you are, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the
LORD, saying, 'Bring him back with you into your house
that he may eat bread and drink water. He lied to him. So
he went back with him and ate bread in his house and
drank water.'" (Kings (1) 13/11-19) Then the chapter continues to
mention the punishment of that poor prophet who obeyed the liar
prophet, believing that he was telling him God’s orders and
inspiration.

Another example is in the Second Kings. When Ben- Hadad, the king
of Syria sent Hazael to Prophet Elisha asking to ask him about the
sickness he had, Prophet Elisha (Far be it from any prophet to lie)
lied in his answer. He said, “Go, say to him, 'You shall
certainly recover,' but the LORD has shown me that he
shall certainly die." (Kings (2) 8/10)

In our previous episode of the True Guidance and Light series, we


have discussed many shameful deeds that the Torah attributed to
the prophets that make it impossible for us to believe that Christians
believe in those prophets infallibility, never mind the disciples.
(203) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

NULLIFYING THE ATRIBUTION OF THE GOSPELS AND


EPISTLES TO THE DISCIPLES
The twenty-seven books of the New Testament belong to eight
writers, each had written different amount. While the letter of Judah
is two pages, the writings that attributed to Paul are more one
hundred pages.

Moreover, the relationship between those authors and Jesus varies.


While John, Peter, Judas, and Jacob were among the twelve
disciples, Luke and Mark did not meet him, and Paul became a
Christian after the ascending of Jesus (PBUH).

Christians consider those eight authors inspired human beings and


they wrote what was dictated to them by the Holy Spirit, each in his
own way. We have proved that the authors of the New Testament
were not inspired of what they have written.
True Guidance and Light series (2) (204)

However, is it right to attribute the books of the New Testament to


those eight authors, specially Matthew, John and Peter who
supposed to be the distinguished disciples of Jesus, or that the
attribution is also a fabrication? Is it possible that those words - that
in the New Testament -would come from the disciples of Jesus,
whom he brought up along the years of his mission, and whom the
Quran praised?

Studying the New Testament carefully, made scholars doubt that the
disciples of Jesus, the believers, wrote those books. Thus, they
studied carefully the attribution of those books to them.

We shall not look into the authentication of some books, because


those who wrote them were not the disciples of Jesus. Based on
that, it does not matter whether Mark and Luke wrote the books that
attributed to them, or any of the Christians who lived at the end of the
first century. None of those was infallible, inspired or had any of
Jesus’ praise or recommendation. The same goes to the letters of
Paul, Jesus’ enemy, who claimed to be a messenger and infallible
even though he never met Jesus at all.

First: The Gospel According to Matthew


It is the first book in the New Testament. This book consists of
twenty-eight chapters, which tell about the life of Jesus and his
teachings from the day he was born until his ascending to heaven.

The church attributes this book to Matthew, one of the twelve


disciples whom Jesus chose. The church claims that Matthew wrote
this book by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. References likely
consider that Matthew wrote his book to the people of Palestine,
which are the Jews new Christians. The references vary regarding
the date of its writing, but they agree that it was written between the
years 37- 100 C.E.

In the introduction to Matthew’s Gospel, the monastic version says,


"Many authors date this book between the years 80 and 90, or
maybe a little earlier, but we cannot be very certain in this matter".
(205) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

Fenton, the commentator of Matthew’s Gospel (pg 11), considered


that, "It was written between year 85 and 105 C.E." which is close to
what Prof. Haring estimated when he said, " the book of Matthew
was written in the year 80 to 100 AD" . 1 Regarding the language in
which this book was written, all scholars agree that it was the
Hebrew language, while some believe it was the Syriac or the Greek.

The most important historical testimony regarding this gospel is the


testimony of Papias of Hierapolis (155 C.E). It says, "Matthew wrote
the sayings in Hebrew, and then, each of its translators to Greek
translated it as much as he could”. In his book, “Against Heresies”,
Irenaeus of Lyons (200 C.E) said, “Matthew wrote a gospel for the
Hebrews in their own language”. 2

The Gospels’ existing manuscripts are all in Greek, thus, scholars


wonder who the original translator from Hebrew to Greek was. There
are many opinions in this regard but they have no supporting
evidence at all. Commenting on that, Father Matta Al Meskeen said
that they are "assumptions without evidence". Others said that the
translator was Matthew himself, John the evangelist, and others.
The fact is what Saint Jerome (420 C.E.) said. He said, "The
translator of the book of Matthew from Hebrew to Greek is
unknown". It is more likely that it was more than one translator, as
Papias said, translated it.

Norton, who is known as "The guardian of the Gospel", said about


this unknown translator, "The one who translated the book of
Matthew was like a man who collects wood at night; who does not
differentiate between wet and dry wood. He translated the right and
the wrong". 3

Matthew’s Biography

Who was Matthew? What is his relation with the bible that attributed
to him? Does that Bible consist of God's word and his inspiration?

1
- The Torah, The Gospel, the Quran and Science, Maurice Bucaille , pp 8 – 12. The History of the
Church, Eusabius, pp 146. Christ in the Christians’ Creeds Resources, Ahmad Abdul Wahab, pp, 59
2
- The History of the Church, Eusabius, pp 146 - 214
3
- The Truth Revealed, Al Hindi, Vol.2, pp 523- 533. The Gospel According to Matthew, Matta Al
Meskeen, pp 29
True Guidance and Light series (2) (206)

Answering these questions, what we know about Matthew is what


the Christian scholars said about him. He was one of the twelve
disciples, he was working as a tax collector in the village of Nahom
and he followed Jesus after that.

Historical sources mention that Matthew went to Abyssinia and was


killed there in 70 C.E. The New Testament does not mention him
except two times. The first, is when Jesus called him at his working
place (See Matt 9/9), the second time is in the verse that mentions
the names of the twelve disciples (See Matt 10/3, Luke 6/15).

We should mention here that Mark and Luke said that the tax
collector, who met Jesus at the tax booth, was Levi the son of
Alphaeus, (See Mark 2/14, and Luke 5/27) they did not mention
Matthew. However, the church claims – without proof - that Levi the
son of Alphaeus is another name for Matthew the tax collector.

John Fenton, the commentator of the book of Matthew and the Dean
of the Faculty of Theology in Linchfield, said that there is no evidence
that Matthew is the Christian name for Levi. He believes that it is
more likely that "there was relationship between Matthew, the
disciple, and the church, for which he wrote his Gospel. Thus, the
author of this gospel attributed his work to the founder or the teacher
of that church whose name was Matthew. It is likely that the writer of
the Gospel had taken the opportunity that was given to him by Mark
when he was speaking of the calling of one of the disciples, and he
linked it to Matthew, as he was the teacher of the church that he
followed." 1

The Church’s evidence of attributing the Gospel to


Matthew

The church asserts that Matthew is the author of the Gospel, based
on some issues.
First, "There are signs and clear evidence that the writer was a
Jewish who converted to Christianity."
Secondly, "It does not make sense that such important gospel- the
first of the gospels- could be attributed to an unknown person, but
rather to one of Jesus’ disciples."

1
- Christ in the Christians’ Creeds Resources, Ahmad Abdul Wahab, pp, 58
(207) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

Thirdly, Papias mentioned that, “In the second century, Matthew


collected Jesus’ sayings”.

Finally," It is indisputable that the job of the accountant is to keep all


the files, because it is one of the most important duties for the
submission of the accounts, as such, this evangelist kept all Jesus’
sayings accurately". 1

Notes on the Gospel According to Matthew:

Going through the previous Christian evidence, scholars believe that


Christians have no solid evidence for attributing this gospel to
Matthew. It is not necessary that the accountant should right his
religious notes the same way he writes his work. In addition,
Matthew’ writing of Jesus’ sayings does not support attributing
today’s gospel to him. Many evidence show that the writer of this
gospel was not one of Jesus’ disciples, as it is mentioned in many
places in the gospel that its writer was not Matthew the disciple.

- Matthew depended on the gospel of Mark, as he copied 600


passages from the 612 passages of the gospel of Mark. He based
as well on another document, scholars called it M.

In his introduction to the gospel of Matthew, J. B. Philips, a


professor of theology at the English church, said, "Saint Matthew
quoted from the gospel of Saint Mark, and he revised it trying to
reach to a better image of God."

In his book, "The Introduction to the Gospel", Pastor Faheem Aziz


said that Matthew's adoption of the gospel of Mark is known for all
those who studied the bible. If Matthew, the disciple, was the
writer of the gospel, why would he copy from Mark, who was ten
years old at the time of Jesus? Why would any one of the twelve
disciples copy from him? Would one, who witnessed the events,
copy from someone who had not seen it? 2

- The gospel of Matthew mentions Matthew, the tax collector


twice, and it does not point out in any way that he was the writer.
1
- The Holy Bible Dictionary, pp 832
2
- Two Debates in Stockholm, Ahmad Deedat, pp 66. Judaism and Christianity, Mohammad Al A’athamy,
pp, 321
True Guidance and Light series (2) (208)

The writer mentioned his name as one of the twelve disciples; he


did not put him the first nor the last. Then when he spoke about
him following Jesus, he mentioned the name as a third person. He
said, "As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man
called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to
him, "Follow me." and he rose and followed him.”. (Matt
9/9)

If Matthew was the writer, he would say, "he said to me", "I
followed him", "he saw me", and that indicates that Matthew was
not the writer.

- Reading the Gospel carefully, you would realize the writer’s vast
knowledge in the Torah, which considered him the most interested
one in the Torah’s prophesies about Jesus. That could not come
from a tax collector; the writer was not Matthew the tax collector.

In his commentaries on the New Testament, A. Tricot (1960) said


that believing that Matthew was a tax collector from the village of
Nahom, and whom Jesus called to teach, is not accepted anymore; it
is not as what the fathers of the church claim. 1

Those who denied the attribution of the gospel to


Matthew

Many of ancient and modern Christian scholars have denied


attributing this gospel to Matthew. Festus in the fourth century said,
"The gospel that has been attributed to Matthew was not written by
him", and Saint Williams and Father De Don in his book, "The life of
Christ", believe the same.

In his introduction to the gospel of Matthew, J. B. Philips said, "The


old tradition attributed this gospel to Matthew the disciple, but most
of today's scholars reject this opinion".

Professor Haring said, "The gospel of Matthew was not written by


Matthew, but it was written by unknown author, who concealed his
identity for some reasons”.

1
- The Torah, The Gospel, the Quran and Science, Maurice Bucaille , pp 80 -80
(209) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

The monastic introduction to the Gospel of Matthew says, "As for the
author, the gospel did not mention any thing about him. The oldest
tradition of the church (Papias of Hierapolis (155 C.E)) attributed it to
apostle Matthew…However; the search in the Gospel did not prove
that view or nullifies it. Since we are not sure who the writer was, we
should be satisfied by some of the features that is found in the
Gospel itself...".

In his book, "The Introduction to the Gospel", Pastor Faheem Aziz


said about the unknown writer of the gospel of Matthew, “We cannot
give him a name, the writer could be Matthew the apostle or he could
be someone else”. In his commentary in this Gospel (pg 136), John
Fenton said, "His identity with this disciple is almost certainly a
fiction." 1

Ebionites and the Unitarians, ancient Christian sects, doubted the


attribution of this Gospel to Matthew. They believed that the first two
chapters were added to it and that the real beginning of the gospel is,
"In those days John the Baptist came." (Matt 3/1) so, the
gospel begins with the story of John the Baptist, as it is in the
Gospels of Mark and John.

Moreover, his saying "In those days" does not refer to the two
preceding chapters as the end of the second chapter tells about
Herod killing the children after Jesus birth. It was at the time of the
childhood of both Jesus and John, who was six months older than
Jesus was. While the third chapter tells about John’s preaching –
when he was a young man - which means that there was deletion
before the third chapter, or it is the real beginning of the gospel. 2

Who is the real author of the Gospel According to


Matthew?

If Matthew was not the author of the gospel that bears his name,
who, then, was the real author?

In answering to this question, we say, the results of the western


studies proved that the writer of the gospel is not Matthew the
disciple. The real author, who might be one of Matthew students,
attributed it to Matthew since the second century.

1
- Saint Matthew, J. C. Fenton, pp136
2
- The Truth Revealed, Rahmatullah Al Hindi, Vol. 2 pp 538
True Guidance and Light series (2) (210)

Coleman and the commentators of the ecumenical translation tried to


identify some features of the original author. The author- as seen in
his gospel- is a Jewish Christian who linked the Torah with the life of
Jesus. He, as described by Coleman, wanted to cut his relation with
Judaism with the keenness to continue in the line of the Old
Testament. He is a Jewish author, who respects the Law, and by that
considered very far from Paul who does not respect the Law. The
author of the gospel said, "Therefore whoever relaxes one of
the least of these commandments and teaches others to do
the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven."
(Matt 5/19) 1

The solid proof that Matthew did not write the gospel is that many
scholars believe - as previously mentioned - that the gospel was
written after 70 C.E, the year in which Matthew died.
We wonder now where is the Gospel that Matthew wrote in the
second century, as mentioned by Papias.

To answer the question we say, Papias mentioned that Matthew


wrote and collected Jesus' sayings. However, what we see in the
gospel is a complete story of Jesus life, not a collection of his
sayings. Moreover, if it is proved that Matthew did not write this
gospel, it does not mean that he did not write another one. It is
important to mention that among the gospels that the church rejected
was “The Gospel of Matthew” and perhaps Papias meant that one.

What we have mentioned is not far from what the scholar Mayor
said, as he concluded his research saying that what Matthew wrote
was Jesus’ sayings, and was translated into Greek and edited later
to the form we have now. 2

Thus, scholars believe that there are many things prevent saying that
this gospel is the word of Allah (S.W.) and his inspiration. It is – as
the scholar Abu Zahra said - "A gospel written by unknown author.
We do not know when it was written, by which language, where it
was written and to whom. We do not know the character of its writer,
his knowledge of the religion and the two languages, the one from
which it was translated and the one was translated into, all these are
missing points in the scientific research." 3
1
- The Torah, The Gospel, the Quran and Science, Maurice Bucaille , pp 8 -12

2
- The Gospel According to Matthew, Matta Al Meskeen, pp 28
3
- Speeches on Christianity, Mohammad Abu Zahra, pp 54
(211) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

Second: The Gospel According to Mark

The second Gospel of the New Testament and Christians attribute it


to Mark.

Who is Mark? What do we know about the author of this Gospel? Is it


right to attribute it to Mark?

The Gospel according to Mark consists of sixteen chapters, telling


the story of Jesus since his baptism by John the Baptist until his
death and resurrection after his crucifixion.

It is the shortest among all the gospels, and the critics consider it - as
Wills said - the most accurate gospel that tells about Jesus’ life. The
critics agree that it was the first written gospel, and Matthew and
Luke had copied from it.

The authors of the book "Introduction to the Holy Bible" said,


“Perhaps the gospel of Mark is the oldest of the four gospels. It was
written between 65-70 AD, before the destruction of the temple of
Jerusalem. It seems that Matthew and Luke copied from the gospel
of Mark." 1

The German scholar Royce said: “This gospel is the original from
which Matthew and Luke have copied. It is the one and only gospel
that is called the Gospel of Christ, as it begins with "The

1
- Introduction to the Holy Bible, John Palkin and Others
True Guidance and Light series (2) (212)

beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God"


(Mark 1/1)

Christian sources claim that Mark wrote his gospel in Rome, or


maybe in Alexandria. It was written – According to many different
sources - between 39-75 C.E. It is more likely that it was written
between 44-75 C.E., based on the testimony of the historian
Irenaeus, who said: "Mark wrote a gospel after the death of Paul and
Peter."

The oldest mention of this gospel was by the historical Papias (140
C.E.) when he said, "Mark wrote his gospel based on memories
passed to him by Peter." 1
Who is Mark?

Researchers passed what the Christian resources mentioned about


Mark’s biography, which is in the Holy Bible’s dictionary. He was
called Mark, his real name was John, and he accompanied Barnabas
and Paul in their journey, and then left them and returned later to
accompany Paul.

The biographers agree that he was a translator to Peter, who had


something to do with this gospel. Josephus, the historian, mentioned
that Mark was the first to preach the gospel in Alexandria, where he
was killed.

Notes on the gospel of Mark

The researchers studied this gospel and its writer deeply, and they
have some notes:

Mark was not one of Jesus’ disciples, but was one of Paul and
Peter’s disciples. Dennis Nineham said in his explanation of the
Gospel of Mark (pg 39), "No one of that name is known to have been
in especially close relationship with our lord or to have been
particularly prominent in the early church."

There is another strong evidence by the historian Papias when he


said, "John the elder used to say: ‘Mark became a translator to
Peter, he wrote in details what Peter said. Yet, what he wrote was
1
- Critical study of the Gospel of Mark, Mohammad Abdulalim Abu Assaad, pp 265- 267, The Holy Bible
Dictionary pp 854
(213) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

not similar to what Jesus said or did, because he never met or heard
from Jesus, but – as I said- joined Peter, who formulated the
teachings of Jesus Christ to suit the listeners’ needs. He was not
making a story that is genuinely linked to or about Jesus to his
speeches."

Dennis Nineham said, (pg 39): "it is uncertain whether the author of
the gospel of Mark is John Mark, who is mentioned in the book of
acts (12/12, 25), or it was Mark who is mentioned in the first letter of
Peter (15/13), or Mark who is mentioned in the letters of Paul…
The early church was in the habit of assuming that all occurrences of
a given name in the New Testament referred to a single individual.
But when we remember that Mark (Marcus) was the commonest
Latin name in the Roman Empire and that the early church must
have contained innumerable Marks, we realize how precarious any
assumption of identity in this case."

The most important issue that had the researchers’ attentions about
this gospel is its end. The end of this gospel (16/9-20) is not in the
old important manuscripts such as codex Vaticanus and codex
Sinaiticus.

William Perkily said, “The famous end – in addition to its absence


from the originals – has a style of which its language is different from
the rest of the gospel.”

RahmatuAllah Alhindy quoted from Saint Jerome in the fifth century


that the early fathers doubted this end.

The Revised Standard Version considered it (suspicious) unreliable


passages and deleted it from its 1951 edition.

The introduction of the Gospel of Mark in the Jesuit Priesthood


edition says, "It is generally undeniable that the end as it is now
(16/9-20) was added to mitigate the end of the book from an abrupt
halt in verse 8."

Father Kissinger said about this end, "The last verses must have
been deleted when the gospel of Mark was received by the people
who adopted it. When the similar writings of Matthew, Luke and John
passed through, an end to the gospel of Mark was written from here
and there…that gives an idea on how freely the gospels were dealt
with."
True Guidance and Light series (2) (214)

Commented on this issue, Maurice Bucaille said, "What an obvious


confession that people made many alterations to the holy
passages."1

1
- The Truth Revealed, RahmatuAllah Al Hindi, Vol.1 pp 152, The Torah, The gospel and the Quran and
Science, Maurice Bucaille, pp 85- 86, Christ in the Christian Creed Resources, Ahmad Abdulwahab, pp 56
(215) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

Third: The Gospel According to Luke

It is the third and the longest gospel, and consists of twenty-four


chapters. The first two chapters tell about the prophet John and the
birth of Jesus. The rest of the chapters tell about the story of Jesus
until the Resurrection after the crucifixion.

The sources vary in determining the exact date of the writing of this
gospel; between 53-80 CE. The author of this gospel based his
writings on Mark; he copied three hundred and fifty passages from
Mark, and he copied as well from Matthew or he and Matthew copied
from the same source. 1

Who is Luke?

The church attributes this gospel to Luke, while the Christian


resources do not tell much about his biography. However, the church
agrees that he was not one of Jesus disciples, as it is seen from the
beginning of his gospel, "Inasmuch as many have undertaken
to compile a narrative of the things that have been
accomplished among us. just as those who from the
beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word
have delivered them to us." (Luke 1/1-2).

The resources agree also that he was not a Jew; he was a


companion of Paul that is mentioned in Colossians 4/14, and others,
and that he wrote his gospel for his friend Theophilus. "To write
an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus,
that you may have certainty concerning the things you
have been taught." (Luke 1/3-4).

Notes on the gospel according to Luke


Researchers noted many things in the Gospel according to Luke. the
most important are:

1- The beginning of the Gospel according to Mark speaks of a


personal letter, and it is based on his own work and not God’s
inspiration. Many of Christian scholars noted that, and they denied
that this gospel is an inspiration. Among them Mister Keadell, in his
book "Letter of inspiration", Watson and many of the old scholars.
1
- The Torah, The gospel and the Quran and Science, Maurice Bucaille, pp 87- 90, Christ in the Christian
Creed Resources, Ahmad Abdulwahab, pp 64 – 65, 150
True Guidance and Light series (2) (216)

Saint Augustine said, "I would have never believed in the gospel if I
did not take it from the holy church."

2- Many researchers doubted the first two chapters of this gospel. In


addition, this doubt – as told by Jerome - goes back to the early
fathers of the church, and the Marcion sect’s copy did not contain
these two chapters.

Scholars confirm that Luke did not write these two chapters, because
in the book of Acts he said, "In the first book, O Theophilus, I
have dealt with all that Jesus began." (Acts 1/1), means his
miracles, as proved by the completion of the passage "To do and
teach. Until the day when he was taken up." (Act 1/2) The first
two chapters talk about the birth of Jesus, not his deeds. Ward
Catholic quoted from Jerome his saying, “Some of the old scholars
doubted chapter twenty-two of this gospel”.

Thus, we see that there are four authors of this gospel, who took
turns in writing its passages and chapters.

