THE TRUTH OF CHRISTIANITY:
Saturnalia/Christmas. explained from the old horses mouth
Saturnalia/Christmas.
{Jeremiah 10:2-5} 2 thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. 3 For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. 4 They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. 5 They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good.
{Isaiah 2:8} 8 Their land has also been filled with idols; They worship the work of their hands, That which their fingers have made.
{Isaiah 37:19} 19 and have cast their gods into the fire, for they were not gods but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. So they have destroyed them.
[Amos 5:21] "I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies."
[Matthew 15:8,9] "This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with [their] lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching [for] doctrines the commandments of men."
He has given us his instruction(Torah) and it doesnt say on the 12th month and 25 day of the gregorian calendar you will celebrate my birthday. Its not there. He gave us his feasts and holy days which are about Messiah. So why not keep those instead? Read Leviticus 23
Deu 12:28 Observe and hear all these words which I command thee, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee for ever, when thou doest that which is good and right in the sight of the LORD thy God.
Deu 12:29 When the LORD thy God shall cut off the nations from before thee, whither thou goest to possess them, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their land;
Deu 12:30 Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise.
Deu 12:31 Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God: for every abomination to the LORD, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods.
Deu 12:32 What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.
Also the word Santa is an anagram SANTA=SATAN
A.i
{Jeremiah 10:2-5} 2 thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. 3 For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. 4 They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. 5 They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good.
{Isaiah 2:8} 8 Their land has also been filled with idols; They worship the work of their hands, That which their fingers have made.
{Isaiah 37:19} 19 and have cast their gods into the fire, for they were not gods but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. So they have destroyed them.
[Amos 5:21] "I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies."
[Matthew 15:8,9] "This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with [their] lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching [for] doctrines the commandments of men."
He has given us his instruction(Torah) and it doesnt say on the 12th month and 25 day of the gregorian calendar you will celebrate my birthday. Its not there. He gave us his feasts and holy days which are about Messiah. So why not keep those instead? Read Leviticus 23
Deu 12:28 Observe and hear all these words which I command thee, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee for ever, when thou doest that which is good and right in the sight of the LORD thy God.
Deu 12:29 When the LORD thy God shall cut off the nations from before thee, whither thou goest to possess them, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their land;
Deu 12:30 Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise.
Deu 12:31 Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God: for every abomination to the LORD, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods.
Deu 12:32 What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.
Also the word Santa is an anagram SANTA=SATAN
A.i
A psalm 62 of David. God alone worship
1 Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him. 2 Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken. 3 How long will you assault me? Would all of you throw me down-- this leaning wall, this tottering fence? 4 Surely they intend to topple me from my lofty place; they take delight in lies. With their mouths they bless, but in their hearts they curse. 5 Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him. 6 Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. 7 My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. 8 Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. 9 Surely the lowborn are but a breath, the highborn are but a lie. If weighed on a balance, they are nothing; together they are only a breath. 10 Do not trust in extortion or put vain hope in stolen goods; though your riches increase, do not set your heart on them. 11 One thing God has spoken, two things I have heard: “Power belongs to you, God, 12 and with you, Lord, is unfailing love”; and, “You reward everyone according to what they have done.” |
BEFORE U START READING BELOW U MUST SEE THIS VIDEO ACCORDING TO THE PROS AT THE BIBLE
Does The Bible Misquote Jesus? (Debate, 2010) |
BEFORE U START READING BELOW U MUST SEE THIS VIDEO ACCORDING TO THE PROS AT THE BIBLE
Bart Ehrman vs Craig Evans, Jan 19 2012 |
Proof Jesus Is Not God (1 Timothy 3:16) from Codex Alexandrinus
"And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory." - King James Version
The Red Flag of Unorthodox Theology
One of the first signs that there may be a problem with translation or tampering with the underlying source text is the manifestation of apparent unorthodox or even blasphemous theology. Here we have the classic example of a Christian heresy in the midst of a thoroughly Jewish text - the deity of messiah. Either Paul, who wrote this letter to Timothy, was a rank heretic or the original text has been corrupted.
The Rogue Copy
Not always, but often, a single variant among other copies of the passage may be another sign that a rendering is suspect - especially when the difference is a single character, or what appears to be the confusion between two different letters that look very familiar. The Codex Alexandrinus is the only manuscript that has "God" in 1 Timothy 3:16 and has no second or third witness, nor is it even the earliest manuscript at 450 c.e. The Aramaic Peshitta correctly reads הון "he who" as do all other Greek and Latin manuscripts.
"Truly great is the secret of justice. He who was revealed in the flesh, righteous in spirit, and confirmed to the messengers, and proclaimed among the people, and believed by the world, and ascended into a better place." - 1 Timotheos (Timothy) 3:16, Peshitta
Forensic Orthography
A great amount of effort has been invested in finding ways in which to filter out bleed-through in older texts and manuscripts to improve the clarity making them easier to interpret. The Codex Alexandrinus exhibits a moderate degree of opacity which allows the ink of the text on the back side of the pages to permeate through thereby mottling the text. In 1715, bible scholar, Johann Wettstein examined this passage in the Greek Codex Alexandrinus. He noticed that the word "who" ΟC (omicron-sigma) had been altered to appear like the abbreviation for "God" ΘC (theta-sigma). A line of ink had bled through from the other side of the parchment changing the appearance of the Ο (omicron) to a Θ (theta). An error like this would have normally been caught, however some later and unscrupulous scribe added a stroke over the word (in a slightly different coloured ink) indicating that it was to be read as an abbreviation.
Until now those aware of these facts have had to imagine what this evidence looked like, allowing many to doubt these claims and continue in heresy. I have provided the visual evidence here by presenting an image of the actual manuscript with the verse and word in question. This first image (below) juxtaposes the right column of folio 123a with the corresponding left column of folio 123b on its backside. It is fairly easy to see with the unaided eye the many instances where the ink has bled through from one side of the parchment to the other. Note the large drop case letters in the margins and blank sections between paragraphs where the bleed-through is even more apparent.
The Red Flag of Unorthodox Theology
One of the first signs that there may be a problem with translation or tampering with the underlying source text is the manifestation of apparent unorthodox or even blasphemous theology. Here we have the classic example of a Christian heresy in the midst of a thoroughly Jewish text - the deity of messiah. Either Paul, who wrote this letter to Timothy, was a rank heretic or the original text has been corrupted.
The Rogue Copy
Not always, but often, a single variant among other copies of the passage may be another sign that a rendering is suspect - especially when the difference is a single character, or what appears to be the confusion between two different letters that look very familiar. The Codex Alexandrinus is the only manuscript that has "God" in 1 Timothy 3:16 and has no second or third witness, nor is it even the earliest manuscript at 450 c.e. The Aramaic Peshitta correctly reads הון "he who" as do all other Greek and Latin manuscripts.
"Truly great is the secret of justice. He who was revealed in the flesh, righteous in spirit, and confirmed to the messengers, and proclaimed among the people, and believed by the world, and ascended into a better place." - 1 Timotheos (Timothy) 3:16, Peshitta
Forensic Orthography
A great amount of effort has been invested in finding ways in which to filter out bleed-through in older texts and manuscripts to improve the clarity making them easier to interpret. The Codex Alexandrinus exhibits a moderate degree of opacity which allows the ink of the text on the back side of the pages to permeate through thereby mottling the text. In 1715, bible scholar, Johann Wettstein examined this passage in the Greek Codex Alexandrinus. He noticed that the word "who" ΟC (omicron-sigma) had been altered to appear like the abbreviation for "God" ΘC (theta-sigma). A line of ink had bled through from the other side of the parchment changing the appearance of the Ο (omicron) to a Θ (theta). An error like this would have normally been caught, however some later and unscrupulous scribe added a stroke over the word (in a slightly different coloured ink) indicating that it was to be read as an abbreviation.
Until now those aware of these facts have had to imagine what this evidence looked like, allowing many to doubt these claims and continue in heresy. I have provided the visual evidence here by presenting an image of the actual manuscript with the verse and word in question. This first image (below) juxtaposes the right column of folio 123a with the corresponding left column of folio 123b on its backside. It is fairly easy to see with the unaided eye the many instances where the ink has bled through from one side of the parchment to the other. Note the large drop case letters in the margins and blank sections between paragraphs where the bleed-through is even more apparent.
This second image (below) is taken from the left column of folio 123a and compares the word in question to two uncontested examples of the letters. Bleed-throughs are evident in each instance.
a) corrupted OC (omicron-sigma) "who" in 1st Timothy 3:16
b) authentic example of OC (omicron-sigma) in ΚΟCΜω "world" in 1st Timothy 3:16
c) authentic example of Θ̅C (theta-sigma) "God" in 1st Timothy 4:3
a) corrupted OC (omicron-sigma) "who" in 1st Timothy 3:16
b) authentic example of OC (omicron-sigma) in ΚΟCΜω "world" in 1st Timothy 3:16
c) authentic example of Θ̅C (theta-sigma) "God" in 1st Timothy 4:3
The second line in the text above that reads ΜΥϹΤΗΡΙΟΝΟϹϵϕΑΝϹΡω from 1st Timothy 3:16 "mystery: who was manifest" is written directly over ΚΑΙΤΗΚΑΤϵΥϹϵΒϵΙΑΝΔΙΔ on the reverse side, which is the ending portion of 1st Timothy 6:3 "and the teaching which is in accordance with godliness," (the conflated letters are underlined in red). The middle stroke of the ϶ (reversed epsilon) bled through to provide the middle stroke to the Ο (omicron) on the front side to form the letter Θ (pseudo-theta). Below is a reconstruction of the corruption formed by reversing and overlaying the recto (black) and verso (dark grey) lines.
