Christian Scholars Recognize Contradictions in the Bible
“Then woe to those who write the book with their own hands and then say:
‘This is from God’, to traffic with it for a miserable price. Woe to them
for what their hands do write and for the gain they make thereby.” (Quran 2:79)
“And when there came to them a messenger from God, Confirming what was
with them, a party of the people of the book threw away the book of God behind
their backs as if (it had been something) they did not know.” (Quran 2:101)
“Ye shall not add unto the word which I (God) command you, neither shall
ye diminish [ought] from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your
God which I command you.” (Deuteronomy 4:2)
Let us start from the beginning. No Biblical scholar on this earth
will claim that the Bible was written by Jesus himself. They all agree
that the Bible was written after the departure of Jesus peace be upon him by
his followers. Dr. W Graham Scroggie of the Moody Bible Institute,
Chicago, a prestigious Christian evangelical mission, says:
“..Yes, the Bible is human, although some out of zeal which is not
according to knowledge, have denied this. Those books have passed through
the minds of men, are written in the language of men, were penned by the hands
of men and bear in their style the characteristics of men….It is Human, Yet
Divine,” [1]
Another Christian scholar, Kenneth Cragg, the Anglican Bishop of
Jerusalem, says:
“...Not so the New Testament...There is condensation and editing; there
is choice reproduction and witness. The Gospels have come through the
mind of the church behind the authors. They represent experience and
history...” [2]
“It is well known that the primitive Christian Gospel was initially
transmitted by word of mouth and that this oral tradition resulted in variant
reporting of word and deed. It is equally true that when the Christian
record was committed to writing it continued to be the subject of verbal
variation. Involuntary and intentional, at the hands of scribes and
editors.” [3]
“Yet, as a matter of fact, every book of the New Testament with the
exception of the four great Epistles of St. Paul is at present more or less the
subject of controversy, and interpolations are asserted even in these.” [4]
Dr. Lobegott Friedrich Konstantin Von Tischendorf, one of the most
adamant conservative Christian defenders of the Trinity was himself driven to
admit that:
“[the New Testament had] in many passages undergone such serious
modification of meaning as to leave us in painful uncertainty as to what the
Apostles had actually written”[5]
After listing many examples of contradictory statements in the Bible,
Dr. Frederic Kenyon says:
“Besides the larger discrepancies, such as these, there is scarcely a
verse in which there is not some variation of phrase in some copies [of the
ancient manuscripts from which the Bible has been collected]. No one can
say that these additions or omissions or alterations are matters of mere
indifference”[6]
Throughout this book you will find countless other similar quotations
from some of Christendom’s leading scholars. Let us suffice with these
for now.
Christians are, in general, good and decent people, and the stronger
their convictions the more decent they are. This is attested to in the
noble Quran:
“...and nearest among them (men) in love to the believers will you find
those who say ‘we are Christians’: because amongst these are men devoted to
learning and men who have renounced the world, and they are not arrogant.
And when they listen to the revelation received by the messenger (Muhammad),
you will see their eyes overflowing with tears for they recognize the truth:
They pray: ‘Our Lord! we believe; write us down among the witnesses.’”
(Quran 5:82-83)
All biblical “versions” of the Bible prior to the revised version of
1881 were dependent upon the “Ancient Copies” (those dating between five to six
hundred years after Jesus). The revisers of the Revised Standard Version
(RSV) 1952 were the first biblical scholars to have access to the “MOST ancient
copies” which date fully three to four hundred years after Christ. It is
only logical for us to concur that the closer a document is to the source the more
authentic it is. Let us see what is the opinion of Christendom with
regard to the most revised version of the Bible (revised in 1952 and then again
in 1971):
“The finest version which has been produced in the present century” -
(Church of England newspaper)
“A completely fresh translation by scholars of the highest eminence” -
(Times literary supplement)
“The well loved characteristics of the authorized version combined with
a new accuracy of translation” - (Life and Work)
“The most accurate and close rendering of the original” - (The Times)
The publishers themselves (Collins) mention on page 10 of their notes:
“This Bible (RSV) is the product of thirty two scholars assisted by an
advisory committee representing fifty cooperating denominations”
Let us see what these thirty two Christian scholars of the highest
eminence backed by fifty cooperating Christian denominations have to say about
the Authorized Version (AV), or as it is better known, the King James Version
(KJV). In the preface of the RSV 1971 we find the following:
“...Yet the King James Version has GRAVE DEFECTS..”
They go on to caution us that:
“...That these defects are SO MANY AND SO SERIOUS as to call for
revision”
The Jehovah’s Witnesses in their “AWAKE” Magazine dated 8th September
1957 published the following headline: “50,000 Errors in the Bible” wherein
they say “..there are probably 50,000 errors in the Bible...errors which have
crept into the Bible text...50,000 such serious errors...” After all of
this, however, they go on to say: “...as a whole the Bible is accurate.”