3- The author's character is covered with uncertainty. No one knows


his town, his career, for whom did he write his gospel and the date of
writing. What we know that he was one of Paul's followers, and he
never met Jesus. How could one bring this book as evidence and
how can we consider his words holy?
(217) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

Fourth: The Gospel According to John

The fourth gospel is the Gospel according to John. It is the most


important and exciting of the gospels, as those who claim Jesus’
divinity refer to some of its passages as evidence.

This gospel consists of twenty-one chapters telling about Jesus in a


different way from the other three gospels. Scholars believe it was
written between. 68-98 C.E., and some said later. The church
attributed this gospel to John the fisherman.

Who is John the fisherman?

He is John the son of Zabdee, the fisherman from Galilee. He and


his brother Jacob followed Jesus; his mother as well was one of the
close people to Jesus. The editors of the bible dictionary think it is
likely that she was Jesus' aunt, the sister of Mary, Jesus' mother. He
lived until the end of the first century C.E., while the historian
Eranemous believes that he lived until 98 C.E. The church tells that
he wrote his gospel in Ephesus before his death.1

Christians evidence of the attribution of the gospel to


John

To support the attribution of the gospel to John, the church refers to


evidence of the editors of the Holy Bible’s dictionary. They are:

1- The author of the gospel was a Jewish from Palestine. That


appears from his knowledge of the geography of Palestine and
Jerusalem and the Jewish traditions, and appears from the
Greek style of the gospel, some Semitic effects.

2- The writer was one of Jesus disciples, and that appears from
using the plural form, mentioning in details Jesus deeds and
his disciples feelings. It appears from John (21/24) that the
author of this gospel was one of the disciples. "This is the
disciple who is bearing witness about these things,
and who has written these things, and we know that
his testimony is true." (John 21/24).

1
- The Holy Bible’s Dictionary, pp110 -111
True Guidance and Light series (2) (218)

3- The author of this gospel was the disciple whom Jesus loved;
that disciple was John himself." 1

This gospel was strongly opposed to be canonically recognized.


Therefore, Dr. Post went to defend it in the holy Bible’s dictionary
saying, "Some of the disbelievers denied the legality of this gospel,
because they hate its spiritual teachings and its clear statement
about Jesus’ divinity. However, its own testimony is enough. Peter
refers to a verse from this gospel (2 Peter 1/14, John 21/18), Ignatius
and Polycris quoted from it and as well the letters to Deukintis,
Basilos, Justin the martyr and Tainas. This evidence goes back to
the middle of the second century. Based on that evidence, and the
gospel of John, which agrees with what we know about John's
biography, we can say that John wrote this gospel. Otherwise its
writer is a very cunning and fraud person, and that is unbelievable,
because who intended to cheat the world could not be spiritual." 2

Nullifying the attribution of the gospel to John

Scholars tried their efforts to study the truth of attributing this gospel
to John, and knowing the real author. They denied the attribution of
the gospel to John the apostle based on:

1- There is an old denial of attributing the gospel to John. The


denial of this was by a number of Christian sects; among them
was the Alogen sect from the second century. The author of
the book "The God of Glory" said: "The deniers of the divinity
of Jesus Christ found that the Gospel of John is a major
obstacle and a stumbling stone in their way; as in the first
generations the heterodox refused John."

Encyclopedia Britain says: "There is a positive testimony for those


who criticize the gospel of John. It is that there was a sect of
Christians in Asia Minor refuses to recognize John as the author of
the gospel, in about 165 CE, and was attributed to Sirenthon (an
atheist), there is no doubt that this was a false attribution.

However, there is a question about this large sect. St. Ebivaniuos


(374 to 377 CE) saw that they worth talking about in long. He called
it “Alogi” (i.e., Opposition to the Gospel of the Word)

1
- The Holy Bible’s Dictionary, pp110 -111
2
- The Holy Bible’s Dictionary, pp110 -111
(219) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

If the attribution of the Gospel of John was above all suspicion,


would such a sect produce any of these theories in that era, and in
such country? Absolutely not."

An evidence of the wrong attribution of this gospel to John is that


Justin Martyr talked about John in the mid-second century, and did
not mention that he wrote a gospel. In addition, Philemon (165 CE)
quoted from the Gospel of John and he did not attributed to him.

The attribution of the gospel to John was denied in the presence of


Irenaeus, the disciple of Polycarp, who was a disciple of John.
However, Irenaeus did not defend the gospel of John, debate or
argue about that denial. It was unlikely that he had heard from
Polycarp that John had a gospel, and then he did not defend it. 1

Scholars continued to deny the attribution of this gospel to John for


ages. Among these testimonies what came in the French
Encyclopedia: "This gospel and other three chapters from the New
Testament are attributed to John. However, scientific researches in
theology do not support this attribution."

In his book "The Banner of the Cross and Twisting the Truth", the
Indian pastor Barakat Allah said, “Scholars do not believe any more
that John the son of Zabadie wrote the fourth gospel without doing
researches and study. Moreover, all the critics in general disagree
with this theory”.

Encyclopedia Britannica says: "Regarding the gospel of John, there


is no doubt that it is a false gospel. Its author wanted the two
apostles, Matthew and John, to oppose each other. We pity those
who try their efforts to link, even to a small degree, the philosopher,
who wrote this gospel in the second century with John the fisherman
from Galilee, because they are wasting their efforts; doing so without
any inkling of guidance”.2

1
- The Truth Revealed, Rahmatullah Al Hindi, Vol.1 pp 155- 156 , The difference between The Creator
and the Creation, Abdulrahman Baji Al Baghdadi, pp 560 -561
2
- . The difference between The Creator and the Creation, Abdulrahman Baji Al Baghdadi, pp 561, Christ
(PBUH) between facts and illusions, Mohammad Wasfi, pp 41- 42. Differences between the translations
of the Holy Bible, Ahmad Abdul Wahab, pp 87 -88.
True Guidance and Light series (2) (220)

Moreover, reading the gospel will show, with no doubt, that the
gospel itself nullifying its attribution to John, the disciple. It was
written in an Agnostic way; speaking about the Logos and Philo of
Alexandria's theory.

It is impossible that John, the fisherman, had written it, because, and
according to the Book of Acts, he was illiterate. "Now when they
saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that
they were uneducated, common men, they were
astonished." (Acts 4/13)

The conclusion of the gospel, "This is the disciple who is


bearing witness about these things, and who has written
these things, and we know that his testimony is true."
(John 21/24), which was an evidence for attributing the gospel to
John, is an evidence that attributing this gospel is John is not true, as
it speaks about John as a third person.

The scholar West believes that this passage was in the margin and
then was added to the text. It might be the words of the elders of
Ephesus, and bishop Gore supports him, as it is not found in Codex
Sinaiticus. The introduction of Jesuits priesthood says about this
passage and the passage that follows it: "They are additions
recognized by all the commentators".

In his book, "The four Gospels", the scholar Burnett Hillman Streeter
believes that, "The purpose of these additions to the text and to the
end of the gospel of John was to encourage and convince people to
believe that the author was John; a theory, which was denied by
some people in that era." 1

In addition, some historians, such as Charles Alfred and Robert


Easels and others, said that John died hanged in the year 44 C.E. by
Agrippa the first. Thus, he was not the author of the gospel, as this
gospel was written in the end of the first century or early in the
second century. 2

1
- The Holy Books between truth and alterations, Yahya Rabee, pp 155. What Is Christianity, Mohammad
Al Othmany, pp 150 – 152. Judaism and Christianity, Mohammad Dhia Al A’thamy, pp 329. Is the Bible
God’s Word, Ahmad Deedat, pp 79.
2
- Forgiveness between Islam and Christianity, Ibrahim Khalil Ahmad, pp 18. Christianity, Mustapha
Shaheen, pp 85.
(221) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

Who wrote the gospel of John?

If John was not the author of this gospel, then who is the real author?
In his introduction to this gospel, Pastor Fahem Aziz answers: "It is a
difficult question, and the answer needs broad study, which often
ends with the sentence, "only God knows who wrote this gospel".

There are some scholars tried to answer this question by determining


the characteristics of the author of the gospel, without mentioning a
certain name. Grant says, "He was a Christian and agnostic as well.
It is likely that he was not Jewish, but he was either Eastern or
Greek. That appears from him not being upset when he wrote about
the destruction of a Jewish city."

In the introduction of the gospel, we read that some of the critics "Do
not mention the name of the author, and describe him as a Christian,
who wrote in Greek in the end of the first century in the Asian
churches."

John Marsh, the commentator of the Gospel of John, said, (pg 81):
"it is likely that in the last ten years of the first century there was a
person called John. He could be John Marcus, not John the son of
Zabadi as it is commonly known. He collected a lot of information
about Jesus, he may know about one or more of the synoptic
gospels. Then he wrote Jesus' story in a new way, the way of his
sect, which considered itself international and was influenced by the
disciples of John the Baptist."

Scholar Ritchbunder said: "This gospel as a whole and the letters of


John as well, were not written by John. Someone wrote them at the
beginning of the second century and attributed them to John to make
the people believe in them”.
Stedline agrees with him. He believes that the author "Was a student
of the Alexandrian school." In his book "Tohfat Algel", Yousof Alkhory
said, "The author of the gospel is Proclos, the disciple of John”.

Scholars, such as James McKinnon and Burnett Hillman Streeter In


his book, "The four Gospels", believe that John is another one of
Jesus’ disciples, which is John the Wise. Irenaeus, who attributed
this gospel to John the son of Zabadi, was confused between the two
disciples.
True Guidance and Light series (2) (222)

In his book "The Testimony of the Gospel of John", George Elton


mentioned, that the author of this gospel is one of three: a student of
John the disciple, John the Elder (not the disciple), or an unknown
scholar from Ephesus.

Elton, who still considers the gospel of John holy, was not convinced,
because, "Whatever the theories about the author of this gospel,
what is clear to us is that the man who wrote it had the idea of a
Prophet. If one of his disciples wrote it, no doubt he was influenced
and filled with his spirit."

Scholars believe that there is more than one author for this gospel.
Among them Coleman, when he said, "Everything points out that the
present published text belongs to more than one author. The present
gospel might have been published by the students of the author, and
they might have added to it". The introduction to the Gospel of John
says the same.

All these prove that John the apostle did not write the Gospel of
John, and that the real author is unknown. It is not right to attribute
holiness and infallibility to an unknown author.

Regardless not knowing the author, and the impossibility of his


holiness, there are many problems about this gospel mentioned by
scholars. Among those problems:

This gospel is different from the other three gospels, although the
four gospels’ subject is the history and the life of Christ, peace be
upon him. The story of Christ is similar in the three synoptic gospels,
while it differs in the fourth gospel.
In his book "Introduction to the Gospel", Father Roget says, "It is
another world; it is different from the rest of the gospels in the
selection of topics, speeches, style, geography and history, and even
its theological vision".

These differences led him to present a very different image of Christ


from the three gospels, which some call “Synoptic” or "similar". In this
regard, Encyclopedia Americana says, "It is difficult to connect the
three gospels with this gospel, which means if the three gospels are
correct; this gospel has to be a false."
(223) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

In his book, "The Expanded Universe", and commenting on these


differences, Sir Arthur Findlay says, "The Gospel of John has no
worthy value to be mentioned regarding the true events. It seems
that its contents were from the writer's imagination”.

One of the problems about this gospel is that it was altered. The
story of the adulterous woman was added to it. (See John 8/1-11),
about which the introduction to Jesuit Priesthood said, "There is an
agreement that it was taken from unknown reference and had been
added later." This story has been omitted from the Revised Standard
Version, because it was regarded as an added statement to the
gospel." 1

In addition, many scholars believe that the author of the Gospel did
not write the last chapter. Crones Says, "The gospel consisted of
twenty chapters, and Ephesus’ church added the twenty-first chapter
after the death of John." 2

This is undeniable by the authors of the introduction of Jesuit


priesthood, as they believe that chapter twenty is the last chapter in
the Gospel, and chapter twenty-one was added to the gospel. They
say, "This chapter, which comes after 20/30-31, appears to be as an
index and its source still a subject of debate. This chapter might
have been added by some of John disciples."

Thus, we have come to a clear conclusion, that the attribution of the


four gospels to the Disciples of Christ "Raises difficulties of all kinds.
Today we look at the gospels as were written by unknown authors",3
and that is the truth.

1
- Readings in the Holy Bible, Abdurrahim Muhammad, Vol.2 pp 272. Christ’s Crucifixion, Ahmad
Deedat, pp 68. The Torah, the Gospel and the Quran and Science, Maurice Bucaille, pp 91. The Arabic
Joint Translation put these passages between two quotation marks and explains in the margin that they do
not exist in old codex, the Assyrian and the Latin translations.
2
- The Truth Revealed, Vol.1 pp 156
3
- Summary of the Religions’ History, Philsian Chali, pp 230, and he attributed it to the historian Mount in
his book “The History of the Holy Bible”, pp 156.
True Guidance and Light series (2) (224)
(225) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

Fifth: Epistles of the New Testament


Following the four gospels, there is a number of letters, namely, (The
Book of the Acts - the fourteen letters of Paul – Jacob Epistle – the
two Epistle of Peter, - the three Epistles of John – the Epistle of
Judah - Revelation).

First: The Book of Acts


This book consists of twenty-eight chapters, talking about the work
done by the Apostles and the disciples. It is attributed to Luke, the
author of the third gospel, as its beginning says, "In the first
book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began
to do…." (Acts 1/1)

Second: The Letters of Paul

These fourteen letters are attributed to Saint Paul, and they are full of
passages that show that he was the author. These letters were also
written as personal letters; they are not theological in nature, but
personal letters with introductions and conclusions.

There is no agreement on the authenticity of attributing these letters


to Paul, as some scholars tend to believe that some of his disciples
wrote four of these letters twenty years after his death, according to
the Encyclopedia Britannica.

In his commentary on the Gospel of John, Argon doubts all the


letters of Paul. He says, "Paul wrote nothing to the churches, he only
wrote two or four lines."

The conflict about the letter to the Hebrews was the most. While the
Eastern Church attributes it to Paul, Luther attributes it to Apollos.
Tertullian, the historian of the second century CE, said, "It was
written by Barnabas". Ragus, (A Protestant scholar), said, "Some of
the protestant scholars believe in the falsity of the letter to the
Hebrews." 1

1
- The Truth Revealed, Rahmatullah Al Hindi, Vol.1 pp 163- 165 , The difference between The Creator
and the Creation, Abdulrahman Baji Al Baghdadi, pp 306. Judaism and Christianity, Mohammad Dhia Al
A’thamy, pp 325 – 327. The Holy Bible’s Dictionary, pp599
True Guidance and Light series (2) (226)

The introduction of Jesuit Priesthood says, "There is no doubt that


there are many evidence against the authenticity of attributing the
letter to Paul. One may believe that one of Paul’s friends wrote it, but
there is no way to find the name of the writer. We must eventually
testify that we do not know the name of the writer."

The authors of "Introduction to the Holy Bible" say, "We simply do


not know who the author was, although the letter ends with warm
greetings; it does not have a title. However, the general assumption
is that Paul is the one who wrote it. The writer might be Barnabas the
(Acts 4/36), who must have known everything about the priests and
their work. A third possibility is that Luke was the writer, because of
the similarity of style between Hebrews, the Gospel of Luke and the
Book of Acts. There is a fourth possibility is that Apollos was the
writer, who knew Timothy very well (13/23). (Acts 18/24) tells us that
Apollos was good in writing and fluent in speaking, and the person
who wrote this letter was like that. There are many other possibilities,
and finally we should say that no one knows who wrote this letter." 1

Father Oreganos agreed with that final statement when he said,


"God knows who really wrote this letter. Some of the earlier people
said: Clements, the bishop of Rome, did, and the others said: it was
written by Luke." 2

Third: The Catholic Epistles and Revelation

Those letters are seven, three attributed to John, two to Peter, one to
Judah and one to Jacob, Then, the last book of the New Testament:
Revelation. Scholars attributed these letters to people whom they
believe are among the twelve disciples of Jesus.

Peter was a fisherman from the village of Nahom, known as Simon.


Scholars believe that he was one of the disciples of John the Baptist
before he accompanied Christ and be the best of his disciples. He
preached in Antioch and others, and then he was killed in Rome in
the mid-first century C.E.
Jacob was the son of Zabadi the fisherman – a brother of John the
evangelist - and was close to Christ. He led the council of Jerusalem
in 34 C.E., and was killed by Agrippa the first, most likely in 44 C.E.

1
- An Introduction to the Holy Bible, John Balkan and others, pp 556
2
- The History of the Church, Eusebius, pp 276
(227) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

Others say, "The Jews killed him when they threw him from the
temple and stoned him in 62 C.E.”

Regarding Judah, the sources tell nothing about him except that
whether or not he was the younger brother of Jacob, means the son
of Zabadi, or he was the disciple Lebous, who was known as
Thaddaeus? Still, some say he is another Judah. 1

These letters are educational by its contents, personal by its style;


often mention the name of its author in its introduction. However, the
attribution of these letters was the subject of long debate in the first
centuries of Christianity. What we have mentioned about the letter to
the Hebrews applies to most of them. It was until the mid-fourth
century C.E. that the second letter of Peter, the second and third
letters of John, the two letters of Jacob, Judah, and the book of
Revelation, which was the subject of much controversy prior to
approval, were recognized.

The book of Revelation contains wired dream that aims to confirm


Christ’s divinity, his power in heavens, and the submission of the
angels to him, as well as some future predictions that were
formulated in a symbolic and ambiguous way. John saw this vision in
his dream and it is twenty-seven pages! These kinds of dreams are
strange and far from reality.

The earlier fathers of the church doubted this book. Kees Brisbter
(212 CE) said, "The book of Revelation was written by Sirenthon the
atheist", the same was said by Dionysius; one of the ancient
scholars.

Dionysius, the head of Alexandria School in 250 CE, relates, from


some previous scholars that they studied all the chapters of the book
of Revelation, and found it, "With no meaning or evidence, it is a
false title. Was not written by John… was not written by any of the
disciples, the priests or the men of the church. Corinthius, the
founder of the so-called Corinthians sect, wanted to support his
fictional story and attributed the book to John".
Corinthius believed that Christ is the king of the earth, which is
consistent with the idea of the book about the events of the earth’s
last days.
1
- The Holy Bible Dictionary, pp 174 -176, 1075. How Evangelists think about the basics of the Christian
Faith, Wayne Gerdom, pp 46.
True Guidance and Light series (2) (228)

Dionysius, the great author, was not convinced by the achievements


of his former scholars. He studied the book and concluded that, "The
book was written by a person named John, a saint inspired by the
Holy Spirit, but I can not believe that he was the disciple the son
Zabadi, the author of the Gospel of John and the letters. I think there
were many people of the same names as of the Apostle John." 1

Luther said, "The book does not teach about Jesus; does not
mention him clearly, and it is not clear that it was inspired by the
Holy Spirit." His successor, the reformer Zwingli said, "We have
nothing to do with the book of Revelation, because it is not a
religious book, it is unlike John's writings and I can reject it." The
interpreter Barkley comments: "Many have agreed with Luther and
Zwingli."

It was quoted that some interpreters said, "The number of puzzles in


the book of Revelation is as the number of its words”, and another
said, “The study of the book of Revelation makes one crazy, or, who
is trying to study it is a fool”.

The introduction to this book in the Jesuit Priesthood Edition says,


"The book of John tells us nothing about its writer, he had called
himself John, gave himself the title as a prophet and he never
mentioned that he is one of the twelve disciples. There is a text that
might be true, it was found in the second century, and it stated that
the writer of Revelation was John the Apostle. However, there is no
agreement on that in the old tradition, and the source of Revelation
has remained subject to doubt. The views of scholars in our time are
complex; some confirm that the differences in construction,
environment and theological thinking make it difficult to attribute
Revelation and the Fourth Gospel to one writer.

Other scholars disagree with them ... They believe that there is a
relation between the book of Revelation and the Gospel and that the
prophet being taught by teachers belonging to John environment in
Ephesus."
In the introduction to his commentary on Revelation, the interpreter
William Barclay said, "It is unlikely that the writer was an apostle, if
he was, he would stress more on this fact than being a prophet. In

1
- The Church History, Eusebius, pp 329 -331
(229) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

addition, he speaks of the apostles, as he never knew them. This is


a way of a person chronicling the time of the Apostles, and the title of
the book suggests this idea, it is "The vision of John the theologian".
It is likely that the title, “the theologian" which means a person, who
knows theology, has been added to the name of John the writer to
distinguish him from John the Apostle.

Eusebius, the father of the church’s history, said, "It is likely to be


that the second John was the one who saw the vision that attributed
to John, if no one wants to believe that the first John [the disciple]
has seen it." 1
Thus, there is no evidence that John wrote the book and the most
that we could say that that unknown writers taught by John in
Ephesus wrote it.

Scholars mentioned the denial of the attribution of the Catholic


Epistles, such as Horn denial, and that he argued that their originals
do not exist in the ancient Syriac translation.

Eusebius said, "Everyone accepted without controversy our known


books, except for the letter to the Hebrews, the letter of Jacob, the
letter of Judah, the second letter of Peter, Revelation, and the
second and third letters of John. The public had accepted them, but
some doubted. The two Letters of John are personal letters and it is
difficult to prove its authenticity”. 2

Regarding the letter of Jacob, he said, "The letter is disputed, or at


least not many of the earlier scholars mentioned it in their writings,
as is the case in the letter of Judah, and yet we know that these
letters were read, along with the rest of the book, publicly in many
churches." 3

Regarding the letter of Judah, the scholar Krutis mentioned in his


book "The History of the Bible", "This is the letter of Judah, who was
the fifteenth of the Archbishops of Jerusalem in the era of Ed Dane,"
Making the letter of Judah as the work of a bishop lived in the second
century C.E.

