1. The Reliability of the Bible Texts
“Given by Inspiration” — theopneustos, Context Revisited
Some Discussion of Copies and Translations
February 19 2012 7 and 8
Charles e Whisnant, Teacher
God specifically endorsed copies of the Scriptures. Deuteronomy 17:18-19:
A copy, unlike the inscripturated original, can contain errors. This is because God never said
that ‖immediate inspiration‖ by the Spirit (if you didn‘t read the last post for definitions, stop now and
go read it!) applied to anything except the original writing of the Scriptures. II Peter 1:21 tells us that
the Holy Spirit moved holy men to write the Scriptures. It says nothing about copies. We‘ll look later at
the fact that God preserves His Word, so the fact that some copyists made mistakes isn‘t a problem for
us.
The only thing the original autographs had which a copy doesn‟t have is a divine guarantee of
100% accuracy. Copies have never had that guarantee — but when they are accurate, they have
just as much value as the original autograph.
God specifically endorsed the translation of the Scriptures in Romans 16:25-27.
We return briefly to II Peter 1, including verse 19 this time:
Some key points about this passage:
Thus, theologians have always said that ―immediate inspiration‖ (some have used the term
―inscripturation‖) is an action of God (described in II Peter 1:21) which He carried out only in the giving
of the original autographs, and it applies neither to copies or translations. This is what Christians have
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always believed. The Bible says nothing of any ―re-inspiration‖, a second direct act by God of
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immediate inspiration, in copies or translations.

2. Revisiting the Context of theopneustos
Timothy would have read II Timothy chapters three and four without chapter and verse breaks. I‘ll give
the last two verses of chapter three and the first two of chapter four the way he would have read them:
The main flow of the passage could be boiled down like this:
―All Scripture is theopneustos and profitable, so I charge you to preach it.‖ The Word that
Timothy is to preach is the Word that is theopneustos and profitable, The second half of 4:2
matches the second half of 3:16 in meaning and even somewhat in wording (both verses refer to
―doctrine‖ and ―reproof‖).
A Logical Progression Based on II Timothy 3:16-4:2
How can Timothy‟s translation-in-hand be theopneustos if translations are not “immediately
inspired?”
There is only one answer: theopneustos is not the same as what theologians have called
―immediate inspiration.‖ It is not primarily talking about the moving of the Holy Spirit
described in II Peter 1:21. It is, rather, focused on what came into existence as a result of that
moving – the divine quality or nature of the Scriptures.
The context virtually demands that we accept what the connotations also told us. This
word, which our translators rendered “given by inspiration of God,” is referring not primarily
to the divine origin of the Scriptures, but rather to the current divine nature of the
Scriptures which flowed out of that divine origin.
The God who breathed the Scriptures into existence also breathed life into them, and they became a
living and life-giving Book. That living divine quality lives on even in an accurate translation, which is
why, returning to Romans 16:25-27, a translation is able to (as Scripture) make the Gospel known to the
nations that they might have eternal life.
Once we recognize what both the connotations and the context of 3:16-4:2 are telling us, that
theopneustos is talking primarily about the living divine nature of the Scriptures, other things fall into
place.
When Paul wrote that the Scriptures are theopneustos (―given by inspiration of God‖), he was talking
about ―That Book in Your Hand,‖ about what it is today because of the way God made it. God breathed
life into that Book, and thus it is and remains forever a living and life-giving Book. The divine qualities
that He breathed into it live on even in that translation in your hand, just as they lived in Timothy‘s
Greek translation. It still lives and gives life today, just as it always has.
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3. Is there a way to scientifically reconstruct the original biblical text? And if
so, what would the hibachi ramifications of such an achievement be?
These were two of the central questions that arose at the ninth meeting of Bar-Ilan University‘s Nitzozot
study series last week, which brought together experts from the fields of computer sciences, Bible study
and Halacha for a discussion on the origins and fluctuations of the biblical text.
According to the post-Talmudic tractate Sofrim, there were three Torah scrolls in the Temple court, each
slightly inconsistent with the others. Since there was no way to determine which text was the original,
the halachic principle of ―ruling by the majority‖ was applied: The version that appeared in two out of
the three scrolls was accepted as the standard text, even if the minority text, in theory, might have borne
the original version.
Over the centuries, generations of scribes copied the Torah scrolls, and scribal errors inevitably crept in.
To safeguard the holy text, the mesora, the oral tradition that noted the correct spellings of words,
paragraph inclinations and cantillation notes, was also passed on within various families.
In the first half of the 10th century, a prominent member of a mesoratic family in Tiberias, Aharon Ben-
Asher, created a written book version of the biblical text, a codex that, unlike the Torah scrolls, could
also contain the accompanying mesora notes Ben-Asher inscribed. As it was a ―crowning glory‖ of
biblical texts, it became known as a Keter (crown), and after it ended up in Syria, the Aleppo Codex, or
the Keter Aram Soba.
The biblical text was based on a cross-reference of the contemporary versions available to Ben-Asher,
probably including his own memorized version, to create the most accurate corpus possible. At the same
time, it was not able to reconstruct the original Second Temple-era version. The Keter received a major
stamp of approval from Maimonides, who in the 12th century declared it to be the codex he trusted
above all others.
Nature tends to be cyclic, as evident in the lunar and solar systems, or the transcription of the sound
waves in a plot of speech over a few thousandths of a second, or the measurement of the volume of ice
on a glacier over thousands of years. And when a cycle is identified, yet for some reason its data is
incomplete, the lapses within it can sometimes be filled in based on the larger picture of the cycles.
Based on the principle of cycles in nature, Rabbi Shabtai Rappaport, head of the Beit Midrash at Bar-
Ilan‘s Ludwig and Erica Jesselson Institute for Advanced Torah Studies and the organizer of the
Nitzozot series, asked the internationally renowned computer science professor and dean of the College
of Exact Sciences at Bar-Ilan, Amihood Amir, who is an expert on reconstructing data, whether the
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same scientific principle of correcting cycles might be applied to the biblical text, which contains scribal
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errors created over the generations during the cycles of copying and recopying of Torah scrolls.

4. Amir‘s lecture at Nitzozot last week presented the ways to reconstruct an original cycle that engendered
following cycles, which could be applicable when the mistakes in the data used to reconstruct the cycle
fell under certain conditions, such as in the case of bible copying.
As the biblical text comes with a codex, Prof. Yosef Ofer of Bar-Ilan‘s bible department, whose
expertise also covers the mesora, spoke of the parallels between digital algorithms created to prevent
textual mistakes and those created and used by the mesora-holders to ensure the ongoing accuracy of the
Torah.
In his address at the conference, Rappaport dwelled on the significance that the Torah text‘s originality
bears. The version we use today, he said, is not necessarily what Moses received at Sinai, but it is what
God wants us to use, as it represents the best available version.
However, Rappaport stressed that the age-old halachic principle of ruling by the majority, such as in the
case of alternating Torah versions, was not a solution based on statistical probabilities, but rather one
applied only when there was no other way to resolve a specific quandary.
A definitive version of the Torah, scientifically reconstructed back to the ur-text the People of Israel
received at Mount Sinai, may provide groundbreaking insights and shed new light on the most sanctified
and widely disseminated and interpreted text in history.
―This is a fascinating and important project waiting to be undertaken,‖ Rappaport told The Jerusalem
Post. ―Now that the theoretical infrastructure to attempt to reconstruct the original text exists, the ways
to apply it in order to achieve such an end will be examined.‖
http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?ID=176056
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5. Why Didn't God Preserve the Original Writings of the Men Who Penned the Bible?
There are thousands of partial and complete handwritten manuscript
copies of the Old and New Testament. These manuscripts are on display today in places like the
Smithsonian Institute, the Cambridge University Library, the British Library, etc. These manuscripts
have allowed scholars to verify that the Bible we have today is the same Bible the early church
possessed 2,000 years ago.
To our knowledge though, none of the autographs (the originals) of any of the sixty six books of the
Bible actually survive. Someone asked me a while back, "Why didn't God preserve the originals? If
we had the originals, then we could know for certain that the Bible hasn't undergone
corruption!" Could we know for certain? I don't believe we could. I believe that God has purposely
allowed the originals to disappear so that we could actually be more certain that we have a trustworthy
copy of the Bible. What are you saying Charlie? Hear me out on this.
Let's imagine the originals were allowed to survive. Let's imagine that they were in someone's
possession back in the second century or third century. We'll call him Joe the Scribe. Joe could have
changed them! And who would know? Perhaps nobody. But if the original is quickly copied numerous
times and these copies are then spread all over the ancient world, and then the original is lost or
destroyed, there's no way that Joe could alter the Word of God. Someone might try to sneak an error
into a manuscript copy, but the thousands of other copies in circulation would quickly allow the church
to cross-check and compare them with one another. The result of the cross-checking? The variants
(small slips of the pen, grammatical errors) that anybody tried had tried to sneak into their manuscript
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would be spotted and the church could come away with great confidence that they have a highly
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accurate copy of the original.

