Richard Elliott Friedman: Who wrote the Bible? (1989) People have been reading the Bible for nearly 2,000 years. They have taken it literally, figuratively, or symbolically. They have regarded it as divinely dictated, revealed, or inspired, or as a human creation. They have acquired more copies of it than any other book. It is quoted (and misquoted) more often than other books. It is translated (and mistranslated) more than the others as well. It is called a great work of literature, the first work of history. It is at the heart of Christianity and Judaism. Ministers, priests, and Rabbis preach it. Scholars spend their lives studying and teaching it in universities an seminaries. People read it, study it, admire it, disdain it, write about it, argue about it, and love it. People have lived by it and died for it. AND (yet) WE DO NOT KNOW WHO WROTE IT. NB: (about the author, at the time he wrote this book): Richard Elliott Friedman is a Professor of Hebrew and comparative literature and holds the Katzin Chair at the University of Californai, San Diego. He earned his doctorate at Harvard and was a visiting scholar at Oxford and Cambridge. He is the author of the the Hidden Face of God. There was a subsequent presentation to this debate by Ahmed Deedat titled In response to Jimmy Swaggart, what the Bible says about Muhammad. (Recall: In the debate, Jimmy Swaggart had responded to a question: No, Muhammad is not mentioned in the Bible.) One may be tempted to ask: why do some muslims quote passages of the Bible if they do not consider it to be the Words of God? To refute arguments made by christians, these muslims quote passages from the Bible to bring home their point since Christians do not believe in the Quran.(see footnote below). Apart from this, Muslims should not quote from the Bible since it is a book that is corrupted, and propagating it is tantamount to propagating corruption. The Holy Prophet (SAWS) says (to the effect) why do you still have the bible when the Quran is being revealed? Narrated Ubaidullah: Ibn Abbas said, Why do you ask the people of the scripture about anything while your Book (Quran) which has been revealed to Allahs Apostle is newer and the latest? You read it pure, undistorted and unchanged, and Allah has told you that the people of the scripture (Jews and Christians) changed their scripture and distorted it, and wrote the scripture with their own hands and said, It is from Allah, to sell it for a little gain. Does not the knowledge which has come to you prevent you from asking them about anything? No, by Allah, we have never seen any man from them asking you regarding what has been revealed to you! (Translation of Sahih Bukhari, Holding Fast to the Quran and Sunnah, Volume 9, Book 92, Number 461) Footnote: Ahmed Deedat, in a youtube video, made a point to the effect: https://youtube/watch?v=kdphNVU3iEI
Posted on: Sun, 14 Dec 2014 17:30:57 +0000