1
- The New Testament Commentary, William Barclay, pp 9.
2
- The Church History, Eusebius, pp 145
3
- ibid, pp 88
True Guidance and Light series (2) (230)

The Syriac church does not recognize, even now, the second letter
of Peter, and the second and third letters of John, Escalger said,
“He, who wrote the second letter of Peter had wasted his time”.

Regarding the author of the second letter of Peter, the introduction of


Jesuit priesthood said, "The opinion that the author of the letter is
Simon Peter is still a subject of debate, which raises a lot of trouble.
There is no need to mention the references, where the writer told of
his life, in which he said that he is Peter the Apostle, [i.e., the
unknown author was lying when he claimed that he was Peter]. it is a
kind of literature known as Wills. It does not seem that the writer
belongs to the first generation of Christians. Since the date of such
letter, imbued with the Jewish Christian traditions, cannot be
delayed, we can suggest that it was written in about 125 C.E., which
proves that Peter did not write it.

The applied interpretation of the Holy Bible said about this letter, "We
are not sure when this letter was written or who wrote it and the
subject of the author is controversial. Thus, the second letter of Peter
was the last book to be included to the New Testament”.

In the Church History, Eusebius, the father of the Church history,


said, "We found that his second letter is not within the legal books,
nevertheless it is proved useful to many, has been used with other
books. What I know is that there is only one legal letter and is
recognized by earlier scholars”.

The introduction of Jesuit priesthood says about their legality, "Both


this letter and the book of Revelation were in the New Testament,
which was the most difficult book to be recognized, it entered the
church slowly. Not recognized in most churches, until the fifth
century and recognized in Syria in the sixth century."

We conclude with what Dr. William Barclay, a Professor of the New


Testament in University of Glasgow, said. He said, "Martin Luther
refused to give this book (Revelation) a place in the New Testament,
and added it to other books, which are the letters of Jacob, the letters
of Peter, the letters of Judah, the second letter of Peter and the letter
to the Hebrews. He suggested putting Revelation at the end of the
New Testament." 1

1
- The New Teastament Commentary, William Barclay, pp 9
(231) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

Ancient Pagan Sources of the New Testament

The ancient pagan was an important reference for the evangelist in


forming their stories about Christ, especially those parts, of which
they have not witnessed, such as those relating to his birth, his
claimed crucifixion or his alleged trial.
True Guidance and Light series (2) (232)

Scholars mentioned many similarities between the stories of the


gospels and the stories of the ancient pagans - which preceded the
existence of Christianity many centuries of – about their gods.

The emergence of the stars at the birth of the gods

Matthew spoke about the birth of Christ. He said, "Now after


Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of
Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to
Jerusalem. saying, "Where is he who has been born king
of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have
come to worship him… After listening to the king, they
went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen
when it rose went before them until it came to rest over
the place where the child was.. And going into the house
they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell
down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures,
they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.
(Matt 2/1-11).
The story of Matthew is similar to what the Buddhist say about
Buddha. In his book "The Angel Christ", Benson said, “It is stated in
the Buddhist holy books that the skies announced the birth of
Buddha by a bright star appeared in heavens, and they call it in
these books the" Star of Christ". The historian Bail said the same.

In his book, "The Chinese history", Thornton relates that at the birth
of “Yu”, who was born from a virgin, a star appeared in the sky, and
the same happened at the birth of the Chinese wise, Lautze.

In his book, "The life of Christ", Pastor Geeks said, "Extraordinary


events were common, especially during the birth or the death of one
of the great men, and was referred to by the appearance of a star or
a comet, or by contacts between the celestial bodies" 1

Gifts to the born gods

Matthew speaks, in the context of the story of the Magi, about the
gifts of the Magi to the new born. "And going into the house
they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell
1
- Paganism in Christianity, Mohammad Tahir At Tenneer, pp 65 -85. Christianity, Ahmad Shalabi, pp
153
(233) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures,


they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.
(Matt 2/10-11).

It is also known among the ancient pagans that when Krishna was
born, and the shepherds knew of his birth, they gave him gifts from
the timber, barge and perfumes. Likewise, the wise men did at the
birth of Buddha.

In addition, Mithra, the savior, to whom the wise men of the magi had
given gifts of gold and perfumes. The same did the Magi at the birth
of Socrates (469 B.C.E.); three of them came from the east, and
gave him gifts of gold, perfume and food.

The divine Joy for the birth of the God

Luke mentioned that the angels were very happy for the birth of
Christ. "And in the same region there were shepherds out
in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And
an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of
the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with
fear. And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I
bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the
people…And suddenly there was with the angel a
multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among
those with whom he is pleased!" (Luke 2/8-14).

The ancient pagan told about that prior to Luke, and it is stated in the
book "Fishno Burana".
"The virgin Devaki was pregnant of the world guardian and glory of
the gods. On the day of her delivery was full of joy, the universe was
full of light, the gods in sky were happy and the spirits were singing
when the helper was born. The clouds were happy too and it started
to rain flowers.

Buddhists believe the same, as the historian "Fu Neb honk" quoted.
"The spirits, which surrounded the virgin Maya and her son, the
savior, started to pray and sing, "Glory to you Queen, be happy,
because the child you conceived is holy."
True Guidance and Light series (2) (234)

This is close to what the Egyptians say, about the birth of "Osoris,"
and the Chinese in the "Confucius", as S. Francis mentioned and
Bounwick in his book “Egyptians belief” quoted. The same was
mentioned about some other nations.

Places of birth of the gods

The Gospel according to Luke says that Christ was born in a


manger, (see Luke 2:16), the ancient pagan tell the same. Krishna,
as they said, was also born in a cave, and after his birth was put in a
manger, where a good shepherd raised him. Huat ze, the Son of
Heaven to the Chinese, his mother left him when he was small, and
cows and sheep surrounded and protected him from all evil.

Christ experience of fasting

The Gospel according to Matthew talks about Satan testing Christ for
forty days. "And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he
was hungry." (Matt 4/2) The same also was told about Buddha in
China and about Zoroster with the Magi and other gods in the pagan
nation.

In his book, "The fasting life of Buddha", Monsieur Connery said,


"The great Buddha exhausted himself to the point of not eating or
breathing. Prince Mara (the prince of the devils) passed by and
meant to test Buddha." 1
The resurrection of the gods and their rights for
judgment

The New Testament writers speak of Christ’s judgment of humans.


The Gospel according to John says, "And he has given him
authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of
Man." (John 5/27)

This is also a pagan belief. Historians have talked about the


Egyptians belief of their savior’s resurrection after death, and that he
would be the one who rewards or punish the dead on the Judgment
Day.

1
- Paganism in Christianity, Mohammad Tahir At Tenneer, pp 97 – 98. Honest Discussion between the
Worshipper of Allah, and the Worshipper of Christ, Abdul Wadoud Shalabi, pp 43 - 46.
(235) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

They mentioned in their legends that Osoris was a just ruler. His
brother betrayed him and killed him, and distributed his body’s parts
to the provinces of Egypt. His widow Isis gathered his body’s parts
from here and there, while she filled the world weeping and crying.
Then, a light came from the sky; the dead limbs of the body were
joined. He went to the sky holding the scale of justice and mercy.

The Indians think that their god, Krishna, is a savior. Pastor George
Cox said, "They describe Krishna as a soft-hearted hero, who is full
of divinity, because he sacrificed himself. They believe that no one
can do what he did."

The historian Doan said, "Indians believe that Krishna, the first born,
who is the same god Fishno, which has no end or beginning - as
they believe - was kind and saved the Earth from its burdens. He
came and sacrificed himself to save the people." Scholar Hawk also
said the same. 1

There is an important question: How do Christians explain this


correspondence between their beliefs and the old pagans’ beliefs,
which made Christianity an altered version of these religions?

Many claimed that these religions took their beliefs from Christianity,
but these religions existed centuries before Christianity.
The Manuscripts and the fossils, which recorded their beliefs, are
much older than Christianity and its gospels.

Therefore, Christians have to admit that the writers of the New


Testament took from the legends of the old previous pagans, or
escape to a world of secrets and darkness, where no reasoning or
evidence, and the myth take control.

Father James Ted, a lecturer at the University of Oxford said about


this similarity, "It is a divine secret, beyond the minds of the human
beings, and could not be interpreted as the interpretation and
perception of these humans. 2

1
- Paganism in Christianity, Mohammad Tahir At Tenneer, pp 29 – 32. Readings in the Holy Bible, Abdur
Rahim Muhammad, Vol.2, pp 238-239
2
- Honest Discussion between the Worshipper of Allah, and the Worshipper of Christ, Abdul Wadoud
Shalabi, pp 41
True Guidance and Light series (2) (236)

Allah (S.W.) is right when he says about Christians: “That is a


saying from their mouth; (in this) they but imitate what the
unbelievers of old used to say”. (Holy Quran, At -Tawba: 30)

Allah (S.W.) has warned them not to be like the unbelievers. He


(S.W.) says, “Say: "O people of the Book! exceed not in your
religion the bounds (of what is proper), trespassing beyond the
truth, nor follow the vain desires of people who went wrong in
times gone by,- who misled many, and strayed (themselves)
from the even way”. (Holy Quran, Al-ma’ida: 77)
(237) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

The Gospel of Christ (PBUH)

If human wrote these gospels and letters, and if the writers did not
claim that they were writings the words of God, how did these
writings have become sacred and divine, and where is the gospel,
which Allah (S.W.) revealed to Jesus, in which Muslims believe?

The True Gospel: the Gospel of Christ

Scholars wondered for long about the gospel of Christ, which Allah
(S.W.) revealed to Jesus, in which Muslims believe and is mentioned
often in the gospels. However, the Christian answer is absolute
silence and ignorance of the existence of this Gospel. They believe
that the gospel, or the New Testament, starts when the apostles
begin to write the letters and the Gospels.

Paul’s letters, which were written in the second half of the first
century, speak in many passages about the gospel of Christ, but
they did not mention the four Gospels. Paul – who has fourteen
letters in the New Testament, was killed in 62 C.E., while Mark wrote
the first Gospel in 65 C.E. Dozens of gospels were written after that,
which also refer to the gospel of Christ (PBUH) or the Gospel of God.

Passages talk about the Gospel of Christ

Paul then the Evangelists spoke about the Gospel of Christ in many
Passages. Paul said, "I am astonished that you are so
quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of
Christ and are turning to a different gospel… but there are
some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of
Christ." (Gal 1/6-8). He talked about a real gospel, of which people
left and turned to another false gospel.

Warning them, he said, "On those who do not obey the gospel
of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of
eternal destruction." (Thessalonians (2) 1/8-9)

The four gospels mentioned a real gospel. When the woman poured
perfume at Jesus’ (PBUH) feet, he said, "Truly, I say to you,
wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world,
True Guidance and Light series (2) (238)

what she has done will also be told in memory of her."


(Matt 26/13) No doubt, he did not mean the gospel of Matthew, which
Matthew wrote years after this story.

The Gospel according to Mark says, "For whoever would save


his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake
and the gospel's will save it." (Mark 8/35).

It is noticeable that these passages speak of one gospel, not four


gospels or the seventy gospels, which the church had rejected. The
passages call this gospel the Gospel of God, and the Gospel of
Christ.

The text called Allah’s (S.W.) inspiration to Christ (the Word of God).
People crowded upon the shore of the lake to hear the word God.
"On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him
to hear the word of God." (Luke 5/1)

The same when he (PBUH) entered the village of Nahom. "And


many were gathered together, so that there was no more
room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the
word to them." (Mark 2/2). That divine speech, which people
crowded to hear, was the gospel that Muslims believe. It is the word
of Allah (S.W.) to Christ (PBUH), which the Holy Quran calls “Injeel”-
the Gospel.

Christians avoid acknowledging the existence of a real gospel - the


gospel of Christ. They said that nothing was revealed to Christ. The
gospel is his personal words, which the Evangelists quoted from him.
This of course is consistent with their belief about Christ’s divinity. It
is proper that God would receive a book; this is for prophets.

Their claim is disproved by the text that spoke about Allah’s (S.W.)
inspiration to him (PBUH). "I speak of what I have seen with
my Father." (John 8/38). He (PBUH) also assured that he received
revelation and inspiration from Allah (S.W.). He said, "For I have
not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent
me has himself given me a commandment--what to say
and what to speak. And I know that his commandment is
eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has
told me." (John 12/49-50), and he said, "But speak just as the
Father taught me." (John 8/28).
(239) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

John the Baptist (PBUH) called Allah’s (S.W.) words to Jesus, ‘the
testimony’; and he predicted that many people of Israel well refuse it.
He said, "He who comes from above is above all. He bears
witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives
his testimony. Whoever receives his testimony sets his
seal to this, that God is true. For he whom God has sent
utters the words of God." (John 3/31-34).

In other texts, Jesus said that he received revelation like all prophets;
his disciples believed in him as a messenger and believed what he
said to them is the word of Allah (S.W.). He said, "And they have
kept your word. Now they know that everything that you
have given me is from you. For I have given them the
words that you gave me, and they have received them and
have come to know in truth that I came from you; and
they have believed that you sent me." (John 17/6-8).

Thus, when his mother and his brothers came to him and stood at his
door, he turned away from them and went to his disciples, who
listened to Allah’s (S.W.) words and followed. "But he answered
them, "My mother and my brothers are those who hear
the word of God and do it." (Luke 8/21). Allah’s (S.W.) words are
not just good news, in which people believe - as some claim that the
gospel is the good news of his salvation - but deeds.

To confirm Allah’s (S.W.) revelation to him, he (PBUH) said,


“Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And
the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who
sent me." (John 14/24). This inspiration will be the judge in the
Judgment Day. "The one who rejects me and does not receive
my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will
judge him on the last day. For I have not spoken on my
own authority." (John 12/48-49).

The Gospel of Christ is what Muslims believe to be Allah’s (S.W.)


words to Jesus Christ (PBUH), and which we miss today and long to
see, but unfortunately, it was lost during persecution and the
difficulties that Christianity faced during the first centuries.
True Guidance and Light series (2) (240)

The Documentation and the Canonism of the New


Testament

New questions come to mind: How did the gospels appear after the
disappearance of the gospel of Christ, Who wrote them, and in what
conditions were they written?

Answering these questions, we say, some of the Christian historians


agree that they were verbal stories and statements. Those
statements were formulated later to become written texts to meet the
needs of the emerging Christian church. It is sufficient to mention
what Joachim Iremia said in his book, "Christ's words that are not in
the Gospels", which published by the Egyptian Church. He said, " we
should bear in mind two key facts about the gospels and its writing:
that for a long time, all known traditions about Jesus were all oral
statements, and they continued the same for about thirty-five years
after Jesus. The situation did not change until Nero's persecution of
Christians. Then the elders of the church met, in the fall of 64 C.E.,
and found that many of the best men of the church had been lost.
They did not find except John, who was known as Mark, a colleague
of Peter the Apostle in service, to record as much as he can
remember from the teachings of Christ. Mark wrote his short gospel,
which carried his name, and it was the oldest written story about the
life of Christ.

The second fact is that Mark’s story about Jesus and his sayings,
made others to do like him, and other gospels came out…There
were a considerable number of gospels. When the Church sensed
the danger of the situation, it began to investigate the foundations of
these four known gospels, and considered the rest as Apocrypha,
which were collected and burned, until they disappeared."

Speaking about the history of the documentation of the New


Testament, the introduction of the Jesuit priesthood says, "The
Gospel of Mark might be written in the years 65-70 C.E. The
Gospels of Matthew and Luke do not reflect the same environments,
as they were sent to other places, and were written ten to twenty five
years after the Gospel of Mark".
(241) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

In the mid-second century, there was a movement of collecting a


sacred Christian book as the one of the Jews. That movement had
resulted in the books we have in the New Testament. The French
introduction to the New Testament says, "Early Christians did not
realize the need to write about and keep the deeds of the apostles
until the death of the last Apostles”.

It seems that Christians, until the year 150 C.E., progressed slowly
to establishing a new set of holy books. Most likely, they started by
collecting the letters of Paul, and used them in their church; their
purpose was never to add a new chapter to the Holy Bible.
Regardless of the importance of those texts, there is no written
testimony before the second century (Peter 2/ 3-16), to prove that
people knew a group of written Evangelical texts. There is no
mention that these texts had the necessity criteria. That appeared
only in the second half of the second century. We can say that the
four gospels were legally accepted in 170 C.E., even though this
term was not used until then.

It is important to mention what happened between the year 150 and


year 200, as the Book of Acts was gradually accepted, and there
was an agreement on the first letter of John… There is a large
number of works that some fathers mention them as legal books,
while others consider them as beneficial readings. There were some
other books, which were considered as part of the Holy Bible, and
part of the Law. However, they did not last as such for long; they
were eventually removed from the law. This had happened to the
Shepherd of Hermas, the Didache, the first Epistle of Clement, the
Epistle of Barnabas, and the Apocalypse of Peter. 1

We can summaries what the New Testament’s Introduction


mentioned, as that, the collection of the gospels began after the
death of the most important disciples, and had been accepted in the
mid-second century. Marcion, assisted in the formation of the New
Testament in the year 160 C.E., when he called for the rejection of
the Old Testament, and needed to provide his church with other holy
books.
His followers contributed in the spreading of these Gospels. He
collected a gospel during his time, and that was the beginning of the
1
- Readings in the Holy Bible, Abdur Rahim Muhammad, Vol.2, pp 268-269. Christ in the Christian
Creeds Resources, Ahmad Abdul Wahab, pp 33 -35
True Guidance and Light series (2) (242)

New Testament.

The church historians agreed that the four gospels and the letters of
Paul were accepted towards the end of second century. The first
historian that mentioned the four gospels was Irenaeus in the year
200 C.E. Then Clement, who mentioned them, defended them and
consider them necessary to be accepted.

In his book, " Dissertation upon Irenaeus ", Dr. Dodwell said, “We
have at this day certain that most authentic ecclesiastical writers of
the times, as Clemens Romanus, Barnabas, Hermas, Ignatius, and
Polycarp, who wrote in the order wherein I have named them, and
after all the writers of the New Testament. But in Hermas you will not
find one passage or any mention of the New Testament, nor in all
the rest of any one of the Evangelists named”.

Justin Martyr, the most eminent of the early Fathers, wrote about the
middle of the second century about the divinity of Christ. He used
more than three hundred quotations from the books of the Old
Testament, and nearly one hundred from the Apocryphal books of
the New Testament, but not even one from the four gospels.

In his book, "Christian records" (pp 71), Rev. Dr. Giles said, "The
very names of the Evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, are
never mentioned by him [Justin] – and do not occur once in all his
writings”. The rest of the books of the New Testament remained
subject of disputes between churches throughout the third century.
Few of the books were accepted in Eastern churches, as the letter to
the Hebrews, while the followers of the Western churches rejected it,
and accepted the book of revelation. 1

Thus, persecutions caused the loss of the gospel of Christ, and the
need made the church to come up with new gospels and letters
known in the mid-second century C.E. Then, the churches adopted
them in different ranks of holiness. The disagreement remained for
centuries, until the sixth century C.E, when this book was regarded
as a Holy Book. People wrote it and people regarded it as holy and
the word of Allah (S.W.). It is manmade, and man made it Holy Book.
The Gospels’ Errors

1
- The Truth Revealed, Rahmatullah Al Hindi, Vol.2 pp 381
(243) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

Any human work is subject to errors, and such are the gospels. They
are full of errors, which confirmed by history and reality. These errors
in the book make it impossible to be holy, and convert its inspiration’s
claim into a mirage. The errors in the gospels are many, they are in
many types; the Holy Book disprove some as wrong or lies, the mind
and reasoning disprove some, while history and reality disprove
others.

First: errors evidenced by the holy books

How far are these passages from honoring God and his prophets!
The book of Revelation tells about the vision of John, when he saw
the son of God setting on his throne in the form of a sheep that has
seven horns and seven eyes, Allah the Almighty is very much above
that. The author said," And between the throne and the four
living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb
standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns
and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God
sent out into all the earth." (Rev 5/6).

The passage continues to speak of those standing in front of him.


"Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve
him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the
throne will shelter them with his presence. They shall
hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not
strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the
midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will
guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe
away every tear from their eyes. (Rev 7/15-17).

The text reveals who is sitting on the throne in the form of sheep that
was God the Son, the second god of Trinity. He said, "They will
make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them,
for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with
him are called and chosen and faithful." (Rev 17/14).

The text of John goes to recall that the crowd, which was before the
throne of God, called of the salvation of God and the sheep.
"From every nation, from all tribes and peoples and
languages, standing before the throne and before the
Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their
hands, and crying out with a loud voice, "Salvation
True Guidance and Light series (2) (244)

belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the


Lamb!" And all the angels were standing around the
throne and around the elders and the four living
creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne
and worshiped God, saying, "Amen!" (Rev 9/12).

Does God need salvation and from whom, and who will save him? Is
there no better way to refer to the worshiped Almighty God?

The New Testament speaks of God foolishness and weakness, but


his foolishness is wiser than the wisdom of men, and his weakness is
stronger than the strength of men. In this regard, Paul said, "For
the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the
weakness of God is stronger than men." (Co (1) 1/25). There
is no way to accept to say that God Almighty has weakness or
ignorance, He (S.W.) is the Almighty, the Wise and the Omniscient.

