WHO IS THE
COMFORTER?
by Silas
INTRODUCTION
EARLY
ISLAMIC WRITINGS AND CLAIMS
REVIEW AND
DISCUSSION OF THE NEW TESTAMENT TEXTS
THE EARLY
CHURCH’S VIEW OF THE COMFORTER
GENERAL
MUSLIM QUESTIONS AND RESPONSES
GENERAL QUESTIONS
EXAMPLE #1 – AKBARALLY MEHERALLY’S
WORK
EXAMPLE #2 – MAURICE BUCAILLE’S
WORK
EXAMPLE #3 – ZAKIR NAIK’S WORK
SUMMARY
CHALLENGE TO
THE MUSLIM
PRAYER OF
SALVATION
REFERENCES
INTRODUCTION
THE NEW
TESTAMENT TEXTS CONCERNING THE COMFORTER
The Greek word for Comforter is
parakletos. The most familiar
translation of this Greek word is Comforter, but a better translation is
Counselor or Advocate, as in a legal sense.
However, I will use Comforter since it is the most familiar translation.
Below are
the New Testament texts concerning the Comforter.
JOHN
14:15-17: "If you love me you will
obey what I command. And I will ask the
Father and He will give you another Comforter to be with you forever - the
Spirit of Truth. The world cannot
accept him because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him for he lives with you and will be in you."
JOHN
14:25, 26: "All this I have spoken
while still with you. But the
Comforter, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you
all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you."
JOHN
15:26: "When the Comforter comes,
whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from
the Father, he will testify about me."
JOHN
16:7,8: "But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going
away. Unless I go away, the Comforter
will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes he will convict the world of
guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment...."
JOHN
16:13-15: "But when he, the Spirit
of Truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own, he will speak only what he hears,
and he will tell you what is yet to come.
He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it know
to you. All that belongs to the Father
is mine. That is why I said the Spirit
will take from what is mine and make it known to you."
Jesus spoke to his disciples about the
Comforter and said that the Comforter was the Holy Spirit. However, some 600 years later, Muhammad
claimed that the Scriptures of the Jews and Christians predicted that another
prophet would arise and that he (Muhammad) was that prophet. To support Muhammad’s claim early Islamic
writings state that Muhammad was the Comforter. Today, despite the evidence, many Muslims obstinately insist that
Muhammad was the Comforter and labor to find material in the Scriptures to make
Muhammad's words ring true – otherwise Muhammad would be revealed to be both a
liar and false prophet. This article
reviews and discusses the evidence that the Holy Spirit, not Muhammad, is the
Comforter. It addresses some good
questions poised by Muslims regarding the Comforter, and it critiques Muslim
writings asserting that Muhammad is the Comforter".
Note:
Unless stated, all Biblical quotes are taken from the New International
Version [1], and all Quranic quotes are taken from Dawood’s translation of the
Koran. [2]
EARLY
ISLAMIC WRITINGS AND CLAIMS
Muhammad’s claim that the Bible
foretold him is stated in the Quran, sura (chapter) 7:157:
"... to those that shall follow the
apostle - the unlettered prophet, whom they shall find described in the Torah
and the Gospel ..."
Thus, the
Quran states that both the writings of the O.T. and N.T. foretell Muhammad.
Additionally the Quran 61:6 states that
Jesus foretold another apostle to come:
"And
of Jesus the son of Mary, who said to the Israelites: 'I am sent forth to you from God to confirm the Torah already
revealed, and to give news of an apostle that will come after me whose name is
Ahmad'. Yet when he brought them clear
signs, they said: 'This is plain
sorcery.'"
In the Hadith collection of Sahih
Muslim, vol 4, #5810, Muhammad is reported to have said that his name was also
Ahmad. [3]
Jubair b. Mut'im reported on the
authority of his father that he heard Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him)
as saying: I am Muhammad and I am Ahmad, …
The
translator (Abdul Hamid Siddiqi) of Sahih Muslim notes that this is in
reference to the 'Comforter' that Jesus spoke of.
In the Sirat Rasulallah, the earliest
extant biography of Muhammad written by Ibn Ishaq, a specific claim is made
asserting that Muhammad is the Comforter.
On pages 103 and 104 of Guillaume's translation (The Life of Muhammad), the
alleged prediction is described.
Ishaq's work mis-quotes the New Testament and takes it out of context,
and references several non-biblical works in his support as proof. Below is part of the quote from The Life of
Muhammad, pages 103, 104: [4]
Among the things which have reached me
about what Jesus the Son of Mary stated in the Gospel which he received from
God for the followers of the Gospel, in applying a term to describe the apostle
of God, is the following. It is
extracted from what John the Apostle set down for them when he wrote the Gospel
for them from the Testament of Jesus Son of Mary: ...But when the Comforter
has come whom God will send to you from the Lord’s presence, and the spirit of
truth which will have gone forth form the Lord’s presence he (shall bear)
witness of me and ye also, because ye have been with me from the beginning.
I have spoken unto you about this that ye should not be in doubt.
The Munahhemana (God bless and preserve him!) in Syriac is Muhammad: in
Greek he is the paraclete.
Guillaume
notes that,
The
passage quoted is John 15:23ff. It is
interesting to note that the citation comes from the Palestinian Syriac
Lectionary and not from the ordinary Bible of the Syriac-speaking Churches. …The most interesting word is that rendered
Comforter which we find in the Palestinian Lectionary, but all other Syriac
versions render paraclete, following the Greek. This word was well established in the Hebrew and Aramaic speaking
world. The menahhemana in Syriac means
the lifegiver and especially one who raises from the dead. Obviously such a meaning is out of place
here and what is meant is one who consoles and comforts people for the loss of
one dear to them. This is the meaning
in the Talmud and Targum. It ought to
be pointed out that by the omission of the words that is written before in
the law quite another meaning is given to the prophecy. The natural rendering would be the word
that concerns the Namus must be fulfilled.
Guillaume is stating that the Ibn Ishaq
quote is corrupted, i.e. inaccurate or tampered with. Ibn Ishaq recorded versions of history that he heard from sources
he assumed to have some degree of reliability.
However, they could have been mistaken or Ibn Ishaq could have altered
the material to fit his understanding.
Additionally, Ibn Ishaq often records conflicting versions of historical
events. He would record historical
information that he himself disagreed with, or doubted, in order to record
plausible historic options.
