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Christian Scholars Recognize Contradictions in the Bible (part 1 of 5): Introduction
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Description: A look at what some of the leading Christian Scholars have said about the authenticity of the Bible.
By Misha’al ibn Abdullah (taken from the Book: What did Jesus really Say?)
- Published on 02 Jul 2007 - Last modified on 01 Oct 2007
Viewed: 3360 - Rating: 3.8 from 5 - Rated by: 5
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Category: Articles
> Comparative Religion
> The Bible
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“Then woe to those who write the book with their own hands and
then say: ‘This is from God’, to traffic with it for a miserable price. Woe to
them for what their hands do write and for the gain they make thereby.” (Quran
2:79)
“And when there came to them a messenger from God, Confirming
what was with them, a party of the people of the book threw away the book of God
behind their backs as if (it had been something) they did not know.” (Quran
2:101)
“Ye shall not add unto the word which I (God)
command you, neither shall ye diminish [ought] from it, that ye may keep the
commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.” (Deuteronomy 4:2)
 Let us start from the beginning. No Biblical scholar on
this earth will claim that the Bible was written by Jesus himself. They all
agree that the Bible was written after the departure of Jesus peace be upon him
by his followers. Dr. W Graham Scroggie of the Moody Bible Institute, Chicago,
a prestigious Christian evangelical mission, says:
“..Yes, the
Bible is human, although some out of zeal which is not according to knowledge,
have denied this. Those books have passed through the minds of men, are
written in the language of men, were penned by the hands of men and bear in
their style the characteristics of men….It is Human, Yet Divine,”
Another Christian scholar, Kenneth Cragg, the Anglican
Bishop of Jerusalem, says:
“...Not so
the New Testament...There is condensation and editing; there is choice
reproduction and witness. The Gospels have come through the mind of the church
behind the authors. They represent experience and history...”
“It is well
known that the primitive Christian Gospel was initially transmitted by word of
mouth and that this oral tradition resulted in variant reporting of word and
deed. It is equally true that when the Christian record was committed to
writing it continued to be the subject of verbal variation. Involuntary and
intentional, at the hands of scribes and editors.”
“Yet, as a
matter of fact, every book of the New Testament with the exception of the four
great Epistles of St. Paul is at present more or less the subject of
controversy, and interpolations are asserted even in these.”
Dr. Lobegott Friedrich Konstantin Von Tischendorf, one
of the most adamant conservative Christian defenders of the Trinity was himself
driven to admit that:
“[the New
Testament had] in many passages undergone such serious modification of meaning
as to leave us in painful uncertainty as to what the Apostles had actually
written”
After listing many examples of contradictory statements
in the Bible, Dr. Frederic Kenyon says:
“Besides the
larger discrepancies, such as these, there is scarcely a verse in which there
is not some variation of phrase in some copies [of the ancient manuscripts from
which the Bible has been collected]. No one can say that these additions or
omissions or alterations are matters of mere indifference”
Throughout this book you will find countless other
similar quotations from some of Christendom’s leading scholars. Let us suffice
with these for now.
Christians are, in general, good and decent people, and
the stronger their convictions the more decent they are. This is attested to
in the noble Quran:
“...and nearest among them (men) in love to the believers will
you find those who say ‘we are Christians’: because amongst these are men
devoted to learning and men who have renounced the world, and they are not
arrogant. And when they listen to the revelation received by the messenger
(Muhammad), you will see their eyes overflowing with tears for they recognize
the truth: They pray: ‘Our Lord! we believe; write us down among the
witnesses.’” (Quran 5:82-83)
All biblical “versions” of the Bible prior to the
revised version of 1881 were dependent upon the “Ancient Copies” (those dating
between five to six hundred years after Jesus). The revisers of the Revised
Standard Version (RSV) 1952 were the first biblical scholars to have access to
the “MOST ancient copies” which date fully three to four hundred years after
Christ. It is only logical for us to concur that the closer a document is to
the source the more authentic it is. Let us see what is the opinion of
Christendom with regard to the most revised version of the Bible (revised in
1952 and then again in 1971):
“The finest
version which has been produced in the present century” - (Church of England
newspaper)
“A completely
fresh translation by scholars of the highest eminence” - (Times literary
supplement)
“The well
loved characteristics of the authorized version combined with a new accuracy of
translation” - (Life and Work)
“The most
accurate and close rendering of the original” - (The Times)
The publishers themselves (Collins) mention on page 10
of their notes:
“This Bible
(RSV) is the product of thirty two scholars assisted by an advisory committee
representing fifty cooperating denominations”
Let us see what these thirty two Christian scholars of
the highest eminence backed by fifty cooperating Christian denominations have
to say about the Authorized Version (AV), or as it is better known, the King
James Version (KJV). In the preface of the RSV 1971 we find the following:
“...Yet the
King James Version has GRAVE DEFECTS..”