Let us have a look at only a very few of these errors.
Christian
Scholars Recognize Contradictions in the Bible (part 2 of 7): Examples of
Interpolation
اعتراف علماء
النصارى بالتناقضات في الكتاب المقدس
(الجزء 2 من 7):
أمثلة على الزيادات فى الكتاب المقدس
[ English - إنجليزي ]
In John 3:16 - AV(KJV) we read:
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only
begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have
everlasting life..”
[…] this fabrication “begotten” has now been
unceremoniously excised by these most eminent of Bible revisers. However,
humanity did not have to wait 2000 years for this revelation.
In Maryam(19):88-98 of the noble Quran we read:
“And they say ‘God Most Compassionate has begotten a son!’ Indeed
you have put forth a thing most monstrous! The skies are ready to burst
(at such a claim), and the earth to split asunder, and the mountains to fall
down in utter ruin. That they should ascribe a son to the Most
Compassionate. But it is not befitting [the majesty of] the Most
Compassionate that He should beget a son. Not one of the beings in the
heavens and the earth but must come to the Most Compassionate as a slave.
He has taken account of all of them and has numbered them all exactly.
And every one of them will come to him singly on the day of judgment. On
those who believe and work deeds of righteousness, will God most gracious
bestow love. Verily, We have made this [Quran] easy in your tongue [O
Muhammad] that you might deliver glad tidings to those who seek refuge [in God]
and warn with it a people who are contentious. And how many a generation
before them have we destroyed! Can you find a single one of them or hear
from them so much as a whisper?”
In 1st Epistle of John 5:7 (King James Version) we
find:
“For there are three that bear record in heaven, the
Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and these three are one.”
As we have already seen in section 1.2.2.5, this verse
is the closest approximation to what the Church calls the holy Trinity.
However, as seen in that section, this cornerstone of the Christian faith has
also been scrapped from the RSV by the same thirty two Christian scholars of
the highest eminence backed by fifty cooperating Christian denominations, once
again all according to the “most ancient manuscripts.” And once again, we
find that the noble Quran revealed this truth over fourteen hundred years ago:
“O people of the book! commit no excesses in your religion: nor
say of God aught but the truth. Christ Jesus the son of Mary was (no more
than) a Messenger of God, and his Word, which he bestowed upon Mary, and a
spirit preceding from him so believe in God and his messengers. Say not
“Three” desist It will be better for you for God is one God Glory be to him Far
exalted is he above having a son. To him belong all things in the heavens
and the earth. And enough is God as a disposer of affairs.” (Quran 4:171)
Prior to 1952 all versions of the Bible made mention
of one of the most miraculous events associated with the prophet Jesus peace be
upon him, that of his ascension into heaven:
“So then the lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them,
was taken up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God” (Mark 16:19)
…and once again in Luke:
“While he blessed them, he parted from them, and was
carried up into heaven. And they worshipped him, and returned to
Jerusalem with great joy.” (Luke 24:51-52)
In the 1952 RSV Mark 16 ends at verse 8 and the rest
is relegated in small print to a footnote (more on this later).
Similarly, in the commentary on the verses of Luke 24, we are told in the
footnotes of the NRSV Bible “Other ancient authorities lack “and was carried up
into heaven’“ and “Other ancient authorities lack ‘and worshipped him.’”
Thus, we see that the verse of Luke in it’s original form only said:
“While he blessed them, he parted from them. And they
returned to Jerusalem with great joy.”
It took centuries of “inspired correction” to give us
Luke 24:51-52 in their current form.
As another example, in Luke 24:1-7 we read:
“Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the
morning, they came unto the sepulcher, bringing the spices which they had
prepared, and certain others with them. And they found the stone rolled
away from the sepulcher. And they entered in, and found not the body of
the Lord Jesus. And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed
thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments: And as they were
afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek
ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen: remember how
he spoke unto you when he was yet in Galilee, saying, The Son of man must be
delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day
rise again.”
Once again, in reference to verse 5, the footnotes
say: “Other ancient authorities lack ‘He is not here but has risen’”
The examples are far too numerous to list here,
however, you are encouraged to obtain a copy of the New Revised Standard
Version of the Bible for yourself and scan through the four gospels. You
shall be hard pressed to find even two consecutive pages that do not contain
the words “Other ancient authorities lack...” or “Other ancient authorities
add...” etc. in the footnotes.