These claims, and a few others, lead
Muslims to believe that Muhammad is the Comforter.
REVIEW AND
DISCUSSION OF THE NEW TESTAMENT TEXTS
First, let the New Testament texts
speak for themselves. They clearly
state that the Comforter is the Holy Spirit.
There is no ambiguity about this.
Consequently Muhammad is not the Comforter based upon what the Bible
explicitly states.
Second let us take the context of the
texts into account. If you are going to
understand any passage of Scripture you must understand its context. When Jesus spoke these words in John it was
His last ministerial time with His disciples prior to His death, crucifixion,
and resurrection. Jesus is being very
intimate with them. Understand then,
when he speaks to them He is including them – these very disciples,
specifically. These are the men He knew
best and loved; they were His friends.
These were His final words to them, and He wanted them to know what was
in store.
Therefore, knowing that these passages
of John are being spoken intimately between Jesus and His disciples there are
several key points we can discover concerning the Comforter and His
relationship with Jesus’ disciples.
John
14:16 And
I will ask the Father and He will give you another Comforter to be with you
forever - the Spirit of Truth.
The
Comforter will be with these disciples forever.
Jesus promised the Comforter would be with these disciples forever. Muhammad could not be the Comforter because
he wasn't born until over 500 years later - following the deaths of these
disciples. He was born around 570 and
died around 632 AD.
John
14:17 But
you know him for he lives with you and will be in you.
The
Comforter lives with the disciples already now and will later be 'in' them.
The Holy Spirit came to the disciples and indwelt them. Muhammad could not be the Comforter because
first he wasn't around at the time when Jesus was speaking to his disciples nor
second could he ever be in any of the disciples.
The Greek word is 'en', and it means 'right inside'. Jesus is saying that the Comforter will be
'right inside' of the disciples.
John
14:26 The
Comforter is specifically described as the Holy Spirit.
The Comforter is not a man.
Muhammad could not be the Comforter because he was never the Holy
Spirit.
John
14:26 The
Comforter will be sent in Jesus' name. The Holy Spirit
represented the Lord on earth. No
Muslim believes that Muhammad was sent by God in Jesus name. Muhammad did not come in Jesus' name, as the
apostle of Jesus, rather he came in his own name with his own questionable
revelations.
John
14:26 But the Comforter, the Holy
Spirit whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will
remind you of everything I have said to you."
The
Comforter will teach these disciples and remind them of what Christ said to
them. As the early Christians grew the Holy Spirit
taught them. Muhammad is not the
Comforter because he never knew the disciples and he didn't teach these
disciples, and Muhammad never reminded the disciples of what Christ said.
John
15:26 When the Comforter comes, whom
I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the
Father, he will testify about me.
The
Comforter would be sent to these disciples. These disciples received
the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost.
Muhammad was never sent to these disciples.
John
16:13 But when he, the Spirit of
Truth comes, he will guide you into all truth.
The
Comforter will guide these disciples into all truth.
These disciples (and others) grew in the knowledge of God through the
revelations from the Holy Spirit.
Muhammad never guided these disciples into any truth.
John
16:13 He will not speak on his own,
he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
The
Comforter will speak to these disciples. These disciples grew to
know the leading of the Holy Spirit, i.e. they knew His voice. Muhammad never spoke to these disciples.
John
16:14 He will bring glory to me by
taking from what is mine and making it known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and
make it known to you.
The
Comforter will take from Jesus and make it known to the disciples.
Muhammad never knew Jesus and never took from Jesus and made it known to
anyone.
The context of these passages shows
clearly that Muhammad could not be the Comforter. Jesus was not speaking of another person to come at a later
date. Jesus’ precious final words to
His disciples were meant for them.
Jesus was not merely preaching a sermon to be analyzed and
intellectually talked about through the centuries, rather, He was giving His
the disciples with Him there His final commands, love, and encouragement.
Here's a question for you to consider:
In Islamic theology, Muhammad rendered Jesus’ message fulfilled or ended because
Muhammad brought God’s latest message to the people. Muhammad expected
that true believers in God would accept Islam. Therefore, if Jesus was foretelling
Muhammad, wouldn’t Jesus be prophesying that his ministry will be rendered void
by the Paraclete? Read the context of the passages and decide.
Further, to fulfill exactly what Jesus
foretold concerning the Comforter and His relationship with the disciples, the
New Testament records the fulfillment of the coming of the Holy Spirit and the
disciples receiving Him. The disciples
received the Comforter - the Holy Spirit, on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2:3,
4. The Comforter was now in the
disciples and He remained in them from then on and taught them
just as Jesus had said He would.
THE
EARLY CHURCH’S VIEW OF THE COMFORTER
The writings of the early Church
Fathers also mention the Comforter, or Paraclete. Below are some of their statements on His identity. These early Church Fathers lived during the
first 3 centuries of Christianity.
Note:
Quotes are taken from The Ante-Nicene Fathers
edited by Rev. Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson, AGES Software, Albany, Oregon© 1996, 1997 [5]
THE EPISTLE OF IGNATIUS TO THE PHILIPPIANS
Page 224
What is His name, or what His Son’s name, that we may know?
And there is also one Paraclete. For there is also, saith [the Scripture], one
Spirit, since we have been called in one hope of our calling. And again,
We have drunk of one Spirit, with what follows. And it is manifest that all these
gifts [possessed by believers] worketh one and the self-same Spirit. There are
not then either three Fathers, or three Sons, or three Paracletes, but one Father, and one Son,
and one Paraclete.
FRAGMENTS OF CLEMENS ALEXANDRINUS
Page 1155
The old things which were done by
the prophets and escape the observation of most, are now revealed to you by the
evangelists. For to you, he says, they are manifested by the Holy
Ghost, who was sent; that is the Paraclete, of whom the Lord said, If I
go not away, He will not come.
TERTULLIAN AGAINST
PRAXEAS;
Page 1083
He will come to judge the quick and the dead; who sent also from heaven from the Father, according to His own promise, the Holy Ghost, the Paraclete, the sanctifier of the faith of those who believe in the Father, and in the Son, and in the Holy Ghost.
Page 1094
Happily the Lord Himself employs
this expression of the person of the Paraclete, so as to signify not a division or
severance, but a disposition (of mutual relations in the Godhead); for He says,
I will pray the Father, and He shall send you another Comforter ... even the
Spirit of truth,
ORIGEN DE PRINCIPIIS, BOOK 2, CHAPTER 7
ON THE HOLY SPIRIT
It is time, then, that we say a few
words to the best of our ability regarding the Holy Spirit, whom our Lord and
Savior in the Gospel according to John has named the Paraclete.