They go on to caution us that:
“...That
these defects are SO MANY AND SO SERIOUS as to call for revision”
The Jehovah’s Witnesses in their “AWAKE” Magazine dated
8th September 1957 published the following headline: “50,000 Errors in the
Bible” wherein they say “..there are probably 50,000 errors in the
Bible...errors which have crept into the Bible text...50,000 such serious
errors...” After all of this, however, they go on to say: “...as a whole the
Bible is accurate.” Let us have a look at only a very few of these errors.
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Christian Scholars Recognize Contradictions in the Bible (part 2 of 5): Examples of Interpolation
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Description: Some examples of the interpolations in the Bible, as mentioned by Christian scholars.
By Misha’al ibn Abdullah (taken from the Book: What Did Jesus Really Say?)
- Published on 09 Jul 2007 - Last modified on 19 Feb 2008
Viewed: 2495 - Rating: none yet - Rated by: 0
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Category: Articles
> Comparative Religion
> The Bible
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In John 3:16 - AV(KJV) we read:
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only
begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have
everlasting life..”
[…] this fabrication “begotten” has now been
unceremoniously excised by these most eminent of Bible revisers. However,
humanity did not have to wait 2000 years for this revelation.
In Maryam(19):88-98 of the noble Quran we read:
“And they say ‘God Most Compassionate has begotten a son!’ Indeed
you have put forth a thing most monstrous! The skies are ready to burst (at
such a claim), and the earth to split asunder, and the mountains to fall down
in utter ruin. That they should ascribe a son to the Most Compassionate. But
it is not befitting [the majesty of] the Most Compassionate that He should
beget a son. Not one of the beings in the heavens and the earth but must come
to the Most Compassionate as a slave. He has taken account of all of them and
has numbered them all exactly. And every one of them will come to him singly
on the day of judgment. On those who believe and work deeds of righteousness,
will God most gracious bestow love. Verily, We have made this [Quran] easy in
your tongue [O Muhammad] that you might deliver glad tidings to those who seek
refuge [in God] and warn with it a people who are contentious. And how many a
generation before them have we destroyed! Can you find a single one of them or
hear from them so much as a whisper?”
In 1st Epistle of John 5:7 (King James Version) we find:
“For there are three that bear record in heaven,
the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and these three are one.”
As we have already seen in section 1.2.2.5, this verse
is the closest approximation to what the Church calls the holy Trinity. However,
as seen in that section, this cornerstone of the Christian faith has also been
scrapped from the RSV by the same thirty two Christian scholars of the highest
eminence backed by fifty cooperating Christian denominations, once again all
according to the “most ancient manuscripts.” And once again, we find that the
noble Quran revealed this truth over fourteen hundred years ago:
“O people of the book! commit no excesses in your religion:
nor say of God aught but the truth. Christ Jesus the son of Mary was (no more
than) a Messenger of God, and his Word, which he bestowed upon Mary, and a
spirit preceding from him so believe in God and his messengers. Say not
“Three” desist It will be better for you for God is one God Glory be to him Far
exalted is he above having a son. To him belong all things in the heavens and
the earth. And enough is God as a disposer of affairs.” (Quran 4:171)
Prior to 1952 all versions of the Bible made mention of
one of the most miraculous events associated with the prophet Jesus peace be
upon him, that of his ascension into heaven:
“So then the lord Jesus, after he had spoken to
them, was taken up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God” (Mark
16:19)
…and once again in Luke:
“While he blessed them, he parted from them, and
was carried up into heaven. And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy.” (Luke 24:51-52)
In the 1952 RSV Mark 16 ends at verse 8 and the rest is
relegated in small print to a footnote (more on this later). Similarly, in the
commentary on the verses of Luke 24, we are told in the footnotes of the NRSV
Bible “Other ancient authorities lack “and was carried up into heaven’“ and
“Other ancient authorities lack ‘and worshipped him.’” Thus, we see that the
verse of Luke in it’s original form only said:
“While he blessed them, he parted from them. And
they returned to Jerusalem with great joy.”
