Corrections to Mr. Riaz's claims regarding the Bible

Submitted by John G. Spethman MD (United States), Sep 5, 2011 at 02:31

Dear Mr. Riaz,

Permit me to correct your misconceptions about the Bible. First, you claim that Jesus Christ did not write the Bible. You probably mean the New Testament. This is correct. However, the Gospels and scriptures are the written life and words of Jesus. The Gospels were written by either an Apostle or an Apostle's assistants. The Gospel's of Matthew, Mark and John are Apostle's who spent three years with Jesus. Luke was not an Apostle but an assistant of Paul. Paul is unique in that he was not with Jesus but came to believe in Jesus when he encountered the Risen Christ on the road to Damascus. He was Saul of Tarsus, a Pharisee prior to this. He would have known of Jesus because he lived in Jerusalem.

What makes the Canon of the New Testament reliable and thus refutes Islam claims that it was corrupted is that the Gospels met three specific criteria.

1. It had to have been written by an Apostle or an Apostle's assistant.

2. It had to have been used as a means of teaching and instructing Christians in Church on the life and teachings of Jesus.

3. It had to speak to the life and teachings of Jesus Christ as communicated by His Apostles.

There were heresies that were developing over the Centuries. These heresies occurred outside the accepted means of transmitting the Faith. The First Century heresies did not come from any of the Apostles nor from those who they taught. Your claim of over 100 years is false.

You make the typical Muslim claim that Christianity was started by Paul. Living in the UK, you undoubtedly have access to the New Testament. If you open it, you will find that the New Testament contains scriptures written by other Apostles other than Paul. Furthermore, the Luke's Gospel does not differ significantly from either Mark or Matthew; who were with Jesus. If Paul had started Christianity, his teachings would have been significantly different from those who were with Jesus. His are not. If you read Acts of the Apostles, you will find that Paul sought out Peter's approval for his new found Faith. Paul, who was a persecutor of Christians, became a believer in Jesus Christ as the Son of God who was crucified and was resurrected on the third day. Paul taught the same beliefs that the Jesus' Apostles taught.... Salvation through belief in Jesus; Jesus' crucifixion on the Cross; Jesus' resurrection and Jesus' miracles.

As for Jesus being Divine, the Gospel of John is devoted entirely to that subject. It was John who was the only Apostle to see Jesus crucified. John was with Jesus for the entire three years of his mission here on Earth. Islam claims that there was someone else. Islam can't say who it is. Allah knows all but can't tell you who he crucified.

This raises some questions about Islam.

If Allah is a beneficent and merciful God, then why did Allah crucify an innocent man in Jesus' place?

The Qur'an denies that Jesus Christ is Divine. Yet, the aya that tells Christians this uses the name of Jesus as Jesus Christ. This is illogical. If a Muslim were to read this to a Christian or a Christian knew arabic and read the aya, they would come to this conclusion because the word "Christ" is not Jesus' last name nor is it Joseph's last name. Christ to a Christian means "The Anointed One, the Son of God." We believe this because Jesus asked His apostles who people say I am. Peter responds, the "Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus does not rebuke him for making Him equal to God but confirms that this Faith came from Peter's heavenly Father.

For your Allah to use the word "Christ" in Jesus' name when he is telling Christians that Jesus Christ is not Divine is like telling a person that "Amir follows the Islamic faith but is not a Muslim." Do you see why this defies reason. If the Qur'an is truly from G-d, then why would G-d say something that is illogical to the intended audience?

God Bless

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