6. I believe that God, in His perfect wisdom and foresight, knew the danger of leaving the originals intact
and in the possession of any one person or group. Ironically, by allowing the originals to disappear, His
Word has actually probably been better preserved.
http://1peter315.blogspot.com/2006/01/why-didnt-god-preserve-original.html
https://www.biblosfoundation.org/KJB_Section/Bibles.aspx
Bible translations before 1611
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7. These are early handwritten leaves on paper of the
Gospel of Luke in the Coptic language. Paper took
the place of parchment (skins of cows and mature
sheep and goats) and vellum (skins of lambs and
goats - often the fetus) in the 14th and 15th centuries.
It was much cheaper and quite durable since it was
made with a cloth base.*
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8. http://futurecongress.com/the-untold-history-of-the-bible/
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9. The Reliability of the Bible Texts
Doesn't the Bible have a lot of mistakes?
One of the key questions people are asking today is whether the Bible is reliable. What they usually
mean is whether the Bible texts themselves are reliable.
Higher and Lower Criticism
This question has arisen only in the last few hundred years. Higher criticism has questioned the
authenticity of the history as the Bible presents itself. Higher critics, for example, would deny the
historicity of Israel's Exodus out of Egypt. With such presumptions, they strongly suggest that the Book
of Exodus was just a story written later on to provide the people of Israel a national identity. When the
average person hears these theories stated as facts, many are dissilusioned with the Bible.
These questions ultimately lead us back to questions about the Biblical texts themselves. Lower
criticism evaluates which Bible texts are most accurate. They ask, "Which Bible manuscripts should be
used for the basis of the modern translation Bible versions?" Having such a great number of
manuscripts, it is sometimes difficult to know which one is most accurate. The issue is even much more
complicated. If the majority of manuscripts support one phrase, then the issue seems clear. But if the
manuscripts weigh evenly between say using, "Jesus Christ," or just "Jesus," which should be used? this
study gets very intensive.
These questions have undermined many a person's trust in the Bible and in God. Many professors major
goal is to pass on these doubts. They should quit teaching but their list of degrees grants them a pseudo-
authority.
If you wonder about the trustworthiness of the Bible, then you need to better understand why people
who claim to be Christians and scholars don't believe in the Bible. In order to do this we have introduced
these two fields of Higher and Lower Criticism and drawn a few conclusions.
Higher Criticism Lower Criticism
Detecting the genuineness of a Bible teaching. Detecting the accuracy of a Biblical text.
Higher criticism started in the late 1700s. They Lower criticism also developed from an unbelief in
appointed themselves to evlauate the contents of the inspired scriptures. They evaluated the Bible
the Bible. Unfortunately, as a whole they did not just as any other book.
believe the Bible to be true.
We need to be very careful of the assumptions of
They based their interpretations on a those who do these critical studies. Westcott and
presupposition that the Bible is not divinely Hort in the 1800s were scholars indeed, but with a
inspired and that a conglomerate of unknown bias. They did not believe in God's authoritative
authors and editors assembled and modified the Word.
Bible as they desired.
Many others of the Liberalism persuasion follow
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These Higher Criticism studies has been a large their trail and do not believe in the inspiration of
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waste of time. Their bias against the Bible has so

10. largely shaped their conclusions that their studies the original autographs (see inspiration).
are not worthy reading.
We have spoken of their bias. Is there any value in
For example, many of them would deny a literal their methodology then? We think so.
Exodus. They think that the Exodus story is merely
something the Israelites later created for a national The methodology needs to be separated from their
story. They have no basis for their thinking. They assumptions. They thought that only a few major
know it is not true and therefore interpret the Bible texts were old and and so based their conclusions
in light of their presuppositions. on only a few manuscipts. They claimed to be
ecletic but in fact were rather prejudiced.
Many commentaries (all expensive) spend a large
amount of their pages debating such theories. Not Today we have others who do hold to the veracity
many of these supposed 'Bible scholars' really take of the scriptures and fine-tune the research on
the Bible for face value. determining the original text.
If you are shaken by their statements, just read We need to remember that most of the text is not
between the lines and see what they base their in questin. We are not 'recovering' a lost text. The
theories on. You will see it is all conjecture and biblical text is in the majority of cases clear and
that their beliefs will be adjusted in another ten or unquestioned.
twenty years by someone else's theories. It is
interesting to read older commentaries and see Today's studies focus on seeing if we can through
how ridiculus some of their conclusions are in light research detect which variance was actually the
of modern discoveries.1 original.
Bottom Line Bottom Line
We can accept the Bible as it presents itself. Noah In fact, the major result of the Lower Critics has
really existed along with the ark. Moses really did produced a better understanding of the reliability of
serve in the Egyptian court. There was language the Biblical texts.
back then. Jericho really had walls that fell inward
and we have proof that it did. We acknowledge that there are many variants in the
thousands of manuscripts, but they are minor and
More on Liberals inconsequential to the main meaning of the few
passages they influence. These studies stand as
proof that the original documents are not far from
what we have in today's copies.
Higher Criticism
It is a shame that so many commentaries and seminary classes spend countless pages and lectures
explaining these hypotheses which are almost always rooted in unbelief. Remember it is their
presuppositions that destroy their studies. Unless they can accept the scriptures as Jesus did, then we
better not listen to these false teachers.
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11. What about Biblical Archaeology?
One would think that we only need to turn to the
Biblical archaeological magazines to see
whether the Biblical events are historical. This
would seem to be most logical step to take, but
the major archaeological magazines and projects
are operated by those influenced by higher
criticism. They distort the facts according to
their persuasions. They would not even
contemplate thinking there was a real Red Sea
crossing by the Israelites. This distorts their
research discoveries.
Fortunately, the web is enabling other smaller-
scale Biblical archaeologists who believe in the
Bible to publish their research. The facts are
there. Time is on the side of truth. As time goes
on, more and more facts provide clear evidence
of the veracity of the Biblical account.
The Jesus Seminar, for example, outright reject Jesus' perspective of the scriptures.
They trash what they want to avoid. They put themselves as greater judges than Jesus Himself. I much
rather have Jesus' perspective of the scriptures than what these so-called scholars teach. Jesus said,
Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill. For
truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass away
from the Law, until all is accomplished. (Matthew 5:17-18)
Note how Jesus clearly stated that even the smallest part of a letter of His Word is important!
Lower Criticism: A Study on the Biblical Manuscripts
We will provide an overview of the original Bible manuscripts to help you better understand the issues
at stake.
The Background of the Biblical Manuscripts
We do not possess the original Bible books, sometimes called
texts or autographs. We do, however, have many thousands of
Biblical manuscripts (5,500+) which are copies of the originals. It
is best to think of our manuscripts as descendants of the originals.
Each generation hand-copied their own. The originals became
damaged or worn and were destroyed.
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These manuscripts have their own family trees. The texts would
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be copied and then distributed to different centers so they could

12. read them aloud to their own congregations. Each Christian center then would have its own family tree.
Once a copy got to the center, then the whole document along with its mistakes would be repeated as
scribes copied that document. The variances are minimal. Their own copy would resemble the original.
The goal in Lower Criticism is to find the original 'father' text, the autograph by comparing the different
families of texts.
One person wrote asking,
I was however shocked to see that you too support the idea that the contents of the Bible should be
determined by scientists who research the "most probable text" of the Bible in your article. Textual
critique is an interesting subject, but cannot be applied to an infallible and holy book.
I replied something like below,
Textual criticism is not applied to the autographs, the originals, but upon the copies of the copies of the
autographs. We in no way accept inferiority on the originals. We do, however, recognize as man copied
them through the ages that there were minor changes (not making doctrinal differences for the most
part), mostly consisting of spelling or copying mistakes.
For example, I have access to different versions of a Bible verse in Greek. I am not trying to question the
original or think I have a better idea of what God should say (man does this far too often)! Our goal is
to discover what God did say! Textual criticism is all about identifying the original and living by it.
The Old Testament Texts
The Old Testament faced an entirely different situation than the New Testament. They had one chief
worship center.
The scribes would specialize in copying the scriptures when they were worn. The scribes were
extraordinarily careful in copying these texts. They would count the letters going each way. If they
found one mistake, they would destroy that page. They did make occasional mistakes like the reversing
of letters, but they did not dare tamper with God's Word. They preserved the integrity of the holy texts
by burning the old ones with defects.
What happened as a result was that our latest copies (manuscripts) of the Old Testament scriptures were
more than one or two thousand years from the time that they were written in some cases. People started
wondering whether they were true.
Until recently, our most ancient copies (manuscripts) of the Old Testament were from the 10th century.
They could of course check its message with the Septuagint which was written several hundred years
before Christ. This was the Greek translation of the Old Testament that was in use in Jesus' day.
More recent archaeological findings, however, have swept this suspicion into the Mediterranean. The
discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in the 1940s have shown that the Hebrew (Masoretic) text was
accurately preserved. These scrolls were written 100 to 200 years before Jesus' time. So passages that
clearly describe Jesus such as Isaiah 53 could no longer be said to be inserted after Jesus' time.
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13. The New Testament Texts
The New Testament manuscripts on the other hand are numerous. These 5,500 plus manuscripts date
from the 2nd century. Those who ask whether the originals had ever existed can find their answer here.
They certainly did. Only the genuine text could have spawned so many copies through the years.