Original front side
Original front side
Original back side (reversed)
Reconstruction overlay
Although there are some differences between the original and reconstructed fonts in kerning, size and form, and considering that where and how much ink bleeds through is uneven, the reconstruction is remarkably accurate. As we can see the Ο (omicron) and the ϶ (reversed epsilon) combine to form a Θ (pseudo-theta). Immediately on the left of this example is another bleed-through combining the N (nu) and the Y (upsilon) exactly as the reconstruction model has predicted. Other matches include the first elongated P (rho) along the left side of the reverse B (beta) and the second elongated P (rho) along the left side of the reverse K (kapa).
Conclusion
It should be evidently clear that the original Greek text which was written as OC "who" was corrupted by ink bleeding through the parchment. It was further corrupted when a later scribe supplied a diacritical mark, a horizontal stroke, above the letters to indicate that they were an abbreviation Θ̅Ϲ (THS) for ΘΕΟϹ (THEOS) both meaning "God". All other manuscripts clearly state that the messiah, "who" and not "God" was manifest in the flesh.
It is also interesting to note that at the height of Christological controversies from the fourth century through the middle ages, no reference to this passage was ever made even when proponents for the deity of Christ would have naturally appealed to this passage for support. This suggests that the corruption was a more recent one, and that the reading did not exist in the original.
Since it is also made clear in the scriptures, without any orthographic controversy, that no one has ever ontologically seen or heard God at any time, (Exodus 33:20, Deuteronomy 4:15-16, John 1:18, 5:37, 1 John 4:12) itis not theologically permissible for God to manifest in the flesh in a way that anyone who saw "the flesh" also saw God Himself. If one was to "see" God as Tæoma did, and yet not see God in as a form of flesh, it is only reconcilable if one is perceiving God's spiritual qualities being demonstrated through the flesh, as no fleshly form in creation could be God, (since He is not flesh nor created, but spirit) nor could any created fleshly vessel contain His essence wholly, (but only the whole of His spiritual qualities). We can thus be assured that the Peshitta has preserved the original and that it was the messiah who was manifest in the flesh and not God Himself.
References:
1. The Codex Alexandrinus (London, British Library, MS Royal 1. D. V-VIII; Gregory-Aland no. A or 02) is a 5th century manuscript of the Greek Bible, containing the majority of the Septuagint and the New Testament. It is one of the earliest and most complete Greek manuscripts of the Bible. It derives its name from Alexandria where it resided for a number of years before given to the British in the 17th century. It also contains the writing of Athanasius. It was bishop Alexander and deacon Athanasius of Alexandria who were the leading proponents of the divinity of Christ leading to the Nicene Creed.
Codex Alexandrinus digital images courtesy of the Center for the Study of New Testament manuscripts.
Conclusion
It should be evidently clear that the original Greek text which was written as OC "who" was corrupted by ink bleeding through the parchment. It was further corrupted when a later scribe supplied a diacritical mark, a horizontal stroke, above the letters to indicate that they were an abbreviation Θ̅Ϲ (THS) for ΘΕΟϹ (THEOS) both meaning "God". All other manuscripts clearly state that the messiah, "who" and not "God" was manifest in the flesh.
It is also interesting to note that at the height of Christological controversies from the fourth century through the middle ages, no reference to this passage was ever made even when proponents for the deity of Christ would have naturally appealed to this passage for support. This suggests that the corruption was a more recent one, and that the reading did not exist in the original.
Since it is also made clear in the scriptures, without any orthographic controversy, that no one has ever ontologically seen or heard God at any time, (Exodus 33:20, Deuteronomy 4:15-16, John 1:18, 5:37, 1 John 4:12) itis not theologically permissible for God to manifest in the flesh in a way that anyone who saw "the flesh" also saw God Himself. If one was to "see" God as Tæoma did, and yet not see God in as a form of flesh, it is only reconcilable if one is perceiving God's spiritual qualities being demonstrated through the flesh, as no fleshly form in creation could be God, (since He is not flesh nor created, but spirit) nor could any created fleshly vessel contain His essence wholly, (but only the whole of His spiritual qualities). We can thus be assured that the Peshitta has preserved the original and that it was the messiah who was manifest in the flesh and not God Himself.
References:
1. The Codex Alexandrinus (London, British Library, MS Royal 1. D. V-VIII; Gregory-Aland no. A or 02) is a 5th century manuscript of the Greek Bible, containing the majority of the Septuagint and the New Testament. It is one of the earliest and most complete Greek manuscripts of the Bible. It derives its name from Alexandria where it resided for a number of years before given to the British in the 17th century. It also contains the writing of Athanasius. It was bishop Alexander and deacon Athanasius of Alexandria who were the leading proponents of the divinity of Christ leading to the Nicene Creed.
Codex Alexandrinus digital images courtesy of the Center for the Study of New Testament manuscripts.
Divinity of Jesus? An Inquiry
Man is made to adore and to obey: but if you will not command him, if you give him nothing to worship, he will fashion his own divinities, and find a chieftain in his own passions. —Benjamin Disraeli, Coningsby The critical difference between Jesus’ teachings and the Trinitarian formula lies in elevating Jesus to divine status—a status Jesus denies in the gospels: “Why do you call me good: No one is good but One, that is, God.” (Matthew 9:17,Mark 10-18, and Luke 18:19) “My Father is greater than I.” (John 14:28) “I do nothing of myself, but as the Father taught me, I speak these things.” (John 8:28) “Most assuredly, I say to you, the son can do nothing of himself …” (John 5:19) “But I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent me.” (John 7:29) “He who rejects me rejects Him who sent me.” (Luke 10:16) “But now I go away to Him who sent me …” (John 16:5) “Jesus answered them and said, ‘My doctrine is not mine, but His who sent me.’” (John 7:16) “For I have not spoken on my own authority; but the Father who sent me gave me a command, what I should say and what I should speak.” (John 12:49)[1] What does Pauline theology say? That Jesus is a partner in divinity, God incarnate. So whom should a person believe? If Jesus, then let’s hear what else he might have to say: “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear O Israel, The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” (Mark 12:29) “But of that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” (Mark 13:32) “‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’” (Luke 4:8) “My food is to do the will of Him who sent me …” (John 4:34) “I can of myself do nothing … I do not seek my own will but the will of the Father who sent me.” (John 5:30) “For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of Him who sent me.” (John 6:38) “My doctrine is not mine, but His who sent me.” (John 7:16) “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, and to my God and your God.” (John 20:17) My italics in the above verses do not imply that Jesus spoke with that emphasis, although nobody can claim with certainty that he didn’t. Rather, the italics stress the fact that Jesus not only never claimed divinity, but would be the first to deny it. In the words of Joel Carmichael, “The idea of this new religion, with himself as its deity, was something he [Jesus Christ] could never have had the slightest inkling of. As Charles Guignebert put it, ‘It never even crossed his mind.’”[2] So if Jesus never claimed divinity, then what was he exactly? He answered that question himself: “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.” (Mark 6:4) “But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.” (Matthew 13:57) “It cannot be that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem.” (Luke 13:33) Those who knew him acknowledged, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee” (Matthew 21:11), and “A great prophet has risen up among us …” (Luke 7:16). The disciples recognized Jesus as “a prophet mighty in deed …” (Luke 24:19. Also see Matthew 14:5, 21:46, and John 6:14). If these statements were inaccurate, why didn’t Jesus correct them? Why didn’t he define his divinity if, that is, he truly was divine? When the woman at the well stated, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet’” (John 4:19), why didn’t he thank her for her lowly impression, but explain there was more to his essence than prophethood? Or was there? Jesus Christ, a mere man? Could it be? A good part of the religiously introspective world wonders, “Why not?” Acts 2:22 records Jesus as “Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves also know.” Jesus himself is recorded as having said, “But now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth which I heard from God …” (John 8:40). Strikingly, a similar quote is found in the Holy Qur’an: “He [Jesus] said: ‘I am indeed a servant of Allah: He has given me Revelation and made me a prophet’” (Quran 19:30) So was Jesus a “servant of Allah (i.e., servant of God)?” According to the Bible, yes. Or, at least, that is what we understand fromMatthew 12:18: “Behold! My servant whom I have chosen …” Furthermore, Acts of the Apostles traces the growth of the early church for the first thirty years following Jesus’ ministry, but nowhere in Acts did Jesus’ disciples ever call Jesus “God.” Rather, they referred to Jesus as a man and God’s servant.[3] In fact, the only New Testament verse which supports the doctrine of the Incarnation is 1 Timothy 3:16.[4] However, with regard to this verse (which states that “God was manifest in the flesh”), Gibbon notes, “This strong expression might be justified by the language of St. Paul (I Tim. iii. 16), but we are deceived by our modern bibles. The word ë (which) was altered to qeèv (God) at Constantinople in the beginning of the sixth century: the true reading, which is visible in the Latin and Syriac versions, still exists in the reasoning of the Greek, as well as of the Latin fathers; and this fraud, with that of the three witnesses of St. John, is admirably detected by Sir Isaac Newton.”[5] Fraud? Now there’s a strong word. But if we look to more modern scholarship, it’s a word well applied, for “some passages of the New Testament were modified to stress more precisely that Jesus was himself divine.”[6] The Bible was modified? For doctrinal reasons? Hard to find a more appropriate word than “fraud,” given the circumstances. In a chapter entitled “Theologically Motivated Alterations of the Text” in his book, Misquoting Jesus, Professor Ehrman elaborates on the corruption of 1 Timothy 3:16, which was detected not only by Sir Isaac Newton, but also by the eighteenth century scholar, Johann J. Wettstein. In Ehrman’s words, “A later scribe had altered the original reading, so that it no longer read “who” but “God” (made manifest in the flesh). In other words, this later corrector changed the text in such a way as to stress Christ’s divinity…. Our earliest and best manuscripts, however, speak of Christ ‘who’ was made manifest in the flesh, without calling Jesus, explicitly, God.”[7] Ehrman stresses that this corruption is evident in five early Greek manuscripts. All the same it was the corrupted, and not the “earliest and best,” biblical manuscripts which came to dominate both the medieval manuscripts and the early English translations.[8] Consequently, from medieval times on, the tenets of Christian faith have suffered the corrupting influence of a church devoted more to theology than to reality.* Ehrman adds: “As Wettstein continued his investigations, he found other passages typically used to affirm the doctrine of the divinity of Christ that in fact represented textual problems; when these problems are resolved on text-critical grounds, in most instances references to Jesus’ divinity are taken away.”[9] Given the above there should be little surprise that twentieth-century Christianity has expanded to include those who deny the alleged divinity of Jesus. A significant sign of this realization is the following report of the London Daily News: “More than half of England’s Anglican bishops say Christians are not obliged to believe that Jesus Christ was God, according to a survey published today.”[10] It is worth noting that it was not mere clergy that were polled but bishops, no doubt leaving many parishioners scratching their heads and wondering who to believe, if not their bishops! Pauline Theology