Paul – or more precisely, the unknown writer of Hebrews - insulted


God's book and Law and describe it as old. This cannot be in the
book of God, or in what He reveals to His prophets, whose tasks
were to confirm and glorify His revelation and words. Paul said, "A
former commandment is set aside because of its weakness
and uselessness. (for the law made nothing perfect); but
on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through
which we draw near to God." (Heb 7/18-19)

He said about the Torah, which God revealed to Moses, "And


what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to
vanish away." (Heb 8/13) He also said, "For if that first
covenant had been faultless, there would have been no
occasion to look for a second." (Heb 8/7)
Ignoring all the books, which prohibit some food (see Lev 11:1-47)
and considering them as Jewish myths and wills of the apostates,
Paul said, "Not devoting themselves to Jewish myths and
the commands of people who turn away from the truth. To
the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and
unbelieving, nothing is pure." (Tit 1/14-15)

This is what Paul and the unknown writer of Hebrews said about
God’s Law, which is described in the Psalms as, “The law of the
LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the
LORD is sure, making wise the simple. the precepts of the
(245) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of


the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes." (Psalms 19/7-8)

The New Testament attribute to Jesus insulting his prophets


brothers, describing them as thieves and accusing them of not
guiding their people. John said, “So Jesus again said to them,
"Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All
who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the
sheep did not listen to them. .. The thief comes only to steal
and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and
have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good
shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a
hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the
sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees,
and the wolf snatches them and scatters them." (John 10/7-
12)

It is impossible that God Almighty would say such things about


himself in his books or to his messengers.

Loss of points, even characters from the law

Trying to strengthen the Old Testament's authenticity, the evangelists


attributed to Jesus that he said, "But it is easier for heaven and
earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become
void." (Luke 16/17). In addition, that he said in Matthew "For
truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not
an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is
accomplished." (Matt 5/18). Are these statements true, or that
there are words, lines and even books, have been lost from the Law?

Many Examples have been cited about those lost words in the first
book of this series. Thus, I will present only three examples, leaving
it to the decent reader to consider such a text. These examples
prove that the above statements are not the Word of God or the
words of his prophet Christ, but some additions written by those
writers and falsely attributed to God.

Among the evidence of the shortage and the loss of points and
characters from the Law, what we find stated in the book of
Chronicles. "The sons of Ezra: Jether, Mered, Epher, and
True Guidance and Light series (2) (246)

Jalon ***** and she conceived and bore Miriam, Shammai,


and Ishbah, the father of Eshtemoa." (1Ch 4/17).

It did not mention the rest of Ezra’s children neither the one who
conceived Mary and her sisters, and the typists put only five stars
instead to draw attention to the loss in the text.

To see more of the Bible’s stars See (Ch (2) 36/23), (Ezr 1/3), (Ezr
6/5-6), (Samuel (2) 5/8), (Eze 22/43), (Kings (2) 5/6) and (Zechariah
6/15), and many others that are too many to mention.

The loss and fallout extend to include books containing thousands of


points and letters, as the Book of Wars of the Lord, which mentioned
in the Book of numbers, as it said, "Wherefore it is said in the
Book of the Wars of the LORD, "Waheb in Suphah, and the
valleys of the Arnon." (Num 21/14) This book cannot be found,
as well as the book of Nathan the prophet, the prophecy of Ahijah the
Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo, which are mentioned in the book
of Chronicles. it said: "are they not written in the history of
Nathan the prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah the
Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer." (Ch (2) 9/29).

To see more of these missing letters and books, see (Josh10/3),


(Samuel (2) 1/18), (Ch (1) 29/29), (Ch (2) 12/15), (Kings (1) 4/13-32)
and many more

All these are evidence of the loss of words and letters of the Law, as
the heavens and the earth and their survival are witnesses of Christ's
innocence from what the Evangelists attributed to him.

Matthew, wrongly, referring to the Book of Jeremiah

In a prophecy told by Matthew, he made a mistake when he quoted


from the Torah. Matthew said, "Then when Judas, his betrayer,
saw that Jesus was condemned, he changed his mind and
brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests
and the elders…And throwing down the pieces of silver
into the temple, he departed….But the chief priests, taking
the pieces of silver, said, "It is not lawful to put them into
the treasury, since it is blood money." So they took
counsel and bought with them the potter's field as a burial
(247) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

place for strangers. Then was fulfilled what had been


spoken by the prophet Jeremiah, saying, "And they took
the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him on whom a price
had been set by some of the sons of Israel. and they gave
them for the potter's field, as the Lord directed me." (Matt
27:3-10). Referring this quotation to the Book of Jeremiah was
wrong. There is nothing of that in the Book of Jeremiah; it is in the
Book of Zechariah: "Then the LORD said to me, "Throw it to
the potter"--the lordly price at which I was priced by
them. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them
into the house of the LORD, to the potter." (Zechariah 11/12-
14)

It is important to mention here that the story in the Book of Zechariah


has nothing to do with Christ and Judah. The price requested by
Zachariah was a decent, price for his work, while the price received
by Judah was a price of betrayal and treachery.

The truth is that the referring is not to the Book of Zechariah and
Jeremiah, but to a non-canonical book attributed to the Prophet
Jeremiah. In his interpretation of the Bible, Adam Clarke quoted
Jerome saying that, “The Jews from Nasserites showed him this
prophecy in the Hebrew copy of the book of Jeremiah, which is
questionable (apocrypha). But it is likely that they have made this
prophecy in the Book of Jeremiah only to prove the quotation found
in the book of Matthew".

Reverend Saman Calhoun considers that the original copy did not
specify the name of the prophet quoted by the referral; “Then was
fulfilled what had been spoken by the prophet”, as stated in
the Syriac translation.

The friends of David did not eat the Bread of the


Presence in the time of priest Ahimelech

The author of the Gospel of Mark made a mistake twice while


speaking of what David did when he was hungry and ate the bread of
the presence, which only priests are allowed to eat. He said, "Have
you never read what David did, when he was in need and
was hungry, he and those who were with him. how he
entered the house of God, in the time of Abiathar the high
priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not
True Guidance and Light series (2) (248)

lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to
those who were with him?" (Mark 2/25-26)

His saying "He and those who were with him” is definitely
wrong, because David was alone when he went to the high priest
after he fled from saul, as stated in the book of Samuel. "Then
David came to Nob to Ahimelech the priest. And Ahimelech
came to meet David trembling and said to him, "Why are
you alone, and no one with you... but there is holy bread."
(Samuel (1) 21/1-4)

The second error occurred when Mark named the chief priest
Abiathar. The book of Samuel states that the chief priest then was
his father, Ahimelech, who was killed by Saul because he gave the
holy bread to David. See (Samuel (1) 22/20-23)

The editors of the Holy Bible Dictionary remind that Abiathar then
fled to David with Sadouk, the chief priest, after the death of his
father, Ahimelech. Ward, the Catholic admitted this mistake in his
book "Errors" and quoted Mr. Joe Will saying, “Mark made a mistake,
he wrote Abiathar instead of Ahimelech”. 1

Praising Judah, the betrayer

When the evangelists speak of the disciples, they speak well of the
twelve, including Judah the betrayer. They even mentioned him while
mentioning events that took place after his death.

Matthew mentioned Jesus saying to his twelve disciples, “Truly, I


say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit
on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will
also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of
Israel." (Matt 19/28)

Matthew did not exclude Judah the betrayer, whom Jesus described
as "but woe to that man …. It would have been better for
that man if he had not been born." (Matt 26/24)
Luke noticed Matthew's error and did not make the same mistake; he
did not mention the number of chairs. See (Luke 22/28-29)

1
- The Truth Revealed, Rahmatullah Al Hindi, Vol.2 pp 339. The Holy Bible Dictionary, pp 20
(249) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

Paul made the same mistake when he talked about the resurrection
of Christ, which is supposed to be after the death of Judah and
before the election of Mitas. (See Act 1/26) Paul said, "That he
was raised on the third day in accordance with the
Scriptures. And that he appeared to Cephas, then to the
twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred
brothers." (1Co 15/4-6)

The writer of Mark noticed the mistake when he told the same story,
and then he said, "Afterward he appeared to the eleven."
(Mark 16/14)

We have to mention here that Jesus appeared to ten of the disciples


the first time, as Thomas, who missed the first meeting, was not with
them. John said, "Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the
Twin, was not with them when Jesus came." (John 20/24).

The duration of Christ staying in the heart of the earth


was not three days and three nights

Matthew made another mistake when mentioned that the son of man
(Christ) stayed in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.
He said, "Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered
him, saying, "Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you. But
he answered them, "An evil and adulterous generation
seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the
sign of the prophet Jonah. For just as Jonah was three
days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will
the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart
of the earth." (Matt 12/38-40)

It is well known from the gospels that Jesus was crucified on Friday,
was buried on Saturday night, and was out of the tomb before dawn
on Sunday. That means that he did not stay in the tomb except for
Saturday and Sunday night. This is equal to two nights and one day,
not three days and three nights, as told by Matthew.

Basle, a Christian scholar, admitted that Matthew had made a


mistake, and claimed that he had misunderstood the words of Christ;
such an interpretation as to stay three days and three nights in the
ground was based on Matthew’s understanding.
True Guidance and Light series (2) (250)

What Jesus meant was, "As the people of Nineveh believed in


preaching and did not ask for a miracle, people should hear my
preaching without asking for a miracle."

Trying to modify the text tries in his interpretation, Yohanna Fam


Athahab said, "The three days and three nights are counted from
Thursday, when Jesus had dinner with the disciples and the food
became his body. The heart of the earth is a figurative expression for
their stomachs." 1 This is clearly a repugnant statement!

Second: Errors proved by reality

The close return of Christ and the fast end of the world

There are many other texts, in which the Evangelists made mistakes,
and reality and history are the proofs. The Gospel according to
Matthew mentions about the near Resurrection day, which is coupled
with the near return of Christ, which was specified by Christ, as they
claim, that it was before the end of his generation. Therefore, he
asked his disciples not go to preach in the cities of the Samaritans,
as the Resurrection will happen then.

There are about ten passages, which spoke about the return of
Christ and the Resurrection in the gospels. The most important are,
"For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the
glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person
according to what he has done. Truly, I say to you, there
are some standing here who will not taste death until they
see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom." (Matt 16/27-28)

He also said, "When they persecute you in one town, flee to


the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone
through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man
comes." (Matt 10/23) Father Matta Almiskeen commented on this
passage, saying, "It took too much time from scholars to explain this
verse, and they declared that they could not see the solution,
because there is no solution." 2
In addition, in the book of Revelation, he said, "I am coming
soon." (Rev 3/11)
Matthew mentioned the events that would accompany the return of
1
- The Truth Revealed, Rahmatullah Al Hindi, Vol.2 pp 318
2
- The Gospel According to Matthew, Father Matta Al Miskeen, pp 364 -365
(251) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

Jesus. “As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came


to him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things
be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the
close of the age?" (Matt 24/3)

Father Matta Almiskeen said, "With the question about the


destruction of the temple they added: What is the sign of the coming
of the son of man, they were absolutely sure that the destruction of
the temple is the end of the world, and the Son of Man comes, and
the doomsday completes, and the kingdom of God begins." 1

Jesus answered the first question of his disciples, as he described


signs of the destruction of the temple. Then proceeded to answer the
second question on his coming and the end of time, he said,
"Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun
will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and
the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the
heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the
sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth
will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on
the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. …Truly,
I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all
these things take place.2 Heaven and earth will pass away,
but my words will not pass away." (Matt 29/35), see (Mark
13/24-31)

In the book of Luke, "And Jerusalem will be trampled


underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles
are fulfilled. "And there will be signs in sun and moon and
stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity
because of the roaring of the sea and the waves. People
fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming
on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be
shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a
cloud with power and great glory….Truly, I say to you,
this generation will not pass away until all has taken
place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words
will not pass away." (Luke 21/24-33)

1
- The Gospel According to Matthew, Father Matta Al Miskeen, pp 367
2
- Interpreters and commentators trying hard to solve this dilemma; Irinemous said that the word
‘generation’ refers to human beings, Oregano said it refers to the Christian church, and others said that it
refers to Jewish rule. However there are others who confessed that it refers to a period of time (70 -100)
years. See, The Gospel of Luke’s interpretation, Pastor Ibrahim Said, pp 525
True Guidance and Light series (2) (252)

Father Matta Almiskeen said, “All scholars agreed that this verse
refers to the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, which actually
occurred in his generation." 1

The idea of the rapid return and the near resurrection overwhelmed
the writers of the epistles. Among them, was Paul, who said, "But
they were written down for our instruction, on whom the
end of the ages has come." (1 Co 10/11)

In his letter to the Thessalonians, Paul talked about how he will meet
Jesus after the believers in Jesus rise from the dead. He said, "For
this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we
who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord,
will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord
himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command,
with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the
trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then
we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together
with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so
we will always be with the Lord." (1 Thess 4/15-17).

He confirmed his belief in this idea by saying, "Behold! I tell you


a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be
changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the
last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead
will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed."
(1Co 15/51-52)
Jesuit Monastic comments on this latter text, saying, "Paul spoke as
a person who was expected to be alive at the coming of Christ".

The Dictionary of Theology says:" "It seems that the believers, at the
beginning of the Church had thought that Jesus will come
immediately… Paul did not say that the second glorious coming
would be after a long time, but rather the contrary he hoped that he
will be alive (1 Thess 4/17).

John said, "Children, it is the last hour, and as you have


heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists
have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour."
(1Jo 2/18).

1
- The Gospel according to Luke, Father Matta Al Miskeen, pp 674
(253) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

The Jesuit Monastic comments on this verse: “Hinting to the last hour
of history, the first Christians, including John, were convinced that
the hour is near, but they believed that the coming of the Lord in
glory will be preceded by a corrupting; the False Christ."

These sayings and others indicate that the occurrence of the


resurrection and the return of Jesus before will happen during the
time of the first generation. However, many centuries have gone but
they did not happen. This shows that these prophecies are among
the evangelists’ errors.

The miracles of the believers

Reality proved another evangelists’ mistake. Jesus did not lie, and it
is impossible that he said what the evangelist attributed to him in
these passages.

The end of the book of Mark, states that Jesus appeared to his
disciples after the crucifixion. Then, he said to them, "And these
signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they
will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they
will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink
any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay
their hands on the sick, and they will recover." (Mark 16/17-
18)

Close to this meaning, Mark said that Jesus told his disciples,
"Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to
this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' and
does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says
will come to pass, it will be done for him." (Mark 11/22-23)

In addition, in the book of Matthew, "And whatever you ask in


prayer, you will receive, if you have faith." (Matt 21/22)

When a man approached Jesus begging him to heal his son from
epilepsy, he said, "But if you can do anything, have
compassion on us and help us. And Jesus said to him, "If
you can! All things are possible for one who believes."
Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, "I
believe; help my unbelief!" (Mark 9/22-24). Jesus made him
understand that the believers can make miracles- all kind of miracles.
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Thus, Jesus asked him to believe in order to heal his son. The man
promised to believe, and Jesus healed his son, as the man was not a
believer yet.

John quoted Jesus saying, "Truly, truly, I say to you,


whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do;
and greater works than these will he do." (John 14/12) Thus,
every believer can make impressive miracles as those made by
Jesus, like reviving the dead and healing the sick; and trying is the
best proof!

Those who doubt the success of this experience should read the
following lines, which were written by Father Matta Almiskeen. He
said, "Give me curved knees and sincere hearts of the faith in the
promise of Jesus, and you will see how the blinds see, the deaf hear,
and the limps walking, running and dancing. All kinds of diseases will
be healed even chronic, cancer and cirrhosis of liver and kidney
failure and heart disease; for, Jesus, is Jesus, yesterday, today and
forever." 1

Those who believe in the holiness of these passages and unable to


do miracles do not have faith. Matthew told about the disciples, who
came to Jesus privately to ask him why they failed to cure the
leprous. He answered them: "For truly, I say to you, if you
have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this
mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move, and
nothing will be impossible for you." (Matt 17/20) Thus, every
Christian believer can bring people from the dead, heal the sick and
bring the devils out, but if he failed to do that then he is not a
believer.

These passages speak of miracles that can be made by the


believers. Is there any miracle that happened in the lives of those
who claim faith in Christ?

Did the church fathers as well as the rest of the faithful make
miracles like, or better than, those of Christ; did they bring back the
dead, did they heal the sick; did they master several languages and
spoke in different tongues, or they are not believers and failed to
make such miracles?

1
- The Gospel according to Matthew, Father Matta Al Miskeen, pp 514
(255) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

During the debate between Ahmad Deedat and the Chief priest of
Sweden, Stanley Sjoberg, one of the audience stood and read out
the passage of Mark to the Rev. Sjoberg (Mark 16/16-18). Then the
man asked him to drink a bottle of poison saying: "Drink this deadly
poison, but you will not die because you have faith in Jesus, and you
have true faith."
Then, Sjoberg’s face changed, and he, stammered, said, "We do not
die if we drink poison! This is strange. I am a believer in God and in
the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit tells us what will happen to us. My
wife had said to me thirty days ago, ‘Stanley, be careful, someone
will assassinate you by poison’ …. I see the devil inside you (to the
man), I do not want to make a show…" Then he took the poison and
poured it in a plant pot.

The believers fast rewards in life

Reality and life, again, proved another evangelists’ mistake. Mark


mentioned that Peter said to Jesus, "See, we have left
everything and followed you." Jesus said, "Truly, I say to
you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or
sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my
sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a
hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and
sisters and mothers and children and lands, with
persecutions, and in the age to come, eternal life." (Mark
10/28-30). In the book of Matthew "Will receive a hundredfold
and will inherit eternal life." (Matt 19/29) In the book of Luke
"will receive many times more in this time." (Luke 18/30)

Scholars did not understand how to obtain these rewards; how could
people have many mothers and fathers…If the understanding that
the parents and brothers and mothers are figurative expressions,
how to understand the rewards of fields and wives? When did we
see that happen to those who leave their homes to preach
Christianity? They leave their mothers, their sisters and their money,
When did they receive a hundredfold of rewards?

The verse speaks clearly of an earthly reward "with


persecutions", and that it will happen "in this time", and then a
promise of eternal life in the hereafter.
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This verse is a lie, if it was right people will rush to answer the call,
and the experiment will reveal facts and things that people would
race and fight each other for them.

However, Father Matta Almiskeen described the promise in a


strange symbolism. He said, "Instead of the father, Jesus will give
him the spirit of the son of the heavenly father, and instead of the
mother will feel the motherhood of the church. Instead of the women
here, taking off from men and women the sense of needing each
other…it becomes a need from the heaven to give birth, by spirit, to
children, who inherit the kingdom of heaven. The longing to the
children as well, become nostalgia to them as the children of God." 1

Is the earth spherical or flat?

The book of Revelation speaks about the vision of John when he


saw the earth as flat with four corners, and an angel stands at each
corner. John said, "After this I saw four angels standing at
the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds
of the earth, that no wind might blow on earth or sea or
against any tree." (Rev 7/1). John mentioned the four corners of
the earth again when he said, "And when the thousand years
are ended, Satan will be released from his prison. And will
come out to deceive the nations that are at the four
corners of the earth." (Rev 20/7-8)

Matthew confirmed this perception about the earth while speaking


about the devil’s test to Christ. When wanted to show Jesus all the
kingdoms of the earth, the devil took him to a very high mountain and
show him all the kingdoms of the earth, "Again, the devil took
him to a very high mountain and showed him all the
kingdoms of the world." (Matt 4/8)

He was able to see from the high mountain, which would be so if the
earth was flat, but it is impossible if the earth was spherical, as we
know.

Third: errors proved by the mind

1
- The Gospel according to Matthew, Father Matta Al Miskeen, pp 553
(257) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

There are errors proved by the mind and they are not inspirations.
The mind would realize they are wrong, and realize the ignorance of
their writers of Allah’s (S.W.) laws in nature.

A star in the sky of Jerusalem

Matthew mentioned the story of the Magi, who came to Christ when
he was born, to worship him. He said, "Now after Jesus was
born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king,
behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem,
saying, "Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?
For we saw his star when it rose and have come to
worship him."… they went on their way. And behold, the
star that they had seen when it rose went before them
until it came to rest over the place where the child was.
When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with
great joy."
(Matt 2/1-10)

There are many reasons for the mind to reject this story:

- Matthew spoke about a moving star and its movements – even


it is very far- it can be seen from the earth; pointing to a certain
area in Jerusalem, to a certain house, where there is Christ.
Then the star stops while still in the sky. How did it move, how
did it guide them to the house, how did it stop, and how did
they see all these? These are questions without answers.

- How did the Magi know about Christ and his star if they did
not even know God? How could they prostrate to a prophet
whom they do not believe in his religion? These all are lies,
because none of the ancient Magi and their historians
mentioned such a thing, neither the other evangelists including
Luke, who followed every thing accurately.

- Then why did the Magi bother in taking this long journey, is it
just to bow down to him, give him gifts and then return?

- The passage speaks about Herod interest in the newborn


baby, and that he intended to kill him. He asked the Magi to tell
him if they found the child so he too could bow down to him.
The Magi dreamed that they should not return to Herod, and
they did so, because, if Herod was interested he could go with
True Guidance and Light series (2) (258)

them to Bethlehem, which is near to Jerusalem, or he could


send any of his men with them, as this matter is very important
to him.

- Matthew mentioned Herod’s massacre of the children, after the


Magi left, before he could find the child. This story is false,
because none of the historians mentioned this event, in spite of
its importance. We should mention here that the great Herod
died four years before the birth of Jesus as states in all
historical sources.

