Has the Bible been changed?
This question is often asked. Many people are taught that the Christian Scriptures
have been changed. But have you thought about how serious this claim is? What
they are attacking is the Word of God revealed in the Tawrat, Zabur and Injil.
The Holy Bible that the followers of Jesus have today is the same as the
original Bible. It could not have been corrupted. Consider these facts…
1. God’s severe warning
Christians love their Holy Scriptures and would never let anyone change them.
The Bible warns that those who try to change God’s Word will be severely
punished. A long time ago God spoke through Moses (in the Tawrat) commanding,
“You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you
may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you”
(Deuteronomy 4:2).
Two
centuries later Solomon (ÓáíãÇä) said, “Every word of God is pure. He is a shield
to those who put their trust in Him. Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke
you, and you be found a liar” (Proverbs 30:5-6).
Even
when the last book of the Bible was written, God said through the apostle John,
“I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If
anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written
in this book. And If anyone takes away from the words of the book of this
prophecy, God shall take away his part from the book of life, from the holy
city, and from the things which are written in this book” (Revelation
22:18-19).
These
warnings are clear. No believer would dare to change God’s Word.
2.
The number of Bibles
Imagine
that copies of a book written by a Mr Abdel Aziz were given to every family in your town, including
your family. All the copies were the same and each copy was a perfect
reproduction of the original book. Later, someone suddenly said that the book
had been changed and could no longer be trusted. Would you have accepted that
claim when you had a reliable copy in your hands? Surely you would have said,
‘Wait a minute, I’ve got a copy of the original book at home and it hasn’t been
changed.’ Others would bring out their perfect copies too.
So
it is with the Bible. The original manuscripts were reproduced very carefully.
Whenever a new copy was made, it was strictly checked. Many reproductions of
the original manuscripts existed. If someone had wanted to change the Bible
they would have had to gather all the reproductions from each house... from
condemned it.
3.
Muslim scholars and the Qur’an
No
one attacked or questioned the genuineness of the Bible until A.D. 1046 (over
400 years after Muhammad died). Muhammad believed that the Bible which existed
in his day was authentic (read Surahs 5:68-69, 3:3, 21:7, 21: 48-50, 4:162-163,
35:31, 9:111, 6:154-157, 40:69-70, 46:12, 46:29-30).
Early scholars of Islam and many others after them refused to believe that the
Tawrat, Zabur and Injil had been changed. According to many scholars, the
Qur’an says the Scriptures were misrepresented, not that they were
changed.
Commenting on Surah 2:75, Imam Baydaoui says, ‘Can ye
entertain the hope that they (that is Jews) will believe in you? - Seeing that
a party of them heard the word of Allah and perverted it knowingly … meaning
they misinterpreted and explained it as they like…after they
understood it.’
íÞæá ÇáÅãÇã ÇáÈíÖÇæí:
"ÃÝÊØãÚæä Ãä íÕÏÞæäßã (Ãí ÇáíåæÏ) æÞÏ ßÇäÊ ØÇÆÝÉ
ãä ÃÓáÇÝåã íÓãÚæä ßáÇã Çááå Ãí ÇáÊæÑÇÉ Ëã
íÍÑÝæäå...Ãí íÄæáæäå æíÝÓÑæäå ÈãÇ
íÔÊåæä...ãä ÈÚÏ ãÇ ÚÞáæå Ãí Ýåãæå ÈÚÞæáåã æáã íÈÞ Ýíå ÑíÈÉ."
In
his commentary, Imam Bukhari explains Surah 4:46 as
follows; ‘displace words from their right places…means misinterpreted.’
æíÞæá ÕÍíÍ
ÇáÈÎÇÑí: "íÍÑÝæä Çáßáã Úä ãæÖÚå Ãí íÒíáæäå æáíÓ
ÃÍÏ íÒíá áÝÙ ßÊÇÈ ãä ßÊÈ Çááå ÊÚÇáì¡ æáßäåã íÄæáæäå Úáì ÛíÑ ÊÃæíáå".
You can also
read similar comments made by Imam Razi.