We must therefore know that the
Paraclete is the Holy Spirit, who teaches truths ...
But the Paraclete, who is called
the Holy Spirit, ...
In the case of the Holy Spirit, the
Paraclete ...
Above are the
statements of 4 of the Ante-Nicene Church Fathers. They state that the Comforter is the Holy Spirit. From the time of Jesus through the history
of the early church the early Christians believed that the Comforter was the
Holy Spirit. There was no confusion or
uncertainty on their part regarding the identity of the Comforter.
QUESTIONS
AND ASSERTIONS ABOUT THE COMFORTER
There exist some very good questions concerning
the Comforter and these need to be answered.
Also, there are some Muslim assertions that bear a closer
examination. I will try to answer the
questions, and assess the assertions.
1) QUESTION ON WHO JESUS MEANT BY YOU
WHEN ADDRESSING THE DISCIPLES REGARDING THE COMFORTER
QUESTION:
Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad used to say
'you' to their followers but really it was a general expression for those who
follow their teachings. For example,
Jesus told his followers that they would see him coming back to the earth and
all of them have since died. Couldn't
Jesus have meant the disciples in general, specifically the future ones, when
speaking about the Comforter?
ANSWER:
Examine John chapters 13 through
17. This was the time when Christ was
alone with His disciples. His actions
and dialog with them were very personal.
He washed their feet, predicted His betrayal, comforted them, foretold
the coming of the "Comforter", taught them about 'abiding' in Him,
foretold tribulation for them, and said a most intimate prayer (chapter 17) for
them and Himself. If you review all of
this, you will see that Jesus was not speaking in a general term of 'you', to
the possible exclusion of these men, but at the very least He was speaking to
those with Him His disciples. And
later on they experienced what Jesus foretold they received the Comforter.
I encourage all Muslims to read John
chapters 13 through 17. Be sincere in
your reading, ask God to guide you. You
will see that Jesus was speaking very dearly to His disciples.
2) QUESTION ON THE GREEK WORD PNEUMA.
QUESTION:
The Greek word for spirit is
'pneuma'. It is of neutral gender and
uses the pronoun "it".
Whereas, in almost all the verses referring to Paraclete the pronoun
used is "he". Does this imply
that the Comforter be a human male?
ANSWER:
The Greek word 'pneuma' is of neuter
gender, but, the Greek pronoun for "it", "he" and
"she" is the same word used for the 3rd person
singular. The pronoun's gender is
determined by the context. In most texts
the pronoun used with the word pneuma is translated "HE" because
the Holy Spirit is a personage not an 'it'.
Simply because the Greek language uses a neuter noun for a word does not
mean the word should translate into English using neuter pronouns. For example, the Greek word for
"heaven" is masculine, but you would not translate a phrase into
English "I am looking forward to heaven, he will be beautiful."
3) QUESTION ON WHO IS THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH
AND SPIRIT OF ERROR
QUESTION:
In 1 John 4:6, the terms "the
spirit of truth" and "the spirit of error" are used for human
beings. Does this imply that the
Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, be a human?
ANSWER:
This verse is not referring to human
beings. Humans are humans, spirits are
spirits. For example, refer to 1 Tim.
4:1 "The Spirit clearly says that in the later times some will abandon the
faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons." There is
a difference between spirits and humans.
Note also, in this verse, the Spirit is speaking and teaching the
disciples.
4) QUESTION ON THE NATURE OF THE COMFORTER
QUESTION:
Since Jesus was a Comforter, shouldn't
the foretold another Comforter also be a man? Wouldn’t Muhammad be a better fit because he also was a man,
like Jesus?
ANSWER:
The Holy Spirit is like Jesus. Not as in a physical body, but as in
Nature. a) II Cor 3:17 states "Now
the Lord is the Spirit... There is a
relationship between the Spirit and the Lord, and both are said to dwell in the
believer (see Romans 8:9-11). Galatians
2:20 says "...Christ lives in me...". Galatians 4:6,7 states "God has sent the Spirit of His Son
into our hearts.." Acts 16:6,7
states the Holy Spirit and the Spirit of Jesus are the same.
Finally Jesus and Muhammad didn't have
much in common, outside of physical characteristics. When it comes to character and actions, the two men were worlds
apart. Muhammad murdered people,
massacred people, tortured people, allowed female slaves to be raped, sent his
men out to kill, steal, and enslave.
Muhammad changed his laws when the situation changed As a result of Muhammad’s lack of moral
integrity, the Islamic world today bears his fruit. Take a look at the world’s Islamic nations today. Most of them are near the bottom of the
scale. They are plagued by poverty,
oppression of women, denial of basic civil rights and freedoms, rent by civil
war, killings in Islam’s name, and war with their neighbors. Don’t blame the people or culture, blame
the religion that has shaped the culture.
The world would have probably been a much better place had not Muhammad
come along.
5) QUESTION ON THE CORRUPTION OF THE GREEK
TEXTS
QUESTION:
Could the term Holy in John in
today's text have come from a later addition made quite deliberately.
ANSWER:
There are hundreds of Greek manuscripts
that pre-date Islam, and all of the
earliest, most important Greek texts with this passage have Holy in them.
6) QUESTION ON THE PRESENCE OF THE SPIRIT ON
EARTH AND WITHIN PEOPLE WELL BEFORE JESUS MENTIONED THE COMFORTER
QUESTION:
The Spirit was present on earth before
Christ’s birth and people were filled with the Spirit (Elizabeth in Luke 1:41
and Zechariah in Luke 1:67), so, if the Holy Spirit were already present on
Earth, even during Jesus time, then how could the Comforter be the Holy
Spirit? Remember, Jesus said that He
needed to depart before the Comforter could come.
ANSWER:
The receiving of the Comforter by the disciples eclipsed the previous filling or moving others before them had experienced. The ministry of the Holy Spirit, i.e. the Comforter within and without these disciples would be taking on a deeper, more intimate function, and the disciples would continue to know their Lord Jesus through the Holy Spirit. The disciples were going to have the Holy Spirit bond with them: He was going to dwell with them, be in them, live in them. This was more than what previous people had experienced. Their experience would be a greater revealing to man of the Holy Spirit’s role, and they would continue to know and experience Jesus.