Riding the donkey and the colt together

What the mind cannot imagine is what Matthew said speaking of


Christ entering Jerusalem. He said, "They brought the donkey
and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he (Christ)
sat on them." (Matt 21/7), Christ cannot be setting on the donkey
and the colt at the same time. It is a mistake and a lie, by which
Matthew wanted to fulfill a prophecy of the Torah. "This took place
to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying, "Say to
the daughter of Zion, 'Behold, your king is coming to you,
humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal
of a beast of burden." (Matt 21/4-5)

The wonders of Matthew at the death of the crucified

Similarly, the mind does not accept the wonders that Matthew told
had happened at the death of Christ. He said, "And yielded up his
spirit. And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in
two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the
rocks were split. The tombs also were opened. And many
bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. and
coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went
into the holy city and appeared to many." (Matt 27/50-53)

This story is wrong, a mistake and a lie, because it never happened


that saints or others returned from dead.
Then, what had happened, did they marry after they returned, did
they return to their houses, or they died after that? What was the
reaction of the Jews, Pilate and the disciples when this great event
occurred?
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The answer is, ‘nothing’, because neither Matthew, nor those who
did not tell about these wonders, answered these questions. If those
wonders were real, every one would be speaking about it and people
would believe in Christ. The father Kenningser said, "we must not
mock, because Matthew's intention was very respectable, he
incorporated the oral words of the old story with of his writing, but the
story is still suitable to Jesus Christ; the star”.

Norton, who is called the guardian of the Gospel, said, "This story is
false, and most probably that these stories were popular among the
Jews after the destruction of Jerusalem. Perhaps someone wrote it
in the margin of the Hebrew copy of the book of Matthew, then the
writer inserted it into the text, and the translator translated it as it is”.
Perhaps there are many passages were in the margins of the New
Testament, which were wrongly inserted into the text. How can we
find these false passages and take it from the book?

There is no doubt that men of the church, who closed their minds
from the truth, refuse to accept the fact that the Gospel has mistakes,
because the Holy Spirit does not make mistakes. While those who
respect their minds would say that, this book is human and not the
word of God and the evidence is what we have shown.
True Guidance and Light series (2) (260)

Alterations in the New Testament

One wonders where the alterations of the gospel came from. Was it
from the evangelists and the authors of the letters, or from the
transcribers, who managed the texts according to their creeds, or
from those who made the personal writings of the disciples holy, or
from all of this? Perhaps the latter is the right answer.

First: the alteration by the evangelists: were the


evangelists honest when copying from each other?

It is undeniable- as we mentioned - that Luke had copied 51%, while


Matthew had copied 90 % of the text of the book of Mark. Were
Matthew and Luke honest when they copied from Mark, or they
copied according to their wishes?

The truth is that both of them copied from Mark as they wished,
especially Mathew, who always exaggerated the events he copied to
fit in the person of Christ, or to convey a fulfillment of a prophecy of
the Torah, which the story of mark could not convey. Scholars
mentioned many examples, such as:

Mark says about the crucified, "And they offered him wine
mixed with myrrh." (Mark 15/23)

However, Matthew copied from Mark and changed the text, he said ,
"They offered him sour wine to drink, mixed with gall."
(Matt 27/34), it is known that the sour wine (vinegar) and wine are
different. Matthew meant to convey the claimed prophecy of the
Torah, "They gave me poison for food, and for my thirst
they gave me sour wine to drink." (Psalms 69/21) He had
changed the word ‘wine’ to ‘sour wine’.

Mark says, "Whoever does the will of God, he is my brother


and sister and mother." (Mark 3/35)

While Matthew copied it as, "For whoever does the will of my


Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother."
(Matt 12/50), the words "my father" were added for theological
reasons.
(261) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

The same is in another verse. When Christ asked his disciples what
they think oh him, Peter answered, "You are the Christ." (Mark
8/29) However, Matthew altered Peter’s answer. "You are the
Christ, the Son of the living God." (Matt 16/16)

Example of Matthew's alteration is when he changed what Mark told


about Christ, that he did not make miracles in Galilee. He said,
"And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid
his hands on a few sick people and healed them. And he
marveled because of their unbelief." (Mark 6/5-6). He did not
make even one miracle, but he healed a few sick people, but healing
a few people was not enough for them to believe, and he was
surprised because they did not believe.

However, Matthew did not like the idea that Christ did not make any
miracle. He said, "And he did not do many mighty works
there, because of their unbelief." (Matt 13/58) He made
miracles, but not many, and he justified that Jesus did not perform
many miracles because of their unbelief; the unbelief became a
reason for non-performance, while it was a result in Mark.

Luke, as well, had altered what he copied from Mark. Mark – who,
according to the Christian sources, provides the realest picture of
Christ - mentioned the last words of the crucified. It was a scream of
a desperate person. "My God, my God, why have you
forsaken me?" (Mark 15/34)

However, Luke- as Will Durant believes - did not like Mark's


sentence, he believed that it did not agree with the teachings of Paul
about Christ the Savior, who came to be crucified, and he changed it.
"Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!" (Luke 23/46)

Matthew had made changes in many passages that he copied from


Mark. He added what he thought would increase the rank of Christ.
Mark mentioned the man with the unclean spirits, whom Jesus
healed and took the devils out of him and made them go into the
pigs. He said, "They came to the other side of the sea, to the
country of the Gerasenes. And when Jesus had stepped out
of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a
man with an unclean spirit….And when he saw Jesus from
afar, he ran and fell down before him. And crying out with
a loud voice, he said, "What have you to do with me, Jesus,
Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not
True Guidance and Light series (2) (262)

torment me."…. Now a great herd of pigs was feeding


there on the hillside, and they begged him, saying, "Send
us to the pigs; let us enter them." So he gave them
permission. And the unclean spirits came out, and entered
the pigs." (Mark 5/1-13)

Matthew made them two men instead of one. He said,


“When he came to the other side, to the country of the
Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met him, coming
out of the tombs, so fierce…And behold, they cried out,
"What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you
come here to torment us before the time?" Now a herd of
many pigs was feeding at some distance from them. And
the demons begged him, saying, "If you cast us out, send
us away into the herd of pigs." And he said to them, "Go."
So they came out and went into the pigs." (Matt 8/28-32)

In his interpretation of the Gospel according to Matthew, Pastor


Tadrus Yacob Malaty tried to reconcile the two stories. He said, "It
seems that one of the two men was a well known person there, and
was clearly mad, thus, Matthew and Luke focused on him ignoring
the other." The popularity of one of the two men made them neglect
to mention Jesus miracle of healing the other, because he is crazy
but not famous!

Mark and Luke told about healing the blind, Mark said, "And they
came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his
disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar,
the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. And when
he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out
and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"… And
Jesus said to him, "What do you want me to do for you?"
And the blind man said to him, "Rabbi, let me recover my
sight." And Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your faith
has made you well." And immediately he recovered his
sight and followed him on the way. (Mark 10/46-52) See (Luke
18/35-24)

Matthew told the same story but with two blinds. He said, "And as
they went out of Jericho, a great crowd followed him. And
behold, there were two blind men sitting by the roadside,
and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they
(263) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

cried out, "Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!"…. Jesus


called them and said, "What do you want me to do for
you?" They said to him, "Lord, let our eyes be opened."
And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately
they recovered their sight and followed him."(Matt 20/29-34)
This is an exaggeration from Matthew and an alteration of what he
copied from Mark.

We should mention here that Luke made the story happened before
Christ enter Jericho. He said, "As he drew near to Jericho, a
blind man was sitting by the roadside begging." (Luke
18/35). Did Jesus heal the blind before he entered Jericho or after he
left it?

There is another alteration by the evangelists, it is the place of this


miracle, was it the country of the Gerasa, according to Mark (Mark
5/1) and Luke (8/26), or is it the country of the Gadara, according to
Matthew (8/28). The two names indicate two different places.

The first – according to the Holy writings encyclopedia - is now


“located in Om Qais on the highlands south of the hot spring in the
Yarmouk Valley and the called "Hamma", about six miles away from
the south-east of the Sea of Galilee."
While the country of the Gerasa is located about sixty kilometers to
the south of Jadrah, and the remains of this famous Roman city are
still in Jerash in Jordan. The location of the two cities are clear to
anyone looks at the maps of the Holy Bible. One might see another
important thing; both cities are not located beside a sea; thus, they
are not the right places for this miracle.

Scholars did not know how to make these two distant places near to
each other. The authors of the encyclopedia agree on an
assumption, which has no proof. They said, "It is certain that the rule
of Jadrah - as the main city in the region - has been extended to the
entire region East of the sea, including the city of Gerasa.” 1
In this acrobatic way, the city of Gadara the city of the Gerasa
became one city.

Mark told us about Jesus’ coming to Jerusalem riding a colt. He said,


"Jesus sent two of his disciples. and said to them, "Go into
the village in front of you, and immediately as you enter it
1
- The Holy Writings Encyclopedia, Gadara
True Guidance and Light series (2) (264)

you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat.
Untie it and bring it…..And they brought the colt to Jesus
and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it. "(Mark 11/1-7)

While Matthew exaggerated in telling the same story, he told that


Jesus rode a donkey and a colt at the same time. Matthew said,
"Then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into
the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a
donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring
them to me…..They brought the donkey and the colt and
put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them." (Matt 21/1-7)

Matthew did not show us how Jesus rode a donkey and a colt at the
same time. That is not important, what important is that he could
fulfill a prophecy of the Torah, which is in the book of Zachariah.
"Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having
salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a
colt, the foal of a donkey." (Zechariah 9/9), and Matthew
declared that. (Matt 21:4)

When Jesus (PBUH) spoke of the day of resurrection, he said that he


does not know when it will be. Mark said, “But concerning that
day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in
heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." (Mark 13/32).
Matthew did not like that, as he cannot imagine Jesus’ ignorance of
the day of resurrection, and he changed the verse. He said, "But
concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the
angels of heaven, but the Father only." (Matt 24/36)

Matthew also altered the events that happened at the death of the
crucified according to his imagination. "And Jesus cried out
again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. And
behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top
to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split.
The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the
saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out
of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy
city and appeared to many." (Matt 27/50-53)
Matthew neither told us what did those, who returned from the dead
do, nor about the people’s reaction for those great events. Mark did
not mention these great events, in spite of their importance. If they
were true, he would not ignore to mention them. Neither Luke, who
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recorded every thing accurately, nor John mentioned them, which


means that they were from Matthew’s imagination.

The evangelists altered Jesus’ words when they quoted his words to
his disciples. According to Luke, he said to them, "You are of
more value than many sparrows. "And I tell you, everyone
who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also
will acknowledge before the angels of God, but the one
who denies me before men will be denied before the angels
of God." (Luke 12/7-9), Luke made Jesus’ acceptance and denial
before the angels of God.

He disagreed with Matthew who made Jesus acceptance and denial


before God, not his angels. He quoted Jesus saying, "You are of
more value than many sparrows. So everyone who
acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge
before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me
before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in
heaven." (Matt 10/31-33), which one did Jesus say, and what about
the other?

In his interpretation of the book of Matthew (p. 271), John Fenton


could not deny the facts and admitted of these alterations of the
stories. Trying to justify, he said, "The manuscripts (of the Gospels)
have been modified considerably in places where the titles of the
Lord were mentioned”. He admits that there was alteration but he
accused the copyists of the manuscripts, not Matthew, the writer.

In fact, the writers of the gospels made the alterations of the texts,
not the copyists. The additions are always in the book of Matthew, if
the alterations were in the original manuscripts, it would not be
always in the book of Matthew. The scholar Keys Man was right
when he said, "Luke and Matthew had deliberately made a hundred
changes to the text of the book of Mark, which was in their
possession, for religious purposes."

Second: the evangelists alterations when they copied


from the books of the Torah

The writers of the New Testament altered the books of the Torah
when they copied from it:
True Guidance and Light series (2) (266)

- Paul altered the text when he copied from the book of Psalms.
Paul said, "For it is impossible for the blood of bulls
and goats to take away sins. Consequently, when
Christ came into the world, he said, "Sacrifices and
offerings you have not desired, but a body have you
prepared for me; in burnt offerings and sin offerings
you have taken no pleasure." (Heb 10/4-6)

Paul copied from the book of Psalms and altered it. In Psalms,
"Sacrifice and offering you have not desired, but you have
given me an open ear. Burnt offering and sin offering you
have not required." (Psalm 40/6) He changed "you have given
me an open ear” with " a body have you prepared for me ".

- The evangelists altered as well, as they attributed to the Torah


what is not in it. Matthew said about Christ, "And he went
and lived in a city called Nazareth, that what was
spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled: "He shall
be called a Nazarene." (Matt 2/23). There is no such thing
in the books of the prophets.

What confirms that the alteration was Matthew’s is that when Philips
told the disciple Nathaniel about Jesus of Nazareth, he was
surprised that a Christ would come from Nazareth. "Nathaniel
said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?"
(John 1/46), if there was a prophecy about the Nazareth before, he
would not be surprised.

Commenting on this verse, the publishers of Jesuits Priesthood


Edition said, "It is difficult for us to know exactly to which passage
Matthew was referring". Moreover, the scholars of the Holy Bible
said, "Nazareth was not of importance in ancient times, thus, it was
not mentioned in the Old Testament, or in books of Josephus or the
Egyptian, Assyrian, Hittite, Phoenician and Aramaic documents
before the birth of Jesus and it was first mentioned in the Gospel."

- Another example of alteration, when Jacob and Luke talked


about the lack of rain by the prayers of Prophet Elijah, they said
that it lasted three years and six months, altering the Old
Testament, which indicated that the rain stopped for less than
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three years. Jacob said, "Elijah was a man with a nature


like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not
rain, and for three years and six months it did not
rain on the earth." (Jam 5/17). Luke agreed with him and
claimed that Jesus said, "I tell you, there were many
widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the
heavens were shut up three years and six months,
and a great famine came over all the land." (Luke 4/25)

They copied and altered the story– as I mentioned - from the book of
Kings. It says, “Now Elijah said … there shall be neither dew
nor rain these years, except by my word." (1Ki 17/1), then,
"After many days the word of the LORD came to Elijah, in
the third year, saying, "Go, show yourself to Ahab, and I
will send rain upon the earth." (1Ki 18/1), It rained in the third
year, perhaps in the beginning of the third year, which means the
rain stopped for less than three years, not three years and six
months as mentioned by Jacob and Luke.

- Paul attributed the description of heaven, which God prepared


for the believers, to the books of the prophets. He said, "But,
as it is written, "What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,
nor the heart of man imagined, what God has
prepared for those who love him." (1 Co 2/9), there is no
such verse or passage in the books of the prophets in the Old
Testament.

- In the fifth chapter of his gospel, Matthew attributed to Jesus


what is not in the Torah. He said, "You have heard that it
was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate
your enemy." But I say to you, Love your enemies
and pray for those who persecute you." (Matt 5/43-44),
Matthew referred to a verse in Leviticus. “You shall not take
vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your
own people, but you shall love your neighbor as
yourself: I am the LORD" (Lev 19/18). Neither this verse
nor others mention anything about hating the enemies;
Matthew’s claim that it is in the ancient books (The Old
Testament), is a lie and an alteration. Thus, Pastor Samuel
Yousuf said, "would God ask to hate? One might think that this
True Guidance and Light series (2) (268)

happened in the Old Testament, but there is no such thing in


God’s commandments”. (Compare Lev 19/18)." 1

The evangelists quoted Zachariah’s prophecy that says, "Rejoice


greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of
Jerusalem! behold, your king is coming to you; righteous
and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a
donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey." (Zechariah 9/9), but,
as usual, they found no difficulty in changing the words if it is
necessary. Matthew said, "What was spoken by the prophet,
saying, "Tell ye the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy King
cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt
the foal of an ass." (Matt 21/4-5) Matthew made many changes to
the text by shortening and deleting what does not suit the person of
Christ. He deleted “righteous and having salvation is he”
because he realized that Christ is not the expected King, who is
righteous and victorious, and kept the two characteristics, meek and
riding the donkey and the colt together.

John had done the same and deleted what Matthew deleted, and
added to the text that Jesus rode one animal instead of two. He saw
that riding two animals at one time would not fit Jesus' matured
personality. He also transferred the claimed prophecy from joy and
pleasure "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion" to fear, "Fear
not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting
on a donkey's colt!" (John 12/15)

Paul was dishonest when he quoted from the book of Isaiah, "for it
is written, "As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow
to me, and every tongue shall confess to God." (Rom 14/11).
He changed the Old Testament’s text two times, first when he
attributed to God saying that he is alive. Second, when he said that
the tongues will praise God, while Isaiah spoke about the tongues
that will swear by God. Isaiah said, "By myself I have sworn;
from my mouth has gone out in righteousness a word that
shall not return: 'To me every knee shall bow, every
tongue shall swear allegiance." (Isa 45/23)

In addition, Matthew changed the ancestry of Christ; he deleted


whatever he did not like, and then tried to deceive the reader.
Matthew realized that the children of the king Yohoyakyim was

1
- Introduction to the Old Testament, Pastor Samuel Yousuf, pp 367
(269) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

forbidden from sitting on the throne of David, See (Jeremiah 36/30-


31), so he deleted his name from the ancestors of Christ, fearing that
the reader might be a ware that Jesus would not set on the throne of
David. He said, "And Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his
brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon." (Matt
1/11). It is known that Jechoniah is the grandson of Joshiah, not his
son, he is the son of the forbidden king Yohoyakyim the son of
Joshiah. See (1Ch 3/14-15)

Luke claimed that Shelah is the son lf Cainan, the son of Arphaxad
and that is different from the Torah. Luke said, "Eber, the son of
Shelah, the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad." (Luke 3/35-
36). The book of Genesis says, " Arpachshad fathered Shelah."
(Gen 10/24). It confirms it in the following chapter, as it says that
Arphaxad had his son Shelah at the age of 35. "When
Arpachshad had lived 35 years, he fathered Shelah." (Gen
11/12), See (1Ch 1/18) and (1Ch 1/24). The name Cainan was never
mentioned in the Torah, what Luke had said is an alteration, or he
believed that the gospels was altered, thus he changed it.

Reverend Samaan Kalhoon agrees with us that there is an alteration,


but he does not agree about who was responsible. He believes that
"The name Cainan was never mentioned in the Hebrew origins of the
Old Testament; it might be added accidentally by one of the
transcribers." 1 The transcriber- in his opinion – is responsible for
such alteration, not Luke. The reader may attribute the alteration to
anyone (the transcriber or Luke) but I insist that the reader should
agree with the Reverend Kalhoon and me on the occurrence of
alteration in this paragraph.

Luke claimed that Jesus opened the book, and read a sentence, in
Isaiah 61, which we cannot find in the book today. He said," And
the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He
unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was
written. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has
anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has
sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering
of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are
oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." (Luke
4/17-19). His saying, "recovering of sight to the blind, to set
at liberty those who are oppressed” is not in the passage from
1
- The Two Evangelists Agreement, Samaan Kalhoon, pp 86
True Guidance and Light series (2) (270)

which Jesus was reading; See (Isa 61/1-3), and the second passage
is in (Isa 58/6).

Father Matta Almiskeen mentioned the confusion of the scholars


regarding this passage. He said, "Scholars have different opinions
about this addition, as some say: it was added lately by a Christian.
Others, like the scholar K. Prott, said, that this addition is the result
of combining the two texts together in the Jewish Liturgy. While the
scholar B. Rike boldly said, that the Messiah himself added it by his
authority as a prophet." 1 Everyone agrees that it is an addition that is
not in the chapter 61 of the book of Isaiah, but they do not agree
about the person who added it; Christ, the Jews or lately by
Christians.

Finally, Matthew made some changes when he quoted from the book
of Micah. He said, " for so it is written by the prophet: "'And
you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means
least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a
ruler who will shepherd my people Israel. (Matt 2/5-6). Micah
did not deny that Bethlehem is the smallest of the Jews cities, but he
described it as the smallest of the cities of Judah. He said, "But
you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be
among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for
me one who is to be ruler in Israel." (Mic 5/2)

Third: The Invention of Printing and the Alteration of the


New Testament

In the sixteenth century, printing was invented, and a new type of


alteration appeared. In his book, “The Gospels, their origins and their
Growth”, Frederick Grant and George Caird in his interpretation,
mentioned that, In 1516 Erasmus issued his first printing.

During the time of King James I of England and Scotland, a religious


1
- The Gospel According to Luke, Father Matta Al Miskeen, pp 202
(271) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

conference was held in 1604 resulted in forming a translation


committee from the Protestant. The committee was in charge of the
production of the official translation of the Bible in English, and the
King James stamped, and it was printed in 1611 C.E.

This version, the most famous version in the history of Christianity


that was translated into most of the world's languages, was criticized
continually since the time of King James. A petition was presented to
the King James, it said: "The texts that are included in our prayer
book are more or less different from the Hebrew version, perhaps
two hundred subjects has been changed."
Breton said to the priests, "Your famous English translation altered
the words of the Old Testament in eight hundred and forty-eight
points, and caused people to reject the New Testament and go to
the Hellfire".

In 1881 the King James Version was revised, and was called the
Revised Standard Version. Then thirty-two theologians, assisted by
an advisory committee represented by fifty religious sects, revised it
again in 1951 and they called it the Revised Standard Version (RSV).
It was revised again in 1971, and had the same name (RSV). In the
introduction to this edition, we read, "The texts of King James
Version has serious errors... those errors are many and serious,
which requires revising."

The Revised Standard Version deleted John’s well-known passage


of Trinity. See (1 John 5/7), and the end of the Gospel of Mark (16/9-
20. 1

The development of the New Testament’s text is possible according


to the Catholic, as stated in the introduction to their New Testament.
It says, "Today, we can say that the text of the New Testament is
fixed in a good way, and there is no need to be revised unless we
find new documents." 2

The Catholic had issued a Latin version of their own and called it
"Duay". It was printed for the first time in 1582 and then in 1609. This
version differs from the Contemporary King James Version in many
things. The most important thing is adding seven of the Torah books

1
- The Truth Revealed, Rahmatullah Al Hindi, Vol.2 pp 572-573, The Modern Debate, Ahmad Deedat, pp
133-139, Is the Bible God’s word? Ahmad Deedat, pp 18-19
2
- Differences in The holy Bible Translations, Ahmad Abdul Wahab, pp 26
True Guidance and Light series (2) (272)

(The Apocrypha), which do not exist in the Protestant translation of


the King James Version.