Christian
Scholars Recognize Contradictions in the Bible (part 3 of 7): Alleged authors
of the New Testament
اعتراف علماء
النصارى بالتناقضات في الكتاب المقدس
(الجزء 3 من 7):
المؤلفين المزعومين من العهد الجديد
[ English - إنجليزي ]
We will note that every Gospel begins with the
introduction “According to.....” such as “The Gospel according to Saint
Matthew,” “The Gospel according to Saint Luke,” “The Gospel according to Saint
Mark,” “The Gospel according to Saint John.” The obvious conclusion for
the average man on the street is that these people are known to be the authors
of the books attributed to them. This, however is not the case.
Why? Because not one of the vaunted four thousand copies existent carries it’s
author’s signature. It has just been assumed that they were the
authors. Recent discoveries, however, refute this belief. Even the
internal evidence proves that, for instance, Matthew did not write the Gospel
attributed to him:
“...And as Jesus passed forth thence, HE (Jesus) saw a
man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and HE (Jesus) saith unto
HIM (Matthew), follow ME (Jesus) and HE (Matthew) arose, and followed HIM
(Jesus).” (Matthew 9:9)
It does not take a rocket scientist to see that
neither Jesus nor Matthew wrote this verse of “Matthew.” Such evidence
can be found in many places throughout the New Testament. Although many
people have hypothesized that it is possible that an author sometimes may write
in the third person, still, in light of the rest of the evidence that we shall
see throughout this book, there is simply too much evidence against this
hypothesis.
This observation is by no means limited to the New
Testament. There is even proof that at least parts of Deuteronomy were
neither written by God nor by Moses. This can be seen in Deuteronomy
34:5-10 where we read:
“So Moses....DIED... and he (God Almighty) BURIED HIM
(Moses)... He was 120 years old WHEN HE DIED... and there arose not a prophet
SINCE in Israel like unto Moses....”
Did Moses write his own obituary? Joshua also speaks
in detail about his own death in Joshua 24:29-33. The evidence
overwhelmingly supports the current recognition that most of the books of the
Bible were not written by their supposed authors.
The authors of the RSV by Collins say that the author
of “Kings” is “Unknown.” If they knew it to be the word of God they would
have undoubtedly attributed it to him. Rather, they have chosen to
honestly say “Author... Unknown.” But if the author is unknown then why
attribute it to God? How can it then be claimed to have been “inspired”?
Continuing, we read that the book of Isaiah is “Mainly credited to Isaiah.
Parts may have been written by others.” Ecclesiastics: “Author.
Doubtful, but commonly assigned to Solomon.” Ruth: “Author. Not
definitely known, perhaps Samuel,” and on and on.
Let us have a slightly more detailed look at only one
book of the New Testament:
“The author of the Book of Hebrews is unknown.
Martin Luther suggested that Apollos was the author... Tertullian said that
Hebrews was a letter of Barnabas... Adolf Harnack and J. Rendel Harris
speculated that it was written by Priscilla (or Prisca). William Ramsey
suggested that it was done by Philip. However, the traditional position
is that the Apostle Paul wrote Hebrews... Eusebius believed that Paul wrote it,
but Origen was not positive of Pauline authorship.” [7]
Is this how we define “inspired by God”?
As seen in chapter one, St. Paul and his church after
him, were responsible of making wholesale changes to the religion of Jesus
(pbuh) after his departure and were further responsible for mounting a massive
campaign of death and torture of all Christians who refused to renounce the
teachings of the apostles in favor of the Pauline doctrines. All but the
Gospels acceptable to the Pauline faith were then systematically destroyed or
re-written. Rev. Charles Anderson Scott has the following to say:
“It is highly probable that not one of the Synoptic
Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) was in existence in the form which we have
it, prior to the death of Paul. And were the documents to be taken in
strict order of chronology, the Pauline Epistles would come before the synoptic
Gospels.” [8]
This statement is further confirmed by Prof. Brandon:
“The earliest Christian writings that have been preserved for us are the
letters of the apostle Paul” [9]
In the latter part of the second century, Dionysius,
Bishop of Corinth says:
“As the brethren desired me to write epistles
(letters), I did so, and these the apostles of the devil have filled with tares
(undesirable elements), exchanging some things and adding others, for whom
there is a woe reserved. It is not therefore, a matter of wonder if some
have also attempted to adulterate the sacred writings of the Lord, since they
have attempted the same in other works that are not to be compared with these.”