Some people seem to question the authenticity of the orginals when there are so many different
manuscripts with slight variations. This is a shame. The opposite is true. The agreement of the scriptures
prove the existence of the original documents. The number of manuscripts for the New Testament
scriptures is far greater than any other ancient text. It is through these variants (differences on words or
spellings used), we can trace back and discover what the original text had said.
Do we find that the texts are reliable? Definitely.
Although one may hear of thousands of variants or errors, we must keep in mind that they count the
same error in each of the 5,000 manuscripts. After careful examination, they have found that only 40
lines (400 words) of the 20,000 lines are in question. We can be sure that the New Testament is 99%
pure. The Iliad by contrast has 5% corrupted text. There is no ancient text that is more reliable than the
New Testament.
What is more helpful, is that we know exactly
what the differences of the Greek text are. At
the foot of each page of the Greek text, one can
see the footnotes which document which
variants that particular verse might have. They
note which manuscripts support which variant.
In this way Lower Criticism has dispelled fears
of an unreliable text. One main advantage of
studying Greek is to be able to read these
footnotes! English translations mention only
the most significant variants.
Why all the confusion?
Many people do not understand how the New
Testament books were written, copied and distributed. It is not simply as we might think.
There was no instant New Testament Bible. Each New Testament book was written separately (except
perhaps Luke and Acts) and sent to different people and places. These places had no faxes, computers or
telephones. Paper was not yet popularized or available. Reading the scriptures was popular in churches.
Copies were not easily made or preserved. The originals would be passed around from church to church.
And when this letter is read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and you, for
your part read my letter that is coming from Laodicea." (Colossians 4:16)
As time went on, the 27 different documents (Bible books) would travel about and end up in different
Christian churches or Christian centers. Each main Christian center would begin their own collection of
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these NT scriptures (ie. manuscripts) and make their own copies for those in their jurisdiction. Those
who made these copies were scribes. Remember, writing was a special skill back in those days.
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14. These centers then unconsciously would develop their own family of manuscripts through their copying
efforts. There would be slight variations in these manuscripts, nothing significant. Remember, only 40
lines of 20,000 are in question. Alexandria in Egypt had the driest climate and most well-preserved
scriptures. The Western texts were centered in Rome. Later on Byzantine became the empire's capital
and a major center for Christianity. The picture above shows the five main Christian centers in 600 A.D.
In summary, we do not need to be concerned whether we are missing anything when we read our
translations. The major differences such as whether there is a long ending on the Gospel of Mark, John 7:53-
8:11 or 1 John 5:7 is usually footnoted in good translations. Nothing is of great importance in these sections
that we cannot find elsewhere in the Bible.
The main difference comes down to whether we actually love, trust and obey God's Word. We do not need
to be scholars to do this. The more confidence we have in God's Word for our own lives, the more we can
grow as Christians. Where seeds of doubt have been sowed in our hearts, we need to weed them out. Don't
be afraid to search out the truth; only be afraid of believing falsehood! Satan seeks to create mistrust when
there needs to be none.
God speaks and expects us to listen!
Knowing about God's Word and its reliability is one important matter, but one also needs to know how
to meet God in the scriptures.
Knowing about God's Word and its reliability is one important matter, but one also needs to know how
to meet God in the scriptures.
Go => Next
Other Articles on the Origin of the Bible Series
1. How is the Bible different today from before? The Transformation of the Bible
2. How did the Bible come into being? The Canonization of the Bible
3. Why aren't other books part of the Bible? The Extent of the Bible
4. How is the Bible different from other books? The Inspiration of the Bible
5. Doesn't the Bible have a lot of mistakes? The Reliability of the Bible
6. Is the Bible really relevant to my life? The Relevance of the Bible
7. What Bible version should I use? I'm confused. The Versions of the Bible
8. Why do some people say that I must use the KJV? Conspiracy in the translations?
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http://www.foundationsforfreedom.net/Topics/Bible/Bible_Reliability.html
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15. THE HOLY BIBLE
List of contents:
List of contents:
I. Introduction to the books of the Bible
II. The Old Testament (the Torah, etc)
III. The New Testament (the Injil, etc)
IV. The authenticity of the Biblical text
1. The authenticity of the Biblical text according to the Qur'an
2. The authenticity of the Biblical text according to early Islamic tradition
V. Bible prophecy
VI. Biblical archeology
VII. Doctrines to which the Holy Bible is strongly opposed:
1. The doctrine of abrogation of divine revelation is unbiblical
2. The doctrine of satanic inspiration is unbiblical
VIII. Conclusion
I. INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOKS OF THE BIBLE
(return to list of contents)
The Holy Bible is the most widespread book in the world. It is translated into more than 1600 languages
and dialects used in the world. The Holy Bible is not one book, but many. It consists of two major
divisions: the Old Testament (OT), and the New Testament (NT). The Old Testament consists of 39
books and the deuterocanonical/apocryphal books. The New Testament consists of 27 books. The 39
books of the Old Testament constitute the Hebrew Bible of the Jews. Jews are still waiting for the
coming of the Messiah (the Christ). They rejected Him in His first advent, and therefore, they do not
recognize the books of the New Testament. The Old Testament was written centuries before the time of
Christ. The New Testament was written in the first century, after the resurrection of Christ, by inspired
saintly apostles and disciples of Christ. The books of the Holy Bible were written in three continents:
Asia, Africa, and Europe over a period of about 1500 years by some 44 inspired prophets and apostles
who lived virtuous godly lives centuries apart in different locations. These writers were of varied
backgrounds. Some of them were kings and priests. Others were physicians, farmers, shepherds,
fishermen, and tentmakers. Yet, all the books of the Bible are consistent and harmonious with one
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another, and follow the same basic themes, as they were inspired by the same eternal Holy Spirit of the
living God who has no beginning and no end. Despite the diversity of the languages, cultures, times,
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ages and locations of the writers of the biblical books, the Holy Bible exhibits remarkable unity in its

16. message, purpose and theology. This is because the primary author of the Holy Bible is the eternal living
God who inspired all the human writers who in turn reflected their varying personalities and styles in the
sacred writings as they delivered the inspired message of God. This, in itself, is a sufficient proof of the
divine inspiration and origin of the Holy Bible: “For prophecy never came by the will of man, but
holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1: 21); “All Scripture is
given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for
instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3: 16).
Unlike the Qur‟an, the Bible is not the work of one man in a few years (22 years) as explained
above.
The Holy Bible constitutes an integrated coherent whole centered in the person of Christ. Christ is the
central theme of the Holy Bible. Each of its books has its own distinctive message in the whole. The
Holy Bible is a progressive unfolding and revealing of truth. It tells the historical story of the salvation
of humankind according to the divine plan. It begins with the creation of the world, and ends with the
consummation of the history of humankind and the recreation of the world after a prolonged spiritual
battle between good and evil. The Bible message is delivered in a variety of literary forms. Some
sections are historic narration of events. Others provide the speech of God in the first person using
phrases like, ―Thus says the Lord‖ or ―The word of the Lord came to me‖ (Isaiah 1: 10, 18; 6: 8;
Jeremiah 1:4; Ezekiel 1: 3; etc). The Old Testament (Torah) abounds in persons and events prefiguring
Christ, and signs and symbols of his work, and prophecies of his first and second advents. The central
message of the Old Testament is the promise of, and preparation for, the coming of the Messiah (the
Christ) who would provide the salvation of humankind from sin and spiritual death (separation from
God). The New Testament is the fulfillment of the Old Testament's prophetic message of the salvation
of humankind from the bondage of sin and corruption through Jesus Christ. Therefore, the Holy Bible in
its entirety, with all its divisions and books, is a fully integrated unity.
Many critics tried to find errors and contradictions in the Holy Bible but failed. The following works
respond to their allegations:
1. N. Geisler and T. Howe, When Critics Ask (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1992).
2. W. Kaiser Jr., P. Davids, F. Bruce and M. Brauch, Hard Sayings of the Bible (Downers Grove, IL:
InterVarsity Press, 1996).
3. G. Archer, Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1982).
In fact, some of the best legal minds in history have scrutinized the Holy Bible. The New Testament was
carefully examined by legal experts such as Simon Greenleaf of Harvard who came to the conclusion
that: ―copies which had been as universally received and acted upon as the four Gospels, would have
been received in evidence in any court of justice, without the slightest hesitation‖ (N. Geisler and A.
Saleeb, Answering Islam [Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2002], p. 231).
The Holy Bible is a book for all peoples and all diverse backgrounds in all times--from the simple-
minded person to the philosopher. Readers enjoy the aesthetic beauty of the Holy Bible, its artistic
excellence, and the orderliness of its historical narration. One of the fictional characters of the novel of
Brothers Karamazov by the famous Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoyevsky declared: ―What a book the
Bible is, what a miracle, what strength is given with it to a man. It is like a mould cast of the world and
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man and human nature, everything is there, and a law for everything for all the ages. And what
mysteries are solved and revealed.‖
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17. II. THE OLD TESTAMENT (THE TORAH, etc)
(return to list of contents)
The Old Testament covers events spanning thousands of years from creation to about 400 BC. The
original language of the Old Testament books is Hebrew, with the exception of parts of the books of
Daniel, Ezra and Jeremiah, which were written in Aramaic. The Jewish Torah comprises the first five
books of the Old Testament. It covers a period of thousands of years extending from creation to the
death of Moses. Excluding the deuterocanonical/apocryphal books, the first 17 books of the Old
Testament, from the book of Genesis to the book of Esther, are classified as history, while the last 17
books, form the book of Isaiah to the book of Malachi, constitute the prophetic section of the Old
Testament. Wedged in between are the five books usually classified as poetical, from the book of Job to
the book of Song of Solomon. The historical books narrate the history of God‘s dealings with humanity
in a chronological sequence to bring forth the Christ, the savior of humankind. The poetical books
explore basic questions of human life, such as: the suffering of good people, worship, wisdom, and love.