In the midst of the growing 19th and 20th century awareness of the differences
between Trinitarian doctrine and the period of origins, a person might be surprised to find one group who claim to be followers of Christ Jesus reading the following in the Holy Quran: “O People of the Book! Commit no excesses in your religion: nor say of God anything but the truth. Christ Jesus the son of Mary was (no more than) a Messenger of God, and His Word, which He bestowed onMary, and a Spirit proceeding from Him: so believe in God and His Messengers. Do not say “Trinity”: 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 on earth. And enough is God as a Disposer of affairs” (Quran 4:171) And warning: “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.” (Quran 5:77) One may wonder what, from the New Testament, separates these two groups by such a vast expanse of understanding. No doubt the key difference which divides Trinitarians from Unitarians, and Christians fromMuslims, is Pauline theology. For centuries the argument has been put forth that Trinitarian Christians largely followPauline theology more than that of Jesus. This charge is difficult to deny, for Jesus taught the Law of the Old Testament, whereas Paul preached mysteries of faith, in denial of the Law which the prophets had suffered and struggled to convey. In disrespect to thousands of years of revelation conveyed through a long chain of esteemed prophets, and contrary to the teachings of the rabbi Jesus himself, Paul focused not on the life and teachings of Jesus, but upon his death. As Lehmann put it: “The only thing which Paul considers important is the JewJesus’ death, which destroyed all hopes of liberation by a Messiah. He makes the victorious Christ out of the failed Jewish Messiah, the living out of the dead, the son of God out of the son of man.”[1] More than a fewscholars consider Paul the main corrupter of Apostolic Christianity and of the teachings of Jesus: “What Paul proclaimed as ‘Christianity’ was sheer heresy which could not be based on the Jewish or Essene faith, or on the teaching of Rabbi Jesus. But, as Schonfield says, ‘The Pauline heresy became the foundation of Christian orthodoxy and the legitimate church was disowned as heretical.’”[2] Lehmann continues: “Paul did something that Rabbi Jesus never did and refused to do. He extended God’s promise of salvation to the Gentiles; he abolished the law of Moses, and he prevented direct access to God by introducing an intermediary.”[3] Others elevate Paul to sainthood. Joel Carmichael, who commented as follows, very clearly is not one of them: “We are a universe away from Jesus. If Jesus came “only to fulfill” the Law and the Prophets; If he thought that “not an iota, not a dot” would “pass from the Law,” that the cardinal commandment was “Hear, O Israel, the Lord Our God, the Lord is one,” and that “no one was good but God”….What would he have thought of Paul’s handiwork! Paul’s triumph meant the final obliteration of the historic Jesus; he comes to us embalmed in Christianity like a fly in amber.”[4] Many authors have pointed out the disparity in the teachings of Paul and Jesus; the best of them have avoided opinionated commentary and concentrated on simply exposing the elements of difference. Dr.Wrede comments: “In Paul the central point is a divine act, in history but transcending history, or a complex of such acts, which impart to all mankind a ready-made salvation. Whoever believes in these divine acts – the incarnation, death, and resurrection of a celestial being, receives salvation. “And this, which to Paul is the sum of religion – the skeleton of the fabric of his piety, without which it would collapse – can this be a continuation or a remoulding of the gospel of Jesus? Where, in all this, is that gospel to be found, which Paul is said to have understood? “Of that which is to Paul all and everything, how much does Jesus know? Nothing whatever.”[5] And Dr. Johannes Weiss contributes: “Hence the faith in Christ as held by the primitive churches and by Paul was something newin comparison with the preaching of Jesus; it was a newtype of religion.”[6] Which theology won the day, and why, and how, are questions left to the analyses of the above authors. Should a person come to recognize that the teachings of Paul and those of Jesus oppose one another, consideration should be given to the question: “If I had to choose between the two, to whom should I give priority -- Jesus or Paul?” The question is so relevant that Michael Hart had the following to say in his scholastic tome, in which he ranks the 100 most influential men of history: “Although Jesus was responsible for the main ethical and moral precepts of Christianity (insofar as these differed from Judaism), St. Paul was the main developer of Christian theology, its principal proselytizer, and the author of a large portion of the New Testament.”[7] With regard to Paul’s perspective: “He does not ask what led to Jesus’ death, he only sees what it means to him personally. He turns a man who summoned people to reconciliation with God into the savior. He turns an orthodox Jewish movement into a universal religion which ultimately clashed with Judaism.”[8] The three main points where Pauline theology conflicts with that of Jesus are critical -- elements so crucial that deviation from the truth threatens a person’s salvation. In order of importance they rank: 1) The divinity of Jesus alleged by Pauline theology versus the oneness of God taught by Christ Jesus; 2) Justification by faith, as proposed by Paul, versus Old Testament law, as endorsed by Christ Jesus; 3) Jesus having been a universal prophet, as per Paul, versus an ethnic prophet, as per the teachings of Christ Jesus.[9] Interestingly enough, these three points constitute the greatest doctrinal differences separating Christianity not only from Judaism, but also from Islam. Running a theological finger down the backbone of revealed monotheism, Trinitarian Christianity seems to stand out of joint. To address the first of these points, Jesus is recorded as having taught the oneness of God, as in Mark 12:29: “Jesus answered him, ‘The first of all the commandments is: “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.” Jesus reportedly continued with “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength,” finishing with emphasis upon the initial claim, “This is the first commandment.” (Mark 12:30). Not only did Jesus stress importance by sandwiching his statement between the repeated and emphatic “This is the first commandment,” but the importance of this teaching is equally stressed inMatthew 22:37 and Luke 10:27, and further complemented by the first commandment as recorded in Exodus 20:3 -- “You shall have no other gods before Me.” Jesus conveyed the above teaching from Deuteronomy 6:4-5 (as acknowledged in all reputable Biblical commentaries), yet Pauline theology somehow arrived at concepts which have been extrapolated to support what is now known as the Trinity. One wonders how. Jesus referred to the Old Testament -- what did the Pauline theologians refer to? Significantly absent from the above teaching of Jesus is the association of himself with God. There never was a better time or place, throughout the New Testament, for Jesus to have claimed partnership in divinity, were it true. But he didn’t. He didn’t say, “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one -- but it’s not quite that simple, so let me explain…” The Old testament
The Old Testament
“[The Bible] has noble poetry in it; and some clever fables; and some blooddrenched history; and a wealth of obscenity; and upwards of a thousand lies.” —Mark Twain, Letters from the Earth, Vol. II Let’s begin by putting “two of every sort (of animal) into the ark,” and then … Oh, wait. Was that “two of every sort,” as per Genesis 6:19, or seven of clean and two of unclean animals, as per Genesis 7:2-3? Hmm. Well, we’ve got up to 120 years to think about it, because that’s the limit of the human lifespan, as per God’s promise in Genesis 6:3. So, just like Shem … Oops. Bad example. Genesis 11:11 states, “Shem lived five hundred years…” Oookay, forget Shem. So, just like Noah … Double Oops. Genesis 9:29 teaches, “So all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years; and he died.” So let’s see, Genesis 6:3 promised a lifespan limited to a hundred and twenty years, but a few verses later both Shem and Noah broke the rule? Whoa, time out. Let’s look at Old Testament dates from a different angle. Here’s Genesis 16:16: “Abraham was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abraham.” Genesis 21:5 tells us, “Now Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.” So let’s see, one hundred minus eighty-six, subtract the six from the first ten, nine minus eight … I get fourteen. So Ishmael was fourteen when Isaac was born. A bit later, in Genesis 21:8, we read, “So the child (Isaac) grew and was weaned.” Now, weaning in the Middle East takes two years, according to ethnic custom. So tack two onto fourteen, and Ishmael was sixteen before Sarah ordered Abraham to cast him out (Genesis 21:10). Fine. So far. A couple more verses, and Genesis 21:14-19 portrays the outcast Ishmael as a helpless infant rather than an able-bodied, sixteen-year-old youth, as follows: So Abraham rose early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water; and putting it on her shoulder, he gave it and the boy to Hagar, and sent her away. Then she departed and wandered in the Wilderness of Beersheba. And the water in the skin was used up, and she placed the boy under one of the shrubs. Then she went and sat down across from him at a distance of about a bowshot; for she said to herself, “Let me not see the death of the boy.” So she sat opposite him, and lifted her voice and wept. And God heard the voice of the lad. Then the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said to her, “What ails you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is. Arise, lift up the lad and hold him with your hand, for I will make him a great nation.” Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water, and gave the lad a drink.” A sixteen-year-old youth described as a “boy” or a “lad?” In a time and place when sixteen year-olds were commonly married and awaiting their second or third child while supporting a growing family? In addition to being hunters, soldiers and, albeit rarely, even kings on occasion? Sixteen years equated to manhood in Ishmael’s day. So how exactly did his father give the sixteen year-old “boy,” Ishmael, to Hagar? And how did she leave him crying (i.e., “the voice of the lad”) like a helpless baby under a shrub? And how, precisely, did his mother lift him up and hold him with her hand? Lastly, are we truly expected to believe that Ishmael was so frail that his mother had to give him a drink, because he was unable to get it himself? Uh, yes, that’s the gist of it. That’s what we’re supposed to believe. But wait, there’s more. 2 Chronicles 22:2 teaches that “Ahaziah was forty-two years old when he became king….” Hunh. Forty-two years old. Hardly seems worthy of mention. Unless, that is, we note that 2 Kings 8:26 records, “Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king …” So which was it? Forty-two or twenty-two? Let’s take a hint from the Bible. 2 Chronicles 21:20 teaches that Ahaziah’s father, King Jehoram, died at the age of forty. Ahem. King Jehoram died at the age of forty and was succeeded by his son, who was fortytwo? In other words, King Jehoram fathered a child two years older than himself? Arithmetic, according to MickeyMouse, is “Being able to count up to twenty without taking off your shoes.” But between the reader’s toes and all appendages of the family cat, there’s no way to make sense of these figures. And while the logical conclusion approaches ramming speed, 2 Chronicles 22:1 points out that Ahaziah was King Jehoram’s youngest son, for raiders had killed all Jehoram’s older sons. So if Ahaziah was two years older than dear departed Dad, how many years did his older brothers have on their father? Obviously, 2 Chronicles 22:2 can’t be trusted and 2 Kings 8:26, which teaches that Ahaziah was twenty-two when he became king, must be the correct version. So King Jehoram died at forty (2 Chronicles 21:20) and was succeeded by Ahaziah, who was twenty-two (2 Kings 8:26). Which means King Jehoram was eighteen when Ahaziah was born, and roughly seventeen when he was conceived. Not only that, but Jehoram had older sons (2 Chronicles 22:1), so he must have started his family at the age of fifteen or less. So much for Ishmael having been a helpless lad at the age of sixteen. It was a time when teenagers were men. But what about 2 Chronicles 22:2, which states that Ahaziah was forty-two when he assumed the throne? A copying error, no doubt. But that’s not the point. Isaiah 40:8 claims that “the word of our God stands forever.” This assertion doesn’t excuse copying errors, or any other error, regardless howslight. In fact, according to Isaiah 40:8, any “word” which has not “stood forever” is disqualified as having been from God. Which should make us question the authorship. If “the word of our God stands forever,” and the “word” of Ahaziah’s age doesn’t stand the test of time, whose word is it? God’s or Satan’s? Don’t look now, but even the Old Testament seems uncertain on this point. 2 Samuel 24:1 reads, “Again the anger of the LORD was aroused against Israel, and He moved David against them to say, ‘Go, number Israel and Judah.’” However, 1 Chronicles 21:1 states, “Now Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel.” Uhhh, which was it? The Lord, or Satan? There’s a slight (like, total) difference. Talk about identity theft. But seriously, the mistake is understandable. After all, it’s pretty hard to know who you’re talking to, when you can’t put a face to revelation. And, as God said in Exodus 33:20, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.” So there we have it. No man can see God’s face, and live. Well, except for Jacob, of course. As Genesis 32:30 states, “So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: ‘For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.’” And we mustn’t forget Moses, as per Exodus 33:11: “So the LORD spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.” So no man can see God’s face, and live. Except for Jacob and Moses. But God didn’t mention that exception, did He? So maybe He changed His mind. And then again, maybe not. |
Do Miracles Imply Divinity?
Some associate Jesus with divinity because he performed miracles. Many
Unitarian Christians and all Muslims point out that Jesus did indeed perform miracles, but by the will of God and not through any divine powers of his own. To repeat the quote of Acts 2:22: “Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves also know” (italics mine) In conformity with both the Bible and Holy Quran, Muslims contend that the miracles of Jesus were performed by the power of God. As the Holy Quran states, Then will Allah say: “O Jesus the son of Mary! Recount My favor to you and to your mother. Behold! I strengthened you with the holy spirit, so that you spoke to the people in childhood and in maturity. Behold! I taught you the Book and Wisdom, the Law and the Gospel. And behold! You made out of clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, by My leave, and you breathed into it, and it became a bird by My leave, and you healed those born blind, and the lepers, by My leave. And behold! You brought forth the dead by My leave. (Quran 5:110) the authors of most of the books of the Bible (gospels included) are unknown, the time period in which they were written is ill-defined, and the source of much of the information is ambiguous. These issues will be discussed later at greater length, but just as a small teaser, let’s examine the story of Judas’ betrayal of Jesus to the chief priests. Who was the author, and why should we believe him? Was he present at the betrayal? If not, then where did he get his information? And if so, and he didn’t alert Jesus, then isn’t he a partner to the crime? And what kind of a gospel author would that be? Sounds silly? Maybe. But then again, isn’t it sillier to trust salvation to a compilation of gospels and letters of unknown origin and authorship? The Jesus Seminar is perhaps one of the most objective and sincere attempts of an ecumenical council of Christian scholars to determine the authenticity of the recorded acts and sayings of Jesus. Yet their methodology involves casting votes! Two thousand years after the ministry of Jesus, nearly two hundred scholars are formulating a collective Christian opinion regarding the reliability of the quotes and historical reports of Jesus by casting colored beads. For example, as regards the reported words of Jesus, the definitions of the bead colors are as follows: Red—Jesus said it or something very close to it. Pink—Jesus probably said something like it, although his words have suffered in transmission. Gray—these are not his words, but the ideas are close to his own. Black-- Jesus did not say it; the words represent the Christian community or a later point of view.[1] Other Christian committees have attempted to authenticate Bible texts by similar methodologies. The editors of the United Bible Societies’ The Greek New Testament: Second Edition are alphabetically minded: By means of the letters A, B, C, and D, enclosed within “braces” {} at the beginning of each set of textual variants the Committee has sought to indicate the relative degree of certainty, arrived at the basis of internal considerations as well as of external evidence, for the reading adopted as the text. The letter A signifies that the text is virtually certain, while B indicates that there is some degree of doubt. The letter C means that there is a considerable degree of doubt whether the text of the apparatus contains the superior reading, while D shows that there is a very high degree of doubt concerning the reading selected for the text.[2] Bruce M. Metzger describes using similar methodology in his A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament. “In fact,” he writes, “among the {D} decisions sometimes none of the variant readings commended itself as original, and therefore the only recourse was to print the least unsatisfactory reading.”[3] Now doesn’t that give us a warm, secure feeling in trusting the Bible with the salvation of mankind? But I digress. The point is that these ranking systems are probably about the best possible, given the limitations of the biblical record, but what a sad comment that is! Compared to the exquisitely refined system of hadith authentication, these colored-bead and A-B-C-D classification systems are a bit wanting, to say the least. The historical record keeping is relevant, for when a person hears a story-- even a credible story at that—the first question is usually “Where did you hear that?” Any reasonable set of historical standards includes the identification and verification of sources. The Holy Quran and many hadith traditions satisfy the highest degrees of authentication. But the majority of Bible verses don’t.* How does this relate to the issue at hand? Simple. The miracles that occurred through Muhammad are no less numerous or impressive than those of Jesus, and are witnessed by an unimpeachable historical record that puts all others of similar time period to shame. So just as the miracles of Moses, Elisha, and Muhammad don’t imply divinity, neither do those of Jesus. Let’s look at a few examples: 1. Jesus fed thousands with a few fish and loaves of bread. But Elisha fed a hundred people with twenty barley loaves and a fewears of corn (2 Kings 4:44); granted a widowsuch an abundant flowof oil from a jar that she was able to pay off her debts, save her sons from slavery, and live on the profits (2 Kings 4:1-7); and gave increase to a handful of flour and spot of oil such that he, a widow and her son had enough to eat for many days, after which “The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry …” (1 Kings 17:10-16). So what does that make Elisha? The historical record of Muhammad feeding the masses with a handful of dates on one occasion, a pot of milk on another, and enough meat for a small party on still another are equally miraculous. Likewise are the stories of his watering the masses (1,500 people on one occasion) from a single bowl of water. Yet no Muslim claims divinity for Muhammad. 2. Jesus healed the lepers. Likewise, Elisha healed Naaman (2 Kings 5:7- 14). For that matter, the disciples were bidden to such service in Matthew 10:8. What does that make them? 3. Jesus cured a blind man. Elisha not only struck his enemies blind, but restored vision to the blind through prayer (2 Kings 6:17-20). Muhammad reportedly cured blindness through prayer as well. 4. Jesus raised the dead. Once again, Elisha beat him to it, having raised two children from the dead (1 Kings 17:22 and 2 Kings 4:34). Furthermore, the disciples were bidden to raise the dead (Matthew 10:8). So once again, what does that make them? 5. Jesus walked on water. Had he been around in the time of Moses, he wouldn’t have had to. 6. Jesus cast out devils. So did his disciples (Matthew10:8). So did the sons of the Pharisees (Matthew12:27 and Luke 11:19). So, for that matter, do the wayward followers whom Jesus will reportedly disown (see Matthew 7:22)—a disconcerting thought considering how many priests and ministers perform such theatrics, even if real. So if we seek evidence of Jesus being divine, we are forced to look beyond miracles. Jesus Christ – Son of God?