The Quran confirms this with the words:
“Then woe to those who write the book (of Allah/God) with their own
hands and then say: ‘This is from Allah’, to traffic with it for a miserable
price. Woe to them for what their hands do write and for the gain they
make thereby.” (Quran 2:79)
Christian
Scholars Recognize Contradictions in the Bible (part 4 of 7): Alterations in
Christian Scriptures
اعتراف علماء
النصارى بالتناقضات في الكتاب المقدس
(الجزء 4 من 7):
التعديلات في الكتب المقدسة
[ English - إنجليزي ]
Victor Tununensis, a sixth century African Bishop related in his
Chronicle (566 AD) that when Messala was consul at Costantinople (506 AD), he
“censored and corrected” the Gentile Gospels written by persons considered
illiterate by the Emperor Anastasius. The implication was that they were
altered to conform to sixth century Christianity which differed from the
Christianity of previous centuries. [10]
These “corrections” were by no means confined to the first centuries
after Christ. Sir Higgins says:
“It is impossible to deny that the Bendictine Monks of St. Maur, as far
as Latin and Greek language went, were very learned and talented, as well as
numerous body of men. In Cleland’s ‘Life of Lanfranc, Archbishop of
Canterbury’, is the following passage: ‘Lanfranc, a Benedictine Monk,
Archbishop of Canterbury, having found the Scriptures much corrupted by
copyists, applied himself to correct them, as also the writings of the fathers,
agreeably to the orthodox faith, secundum fidem orthodoxam.” [11]
In other words, the Christian scriptures were re-written in order to
conform to the doctrines of the eleventh and twelfth centuries, and even the
writings of the early church fathers were “corrected” so that the changes would
not be discovered. Sir Higgins goes on to say, “The same Protestant
divine has this remarkable passage: ‘Impartiality exacts from me the
confession, that the orthodox have in some places altered the Gospels’.”
The author then goes on to demonstrate how a massive effort was
undertaken in Constantinople, Rome, Canterbury, and the Christian world in
general in order to “correct” the Gospels and destroy all manuscripts before
this period.
Theodore Zahan, illustrated the bitter conflicts within the established
churches in Articles of the Apostolic Creed. He points out that the Roman
Catholics accuse the Greek Orthodox Church of remodeling the text of the holy
scriptures by additions and omissions with both good as well as evil
intentions. The Greek Orthodox, on the other hand, accuse the Roman
Catholics of straying in many places very far away from the original
text. In spite of their differences, they both join forces to condemn the
non-conformist Christians of deviating from “the true way” and condemn them as
heretics. The heretics in turn condemn the Catholics for having “recoined
the truth like forgers.” The author concludes “Do not facts support these
accusations?”
14. “And from those who said: ‘We are Christians,’ We took their
Covenant, but they forgot a good part of the message which was sent to
them. Therefore We have stirred up enmity and hatred among them till the
Day of Resurrection, and Allah will inform them of what they used to do.
15. O people of the Scripture! Now has Our messenger (Muhammad) come to
you, explaining to you much of that which you used to hide in the Scripture,
and forgiving much. Indeed, there has come to you a light from Allah and
a plain Scripture.
16. Wherewith Allah guides him who seeks His good pleasure unto paths of
peace. He brings them out of darkness by His will into light, and guides
them to a straight path.
17. They indeed have disbelieved who say: Lo! Allah is the Messiah, son
of Mary. Say: Who then has the least power against Allah, if He had
willed to destroy the Messiah son of Mary, and his mother and everyone on
earth? And to Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth and all
that is between them. He creates what He will. And Allah is Able to
do all things.
18. The Jews and Christians say: We are sons of Allah and His loved
ones. Say; Why then does He punish you for your sins? No, you are but
mortals of His creating. He forgives whom He will, and punishes whom He
will. And to Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth and
all that is between them, and unto Him is the return (of all).
19. O people of the Scripture! Now has Our messenger (Muhammad) come
unto you to make things plain after a break in (the series of) the messengers,
lest you should say: There came not unto us a messenger of cheer nor any
Warner. Now has a messenger of cheer and a Warner come unto you.
And Allah is Able to do all things.” (Quran 5:14-19)
St. Augustine himself, a man acknowledged and looked up to by both
Protestants and Catholics alike, professed that there were secret doctrines in
the Christian religion and that:
“…there were many things true in the Christian religion which it was not
convenient for the vulgar [common people] to know, and that some things were
false, but convenient for the vulgar to believe in them.”
Sir Higgins admits:
“It is not unfair to suppose that in these withheld truths we have part
of the modern Christian mysteries, and I think it will hardly be denied that
the church, whose highest authorities held such doctrines, would not scruple to
retouch the sacred writings.” [12]
Even the epistles attributed to Paul were not written by him.
After years of research, Catholics and Protestants alike agree that of the thirteen
epistles attributed to Paul only seven are genuinely his. They are:
Romans, 1, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Philipians, Philemon, and 1 Thessalonians.
