Overview

Manuscripts

Christianity

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

  • 9,300other 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

Islam

  1. Ma’il 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.

Ma’il Qur’an in British Library, Lings=790 A.D.

Conclusion: no Uthmanic recension, Qur’an= 1,200 years old, 150 year gap!!!

Documentary Evidence

Christianity

Moses didn’t 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 customsJewssplit with Muh. 624 A.D. (S.2:144-150) – Doctrina Iacobi, 642A.D. Jews/Saracens allied.

Islam

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

Christianity

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

Joseph’s price (20 shekels) Gen.37:28=1,700 BC, earlier cheaper, later more

Joseph’s Tomb Josh.24:32 = in Shechem found mummy with Egyptian sword!

Jericho’s walls fell outwards = Joshua 6:20

David’s Water shafts found (II Sam.5:6-8; I Chron.11:6)Qibla (S.2:144-150) Jeru -> Mecca 624A.D.

Islam

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., Mi’raj?

Inscriptions polemical & not = Qur’an!

Variant verbal forms, & extensive deviances

No Qibla, octagonal thus 1st sanctuary?

Nevo’s 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!

Luke’s 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.


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References Cited