A Muslim Study of Christian
Scripture and History – Part I
A Muslim Study of Christian
Scripture and History
 Part
I: Origins of Christian
Theology and Scripture (600B.C.
to 500C.E)
 Part
II: Modern Bible and Christian
Sectarianism (1000C.E. to 1800C.E.)
27-page source document available at
the bottom of the following web page:
http://cegis.cee.vt.edu/userwebs/mdougher/
Part I: Origins of Christian
Theology and Scripture
What is Scripture?
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NOUN:
1a. A sacred writing or book. b. A passage from such
a writing or book. 2. The sacred writings of the Bible.
Often used in the plural. Also called Holy Scriptures. 3.
scripture A statement regarded as authoritative.
Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000
What is Theology?
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NOUN:
1. The study of the nature of God and religious
truth; rational inquiry into religious questions. 2. A
system or school of opinions concerning God and
religious questions: Protestant theology; Jewish
theology. 3. A course of specialized religious study
usually at a college or seminary.
Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000
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Sources of information
Non-Muslim sources
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Krieger, L.S., Neill, I., and E. Reynolds.
D.C. 1997. World History-Perspectives
on the Past. 5th edition. Heath and
Company, a division of Houghton Mifflin
Company.
Kelly, J.N.D. Early Christian Doctrines.
2nd edition. Harper & Row Publishers,
N.Y. (Oxford Univeristy lecturer in Patristic Studies)
Muslim sources
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Funk, W. Robert., Hoover, Roy. W., and
the Jesus Seminar. 1993. The Five
Gospels: The Search for the Authentic
Words of Jesus. Macmillan Publishing,
N.Y. pp.553.
Kennedy, Brent. 1994. Melungeuns: The
Resurrection of a Proud People. Mercer
University Press.
Adams, Dickenson W. (Ed.). 1983.
Jefferson’s Extracts from the Gospels
“The Philosophy of Jesus” and “The Life
and Morals of Jesus.” Princeton
University Press. Princeton, NJ. pp.438.


Maqsood, Ruqaiyyah Waris. 2000. The
Mysteries of Jesus: A Muslim Study of
the Origins and Doctrines of the
Christian Church. Sakina Books, Oxford,
UK.
Asad, Muhammad. 1975. Islam at the
Crossroads. Arafat Publications. pp.160.
Ali, Abdullah Yusuf. 1989. The Meaning
of the Holy Qur’an. Amana Corporaton,
Maryland. pp.1758.
Quick, Abdullah Hakim. 1990. Deeper
Roots: Muslims in the Caribbean before
Columbus to the Present. AICCLA.
Diouf, Sylviane A. 1998. Servants of
Allah: African Muslims Enslaved in the
Americas. New York University Press.
Historical outline of Near East:
600B.C. to 500C.E.
 Ancient
Persian Empire (600B.C. –
330B.C.)
– Zorastrianism, ancient Babylon, Jews
 Rome
at its height (0C.E.-200C.E.)
– Crucible of modern Christianity
 Byzantine
Empire inherits from
declining Rome (200C.E.-563C.E.)
– Persian Empire a shadow of former
greatness
Rough religious timeline
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2000 B.C. Abraham (pbuh) is prepared to sacrifice his son.
1200 B.C. (?) Moses (pbuh) sent to redeem the children of
Israel
950 B.C. Solomon (pbuh) builds the first temple in
Jerusalem.
587 B.C. King Nebuchandnezzar of Babylon burns the
Temple.
541 B.C. Some Hebrews return to Jerusalem and build a
second Temple.
0 C.E.
Birth of Jesus (pbuh).
30 C.E.
Jesus (pbuh) teaches God’s message to the
“Sons of Israel.”
33 C.E.
Jesus (pbuh) is taken up to heaven by God.
70 C.E.
The Romans destroy the Temple.
Rough religious timeline (cont.)

33 C.E.
70 C.E.
90 C.E.

325 C.E.


Jesus (pbuh) is taken up to heaven by God.
The Romans destroy the Temple.
As Christian era begins, a new ritual develops, the
Eucharist.
Nicean Council convened by Emperor Constantine*
*”Anyone who affirms that the Father pre-existed the Son, or
that the Son is a creature produced out of nothingness, or is
subject to moral change or development, is formally declared
a heretic.”

