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Are the evidences the same?
The link can be found here.
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Does this story compare to the resurrection? Let's plunge into the Deeper Waters and find out.
Many times when I argue for the resurrection, I get told that the accounts are just like the accounts of Muhammad's night journey on a horse. Both of them show up in a book. That's it. One should not be said to be more historical than the other. The evidence for both is equal.
First off, much of our knowledge of the ancient world comes from books. Archaeology provides some data, but if all we had was just archaeology, our knowledge would be far far less than what it is. If people want to say something is questionable because it's found in a book, then they will throw out much of our knowledge of the ancient world.
Second, one should treat the Gospels better. (Although of course, the main place is still 1 Cor. 15) They are human and historical and if you treat them differently, you misunderstand and misinterpret them. Sure, these books later became documents of faith for Christianity, but that has no bearing on whether they can be used for historical purposes. It is simply unfair and unscholarly to dismiss them from the historical record.
Yeah. I get it. That sounds like the ravings of a fundamentalist seeking to defend the Gospels. If you think that, you have a problem. I have just simply paraphrased Bart Ehrman with statements he made on pages 72 and 73 of*Did Jesus Exist?*
Third, I offer this challenge when I meet someone who says this. It's no doubt Christians will argue for the truth of their book. Muslims will do the same for theirs. What if we went outside of that? Let's take claims that are in the books that skeptics will grant. What will non-Christian scholars grant about the case surrounding the resurrection of Jesus and what will non-Muslim scholars grant about Muhammad's travel on a horse?
You see, with the Qur'an, this is the passage often discussed.
Exalted is He who took His Servant by night from al-Masjid al-Haram to al-Masjid al- Aqsa, whose surroundings We have blessed, to show him of Our signs. Indeed, He is the Hearing, the Seeing.
Now looking at this, I don't see anything about a flying horse that's usually talked about. Of course, the scholars of Islam know better and if they agree that the account is that of the flying horse, then I will not disagree. I also understand that this passage is explained further in the Hadith. Let's keep in mind the Hadiths come much later, at least a century or so.
There is also the problem that there was no temple and from my understanding, the one that was built that is described in these passages did not come about until 691. Muhammad had been dead for fifty years. I could grant that the passage I see here does not mention a temple, but if the Hadith keeps getting more and more elaborate long after eyewitnesses and has anachronisms, one has to wonder.*
What of non-Muslim scholarship? Now I see nothing granting that this story has any validity in any part there. They could grant the story has been handed down, but I have yet to see someone present the scholarship that non-Muslim scholars will grant.
What of the resurrection of Jesus? The first place people go to is 1 Cor. 15. This includes the death, burial, and resurrection. When we go to the Gospels, we find explicit statements of the empty tomb, although I would argue the empty tomb is explicit in 1 Cor. 15.*
What do skeptical scholars of the NT grant about Jesus?
Let's start with the crucifixion.
What about his burial?
How about the appearances?
Now does this mean that these scholars believe in the resurrection of Jesus? No. Does it mean that they accept the data that we use? Yes. The only exception would be some are not as sure of the empty tomb. Bart Ehrman doesn't even think Jesus was buried for instance.
So compare this to the case for Muhammad's night journey. Do we have the same? No. Does that mean the account of Muhammad is necessarily false? No. It does mean the evidence is not the same. Does it mean the resurrection of Jesus is true? No. It does mean the evidence is not the same.
Of course, anyone can show up here and show scholarship from non-Muslim sources if they think I'm wrong. I would welcome that. The ball is now in their court.
In Christ,
Nick Peters
The link can be found here.
-----
Does this story compare to the resurrection? Let's plunge into the Deeper Waters and find out.
Many times when I argue for the resurrection, I get told that the accounts are just like the accounts of Muhammad's night journey on a horse. Both of them show up in a book. That's it. One should not be said to be more historical than the other. The evidence for both is equal.
First off, much of our knowledge of the ancient world comes from books. Archaeology provides some data, but if all we had was just archaeology, our knowledge would be far far less than what it is. If people want to say something is questionable because it's found in a book, then they will throw out much of our knowledge of the ancient world.
Second, one should treat the Gospels better. (Although of course, the main place is still 1 Cor. 15) They are human and historical and if you treat them differently, you misunderstand and misinterpret them. Sure, these books later became documents of faith for Christianity, but that has no bearing on whether they can be used for historical purposes. It is simply unfair and unscholarly to dismiss them from the historical record.
Yeah. I get it. That sounds like the ravings of a fundamentalist seeking to defend the Gospels. If you think that, you have a problem. I have just simply paraphrased Bart Ehrman with statements he made on pages 72 and 73 of*Did Jesus Exist?*
Third, I offer this challenge when I meet someone who says this. It's no doubt Christians will argue for the truth of their book. Muslims will do the same for theirs. What if we went outside of that? Let's take claims that are in the books that skeptics will grant. What will non-Christian scholars grant about the case surrounding the resurrection of Jesus and what will non-Muslim scholars grant about Muhammad's travel on a horse?
You see, with the Qur'an, this is the passage often discussed.
Exalted is He who took His Servant by night from al-Masjid al-Haram to al-Masjid al- Aqsa, whose surroundings We have blessed, to show him of Our signs. Indeed, He is the Hearing, the Seeing.
Now looking at this, I don't see anything about a flying horse that's usually talked about. Of course, the scholars of Islam know better and if they agree that the account is that of the flying horse, then I will not disagree. I also understand that this passage is explained further in the Hadith. Let's keep in mind the Hadiths come much later, at least a century or so.
There is also the problem that there was no temple and from my understanding, the one that was built that is described in these passages did not come about until 691. Muhammad had been dead for fifty years. I could grant that the passage I see here does not mention a temple, but if the Hadith keeps getting more and more elaborate long after eyewitnesses and has anachronisms, one has to wonder.*
What of non-Muslim scholarship? Now I see nothing granting that this story has any validity in any part there. They could grant the story has been handed down, but I have yet to see someone present the scholarship that non-Muslim scholars will grant.
What of the resurrection of Jesus? The first place people go to is 1 Cor. 15. This includes the death, burial, and resurrection. When we go to the Gospels, we find explicit statements of the empty tomb, although I would argue the empty tomb is explicit in 1 Cor. 15.*
What do skeptical scholars of the NT grant about Jesus?
Let's start with the crucifixion.
What about his burial?
How about the appearances?
Now does this mean that these scholars believe in the resurrection of Jesus? No. Does it mean that they accept the data that we use? Yes. The only exception would be some are not as sure of the empty tomb. Bart Ehrman doesn't even think Jesus was buried for instance.
So compare this to the case for Muhammad's night journey. Do we have the same? No. Does that mean the account of Muhammad is necessarily false? No. It does mean the evidence is not the same. Does it mean the resurrection of Jesus is true? No. It does mean the evidence is not the same.
Of course, anyone can show up here and show scholarship from non-Muslim sources if they think I'm wrong. I would welcome that. The ball is now in their court.
In Christ,
Nick Peters
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