The gentle answer to the Muslim accusation of biblical falsification / Gordon Nickel. [print]

Columbia International University Faculty Author

Section One Invitation to read and reason The Qur'an's respectful view of the Bible The respectful view of Muslim exegetes Tales of intact scriptures The matter of the messenger The accusation is false

Section Two Questions and answers Judging by false assumptions One gospel in four accounts Reliability of the New Testament Reliability of the Hebrew scriptures The strength of many manuscripts

Section Three Muslim uncertainties about the Qur'an Questions scholars ask about the Qur'an Contradictions and alterations Confusion about the collection Crucial weakness on history Variants in manuscripts and readings

Section Four Prophecy and fulfillment The one who was to come Look! The Lamb of God "You are my son" "You must listen to him" The promised counselor

The Gentle Answer is a scholarly response to a claim that many Muslims have made in relation to non-Muslims for more than 1200 years: that the text of the Bible is corrupt and/or falsified. Since critical writing on the Bible is more abundant and has a longer history, Muslim polemicists have selectively used Western biblical criticism in an attempt to support the traditional Muslim accusation of biblical falsification. Only quite recently have the techniques used in biblical criticism been applied to the Qur'an. The Gentle Answer responds to the Muslim claims by placing the Bible and the Qur'an on a level scholarly playing field to show that questions about the Qur'an are at least as challenging as questions about the Bible. The Gentle Answer invites Muslims into a conversation about the contents of the scriptures themselves. Respect for the conversation partner means taking issues of truth seriously. It means doing one's best to thoroughly understand accusations. It also means commending one's own faith in terms of the partner's worldview. Differences in faith between Muslims and non-Muslims show no sign of going away in the years to come. But in a world of considerable political tension and violence, Muslims and non-Muslims must seize the freedom to openly discuss their differences together while nurturing mutual respect and committing to peaceful coexistence.

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Gordon Nickel was born in Vancouver, Canada in 1953 and spent 6 years of his childhood with missionary parents in India, where he attended boarding school in the Palni Hills. Since beginning his studies in Islam at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in 1986 he has taught in Canada, USA, Pakistan and India. He completed his PhD under Dr Andrew Rippin in 2004. Gordon works as Director of the Centre for Islamic Studies at SAIACS in Bangalore. His research area is the Quran and its commentaries, and he is currently writing a Christian commentary on the Quran for HarperCollins.