Jesus Christ – Son of God? Part 1 of 2
“One of the most striking differences between a cat and a lie is that a cat has only nine lives.” —Mark Twain, Pudd’nhead Wilson’s Calendar Son of God, son of David, or son of Man? Jesus is identified as “son of David” fourteen times in the New Testament, starting with the very first verse (Matthew 1:1). The Gospel of Luke documents forty-one generations between Jesus and David, while Matthewlists twenty-six. Jesus, a distant descendant, can only wear the “son of David” title metaphorically. But how then should we understand the title, “son of God?” The “Trilemma,” a common proposal of Christian missionaries, states that “Jesus was either a lunatic, a liar, or the Son of God, as he claimed to be.” For the sake of argument, let’s agree that Jesus was neither a lunatic nor a liar. Let’s also agree he was precisely what he claimed to be. But what, exactly, was that? Jesus called himself “Son of Man” frequently, consistently, perhaps even emphatically, but where did he call himself “Son of God?” Let’s back up. What does “Son of God” mean in the first place? No legitimate Christian sect suggests that God took a wife and had a child, and most certainly none conceive that God fathered a child through a human mother outside of marriage. Furthermore, to suggest that God physically mated with an element of His creation is so far beyond the limits of religious tolerance as to plummet down the sheer cliff of blasphemy, chasing the mythology of the Greeks. With no rational explanation available within the tenets of Christian doctrine, the only avenue for closure is to claim yet one more doctrinal mystery. Here is where the Muslim recalls the question posed in the Quran: “…How can He have a son when He has no consort?...” (Quran 6:101) …while others shout, “But God can do anything!” The Islamic position, however, is that God doesn’t do inappropriate things, only Godly things. In the Islamic viewpoint, God’s character is integral with His being and consistent with His majesty. So again, what does “Son of God” mean? And if Jesus Christ has exclusive rights to the term, why does the Bible record, “...for I (God) am a father to Israel, and Ephraim (i.e. Israel) is my firstborn” (Jeremiah 31:9) and, “...Israel is My son, even my firstborn” (Exodus 4:22)? Taken in the context of Romans 8:14, which reads, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God,” many scholars conclude that “Son of God” is metaphorical and, as with christos, doesn’t imply exclusivity. After all, The Oxford Dictionary of the Jewish Religion confirms that in Jewish idiom “Son of God” is clearly metaphorical. To quote, “Son of God, term occasionally found in Jewish literature, biblical and postbiblical, but nowhere implying physical descent from the Godhead.”[1] Hasting’s Bible Dictionary comments: In Semitic usage “sonship” is a conception somewhat loosely employed to denote moral rather than physical or metaphysical relationship. Thus “sons of Belial” (Jg 19:22 etc.) are wicked men, not descendants of Belial; and in the NT the “children of the bridechamber” are wedding guests. So a “son of God” is a man, or even a people, who reflect the character of God. There is little evidence that the title was used in Jewish circles of the Messiah, and a sonship which implied more than a moral relationship would be contrary to Jewish monotheism.[2] And in any case, the list of candidates for “son of God” begins with Adam, as per Luke 3:38: “...Adam, which was the son of God.” Those who rebut by quotingMatthew 3:17 (“And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘This is My beloved son, in whom I am well pleased’”) have overlooked the point that the Bible describes many people, Israel and Adam included, as “sons of God.” Both II Samuel 7:13-14 and I Chronicles 22:10 read, “He (Solomon) shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his Father, and he shall be My son.” Entire nations are referred to as sons, or children of God. Examples include: Genesis 6:2, “That the sons of God saw the daughters of men…” Genesis 6:4, “There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men…” Deuteronomy 14:1, “Ye are the children of the Lord your God.” Job 1:6, “Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD…” Job 2:1, “Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD…” Job 38:7, “When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” Philippians 2:15, “that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation…” 1 John 3:1-2, “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! …Beloved, now we are children of God…” In Matthew 5:9 Jesus says, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” Later inMatthew 5:45, Jesus prescribed to his followers the attainment of noble attributes, “that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.” Not exclusively his Father, but their Father … Jesus Christ – Son of God? Part 2 of 2 Christian clergy openly acknowledge that Jesus never called himself “son of God,” however they claim that others did. This too has an answer. Investigating the manuscripts that make up the New Testament, one finds that the alleged “sonship” of Jesus is based upon the mistranslation of two Greek words—pais and huios, both of which are translated as “son.” However, this translation appears disingenuous. The Greek word pais derives from the Hebrew ebed, which bears the primary meaning of servant, or slave. Hence, the primary translation of pais theou is “servant of God,” with “child” or “son of God” being an extravagant embellishment. According to the Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, “The Hebreworiginal of pais in the phrase pais theou, i.e., ebed, carries a stress on personal relationship and has first the sense of ‘slave.’”[1] This is all the more interesting because it dovetails perfectly with the prophecy of Isaiah 42:1, upheld in Matthew 12:18: “Behold, My servant [i.e., from the Greek pais] whom I have chosen, My beloved in whom my soul is well pleased …” Whether a person reads the King James Version, New King James Version, New Revised Standard Version, or New International Version, the word is “servant” in all cases. Considering that the purpose of revelation is to make the truth of God clear, one might think this passage an unsightly mole on the face of the doctrine of divine sonship. After all, what better place for God to have declared Jesus His son? What better place to have said, “Behold,My son whom I have begotten…”? But He didn’t say that. For that matter, the doctrine lacks biblical support in the recorded words of both Jesus and God, and there is good reason to wonder why. Unless, that is, Jesus was nothing more than the servant of God this passage describes. Regarding the religious use of the word ebed, “The term serves as an expression of humility used by the righteous before God.”[2] Furthermore, “After 100 B.C. pais theou more often means “servant of God,” as when applied to Moses, the prophets, or the three children (Bar. 1:20; 2:20; Dan. 9:35).”[3] A person can easily get into doctrinal quicksand: “Of eight instances of this phrase, one refers to Israel (Lk. 1:54), two refer to David (Lk 1:69; Acts 4:25), and the other five to Jesus (Mt. 12:18; Acts 3:13, 26; 4:27, 30)…. In the few instances in which Jesus is called pais theou we obviously have early tradition.”[4] So Jesus did not have exclusive rights to this term, and where it was employed the term “obviously” stemmed from “early tradition.” Furthermore, the translation, if impartial, should identify all individuals to whom the phrase was applied in similar manner. Such, however, has not been the case. Whereas pais has been translated “servant” in reference to David (Acts 4:25 and Luke 1:69) and Israel (Luke 1:54), it is translated “Son” or “holy child” in reference to Jesus (Acts 3:13; 3:26; 4:27; 4:30). Such preferential treatment is canonically consistent, but logically flawed. Lastly an interesting, if not key, religious parallel is uncovered: “Thus the Greek phrase pais tou theou, ‘servant of God,’ has exactly the same connotation as the Muslim name Abdallah—the ‘servant of Allah.’”[5] The symmetry is all the more shocking, for the Holy Qur’an relates Jesus as having identified himself as just this—Abdallah (abd being Arabic for slave or servant, Abd-Allah [also spelled “Abdullah”] meaning slave or servant of Allah). According to the story, when Mary returned to her family with the newborn Jesus, they accused her of being unchaste. Speaking from the cradle in a miracle that gave credence to his claims, baby Jesus defended his mother’s virtue with the words, “Inni Abdullah …” which means, “I am indeed a servant of Allah…”(TMQ 19:30) Translation of the New Testament Greek huios to “son” (in the literal meaning of the word) is similarly flawed. On page 1210 of Kittel and Friedrich’s Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, the meaning of huios journeys from the literal (Jesus the son of Mary), to mildly metaphorical (believers as sons of the king [Matt. 17:25-26]), to politely metaphorical (God’s elect being sons of Abraham [Luke 19:9]), to colloquially metaphorical (believers as God’s sons [Matt. 7:9 and Heb 12:5]), to spiritually metaphorical (students as sons of the Pharisees [Matt. 12:27, Acts 23:6]), to biologically metaphorical (as in John 19:26, where Jesus describes his favorite disciple to Mary as “her son”), to blindingly metaphorical as “sons of the kingdom” (Matt. 8:12), “sons of peace” (Luke. 10:6), “sons of light” (Luke. 16:8), and of everything from “sons of this world” (Luke 16:8) to “sons of thunder” (Mark 3:17). It is as if this misunderstood word for “son” is waving a big sign on which is painted in bold letters: METAPHOR! Or, as Stanton eloquently puts it, “Most scholars agree that the Aramaic or Hebrew word behind ‘son’ is ‘servant.’ So as the Spirit descends on Jesus at his baptism, Jesus is addressed by the voice from heaven in terms of Isaiah 42:1: ‘Behold my servant … my chosen… I have put my Spirit upon him.’ So although Mark 1:11 and 9:7 affirm that Jesus is called by God to a special messianic task, the emphasis is on Jesus’ role as the anointed servant, rather than as Son of God.”[6] The New Testament
Both read the Bible day and night,