Christian sects are not even agreed on the definition of what exactly is
an “inspired” book of God. The Protestants are taught that there are 66
truly “inspired” books in the Bible, while the Catholics have been taught that
there are 73 truly “inspired” books, not to mention the many other sects and
their “newer” books, such as the Mormons, etc. As we shall see shortly,
the very first Christians, for many generations, did not follow either the 66
books of the Protestants, nor the 73 books of the Catholics. Quite the
opposite, they believed in books that were, many generations later, “recognized”
to be fabrications and apocrypha by a more enlightened age than that of the
apostles.
Christian
Scholars Recognize Contradictions in the Bible (part 5 of 7): Beginning to be a
Little More Honest
اعتراف علماء
النصارى بالتناقضات في الكتاب المقدس
(الجزء 5 من 7):
أن يكون قليلا وأكثر صدقا
[ English - إنجليزي ]
Well, where do all of these Bibles come from and why
the difficulty in defining what is a truly “inspired” word of God? They come
from the “ancient manuscripts” (also known as MSS). The Christian world
today boasts of an excess of 24,000 “ancient manuscripts” of the Bible dating
all the way back to the fourth century after Christ (But not back to Christ or
the apostles themselves). In other words, we have with us gospels which
date back to the century when the Trinitarians took over the Christian
Church. All manuscripts from before this period have strangely
perished. All Bibles in existence today are compiled from these “ancient
manuscripts.” Any scholar of the Bible will tell us that no two ancient
manuscripts are exactly identical.
People today generally believe that there is only ONE
Bible, and ONE version of any given verse of the Bible. This is far from
true. All Bibles in our possession today (Such as the KJV, the NRSV, the
NAB, NIV,...etc.) are the result of extensive cutting and pasting from these
various manuscripts with no single one being the definitive
reference. There are countless cases where a paragraph shows up in one
“ancient manuscript” but is totally missing from many others. For
instance, Mark 16:8-20 (twelve whole verses) is completely missing from the
most ancient manuscripts available today (such as the Sinaitic Manuscript, the
Vatican #1209 and the Armenian version) but shows up in more recent
“ancient manuscripts.” There are also many documented cases where even
geographical locations are completely different from one ancient manuscript to
the next. For instance, in the “Samaritan Pentateuch manuscript,”
Deuteronomy 27:4 speaks of “mount Gerizim,” while in the “Hebrew manuscript” the
exact same verse speaks of “mount Ebal.” From Deuteronomy 27:12-13 we can
see that these are two distinctly different locations. Similarly, Luke
4:44 in some “ancient manuscripts” mentions “Synagogues of Judea,” others
mention “Synagogues of Galilee.” This is only a sampling, a comprehensive
listing would require a book of its own.
There are countless examples in the Bible where verses
of a questionable nature are included in the text without any disclaimer
telling the reader that many scholars and translators have serious reservations
as to their authenticity. The King James Version of the Bible (Also known
as the “Authorized Version”), the one in the hands of the majority of
Christendom today, is one of the most notorious in this regard. It gives
the reader absolutely no clue as to the questionable nature of such
verses. However, more recent translations of the Bible are now beginning
to be a little more honest and forthcoming in this regard. For example,
the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, by Oxford Press, has adopted an
extremely subtle system of bracketing the most glaring examples of such
questionable verses with double square brackets ([[ ]]). It is highly
unlikely that the casual reader will realize the true function these brackets
serve. They are there to tell the informed reader that the enclosed
verses are of a highly questionable nature. Examples of this are the
story of the “woman taken in adultery” in John 8:1-11, as well as Mark 16:9-20
(Jesus’ resurrection and return), and Luke 23:34 (which, interestingly enough,
is there to confirm the prophesy of Isaiah 53:12).....and so forth.
For example, with regard to John 8:1-11, the
commentators of this Bible say in very small print at the bottom of the page:
“The most ancient authorities lack 7.53-8.11; other
authorities add the passage here or after 7.36 or after 21.25 or after Luke
21.38 with variations of text; some mark the text as doubtful.”
With regard to Mark 16:9-20, we are, strangely enough,
given a choice of how we would like the Gospel of Mark to end. The
commentators have supplied both a “short ending” and a “long ending.” Thus, we
are given a choice of what we would prefer to be the “inspired word of
God”. Once again, at the end of this Gospel in very small text, the
commentators say:
“Some of the most ancient authorities bring the
book to a close at the end of verse 8. One authority concludes the book
with the shorter ending; others include the shorter ending and then continue
with verses 9-20. In most authorities, verses 9-20 follow immediately
after verse 8, though in some of these authorities the passage is marked as
being doubtful.”
Peake’s Commentary on the Bible records;
“It is now generally agreed that 9-20 are not an
original part of Mk. They are not found in the oldest MSS, and indeed
were apparently not in the copies used by Mt. and Lk. A
10th-cent. Armenian MS ascribes the passage to Aristion, the presbyter
mentioned by Papias (ap.Eus.HE III, xxxix, 15).”