The Expositor’s Bible Commentary states: [6]
14:16-17
The
Spirit’s function is to represent God to the believer as Jesus did in his
incarnate state. Another (allon) means another of the same kind, not of
a different kind. The concept of the Holy Spirit was not new, for the Spirit of
God was the active agent in creation (Gen 1:2) and in remonstrating with men
who were sinning against God (Gen 6:3). He called and empowered men to do
unusual deeds Judges 3:10; 13:24-25; 14:6, 19; 15:14) and to prophesy (Zech
7:12). John the Baptist had predicted that Jesus would baptize with the Holy
Spirit (Matt 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; John 1:33). In his discussion of the
new birth, Jesus had already spoken to Nicodemus of the work of the Holy Spirit
(John 3:5). The ministry of the Spirit, however, would be directed primarily to
the disciples. He would direct their decisions, counsel them continually, and
remain with them forever. He would be invisible to all and un-apprehended by
the world at large since the world would not recognize him. To use a modern
metaphor, he would not operate on the world’s wavelength. His presence was
already with the disciples insofar as they were under his influence. Later, he
would indwell them, when Jesus himself had departed. This distinction marks the
difference between the Old Testament experience of the Holy Spirit and the
post-Pentecostal experience of the church. The individual indwelling of the
Spirit is the specific privilege of the Christian believer (see John 7:39).
16:7
Jesus
told the disciples that his separation from them was in their best interest. As
long as he was with them in person, his work was localized; and it would be
impossible to communicate with them equally at all times and in all places. The
coming of the Counselor would equip them for a wider and more potent
ministry.
7) QUESTION ON WHY JESUS HAD TO LEAVE IN ORDER FOR THE COMFORTER TO COME
QUESTION:
IF THE COMFORTER IS THE HOLY SPIRIT, THEN WHY DID JESUS HAVE TO LEAVE IN ORDER FOR HIM TO COME? AFTER ALL, THE HOLY SPIRIT WAS ALREADY PRESENT IN MEN’S LIVES DURING CHRIST’S TIME.
The New International Commentary on the New Testament [7]
answers this precisely:
He can come only when Jesus goes
away (16:7). This appears to mean that
the work of the Spirit in the believer is a consequence of the saving work of
Christ and not something separate from it.
The same truth may be implied in the statement that the Spirit is sent
in the name of Jesus (14:26). It is
only because Christ has died for us and put away our sin that the Holy Spirit
can be found at work within our hearts.
Because the receiving of the Comforter is really about the
new birth, i.e. being born of the Spirit, then it was necessary for Christ to
fulfill His mission, (His death and resurrection for the forgiveness of sins)
in order for men to be cleansed from their sinful nature and become a new
creation by receiving the Comforter.
EXAMPLES
OF CURRENT ISLAMIC WRITINGS
Let us examine some Islamic writings from
Muslim spokesmen found on their webpages or books concerning the
Comforter. Let us test the logic,
honesty, and soundness of their work.
1) AKBARALLY MEHERALLY AND THE ANCHOR BIBLE
Frequently various Muslims quote from
Appendix 5 of the Anchor Bible, [8] written by Dr. Ray Brown, because they find
a quote or two that seems to support their contention that the Comforter is a
man. Because of the detailed nature of
Brown’s work, most Muslims will not put forth the effort to actually comprehend
what they read. For example, take a
look at this webpage from Akbarally Meherally:
http://www.mostmerciful.com/paraclete.htm
[9]
MEHERALLY’S
PRESENTATION AND MY COMMENTS
Here are some quotes from the beginning
of his article.
This presentation should revolutionize
the present day Christian concept for the coming of "PARACLETE" that
was foretold by JESUS
Presentation is based upon exhaustive studies carried out by the reputable biblical
scholars of our era and published in the famous ANCHOR BIBLE.
(see Meherally's INDEX page)
Please read the following exhaustive
study done by the biblical scholars of international and interfaith scope to
know the real truth about this misunderstood personality of "The
Paraclete" who was to come after Jesus. Was this Paraclete once regarded
as an independent salvific male figure like Jesus and later confused with the
Holy Spirit? (near the beginning of the article)
His lead-in sounds exciting for a
Muslim claim doesn’t it? Meherally
implies that he has found some Christian scholarship that is going to
revolutionize Christian thinking on the Holy Spirit, and point us
toward the Comforter being a man, namely Muhammad.
If you examine Meherally’s presentation
you find a number of the Anchor Bible pages scanned and posted. It is a very busy post, filled with
underlining and shading. It certainly
looks like Meherally was finding juicy bits of information to support his claim
that Muhammad was the real Paraclete. Let us examine the Anchor Bible in detail and find out its
true position on the identity of the Comforter.
In the beginning of Appendix 5 in the
Anchor Bible, Vol 29A, Brown states exactly what he intends to do. Here is his opening paragraph.
The word Parakletos is peculiar in the
NT to the Johannine literature (the
writings of John in the New Testament). In 1 John ii 1 Jesus is a parakletos (not a
title), serving as a heavenly intercessor with the Father. In five passages in John (xiv 15-17, 26; xv
26-27; xvi 7 – 11, 12-14) the title
parakletos is given to someone who is not Jesus, nor an intercessor, nor in
heaven. Christian tradition has
identified this figure as the Holy Spirit, but scholars like Spitta, Delafosse,
Windisch, Bultmann, and Betz have doubted whether this identification is true
to the original picture and have suggested that the Paraclete was once an
independent salvific figure, later confused with the Holy Spirit. To test
this claim we shall begin by isolating under four headings the information that
John gives in the Paraclete passages, keeping the resultant picture distinct from
what is said in the NT about the Holy Spirit.
Brown clear states that he is going to examine the
Scriptures and background material and determine whether the liberal scholar’s claim
of the Paraclete being a male person is valid. He is going to analyze the Comforter passages on their own merit
and not fold in other Scriptures on the Holy Spirit from the New Testament. It is
a long examination by Dr. Brown, and needs to be read slowly. If you try to read it
too quickly, as we all do from time to time, you will miss important details.
Here are some of the key points that
are established by Dr. Brown:
1) On page 1136
Thus the basic functions of the
Paraclete are twofold: he comes to the
disciples and dwells within them, guiding and teaching them about Jesus; but he
is hostile to the world and puts the world on trial.