It took centuries of “inspired correction” to give us
Luke 24:51-52 in their current form.
As another example, in Luke 24:1-7 we read:
“Now upon the first day of the week, very early in
the morning, they came unto the sepulcher, bringing the spices which they had
prepared, and certain others with them. And they found the stone rolled away
from the sepulcher. And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord
Jesus. And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold,
two men stood by them in shining garments: And as they were afraid, and bowed
down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living
among the dead? He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spoke unto you
when he was yet in Galilee, saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the
hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.”
Once again, in reference to verse 5, the footnotes say:
“Other ancient authorities lack ‘He is not here but has risen’”
The examples are far too numerous to list here, however,
you are encouraged to obtain a copy of the New Revised Standard Version of the
Bible for yourself and scan through the four gospels. You shall be hard
pressed to find even two consecutive pages that do not contain the words “Other
ancient authorities lack...” or “Other ancient authorities add...” etc. in the
footnotes.
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Christian Scholars Recognize Contradictions in the Bible (part 3 of 5): Alleged authors of the New Testament
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Description: Evidence of contradictions found by Christian Scholars from the narrations of the alleged authors of the New Testament.
By Misha’al ibn Abdullah (taken from the Book: What Did Jesus Really Say?)
- Published on 16 Jul 2007 - Last modified on 17 Sep 2007
Viewed: 2390 - Rating: 5 from 5 - Rated by: 1
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Category: Articles
> Comparative Religion
> The Bible
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We will note that every Gospel begins with the
introduction “According to.....” such as “The Gospel according to Saint
Matthew,” “The Gospel according to Saint Luke,” “The Gospel according to Saint
Mark,” “The Gospel according to Saint John.” The obvious conclusion for the
average man on the street is that these people are known to be the authors of
the books attributed to them. This, however is not the case. Why? Because not
one of the vaunted four thousand copies existent carries it’s author’s
signature. It has just been assumed that they were the authors. Recent
discoveries, however, refute this belief. Even the internal evidence proves
that, for instance, Matthew did not write the Gospel attributed to him:
“...And as Jesus passed forth thence, HE (Jesus)
saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and HE (Jesus)
saith unto HIM (Matthew), follow ME (Jesus) and HE (Matthew) arose, and
followed HIM (Jesus).” (Matthew 9:9)
It does not take a rocket scientist to see that neither
Jesus nor Matthew wrote this verse of “Matthew.” Such evidence can be found in
many places throughout the New Testament. Although many people have
hypothesized that it is possible that an author sometimes may write in the
third person, still, in light of the rest of the evidence that we shall see
throughout this book, there is simply too much evidence against this
hypothesis.
This observation is by no means limited to the New
Testament. There is even proof that at least parts of Deuteronomy were neither
written by God nor by Moses. This can be seen in Deuteronomy 34:5-10 where we
read:
“So Moses....DIED... and he (God Almighty) BURIED
HIM (Moses)... He was 120 years old WHEN HE DIED... and there arose not a
prophet SINCE in Israel like unto Moses....”
Did Moses write his own obituary? Joshua also speaks in
detail about his own death in Joshua 24:29-33. The evidence overwhelmingly
supports the current recognition that most of the books of the Bible were not
written by their supposed authors.