The prophetical books include prophecies, teachings, warnings, and exhortations to repentance.
III. THE NEW TESTAMENT (THE INJIL, etc)
Testament books is the ancient common Greek language of Jesus’ time, which was
widely used in the Roman empire of the first century AD, where the early Christians
evangelized. This language had been highly developed and completed at least two
centuries before the time of Jesus. Jesus himself did not write any material. He
himself is the living Word of God. The first four books of the New Testament are the
Gospels (Injil) written by two apostles (Matthew and John) and two Christian
disciples (Mark and Luke). They record various aspects of the life, teachings, and
work of Christ in His first advent on earth. They were written in different parts of
the world—the Gospel of Mark in Rome; the Gospel of Matthew in Antioch; the
Gospel of Luke in Greece; and the Gospel of John in Asia Minor. However, they
complement and corroborate one another. The last book in the New Testament is
the Revelation of John. It was written by the Apostle John at about 90 AD, about five
centuries before Muhammad’s time. It has prophecies about the coming of the false
prophet and the anti-Christ before the second coming of Christ to earth in glory and
judgment at the end of this age. The book of Acts describes the historical
propagation of the Gospel (good news) of Christ, and the formation and the
expansion of the early Church in various parts of the world in the thirty years
following the ascension of Christ.
The rest of the New Testament books are twenty-one epistles written by the apostles and disciples of
Christ to various ancient churches and persons in different parts of the world to explain the Gospel
message, and to provide further instruction in the Christian faith addressing doctrinal and moral issues,
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and Church order. The Epistles fall into two main groups: those written by St. Paul, the apostle, and
those attributed to other writers. Fourteen Epistles were written by the apostle Paul. He wrote to
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particular churches (the churches of Rome, Corinth, Galatia, Ephesus, Philippi, Colossi, Thessalonica,

18. etc.), and to individuals (Philemon, Timothy, and Titus). The other seven Epistles (James; 1 and 2 Peter;
1, 2 and 3 John; and Jude) are known as the Catholic (universal) or general Epistles. They were written
to groups of churches or to the universal Church in its entirety. For instance, the Epistle of James was
written to the Jewish converts throughout the ancient world. The Epistle of First Peter was written to the
Jewish converts of Asia Minor. Although the Epistles of second and third John were addressed to
persons, they both compliment the Epistle of first John, and are, therefore, considered general Epistles.
All the books of the New Testament were written under the guidance of the Holy Spirit between about
50 and 90 A.D. by either eyewitnesses, or those who related the accounts of eyewitnesses of the actual
events of the life, teachings and miracles of Jesus: “For we did not follow cunningly devised fables
when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were
eyewitnesses of His majesty” (2 Peter 1: 16). The closeness of the recorded accounts of the New
Testament to the actual events certifies the accuracy of what is recorded, because the New Testament
books were being circulated among many eyewitnesses of those events that could confirm or deny the
accuracy of those accounts, as the apostle Peter addressed the Jews saying: “Men of Israel, hear these
words: 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” (Acts 2: 22). In fact, some of
those eyewitnesses were hostile to Christianity and would be only too happy to expose and challenge
any inaccuracies in the New Testament books had said accuracies existed.
IV. AUTHENTICITY OF THE BIBLICAL TEXT
The traditional standard text of the Old Testament (the Masoretic text) has been
transmitted across the centuries with remarkable accuracy. The most ancient extant
hand written scrolls and fragments of the Old Testament books in Hebrew date back
to the second century BC, nearly 800 years before Muhammad’s time. These were
discovered accidentally by a shepherd boy in 1947 in caves of rocky ravines in
Palestine overlooking the north shore of the Dead Sea. That is why they came to be
known as the Dead Sea scrolls. They are essentially the same as the Old Testament
books that we have today. They confirm their accuracy. You can see them on exhibit
in the Shrine of the Book museum in Jerusalem. The oldest extant Greek translation
of the Old Testament (the Torah) is the Septuagint (LXX) which dates back to the
third century BC.
The most ancient extant fragments of the New Testament books in Greek date back to the late first
century AD, nearly 500 years before Muhammad‘s time. The Chester Beatty Papyri (late first century
through third century AD) contain most of the New Testament. Again they are essentially the same as
what we have today in the New Testament books. There are more than six thousand extant manuscript
copies of the Greek New Testament or portions thereof. In fact, there is more manuscript support for the
New Testament than for any other document from antiquity. In addition, the extant ancient translations
of the New Testament books to Syriac and Coptic languages of the second century AD attest the
accuracy of the New Testament text that we have today. Furthermore, more than 32,000 quotations from
the New Testament by the early Church fathers of the first three centuries of Christianity before 325 AD
are in full agreement with the text of the New Testament books. Moreover, the 16-volume work of Dean
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Burgen in the British Museum contains 86,489 independent quotations of the New Testament books
from the writings of the Church leaders of the period 325-570 AD (Brother Mark, A Perfect Qur’an,
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19. 1983, p. 348). This scholar arrived at the conclusion that the entire New Testament could be assembled
from these quotations.
The oldest and the most complete texts of both the Old and New Testaments in Greek are: Codex
Vaticanus (early fourth century AD, available in the Vatican library); Codex Sinaiticus (mid-fourth
century AD, available in the British museum); Codex Alexandrinus (fifth century AD, available in the
British museum); and Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus (fifth century AD, available in the Bibliotheque
Nationale of Paris, France). In addition, evidence from archaeological discoveries substantiates the
historicity, culture, life-style, and geography to which the Holy Bible refers. As you know, Muhammad
died in 632 AD, centuries after all the books of the Holy Bible were written. Those that allege that the
Holy Bible was altered and corrupted in order to justify the many contradictions between the Qur‘an and
the Holy Bible cannot prove their claim, because, as discussed above, all the ancient manuscripts and
fragments of both the Old Testament (the Torah) and the New Testament (the Injil), which predate the
time of Muhammad and the Qur‘an by several centuries, are consistent both with each other and with the
biblical text that we have today.
It is a practical impossibility to alter in the same way the thousands of copies of the Old Testament (the
Torah) and the New Testament (the Injil) that were in circulation throughout the world before the time
of Muhammad. Thus, it is concluded that the claim that the Holy Bible was changed, for reasons
related to Muhammad, is definitely false because it has no foundation in historical facts which
refute that claim. It does not withstand the conclusive scientific evidence that is available for all to
examine and be convinced.
1. The Authenticity of the Biblical Text According to the Qur‟an
It is important that those who believe in the Qur‘an know the position of the Qur‘an pertaining to the
authenticity of the biblical text of the Old Testament (the Torah) and the New Testament (the Injil). The
Qur‘an provides ample testimony on the textual integrity of both the Old Testament (the Torah) and the
New Testament (the Injil), and holds them in great reverence and esteem. The testimony of the Qur‘an
confirms that both the Old Testament (the Torah) and the New Testament (the Injil) are not textually
altered or corrupted, and that they are not abrogated. In fact, the Qur‘an states that: ―… There is no
changing the word of God…‖ (al-An‘am 6: 34; Yunus 10: 64); ―We have, without doubt, sent down
the Message; and We will assuredly guard it‖ (al-Hijr 15: 9); ―Such was the law of God among those
before you, and you will not find any change in the law of God‖ (al-Ahzab 33: 62); ―It is the law of
God which has taken course aforetime. You will not find any change in the law of God‖ (al-Fath 48:
23); ―…You will not find any change in the law of God, nor will you find any alteration in the law
of God‖ (al-Fatir 35: 43). This means that the Almighty living God of the Torah and the Injil (the Holy
Bible) protects his inspired word in his Holy Bible from alteration and corruption so that future
generations of believers may not be misguided and led astray by corrupted texts.
We present herein a brief survey of the pronouncements of the Qur‘an on the textual authenticity of both
the Old Testament (the Torah) and the New Testament (the Injil). The Qur‘an declares that the true
unchanged Torah existed in the first century AD at the time of Jesus (Isa) and John the Baptist (Yahya):
―O Yahya! take hold of the Book with might…‖ (Maryam 19: 12); “And God will teach him (Jesus)
the Book and Wisdom, the Torah and the Gospel” (al-‗Imran 3: 48); ―And 'Isa (Jesus), the son of
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Maryam, said: O Children of Israel! I am the Messenger of God (sent) to you, confirming that which is
between my hands from the Torah…‖ (al-Saff 61: 6); ―And in their footsteps We sent 'Isa (Jesus) the
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20. son of Maryam, confirming the Torah which was between his hands, and We gave him the Injil
(Gospel)--therein is guidance and light, and attesting to (the truth of) the Torah which was between
his hands: a guidance and an admonition to the righteous‖ (al-Ma‘idah 5: 46); ―And Maryam, the
daughter of 'Imran (Jesus‘ mother) … believed in the words of her Lord and his books…‖ (al-Tahrim
66: 12); ―Then will God say: O 'Isa (Jesus) the son of Maryam! recount My favor to you and to your
mother when 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 Torah and the Injil (Gospel)…‖ (al-
Ma‘idah 5: 110).
