" If the full meaning of the words of scripture
can be grasped only by studying them in Greek (and Hebrew),
doesn't this mean that most Christians, who don't read ancient languages,
will never have complete access to what God wants them to
know? And doesn't this make the doctrine of inspiration a doctrine
only for the scholarly elite, who have the intellectual skills and leisure
to learn the languages and study the texts by reading them in the original?
What good does it do to say that the words are inspired by God
if most people have absolutely no access to these words, but only to
more or less clumsy renderings of these words into a language, such as
English, that has nothing to do with the original words?...........
I kept reverting to my basic question: how does it help us to say that the Bible is the inerrant word of God if in fact we don't have the words that God inerrantly inspired,
but only the words copied by the scribes—sometimes correctly but
sometimes (many times!) incorrectly? What good is it to say that the
autographs (i.e., the originals) were inspired? We don't have the originals!
We have only errorridden copies, and the vast majority of these are centuries removed from the originals and different from them, evidently, in thousands of ways. "
First of all I would like to clarify that being a Muslim, I am more then 100 percent certain in my conviction of the Quran being 100% the word of God Almighty.
I just find it interesting reading the views of learned men of Christianity which has linkage to the Quran being 'that' word of God some Christians are searching for.
If you seek for a Quran in the world today, it most certainly has the Arabic text in original form as revealed by God together with the English Translation or Transileration. Even if majority of the Muslim population are not Arabic, they still only believe the Arabic part of the Quran to be revealed in it's original pure and prestine form to mankind.
What Bart Ehrman has suggested above - is basically why the Greek words of the bible and why it is not imprinted in the bibles today for the common man to access it? read it? understand it? Why is the English 'translation' of the bible being told as the inerrant word of God?
On a sidenote - we all know Jesus was not Greek either. He did not speak Greek. He spoke Aramaic. But what Bart Ehrman suggested is the original text (of the copies of the manuscripts) that they have is in Greek.
This is a thought provoking question for the learned men of Christianity to answer.
What we are saying is that we have the absolute true words from God - The Quran - The Recital. And it is readily available for any person to have in his possession to understand - to explore - to expound on it. Muslims in turn are inspired to learn the Arabic to further understand the word of God.
And furthermore the author of this Book - God Almighty Himself says:
[4. Surah Nisaa: Ayah 82]
"Do
they not then meditate on the Quran? And if it were from any other than
Allah, they would have found in it many a discrepancy."
[41. Surah Fussilat : Ayah 3]
"A Book of which the verses are made plain, an Arabic Quran for a people who know."
[12. Surah Yusuf : Ayah 2]
"We have sent it down as an Arabic Qur'an, in order that ye may learn wisdom."
[17. Surah Bani Israel : Ayah 106,9]
"And
it is a Quran which We have revealed in portions so that you may read
it to the people by slow degrees, and We have revealed it, revealing in
portions."
"Surely
this Quran guides to that which is most upright and gives good news to
the believers who do good that they shall have a great reward."
Thank you brothers and sisters for taking time to read this. Aim is to gain knowledge and spread knowledge. As Jesus peace be upon him said (He was a Jew).
Shalom Aleichim.
We say Assalamalaikum.
Peace be with all of you :)
Shalom Aleichim.
We say Assalamalaikum.
Peace be with all of you :)