2) On page 1137
The Paraclete is a witness in defense
of Jesus and a spokesman for him in the context of his trial by his enemies; the
Paraclete is a consoler of the disciples for he takes Jesus’ place among them;
the Paraclete is a teacher and guide of the disciples and thus their helper.
3) On page 1139
It is our contention that John
presents the Paraclete as the Holy Spirit in a special role, ...
Appendix 5 of the Anchor Bible
discusses the characteristics of the Comforter. It notes that several liberal 'scholars' thought that the
Comforter could have been a man, not the Holy Spirit. Note that these scholars, like Bultmann, denied the miracles of
Jesus. Even the Quran acknowledges
Christ's miracles.
The Anchor Bible details who the
Comforter is (the Holy Spirit), and what His ministry, or function is going to
be (dwelling in the disciples and teaching them). In spite of Meherally’s efforts to show that the Anchor Bible
supports the contention that the Comforter is a man, it is clear by reading the
Anchor Bible that the Comforter is the Holy Spirit. Here are some quotes below.
1) Page 644 of vol 29A - "The OT theme
of "God with us" (the Immanuel of Isa 7:14) is now to be realized in
the Paraclete/Spirit who remains with the disciples forever.
2) Page 1136 - "Thus the basic
functions of the Paraclete are twofold:
he comes to the disciples and dwells within them, guiding and teaching
them about Jesus; but he is hostile to the world and puts the world on
trial."
3) Page 1137 - [this is where the Anchor Bible discredits
Bultmann's theory that the Comforter is a man]
"Earlier in this century the
attempt of the History of Religious School, especially W. Bauer, Windisch, and
Bultmann, to find the origins of the Paraclete in proto-Mandean Gnosticism
enjoyed a certain vogue. Bultmann’s
thesis is that the Paraclete is an adaptation of the Mandean
Yawar.......Michaelis and Behm have subjected this theory to penetrating
criticism, and it has few followers today.
4) Page 1139 - "It is our contention
that John presents the Paraclete as the Holy Spirit in a special role, namely,
as the personal presence of Jesus in the Christian while Jesus is with the
Father."
5) Page 1140 - "Nevertheless, we would
stress that the identification of the Paraclete as the Holy Spirit in 14:26 is
not an editorial mistake, for the similarities between the Paraclete and the
Spirit are found in all the Paraclete passages."
6) Page 1141 - "Thus, the one whom John
calls "another Paraclete" is another Jesus. Since the Paraclete can come only when Jesus departs, the
Paraclete is the presence of Jesus when Jesus is absent. Jesus' promises to dwell within his disciples
are fulfilled in the Paraclete."
CONCLUSION
ON THE COMFORTER FROM THE ANCHOR BIBLE
The Anchor Bible concludes with an
examination of the life of the early church and the relation of the Comforter
to the Christians. Brown starts off by
asking the question:
What brought
the Johannine tradition to put emphasis in the Last Discourse on the Spirit as
the Paraclete, that is, as the continued post-resurrectional presence of Jesus
with his disciples, teaching them and proving to them that Jesus was victorious
and the world was wrong? We suggest
that the portrait of the Paraclete / Spirit answered two problems prominent at
the time of the of the final composition of the Fourth Gospel……
The first problem was the confusion
caused by the death of the apostolic eyewitnesses who were the living chain
between the Church and Jesus of Nazareth. …
The concept of the Paraclete / Spirit
is an answer to this problem. If the
eyewitnesses had guided the Church and if the Beloved Disciple had borne
witness to Jesus in the Johannine community, it was not primarily because of
their own recollection of Jesus. ….
Only the post-resurrectional gift of the Spirit taught them the meaning of what
they had seen (ii 22, xii 16). Their witness was the witness of the Paraclete
speaking through them…The later Christian is no further removed from the
ministry of Jesus than was the earlier Christian, for the Paraclete dwells
within him as he dwelt with the eyewitnesses.
And by recalling and giving new meaning to what Jesus said, the
Paraclete guides every generation in facing new situation; he declares the
things to come (xvi 13).
Finally, the
Anchor Bible concludes here with:
"The
Christian need not live with his eyes constantly straining toward the heavens from
which the Son of Man is to come; for, as the Paraclete, Jesus is present
within all believers." (page
1143).
REVIEW OF
MEHERALLY’S ACTUAL WORK
Meherally is keen to prove that
Muhammad is the Comforter. In fact he
is so eager that he failed to understand what he read.
So allow me to draw your attention back
to three of Meherally’s bold statements presented as the purpose of his writings
and website:
1) CRITICAL IN-DEPTH STUDIES OF CHRISTIANITY,
ISLAM, ISMAILISM, EVOLUTION AND ATHEISM!
Where was Meherally’s In-Depth study? All he did was copy and paste a handful of
pages from the Anchor Bible Dictionary, add some underlings, shading, and a few
comments at the end. I certainly hope
Muslims do not consider that to be ‘in-depth.
Meherally did not bother to comprehend what he was reading. The Anchor Bible’s conclusions state that
the Comforter is the Holy Spirit, and the Anchor Bible actually contests and
undercuts those that argue otherwise.
Had Meherally understood that he would not have put used the Anchor
Bible’s material on his site. He
essentially used material that proves him wrong.
2) MUST READ This
presentation should revolutionize the present day Christian concept for the
coming of "PARACLETE" that was foretold by JESUS Presentation is based upon exhaustive
studies carried out by the reputable biblical scholars of our era and published
in the famous ANCHOR BIBLE.
Where is Meherally’s analysis? Where is his discussion of the actual
Scriptural verses and quotes from the Anchor Bible? Also, isn’t it misleading that Meherally would imply that he is
putting something that would revolutionize the
present day Christian concept…?
After all, hasn’t the Anchor Bible been in publication for many
years? Hasn’t this knowledge been
available for the public? Why is
Meherally implying that he is coming up with some new, powerful, dynamic
revelation that is going to impact Christianity?
3) Please read the following exhaustive study
done by the biblical scholars of international and interfaith scope to know the
real truth about this misunderstood personality of "The Paraclete"
who was to come after Jesus. Was this Paraclete once regarded as an independent
salvific male figure like Jesus and later confused with the Holy Spirit?
