has been progressively discredited. Discovery after discovery has established the accuracy of innumerable details, and has brought increased recognition to the value of the Bible as a source of history. Millar Burrows of Yale states, On the whole, archaeological work has unquestionably strengthened confidence in the reliability of the scriptural record. Joseph Free confirms that while thumbing through the book of Genesis, he mentally noted that each of the 50 chapters are either illuminated or confirmed by some archaeological discovery, and that this would be true for most of the remaining chapters of the Bible, both the Old Testament and the New Testament. Nelson Glueck (a Jewish Reformed scholar and archaeologist) probably gives us the greatest support for 9/23/2008 THE BIBLES ARCHEOLOGICAL EVIDE… debate.org.uk/topics/history/bi… 3/4 the historicity of the Bible when he states, To date no archaeological discovery has ever controverted a single, properly understood biblical statement. Last Section | Contents | Next Section 9/23/2008 THE BIBLES ARCHEOLOGICAL EVIDE… debate.org.uk/topics/history/bi… 4/4 Last Section | Contents | Next Section CONCLUSION: Now that we have carried out a cursory study of the historicity for both the Quran and the Bible, it is important that we make some conclusions. What can we say concerning the veracity of these two scriptures in light of the evidence produced by the manuscript, document and archeological data at our disposal? Starting with the Quran, it is reasonable to conclude that these findings indeed give us reason for pause concerning its reliability. Manuscript, as well as documentary and archaeological evidence indicates that much of what the Quran maintains does not coincide with the historical data at our disposal which comes from that period. From the material amassed from external sources in the7th-8th centuries, we now know: 1) that the Jews still retained a relationship with the Arabs until at least 640 A.D.; 2) that Jerusalem and not Mecca was more-than-likely the city which contained the original sanctuary for Islam, as Mecca was not only unknown as a viable city until the end of the seventh century, but it was not even on the international trade route; 3) that the Qibla (direction of prayer) was not fixed towards Mecca until the eighth century, but to an area much further north, possibly Jerusalem; 4) that the Dome of the Rock situated in Jerusalem was possibly the original sanctuary; 5) that Muhammad was not known as the seal of prophets until the late seventh century; 6) that the earliest we even hear of any Quran is not until the mid-eighth century; 7) and that the earliest Quranic writings do not coincide with the current Quranic text. All of this data contradicts the Quran which is in our possession, and adds to the suspicion that the Quran which we now read is NOT the same as that which was supposedly collated and canonized in 650 A.D. under Uthman, as Muslims contend (if indeed it even existed at that time). One can only assume that there must have been an evolution in the Quranic text. Consequently, the sole thing we can say with a certainty is that only the documents which we now possess (from 790 A.D. onwards) are the same as that which is in our hands today, written not 16 years after Muhammads death but 160 years later, and thus not 1,400 years ago, but only 1,200 years ago. As for the Bible, with the abundance of existing manuscripts (handwritten copies) of the New Testament (more than 24,000), we know little has been lost through the transmission of the text. In fact there is more evidence for the reliability of the text of the New Testament than there is for any ten pieces of classical literature put together. It is in better textual shape than the 37 plays of William Shakespeare which were written a mere 300 years ago, after the invention of the printing press! This is indeed surprising, considering 9/23/2008 CONCLUSION debate.org.uk/topics/history/bi… 1/3 Last Section | Contents | Next Section REFERENCES CITED: Bonwetsch, N. (ed.), Doctrina Iacobi nuper baptizati, in Abhandlungen der Koniglichen Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften zu Gottingen, Philologisch-historische Klasse, N.s., vol. xii, Berlin, 1910 Brock, S.P., Syriac Views of Emergent Islam, Studies on the First Century of Islamic Society,edited by