“Indeed an Armenian translation of St. Mark has
quite recently been discovered, in which the last twelve verses of St.
Mark are ascribed to Ariston, who is otherwise known as one of the earliest of
the Christian Fathers; and it is quite possible that this tradition is correct”
Our Bible and the Ancient Manuscripts, F.
Kenyon, Eyre and Spottiswoode, pp. 7-8
Even at that, these verses are noted as having been
narrated differently in different “authorities.” For example, verse 14 is
claimed by the commentators to have the following words added on to them in
some “ancient authorities”:
“and they excused themselves saying ‘This age of
lawlessness and unbelief is under Satan, who does not allow the truth and power
of God to prevail over the unclean things of the spirits. Therefore,
reveal your righteousness now’ - thus they spoke to Christ and Christ replied
to them ‘The term of years of Satan’s power has been fulfilled, but other
terrible things draw near. And for those who have sinned I was handed
over to death, that they may return to the truth and sin no more, that they may
inherit the spiritual and imperishable glory of the righteousness that is in
heaven’.”
Christian
Scholars Recognize Contradictions in the Bible (part 6 of 7): Unrelenting
Tampering with the Text of the Bible
اعتراف علماء
النصارى بالتناقضات في الكتاب المقدس
(الجزء 6 من 7):
لا يلين العبث مع نص من الكتاب المقدس
[ English - إنجليزي ]
Dr. Lobegott Friedrich Konstantin Von Tischendorf was
one of the most eminent conservative Biblical Scholars of the nineteenth
century. He was also one of the staunchest, most adamant defenders of the
“Trinity” that history has known. One of his greatest lifelong achievements was
the discovery of the oldest known Biblical Manuscript know to mankind, the
“Codex Sinaiticus,” from Saint Catherine’s Monastery in Mount Sinai. One of the
most devastating discoveries made from the study of this fourth century
manuscript was that the Gospel of Mark originally ended at verses 16:8 and not
at verse 16:20 as it does today. In other words, the last 12 verses (Mark 16:9
through Mark 16:20) were “injected” by the church into the Bible sometime after
the 4th century. Clement of Alexandria and Origen never quoted these verses.
Later on, it was also discovered that the said 12 verses, wherein lies the
account of “the resurrection of Jesus,” do not appear in codices Syriacus,
Vaticanus and Bobiensis. Originally, the “Gospel of Mark” contained no mention
of the “resurrection of Jesus” (Mark 16:9-20). At least four hundred years (if
not more) after the departure of Jesus, the Church received divine
“inspiration” to add the story of the resurrection to the end of this Gospel.
The author of “Codex Sinaiticus” had no doubt that the
Gospel of Mark came to an end at Mark 16:8, to emphasize this point we find
that immediately following this verse he brings the text to a close with a fine
artistic squiggle and the words “The Gospel according to Mark.” Tischendorf was
a staunch conservative Christian and as such he managed to casually brush this
discrepancy aside since in his estimation the fact that Mark was not an
Apostle, nor an eye witness to the Ministry of Jesus, made his account
secondary to those of the Apostles such as Matthew and John. However, as seen
elsewhere in this Book, the majority of Christian scholars today recognize the
writings of Paul to be the oldest of the writings of the Bible. These are
closely followed by the “Gospel of Mark” and the “Gospels of Matthew and Luke”
are almost universally recognized to have been based upon the “Gospel of Mark.”
This discovery was the result of centuries of detailed and painstaking studies
by these Christian scholars and the details cannot be repeated here. Suffice it
to say that most reputable Christian scholars today recognize this as a basic
indisputable fact.
Today, the translators and publishers of our modern
Bibles are beginning to be a little more forthright and honest with their
readers. Although they may not simply openly admit that these twelve verses
were forgeries of the Church and not the word of God, still, at least they are
beginning to draw the reader’s attention to the fact that there are two
“versions” of the “Gospel of Mark” and then leave the reader to decide what to
make of these two “versions.”
Now the question becomes “if the Church has tampered
with the Gospel of Mark, then did they stop there or is there more to this
story?. As it happens, Tischendorf also discovered that the “Gospel of John”
has been heavily reworked by the Church over the ages. For example,
1. It was found that the
verses starting from John 7:53 to 8:11 (the story of the woman taken in
adultery) are not to be found in the most ancient copies of the Bible available
to Christianity today, specifically, codices Sinaiticus or Vaticanus.
2. It was also found
that John 21:25 was a later insertion, and that a verse from the gospel of Luke
(24:12) that speaks of Peter discovering an empty tomb of Jesus is not to be
found in the ancient manuscripts.