Examples of altering the versions


Those who altered the gospels tried different ways, they deliberately
added some additions to the printed text, and made the additions in
brackets to indicate its absence in the oldest manuscripts and that
they are explanatory additions.

However, in other versions, the brackets disappear and what was in


the brackets became part of the sacred text. In other versions, they
deleted the text in the brackets and the brackets. Which of these
texts is the word of God? Who has the right to add to or delete from
the Holy Bible? Does not that increase his punishment when he adds
to the book, or delete his name from the book of life and the holy city
when he deletes some of the book. (See Revelation 22/18-19)

An example of altering these versions is what mentioned in the First


Epistle of John, “For there are three that bear record in
heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and
these three are one. And there are three that bear witness
in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and
these three agree in one." The first passage is not in the old
manuscripts, and was not mentioned during the Nicene council.

This passage is in all the New Testament translations that printed


after the sixteenth century C.E. It is well known that the addition of
this text was necessary to assure the doctrine of Trinity, which lacks
such strong evidence.
Christian theologians, including Crespak, Schulz, Horne the
prejudiced, the collectors of the interpretation of Henry, Eckstein, and
Rev. Fender admitted that this text is an addition, and Martin Luther
omitted it from his translation. Isaac Newton wrote a letter of fifty-
pages, proved the alteration of this verse, which remained in all
editions and translations in various languages of the world until the
middle of this century.

In 1952, the Holy Bible revision committee issued the New Revised
Standard version; this text was among the deleted texts, but not from
all the translations of the Holy Bible. 1
1
- The Truth Revealed, Vol.2, pp 497- 504, The true Evidence Of the Alteration of the old books, Ahmad
Abdul Wahab, pp 34-38, Is the Bible God’s Word, Ahmad Deedat, pp 26 -28
(273) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

In some versions, they put it in brackets to indicate that it does not


exist in ancient manuscripts. However, the paragraph became part of
the text, as it appeared without brackets, in many versions in the
world. Other versions deleted this text and considered it – in spite of
its theological importance – an addition text to the Bible.

Scholars justify deleting this text by saying, "These additions are in


some of the old Latin manuscripts" that is, it was added by who
translated the book from Greek to Latin. I should mention here that
St. Jerome’s Latin translation (The Vulgate) do not contain this
passage.

The also deleted the only two passages that speak of Jesus’
ascension to heaven in Mark (16/19), and (Luke 24/51). They deleted
them from the (RSV) in 1952, and they remained in the rest of the
other translations.

Then, in 1971, two individuals and two religious sects presented


numerous requests to the revising committee. Consequently, the
passage regarding the Trinity, the conclusion of the Gospel of Mark
(16:9 - 20), and (Luke 24:51) were revised in the next edition, with
the same name, (RSV). 1 However, the common Arabic Translation
put the conclusion of the Gospel of Mark in brackets and indicated in
the margin that it "It does not appear in the oldest manuscripts."

There is also alteration that the Gospel of Mark consisted of some


copies, "And if any place will not receive you and they will
not listen to you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is
on your feet as a testimony against them. Verily I say
unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and
Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that city." (Mark
6/11 KJV) In the new versions of the New Testament, one cannot
find the second passage; whish starts with “Verily I say”. In other
copies, there will be a note between to brackets with an explanation
like; “Some Greek copies continue, "I tell you the truth, on the
Judgment Day it will be better for the towns of Sodom and Gomorrah
than for the people of that town".
However, in other versions, the brackets were removed, and what
was in the brackets was added to the text. While other versions
removed the brackets and what is inside them. Is this passage God's
words, or not? A question we present to those who still believe that
1
- Is The Bible God’s Word, Ahmad Deedat, pp 26 – 28, Two debates in Stockholm, Ahmad Deedat, pp
65
True Guidance and Light series (2) (274)

the Holy Bible is protected from alteration, and that the demise of
heavens and earth is much easier than losing one letter from it!

The same alteration happened often in many verses, as Matthew


“For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,
for ever.” (Matt 6/13), Paul (1Co (1) 10/28) "Then do not eat it,
for the sake of the one who informed you, and for the sake
of conscience." (1Co (1) 10/28)

In other chapters in the Bible, theologians hesitate to include some


passages, for, they do not agree on its originality; as some versions
put in them between brackets, while others delete them completely.
However, that did not prevent other versions from deleting the
brackets, making what was inside them part of God's Word, which
does not change!

Matthew said, “Soothly after that they had crucified him,


they parted his clothes, sending lot. [That it should be
fulfilled, that is said by the prophet, saying, they parted to
them my clothes, and upon my cloth they sent lot.] (Matt
27/35 Wycliffe New Testament)

King James Version and other versions deleted the brackets, and
make what is inside of them part of the text. "And they crucified
him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might
be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, they parted
my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they
cast lots." (Matt 27/35 KJV)
Still, other translations deleted the brackets and the text. “And
when they had crucified him, they parted his garments
among them, casting lots;” (Matt: 27/35 American Standard
Version, New International Version –UK, and Today’s New
International Version.)

In Matthew, Matthew said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees,


pretenders (hypocrites)! For you swallow up widows'
houses and for a pretense to cover it up make long
prayers; therefore you will receive the greater
condemnation and the heavier sentence.” (Matthew 23/14). In
King James Version, they put a note, and pointed out in the margin
that this paragraph "Some manuscripts do not contain verse 14”.
(275) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

Christian theologians altered the end of the letter to the Hebrews;


they changed what its unknown writer wrote, "You made him for
a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned him
with glory and honor, and didst set him over the works of
thy hands: putting everything in subjection under his
feet." Now in putting everything in subjection to him”.
(Heb 2/7-8) Many editions deleted the sentence “and didst set him
over the works of thy hands”, and it says, "crowned him
with glory and honor, putting everything in subjection
under his feet."

The unknown writer of the letter to the Hebrews said, “For they
could not endure that which was commanded, And if so
much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or
thrust through with a dart.” (Heb 12/20). This text “or thrust
through with a dart” was deleted from many editions and
translations, while the common Arabic translation considered it God's
word, which they claim it lasts forever!

In addition, sometimes theologians either add or delete without using


brackets, as what mentioned in the Book of Acts in the Middle East
protestant version and the Catholic version in the context of the story
of Philips with the servant of the Queen the Abyssinia. It says,
"And as they were going along the road they came to some
water, and the eunuch said, "See, here is water! What
prevents me from being baptized? And Philip said, “If you
believe with all your heart, you may.” And he replied, “I
believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” And he
commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down
into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized
him." (Act 8/36-38 KJV) This verse “And Philip said, “If you
believe with all your heart, you may.” And he replied, “I
believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” that took place
after they have seen the water, is not in the New International
Version, Today’s New International Version and the New
international Readers’ Version." and the eunuch said, "See,
here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?
And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both
went down into the water." The reason for deleting it is that it
did not exist in the majority of the old manuscripts.
True Guidance and Light series (2) (276)

Another example is altering Jesus’ question to the blind that he


healed. "Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and
having found him he said, "Do you believe in the Son of
Man?" (John 9/35) they have changed it in many editions to
“Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had
found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son
of God?” 1

Finally, the book of Luke said that Jesus said to the Jews, “And
answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass or
an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him
out on the sabbath day?”. (Luke 14/5) Many translations have
changed the word “ ass ” to “son”. "Which of you, having a
son or an ox that has fallen into a well on a Sabbath day."
(Luke 14/5)

This would make the reader confused between all these different
passages, and a question will remain in his/her mind, which of these
texts are God’s words?

1
- To see more of these alterations see Matthew 18/11, 19/9, 20/16, 23/14, Mark 7/8, 7/16, 9/44,
10/21, 11/26, 15/28, Luke 1/28, 8/45, 11/11, 17/36, 23/17, 24/42, John 3/13, 11/51, Acts 9/5-6,
15/34, 24/6-7, 28/29, Romans 11/6, Peter (1) 4/14, and other places.
(277) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

The Contradictions of the Gospels

“Do they not then meditate on the Quran? And if it were from
any other than Allah, they would have found in it many a
discrepancy. “(Holy Quran, An Nisa’: 82)

This verse gives a valid criterion to verify the authenticity of any book
attributed to God Almighty (Allah S.W.). Humans make mistakes;
they can be forgetful and confused when the days pass, therefore,
their writings are consistent with these human natures.

If we apply this to the four Gospels and the letters, we will see the
effects of these human natures on the evangelists’ writings, and that
they created contradictions in the events they mentioned in these
writings. The existence of these contradictions prove that these
books are not God’s words, and cannot be part of the Word of God,
which God inspired to some of the disciples of Christ.

Christians admit the validity of this criterion, therefore, we see that


the interpreters of the New Testament explain these contradictions
and difficulties far from the truth that the texts indicate and tell,
because they believe that that contradictions means that these books
are human’s, not God’s, books.

Christians believe in the four Gospels, all of which talk about the
story of Christ; therefore, all the stories had to be similar in meaning
and content - or, at least – complete each other in order to be a
complete biography and record about Christ. However, when
comparing the gospels’ texts about the same event, we see a
contradiction, which makes it impossible for the mind to say it is the
same event.

Considering these contradictions, it was necessary for Christians to


choose some of these gospels, or some of their stories, make them
sacred, and reject others. In addition, they have to admit that the four
Gospels are books written by humans, then, and only then, people
would understand these contradictions. The insistence that these
contradictions are from God that is what we reject.
Are there contradictions in the Gospels?
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Examples of contradictions in the New Testament

Scholars gave dozens of examples of the contradictions in the four


Gospels and the Epistles; some related to events, some make Jesus
contradicts himself, especially the contradictions that related to the
crucifixion, and some contradict the Old Testament.

First: the evangelists’ contradictions in recording events


- The ancestry of Christ
Perhaps the most striking and important contradiction in the New
Testament is the contradiction of (Matt 1/1-17) and (Luke 3/23-38)
about the ancestry of Joseph, the Carpenter. Scholars had
discovered some notes about this linage, including:

- Luke and Matthew agreed to begin the linage with Joseph the
Carpenter, and then they differed and then met again by Zorobabel
son of Salathiel, where Matthew considered him the tenth
grandfather to Joseph the Carpenter, while Luke made him the
nineteenth.

The two evangelists disagreed again, as Matthew made Christ as a


descendant from the kings of Israel, Solomon then Roboam, then
Abia, then Asa, and then Josaphat, While Luke made him the
descendants of Nathan the son of David, whom none of his children
was a King of Israel.

- It is inconceivable that Christ is a descendant of two brothers,


Solomon and Nathan sons of David (PBUH), nor does it make sense
also about Zorobabel and his father Salathiel. It is either they (Christ,
Zorobabel, and Salathiel) were the descendants of Solomon or they
were the descendants of his brother; Nathan.

-The difference between the two lists of names is too big, to the
extent that makes it impossible to combine them. There are
differences in the number of generations and names; there is an
imbalance in the genealogy, and there is deleting of some parents.

- Matthew attempted to divide the lineages into three groups,


fourteen fathers in each. He said, "So all the generations from
Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from
David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations,
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and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ


fourteen generations." (Matt 1/17)
However, Matthew did not mention the same numbers. He only
mentioned twelve fathers between Christ and the deportation to
Babylon. He deleted a number of names from the second list to
preserve the number 14; he deleted three names between Joram
and Ozias. They are Ahazia the son of Joram, his son Joash and his
son Amaziah the father of Azariah.
The following table shows the contradictions clearly. It compares the
lists according to Luke, Matthew, and First Chronicles regarding the
linage of Jesus between David and Joseph, the Carpenter. We will
see the names that Matthew had deleted to make his list. He
changed the ancestry of Christ to suit his purpose.

No Matt (1/1- Ch (3/10- Luke No Matt (1/1- Ch (3/10- Luke


17) 19) (3/23-38) 17) 19) (3/23-38)
1 David David David 22 Zorobabel Zorobabel Salathiel
2 Solomon Solomon Nathan 23 Abiud Zorobabel
3 Roboam Roboam Matatha 24 Eliakim Rhesa
4 Abia Abia Minan 25 Azor Joanna
5 Asa Asa Melia 26 Sadoc Juda
6 Josaphat Josaphat Eliakim 27 Achim Joseph
7 Joram Joram Jonan 28 Eliud Semei
8 … Ahazia Joseph 29 Eleazer Mattathias
9 … Joash Juda 30 Matthan Maath
10 … Amaziah Simeon 31 Jacob Nagge
11 Ozias Azariah Levi 32 Joseph Esli
12 Joatham Joatham Matthat 33 Naum
13 Achaz Achaz Jorim 34 Amos
14 Ezekias Ezekias Eliezer 35 Mattathias
15 Manasses Manasses Jose 36 Joseph
16 Amon Amon Er 37 Janna
17 Josias Josias Elmodam 38 Melchi
18 … Jehoiakim Cosam 39 Levi
19 Jechonias Jechonias Addi 40 Matthat
20 Salathiel … Melchi 41 Heli
21 … Pedaiah Neri 42 Joseph
True Guidance and Light series (2) (280)

- Who asked for the kingdom, the mother or her two sons?

In this event, Matthew contradicted Mark. Matthew said, “Then the


mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her
sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for
something. She said to him, "Say that these two sons of
mine are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your
left, in your kingdom." Jesus answered, "You do not know
what you are asking." (Matt 20/20-22)

Mark told the same story, but the two sons asked for the kingdom,
not their mother. Mark said, "And James and John, the sons
of Zebedee, came up to him and said to him, "Teacher, we
want you to do for us whatever we ask of you." …And they
said to him, "Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and
one at your left, in your glory." Jesus said to them, "You
do not know what you are asking." (Mark 10/35-38)

Regarding this verse, in his interpretation of the Gospel of Matthew


(pg 324) John Fenton said, "Matthew made some changes to the
Gospel of Mark. The most important is that in the Gospel of Mark the
two disciples asked from Jesus, while in the Gospel of Matthew the
mother asked from Jesus”.

- Did Jesus ask his disciples to take the staff or not?

Mark told about Jesus recommendation to his disciples; after he


gave them power over the impure spirits. It says, "He charged
them to take nothing for their journey except a staff--no
bread, no bag, no money in their belts. But to wear
sandals and not put on two tunics." (Mark 6/8-9)

However, it is different in the Gospel of Luke. It says, "And he sent


them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. And
he said to them, "Take nothing for your journey, no staff,
nor bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not have two
tunics." (Luke 9/2-3)

The Gospel of Matthew contradicts Mark about taking the staff and
the shoes, as he attributed to Jesus, "Acquire no gold nor silver
nor copper for your belts, no bag for your journey, nor
two tunics nor sandals nor a staff." (Matt 10/9-10) Matthew
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told that they were not allowed to take shoes or staff, contradicting
the Gospel of Mark.

- Did they hear the voice of God, or God's voice cannot be


heard?

John told about God, the father. He said, “And the Father who
sent me has himself borne witness about me. His voice you
have never heard, his form you have never seen." (John
5/37) Therefore, no one had heard God’s voice.

While the three evangelists told about God's voice that people heard
after the baptism of Christ by John the Baptist. Mark said, "And a
voice came from heaven, "You are my beloved Son; with
you I am well pleased." (Mark 1/11) and see (Matt 17/5) and
(Luke 3/22).

- Is John the Baptist, Elijah?

John said that the priests and the Leviticus sent to John the Baptist
to ask him,(Who are you?). They asked him saying, "Are you
Elijah?" He said, "I am not." (John 1/21)

However, Matthew mentioned that Jesus said that John the Baptist is
Elijah. "Truly, I say to you, among those born of women
there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet
the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater
than he….and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah
who is to come. He who has ears to hear, let him hear."
(Matt 11/11-15) In another verse, Jesus said, and he meant John the
Baptist, "But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to
him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him." (Mark
9/13), it means that one of the two prophets was a liar, or the writers
of the gospels are liars, which is the fact.

- When did the fig tree withered?

The gospels mentioned that Christ came to a fig tree, and when he
found it with no fruit, he prayed that it may never bear fruit again,
"May no fruit ever come from you again!" And the fig tree
withered at once. When the disciples saw it, they
marveled." (Matt 21/19-20)
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Mark contradicted that, as he mentioned that Jesus’ prayer, then,


"And when evening came they went out of the city. As they
passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered
away to its roots. And Peter remembered and said to him,
"Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered."
(Mark 11/19-21) This means that the fig tree did not wither at once,
and the disciples did not find about it until the next day.

- Did the centurion come to Jesus?

Matthew mentioned that when Jesus entered Nahom city, "a


centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, "Lord,
my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly."
(Matt 8/5-6)

Luke told the same story but he mentioned that the centurion did not
come to Jesus, but, "When the centurion heard about Jesus,
he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and
heal his servant. And when they came to Jesus, they
pleaded with him earnestly." (Luke 7/3-4) did the centurion
come or not?

- When did the story of applying ointment on Jesus' feet take


place?

The four gospels tell about the sinner woman who applied ointment
on Jesus' feet and wiped his feet with her hair. The evangelists
disagree about the time of the story; Luke said it was at the
beginning of Jesus preachment, while others said it was at the time
of the crucifixion and they did not agree whether it was two days or
six days before the Passover. Luke said it was at the beginning of
Jesus preachment (see Luke 7/36-50), during the life of John the
Baptist. Luke mentioned that the Baptist sent his disciples to Jesus in
the same chapter. (See Luke 7/19-23)

However, Mark claims that the story happened two days before the
Passover. Mark said, "It was now two days before the
Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the
chiefpriests and the scribes were seeking how to arrest
him by stealth and kill him, for they said, "Not during the
feast, lest there be an uproar from the people."… A woman
came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard,
very costly." (Mark 14/1-3). The Passover, which Mark mentioned,
is the Passover in which the crucifixion happened.
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John claims that the story happened six days before the Passover.
He said, "Six days before the Passover….Mary therefore
took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard
and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet." (John
12/1-3) He talked about the same Passover that Mark mentioned,
which is before the crucifixion. When did the story take place? Did
the Holy Spirits make mistake when telling them or the evangelists
made the mistake?

- Did the devil test Jesus on the mountain first or in the temple?

The evangelists mentioned the devil testing Jesus in two places, one
in Jerusalem, at the temple, and the second at a very high mountain.
However, the evangelists disagreed in the order of the two events,
Matthew believed that the testing was at the temple and then on the
mountain. He said, "Then the devil took him to the holy city
and set him on the pinnacle of the temple. and said to him,
"If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down…Again,
the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed
him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory." (Matt
4/5-8)

Matthew contradicted Luke, who believed that it was on the mountain


first. "And the devil took him up and showed him all the
kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to
him, "To you I will give all this authority and their glory…
And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle
of the temple and said to him, "If you are the Son of God,
throw yourself down from here." (Luke 4/5-9)

Rev. Dr. Ibrahim Said is confused with the order of the two events;
he cannot find anything to satisfy his and his readers' confusion. He
said, "Most of the scholars in the past century tend to accept the
order that is mentioned in the Gospel of Matthew, while the
contemporary scholars prefer the order that is mentioned in the
Gospel of Luke." 1 The question is which of the two events occurred
first. That is one of the difficulties in the New Testament.

- When did Elijah and Moses appear to the disciples?


1
- Interpretation of the Gospel According to Luke, Rev. Dr. Ibrahim Said, pp 85
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The evangelists mentioned Moses and Elijah’s appearance to the


disciples after they went with Jesus to the mountain for prayer; days
after Jesus left the city. However, the evangelists disagreed whether
it was six or eight days. Luke said, "Now about eight days after
these sayings he took with him Peter and John and James
and went up on the mountain to pray." (Luke 9/28)

Matthew contradicted him saying, "And after six days Jesus


took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and
led them up a high mountain by themselves." (Matt 17/1) Did
Moses and Elijah appear after six or eight days?

In a desperate attempt to resolve this contradiction, father Matta


Almiskeen said, "This confusion, maybe, was because Saint Matthew
did not count Saturday in the middle, while Saint Luke counted it and
counted the day in which saint Peter spoke about Christ". 1
I believe that the reader is aware that the word "Maybe" indicates
that his explanation is an assumption with no basis; it is better and
ethical to say that one of the evangelists had made a mistake.

- Was Abraham justified by faith only?

One of the most important contradictions in the New Testament is


the difference in the importance of the work to reach righteousness,
with the agreement on the importance of faith. Paul diminished the
importance of work, and believed that it has no benefit for God. He
referred to the righteousness of Abraham (PBUH) before his faith
and his commitment to the Law, and considered that the work is due
for the righteousness that God granted him. He said, "For if
Abraham was justified by works, he has something to
boast about, but not before God. For what does the
Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was
counted to him as righteousness." Now to the one who
works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due.
And to the one who does not work but trusts him who
justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,
just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to
whom God counts righteousness apart from works." (Rom
4/2-6)

1
- The Gospel according to Matthew, Father Matta Al Miskeen, pp 502
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Faith, without work, is the way to righteousness, as Abraham was


justified by faith; so would the believers; that is Paul’s doctrine. "For
we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of
the law." (Rom 3/28)

The disciple James disagreed and contradicted him, as he believed


that faith without work is nothing but dead faith. Contradicting Paul,
he referred to the righteousness of Abraham, where the faith of
Abraham was not enough to be righteous. He became righteous by
work; he sacrificed his son Isaac to God, and considered that his
righteousness, James said, "Was not Abraham our father
justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the
altar? You see that faith was active along with his works,
and faith was completed by his works; and the Scripture
was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was
counted to him as righteousness"--and he was called a
friend of God. You see that a person is justified by works
and not by faith alone…For as the body apart from the
spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead." (Jam
2/21-26), was Abraham Justified by faith only, or faith without work is
like a dead body?