The Qur‘an confirms that the Torah and the Injil (the Holy Bible) were unchanged and authentic in the
seventh century AD at the time of Muhammad:
―And before this, was the Book of Moses as a guide and a mercy: and this Book confirms (it) in the
Arabic tongue…‖ (al-Ahqaf 46: 12); ―To you (Muhammad) We sent the Book in truth, attesting to (the
truth of) that which is between his hands from the Books, and guarding it in safety…‖ (al-Ma‘idah
5: 48); ―This Qur-an is not such as can be produced by other than God; but it is a confirmation of that
(the Torah and Injil) which is between his (its) hands, and an explanation of the Book - wherein there
is no doubt - from the Lord of the Worlds‖ (Yunus 10: 37); ―…The promise of God is true in the
Torah, the Injil (Gospel), and the Qur-an, and who is more faithful to his Covenant than God?...‖ (al-
Tawbah 9: 111); ―That which We have revealed to you of the Book is the Truth, attesting to that which
is between his (its) hands (the Torah and the Injil)…‖ (al-Fatir 35: 31); (Yusuf 12: 111; al-Mu‘min 40:
69-71; al-Ahqaf 46: 29-30; al-Baqarah 2:91; al-‗Imran 3: 3-4; al-Nisa‘ 4: 47). The Qur‘an speaks about
some unbelieving Arab Jews in Medina who tried to change the Qur‘an, and misinterpret, distort and
conceal the meaning of the Torah (al-Baqarah 2: 40-42, 75, 140, 174; al-‗Imran 3: 70, 78; al-Nisa‘ 4: 46-
47). None of these verses imply that some unbelieving Jews attempted to change the text of the Torah.
And these verses do not mention the Injil at all.
The Qur‘an appeals to the Torah and the Injil:
“… Bring the Torah and read it, if you are men of truth” (al-‗Imran 3: 93); ―But why do they come
to you for decision, when they have the Torah in which is the command of God…‖ (al-Ma‘idah 5:
43); ―Let the People of the Injil (Gospel) judge by what God has revealed in it. If any fail to judge by
what God has revealed, they are licentious‖ (al-Ma‘idah 5: 47); ―Say: O People of the Book! You have
no ground to stand upon until you perform the Torah, and the Injil (Gospel), and what was revealed
to you from your Lord…‖ (al-Ma‘idah 5: 68—this is the last Sura of the Qur‘an provided in 10 AH; al-
Najm 53: 36-37; al-Shu‘ara‘ 26: 196-197; al-Isra‘ 17: 101; al-Ra‘d 13: 43; al-A‘raf 7: 170; al-‗Imran 3:
79; al-Nisa‘ 4: 60; al-Ma‘idah 5: 45).
The Qur‘an quotes from the Holy Bible:
―Before this We wrote in the Psalms, after the Message (given to Moses): My servants, the righteous,
shall inherit the earth‖ (al-Anbiya‘ 21: 105)—this is a direct quotation from Psalm 37: 29: “The
righteous shall inherit the earth, and dwell in it forever.” ―We ordained therein for them (the Jews):
Life for life, eye for eye, nose for nose, ear for ear, tooth for tooth, and wounds equal for equal…‖ (al-
Ma‘idah 5: 45)--this is a quotation from the law God gave Moses in the Torah, Exodus 21: 23-25: “But
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if any harm follows, then you shall give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot
for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.”
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21. The Qur‘an testifies to the Inspiration of the Holy Bible:
―We have sent you inspiration, as We sent it to Nuh (Noah) and the Prophets after him: We sent
inspiration to Ibrahim, Isma'il, Ishaq (Isaac), Ya'qub (Jacob), and the (Jewish) Tribes, to 'Isa
(Jesus), Ayyub (Job), Yunus (Jonah), Harun, and Sulaiman (Solomon), and to Dawud (David) We
gave the Psalms‖ (al-Nisa‘ 4: 163); ―Thus He (God) sends inspiration to you as (He did) to those
before you…‖ (al-Shura 42: 3; al-Hadid 57: 27); ―…Say: ‗Who then sent down the Book which Musa
(Moses) brought? A light and guidance to man…‘ Say: ‗God (sent it down)‘…‖ (al-An‘am 6: 91); “We
(God) sent down the Torah: therein was guidance and light…” (al-Ma‘idah 5: 44, 46; al-Furqan 25:
35; al-Qasas 28: 43; al-Mu‘minun 23: 49; al-Sajdah 32: 23).
The Qur‘an designates the Torah and the Injil (the Holy Bible) as the criterion (al-furqan) and the
guidance: ―We granted to Musa (Moses) and Harun (Aaron) the Criterion, and a Light and a
Reminder for the righteous‖ (al-Anbiya‘ 21: 48); “And We (God) gave Moses the Torah and the
Criterion…” (al-Baqarah 2: 53; al-‗Imran 3: 3-4).
The Qur‘an tells pagan Arabs to ask the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) about the
prophets. It would surely be unhelpful and outright misleading to ask them if the Torah and the Injil, the
source of their knowledge, had been corrupted:
―And before you (Muhammad), We sent no one except men, to whom We granted inspiration. Ask the
people of the Scripture, if you do not know” (al-Anbiya‘ 21: 7); ―And We have not sent before you
(Muhammad) other than men, to whom We granted inspiration. Ask the people of the Message
(Scripture) if you do not know‖ (al-Nahl 16: 43).
In fact, the Qur‘an instructs Muhammad himself to learn from the people of the Book (Jews and
Christians). This means that the Torah and the Injil, the sources of their knowledge and faith, were
genuine and true:
―If you (Muhammad) are in doubt regarding what We have revealed to you, then ask those who have
been reading the Book from before you…‖ (Yunus 10: 94).
The above testimonies of the Qur‘an establish that, according to the Qur‘an, there were uncorrupted
authentic Torah and Injil (the Holy Bible) at the time of Muhammad in the seventh century AD. Today‘s
Bible is the same as the Holy Bible of Muhammad‘s day. Both are based on ancient manuscripts that
had originated centuries before Muhammad‘s time. In addition, the Qur‘an, the Hadith and the classical
Islamic commentaries do not make any explicit or implicit claims whatsoever about abrogating the
Torah or the Injil in part or in whole. In fact, the Qur‟an requires the Muslim person to believe in
the Torah (the Old Testament) and the Injil (the New Testament), which means that the Muslim
person is required to read them with reverence: “Say: We believe in God, and in what has been
revealed to us and what was revealed to Ibrahim, Isma'il, Ishaq (Isaac), Ya'qub (Jacob), and the
(Jewish) Tribes, and is given to Musa (Moses), 'Isa (Jesus), and the Prophets, from their Lord: we
make no distinction between one and another among them…” (al-‗Imran 3: 84; al-Baqarah 2: 285);
“And who believe in the Revelation sent to you (Muhammad), and sent before your time, have the
assurance of the Hereafter” (al-Baqarah 2: 4); “…and the believers, believe in what has been
revealed to you and what was revealed before you… to them shall We give a great reward” (al-
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Nisa‘ 4: 162); ―Those who deny God and His Messengers, and (those who) wish to separate God
from His Messengers, saying: „We believe in some but reject others,‟ and wish to take a course
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midway: They are in truth (equally) unbelievers; and We have prepared for unbelievers a humiliating

22. punishment…‖ (al-Nisa‘ 4: 150-151, 136). These verses explain clearly to the Muslim person that belief
in the Qur‘an alone is not sufficient. It requires him to also believe in the Torah and the Injil (the entire
Holy Bible) in order to get the greatest reward.
2. The Authenticity of the Biblical Text According to Early Islamic Tradition
In early Islam, the Holy Bible was accepted by Muslims as the true word of God (ibn Ishaq al-Nadim [d.
990], The Fihrist, Vol. 1, p. 45). Later on, the Spanish Islamic theologians ibn-Khazem (d. 1064) and
Biruni began to claim, without any proof, that the text of the New Testament (Injil) might have been
altered. They did that in order to explain the conflict between the teachings of the Injil and the Qur‘an:
―As studies of Islamic apologetics have shown, it was only with ibn-Khazem, who died in Cordoba in
1064, that the charge of falsification was born. In his defense of Islam against Christians, ibn-Khazem
came up against the contradictions between the Qur'an and the Gospels. One obvious example was the
Qur'anic text: ―. . . They slew him not, and they crucified him not . . .‖ (Surah 4: 157). ―Since the Qur'an
must be true," ibn-Khazem argued, "it must be the conflicting Gospel texts that are false. But
Muhammad tells us to respect the Gospel. Therefore, the present text must have been falsified by the
Christians.‖ His argument was not based on historical facts, but purely on his own reasoning and on his
wish to safegaurd the truth of the Qur'an. Once he was on this path, nothing could stop him from
pursuing this accusation. In fact, it seemed the easiest way to attack the opponents. ―If we prove the
falsehood of their books, they lose the arguments they take from them.‖ This led him eventually to make
the cynical statement: ―The Christians lost the revealed Gospel except for a few traces which God left
intact as argument against them.‖
Many of the great Muslim thinkers have, indeed, accepted the authenticity of the New Testament text.