(For more on this topic please read ‘Secrets of Mount
Sinai’ by James Bentley, Doubleday, NY, 1985).
Much of the discoveries of Dr. Tischendorf regarding
the continuous and unrelenting tampering with the text of the Bible over the
ages has been verified by twentieth century science. For example, a study of
the Codex Sinaiticus under ultraviolet light has revealed that the “Gospel of
John” originally ended at verse 21:24 and was followed by a small tail piece
and then the words “The Gospel according to John.” However, some time later, a
completely different “inspired” individual took pen in hand, erased the text
following verse 24, and then added in the “inspired” text of John 21:25 which
we find in our Bibles today.
The evidence of tampering goes on and on. For example,
in the Codex Sinaiticus the “lord’s prayer” of Luke 11:2-4 differs
substantially from the version which has reached us through the agency of
centuries of “inspired” correction. Luke 11:2-4 in this most ancient of all
Christian manuscripts reads:
“Father, Hallowed by thy name, Thy kingdom come. Thy
will be done, as in heaven, so upon earth. Give us day by day our daily bread.
And forgive us our sins, as we ourselves also forgive everyone that is indebted
to us. And bring us not into temptation.”
Further, the “Codex Vaticanus,” is another ancient
manuscript held by the scholars of Christianity in the same reverent standing
as the Codex Sinaiticus. These two fourth century codices are together
considered the most ancient copies of the Bible available today. In the codex
Vaticanus we can find a version of Luke 11:2-4 even shorter than that of Codex
Sinaiticus. In this version even the words “Thy will be done, as in heaven,
so upon earth.” are not to be found.
Well, what has been the official Church position
regarding these “discrepancies”? How did the Church decide to handle this
situation? Did they call upon all of the foremost scholars of Christian
literature to come together in a mass conference in order to jointly study the
most ancient Christian manuscripts available to the Church and come to a common
agreement as to what was the true original word of God? No!
Well then, did they immediately expend every effort to
make mass copies of the original manuscripts and send them out to the Christian
world so that they could make their own decisions as to what truly was the
original unchanged word of God? Once again, No!
Christian
Scholars Recognize Contradictions in the Bible (part 7 of 7): “Inspired”
Modifications of the Church
اعتراف علماء
النصارى بالتناقضات في الكتاب المقدس
(الجزء 7 من 7):
تعديلات "مستوحاة" من كنيسة
[ English - إنجليزي ]
So what did they do? Let us ask Rev. Dr. George L.
Robertson. In his book “Where did we get our Bible?” he writes:
“Of the MSS. of Holy Scripture in Greek still existing
there are said to be several thousand of varying worth ... Three or four in
particular of these old, faded out, and unattractive documents constitute the
most ancient and the most precious treasures of the Christian Church, and are
therefore of special interest.” First in Rev. Richardson's list is the “Codex
Vaticanus” of which he says: “This is probably the most ancient of all Greek
MSS. now known to exist. It is designated as Codex 'B.' In 1448, Pope Nicholas
V brought it to Rome where it has lain practically ever since, being guarded
assiduously by papal officials in the Vatican Library. It's history is brief:
Erasmus in 1533 knew of its existence, but neither he nor any of his successors
were permitted to study it... becoming quite inaccessible to scholars, till
Tischendorf in 1843, after months of delay, was finally allowed to see it for
six hours. Another specialist, named de Muralt in 1844 was likewise given an
aggravating glimpse of it for nine hours. The story of how Dr. Tregelles in
1845 was allowed by the authorities (all unconscious to themselves) to secure
it page by page through memorizing the text, is a fascinating one. Dr.
Tregelles did it. He was permitted to study the MS. continuously for a long
time, but not to touch it or to take notes. Indeed, every day as he entered the
room where the precious document was guarded, his pockets were searched and
pen, paper and ink were taken from him, if he carried such accessories with
him. The permission to enter, however, was repeated, until he finally had
carried away with him and annotated in his room most of the principle variant
readings of this most ancient text. Often, however, in the process, if the
papal authorities observed he was becoming too much absorbed in any one
section, they would snatch the MS. away from him and direct his attention to
another leaf. Eventually they discovered that Tregelles had practically stolen
the text, and that the Biblical world knew the secrets of their historic MS.