Here Meherally makes two comments. The first implies that he has uncovered some
hidden or not well know truth. The
second is a question regarding various peoples beliefs - was the Paraclete once
regarded as male figure? My response is
that people in the West enjoy freedom of thought, freedom of religion, freedom
of speech. Islam denies these
rights. Consequently, it should be no
surprise to anyone that there are different opinions about various topics. There are thousands of different religions
in the West, and their followers do not have to fear death as they would if
they lived in Muslim lands. In Muslim
countries people who leave Islam are punished or even put to death. So, because the Anchor Bible notes and
discusses various people’s beliefs does not mean those beliefs are endorsed.
Meherally states near
the end of his article:
2. If
the followers of Jesus were to believe that Jesus - a Paraclete, "is present within all believers " then the visualized Johannine picture of Father sending "another paraclete"
to guide the mankind into all truth, is made redundant.
RESPONSE
Meherally failed to understand what he
reads. Over and over again the Anchor
Bible states that the Comforter is the Holy Spirit. Jesus is present within all believers via the Comforter, i.e. the
Holy Spirit. There is no
redundancy.
In the following
quotes we shall let the Anchor Bible speak for itself.
"It is our contention that
John presents the Paraclete as the Holy Spirit in a special role, namely, as
the personal presence of Jesus in the Christian while Jesus is with the
Father…. "Nevertheless, we would stress that the identification of the
Paraclete as the Holy Spirit in 14:26 is not an editorial mistake, for the
similarities between the Paraclete and the Spirit are found in all the Paraclete
passages…."Thus, the one whom John calls "another Paraclete" is
another Jesus. Since the Paraclete can
come only when Jesus departs, the Paraclete is the presence of Jesus when Jesus
is absent. Jesus' promises to dwell
within his disciples are fulfilled in the Paraclete….
"The
Christian need not live with his eyes constantly straining toward the heavens from
which the Son of Man is to come; for, as the Paraclete, Jesus is present
within all believers."
CONCLUSION ON MEHERALLY’S WORK
I will quote from
the Anchor Bible’s main body of work (page 644) instead of appendix 5 to show
the reader where it stood all along.
We shall see in App. V that the Spirit of Truth is a
Paraclete precisely because he carries on the earthly work of Jesus. The Paraclete/Spirit will differ from Jesus
the Paraclete in that the Spirit is not corporeally visible and his presence
will only be by indwelling in the disciples.
The OT theme of God with us (the Immanuel of Isa vii 14) is now to be
realized in the Paraclete/Spirit who remains with the disciples forever.
The Anchor Bible
& Brown leave us no doubt about where they stood. Any yet Meherally, thinking he had stumbled across something of
value, foolishly rushed to cut, paste, and post.
Now then, continue
to examine Meherally’s work. What did Meherally present that was his own work
other than a few comments at the end of a long cut and paste job? Was there anything of note? Did Meherally provide any thought provoking
insights or observations? I don’t think
so. A few glib comments at the end of
an article is not research, not a proof, not even a good argument. Let me ask the
Muslim reader: Do you think
Meherally’s work is comprehensive and reliable?
There is little for
me to do to refute Meherally. He did
not comprehend what he read, and he did not provide any real work of his
own. Meherally’s work is like cotton
candy: it looks large on the outside
but once you tear into it, you find it is mostly fluff and has little
substance!
EXAMPLE #2
THE
BIBLE, THE QURAN, AND SCIENCE, by MAURICE BUCAILLE
Maurice Bucaille states in his introduction of his book
The Bible, The Quran, and Science, It was in a totally
objective spirit, and without any preconceived ideas thta I first examined the Quranic Revelation.
... I repeated the same test for the Old Testament and the Gospels, always preserving the same
objective outlook. (pages 16 and 17) [10]
Any reader has the right to examine what he reads and
the claims an author makes. Just how objective was this self proclaimed scholar Bucaille?
Let us examine four assertions Bucaille raises and judge his credibility.
ASSERTION #1
On page 111, he says
'It
seems inconceivable that one could ascribe to the Holy Spirit the ability to speak
and declare whatever he hears. Logic
demands that this question be raised....'.
RESPONSE #1
Any quick reading of the N.T. shows
that the Holy Spirit did indeed speak (not audibly) and do many other
things. Refer to these Scriptures as
support: 1 Cor. 2:13, Rev. 14:13, Acts
13:2 . The Holy Spirit communicated to
the disciples. Not all forms of
speaking need to be done via vocal chords.
On the other hand, if Bucaille demands
that all speaking is done via vocal chords then he should judge Muhammad false
because Muhammad used metaphors when referring to speech. At the time Muhammad ingested the poison
that ultimately killed him, he stated:
(From the Kitab al-Tabaqat al-Kabir, by Ibn Sa'd, page 249): [11]
Verily a Jewish woman presented poisoned
(meat of) a she goat to the apostle of Allah.
He took a piece form it, put it into his mouth, chewed it and threw it
away. Then he said to the Companions: "Halt!
Verily, its leg tells me that it is poisoned."
And isn’t there a Quranic verse that
states that Solomon carried on a conversation with an ant? Ants don’t have vocal chords!
Therefore, if Muhammad is allowed to
use a figure of speech to describe non-standard communication, other people
should be allowed to do so also. Goat
legs and ants don’t talk!
ASSERTION #2
On page 112 Bucaille discusses the
Greek words 'akouo' - to hear, and 'laleo' - to speak. He sums up his investigation by saying
"The
two Greek words therefore define concrete actions which can only be applied to
a being with hearing and speech organs.
It is consequently impossible to apply them to the Holy Spirit."
RESPONSE #2
The reasoning applied to response #1 also
applies here. The word and use of
akouo can be found in several other
verses for example: a) God 'hears' -
I John 5:15; (God does not have physical ear organs). b) The law 'hears' -
John 7:51 c) The dead shall 'hear'
- John 5:25.
The word and use of laleo can also be
found in the following verses. a) The
Holy Spirit will be 'speaking' through the disciples - Mark 13:11. b) Angels 'speak' - Luke 1:19, c) the image of the beast 'speaks'
- Rev. 13:15.
So Bucaille's assertion is incorrect. These words
do not exclusively define a being with hearing and speech organs.
A question for the Muslim readers:
Did Bucaille do any legitimate research on this topic to have missed
such an easy point? It only took me 5
minutes to look these words up and find out how they are used. If Bucaille missed or omitted something this
simple, how credible is his work?