Listing the names of these men seems a fitting conclusion to this essay. Their testimony proves that
Christian-Muslim dialogue need not for ever be stymied by the allegation introduced by ibn-Khazem.
Two great historians, al-Mas‘udi (died 956) and ibn-Khaldun (died 1406), held the authenticity of the
Gospel text. Four well-known theologians agreed with this: Ali at-Tabari (died 855), Qasim al-Khasani
(died 860), 'Amr al-Ghakhiz (died 869 ) and, last but not least, the famous AI-Ghazzali (died 1111).
Their view is shared by Abu Ali Husain ibn Sina, who is known in the West as Avicenna (died 1037).
Bukhari (died 870), who acquired a great name by his collection of early traditions, quoted the Qur'an
itself (Sura 3: 72, 78) to prove that the text of the Bible is not falsified" (Can We Trust the Gospel? J.
Wingaard; as cited from The Islamic Christian Controversy, G. Nehls, p. 1f).
V. BIBLE PROPHECY
The Old Testament is rich in Messianic prophecies about both the first and the second advents of Christ
(approximately 60 major Messianic prophecies and 270 ramifications). The fulfillment of the prophecies
of the first advent occurs in the New Testament account of the incarnation, life, miracles, crucifixion,
and resurrection of Christ: “Then He (Christ) said to them, „These are the words which I spoke to
you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of
Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me‟” (Luke 24: 44). Therefore, if you want to
know more about the life, work and teachings of Christ, you may want to read one of the four gospels.
You can start with the gospel of Luke and then second with the gospel of John.
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The following are a few examples of Messianic prophecies and their fulfillment in history:
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23. 1. In the eighth century B.C, the prophet Isaiah had prophesied the virgin birth of Jesus: ―Therefore the
Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call
His name Immanuel (Literally God-With-Us)‖ (Isaiah 7: 14). This prophecy was fulfilled in the birth
of Jesus from virgin Mary in about 5 B.C.: “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His
mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the
Holy Spirit” (Matthew 1: 18).
2. In the eighth century B.C., the prophet Micah had prophesied the location of Jesus‘ birth: “But you,
Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall
come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from
everlasting” (Micah 5: 2). This prophecy was fulfilled in the birth of Jesus in the village of Bethlehem
in 5 B.C.: “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold,
wise men from the East came to Jerusalem” (Matthew 2: 1).
3. In the tenth century B.C, the prophet and king David had prophesied the crucifixion of Jesus: “They
pierced My hands and My feet… They divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they
cast lots” (Psalm 22: 16b, 18); “All those who see Me ridicule Me. They shoot out the lip, they
shake the head, saying: He trusted in the LORD, let Him rescue Him; let Him deliver Him, since
He delights in Him” (Psalm 22: 7-8); “And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink” (Psalm
69: 21b). These prophecies were fulfilled in the crucifixion of Jesus in about 30 A.D.: “And when they
crucified Him, they divided His garments, casting lots for them to determine what every man
should take” (Mark 15: 24); “And those who passed by blasphemed Him” (Mark 15: 29a); “One
man ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink”
(Mark 15: 36a).
4. Jesus prophesied his own resurrection: “Jesus answered and said to them, „Destroy this temple,
and in three days I will raise it up.‟ Then the Jews said, „It has taken forty-six years to build this
temple, and will You raise it up in three days?‟ But He was speaking of the temple of His body”
(John 2: 19-21). This prophecy was fulfilled in the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead around 30
A.D. The Apostle Paul wrote: “For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that
Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose
again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the
twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part
remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. After that He was seen by James, then by all
the apostles. Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time” (1
Corinthians 15: 3-8).
5. The prophet Daniel of the sixth century B.C. prophesied the second coming of Christ in glory and
judgment: “I was watching in the night visions, and behold, One like the Son of Man (Christ),
coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days (God the Father), and they
brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that
all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion,
which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed” (Daniel 7: 13-
14). This prophecy will be fulfilled in the second coming of Christ at the end of the age: “Jesus said, "I
am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the
clouds of heaven” (Mark 14: 62).
In addition to the Messianic prophecies of the Old Testament, the Holy Bible contains many other
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prophecies which have been fulfilled in history many years after the prophecies were uttered: prophecies
concerning the rise and fall of the ancient Babylonian, Persian, Greek and Roman empires (Daniel 2);
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prophecies concerning the fall of the ancient Assyrian empire (Nahum 2-3); prophecies concerning the

24. destruction of the northern kingdom of Israel by the Assyrian empire (Isaiah 28; Hosea 10; Joel 2: 1-11;
Micah 1-2), and the southern kingdom of Israel by the Babylonian empire (Isaiah 29; Jeremiah 2-29;
Zephaniah 1); prophecies concerning the destruction of the city of Tyre (Ezekiel 26); and prophecies
concerning the destruction of Jerusalem and its Jewish temple in the first century AD (Luke 19: 41-44;
Matthew 24: 1-2).
VI. BIBLICAL ARCHEOLOGY
The Holy Bible provides the story of the fall of humankind and God‘s work to save and restore
humanity. It is not intended to be a history book. However, the history it narrates is accurate. The events
it describes are historical facts that have been recorded with remarkable accuracy in its proper
chronological, historical, social, cultural, and geographical settings. The revelation of the Old Testament
(the Torah) lays the foundation of the revelation of the New Testament (the Injil). Therefore, the
accuracy of the Old Testament is essential for the integrity of the New Testament. The confirmation of
the history narrated in the Holy Bible does not demonstrate the validity of the theological truth it
declares. However, the veracity of the Biblical historical narrative lends credence to its theological
message. More than a century and a half of archeological discoveries in Biblical lands have confirmed
the accuracy of the geography, the topography, the history, and the culture recorded in the Holy Bible.
The peoples, locations, and events described in the Holy Bible are found where the Holy Bible places
them. Archeology also corroborates the ethnography summarized in the Table of Nations of Genesis 10-
11, which describes the origins and relationships of the ancient tribes of Biblical lands.
A few examples are cited herein of historical information provided in the Holy Bible and confirmed by
archeological discoveries:
1. Abraham‟s Family. Sarah, Abraham‘s wife, was barren. Therefore, she gave Hagar, her Egyptian
slave, to her husband Abraham as a concubine in order to provide him with an heir (Genesis 16: 2-3).
“So Hagar bore Abram a son; and Abram named his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael.” (Genesis
16: 15). What Sarah did was in full accord with the prevailing local customs of northern Mesopotamia at
that time as provided in the Nuzu tablets. These tablets were discovered in the archeological excavations
of 1925-1941 at Nuzu near Kirkuk in northern Iraq. Some twenty thousand clay tablets written in an
ancient Babylonian dialect were unearthed. These tablets provide an accurate record of the social and
legal structure of the second millennium B.C. Assyrian society.
But God had another plan for Abraham, as he subsequently promised and miraculously gave him a son
from his wife Sarah. God made that promise when Abraham was one hundred years old and Sarah
ninety years old: “Then God said: "No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his
name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his
descendants after him. And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will
make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget twelve princes, and I will
make him a great nation. But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to
you at this set time next year."” (Genesis 17: 19-21). After the miraculous birth of Isaac, Sarah asked
her husband Abraham to cast out Hagar and her son Ishmael (Genesis 21: 10). Abraham was
apprehensive about that request because ―such action was in direct contravention of Nuzu law and social
custom as by purely humanitarian considerations. However, it is important in this connection to notice
that Sarah‘s action could have been defended according to the ancient Sumerian code of Lipit-Ishtar (ca.
1850 B.C.), one of the sources underlying the legislation of Hammurabi, which stated that the freedom
received by the dispossessed slave was to be considered adequate compensation for the act of expulsion‖
(R. K. Harrison, Introduction to the Old Testament [Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc,
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2004], p. 109).
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25. 2. The Conquest of Canaan. The book of Joshua describes the rapid conquest of the land of Canaan
(Palestine), which took place under the leadership of Joshua after forty years of wandering in the
wilderness of Sinai. Archeological discoveries at Jericho, Bethel, Lachish, Debir, Hebron, Gibeah, and
Hazor show that these sites were destroyed in the fourteenth century B.C. This indicates that the land of
Canaan was occupied rapidly by the Israelite invaders as described in the book of Joshua.
3. The Biblical History of Ancient Israel. 2 Kings 17 records the fall of Samaria, the capital of the
northern kingdom of Israel, and the exile of many Israelites in 722 B.C. to the Assyrian empire. These
events are documented in the Annals of Khorsabad (a town north of Musel in Iraq) written in cuneiform
on clay tablets discovered in 1842 in the great castle of Sargon II, king of Assyria.
