Jesus Christ
What evidence would I accept for the Injeel? According to orthodox Islam, there was a document given to Jesus Christ called the Injeel. The truth is that there is no Injeel. The Quran assumes that the document with the Christians today is the one that was supposedly given to Jesus Christ. Since this is an obvious impossibility and since the Injeel with the Christians contradicts Islam, this myth was born.
Now, let’s be fair. Many books, letters, treatises, and other documents throughout history have been lost. We don’t have the vast amount of books from antiquity. We only have the stuff that was popular as it was written down.
However, we do know of certain books existing. For example, many of them are mentioned in the scriptures themselves. One of these is the Book of Jashar. In the book of Joshua we find a clear reference to the miracle where the sun and moon stop.
On the day the Lord gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the Lord in the presence of Israel:
“Sun, stand still over Gibeon, and you, moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.”
So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on its enemies,
as it is written in the Book of Jashar.
The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day.
– Joshua 10: 12 – 13
The Book of Jashar is lost to history, but knowledge of its existence isn’t. If someone was reading the book of Joshua 20 years after it was written, they would obviously know about the book and could even check the reference. In other words, Joshua was offering a test that could falsify his book.
So what evidence would I expect for evidence of the existence of an Injeel given by Allah to Jesus Christ? Just a bare mention like this will suffice.
Now I don’t doubt many other books from antiquity aren’t mentioned in sources that we have today. However, we know quite a bit about Jesus Christ. We know of the message He preached, where he went, who followed Him and so on. An Injeel doesn’t fit into this narrative so the odds of it existing are extremely small, unless of course you can provide the bare reference that I requested.
While we’re on the topic of missing bogus documents, I would offer the same challenged for the Tawrat, which is the supposed Islamic version of the Torah that was given to Moses and the Israelites. Like the Injeel this document is also completely lost to history. This includes mentions of and the knowledge contained within.
These are my challenges to the Muslims. Now, if this evidence cannot be provided, feel free to challenge me and show me that this request is unreasonable. However, be ready to back it up. If you say that a mention in the Quran is enough evidence for you, then you’re free to that opinion. On the other hand, don’t be surprised if we Christians don’t find it convincing.
Naah, did you forget that our Muslim friends have already debunked your arguments on this one? A thorough, rational and, of course, completely honest
response? Let me remind you:
https://callingchristians.com/tag/what-is-the-evidence-that-the-injeel-ever-existed/
Ah yes, how can we forget our good friend Ijaz. Well, the “evidence” that he provides is significantly less than what I requested, though I didn’t request a lot.
If this is the best evidence for an injeel that their side can muster I think that we’re on firm ground.
God bless,
Allan
Dear Mr Ruhl
A very interesting point. Rather curiously many Muslims claim that Our Lords words in St Matthew 21, the parable of the wicked tenants, particularly the cornerstone motif, is in some way a prophecy of the coming of Muhammad. How would you reply to such a claim ?
I must say that many of the modern Internet Muslims such as Mr Paul Williams seem to repeat the same point time and time again. For example he constantly say that the Old Testament makes no reference to a crucified Christ. By that same logic, where in the Old Testament does it describe the rise of an ishmaelite prophet, the ishmaelites being among those listed as being the emended of the people of God in Psalm 83 ?
God and St Mary be with you
P.S May I please ask for your prayers for the repose of the soul of my confessor, Father Jerome Bertram, who died on the 19th October after a lengthy battle with stomach cancer. Eternal rest grant unto him oh Lord and let perpetual light shine upon him, may he rest in peace. Amen
— If you say that a mention in the Quran is enough evidence for you, then you’re free to that opinion.–
Which Quran do you mean, though? :p
First of all Gospel means good news pertaining to the royal enthronement of a king/inaugration of a mighty ruler. This was common as ‘bisser’ and ‘besorah’ used for the enthronement of David and Solomon in the Hebrew Scriptures. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are books that give four accounts of the Gospel of Jesus Christ from four different perspectives. Due to convention, these books have been labelled ‘the four gospels’ or for simplification ‘gospel’ but that is not right (i.e Gospel according to Matthew etc).
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not a book but an event of Jesus Christ that took place in history (ofcourse the ‘good news’ of something implies an EVENT took place in relation with that something).
The Gospel of Jesus of Nazareth is that Jesus the Christ/Messiah (The promised ANOINTED SON OF DAVID to fulfil the DAVIDIC COVENANT) inaugrated the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth through his life, death and resurrection and is ENTHRONED at the right hand of God the Father as the eternal KING of all creation. The GOSPEL is complete because :
1, It acknowledges the eternal priesthood of Jesus over all creation accomplished by his death, resurrection and ascension.
2, It acknowledges the eternal kingship of Jesus over all creation accomplished by his eternal enthronement as said in the DAVIDIC COVENANT ( 1 Chronicles 17 : 7 – 15).
3, It acknowledges the Divine Sonship/Lordship of Jesus over all creation accomplished by his enthronemwnt at God the Father’s right hand as stated in Matthew 22:42-46, Mark 16 etc. It is important to note that this is not through assumption but from his origins from eternity as stated in John 1 and Micah 5:2.
Ofcourse the Quran denies the first point because it rejects Ancestral/Original Sin.
The Quran rejects the second point because it has no Davidic Covenant.
The Quran rejects the third one because it rejects both Davidic Covenant/Ancestral/Original Sin. Also due to a quasi seperationist view of God(Allah) and his creation.
The so-called death, resurrection, and ascension was already done almost 2000 years ago. Shouldn’t we all be already in Heaven around that time period?
The Tanakh did not teach the original sin. Prove the serpent was the devil without mentioning any New Testament scripture; as in, did the Jews believe such a thing?
It is time to follow Jesus’ teachings, his way instead. We should be the ones healing the sick, “casting out devils”, and raising the dead. Christlike is the correct term for this.
“Why go outside?”