Date

4-25-2023

Department

Rawlings School of Divinity

Degree

Master of Arts in Christian Apologetics (MA)

Chair

C. Fred Smith

Keywords

Old Testament, New Testament, Bible, Manuscripts, Qur'ān, bibliographical test, autographs, historical accuracy

Disciplines

Christianity | Philosophy

Abstract

A customary interrogation tactic used against Christians is to question the transmissional accuracy of the Bible from the Apostle’s writing to the present. Muslims are especially antagonistic in this accusation while asserting the superiority of the Qur’ān to near perfect transmissional accuracy. However, they are egregiously mistaken in these assertions. Though on the surface, the bibliographical test might begin to look like the Qur’ān may surpass the Bible, a more in-depth investigation proves otherwise. The fact that the Qur’ān does not, and never has, had a sole autograph but, instead, many varying writings attempting to preserve Mohammad’s teachings. Then later attempts to create a canonical book melding these various readings into one makes it impossible to trace what the original writings stated at all. Whereas the Bible can be recreated nearly word for word accuracy of the writers’ original autographs. Furthermore, few of the Muslim assertions of manuscript numbers and dates can be backed up by scholarly research, instead, they come from estimations or poor scholarship. These poorly done scholarly works break down the Qur’ān’s strength in the bibliographical test even further, yet the Bible’s numbers and dates have been diligently studied and recorded by scholars both from within the faith and outside with minuscule deviations.

Download

Share

COinS