Nebuchadnezzar, king of the Babylonian empire, invaded the southern kingdom of Israel (Judah) in 605,
597, and 589-586 B.C. Its capital Jerusalem collapsed and was finally destroyed by the Babylonian
attacks. A portion of the Israelite population was deported to Babylon in 605, 597 and 586 B.C. (2 Kings
24-25). This marked the end of the history of ancient Israel. ―Excavations at Lachish, Tell en-Nesbeh,
and artifacts recovered from the site of Ishtar Gate in Babylon have furnished conclusive proof of the
devastation and depopulation of Judah and the presence of Jewish exiles in Babylon from 597 B.C. on‖
(R. K. Harrison, Introduction to the Old Testament [Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc,
2004], p. 339).
Modern archeological discoveries have also vindicated the historicity of the events related to the return
of Jewish exiles to Jerusalem form the Babylonian captivity about 537 B.C. as described in the Biblical
books of Ezra and Nehemiah (W. Keller, The Bible as History, Trans. W. Neil [New York, N.Y.:
Bantam Books, 1982], pp. 329-336). The most significant of these archeological finds are the Cyrus
Cylinders and the Elephantine papyri (J. P. Free, and H. F. Vos, Archeology and Bible History [Grand
Rapids, MI.: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992], pp. 203-206, 211).
4. The Life of Christ and the Early Church. Archeological discoveries confirm the geography and
reign of various political and religious leaders mentioned in the Gospels and the book of Acts, as well as
the crucifixion of the Christ (J. P. Free, and H. F. Vos, Archeology and Bible History [Grand Rapids,
MI.: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992], pp. 241-281).
5. The Testimony of Archeologists. World renowned archeologists, who were not conservative
Christians and did not believe in the inspiration of the Holy Bible, arrived at the followings conclusions
based strictly on archeological discoveries and studies:
(a) William F. Albright, one of the world leading archeologists, stated:
―There can be no doubt that archeology has confirmed the substantial historicity of Old
Testament tradition‖ (J. A. Thompson, The Bible and Archeology [Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans,
1975], p. 5).
(b) Nelson Glueck, another world renowned archeologist, concurs stating:
―As a matter of fact, however, it may be clearly stated categorically that no archeological
discovery has ever controverted a single Biblical reference. Scores of archeological findings
have been made which confirm in clear outline or exact detail historical statements in the Bible‖
(Norman Geisler and Ron Brooks, When Skeptics Ask: A Handbook on Christian Evidences
[Wheaton, IL: Victor, 1990], p. 179).
The following webpage provides additional information on the subject matter:
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The Bible‘s Archeological evidence
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26. VII. DOCTRINES TO WHICH THE HOLY BIBLE IS STRONGLY OPPOSED:
1. The Doctrine of Abrogation of Divine Revelation is Unbiblical
The doctrine of abrogation of a revelation to replace it with a new revelation
which is different from it and may be contradictory to it is strongly refuted in the
Holy Bible: “My covenant I will not break, Nor alter the word that has gone out of My
lips” (Psalm 89: 34); “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He
should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has he spoken, and will He not make
it good?” (Numbers 23: 19). This doctrine has never been proclaimed by any
prophet, by Christ or by any of his apostles throughout the Holy Bible. The
inspired word of God is never abrogated: “Do not think that I (Christ) came to
destroy the Law (of Moses in the Torah) or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but
to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one title
will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled” (Matthew 5: 17-18); “Heaven and
earth will pass away, but My words (Christ’s words) will by no means pass away”
(Matthew 24: 35); “All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the
grass. The grass withers, and its flower falls away, but the word of the Lord endures
forever” (1 Peter 1: 24-25a). Moses’ prophetic career spanned forty years with the
Israelites both in Egypt and the wilderness of Sinai. Not one verse of the
commandments and the law that God gave him in the Torah was abrogated. None
of the teachings of Jesus was abrogated by him or by his apostles after him. All the
requirements and first advent prophecies in the Old Testament (the Torah) were
fulfilled in Christ who came about 1400 years after Moses. By contrast,
Muhammad gave the Qur’an in 23 years. It contained much abrogation!
Progressive revelation in the books of the Holy Bible builds upon the original foundation laid down by
former revelation in older biblical books. For a new revelation to be genuine and valid, it should be
consistent with itself, and with the whole complex of former existing revelation. It expounds on it,
supplements it, fulfills it, completes it, and provides additional development to it as the humankind
develops, matures, and becomes more receptive over a period of centuries, not days, months or years.
Abrogation of God‘s revelation by a subsequent revelation is not consistent with the wisdom,
truthfulness, perfect knowledge, and foreknowledge of the living almighty God. God gives perfect
revelation from the beginning. He does not improve upon himself because he is perfect. In fact, the
doctrine of short term abrogation of revelation encourages the rise of false prophets, for if a false
prophet provides a teaching that is later proven wrong, or his listeners later object to it, he could then
abrogate it to suit the situation claiming that God abrogated it. So, a false prophet would use the doctrine
of abrogation to lighten the requirements of a difficult teaching, that his followers object to, in order to
obtain their acceptance and loyalty. He also could use this concept to spare himself the embarrassment
of forgetting a former teaching by claiming that his new teaching, which is different from the former
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one, abrogated the former teaching. Abrogation of verses brings to mind the situation of a human author
correcting, on a second thought, the proofs of his manuscript, replacing sentences or passages with
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others. One cannot trust the promises of a god who changes his mind. Just as he changes his mind about

27. his revelation, he can also change his mind about the eternal destiny of the believer. Therefore, one
cannot find assurance and security in following that kind of god. One major problem with the doctrine of
abrogation is that it causes confusion and disagreements in qualifying and pinpointing the abrogating
and the abrogated verses.
The Qur‘an institutes the doctrine of abrogation in Islam: ―If we abrogate a verse or cause it to be
forgotten, we will replace it with a better one or one similar. Did you not know that God has power over
all things? (Sura al-Baqarah 2: 106); ―When we replace one verse with another and God knows best
what he reveals, they say: ‗You are an imposter.‘ Indeed most of them have no knowledge‖ (Sura an-
Nahl 16: 101); ―God abrogates or confirms whatever he will, for he has the book of books‖ (Sura al-
Ra‘d 13: 39; al-A‘la 87: 6-8). Imam al-Hafez Emad al-Din ibn Kathir stated in his ―Exegesis of the
Qur‘an‖ (vol. 1, p. 104): ―According to ibn Jarir‘s comment on the verse of al-Baqarah 2: 106, it means
that we prohibit what has been permitted and permit what has been prohibited.‖ In doing this, the Qur‘an
contradicts its claims that: ―There is no changing the word of God‖ (al-An‘am 6: 34, 115; Yunus 10: 64;
al-Kahf 18: 27); ―This is a glorious Qur‘an on a preserved tablet‖ (al-Buruj 85: 21-22). In fact, some
verses were abrogated and replaced the next day. The beginning of Sura al-Muzzammil 73: 2-4 was
abrogated by its end (al-Muzzammil 73: 20), and the abrogator has been subsequently abrogated by the
injunction of the five prayers. Does not this sound like experimentation and trial-and-error approach,
which are not consistent with the infinite wisdom of the all-knowing living God of the universe, who
does not make mistakes and does not lack experience?
Out of a total of 114 Surah (chapter) of the Qur‘an, only 43 Surahs do not contain abrogating and/or
abrogated verses. This means that 71 Surahs (nearly two-thirds of the Qur‘an) contain abrogating and/or
abrogated verses as follows: 6 Surahs contain abrogating verses, 25 Surahs contain both abrogating and
abrogated verses, and 40 Surahs contain abrogated verses (Abil-Kasim Hibat-Allah ibn-Salama Abi-
Nasr, al-Nasikh wal-Mansukh__The Abrogator and the Abrogated). It is estimated that more than 500
verses (more than 3% of the Qur‘an) have been abrogated. There are great disagreements among Muslim
scholars about the abrogating and the abrogated verses in the Qur‘an. These disagreements are traced
back to early Islam. In fact, the companions of Muhammad were confused about it. For instance, two
hadiths mention that verse al-Baqarah 2: 185 abrogated verse al-Baqarah 2: 184 (Bukhari, vol. 6, book
60, #33, #34), whereas one hadith stipulates it was not abrogated (Bukhari vol. 6, book 60, #32). The
founding scholars of Islam could not even agree on whether the Qur‘an abrogates only the Qur‘an, or the
Qur‘an and the Sunnah abrogate each other as well. This means that Islam has no definitive knowledge
of what it claims to be the perfect and final revelation for all times.
Although they lost their validity, most of the abrogated verses are still in the Qur‘an, and are still recited.