- Where did Jesus’ sermon take place?

The Evangelists mentioned the long sermon of Christ to his disciples,


in which he sympathized with the poor and the hungry, and threaten
the rich. However, they disagreed about the place where Jesus gave
his sermon. "Seeing the crowds, he went up on the
mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to
him." (Matt 5/1) Matthew believed that the sermon was on the
mountain.

Luke said that the sermon was on a level place not on a mountain;
he said, "And he came down with them and stood on a level
place, with a great crowd of his disciples." (Luke 6/17)
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Second: does Jesus contradict himself?

The gospels show that Jesus contradicted himself in his statements,


due to the contradictions of the four evangelists, or the contradiction
of one of them with himself.

- Was Peter a devil or a prophet?

Mentioning Jesus' opinion of Peter, Matthew had a contradiction in


the same page; he said, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah!
For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my
Father who is in heaven…you are Peter…I will give you
the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind
on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you
loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven…" (Matt 16/17-19)

He contradicted that after a few lines when he said, "Said to Peter,


"Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For
you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on
the things of man." (Matt 16/23)

Matthew later talked about Peter denial and even the cursed of
Jesus in the night of the trial (see Matt 26/74), then he said in
another verse, "When the Son of Man will sit on his glorious
throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve
thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel." (Matt 19/28)
which words about Peter are right, while they all attributed to Jesus?

- What was Christ’s response towards his enemies?

Luke attributed to Christ two contradictory responses towards the


enemies. Once he claimed that Jesus recommended loving them.
"But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to
those who hate you, bless those who curse you." (Luke 6/27-
28) However, he attributed the contrary to Jesus, when Jesus told
the example of the ten Trustees in his kingdom, as the king who was
rejected by his people. He said, "But as for these enemies of
mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them
here and slaughter them before me." (Luke 19/27). Which
treatment for the enemies came from Jesus?
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- Should we love or hate our parents?

Another contradiction is when Luke claimed that Jesus said, "If


anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and
mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters,
yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple." (Luke
4/26) In another verse, Luke mentioned that a man asked Jesus
about the eternal life, and Jesus answered, "Honor your father
and mother." (Luke 18/20)

In the Gospel according to Mark, Jesus said, "You shall love your
neighbor as yourself." (Mark 12/31). Should the disciples love
and honor or hate their fathers and mothers?

- Is it possible that Hellfire is the fate of Christ (PBUH)?

Matthew mentioned that Christ said that those who insult their
brothers will be in hell. He said, "And whoever says, 'You fool!'
will be liable to the hell of fire." (Matt 5/22) While Luke claimed,
that Christ insulted his two disciples, who did not recognize him after
his resurrection. "And he said to them, "O foolish ones, and
slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!"
(Luke 24/25). He also said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! (Matt
16/23), and in another verse he said to him, "O you of little faith,
why did you doubt?" (Matt 14/31) Do Christians say that Hellfire
is the fate of Christ, or they judge these passages as contradictions?
True Guidance and Light series (2) (288)

Third: the contradiction between the Old Testament and the


New Testament

The evangelists also had contradictions with the writers of the Old
Testament in different matters that they shared, historical and
theological.

Contradictions in the characteristics of God

John said, "No one has ever seen God." (John 1/18), and he was
right. However, he contradicted what the Torah mentions in many
passages. Jacob said, "For I have seen God face to face." (Gen
32/30)

The same is also in the Book of Exodus when Moses insisted on


seeing God. God said to him, "Behold, there is a place by me
where you shall stand on the rock, and while my glory
passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will
cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will
take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my
face shall not be seen." (Exo 33/21-23)

In addition, John contradicted what Luke said, by saying that


Stephen had seen God’s image and glory, "But he, full of the
Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God,
and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. And he said,
"Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man
standing at the right hand of God." (Act 7/55-56)

John said that no one heard the voice of God the father. He said,
"And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness
about me. His voice you have never heard, his form you
have never seen." (John 5/37), thus, no one had heard the voice
of God, which contradicts what is mentioned in the Torah, that the
people of Israel had heard the voice of God when he talked to them
in Horeb, "Then the LORD spoke to you out of the midst of
the fire. You heard the sound of words, but saw no form;
there was only a voice." (Deu 4/12) Did the people hear God’s
voice or not?
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Paul described God rightly. He said, "For God is not a God of


confusion but of peace." (1Co 14/33)

However, he contradicted what is mentioned in the Book of Genesis,


"And the LORD said, "Behold, they are one people, and
they have all one language….Come, let us go down and
there confuse their language, so that they may not
understand one another's speech. And from there the
LORD dispersed them over the face of all the earth." (Gen
11/6-9)

- Is all the food allowed?

The Torah mentions what food should we or should not eat. see (Lev
11/1-47) However, Mark said that Jesus opposed that and that he
said strange things; that he allowed all kinds of food. "Hear me, all
of you, and understand: There is nothing outside a person
that by going into him can defile him, but the things that
come out of a person are what defile him." (Mark 7/14-15)

It was difficult for his disciples to understand, therefore, they asked


again, and he answered, (since it enters not his heart but his
stomach, and is expelled?" (Thus he declared all foods
clean.). (Mark 7/19) That is the strangest way to clean food, and
contradicts the Laws of Torah.

- Who bought the land of Shechem?

There is a contradiction between the book of Acts and the book of


Genesis, about who bought the land of Shechem from Hamor family,
was it Abraham or Jacob?

In the book of Acts, "And Jacob went down into Egypt, and
he died, he and our fathers, and they were carried back to
Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham had bought
for a sum of silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem."
(Act 7/15-16)

In the book of Genesis, "And Jacob came safely to the city of


Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan…And from the
sons of Hamor, Shechem's father, he bought for a hundred
pieces of money the piece of land on which he had pitched
his tent. " (Gen 33/18-19)
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The mistake was from the writer of the book of Acts, because the
land that Abraham bought was in the land of Hebron (Galilee). He
bought it from Ephron, and it is where he buried Sarah, and where he
was buried. In the book of Genesis, we read, "And Abraham
weighed out for Ephron the silver that he had named in
the hearing of the Hittites, four hundred shekels of silver…
After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of
the field of Machpelah east of Mamre (that is, Hebron) in
the land of Canaan." (Gen 23/16-19) Who bought the land of
Shechem, Abraham or Jacob?

- How many years did Saul rule the people of Israel?

In the book of Samuel, Saul ruled the people of Israel for two years,
"Saul was . . . years old when he began to reign, and he
reigned . . . and two years over Israel." (1Sa 13/1), which
contradicts what is in the book of Acts, “Then they asked for a
king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the
tribe of Benjamin, for forty years." (Act 13/21) Did Saul rule
for forty or two years?

- Who is the son of God, whom David prophesized?

Paul mentioned in his letter to the Hebrews God’s promise to David


about his son Solomon, but he made it as a prediction of Christ
(PBUH). He said, "But in these last days he has spoken to us
by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things…
having become as much superior to angels as the name he
has inherited is more excellent than theirs. For to which of
the angels did God ever say, "You are my Son, today I
have begotten you"? Or again, "I will be to him a father,
and he shall be to me a son"? (Heb 1/2-5)

Paul quoted the passage from the book of 2 Samuel (7/14), and
made it a prediction Of Christ. It says, "I will be to him a father,
and he shall be to me a son." (2Sa 7/14). Paul thought that this
passage was a prediction of Christ (PBUH) and he quoted it in his
letter. However, this quotation is not true, as the passage was about
speaking to David. God asked the prophet Nathan to say to David,
"Now, therefore, thus you shall say to my servant David…
When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your
fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall
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come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He


shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the
throne of his kingdom forever. I will be to him a father,
and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I
will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of
the sons of men… In accordance with all these words,
Nathan spoke to David." (2Sa 7/8-17).

The prediction was of someone born of David not from his offspring,
who will rule the people of Israel after the death of David. It was
about someone, who is the builder of the house of God, and whom
God will punish if he does not follow the Law. All these
characteristics, according to the Torah, were fulfilled in Solomon.

The book of Chronicles mentions that that person is Solomon. It


says, "Behold, a son shall be born to you who shall be a
man of rest. I will give him rest from all his surrounding
enemies. For his name shall be Solomon, and I will give
peace and quiet to Israel in his days. He shall build a
house for my name. He shall be my son, and I will be his
father, and I will establish his royal throne in Israel
forever." (1Ch 22/9-10)

- Who was called out from Egypt?

Another alteration of the claimed prophecies is what Matthew said


about Jesus’ return from Egypt during his childhood. Matthew said,
"And remained there until the death of Herod. This was to
fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, "Out of
Egypt I called my son." (Matt 2/15) He claimed that that fulfilled
the prediction, which is in the Book of Hosea. See (Hos 11/1-2)

However, the passage in the book of Hosea said nothing about


Christ; it is about the return of the people of Israel, with Moses, from
Egypt. It is about Jacob, then about his sons and their return from
Egypt, and their worshiping idols and ignoring God’s calls. "When
Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called
my son. The more they were called, the more they went
away; they kept sacrificing to the Baals and burning
offerings to idols." (Hos 11/1-2)

The text has nothing to do with Christ. Worshiping idols took place
before Christ. It does not apply to those who lived in the time of
Christ, because the Jews repented and stopped worshiping idols five
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hundred and thirty-six years before the birth of Christ, after they were
released from Babylon. They did not return to worship idols after that
repentance, as it clear to the reader of the Holy Bible, and proved by
the history books.
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Fourth: Christians between the recognition of the contradictions


and arrogance

Christian Scholars have made desperate and naive attempts to


combine these contradictions and present them as compatible and
complementary. However, all of these attempts often appear in vain,
as well as combinations that have no evidence.

Therefore, the Jewish critic and philosopher Espinoza was right


about what he said about the Torah, and his saying applies to the
New Testament. "If someone thinks that I speak in a general way,
without sufficient basis, I would request him to get and show us a
certain arrangement of these accounts that can be followed in the
writings of historians without falling into a grave error. One, in the
course of trying to reconcile the interpretation of these accounts,
should take into account the terms and methods, and ways to link
the words, and explain them, so that we can follow this explanation
in our writings. I will bow in reverence to those who can do the job,
and I am ready to describe him as Apollo himself.

I have to admit that I could not find the person who tried this attempt,
in spite of my long search for him. Despite that since my childhood I
was saturated with the common views of the Bible, it was impossible
not to reach to what I have reached. Any way, there is no reason to
waste the reader’s time here, and to offer him/her, as a challenge, to
attempt a hopeless try. " 1

Few are those who recognize the truth. Among them are the editors
of the Christian magazine, “The Blain Truth”. In its July 1975 issue,
we read, "There are many allegations of inconsistencies in the Bible,
which the scholars could not solve so far. It has what satisfies every
unbeliever and atheist. Scholars are still grappling with some
difficulties to this day. No one denies this fact, however, except he
who is ignorant of the Bible".

1
- The Holy Books between Accuracy and Alteration, Yahya Rabee, pp 325
True Guidance and Light series (2) (294)

The Legislative and the ethical impact of the New


Testament

Christ said, "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in


sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You
will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered
from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy
tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit.
A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased
tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good
fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will
recognize them by their fruits." (Matt 7/15-20)

Muslims present this Biblical passage and ask the Christians to


consider it as a judge, and then the results will show the right and the
wrong.

- The reality of Christian societies

Looking at the Christian societies in general, scholars recorded the


spread of a number of vices in them, such as adultery,
homosexuality, suicides, crimes, racial discrimination, the
disintegration of the family and bad social relations, alcohol and
drugs, alienation from religion and the prevalence of atheism, and
the brutality with the other nations.

Ponte, a German magazine, had published statistics about the


beliefs of the Germans, and the result of the statistics was that 65%
of the Germans believe in God, and 50% believe in life and judgment
after death.

In South Africa, where the proportion of Christians is 98%, incest


between the whites is 8%, while the number of alcohol addicts in the
United States, according to the Rev. Jimmy Swegart, is forty-four
million, in addition to ten million drunkards.

John Weston mentioned a research conducted in 1978, and the


result was that 4% of the American society practice homosexuality or
lesbianism throughout their lives, and 10% practice it for three years.
Figures from Parenthood Federation in Britain show that half of
teenage girls under 16 engaged in adultery.
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- How does the New Testament face this reality?

One might wonder what the Gospel has to reform and correct these
disasters and epidemiological figures. Does the Gospel have a
relation to these figures?

The answer is the inability of the gospels’ legislation to cure these


conditions in the Christian societies. It is not false at all, if we say that
the Holy Bible is one of the causes of the corruption in those
societies, whether directly or indirectly. 1

The responsibilities of the book for these vices vary in their level of
impact, but together, they contain the cause and the root of the
problems. That indicates that it is not the word of God, because God
sent prophets with his books to guide people and take them out of
the darkness and evil to the guidance and light.

First: The New Testament and contrary to human nature

There are many gospels’ texts reflect what is against the human
nature, which had a negative moral or social impact on the readers,
including:

The New Testament urges to leave marriage and remain celibate.


Paul said, "To the unmarried and the widows I say that it
is good for them to remain single as I am." (1Co 7/8) In
another verse, he said, "For the mind that is set on the flesh is
hostile to God." (Rom 8/7) Therefore, according to Paul, humans
perform drinking, eating, sleeping, marriage and other human needs,
while being hostile to God.

Paul said that because of the wrong idea that overwhelmed him, that
is the enmity between the body and spirit. "For the desires of the
flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit
are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other,
to keep you from doing the things you want to do." (Gal
5/17). This supposed conflict between the spirit and the body distorts
human life, which cannot reach happiness unless there is integration
between the body needs and desires of the soul.

1
- This does not mean that the Holy Bible does not contain some noble teachings, which are the lights and
guidance of the prophets. However, these teachings are mixed with false alterations that made them too
hard to identify.
True Guidance and Light series (2) (296)

The disciple Jacob was exaggerating in warning from loving the


world without distinguishing between good and evil. He said, "You
adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with
the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes
to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of
God." (Jam 4/4). Is the love of the good or the parents or even the
needs of the humans, such as marriage, reproduction, and food and
drink hostility to God!

Matthew mentioned that Christ asked to renounce the world,


including the basic and essential needs of a decent human life. A
man came to Christ and said that he had memorized all the
commandments, "All these I have kept. What do I still lack?"
Jesus said to him, "If you would be perfect, go, sell what
you possess and give to the poor, and you will have
treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." When the
young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had
great possessions. And Jesus said to his disciples, "Truly, I
say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of
a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of
God." When the disciples heard this, they were greatly
astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?" (Matt 19/20-
25) This passage and others are against the basics of life, which
build civilizations.

Similarly, where we see an invitation to sluggishness and laziness,


where humanity will be destroyed if it did it. Luke said, "Do not be
anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your
body, what you will put on. For life is more than food, and
the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they
neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor
barn, and yet God feeds them...… Consider the lilies, how
they grow: they neither toil nor spin… And do not seek
what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be
worried… Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things
will be added to you." (Luke 12/22-31)

Another conflict with human nature is the unreasonable ideas in the


New Testament. Quoting Christ, Matthew said, "But I say to you,
Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."
(Matt 5/44). In addition to the fact that loving enemies is something
impossible, and the Christian societies never apply at any time, it is
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impossible that Christ would ask to love Satan, the greatest enemy of
humankind. We can say the same of the demons of humanity whom
God does not love, and it is not proper from humans to love them.

It is strange that the book asks the believers to love their enemies,
no matter what they did, while elsewhere, believers are requested to
hate those who do good to them, or their parents, brothers and sons.
Hate is the basic requirement to become one of Jesus’ disciples, as
Luke claimed. "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his
own father and mother and wife and children and
brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot
be my disciple." (Luke 14/26)

Second: The legislative deficit of the New Testament

The gospels’ legislations are unable to set the straight integrated life,
and it is impossible that life would be straight with them. Matthew
attributed to the Christ saying, "But if anyone slaps you on the
right cheek, turn to him the other also." (Matt 5/39). The text
mentions an alternative to impunity, therefore it is abolition of the law
of retribution, or a moral addition that lack reasonableness, as if
urging to accept grievance and injustice, which is undoubtedly a
great cause to the emergence of corruption and wickedness.

Likewise, Luke said, "To one who strikes you on the cheek,
offer the other also, and from one who takes away your
cloak do not withhold your tunic either. And from one
who takes away your goods do not demand them back."
(Luke 6/29-30). Would any wise man do such thing? If the people
did that, what kind of injustice, oppression and evil would it be?

Here, we wonder: If this text was from the words of Christ, why did
he violate it when the servants of the high priests beat him? He did
not give him the other cheek, instead he said, "If what I said is
wrong, bear witness about the wrong; but if what I said is
right, why do you strike me?" (John 18/23)

There is also another question looking for an answer: Did the church
apply this moral at any time, or the fact is that this saying is
impossible, and if the church and Christ failed to do so, it is
impossible for others.
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The New Testament forbids divorce unless if one of the spouse


committed adultery. "What therefore God has joined together,
let not man separate… And I say to you: whoever divorces
his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries
another, commits adultery." (Matt 19/6-

This legislation is among the causes of the spread of adultery. It is


the solution and the way for those who have marriage problems due
to life hassles and the differences of human natures; those whom the
New Testament prevent to build their lives on purity again.

This strange legislation cannot straighten life. There are many things
that make life between spouses impossible, and the only way out is
the divorce, and by preventing it many harms might happen. That is
why the Protestant Church allowed divorce, which other churches
are trying to approve in order to get out of this strange legislation.

Matthew’s statement about the reason for the prohibition of divorce


"What therefore God has joined together, let not man
separate" (Matt 19/6), is not true, because marriage is not a divine
combination between two. It is an agreement between the two to
marry in accordance with the laws of God; like the rest of God’s laws.

Another legislative deficit in the New Testament is the prohibition of


marrying more than one, as understood from (Corinthians (1) 1-7 -
5), which is agreed on by the various Christian churches. Statistics
indicate a continuous increase in the numbers of women. In England,
women outnumber men by four million, in Germany, five million, and
eight million in America. How would the New Testament solve this
problem, which will increase if the Christians follow the words of Paul
by leaving marriage and remain celibate? "To the unmarried and
the widows I say that it is good for them to remain single
as I am. But if they cannot exercise self-control, they
should marry." (1Co 7/8-9)
The result of this education is the scandals that are shaking the
church every day, and prove that humans cannot overcome their
nature, and that this guidance is not the word of God, because God
knows what works and is appropriate for his creations.

Third: The role of nullifying the Law in the spread of corruption


and disintegration
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However, all what we mentioned are only a side effects of the


scourge. The main problem experienced by Christian communities is
in the doctrine of Salvation and the Atonement. This doctrine makes
the belief of Christ's crucifixion enough for one’s salvation; and to
free him/her from the curse of the law and the commandments. Paul
nullified the prohibition and the punishment for those who committed
various vices like adultery, drinking alcohol, murder and corruption.

According to him, the belief in Christ, who was crucified for us, atone
our sins no matter how great they are. Consequently, the believers
in these texts would do all forms of sins with no fear of the
punishment of God.

Paul called God's law, which refines human behavior, the curse, he
said, "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law." (Gal
3/13) He announced that there is no need for it after the crucifixion of
Jesus. He said, "So then, the law was our guardian until
Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.
But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a
guardian." (Gal 3/24-25)

He assured the abolition of the law, saying, "For he himself is our


peace, who has made us both one… by abolishing the law
of commandments." (Eph 2/14-15) He also said, "Yet we know
that a person is not justified by works of the law but
through faith in Jesus Christ, because by works of the law
no one will be justified." (Gal 2/16) He considered those who
insist on following the law insulting Christ. "You are severed from
Christ, you who would be justified by the law." (Gal 5/4)

He assures that there is no need to do good work, He said, "For if


justification were through the law, then Christ died for no
purpose." (Gal 2/21) He also said, "By a law of works? No, but
by the law of faith. For we hold that one is justified by
faith apart from works of the law." (Rom 3/27-28) Paul
believes that the belief of Christ is a way to righteousness and
salvation without the need for the law and deeds. "who saved us
and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works
but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave
us in Christ Jesus who abolished death and brought life
and immortality to light." (2Ti 1/9-10)
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He assured this strange meaning in another statement saying, "But


when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior
appeared. he saved us, not because of works done by us in
righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the
washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit."
(Tit 3/4-5) Thus, he opposed the Torah and declared that any food is
Lawful. See (Deu 14/1-24)

He said, "I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that


nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone
who thinks it unclean." (Rom 14/14) He also said, "To the
pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and
unbelieving, nothing is pure." (Tit 1/15) "For everything
created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is
received with thanksgiving." (1Ti 4/4)

He defined the righteous according to his doctrine by saying,


"Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by
his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's
righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had
passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness
at the present time, so that he might be just and the
justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus." (Rom 3/24-26)

Declaring the new conditions for Salvation, he said, "because, if


you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and
believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,
you will be saved." (Rom 10/9), and the same is in Mark.
"Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but
whoever does not believe will be condemned." (Mark 16/16)

In another verse, he declared that the Salvation is for all humanity.