But thou read’st black where I read white. —William Blake, The Everlasting Gospel Of course, Blake’s sentiment in the quote above is nothing new. The New Testament contains enough inconsistencies to have spawned a dizzying variety of interpretations, beliefs and religions, all allegedly Bible-based. And so, we find one author offering the amusing observation: You can and you can’t, You shall and you shan’t, You will and you won’t, And you will be damned if you do, And you will be damned if you don’t.[1] Why such variance in viewpoints? To begin with, different theological camps disagree on which books should be included in the Bible. One camp’s apocrypha is another’s scripture. Secondly, even among those books that have been canonized, the many variant source texts lack uniformity. This lack of uniformity is so ubiquitous that The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible states, “It is safe to say that there is not one sentence in the NT in which the MS [manuscript] tradition is wholly uniform.”[2] Not one sentence? We can’t trust a single sentence of the Bible? Hard to believe. Maybe The fact is that there are over 5700 Greek manuscripts of all or part of the New Testament.[3] Furthermore, “no two of these manuscripts are exactly alike in all their particulars…. And some of these differences are significant.”[4] Factor in roughly ten thousand manuscripts of the Latin Vulgate, add the many other ancient variants (i.e., Syriac, Coptic, Armenian, Georgian, Ethiopic, Nubian, Gothic, Slavonic), and what do we have? A lot of manuscripts A lot of manuscripts that fail to correspond in places and not infrequently contradict one another. Scholars estimate the number of manuscript variants in the hundreds of thousands, some estimating as high as 400,000.[5] In Bart D. Ehrman’s now famous words, “Possibly it is easiest to put the matter in comparative terms: there are more differences in our manuscripts than there are words in the New Testament.”[6] How did this happen? Poor record keeping. Dishonesty. Incompetence. Doctrinal prejudice. Take your pick. None of the original manuscripts have survived from the early Christian period.[7]/[8] The most ancient complete manuscripts (Vatican MS. No. 1209 and the Sinaitic Syriac Codex) date from the fourth century, three hundred years after Jesus’ ministry. But the originals? Lost. And the copies of the originals? Also lost. Our most ancient manuscripts, in other words, are copies of the copies of the copies of nobody-knows-just-how-many copies of the originals. No wonder they differ In the best of hands, copying errors would be no surprise. However, New Testament manuscripts were not in the best of hands. During the period of Christian origins, scribes were untrained, unreliable, incompetent, and in some cases illiterate.[9] Those who were visually impaired could have made errors with look-alike letters and words, while those who were hearing-impaired may have erred in recording scripture as it was read aloud. Frequently scribes were overworked, and hence inclined to the errors that accompany fatigue. In the words of Metzger and Ehrman, “Since most, if not all, of them [the scribes] would have been amateurs in the art of copying, a relatively large number of mistakes no doubt crept into their texts as they reproduced them.”[10] Worse yet, some scribes allowed doctrinal prejudice to influence their transmission of scripture.[11] As Ehrman states, “The scribes who copied the texts changed them.” [12] More specifically, “The number of deliberate alterations made in the interest of doctrine is difficult to assess.”[13] And even more specifically, “In the technical parlance of textual criticism—which I retain for its significant ironies—these scribes ‘corrupted’ their texts for theological reasons.”[14] Errors were introduced in the form of additions, deletions, substitutions and modifications, most commonly of words or lines, but occasionally of entire verses. [15] [16] In fact, “numerous changes and accretions came into the text,”[17] with the result that “all known witnesses of the New Testament are to a greater or lesser extent mixed texts, and even several of the earliest manuscripts are not free from egregious errors.”[18] In Misquoting Jesus, Ehrman presents persuasive evidence that the story of the woman taken in adultery (John 7:53-8:12) and the last twelve verses of Mark were not in the original gospels, but added by later scribes.[19] Furthermore, these examples “represent just two out of thousands of places in which the manuscripts of the New Testament came to be changed by scribes.”[20] In fact, entire books of the Bible were forged.[21] This doesn’t mean their content is necessarily wrong, but it certainly doesn’t mean it’s right. So which books were forged? Ephesians, Colossians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, 1 and 2 Peter, and Jude—a whopping nine of the twenty-seven New Testament books and epistles—are to one degree or another suspect.[22] Forged books? In the Bible? Why are we not surprised? After all, even the gospel authors are unknown. In fact, they’re anonymous.[23] Biblical scholars rarely, if ever, ascribe gospel authorship to Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John. As Ehrman tells us, “Most scholars today have abandoned these identifications, and recognize that the books were written by otherwise unknown but relatively well-educated Greek-speaking (and writing) Christians during the second half of the first century.”[24] Graham Stanton affirms, “The gospels, unlike most Graeco-Roman writings, are anonymous. The familiar headings which give the name of an author (‘The Gospel according to …’) were not part of the original manuscripts, for they were added only early in the second century.”[25] So what, if anything, did Jesus’ disciples have to do with authoring the gospels? Little or nothing, so far as we know. But we have no reason to believe they authored any of the books of the Bible. To begin with, let us remember Mark was a secretary to Peter, and Luke a companion to Paul. The verses of Luke 6:14- 16 andMatthew 10:2-4 catalogue the twelve disciples, and although these lists differ over two names, Mark and Luke don’t make either list. So only Matthew and John were true disciples. But all the same, modern scholars pretty much disqualify them as authors anyway. Why? Good question. John being the more famous of the two, why should we disqualify him from having authored the Gospel of “John”? Umm… because he was dead? Multiple sources acknowledge there is no evidence, other than questionable testimonies of second century authors, to suggest that the disciple John was the author of the Gospel of “John.”[26] [27] Perhaps the most convincing refutation is that the disciple John is believed to have died in or around 98 CE.[28] However, the Gospel of John was written circa 110 CE.[29] So whoever Luke (Paul’s companion), Mark (Peter’s secretary), and John (the unknown, but certainly not the long-dead one) were, we have no reason to believe any of the gospels were authored by Jesus’ disciples. . . . Copyright© 2007 Laurence B. Brown Permission granted for free and unrestricted reproduction if reproduced in entirety without omissions, additions or alterations. |
BIBLICAL VERSES THAT AGREE WITH THE QUR'AN
TO SAY "GOD WILLING"
Never say about anything: "I am doing that tomorrow" without adding "if God wills." Remember your Lord when you forget, and say: "Hopefully my Lord will guide me to something closer to right guidance than this." (Qur'an, 18:23-24) New Testament Now listen, you who say: "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say: "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." (James 4:13-15) TO EXCHANGE GREETINGS ... And when you enter houses, greet one another with a greeting from God, blessed and good.... (Qur'an, 24:61) New Testament As you enter the home, give it your greeting. (Matthew 10:12) NOT TO FEAR AND NOT TO DESPAIR [Prophets are] those who conveyed God's Message and fear Him, fearing no one except God. God suffices as a Reckoner. (Qur'an, 33:39) They [Moses and Aaron] said: "Our Lord, we are afraid that he [Pharaoh] might persecute us or overstep the bounds." He said: "Fear not. I will be with you, All-Hearing and All-Seeing." (Qur'an, 20:45-46) [Believers are] those to whom people said: "The people have gathered against you, so fear them." But that merely increased their faith and they said: "God is enough for us and the Best of Guardians." So they returned with blessings and bounty from God, and no evil touched them. They pursued the pleasure of God. God's favor is indeed immense. That was only Satan who intimidated his adherents. But do not fear them-fear Me if you are believers. (Qur'an, 3:173-75) New Testament But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened." (1 Peter 3:14) Old Testament Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. (Deuteronomy 31:6) The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. (Deuteronomy 31:8) Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with Us than with him. (2 Chronicles 32:7) VIRTUE AND ONE'S FEAR AND AWE OF GOD O Children of Adam! We have sent down clothing to you to conceal your private parts, and fine apparel, but the garment of heedfulness-that is best! That is one of God's Signs, so that hopefully you will pay heed. (Qur'an, 7:26) New Testament [O Women!] Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. (1 Peter 3:3-4) Old Testament ... Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil. (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14) TO REFRAIN FROM LYING ... Have done with the defilement of idols and have done with telling lies. (Qur'an, 22:30) New Testament Therefore each of you must put off falsehood... (Ephesians 4:25) Old Testament Do not steal. Do not lie. Do not deceive one another... (Leviticus 19:11) Do not spread false reports. Do not help a wicked man by being a malicious witness. Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you give testimony in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd. (Exodus 23:1-2) SOME NATIONS' ENVYING THE PROPHET "Has the Reminder been sent down to him out of all of us?" They are in doubt about My Reminder. They have yet to taste My punishment. (Qur'an, 38:8) Their Prophet said to them: "God has appointed Saul to be your king." They said: "How can he have kingship over us when we have much more right to kingship than he does? He has not even got much wealth!" He said: "God has chosen him over you and favored him greatly in knowledge and physical strength. God gives kingship to anyone He wills. God is All-Encompassing, All-Knowing." (Qur'an, 2:247) They say, "Why was this Qur'an not sent down to one of the great men of the two cities?" (Qur'an, 43:31) New Testament When the Sabbath came, he [Jesus] began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. "Where did this man get these things?" they asked. "What's this wisdom that has been given him, that he even does miracles! Is this not the carpenter? Is this not Mary's son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon? Are his sisters not here with us?" And they took offense at him. (Mark 6:2-3) SOME NATIONS' DEMANDING MIRACLES Those who do not believe say [to Mohammed]: "If only a Sign could be sent down to him from his Lord!" You are only a warner. Every people has a guide. (Qur'an, 13:7) They say: "We will not believe you until you make a spring gush out from the ground for us; or have a garden of dates and grapes that you make rivers come pouring through; or make the sky, as you claim, fall down on us in lumps; or bring God and the angels here as a guarantee; or possess a house built out of gleaming gold; or ascend up into Heaven-and even then we will not believe in your ascent unless you bring us down a book to read!" Say: "Glory be to my Lord! Am I anything but a human messenger?" (Qur'an, 17:90-93) New Testament "Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders," Jesus told him, "you will never believe." (John 4:48) So they asked him: "What miraculous sign, then, will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do?" (John 6:30) PROPHETS ACCUSED OF BEING POSSESSED Equally, no Messenger came to those before them without their saying: "A magician or a madman!" Did they bequeath this to each other? Indeed, they are an unbridled people. (Qur'an, 51:52-53) New Testament When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him [Jesus], for they said: "He is out of his mind." And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said: "He is possessed by Beelzebub! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons." (Mark 3:21-22) PROPHETS DO NOT SPEAK FROM WHIM Your companion is not misguided or misled; nor does he speak from whim. It is nothing but Revelation revealed, taught him by One immensely strong. (Qur'an, 53:2-5) ...[Khidr said,] I did not do it of my own volition. (Qur'an, 18:82) New Testament By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but Him Who sent me. (John 5:30) And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. (2 Peter 1:19-21) Old Testament I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put My words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him. (Deuteronomy 18:18) THE IMPERMANENCE OF THIS LIFE The life of this world is nothing but a game and a diversion. The abode of the Hereafter-that is truly Life, if they only knew. (Qur'an, 29:64) And this life of the world is only amusement and play! Verily, the home of the Hereafter, that is the life indeed (i.e. the eternal life that will never end), if they but knew (Qur'an, 29:64) Old Testament We are here for only a moment, visitors and strangers in the land as our ancestors were before us. Our days on earth are like a passing shadow, gone so soon without a trace. 