Muslim clerics and Islamists quote the abrogated Meccan passages of the Qur‘an that call for love,
peace, and religious freedom and tolerance in order to deceive the innocent. They intentionally hide the
Medinan passages that abrogate it, and call for killing, decapitating, maiming and intolerance of non-
Muslims. The historical background of this split personality in the Qur‘an is that the teachings of
Muhammad were tolerant when he started his career in Mecca because his followers were few, and he
was surrounded by potential enemies. However, after he gained military and political power in Medina
and his followers increased in number, his teachings became intolerant and advocated violence against
non-Muslims. In fact, according to Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti, al-Itqan fi ‗Ulum al-Qur‘an, vol. 2, p. 24, ibn
al-Arabi had said: ―All the Qur‘an contains pertaining to tolerance for non-believers have been
abrogated by the verse of the sword: ‗When the sacred months are over slay the idolaters wherever you
find them. Arrest them, besiege them, and lie in ambush everywhere for them. If they repent and take to
prayer and render the alms levy, allow them to go their way. God is forgiving and merciful‘ (al-Tawbah
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9: 5). And this verse abrogated 124 verses.‖
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28. The following are but a few examples of the abrogated and the abrogating verses in the Qur‘an. The
following verses speak about religious tolerance: ―You have your own religion, and I have mine‖ (al-
Kafirun 109: 6); ―There shall be no compulsion in religion‖ (al-Baqarah 2: 256a; Yunus 10: 100; etc).
These verses were abrogated by the following verses: ―He that chooses religion other than Islam, it will
not be accepted from him and in the world to come he will surely be among the losers‖ (al-‗Imran 3:
85); ―Fight against such of those to whom the Scriptures were given (Christians and Jews) as believe in
neither God nor the last day, who do not forbid what God and his apostle (Muhammad) have forbidden,
and do not embrace the true faith (Islam) until they pay tribute out of hand and are utterly subdued‖ (al-
Tawbah 9: 29; etc). The following verses speak of tolerance for the polytheists: ―The secrets of the
hearts of these people are well known to God. So leave them alone, and counsel them and speak to them
eloquent words that would touch their very souls‖ (al-Nisa‘ 4: 63; al-Hijr 15: 85; Ta Ha 20: 130; etc).
These verses were abrogated by verses of violence: ―When you clash with the unbelievers smite their
necks, and when you have overpowered them bind your captives firmly. Them grant them their freedom
or take a ransom from them until war shall have come to an end‖ (Muhammad 47: 4a); ―And your Lord
said to the angels: I shall be with you. Give courage to the believers. I shall cast terror into the hearts of
the infidels. Smite them on their necks and every joint‖ (al-Anfal 8: 12, 38; al-Nisa‘ 4: 89; etc).
2. The Doctrine of Satanic Inspiration is Unbiblical
All the prophets and apostles that were inspired throughout many centuries to write the books of the
Holy Bible were never deceived by Satan to provide wrong teaching that confuses the people and leads
them astray. The Holy Spirit of the omnipotent divine God has protected the inspired word of God from
corruption by misleading satanic teachings. A god unable to protect his inspired word in the mouth of
his prophet from satanic corruption is not the true living almighty God of the universe. The Holy Bible
teaches that the concept of misleading Satanic inspiration is not true: “All Scripture is given by
inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work”
(2 Timothy 3: 16-17).
Demonic and satanic powers fear God and his prophets. Jesus set many people free from demonic
powers that possessed and tormented them. Demons knew that he was the Christ (Luke 4: 41; 8: 26-39;
Mark 9: 17-29; Matthew 8: 16, 28-34; 9: 32-33; 12: 22-23). They feared him and fled from him:
“Now in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon. And he cried out
with a loud voice, saying, „Let us alone! What have we to do with you, Jesus of Nazareth? Did you
come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!‟ But Jesus rebuked him saying,
„Be quiet, and come out of him!‟ And when the demon had thrown him in their midst, it came out
of him and did not hurt him. Then they were all amazed and spoke among themselves, saying,
„What a word this is! For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they
come out” (Luke 4: 33-36).
“Then they sailed to the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee. And when He
stepped out on the land, there met Him a certain man from the city who had demons for a long
time. And he wore no clothes, nor did he live in a house but in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he
cried out, fell down before Him, and with a loud voice said, "What have I to do with You, Jesus,
Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me!" For He had commanded the unclean
spirit to come out of the man. For it had often seized him, and he was kept under guard, bound
with chains and shackles; and he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the
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wilderness. Jesus asked him, saying, "What is your name?” And he said, "Legion," because many
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demons had entered him. And they begged Him that He would not command them to go out into

29. the abyss. Now a herd of many swine was feeding there on the mountain. So they begged Him that
He would permit them to enter them. And He permitted them. Then the demons went out of the
man and entered the swine, and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the lake and
drowned. When those who fed them saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and
in the country. Then they went out to see what had happened, and came to Jesus, and found the
man from whom the demons had departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right
mind. And they were afraid” (Luke 8: 26-35).
In fact, Christ stated emphatically that Satan has no power over him: “The prince of this world (Satan)
is coming. He has no hold on me” (John 14: 30b). In addition, his disciples exorcised demons in his
name: “Then the seventy (disciples) returned with joy, saying, Lord, even the demons are subject
to us in Your name” (Luke 10: 17).
A major problem with the doctrine of deceptive satanic inspiration is that the prophet who claims it loses
his credibility. There may be some other satanically inspired verses that were never corrected, because
that self-proclaimed prophet failed to distinguish between godly and satanic inspiration. As far as we
know, satanic and demonic inspirations are related to occult and witchcraft practitioners, not the saintly
prophets of the living God.
The doctrine of satanic inspiration is taught in the Qur‘an ―Never have we sent a single prophet or
apostle before you with whose wishes Satan did not tamper. But God abrogates the interjections of Satan
and confirms his own revelations. God is all knowing and wise‖ (al-Hajj 22: 52). However, the Qur‘an
did not cite a single specific incident where Satan caused a prophet or apostle of God before Muhammad
to utter what the prophet proclaimed to be revelation from God, and later the prophet reversed that and
claimed it was Satan, not God, who inspired him. The Qur‘an could not be trusted because Muhammad
could not distinguish between godly and satanic inspiration. This doctrine conflicts with the challenge of
the Qur‘an to produce something like it: ―Say: ‗Surely if men and Jinn were to gather together to
produce the like of this Qur-an they could not produce its like, even if they backed up each other with
help and support‘‖ (al-Isra‘ 17: 88; al-Baqarah 2: 23; Yunus 10: 38). Satan met that challenge
successfully by providing his satanic verses. A famous example for the claim of satanic inspiration in
the Qur‘an is what is known as the satanic verses of the Qur‘an, which are the words that Satan put in
Muhammad‘s mouth. Muhammad recited Satan‘s words as the word of God, which made him the
messenger of Satan:
―Have you considered al-Lat and al-‗Uzza and Manat, the other third? [The following verses in
italics are called the satanic verses, which were later removed from the Qur‘an:] These are the
high flying cranes (exalted intermediaries—goddesses of Quraysh), whose intercession is to be
hoped for. Such as they do not forget” (al-Najm 53: 19-22). After removing these verses, they
were replaced with al-Najm 53: 21-26, which include the following end of this passage: “These
are only names which you and your fathers have invented. No authority was sent down by
God for them.”
The satanic verses of the Qur‘an taught worshipping three pagan goddesses alongside Allah
(polytheism): al-Lat, al-‗Uzza and Manat, the daughters of Allah, the moon god of pagan Arabia of
Muhammad‘s time. These were four idols worshipped in Mecca. Of course, the pagans of Mecca, who
constituted the majority of the Meccan population at that time, were pleased to hear that their goddesses
were acknowledged to be worshipped. Upon the objection of some of his followers, Muhammad, after
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almost a year, claimed that these verses were inspired by Satan, and dropped them from the Qur‘an.
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30. It is important to point out that the information about the satanic verses of the Qur‘an and the historical
circumstances surrounding them have been recorded in detail by reputable, scrupulously honest and
competent Muslim scholars such as ibn Ishaq (d. 765), al-Tabari (d. 922), ibn Sa‘d and others in their
biographical and historical accounts of Muhammad. In addition, the Qur‘an confirms it in surah al-Hajj
22: 52.
VIII. CONCLUSION
Jesus did not rewrite any of the Old Testament books which had been completed centuries before His
time. In fact, he and his apostles read and taught from them (Luke 4: 16-21; Acts 2: 16-28). In addition,
he fulfilled the Old Testament‘s law, and prophecies pertaining to the first advent of the Messiah
(Christ): “Do not think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I did not come to destroy
but to fulfill” (Matthew 5:17). The New Testament books were added to the already existing Old
Testament books. They did not replace them. In fact, no one of the prophets before Christ and no one of
the apostles and disciples of Christ rewrote any of the books that had been written centuries before his
time by other prophets. By contrast, instead of teaching from the Holy Bible, Muhammad redid the
entire Bible in what he called the Qur‟an which retells biblical stories taken out of context in a
distorted anachronistic way. Will you trust the word of one man whose claims to prophethood were
neither confirmed nor validated by miracles, and whose morality is questionable at best; against
the words of some 44 saintly men who lived godly lives many centuries before him. Their claims of
prophethood were confirmed and validated by miracles, and many of them were martyred for
proclaiming God‟s message? We leave that up to your intelligence and judgment.
For additional details, please visit some of these links:
1. The Holy Bible
2. Studies on the Holy Bible
3. The Qur'an and the Bible in the light of history and science
4. The Quran Confirms the Bible Has Never Been Corrupted
http://3lotus.com/en/Christianity/Bible.htm#IV
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