ASSERTION #3
Bucaille’s next two paragraphs detail
how he thinks the word 'Holy' does not belong in John's text. This section's last paragraph suggests that
the word 'Holy' could have been added 'later'.
RESPONSE #3
The early Greek texts on this passage
all include holy and many of these were written long before the text in
question. Even the Anchor Bible
commentary discusses this and concludes that holy does belong in
the text. Only a later text missed
holy.
ASSERTION #4
He then states that by omitting 'holy'
the text really means that a future man
(i.e. Muhammad) would be the Comforter.
He says
"According
to the rules of logic therefore, one is brought to see in John's Paraclete a
human being like Jesus, possessing the faculties of hearing and speech formally
implied in John's Greek text."
RESPONSE #4
Since Bucaille’s previous assertion is
wrong, his next assertion collapses.
But Bucaille wants to believe that Muhammad is the Comforter, so he
purposely fails to address the other words Jesus spoke about the Comforter,
such as; He shall be in you (the apostles), He shall teach
you (the apostles), etc...
CONCLUSION
ON BUCAILLE’S WORK
Bucaille was not objective, he was
biased. His work with the Greek
language was shallow, and not well researched.
He made simple assertions that revealed a lack of interest of truth on
his part. The fact that I was able to
find facts that prove Bucaille wrong, with only a little effort, shows that
Bucaille did not have truth, or the presentation of the entire story, as part
of his agenda.
EXAMPLE #3
ZAKIR
NAIK AND THE ISLAMIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION
http://www.irf.net/irf/main.htm
[12]
Zakir Naik is an Islamic
spokesman. He is also supposed to be
a doctor. He calls the material on his
site research. But it is hardly
that. His comment on the Comforter is a
very short section, composed almost entirely of the NT Verses, with just a few
of his comments mixed in. All in all,
it is very thin but I want to address one of his comments below.
PROPHET
MUHAMMAD IN THE NEW TESTAMENT
In the Gospel of John 14:16, 15:26, and 16:7. The word 'Comforter' is used in the English translation for the Greek word Paracletos which means advocate or a kind friend rather than a comforter.
Paracletos is the warped reading
for Periclytos. Jesus actually
prophesied Ahmed by name. Even the Greek word Paraclete refers to the Prophet
who is a mercy for all creatures.
After reading Naik’s assertion above, I have to ask, how much Greek does Naik know? From where does Naik get his information from? How does he know that Parakletos is the warped reading for Periclytos? Does he cite any actual textual support? In fact, let me ask where did Naik get this nonsense? Did he invent it on the spot, or, is he relying upon Ahmad Deedat’s Exhaustive & Comprehensive Manual / Lexicon / Theological Encyclopedia Dictionary of the Greek New Testament?
On the other hand, take a look at Kittel’s Theological Dictionary of the New Testament. This is a 10 volume set that is recognized as one of the top, if not the very top, of Greek New Testament References [13].
On page 800, of volume 5, the study on the Greek word for Comforter is given. The meaning and definition of this word is analyzed from its use in Greek literature, in the Septuagint, in Rabbinical literature, in Philo’s work, in early Christian literature, and in the NT itself. Below are some quotes defining the meaning of parakletos.
Page 801: The use as a noun, attested in secular Greek. From the 4th
century B.C. in the sense of a person called in to help, summoned to give
assistance, gives us the meaning of help in court.
Page 802: In the Rabbis. In the
Hebrew or Aramaic of the Rabbis, in their religious vocabulary … it always
denoted an advocate before God.
Page 802: In Philo. The word also
means advocate consistently in Philo.
Page 803: Thus the history of the term in the whole sphere of know Greek
and Hellenistic usage outside the NT yields the clear picture of a legal
adviser or helper or advocate in the relevant court.
Page 813: More richly developed if more difficult to define is the idea,
expressly attested only in John of a Paraclete at work in the world both in and
for the disciples. Jesus Himself is
regarded as such during His early ministry.
The only description however is that of the Paraclete who after the
departure of Jesus will continue His work and remain for ever with and in the
disciples (14:16f, 26, 16:7, 13f.) This
is the Spirit. Sent by God or Jesus to
the disciples (14:16, 26, 15:26, 16:7) – not to the world, which has no organ
for Him (14:17) – He teaches with all embracing authority and yet with strict
adherence to Jesus and His message, maintaining, expanding and completing the work
of Jesus, leading the disciples into all truth (14:26, 15:26, 16:13f). His witness to Jesus (15:26), however is
also accusation of the world before God’s judgment seat: He convicts the world in respect of sin,
righteousness, and judgment. The is, He
shows that sin is on the side of the world, right and triumph on the of Jesus
)16:8 – 11). The puzzle of combination
of kerygmatic and forensic features in the picture of the Spirit-Paraclete is
solved if we trace back the tradition historically to the OT and Jewish idea of
the advocate.
Here is
another Greek reference that addresses Parakletos.
"Parakletos" is the Greek N.
T. word for "Comforter", literally called to one’s side, i.e.,
to one’s aid. It denotes a legal
assistant, counsel for the defense, an advocate, one who pleads another’s
cause, an intercessor. (From Vine's Exp. Dictionary. of N.T. Words,
p200) [14].
Some Muslims assert that the original
word in the N.T. was 'periklutos' - i.e. 'praised one', which is 'Ahmad' in
Arabic. ['Ahmad', or 'Praised One' is
a name ascribed to Muhammad]. This is a
baseless assertion. There is no evidence at all supporting this claim. There are thousands of N.T. manuscripts
pre-dating Islam and not one of these contains the word 'periklutos', anywhere. Muslims like to charge Christians with
changing their Bible - 'tahrif' (corruption) of their Scriptures, but it is
Muslims who are guilty of 'tahrif' when they claim that the original word was
'periklutos'.
As Cragg says in "Jesus and the
Muslim", p.266:
"There
is however, no textual evidence in any way sustaining such variant reading, and
the manuscript texts of St. John go back to the second century. Moreover, the two Greek words are themselves
compounds and the prefixes and root verbs are both different. Suspicions of textual corruption here would
be completely unfounded, on documentary, grammatical and exegetical
grounds." [15]
Remember, the Muslim claim is based on
a desperate attempt to find Biblical support for Muhammad's statement that the
Bible foretold him. The Bible never
foretold Muhammad so Muslims have thrashed about, twisting the Scriptures,
trying to find some way to make Muhammad's words true – otherwise they would
have to accept that Muhammad was a liar and false prophet.
