This is the 2nd part of a series exposing an Islamic lie. Did the Bible get corrupted? If you are new to this series, Click here to read the earlier article on this topic. In the previous article, we came to realise that indeed the bible was corrupted by an imposter who tried to copy materials from the earlier scriptures and build a new religion. In this article, we would like to showcase how illogical is the Muslim position.
Table of Contents
Chopping off the Branch
Every time a Muslim tells us that the Christian Scriptures are corrupted, they are indeed chopping off the same branch on which they are sitting. They cannot bring about to say this absurdity without ignoring their own holy books and the power of their god Allah. As a Christian, I do not even have a reason to believe in Qurán or any of their Hadiths. However, I am appealing to their books for the sake of their belief in them. Let me cite some references before I make a case for the preservation of the Christian Scriptures.
Narrated Abu Huraira: The people of the Book used to read the Torah in Hebrew and then explain it in Arabic to the Muslims. Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said (to the Muslims). “Do not believe the people of the Book, nor disbelieve them, but say, ‘We believe in Allah and whatever is revealed to us, and whatever is revealed to you.’ “
Sahih Bukhari 7362
If the Muslims really believe in Muhammad, they will also have to eat up this portion of the Hadith like the sheep of Aisha, to hide it. There is no escape from this evidence.
Islam’s copycat prophet Muhammad used the authenticity of the Christian and Jewish scriptures to build his own revelations. As he did not know either Hebrew or Greek, he had to rely on certain explanations and make his own assumptions based on what the Christians and Jews (People of the Book) told his followers. Notice the below verse from the Qurán.
Believe in My revelations which confirm your Scriptures.1 Do not be the first to deny them or trade them for a fleeting gain.2 And be mindful of Me.
Sura 4:41
He is in fact pleading to the people of the book to accept his revelations because he is basing it on their scriptures.
This is a prophet who is trying hard to be accepted by the people of the book. So every time, Muslims claim that the Christian and Jewish scriptures are tampered with, they have a problem with their own so-called prophet who is begging at the feet of Christians and Jews and requesting them to accommodate him.
Most Muslims are clueless when it comes to the Bible. Therefore most of their argument comes from a place of Ignorance. This series will help you understand how the HOLY BIBLE became the Christain scriptures. If our Muslim brothers would spend some time understanding this, they would not be venturing to ask questions that we consider stupid.
What is the Bible
The Holy Bible is a collection of 66 books and is divided into two portions. The Word BIBLE means THE BOOK in Greek. The original word in Greek is τὰ βιβλία, tà biblía. It is a collection of books.
- The Old Testament (Jewish Scriptures)
- New Testament (Christian Scriptures)
The Entire Bible was written over a period of 1600 years by 40 different authors contributing to it. The below diagram should be able to give you a comprehensive understanding of the scripture we call the BIBLE.
The Old Testament
The Old Testament is a collection of 39 books. This collection is also called TANAKH. TANAKH(תַּנַ״ךְ) is short for the sections within the Old Testament. T(orah) N(evi’im) K(etuvim)
- Torah (5 Books of Law of Moses)
- Navim (19 Books of the Prophets)
- Ketuvim (Other Writings)
The Jewish Bible starts with the Book of Genesis and Ends with the Prophetic book of Malachi. The Language of the Old Testament was in HEBREW.
After the time of Malachi, there was a gap of 400 years before the coming of Jesus Christ. This period of 400 years is called the SILENT PERIOD, also called the INTERTESTAMENTAL PERIOD.
Introducing the Septuagint
During the 3rd Century BC, the Greek empire spread throughout the known world. That is when the Hebrew Bible was translated into GREEK as initiated by King Ptolemy. The Purpose of the translation was to store these scriptures in the Library of Alexandria. It was translated by 72 elders. Six from each of the 12 tribes. Hence the word Septuagint ( ‘seventy’; often abbreviated 70; in Roman numerals, LXX)
The scholars worked in Alexandria during the reign of Ptolemy II Philadelphus (285-247 B.C.), according to the Letter of Aristeas to his brother Philocrates. They assembled to translate the Hebrew Old Testament into the Greek language because Koine Greek began to supplant Hebrew as the language most commonly spoken by the Jewish people during the Hellenistic Period.
The Initial translation started with Torah and after the Torah, other books were translated over the next two to three centuries. It is unclear which was translated when, or where.
End of “Did the Bible get corrupted? Strange Islamic argument – 2“
