Abū Muḥammad ʿAlī ibn Aḥmad ibn Saʿīd ibn Ḥazm (994CE-1064CE) otherwise known as Ibn Hazm was a Muslim scholar of great repute from Cordoba, during the Muslim Spain era. He is widely regarded as the “Father of Comparative Religion”. In his celebrated magnum opus entitled Kitāb al-Faṣl fī al-Milal wa al-Ahwā’ wa al-Niḥal, he predated modern Biblical textual criticism by several centuries and as Krentz admits, Ibn Hazm’s criticisms generally represent the first, albeit rudimentary, systematic historic criticism of the Bible1. He demonstrated his prowess in Biblical textual criticism by giving many examples of internal contradictions in the Bible.
The call of the first disciples : The following Bible contradiction was extracted from an unpublished thesis entitled Ibn Hazm On The Doctrine of Tahrif2 and insha’Allah this will be part of an ongoing series to reproduce extracts of Ibn Hazm’s criticisms of the Bible and Christianity, as well as further elaboration on our part to refine his arguments to solidify the charges against the Bible.
Which Gospel account accurately depicts the selection of Jesus’ first apostles ? Ibn Hazm quotes Matthew 4, 12 – 223 ; Mark 1, 14 – 204 ; Luke 5, 1 – 115 and John 1, 35 – 426 and concludes that there are four basic contradictions contained in the Gospel accounts of the first apostles. They relate to :
- (1) The time the first apostleship of Andrew and his brother Simon Peter commenced. Was it before the imprisonment of John the Baptist as Mathew and Mark records, or was it after the imprisonment of John as he himself claims ?
(2) The place where the first apostleship took place. Was it at the place where the Messiah found Peter and Andrew entering their nets into the sea as they were about to fish as Matthew and Mark relates, or was it at the place where Andrew was standing with John when he heard him remark when the Messiah walked past saying “Behold the Lamb of God!”, as John records ?
(3) The sequence of the first companionship. Did Simon, Peter and his brother Andrew jointly become the Messiah’s first apostles at the same point in time, or was it Andrew who became the Messiah’s first apostle and subsequently recruited his brother Simon ?
(4) The conditions in which the Messiah found his first two apostles. Was it as they were entering their nets into the sea or was it as they were getting out of their boat in order to wash their nets after they had spent the entire night without catching any fish ?
Who was Ibn Hazm ?
Ibn Hazm (994 CE-1064 CE) was a highly esteemed Muslim scholar from Cordoba during the era of Muslim Spain. He is widely regarded as the ‘Father of Comparative Religion’ for his significant contributions to Islamic theology and his comprehensive studies of various religious beliefs and practices.
What was Ibn Hazm’s major work ?
Ibn Hazm’s major work is Kitab al-Fasl fi al-Milal wa al-Ahwa’ wa al-Nihal (The Book of Distinction in Religions and Sects). This magnum opus delves into critical analysis and comparison of different religions, including Christianity, anticipating modern Biblical textual criticism by several centuries.
What did Ibn Hazm anticipate in his critiques of the Bible ?
In his critiques of the Bible, Ibn Hazm anticipated modern Biblical textual criticism, presenting what scholars recognize as the earliest systematic historical criticism of the Bible. He meticulously examined the text, identifying internal contradictions and inconsistencies.
What is the significance of Ibn Hazm’s critiques of the Bible ?
Ibn Hazm’s critiques of the Bible challenged traditional perceptions of its infallibility and served as pioneering efforts in the field of religious criticism. His work laid the groundwork for later scholars to engage in more comprehensive studies of the Bible, contributing to the development of historical-critical methods of analysis.
What contradictions did Ibn Hazm identify in the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ first apostles ?
Ibn Hazm identified four fundamental contradictions within the Gospel accounts regarding the selection of Jesus’ first apostles. These contradictions relate to the timing, location, sequence, and circumstances surrounding the calling of the first disciples.
How did Ibn Hazm conclude his critiques of the Bible ?
Ibn Hazm concluded that the presence of contradictions within the Gospel accounts undermined their credibility as reliable sources of divine revelation. He argued that such discrepancies could not be attributed to God, prophets, or truthful individuals, suggesting instead that the Gospels were the works of deceitful individuals.
According to Ibn Ḥazm, one of these four confusing stories must be untrue. Such untruths, however, cannot be attributed to God, nor a Prophet, neither of any truthful person. Ibn Hazm also points out that Saint John had translated the Gospel of Matthew from Hebrew to Greek and therefore he must have come across the differences in the two accounts. These clear contradictions are sufficient proof, Ibn Hazm claims, “that the Gospels are the works of accursed liars (min ʿamal kādhibīn malʿūnīn).“7
- Edgar Krentz, The Historical-Critical Method (Fortress Press, 1975), p. 4[↩]
- Abdul Rashied Omar, Ibn Hazm On The Doctrine of Tahrif (unpublished thesis, 1992), p. 34[↩]
- “Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee ; And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim : That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles ; The people which sat in darkness saw great light ; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up. From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent : for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea : for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets and followed him. And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets ; and he called them. And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.” (Mt. 4 : 12 – 22)[↩]
- “Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand : repent ye, and believe the gospel. Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea : for they were fishers. And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men. And straightway they forsook their nets and followed him. And when he had gone a little further thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets. And straightway he called them : and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after him.” (Mk. 1 : 14 – 20)[↩]
- “And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret, And saw two ships standing by the lake : but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets. And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon’s, and prayed to him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people out of the ship. Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing : nevertheless, at thy word I will let down the net. And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes : and their net brake.And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me ; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken : And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not ; from henceforth thou shalt catch men. And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him.” (Lk. 5 : 1 – 11)[↩]
- “Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples ; And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God ! And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye ? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou ? He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day : for it was about the tenth hour. One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona : thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.” (Jn. 1 : 35 – 42)[↩]
- As cited from Abdul Rashied Omar, Ibn Hazm On The Doctrine of Tahrif (unpublished thesis, 1992), p. 34[↩]
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