Accordingly, Pope Pius IX ordered that it should be photographed and published;
and it was, in five volumes which appeared in 1857. But the work was very
unsatisfactorily done. About that time Tischendorf made a third attempt to gain
access to and examine it. He succeeded, and later issued the text of the first
twenty pages. Finally in 1889-90, with papal permission, the entire text was
photographed and issued in facsimile, and published so that a copy of the
expensive quartos was obtainable by, and is now in the possession of all the
principle libraries in the biblical world.” [13]
What were all of the Popes afraid of? What was the
Vatican as a whole afraid of? Why was the concept of releasing the text of
their most ancient copy of the Bible to the general public so terrifying to
them? Why did they feel it necessary to bury the most ancient copies of the
inspired word of God in a dark corner of the Vatican never to be seen by
outside eyes? Why? What about all of the thousands upon thousands of other
manuscripts which to this day remain buried in the darkest depths of the
Vatican vaults never to be seen or studied by the general masses of
Christendom?
“[And remember] When God took a Covenant from those who were given the
Scripture: You shall make it known and clear to mankind, and you shall not to
hide it; but they flung it behind their backs, and purchased with it a
miserable gain! How evil was that which they purchased!” (Quran 3:187)
“Say: 'O People of the Book! exceed not in your religion the bounds [of
what is proper], trespassing beyond the truth, nor follow the vain desires of
people who went astray in times gone by, who misled many, and strayed
[themselves] from the straight path.'“ (Quran 5:77)
Returning to our study of some of the “discrepancies”
to be found between our modern Bibles and between the most ancient copies of
the Bible available to the chosen few, we find that the verse of Luke 24:51
contains Luke's alleged account of the final parting of Jesus, may the mercy
and blessings of God be upon him, and how he was “raised up into heaven.”
However, as seen in previous pages, in the Codex Sinaiticus and other ancient
manuscripts the words “and was carried up into heaven” are completely
missing. The verse only says:
“And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted
from them.”
C.S.C. Williams observed, if this omission were
correct, “there is no reference at all to the Ascension in the original text of
the Gospel.”
Some other “inspired” modification of the Church to
Codex Sinaiticus and our modern Bibles:
· Matthew 17:21 is
missing in Codex Sinaiticus.
· In our modern
Bibles, Mark 1:1 reads “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son
of God;” however, in this most ancient of all Christian manuscripts, this
verse only reads “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ”
Strangely, the very words which are most grating to the Muslim's Qur'an, “the
Son of God,” are completely missing. Isn't that interesting?
· The words of
Jesus in Luke 9:55-56 are missing.
· The original
text of Matthew 8:2 as found in Codex Sinaiticus tells us that a leper asked
Jesus to heal him and Jesus “angrily put forth [his] hand, and touched him,
saying, I will; be thou clean.” In our modern Bibles, the word “angrily”
is strangely absent.
· Luke 22:44 in
Codex Sinaiticus and our modern Bibles claim that an angel appeared before
Jesus, strengthening him. In Codex Vaticanus, this angel is strangely absent.
If Jesus was the “Son of God” then obviously it would be highly inappropriate
for him to need an angel to strengthen him. This verse, then, must have
been a scribal mistake. Right?
· The alleged
words of Jesus on the cross “Father, forgive them, for they know not what
they do” (Luke 23:34) were originally present in the Codex Sinaiticus but
was later erased from the text by another editor. Bearing in mind how the
Church regarded and treated the Jews in the Middle Ages, can we think of any
reason why this verse might have stood in the way of official Church policy and
their “inquisitions”?
· John 5:4 is
missing from Codex Sinaiticus.
· In Mark chapter
9, the words “Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.” are
again missing.
· In Matt. 5:22,
the words “without cause” are missing in both the codex Vaticanus and
Sinaiticus.
· Matt. 21:7 in
our modern Bibles reads “And [the disciples] brought the ass, and the colt, and
put on them their clothes, and they set [Jesus] thereon.” In the original
manuscripts, this verse read “and they set [Jesus] upon them,” However,
the picture of Jesus being placed upon two animals at the same time and being
asked to ride them at once was objectionable to some, so this verse was changed
to “and they set [Jesus] upon him” (which “him”?). Soon after, the
English translation completely avoided this problem by translating it as
“thereon.”
· In Mark 6:11,
our modern Bibles contain the words “Verily I say unto you, It shall be more
tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.”
However, these words are not to be found in either of these two most ancient of
Christian Biblical manuscripts, having been introduced into the text centuries
later.
· The words of
Matthew 6:13 “For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for
ever.” Are not to be found in these two most ancient manuscripts as well as
many others. The parallel passages in Luke are also defective.
· Matthew 27:35 in
our modern Bibles contains the words “that it might be fulfilled which was
spoken by the prophet, they parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture
did they cast lots.” This passage, once again, is not found according to Rev.
Merrill in any Biblical uncial manuscript dating before the ninth century.
· 1 Timothy 3:16
originally read “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness:
which was manifest in the flesh.” This was then later (as seen previously),
ever so subtly changed to “And without controversy great is the mystery of
godliness: God was manifest in the flesh….” Thus, the doctrine of the
“incarnation” was born.
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