G.H.A. Juynboll, Carbondale, So.Ill.Univ.Press, 1982 Bulliet, R.W., The Camel and the Wheel, Cambridge, Mass., 1975 Cook, Michael, Muhammad, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1983 Creswell, K.A.C., Early Muslim Architecture, vol.i, part one, Oxford, 1969 id. A Short Account of Early Muslim Architecture, (Revised by James W. Allan), Aldershot,Scolar Press, 1989 Crone, Patricia & Cook, Michael, Hagarism, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1977 Crone, Patricia, Slaves on Horses, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1980 id, Meccan Trade and the Rise of Islam, Princeton University Press, 1987 De Goeje, M. & P.de Jong (eds.), Fragmenta Historicorum Arabicorum, vol.i, Leyden, 1869 Elson, John, Eyewitnesses Jesus?, Time, April 8, 1996, pg.60 Fehervari, G., Development of the Mihrab down to the XIVth Century, London Ph.D. 1961 Feinburg, C.L., The New Bible Dictionary (2nd ed.), Leicester, Inter-Varsity Press, 1993 Gilchrist, John, Jam Al-Quran, Jesus to the Muslims, 1989 Glubb, John, The Life and Times of Muhammad, New York, Stein and Day, 1971 Groom, N., Frankincense and Myrrh, a Study of the Arabian Incense Trade, London, 1981 Humphreys, R.S., Islamic History, a framework for Enquiry, Princeton, 1991 Jeffrey, A. (tr.), Ghevonds (Levonds) text of the Correspondence between Umar II and Leo III, The Harvard Theological Review, 1944 Kister, M.J., Mecca and Tamim, Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient, 8 (1965), 117-163 Lemonick, Michael D., Are the Bible Stories True?, Time, December 18, 1995, pgs. 50-58 Lings, M., & Safadi, Y.H., The Quran, (A catalogue of an exhibition of Quran manuscripts at the British Library, 3 April-15 August 1976), British Library, World of Islam Pub. Co., 1976 al-Maqrizi, Ahmad b. Ali, Kitab al-mawaiz wal-itibar, Cairo, 1326 McDowell, Josh, Christianity; A Ready Defence, Harpendon, Scripture Press Foundation, 1991 id, Evidence That Demands a Verdict, Vols.I & II, Harpendon, Scripture Press Foundation, 1990 Muller, W.W., Weibrauch..., off-print: Pauly-Wissowa, Realencyclopadie, Supplement and 15, Munich, 1978 Nau, F., Un colloque du Patriarche Jean avec lemir des Agareens, Journal asiatique, 1915 Nevo, Yehuda D., Towards a Prehistory of Islam, Jerusalem Studies in Arabic and Islam, vol.17, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 1994 Ostling, Richard N., A Step Closer to Jesus, Time, Jan.23, 1995, pg.57 Patkanean K.R. (ed.), Patmoutiun Sebeosi Episkoposi i Herakln, St. Petersburg, 1879 Pfander, C.G., The Mizanul Haqq ( Balance of Truth), London, The Religious Tract Society, 1910 (& 9/23/2008 REFERENCES CITED debate.org.uk/topics/history/bi… 1/2 Pfander, C.G., The Mizanul Haqq ( Balance of Truth), London, The Religious Tract Society, 1910 (& 1835) Rippin, Andrew, Literary Analysis of Quran, Tafsir, and Sira, the Methodologies of John Wansbrough, Approaches to Islam in Religious Studies, Richard C. Martin (ed.), Tucson, Univ. of Arizona Press, 1985 id, Muslims, Their Religious Beliefs and Practices, vol. 1, London, Routledge, 1990 Schacht, Joseph, A Revaluation of Islamic Traditions, Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain, Hertford, Stephen Austin, 1949 Schimmel, Annemarie, Calligraphy and Islamic Culture, New York, New York University Press, 1984 Sebeos, Bishop, Histoire dHeraclius, tr. F. Macler, Paris, 1904 Shorrosh, Anis A., Islam Revealed, A Christian Arabs View of Islam, Nashville, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1988 Sprenger, A., Das Leben und die Lehre des Mohammad, 2nd ed., Vol. 3, Berlin, 1869 Van Berchem, M., Materiaux pour un Corpus Inscriptionum Arabicarum, part two, vol.ii, Cairo, 1927 Van Ess, J., Fruhe Mutazilitische Haresiographie, Beirut, 1971 Wansbrough, J., Quranic Studies: Sources and Methods of Scriptural Interpretation, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1977 id, The Sectarian Milieu: Content and Composition of Islamic Salvation History, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1978 Last Section | Contents | Next Section 9/23/2008 REFERENCES CITED debate.org.uk/topics/history/bi… 2/2 written a mere 300 years ago, after the invention of the printing press! This is indeed surprising, considering the early period in which the manuscripts were compiled, as well as the flimsy material on which they were written. The fact that we