367 C.E.
381 C.E.

570 C.E.

First official list of 27 books in the New Testament.
Doctrine of “One God in Three Persons” formally
ratified.
Muhammad (pbuh) born in Mecca.
Rise and fall of generations
 [6.6]
Do they not consider how
many a generation We have
destroyed before them, whom We
had established in the earth as We
have not established you, and We
sent the clouds pouring rain on them
in abundance, and We made the
rivers to flow beneath them, then We
destroyed them on account of their
faults and raised up after them
another generation.
Approximate time of Prophet Abraham (as)
~300 years after Prophet Solomon (as)
Assyrians did not destroy Solomon’s
temple in Jerusalem.
Persian Empire
First temple of Solomon destroyed (587 B.C.)
Second temple built (541 B.C.)
Alexander conquers all of Persia (330 B.C.)
Hellenism is born.
Syria and Palestine under Rome (65 B.C.)
Roman province of Judea created (6 C.E.)
Byzantines inherit from the Roman Empire.
Constantine conquers East and West and
ends persecution of Christians.
Moves capital to Constantinople (330 C.E.),
marking the start of Byzantine Empire.
Christianity is the state religion (395 C.E.).
Byzantine Constantinople
Conquered by Muhammad II in 1453 C.E.,
ending the 1,123 year-old Byzantine Empire.
Rise of Islam: 600-750C.E.
Abbasid caliphate 750-1055 C.E.
Selcuk Turks inherit from the Abbasids,
occupying all of Asia Minor and Jerusalem.
Crusades (1096-1270 C.E.) are a direct
response to Muslim conquest of Jerusalem.
Conquest of Constantinople
(1453 C.E.)
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Sent shock waves across the Christian world.
Ottoman State emerged as a great world power.
Ottomans were finally halted at gates of Vienna
(1529 C.E.).
Ottoman empire dismembered after World War I.
Allenby enters Jerusalem, announcing “…the
Crusades have ended.”
Hundreds of trainloads of valuable Muslim
heritage are shipped unceremoniously from
Istanbul to museums and private collectors
across Europe.
How many generations?
 [50.36]
And how many a generation
did We destroy before them who
were mightier in prowess than they,
so they went about and about in the
lands. Is there a place of refuge?
How many towns came before?
 [28.58]
And how many a town
have We destroyed which exulted in
its means of subsistence, so these
are their abodes, they have not been
dwelt in after them except a little,
and We are the inheritors,
Foundation of modern Christianity

33 C.E.
70 C.E.
90 C.E.

325 C.E.


Nicean Council convened by Emperor
Constantine*
*”Anyone who affirms that the Father pre-existed the Son, or that
the Son is a creature produced out of nothingness, or is subject to
moral change or development, is formally declared a heretic.”

367 C.E.
381 C.E.

570 C.E.

Jesus (pbuh) is taken up to heaven by God.
The Romans destroy the Temple.
As Christian era begins, a new ritual develops,
the Eucharist.
First official list of 27 books in the New Testament.
Doctrine of “One God in Three Persons” formally
ratified.
Muhammad (pbuh) born in Mecca.
Message of Jesus (pbuh)
Bismillah (In the name of God)
And (remember) when Jesus, son of Mary,
said: “O Children of Israel! I am the
Messenger of God unto you confirming the
Torah (which came) before me, and giving
glad tidings of a Messenger to come after
me, whose name shall be Ahmed. But
when he (Ahmed, i.e. Muhammad, pbuh)
came to them with clear proofs, they said:
“This is plain magic.”
[Qur’an 61:6 “The Ranks”]
Foundation of modern
Christian theology challenged
157.
158.
That they said (in boast),
“We killed Christ Jesus
The son of Mary,
The Messenger of God” –
But they killed him not,
Nor crucified him,
But so it was made
To appear to them,
And those who differ
Therein are full of doubts,
With no (certain) knowledge,
But only conjecture to follow,
For of a surety
They killed him notNay, God raised him up
Unto Himself; and God
Is Exalted in Power, Wise –
[Qur’an 4:155-158 “The Women”]
Palestine during the time of Jesus (pbuh):
Syria and Palestine under Rome (65 B.C.)
Roman province of Judea created (6 C.E.)
Foundation of modern
Christian theology
Jesus (pbuh) came with a message to
Bani Israel alone.
 Jesus (pbuh) is taken to heaven by God.
 Saul of Tarsus, a Hellenized Jew, preaches
a new “gospel” of the resurrected Jesus,
eventually converting the Roman Empire.
 Followers of Jesus remain in Jerusalem
worshipping in temple until Roman
destruction in 70C.E.
 Pauline theology gains dominance over
Jesus’ followers, the Nasara “Nazarenes”.

Council of Nicea: 325C.E.
Ancient and modern Trinitarianism
Triadic deity, from a
pre-Christian French altar.
The Trinity
(Italy, 19th century).
Modern and ancient scripture
Bismillah (In the name of God)
Behold! In the creation
Of the heavens and the earth,
And the alternation
Of Night and Day
There are indeed Signs
For men of understanding [Surah Al-Imran, 3:190]