Further, take for example a portion of
verse 14:16, He will give you another Comforter. If periklutos is used, it read, He will give you another praised
one. This statement is both out of
place in its context and devoid of support elsewhere in the Bible – Jesus is
never called the periklutos or praised one.
However, 1 John 2:1 says:
"...we have one who speaks to the
Father in our defense - Jesus Christ the Righteous One." Here, the Greek word 'Parakletos' is used,
defined as 'one who speaks in our defense'.
John Gilchrist comments here:
Here, the context dictates an advocate
(paraclete), not a 'praised one'. Just
as Christ is our advocate, so He promised to give us an advocate, or Comforter
to be in us. 'Periklutos' could not fit
here. (From Gilchrist, "Is Muhammad
Foretold in the Bible?", p29) [16].
CONCLUSION
ON NAIK’S WORK
Let me ask the reader, in view of the evidence, does Naik have any credibility here? Naik knows he has no logical or textual support, so instead of discussing something he cannot defend, he lies to his readers and misleads them by making a bold statement Paracletos is the warped reading for Periclytos. Sometimes if people cannot reason, or present a sound argument, they shout or make obtuse statements. Here Naik is doing just that: he has no case, so he relies on outrageous statements to fool his Muslim readership.
Naik is supposed to be a medical doctor. Let me ask you, the reader – would you want him making a diagnosis on you? Oh, you have a pain in your stomach, well, I will remove your foot – that will cure you! And that is exactly what Naik is doing here. He is willing and able to deceive his Muslim readership, and he does not want them to search things out for themselves.
Several proofs have been given that establish that the Comforter is the Holy Spirit:
1) The New Testament Scriptures state this clearly.
2) These Scripture’s context allows only the Holy Spirit to fulfill the role relegated to the Comforter.
3) Jesus’ prediction of the Comforter coming to the disciples was fulfilled during Pentecost (see Acts Chapter 1).
4) The early Church Fathers attest that the Comforter is the Holy Spirit.
5) Christian scholarship also demonstrates, through exhaustive study of the Greek texts, (ref. the Anchor Bible Theological Dictionary and other works) that the Comforter is the Holy Spirit.
CONCLUSION
The Comforter is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit came during Pentecost, and
the disciples received Him. As the
disciples continued to live, the words Jesus spoke about the Comforter's
ministry were fulfilled. Christians
today experience the Comforter in their lives as Jesus said that they would.
The
suggestions of various Muslim writers that Muhammad could be the Comforter have
been shown to be inaccurate, implausible, or unworkable due to ignorance of the
Greek language, poorness of thought, or deliberate deception of their
readership.
CHALLENGE
TO THE MUSLIM
The Islamic claims that Muhammad is the
Comforter have been put to the acid test and they dissolved. These claims were weak and failed for
several reasons:
1) the Muslim writers offered no textual proof
to substantiate their assertions
2) they were unable to provide in-depth
references as support
3) they avoided providing the reader with
analysis of the texts because any analysis would show the weakness in their
argument
In other words, the Muslims who wrote
these articles knew deep down that they had no case. But, in order to save face for Muhammad they had to make an
attempt to keep him from looking false.
Don’t you,
the Muslim reader, deserve better than the deceptive ideas Muslim writers have
fed you? I’ve addressed the
assertions, claims, and questions of these prominent Muslim apologists and
polemicists. And I have shown that
their work is deficient. Instead of
presenting a thorough study of The Comforter they opted to present a weak,
inaccurate, and deceptive account, hoping that you, the Muslim reader, would
not think for yourself. They have been
exposed! Shame on them!
Your eternal
destiny is at stake: paradise, or hell. So, why settle for such meager fare from
these Muslim writers who have not presented you the whole truth? They have not researched the subject, and
they did not present to you the facts that were easily accessible at their own
hands. Don’t you deserve better? Your eternal destiny depends on whether or
not you follow Jesus. If Muhammad was a
false prophet wouldn’t you want to know all the facts before you trust Islam to
save your soul?
PRAYER FOR SALVATION
This prayer is written for anyone. This includes Muslims who are seeking the truth and who want to know God in a personal way.
Lord Jesus, I believe in You. I believe that You are the Son of God and the Lord. I believe that You died for my sins and were
raised from the dead. I confess that I
am a sinner and I ask You to come into my heart, cleanse me from my sins, and
forgive me for my sins. I turn to
follow and obey You – I put my faith in you.
I now receive You as Messiah and Lord and totally commit my life to
You.
Amen.
REFERENCES
1) New International Version, pub. by
Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan
2) Dawood, N. J., The Koran, Penguin,
London, England, 1995
3) Muslim, A., "Sahih Muslim", translated
by A. Sidiqqi, International Islamic Publishing House, Riyadh, KSA.
4) Ibn Ishaq, (d.782), "Sirat
Rasulallah", compiled by A. Guillaume
"The Life of Muhammad", Oxford, London, 1955
5) The Ante-Nicene Fathers edited by Rev.
Alexander Roberts AGES Software, Albany, Oregon© 1996, 1997
6) The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, New
Testament, Zondervan Publishing
House 1998 Grand Rapids Michigan
7) The New International Commentary on the
New Testament, edited by Gordon Fee, Eerdmans, 1998
8) The Anchor Bible, Vol 29, Part A, The
Gospel According to John," Raymond Brown, Doubleday, 1966.
9) http://www.mostmerciful.com/paraclete.htm
10) Bucaille, Maurice, The Bible, the Quran,
and Science, Taj Company, 1993
11) Ibn Sa'd, (d. 852 A.D.), "Kitab
al-Tabaqat al-Kabir", translated by S. Moinul Haq, Pakistan Historical
Society.
12) http://www.irf.net/irf/main.htm
13) Theological Dictionary of the New
Testament, edited by G. Kittel and G. Friedrich, Eerdmans
14) Vine's Expository Dictionary of New
Testament Words, Bethany House, p200
15) Cragg, Kenneth, "Jesus and the
Muslim", p266: Oneworld
Publications Ltd
16) Gilchrist, John, "Is Muhammad
Foretold in the Bible?", p29,
Jesus to the Muslims, South Africa
comforter.htm
Rev A: 97-07-08, Rev B: 12-10-97, Rev C: 9/25/01, Rev D: 9 June, 2002
Articles by Silas
Answering Islam Home Page