|
CHAPTER IV.
OBJECTIONS AGAINST CERTAIN LEADING CHRISTIAN DOCTRINES AS ALLEGED TO BE TAUGHT IN THE BIBLE.
79. M. YOU claim that the Bible as it now exists is the Word of God. Yet when we examine
it we find that it is made up of books which bear certain men's names, as the Gospels of Matthew,
Mark, Luke, and John, the Letters of St. Paul, and so on. Again, it contains the history of the
Israelites, tales about the Prophets and Apostles, and even a letter from Judas the traitor. How can
we accept such a book as having come down from heaven? Which of the four Gospels is the one which
descended on Jesus, the Son of Mary? Is not your doctrine that this Bible of yours is a Divine
Revelation ( تنزيل
tanzil1) contrary both to Reason and to the Qur'an?
C. This whole objection, like very many others, arises from a misunderstanding. The Epistle
of Jude was not written by the traitor Judas, who was dead long before it was written. If you read
the very first verse of the Epistle, you will see that it is from the hand of Judas the
"brother
|
|
OBJECTIONS TO SOME CHRISTIAN DOCTRINES
| 101
| |
of James," and this apostle is thus described in Luke vi. 16, and Acts i. 13 1.
Again, how can it be contrary to the Qur'an to speak of the Bible as the Word of God, when the
Qur'an itself (Surah II., Al Baqarah, 70) gives it that very title? We have proved that the Bible
which we now have is the same as that which the Jews and Christians had in Muhammad's day, and
surely you do not accuse him of giving you as from God teaching contrary to reason. The
Gospels are not strictly called those of St. Matthew, St. Mark, St. Luke, and St. John, but
in Greek the title is "the Gospel according
to ( κατα
) Matthew," &c. The word Gospel
means "good news," in
Arabic البشارة
[Injil انجيل being a mere corruption
of ευαγγελιον
], that is to
say, the good news of God's love towards mankind as shown by His offering us salvation through Jesus
Christ. Four men were directed and inspired by God to relate to us, each in his own words, under
Divine inspiration and guidance, the sayings and doings of Christ, so that we might not depend upon
merely one single man's evidence regarding such an important matter. There is only one
"Gospel," as there is only one Christ, but the one Gospel is transmitted to us in four
separate ways, so to speak, though delivered to us by Christ 2 Himself, who claimed that
His teaching was from God
|
|