Alhamdulilah I have been able to study religions in the University setting, which gave me a secular presentation of all the religions. From those studies, one of the most interesting bits of information I researched was the errors found within the Bible. This is interesting because the Christian typically says that the Bible is the word of God, so these errors pose a great theological problem. Most of us know this fact, but what I would like to do with this post insha’Allah is give you the evidence and the information needed when discussing this topic. I feel it is important because online there are lists of “contradictions” in the Bible, however many of these can easily be explained away. So, I have selected those errors which the Christian scholars themselves say: Yes, this is an error. Knowing which points to make and how to make them will insha’Allah make our dawah more effective. Bismillah:
1) The age of Ahaziah when he began to rule (second Kings 8:26 – says 22, or 42 in second chronicles 22:2)? Christian scholars say: copyist error.
2) Solomon had how many supervisors? 3300 (1Kings 5:16) or 3600 (2Chonicles 2:2). Christian scholars say: copyist error.
3) Was the daughter of Jairus dead (Matthew 9:18) or alive (Mark 5:23) when she came to Jesus? Christian Scholars say: We don’t know.
4) God tells David the famine will be 3 years (1Chonricles 21:11-12) or 7 years (2Samuel 24:13)? Christian scholars say: copyist error.
5) Who killed Goliath? David (1Samuel 17:50) or Elhanan (2Samuel 21:19)? Christian scholars say: copyist error.
6) Charioteers killed by David. 700 (2Samuel 10:18) or 7000 (1Chronicles 19:18)? Christian scholars say: copyist error.
7) David captured 1700 (2Samuel 8:4) or 7000 (1Chonricles 18:4) horsemen? Christian scholars say: copyist error.
8) 2000 baths (1Kings 7:26) or 3000 (2Chronicles 4:5)? Christian scholars say: copyist error.
9) Michal had five sons (2Samuel 21:8) or none (2Samuel 6:23)? Christian scholars say: copyist error.
10) Jehoiachin is 8 (2Chronicles 36:9) or 18 (2Kings 24:8) when he becomes King? Christian scholars say: copyist error.
11) Stalls of Solomon, 4000 (2Chonicles 9:25) or 40,000 (1Kings 4:26)? Christian scholars say: copyist error.
12) Jehoiachin rules Jerusalem for 3 months (2Kings 24:8) or 3 months and ten days (2Chronicles 36:9)? Christian scholars say: copyist error.
11 comments:
Hmm...very interesting.
JAK once again.
Alhamdulillah for the Quran!
very interesting eventhogh I have no biblical knowledge.
I personally do not know ANY Christians who believe that the Bible is the literal word of an infallible God. I would think that errors such as these would not convince someone who already chooses to ignore the much larger inconsistencies and contradictions present within.
Thanks for the interesting post, however.
Interesting post DiscoverUU.
Kindly visit the other discussions on this page to hear many Christians who have argued the Bible to be the literal word of God.
And of course, if it is not the literal word of God in total then who decided which parts are and which parts are not? You can see the discussion between Pastor Mitch and I regarding this.
All the best - hope you'll continue the conversation with us here.
DiscouverUU.com,
In fact the majority of Christians believe in the Bible as God's word, and thus literally. Whether it is understood or even acknowledged is another question altogether.
Regardless, on a theological level the majority of Christians and Christian groups do believe the Bible to be God's word and literal truth.
Looking forward to your thoughts.
This is interesting, but as someone who has studied the Judeo-Christian Bible, many of us are well aware of the contradiction and errors found in the Bible. Some Christians believe in more than just the word of God in the Bible...they also believe in tradition. Others have different theological views of the way in which "word of God" and "divinely inspired" are understood. This brings us to a final point, God is not static and errors and contradictions in the Bible are already part of a well-known topic of trying to justify suffering and evil in the world with a just and loving God.
Also, dates, years, and numbers are the least things Christians are worried about when it comes to faith.
Thank you kindly for commenting and joining the discussion Alucinari.
I have addressed this idea elsewhere on the site, and this conception about the Bible. In sum: Many do argue that the Bible is not the exact word of God. However, this position poses a problem for Christians because at this point the Bible becomes very subjective and “truth” is really only in the eyes of whoever is reading; this is because some parts are “inspired” by God while other parts are simply editing mistakes and human errors – who decides what falls into which category is a slippery slope that Christians don’t want to fall into.
I wonder how you might distinguish between God's word and human editing / error, when there is no indication of which is which. And, this leads to a slippery slope of anyone's interpretation.
All the best.
It is fun watching the christian bible fanatics scramble to explain the blatant errors, the flaws in their "crutch. Those who who should be seeking the truth hide, and avoid it.
Reference: http://comparative-religion-points.blogspot.com/
(Visit the link for more info)
Comparative religion points for Christianity and Hinduism with respect to Islam:
(1) Prohibition of Alcohol:- Manu Smriti: 9:235, 11:55; Rig Veda: 8:2:12, 8:21:14; //BIBLE: Proverbs: 20:1, 23:31; Ephesians: 5:18.
(2) Prohibition of Pork:- //BIBLE: Leviticus 11:7-8; Deuteronomy 14:8.
(3) Prohibition of Usury (Interest on Money/Loan/Credit):- Manu Smriti: 11:62, 8:152; //BIBLE: Leviticus 25:36-37; Ezekiel 18:13, 22:12; Psalms 15:5.
(4) Permission for Non-Vegetarian Food:- Ramayana: 2:20:29; Manu Smriti: 5:30, 39; Mahabharata: 13:88.
(5) Veil/Head Scarf:- Rig Veda: 8:33:19; //BIBLE: 1st Corinthians 11:5.
(6) Oneness of God & Prohibition of Idol Worship:- VEDA: Yajur Veda 32:3, 40:8-9; Rig Veda 1:164:46, 6:45:16; UPANISHAD: Khandogya: 6:2:1, Shwetashvatara 6:9, 4:20; GEETA: 7:20, 10:3; BRAHMA SUTRA; //BIBLE: Leviticus 26:1; Exodus 20:4.
(7) Prophet Muhammad’s Description:- Bhavishya Purana: Prati Sarag: Parv III: Khand 3: Aday 3: Shloka 5-8, 10-27; Samveda: Book II: Hymn 6: Verse 8; //BIBLE: Deuteronomy 18:18; John 14:16.
Greetings Loga'Abdullah,
I don't know if this thread is still open, but if it is, I'd like to begin the discussion with a question. Do you believe the Qur'an to be without error or contradiction?
Hi Rick. Thanks for stopping in and commenting. Yes, it is still open. And, yes, I do believe the Qur'an to be without error and contradiction.
If you'd like to speak about a specific verse that you find problematic, you can post it here, or feel free to send me an email anytime as well. I'd kindly ask that you post one verse at a time so that we can do justice to the verse (as another page on this site got flooded with posts that were merely copy-paste comments of pages and pages of materials). As you can probably imagine, it is hard to keep track of a conversation when that much is posted at once, likewise it is hard to come to a mutual understanding. Often times, for those new with the text, something may appear (without context or exegesis) as being contradictory, so I can try my humble best, as a student, to highlight those sources of illumination when clarifying those points you might see as problematic.
I hope to hear from you soon. Best regards,
Loga'Abdullah.
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