Some people who called themselves ‘Christians’ in Muhammad’s time had
stopped reading God’s Word. Instead, they followed traditions created by men.
It is true that they had ‘misinterpreted’ God’s Word. But the Holy Scriptures
themselves had not been changed. They had been forgotten. Throughout history,
however, there have been true Christians who have loved, protected and followed
God’s Word.
4.
The number of ancient manuscripts
If
early Muslim scholars thought the Bible that existed in their time was genuine,
then any document from before the 7th century must be authentic.
Manuscripts of the Tawrat, Zabur and Injil, (the Old and New Testaments) dating
back to several hundred years before the rise of Islam, are displayed in
well-known museums across the world. The
I ask you then to answer this question: When was the Bible changed? Before or after Muhammad? If it was changed beforehand you
are accusing Muhammad of being a false teacher. On the other hand it could not
have been changed afterwards because by then the Bible had been translated into
many languages and widely distributed across the world.
5. The unity of the message
The Bible has one great story running from beginning to end. Throughout the
long period of history that it covers, there are no contradictions. God’s great
plan is always central. This is why the Bible is amazing and unique! The
Tawrat, the Zabur and the Injil are all about Christ and how God planned to
sort out our problem of sin. All the prophets of the Old Testament talked about
the Messiah, the Saviour who would come to offer Himself and save sinners. The
New Testament talks about the fact that that promised Saviour has come. It
shows that He was none other than Jesus.
If
someone had changed part of the Bible, surely certain sections would contradict
others. They do not. There is a clear unity of thought between all sections of
the Bible. Muslim writers cling to a few parallel passages where they assume
there are contradictions in various numbers and ages. In doing this, several
verses are often referenced as being problematic. With an earnest and
genuine study, one can be sure that those assumptions are absolutely untrue. We
can trust the Bible to be what it says it is: the Word of God.[1]
6.
God guards His Word.
The Bible is the Word of God. God who created everything, the Almighty, who
knows everything, is the Author of the Bible. Because He is God, He is able to
protect His Word from corruption and change. Here is what He says in the Zabur,
“Forever O Lord, Your Word is settled in Heaven” (Psalm 119:89). The Injil
says, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My Words will by no means pass
away” (Matthew 24:35). God’s Holy Word is eternal. It stands for ever. He would
never permit His everlasting Word to be changed. God has kept this promise
throughout the centuries. It is unthinkable to imagine that a feeble human
being could change the very Word spoken by God. If the Bible has been changed
then God was not able to protect it. It would mean that man is greater than
God. And, my friend, if God was not able to protect His Word, then He is not
God! That is blasphemy.
7.
What about different translations?
As mentioned in the introduction, the original Bible was written in Hebrew,
Greek and Aramaic. Many manuscripts of the Holy Bible still exist in these
languages. However, God wanted everyone in the world to be able to read His
Word. In order to make this possible the Bible has been translated into
different languages. This does not mean that these Bibles are corrupted, but it
does mean that there are many translations of the Bible. For example, in
English we have the King James Version which was translated back in 1611 A.D.
It is still widely used today. However, since then, the language of the people
has developed and changed, so the translations have been updated to make the
Holy Bible more readable. Since these translations are made from very old documents,
there is no difference in their meaning. Every translation must agree with the
ancient manuscripts. If it does not, it is not accepted. The Jehovah’s
witness’ translation, for example, is not an accurate translation of
those documents. That is why Christians everywhere strictly condemn what they
have done. One day God will judge them for it.
What
is your answer?
The Bible is a message from God to sinful people. In it, God is calling us to
have a relationship with Himself. But how is it possible for me, a sinner, to
come close to the Holy God? In the Bible, God reveals to us His plan of
salvation. That’s why Christians believe that there is no power that can change
God’s Word.
It
is a serious thing to say that God’s Holy Scriptures have been changed! This
claim cannot be supported by facts.
However,
if the Bible we have today is true then we should not ignore it. Each of us
must read and obey God’s Holy Scriptures, accepting them as His pure Word,
“which is able to save your soul” (James
“From
your childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures which are
able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in
Christ Jesus”
(Injil,
2 Timothy 3:15).