The authors of the RSV by Collins say that the author of
“Kings” is “Unknown.” If they knew it to be the word of God they would have
undoubtedly attributed it to him. Rather, they have chosen to honestly say
“Author... Unknown.” But if the author is unknown then why attribute it to
God? How can it then be claimed to have been “inspired”? Continuing, we read
that the book of Isaiah is “Mainly credited to Isaiah. Parts may have been
written by others.” Ecclesiastics: “Author. Doubtful, but commonly assigned
to Solomon.” Ruth: “Author. Not definitely known, perhaps Samuel,” and on and
on.
Let us have a slightly more detailed look at only one
book of the New Testament:
“The author of the Book of Hebrews is unknown. Martin
Luther suggested that Apollos was the author... Tertullian said that Hebrews
was a letter of Barnabas... Adolf Harnack and J. Rendel Harris speculated that
it was written by Priscilla (or Prisca). William Ramsey suggested that it was
done by Philip. However, the traditional position is that the Apostle Paul
wrote Hebrews... Eusebius believed that Paul wrote it, but Origen was not
positive of Pauline authorship.”
Is this how we define “inspired by God”?
As seen in chapter one, St. Paul and his church after
him, were responsible of making wholesale changes to the religion of Jesus
(pbuh) after his departure and were further responsible for mounting a massive
campaign of death and torture of all Christians who refused to renounce the
teachings of the apostles in favor of the Pauline doctrines. All but the
Gospels acceptable to the Pauline faith were then systematically destroyed or
re-written. Rev. Charles Anderson Scott has the following to say:
“It is highly probable that not one of the Synoptic
Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) was in existence in the form which we have
it, prior to the death of Paul. And were the documents to be taken in strict
order of chronology, the Pauline Epistles would come before the synoptic
Gospels.”
This statement is further confirmed by Prof. Brandon: “The
earliest Christian writings that have been preserved for us are the letters of
the apostle Paul”
In the latter part of the second century, Dionysius,
Bishop of Corinth says:
“As the brethren desired me to write epistles (letters),
I did so, and these the apostles of the devil have filled with tares
(undesirable elements), exchanging some things and adding others, for whom
there is a woe reserved. It is not therefore, a matter of wonder if some have
also attempted to adulterate the sacred writings of the Lord, since they have
attempted the same in other works that are not to be compared with these.”
The Quran confirms this with the words:
“Then woe to those who write the book (of Allah/God) with
their own hands and then say: ‘This is from Allah’, to traffic with it for a
miserable price. Woe to them for what their hands do write and for the gain
they make thereby.” (Quran 2:79)
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Christian Scholars Recognize Contradictions in the Bible (part 4 of 5): Alterations in Christian Scriptures
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Description: Christian scriptures "corrected" by Orthodox Christians.
By Misha’al ibn Abdullah (taken from the Book: What Did Jesus Really Say?)
- Published on 23 Jul 2007 - Last modified on 17 Sep 2007
Viewed: 2256 - Rating: 5 from 5 - Rated by: 2
Printed: 121 - Emailed: 3 - Commented on: 0
Category: Articles
> Comparative Religion
> The Bible
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Victor Tununensis, a sixth century African Bishop
related in his Chronicle (566 AD) that when Messala was consul at Costantinople
(506 AD), he “censored and corrected” the Gentile Gospels written by persons
considered illiterate by the Emperor Anastasius. The implication was that they
were altered to conform to sixth century Christianity which differed from the
Christianity of previous centuries.
These “corrections” were by no means confined to the
first centuries after Christ. Sir Higgins says:
“It is impossible to deny that the Bendictine Monks of
St. Maur, as far as Latin and Greek language went, were very learned and
talented, as well as numerous body of men. In Cleland’s ‘Life of Lanfranc,
Archbishop of Canterbury’, is the following passage: ‘Lanfranc, a Benedictine
Monk, Archbishop of Canterbury, having found the Scriptures much corrupted by
copyists, applied himself to correct them, as also the writings of the fathers,
agreeably to the orthodox faith, secundum fidem orthodoxam.”