1 Chronicles 29:15 We are aliens and strangers in your sight, as were all our forefathers. Our days on Earth are like a shadow, and there is no abiding. (1 Chronicles 29:15) THE UNBELIEVERS WILL BE RESURRECTED BLIND Those who are blind in this world will be blind in the Hereafter and even further off the Path. (Qur'an, 17:72-73) But if anyone turns away from My reminder, his life will be a dark and narrow one, and on the Day of Rising We will gather him blind. (Qur'an, 20:124) Old Testament I will bring distress on the people and they will walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the Lord. (Zephaniah 1:17) JUDGMENT And the Hour is coming without any doubt, and God will raise up all those in the graves. (Qur'an, 22:7) When Earth is flattened out and disgorges what is inside it and empties out, hearkening to its Lord as it is bound to do! O Man! You are toiling laboriously toward your Lord, but meet Him you will! As for him who is given his Book in his right hand, he will be given an easy reckoning and return to his family joyfully. But as for him who is given his Book behind his back, he will cry out for destruction but will be roasted in a Searing Blaze. (Qur'an, 84:3-12) The Trumpet will be blown, and those in the heavens and those in the ground will all lose consciousness, except those whom God wills. Then it will be blown a second time, and at once they will be standing upright, looking on. And Earth will shine with the Pure Light of its Lord, the Book will be put in place. The Prophets and witnesses will be brought; it will be decided between them with the truth, and they will not be wronged. Every self will be repaid in full for what it did. He knows best what they are doing. (Qur'an, 39:68-70) New Testament And [they will] come out-those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned. (John 5:29) Old Testament The day of the Lord is near for all nations. As you have done, it will be done to you; your deeds will return upon your own head. (Obadiah 1:15) EVERYONE WILL BE CALLED TO ACCOUNT You have come to Us all alone, just as We created you at first, leaving behind you everything We bestowed on you. We do not see your intercessors accompanying you, those you claimed were your partners with God. The link between you is cut. Those you made such claims for have forsaken you. (Qur'an, 6:94) New Testament So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God. (Romans 14:12) GOD WILL BE FAIR WITH EVERYONE You will see every nation on its knees, every nation summoned to its Book: "Today you will be repaid for what you did." (Qur'an, 45:28) Fear a Day when you will be returned to God. Then every self will be paid in full for what it earned. They will not be wronged. (Qur'an, 2:281) New Testament God will give to each person according to what he has done. To those who, by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor, and immortality, He will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. (Romans 2:6-8) Old Testament The day of the Lord is near for all nations. As you have done, it will be done to you; your deeds will return upon your own head. (Obadiah 1:15) WORLDLY WEALTH WILL NOT BENEFIT PEOPLE IN THE HEREAFTER As for those who do not believe, their wealth and children will not help them against God in any way. They are fuel for the Fire. (Qur'an, 3:10) Old Testament Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them on the day of the Lord's wrath. (Zephaniah 1:18) THE APPOINTED TIME If God were to punish people for their wrong actions, not a single creature would be left upon Earth, but He defers them till a predetermined time. When their specified time arrives, they cannot delay it for a single hour nor can they bring it forward. (Qur'an, 16:61) Your Lord is the Ever-Forgiving, the Possessor of Mercy. If He had taken them to task for what they have earned, He would have hastened their punishment. Instead, they have a promised appointment and they will not find any refuge from it. (Qur'an, 18:58) New Testament The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9) PERSECUTIONS DONE TO MESSENGERS AND BELIEVERS We sent Messengers before you among the disparate groups of previous peoples. No Messenger came to them without their mocking him. (Qur'an, 15:10-11) And if you deny it, nations before you also denied the truth. The Messenger is only responsible for clear transmission. (Qur'an, 29:18) When those who do not believe were plotting against you to imprison you or to kill you or to expel you: they planned and God planned, but God is the Best of Planners. (Qur'an, 8:30) When the believers saw the Confederates they said: "This is what God and His Messenger promised us. God and His Messenger told us the truth." It only increased them in faith and in submission. (Qur'an, 33:22) New Testament Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in Heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:10-12) Be on your guard against men; they will hand you over to the local councils and flog you in their synagogues. On My account, you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. (Matthew 10:17-18) ... They called the Apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. The Apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the name [of Jesus]. Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ. (Acts 5:40-42) Old Testament "Your enemies will be clothed in shame, and the tents of the wicked will be no more." (Job 8:22) THE REWARD OF THOSE WHO MIGRATE FOR GOD'S SAKE As for those who migrate for God's sake after being wronged, We shall give them good lodging in this world, and the reward of the Hereafter is greater still, if they only knew. (Qur'an, 16:41) Those who believe and have migrated and striven in the Way of God, and those who have given refuge and help, they are the true believers. They will have forgiveness and generous provision. (Qur'an, 8:74) Their Lord responds to them: "I will not let the deeds of any doer among you go to waste, male or female-you are both the same in that respect. Those who migrated and were driven from their homes, and suffered harm in My Way and fought and were killed, I will erase their bad actions from them and admit them into Gardens with rivers flowing under them, as a reward from God. The best of all rewards is with God." (Qur'an, 3:195) New Testament "I tell you the truth," Jesus replied, "no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the Gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields-and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life. (Mark 10:29-30) All this is evidence that God's judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well... (2 Thessalonians 1:5-7) BELIEVERS ARE FEW IN NUMBER But most people, for all your eagerness, are not believers. (Qur'an, 12:103) Alif Lam Mim Ra. Those are the Signs of the Book. And what has been sent down to you from your Lord is the Truth. But most people do not believe. (Qur'an, 13:1) If you obeyed most of those on Earth, they would misguide you from God's Way. They follow nothing but conjecture. They are only guessing. (Qur'an, 6:116) New Testament Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. (Matthew 7:13-14) GOD CHOOSES BELIEVERS Say: "Praise be to God and peace be upon His servants, whom He has chosen." Is God better, or what you associate with Him? (Qur'an, 27:59) New Testament But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. (2 Thessalonians 2:13) Old Testament ... Your God has chosen them to minister and to pronounce blessings in the name of the Lord. (Deuteronomy 21:5) GOD'S GIFT TO BELIEVERS . Do not say: "You are not a believer" to someone who greets you as a Muslim, simply out of desire for the goods of this world. With God there is booty in abundance. That is the way you were before, but God has been kind to you... (Qur'an, 4:94) New Testament For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9) Old Testament When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, then in Latter Days you will return to the Lord your God and obey Him. For the Lord your God is a merciful God; He will not abandon or destroy you, or forget the covenant with your forefathers, which He confirmed to them by oath. (Deuteronomy 4:30-31) |
NO WORLDLY OCCUPATION PREVENTS BELIEVERS FROM SEEKING GOD'S GOOD PLEASURE
[They are] not distracted by trade or commerce from the remembrance of God, the establishment of prayer, and the payment of alms; fearing a day when all hearts and eyes will be in turmoil. (Qur'an, 24:37) New Testament ... It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. (Acts 6:2) TO BE WITH BELIEVERS Restrain yourself patiently with those who call on their Lord morning and evening, desiring His face. Do not turn your eyes from them, desiring the attractions of this world. And do not obey someone whose heart We have made neglectful of Our remembrance, who follows his own whims and desires, and whose life has transgressed all bounds. (Qur'an, 18:28) New Testament ... Pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. (2 Timothy 2:22) THE BROTHERHOOD OF BELIEVERS Hold fast to the rope of God all together, and do not separate. Remember God's blessing to you when you were enemies and He joined your hearts together so that you became brothers by His blessing. You were on the very brink of a pit of the Fire, and He rescued you from it. In this way God makes His Signs clear to you, so that hopefully you will be guided. (Qur'an, 3:103) The male and female believers are friends of one another. They command what is right and forbid what is wrong, perform prayer and give the alms, and obey God and His Messenger. (Qur'an, 9:71) New Testament Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. (Romans 12:10) Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother. (Mark 3:35) TO BE STEADFAST IN GOD'S RELIGION As for those who hold fast to the Book and perform prayer, We will not let the wage of the righteous be wasted. (Qur'an, 7:170) So hold fast to what has been revealed to you. You are on a straight path. (Qur'an, 43:43) Hold fast to the rope of God all together, and do not separate. Remember God's blessing to you... (Qur'an, 3:103) New Testament So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter. (2 Thessalonians 2:15) He [an overseer] must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it. (Titus 1:9) A BELIEVER'S LIFE AND DEATH ARE FOR GOD Say: "My prayer and my rites, my living and my dying, are for God alone, the Lord of all the worlds." (Qur'an, 6:162) Those who, when disaster strikes them, say: "We belong to God, and to Him we will return." (Qur'an, 2:156) New Testament For none of us lives to himself alone, and none of us dies to himself alone. If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. (Romans 14:7-8) SHUNNING THE ANCESTORS' RELIGION When they are told: "Follow what God has sent down to you," they say: "We are following what we found our fathers doing." What, even though their fathers did not understand a thing and were not guided! (Qur'an, 2:170) New Testament You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men. And he [Jesus] said to them: "You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!" (Mark 7:8-9) Old Testament "They have returned to the sins of their forefathers, who refused to listen to My words. They have followed other deities to serve them..." (Jeremiah 11:10) NOT TO BE DIVIDED IN RELIGION He has laid down the same religion for you as He enjoined on Noah: that which We have revealed to you and which We enjoined on Abraham, Moses, and Jesus: "Establish the religion and do not make divisions in it"... (Qur'an, 42:13) [Idolaters are] those who split up their religion and form into sects, each faction exulting in what they have. (Qur'an, 30:32) Those who were given the Book did not divide into sects until after the Clear Sign came to them. (Qur'an, 98:4) Obey God and His Messenger and do not quarrel among yourselves, lest you lose heart and your momentum disappear. And be steadfast. God is with the steadfast. (Qur'an, 8:46) New Testament ... All of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. (1 Corinthians 1:10) MAN'S CREATION We created man from the purest kind of clay, then made him a drop in a secure receptacle, then formed the drop into a clot, formed the clot into a lump, formed the lump into bones, clothed the bones in flesh, and then brought him into being as another creature. Blessed be God, the Best of Creators! (Qur'an, 23:12-14) Old Testament Your hands shaped me and made me... Remember that You molded me like clay... [Did you not] clothe me with skin and flesh, and knit me together with bones and sinews? (Job 10:8-11) The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life. (Job 33:4) I am just like you before God; I too have been taken from clay. (Job 33:6) THE SELFISH SELF WILL ALWAYS COMMAND EVIL And [I swear by] the self and what proportioned it, with depravity or consciousness of God, he who purifies it has succeeded. (Qur'an, 91:7-9) But people are prone to selfish greed. If you do good and guard against evil, God is aware of what you do. (Qur'an, 4:128) [Joseph said,] I do not say my self was free from blame. The self indeed commands to evil acts-except for those my Lord has mercy on. (Qur'an, 12:53) New Testament Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, so that you obey its evil desires. (Romans 6:12) The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21) He [Jesus] went on: "What comes out of a man is what makes him 'unclean.' For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance, and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man 'unclean.'" (Mark 7:20-23) BAD CHARACTER TRAITS But do not obey any vile swearer of oaths, any backbiter, slandermonger, impeder of good, evil aggressor, or gross, coarse and, furthermore, despicable person, simply because he possesses wealth and sons. When Our Signs are recited to him, he says: "Just myths of previous peoples!" (Qur'an, 68:10-15) An evil generation succeeded them who neglected the prayer and followed their appetites. They will plunge into the Valley of Evil. (Qur'an, 19:59) New Testament They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed, and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice. They are gossips, slanderers ... insolent, arrogant, and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. (Romans 1:29-31) Old Testament They would not be like their forefathers-a stubborn and rebellious generation, whose hearts were not loyal to God, whose spirits were not faithful to Him. (Psalm 78:8) Suppose he has a violent son who sheds blood or does any of these other things (though the father has done none of them): He eats at the mountain shrines, defiles his neighbor's wife, oppresses the poor and needy, commits robbery, does not return what he took in pledge, and looks to the idols. He does detestable things. (Ezekiel 18:10-12) He thwarts the plans of the crafty, so that their hands achieve no success. He catches the wise in their craftiness, and the schemes of the wily are swept away. (Job 5:12-13) THE INCREASING INSENSITIVITY OF ONE'S EYES, EARS, AND HEARTS They say [to Mohammed]: "Our hearts are covered up against what you call us to, and there is a heaviness in our ears. There is a screen between us and you. So act-we are certainly acting." (Qur'an, 41:5) God has sealed up their hearts and hearing, and over their eyes is a blindfold. They will have a terrible punishment. (Qur'an, 2:7) Some of them listen to you, but We have placed covers on their hearts, preventing them from understanding it, and heaviness in their ears. Though they see every Sign, they still have no faith, so that when they come to you, disputing with you, those who do not believe say: "This is nothing but the myths of previous peoples!" (Qur'an, 6:25) We created many of the jinn and humanity for Hell. They have hearts with which they do not understand. They have eyes with which they do not see. They have ears with which they do not hear. Such people are like cattle. No, they are even further astray! They are the unaware. (Qur'an, 7:179) New Testament "For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them." (Matthew 13:15) Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear?... (Mark 8:18) Go to this people and say: "You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving." For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn... (Acts 28:26-27) DENIERS THINK THEY ARE SMART When they are told: "Believe in the way that the people believe," they say: "What! Are we to believe in the way that fools believe?" No indeed! They are the fools, but they do not know it. (Qur'an, 2:13) New Testament Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools. (Romans 1:22) DEBASEMENT OF THE UNBELIEVERS No self can believe except with God's permission. He places a blight on those who do not use their intellect. (Qur'an, 10:100) New Testament Therefore God gave them over, through the sinful desires of their hearts, to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. (Romans 1:24) NOT TO BEFRIEND THOSE WITH A BAD CHARACTER You will not find people who believe in God and the Last Day having love for anyone who opposes God and His Messenger, though they be their fathers, their sons, their brothers, or their clan. God has inscribed faith upon such people's hearts, will reinforce them with a Spirit from Him, and admit them into Gardens with rivers flowing under them, remaining in them timelessly, forever. God is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him. Such people are the party of God. Truly, it is the party of God that is successful. (Qur'an, 58:22) God merely forbids you from taking as friends those who have fought you in the religion, driven you from your homes, and supported your expulsion. Any who take them as friends are wrongdoers. (Qur'an, 60:9) New Testament But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat. (1 Corinthians 5:11) But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore, do not be partners with them. (Ephesians 5:3, 6-7) ONE DAY IN GOD'S PRESENCE IS LIKE ONE THOUSAND YEARS FOR US They ask you to hasten the punishment. God will not break His promise. A day with your Lord is equivalent to a thousand years in the way you count. (Qur'an, 22:47) New Testament ... With the Lord, a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:8-9) NO ONE WILL BEAR ANOTHER PERSON'S SINS Whoever is guided is only guided to his own good. Whoever is misguided is only misguided to his detriment. No burden-bearer can bear another's burden. We never punish until We have sent a Messenger. (Qur'an, 17:15) Old Testament The soul who sins is the one who will die. The son will not share the guilt of the father, nor will the father share the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous man will be credited to him, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against him. (Ezekiel 18:20) PEOPLE ARE PUNISHED FOR WHAT THEY HAVE DONE Any disaster that strikes you is through what your own hands have earned, and He pardons much. (Qur'an, 42:30) Old Testament What has happened to us is a result of our evil deeds and our great guilt, and yet, our God, you have punished us less than our sins have deserved and have given us such deliverance as this. (Ezra 9:13) TRUST IN GOD If God helps you, no one can vanquish you. If He forsakes you, who can help you after that? So the believers should put their trust in God. (Qur'an, 3:160) O you who believe! Remember God's blessing to you when certain people were on the verge of raising their hands against you and He held their hands back from you. Heed God. The believers should put their trust in God. (Qur'an, 5:11) Old Testament He [Uzziah] sought God during the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God. As long as he sought the Lord, God gave him success. (2 Chronicles 26:5) Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5) O Lord Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you. (Psalm 84:12) GOD STRAIGHTENS OUT THE PATHS It rests with God alone to show you the right path:yet there is [many a one] who swerves from it. If He had wished, He could have guided every one of you. (Qur'an, 16:9) Old Testament [I]n all your ways acknowledge him, and He will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:6) THE DAY OF JUDGMENT [Man asks]: "So when is the Day of Resurrection?" But when the eyesight is dazzled, and the moon is eclipsed, and the sun and moon are fused together, on that Day man will ask: "Where can I run?" No indeed! There will be no safe place. (Qur'an, 75:6-11) When the stars are extinguished, when Heaven is split open, when the mountains are pulverised, and when the Messengers' time is appointed. (Qur'an, 77:8-11) The Hour is coming, but I have concealed it so that every self can be repaid for its efforts. (Qur'an, 20:15) They will ask you about the Hour: When is it due? Say: "Knowledge of it rests with my Lord alone. He alone will reveal it at its proper time. It hangs heavy in the heavens and Earth. It will not come upon you except suddenly." They will ask you as if you had full knowledge of it. Say: "Knowledge of it rests with God alone. But most people do not know that." (Qur'an, 7:187) On the Day the sky is like molten brass and the mountains like tufts of colored wool. No good friend will ask about his friend. (Qur'an, 70:8-10) When Heaven is split apart and goes red like dregs of oil. (Qur'an, 55:37) New Testament But in those days, following that distress, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky... (Mark 13:24-25) Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. (Mark 13:33) Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness, and the anxieties of life, and that Day will close on you unexpectedly, like a trap. For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole Earth. (Luke 21:34-35) ... The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and Earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the Day of God and speed its coming. That Day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. (2 Peter 3:10-12) Old Testament ... For the Day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. The sun and moon will be darkened, and the stars no longer shine. (Joel 3:14-15) . The Day of the Lord is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty. Because of this, all hands will go limp, every man's heart will melt. Terror will seize them, pain and anguish will grip them; they will writhe like a woman in labor. They will look aghast at each other, their faces aflame. See, the Day of the Lord is coming-a cruel Day, with wrath and fierce anger-to make the land desolate and destroy the sinners within it. The stars of heaven and their constellations will not show their light. The rising sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light. (Isaiah 13:6-10) Alas for that Day! For the day of the Lord is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty. (Joel 1:15) The great Day of the Lord is near-near and coming quickly. Listen! The cry on the Day of the Lord will be bitter, the shouting of the warrior there. That Day will be a day of wrath, a day of distress and anguish, a day of trouble and ruin, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness. (Zephaniah 1:14-15) |