have such an abundance of manuscripts still in our possession points to the importance the scriptures have held for the church over the centuries. As far as we can know, the names, places, and events mentioned in the Bible have been recorded accurately so that what we have is the representation of what God said and did. Besides the massive numbers of early New Testament documents, the Old Testament can also be substantiated by the Jewish community who continue to corroborate the proof for its accuracy, as well as documents such as the Septuagint and the Dead Sea Scrolls which give added weight to the claim that it has never been changed. Even the Quran, possibly written during the 7th-8th centuries recognized the authority of our scriptures (see suras 2:136; 3:2-3; 4:136; 5:47-52,68; 10:95; 21:7; and 29:46). We also know that, outside of the few scribal errors, the historical events and personages are adequately correct, as they do not confuse names, dates and events, and in fact, surprisingly, continue to coincide with current archaeological findings. This is indeed significant, since with each successive year, ongoing documental and archaeological discoveries fail to divulge any historical contradictions. Instead they continue to corroborate what the Bible has been saying for 2,000-3,000 years (examples such as the Ebla tablets, or the newly discovered tomb of the priest Caiaphus give continuing credibility to the scriptures historical trustworthiness). Therefore, the testimony of the historical evidence is that the Bible and not the Quran can be trusted as an accurate and reliable historical document. While we continue to unearth data which substantiates the Bibles accuracy, we likewise unearth further data which erradicates the validity for the Quranic account. If a scripture claims to be a revelation from God, it must prove its claim by establishing its historical credentials, to the extent that even a third party can agree upon the evidence provided. This the Bible and not the Quran does adequately. We must also know that the Bible is unique? Consider: Here is a book written over a 1,500 year span (about 40 generations), by more than 40 authors, among whose number were found: kings, peasants, philosophers, fishermen, poets, statesmen, scholars, a herdsman, a general, a cupbearer, a doctor, a tax collector, and a rabbi. It was written on three continents: Asia, Africa, and Europe, and in three languages: Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. Its subject matter includes hundreds of controversial topics, yet from Genesis right on through to Revelation the authors all spoke with harmony and continuity on the theme of the unfolding story of Gods redemption of humanity. If God truly created the world for His pleasure, He would have created it to work to a pattern. This pattern we would expect to find revealed in His Word; as indeed we do, not only in the life of Jesus, the incarnate Word, who came and dwelt among us, but in the truth of the Gospel which was found in His teaching and later written down by His apostles. It is therefore not surprising that many cultures and governments even today continue to follow its precepts, laws and institutions, even though they do not necessarily adhere to its authorship. It should not surprise us then that the Bible continues to be the source of Gods revelation to His creation, for families and communities around the world, and that, according to the latest statistics, the Bible and not the Quran is uncontested as the most popular book ever written. The statistics prove that it is read by l d bli h d i l th th b k i th hi t fh it th t 9/23/2008 CONCLUSION debate.org.uk/topics/history/bi… 2/3 more people and published in more languages than any other book in the history of humanity, so that even now one copy of the Bible is published every three seconds day and night; or 22 copies every minute day and night; or 1,369 copies every hour day and night; and 32,876 copies every day in the year, and so on.... It is logical, then, that Christianity, because it holds the repository of Biblical principles and thinking, is the fastest conversion-growing religion in the world today. What better testimony could one ask to demonstrate the Bibles claim to be the truly revealed and inspired Word of God. Last Section | Contents | Next Section 9/23/2008 CONCLUSION