In other words, the Christian scriptures were re-written
in order to conform to the doctrines of the eleventh and twelfth centuries, and
even the writings of the early church fathers were “corrected” so that the
changes would not be discovered. Sir Higgins goes on to say, “The same
Protestant divine has this remarkable passage: ‘Impartiality exacts from me the
confession, that the orthodox have in some places altered the Gospels’.”
The author then goes on to demonstrate how a massive
effort was undertaken in Constantinople, Rome, Canterbury, and the Christian
world in general in order to “correct” the Gospels and destroy all manuscripts
before this period.
Theodore Zahan, illustrated the bitter conflicts within
the established churches in Articles of the Apostolic Creed. He points out
that the Roman Catholics accuse the Greek Orthodox Church of remodeling the
text of the holy scriptures by additions and omissions with both good as well
as evil intentions. The Greek Orthodox, on the other hand, accuse the Roman
Catholics of straying in many places very far away from the original text. In
spite of their differences, they both join forces to condemn the non-conformist
Christians of deviating from “the true way” and condemn them as heretics. The
heretics in turn condemn the Catholics for having “recoined the truth like
forgers.” The author concludes “Do not facts support these accusations?”
14. “And from those who said: ‘We are Christians,’ We took
their Covenant, but they forgot a good part of the message which was sent to
them. Therefore We have stirred up enmity and hatred among them till the Day
of Resurrection, and Allah will inform them of what they used to do.
15. O people of the Scripture! Now has Our messenger
(Muhammad) come to you, explaining to you much of that which you used to hide
in the Scripture, and forgiving much. Indeed, there has come to you a light
from Allah and a plain Scripture.
16. Wherewith Allah guides him who seeks His good pleasure
unto paths of peace. He brings them out of darkness by His will into light,
and guides them to a straight path.
17. They indeed have disbelieved who say: Lo! Allah is the
Messiah, son of Mary. Say: Who then has the least power against Allah, if He
had willed to destroy the Messiah son of Mary, and his mother and everyone on
earth? And to Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth and all
that is between them. He creates what He will. And Allah is Able to do all
things.
18. The Jews and Christians say: We are sons of Allah and His
loved ones. Say; Why then does He punish you for your sins? No, you are but
mortals of His creating. He forgives whom He will, and punishes whom He will.
And to Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth and all that is
between them, and unto Him is the return (of all).
19. O people of the Scripture! Now has Our messenger
(Muhammad) come unto you to make things plain after a break in (the series of)
the messengers, lest you should say: There came not unto us a messenger of
cheer nor any Warner. Now has a messenger of cheer and a Warner come unto you.
And Allah is Able to do all things.” (Quran 5:14-19)
St. Augustine himself, a man acknowledged and looked up
to by both Protestants and Catholics alike, professed that there were secret
doctrines in the Christian religion and that:
“…there were many things true in the Christian
religion which it was not convenient for the vulgar [common people] to know,
and that some things were false, but convenient for the vulgar to believe in
them.”
Sir Higgins admits:
“It is not unfair to suppose that in these withheld
truths we have part of the modern Christian mysteries, and I think it will
hardly be denied that the church, whose highest authorities held such
doctrines, would not scruple to retouch the sacred writings.”
Even the epistles attributed to Paul were not written by
him. After years of research, Catholics and Protestants alike agree that of
the thirteen epistles attributed to Paul only seven are genuinely his. They
are: Romans, 1, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Philipians, Philemon, and 1
Thessalonians.
Christian sects are not even agreed on the definition of
what exactly is an “inspired” book of God. The Protestants are taught that
there are 66 truly “inspired” books in the Bible, while the Catholics have been
taught that there are 73 truly “inspired” books, not to mention the many other
sects and their “newer” books, such as the Mormons, etc. As we shall see
shortly, the very first Christians, for many generations, did not follow either
the 66 books of the Protestants, nor the 73 books of the Catholics. Quite the
opposite, they believed in books that were, many generations later,
“recognized” to be fabrications and apocrypha by a more enlightened age than
that of the apostles.
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