He said, "but gave him up for us all." (Rom 8/32) and John’s
saying explains it. "Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the
propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for
the sins of the whole world." (1Jo 2/1-2) He assured that by
saying, “And we have seen and do testify that the Father
sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.” (1Jo 4/14)

He made the Salvation for all sins and for all people regardless of the
sins they make. Thus, according to this doctrine, the people who
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would enter heaven (the kingdom of God) are the worst and the
unethical people.
These passages had a big impact on Christians; they understood
from these passages that everything is allowed. Martin Luther, one of
the founders of the Protestant sect, said, “The gospel does not ask
us to do work for our salvation, but in the contrary, it rejects our
deeds. In order that our righteousness power appears, our sins must
be great and many”.

In his book, “The Devine Places”, Mila Nekton said, “Do not worry if
you are a thief, adulterer, or a sinner. Just do not forget that God is a
very kind elder and he had forgiven your sins long before you
commit them”. 1

Thus, we found that what is happening in your Europe and the


Christian societies in general is because of this book, which
Christians insist that it is – despite its great negativity – the guiding
word of God that leads to righteousness and heaven.

1
- The Original Sin Between Judaism, Christianity and Isalm, Omayma Shaheen, pp 148, Christ In the
Quran, the Torah, and the Gospel, Abdul Kareem Al Khateeb, pp374
True Guidance and Light series (2) (302)

Is this Christ?

The final stage of proving that the New Testament is not the word of
God, is pointing out some of the characteristics and deeds that the
New Testament attributes to Jesus. These deeds and characteristics
cannot be attributed to noble and wise men. How could they be
attributed to Jesus (PBUH), whom God Almighty sent as a good
example for humanity?

The New Testament has many passages that insult Jesus, and
praising him in other passages will not clear this issue. Among these
passages are the following:

- Mark claimed that Jesus did not care to teach the weak believers,
but his disciples. Mark said, "And when he was alone, those
around him with the twelve asked him about the parables.
And he said to them, "To you has been given the secret of
the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in
parables, so that "they may indeed see but not perceive,
and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should
turn and be forgiven." And he said to them, "Do you not
understand this parable? How then will you understand
all the parables?... With many such parables he spoke the
word to them, as they were able to hear it…. He did not
speak to them without a parable, but privately to his own
disciples he explained everything." (Mark 4/10-34) According
to Mark, Jesus used to explain his teachings to the disciples only,
and that he spoke to others with parables, "They may indeed see
but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not
understand” and he did that to mislead them “lest they should
turn and be forgiven".
The gospels mention Jesus’ advice regarding our mothers and
fathers. However, they mention that he insulted his mother when he
was in a wedding in Cana. John mentioned that Jesus’ mother came
and asked him to turn the water into wine. Then Jesus told her,
"Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has
not yet come." (John 2/4); this was the same word that he
mentioned to the sinner woman, whom he brought to be stoned.
"Said to her, "Woman!" (John 8/10)
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When one of the disciples came and told Jesus that his mother and
brothers were waiting to speak to him, he did not stand to to meet
and welcome them. Instead, according to Matthew’s claim, he said,
"Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?" And
stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said,
"Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does
the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister
and mother." (Matt 12/48-50) Is it possible that Christ ignored his
mother as such; was not she the pure clean virgin to whom the
angels appear?

Jesus was not as what the gospels claim; he was kind to his mother
as he said about himself in the Holy Quran. He said, "(He) hath
made me kind to my mother, and not overbearing or miserable”.
(Holy Quran, Maryam: 32)

In another verse, the gospels accused him of drinking wine. Matthew


said that Jesus told the Jews, “he Son of Man came eating and
drinking, and they say, 'Look at him! A glutton and a
drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!" (Matt
11/19)
This is what the gospels mention about Jesus and his mother. John
attributed to Mary – the mother of Jesus (PBUT) – making wine for
the guests of the wedding. In the contrary, the Holy Quran mentions
that she was the cleanest and the purist among all women. “O
Maryam! surely Allah has chosen you and purified you and
chosen you above the women of the world.” (Holy Quran, Al
Imran: 42)

Paul had completed the tragedy when he asked people to drink wine.
He said, "(No longer drink only water, but use a little wine
for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.)
(1Ti 5/23) Moreover, the book of Proverbs considers drinking wine as
a remedy to poor people’s problems; it make them forget their
problems and pain. It says, “Give strong drink to the one who
is perishing, and wine to those in bitter distress. Let them
drink and forget their poverty and remember their misery
no more." (Pro 31/6-7) However, Christian societies did not take a
little wine as Paul taught, instead, they have tens of millions of
alcoholics. It is another impact of the Holy Bible.
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Luke mentioned a strange from Jesus. He said that Jesus said to the
crowd, "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own
father and mother and wife and children and brothers and
sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my
disciple." (Luke 14/26), then he continued with this impossible
conditions. "So therefore, any one of you who does not
renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple." (Luke
14/33)

These conditions are not only improper to human nature – as I


mentioned earlier, but also are impossible. Moreover, hating relatives
is unethical and immoral, and it is unlikely that Jesus asked people to
hate their fathers and mothers, and love their enemies, including
Satan.

It is also improper to attribute to Jesus, who was the prophet of


peace, a horrible saying. Quoting Jesus, Matthew said, “Do not
think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have
not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to
set a man against his father, and a daughter against her
mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-
law. And a person's enemies will be those of his own
household." (Matt 10/34-36) this is a big insult to this great
prophet, which indicates lies of the writers, whom Christians claim
that they were writing the word of God.

Similarly, Luke said, "I came to cast fire on the earth, and
would that it were already kindled... Do you think that I
have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but
rather division. For from now on in one house there will
be five divided, three against two and two against three.
They will be divided, father against son and son against
father, mother against daughter and daughter against
mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and
daughter-in-law against mother-in-law." (Luke 12/49-53) did
the evangelists tell the truth when they said that Jesus was an
immorality prophet?

According to Matthew, a man followed Jesus wanting to have the


honor of following him and then he asked Jesus to give him the
permission to bury his father, but Jesus refused and said,
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"Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead."
(Matt 8/22)
Do kind people do such a thing? What is the impact and influence of
this verse on the twenty first century readers? Does this strange
verse have a relation to the family relationships in Christian
societies?

Another disciple asked Jesus for permission for his family farewell,
but he refused and warned him. Luke said, "Yet another said, "I
will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those
at my home." Jesus said to him, "No one who puts his
hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of
God." (Luke 9/61-62) Thus, that disciple did not deserve the
kingdom of God. What kind of religion is this, and what teachings, is
this what the words of God ask us to perform? There is no doubt
that these verses and the similar ones are the reasons for family
disintegration in Europe and the West.

Another insult to Jesus is what Matthew wrote. He said, "A man


came up to him and, kneeling before him, said, "Lord,
have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and he suffers
terribly. For often he falls into the fire, and often into the
water. And I brought him to your disciples, and they could
not heal him. And Jesus answered, "O faithless and
twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? How
long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to me." And
Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him, and
the boy was healed instantly." (Matt 17/14-18) There is no
reason for that complain or the annoying of helping the needy.

The gospels still insult Jesus when mentioning the story of the
Canaanite woman. "And behold, a Canaanite woman from
that region came out and was crying, "Have mercy on me,
O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed
by a demon." But he did not answer her a word. And his
disciples came and begged him, saying, "Send her away,
for she is crying out after us." He answered, "I was sent
only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." But she came
and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, help me." And he
answered, "It is not right to take the children's bread and
throw it to the dogs." She said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the
dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table."
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Then Jesus answered her, "O woman, great is your faith!


Be it done for you as you desire." (Matt 15/22-28)

He did not have mercy on her and did not help her until she accepted
that she is one of those like dogs – Gentiles. "For this statement
you may go your way; the demon has left your daughter."
(Mark 7/29) There is no reason for that harshness. How and why he
did not help that poor woman, and how did he say that she – or all
the gentiles – are like dogs?

In another verse, according to the gospels, he said that gentiles are


like pigs. Matthew said, "Do not give dogs what is holy, and do
not throw your pearls before pigs." (Matt 7/6) It is
unacceptable that they attribute this racism to Jesus, who, as they
claim, came for the salvation of the whole world.

In his book, “The Story of Civilization”, Will Durand said, “One would
find harsh and bitter passages in the Gospels that are opposite of
what we are told about Jesus in other passages. That some of them
seem at first glance away from justice, and some include bitter
mockery and hatred.”

Among the wonders of the New Testament is that it calls Jesus as a


cursed. Curse is being excluded from God’s mercy, and it is the
punishment for the criminals, sinners, and those who do not follow
God’s commandments and Law. See (Deu 27/15-26)

However, Paul found it proper to consider Jesus (PBUH) one of


these sinners and criminals. Paul said, “Christ redeemed us from
the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us--for it is
written, "Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree". (Gal
3/13) He did not find a way to connect between the curse of the
hanged according to Moses’ Law, and his claim about the crucified
Christ. He made Christ cursed with a philosophy; that he is cursed
instead of all the sinners and criminals.

John mentioned that Jesus lied - far it is from him. He mentioned that
the disciples asked Jesus to go to Jerusalem during the feast to
show his miracles. Jesus then, according to Matthew, said, "You
go up to the feast. I am not going up to this feast, for my
time has not yet fully come." After saying this, he
remained in Galilee. But after his brothers had gone up to
the feast, then he also went up, not publicly but in
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private." (John 7/8-10) He told them that he was not going, then he
went secretly so they would not discover his lie - far it is from him.
If the gospels attributed lies to the incarnated God, what would we
expect from humans? These are clear lies that Christians cannot and
should not attribute them to Jesus (PBUH). There is no surprise, if
Christians become liars after reading and believing these lies.

One would be surprised of the nudity in the Christian West. However,


it would not be a surprise for those who read the story of Jesus in the
Gospel according to John. John said, "Rose from supper. He
laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it
around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and
began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the
towel that was wrapped around him…When he had
washed their feet and put on his outer garments and
resumed his place, he said to them, "Do you understand
what I have done to you?" (John 13/4-12)

Those who attributed nudity to Jesus would not feel a shame to


attribute it to the disciples. According to John, the disciples went to
swim and Simon was very naked - stripped, and Jesus did not
recognize him. Then, "That disciple whom Jesus loved
therefore said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" When Simon Peter
heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment,
for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the
sea." (John 21/7)

Moreover, the gospels quoted Jesus cursing the Jews – and they
deserve it. However, it should not come from a prophet, whom God
sent to guide and teach his people kindness and morals; it should not
come from some one who said, "Love your enemies and pray
for those who persecute you." (Matt 5/44)

How could it be that he said after that, "But woe to you, scribes
and Pharisees, hypocrites... "Woe to you, blind guides…
You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape
being sentenced to hell?" (Matt 23/13-33)

Is it proper for who asked to bless the enemies, to say, "You


fools!" (Luke 11/40) and to consider people as dogs and pigs? "Do
not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls
before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to
attack you." (Matt 7/6)
True Guidance and Light series (2) (308)

According to the gospels, Jesus insulted his disciples. He said to the


two disciples, whom did not recognize him, "O foolish ones, and
slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!"
(Luke 24/25) and to Peter, he said, "Get behind me, Satan!"
(Matt 16/23) and he told him in another occasion, "O you of little
faith, why did you doubt?" (Matt 14/31)

According to Matthew, Jesus threatened those who did less than


that. Matthew said, “and whoever says, 'You fool!' will be
liable to the hell of fire." (Matt 5/22)

Paul cursed and said to people what is similar to that. "Look out
for the dogs, look out for the evildoers." (Phi 3/2) Then he
mentioned that drunkards, revilers and swindlers would not inherit
the kingdom of God. "Nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor
swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God." (1Co 6/10)

Did he include himself and Jesus, or were they both having an


exception, or was it a deception to attribute these nonsense to one of
the greatest messengers, and then they still claim it is the word of
God?

The gospels continued to insult Jesus, who has no genealogy, by


mentioning his genealogy. Surprisingly, they made the genealogy of
Joseph the Carpenter, the genealogy of Jesus, who had no father.
There is no blood relation between Jesus and Joseph the Carpenter.
It may make sense if the genealogy was that of Mary, but not
Joseph.

The evangelist mentioned many times that Joseph the Carpenter is


Jesus’ father. Luke said, "And when the feast was ended, as
they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in
Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, but supposing him
to be in the group…"Son, why have you treated us so?
Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in
great distress." (Luke 2/43-48) 1

Relating Jesus to Joseph – despite being not true – is assuring what


the Jews say and what is written in their Talmud about the Pure Mary
and her son.
1
- Commenting on this verse, Pastor Samaan Kalhoon Said, “No doubt that Jesus had learned since his
childhood that Joseph was his father, and his mother did not tell him that Joseph was not his real father;
she did not tell him about his miraculous birth. The Two Evangelists Agreement, Samaan Kalhoon, pp
77,78
(309) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

When we read the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew, we will notice that


he mentioned four grandmothers; they are Tamar, and the wife of
Uriah the Hittite, Rahab, and Ruth. One may ask, what is the secret
of mentioning these four grandmothers from the others? Were they
extraordinary women? Is there any lesson we can learn about
honoring Jesus by relating him to them?

The Old Testament mentions a sin for each one of these four
grandmothers. Tamar was the mother of the illegitimate Pharez from
the father of her husbands, who married her one after another. (See
her story with Judah in Genesis 38/ 2-30)

Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah the Hittite, is the one with whom the
Torah falsely accuses David of having adultery. She was the wife of
Uriah, who was the army leader, and she conceived from David, then
David pushed her husband to death, and then he married her.
Among their children was Solomon, one of Jesus grandfathers. (See
the story in 2 Samuel 11/ 1-4)

Rahab was the wife of Solomon and the mother of Boaz; and both –
according to Matthew – are among Jesus’ grandfathers. She is the
one about whom Joshua said, "A prostitute whose name was
Rahab." (Jos 2/1), and he mentioned her story in his book.

Ruth the Moabite was the wife of Boaz and the mother of Obid. The
Torah says, "No Ammonite or Moabite may enter the
assembly of the LORD. Even to the tenth generation." (Deu
23/3) Fortunately, Jesus is not included in this curse; he was the
thirty second generation of Ruth. However, this Moabite grandmother
better than the other three, for, the Bible does not mention that she
committed adultery, but she just seduced Boaz following her mother-
in-law’s advice. Her mother-in-law said to her, "Wash therefore
and anoint yourself, and put on your cloak and go down
to the threshing floor… But when he lies down, observe the
place where he lies. Then go and uncover his feet and lie
down, and he will tell you what to do."… So she went
down to the threshing floor and did just as her mother-in-
law had commanded her." (Rth 3/3-6)

One may ask, what is the secret of concern about these four
grandmothers? I cannot find an explanation except that they wanted
to harm the honor and the reputations of the prophets starting with
True Guidance and Light series (2) (310)

Noah and ending with Jesus – May God’s mercy and peace be upon
them all.

In his interpretation of the Gospel of Matthew, desperately, and


attempting to justify Matthew’s mistake and such great abuse to
Christ, Pastor Tadros Yakoob Malaty said, “Christ put on himself this
unclean relationship to purify it; he wanted to say, ‘He who came for
the sinners, was born of sinners to clean the sins of all”.

Father Matta Al Miskeen considered the four grandmothers as, “Four


jewels taken from the mud of nations to beautify Jesus’ chest’ as the
sinners’ savior; made of the names of the adulteresses a pearl
necklace which only those who are open-eyed and with big hearts
can enjoy”.

I believe that I am not one of those who like the adulteresses’ pearl
necklace that beautified Christ’s chest, and I am not sure if the
reader is the same as me or he/she is one of those who are open-
eyed, who likes that the names of those adulteresses beautify
Christ’ chest?

I will not let you feel sorry about what you read about Christ (PBUH);
the great messenger, who was not as they mentioned at all. To
comfort you, I would like to quote Ernest Renan, the prominent
historian. In his book, “The Life of Jesus” (pp 15), he said, “If we
consider, when we write about the life of Jesus, only what we are
certain about, we will only write a few lines”.

I am sure that these few lines will not contain all the harm and the
abuse as those pages of the gospels.

I hope that you agree with me on that these abuses and insults from
the evangelists towards Jesus (PBUH) are evidence that these
gospels are not the word of God. God’s word is far from mentioning
such things about His honorable messengers and prophets, including
Christ – may God’s mercy and peace be upon him.

Conclusion
(311) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

We will end this long journey by saying that we – Muslims – believe


in the Gospel that God Almighty gave to Christ (PBUH) as true
guiding and light to humanity, and as good news about prophet
Mohammad (PBUH). However, Christians had lost that gospel.
“And with those who say, We are Christians, We made a
covenant, but they neglected a portion of what they were
reminded of.” (Holy Quran, Al Ma’ida: 14)

What the letters of the New Testament record, claiming that these
records are the words of God without evidence or proof, is proven to
be altered and, thus, void. We also have seen that the New
Testament cannot be attributed to the disciples, but is the writings of
unknown authors, who borrowed these stories from the ancient
pagans. We have also seen that those unknown writers had copied
from each other with being honest.

Examining the books of the New Testament proved to us that those


writers were not inspired, for the huge number of mistakes that they
made. Moreover, they did not claim that they were inspired, but the
church and the councils claimed that. The decisions of churches’
fathers made these books – out of other first century’s writings –
holy, while these fathers considered reading other writings a crime
punishable by curse and death.

The New Testament continued to fail even with morality. It offers


morals that would destroy humanity and civilization. Moreover, it
insults Jesus Christ (PBUH), which proves, again, that it is not the
word of God Almighty.

God Almighty is right. He says, “Then woe to those who write the
Book with their own hands, and then say: "This is from Allah,"
to traffic with it for miserable price!- Woe to them for what their
hands do write, and for the gain they make thereby.” (Holy
Quran, Al Baqara: 79)

Many people reached the same conclusion about the New


Testament. Those who did not follow blindly, but accept the evidence
and proofs. Among them, was Philsian Chali, who said, “Rarely that
the church’s writings are original and truly belong to those whom
they are attributed. Most of the time, they are mixed work, altered,
or changed with many alterations and additions; they are – anyway –
man’s work, and they are impossible to be God’s words. 1
1
- Summary Of Religions History, Philsian Chali, pp 234
True Guidance and Light series (2) (312)

Finally, I thank the reader for reading these lines, and gladly invite
him/her to read the following part of this series, which is "Is Allah
(S.W.) One or Three?

We ask our Lord (Allah S.W), to guide us to the truth by His will, He
is the One, and Only who is capable of that.

Sources and References

3. The meaning of the Holy Quran, Abdullah Yusuf Ali


(313) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

4. The Holy Bible

• King James Version


• Modern King James Version
• King James Version (Red Letters)
• King James Version with Apocrypha
• Good News Bible
• American Standard Version
• Contemporary English Version
• International Standard Version
• English Standard Version
• Bible in Basic English
• Geneva Bible
• Barnabas Gospel
• Bishops Bible
• Wycliffe New Testament
• The Amplified Bible
• World wide English (New Testament)

3 -The Two Evangelists Agreement, Pastor Samaan Kalhoon


4 – Israel Altered the Gospels and the Sacred Writings, Ahmad
Abdul Wahab
5– The Sacred Writings before Islam, Saber To’aimah
6- The Truth Revealed, Rahmatullah Al Hindi
7 - The Gospel according to Luke, Father Matta Al Meskeen
8 - The Gospel according to Matthew, Father Matta Al Meskeen
9 – The Proof of Altering the Ancient Writings , Ahmad Abdul
Wahab
10 – The History of the Church, Eusebius
11 – The Applied Interpretation of the Holy Bible
12 – Interpretation of the New Testament, William Barclay
13 - The Torah, the Gospel, the Quran and science, Maurice
Bucaille
14 – A Study of the Torah and the Gospel, Kamel Safaan
15 - The Truth between Christianity and Islam, Mansour Husain
abdul Aziz
16 - Explanation on Luke's Gospel, Priest Dr. Ibrahim Said
17 – Paganism in Christianity, Mohammad Taher At Tenneer
18 – The Difference between the Creator and the Creation,
Abdurrahman Baghdadi
19 – Readings in The Holy Bible, Abdurrahim Mohammad
True Guidance and Light series (2) (314)

20 – The Holy Quran and The Holy Bible, which one is God’s
word, Ahmad Deedat.
21 – The Holy Bible in the Scale, Abdussalam Mohammad
22 – Allah (S.W.) and the Prophets (PBUT) in the Torah and the
Old Testament, Mohammad Ali Al Bar
23 – An Introduction to the Holy Bible, John Balkan and others
24 - The True Christianity as revealed by Christ, Alaa' Abu Bakr
25 - The Modern Debate, Ahmad Deedat,
26 - Two Debates in Stockholm, Ahmad Deedat and Pastor
Shuberg
27 – Is The Bible God’s word? Ahmad Deedat
(315) IS THE NEW TESTAMENT GOD’S WORD?

Index:

SUBJECT Page No.

3
INTRODUCTION
5
THE NEW TESTAMENT
7
THE NEW TESTAMENT’S CODEX
10
THE DIFFERENCES IN THE NEW TESTAMENT’S CODEX

NULLIFYING THE ATRIBUTION OF THE GOSPELS AND 25


EPISTLES TO THE DISCIPLES
First: The Gospel According to Matthew 26
Second: The Gospel According to Mark 33
Third: The Gospel According to Luke 36
Fourth: The Gospel According to John 38
Fifth: Epistles of the New Testament 46
Ancient Pagan Sources of the New Testament 35
The Gospel of Christ (PBUH) 58
The Documentation and the Canonism of the New 61
Testament
The Gospels’ Errors 64
Alterations in the New Testament 81
The Contradictions of the Gospels 98
The Legislative and the ethical impact of the New 115
Testament
Is this Christ? 123
Conclusion 132
Sources and References 134
IndeX 136

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