debate.org.uk/topics/history/bi… 3/3 Last Section | Contents OVERVIEW Christianity Islam Manuscripts New Testament written before the Fall of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., & before the fire of Rome, because these events and the martyrdoms of James (62 A.D.), Paul (64 A.D.) & Peter (65 A.D.), all pivotal Christian events, are not mentioned. New Testament manuscripts 5,300 Greek 10,000 Latin Vulgate 9,300 other early versions + 24,000 manuscript copies of portions of the New Testament in existence today! Magdalene Manuscript (Dr.Thiede)=50-68A.D. (KE=Kurios=Lord) oldest of 98 Papyrus =15,000 translations: Latin, Syriac, Coptic Armenian, Gothic, Nubian, Georgian, Ethiopic =2,135 Lectionaries from 6th century =32,000 quotes from Early Church Fathers letters; all N. Test. except for 11 verses (- 325A.D.) Uthmanic recension. not Topkapi / Sammarkand 1. Mail 7th-9th century Medina and Mecca. 2. Mashq 7th century onwards. 3. Kufic 8th-11th century. 4. Naskh 11th century till today. Noldeke, Hawting, Schacht, Lings, Safadi all date Topkapi / Sammarkand to 9th century. Quraish = Mecca, Kufa = 636 A.D. = Persia. Mail Quran in British Library, Lings=790 A.D. Conclusion: no Uthmanic recension, Quran= 1,200 years old, 150 year gap!!! Documentary Evidence 9/23/2008 Overview debate.org.uk/topics/history/bi… 1/3 Moses didnt write?, yet Black Stele found = laws of Hammurabi 300 yrs. before Moses. Daniel not 2nd but 6th BC, East India. Inscription=Dan.4:30=Nebuchadnezzar building. Dead Sea Scrolls 100 BC = Massoretic MS=916 A.D. Armana tablets (Egypt) Habiru=Hebrew, first given to Abraham (Gen.14:13) Ebla tablets (Syria) 17,000=Tell Mardikh 2300 BC=Deuteronomy law code, Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, Zoar=Gen. 14:8 Mari tablets (Euphrates) Arriyuk=Arioch=Gen.14 Nahor, Harran=Gen.24:10, Benjamin Nuzi tablets (Iraq) speaks of 6 Patriarchal customs Jews split with Muh. 624 A.D. (S.2:144- 150) - Doctrina Iacobi, 642A.D. Jews/Saracens allied. Armenian Chronicler 660 A.D.= Jews & Ishmaelites together up to 640 A.D. Mecca (S.3:96)=1st sanctuary, Adam=Kaaba 1st city, Abraham/Ishmael, Trade - no ancient reference till 724A.D. (Makoraba 1st?) Sources Periplus (50A.D.), Pliny (79A.D.) vs. Cosmas, Procopius, Theodoretus no overland trade post - 1st cent=maritime=Red Sea no trade post-3rd cent, then Ethiopians (Adulis) Mecca a valley, no water, unlike Taif 50 miles away cheaper 1,250 miles by ship than 50 miles by camel Archaeological Accuracy Abraham on Babylonian inscription Field of Abram in Hebron = 918 BC by Shishak of Egypt, on walls of Karnak temple Doors of Sodom 2200-1600 BC = heavy = Gen.19:9, 900-600BC = arch/curtains (security) Beni Hasan Tomb Asiatics went to Egypt/famine Josephs price (20 shekels) Gen.37:28=1,700 BC, earlier cheaper, later Qibla (S.2:144-150) Jeru -> Mecca 624A.D. Wasit, Baghdad & Kufa = West, Al As = East Syrian Caliphal Palaces = Jerusalem Jacob of Edessa 705 A.D. to Jerusalem Dome of the Rock: by Abd al-Malik 691A.D., Miraj? Inscriptions polemical & not = Quran! 9/23/2008 Overview debate.org.uk/topics/history/bi… 2/3 more Josephs Tomb Josh.24:32 = in Shechem found mummy with Egyptian sword! Jerichos walls fell outwards = Joshua 6:20 Davids Water shafts found (II Sam.5:6-8; I Chron.11:6) Variant verbal forms, & extensive deviances No Qibla, octagonal thus 1st sanctuary? Nevos Inscriptions Arabic, religious after 661A.D., no Muh. formula until 690A.D. then Tawhid, Muhammad rasul Allah, Jesus=man on Protocols suddenly & only, until 724A.D. Note: Compared to the Biblical archaeological evidence, there is no archaeological evidence for Adam, Abraham, or Ishmael in Arabia! Lukes Accuracy Erastus = Corinth treasurer (Rom. 16:23), pavement found in 1929 with this name. Meris = Philippia district of Macedonia doubted until inscriptions use it for district. Politarchs = civil authority of Thessalonica (Acts 17:6) 19 inscriptions use it, 5 in Thesselonica Praetor = Philippian ruler instead of Duumuir, Romans used Praetor earlier. Proconsul = title for Gallio (Acts 18:12) - corroborated by Delphi Inscription (52 A.D.) Gallio held this position for 1yr. Quirinius = governor of Syria at Jesus birth = an inscription from Antioch. Last Section | Contents 9/23/2008 Overview debate.org.uk/topics/history/bi… 3/3
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