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The Jewish translations of Psalm 22:16(17), along with some Christian ones, go a form of the Hebrew text that has the noun “like a lion”: “Dogs surround me; a pack of evil ones closes in on me, like lions (ka’ari) my hands and feet.” The problem with this reading is that this leaves the verse without a verb, which is why the versions that choose to go with this form of the manuscript tradition must supply one. Case in point: As such, the reading as it stands makes n

The following reference is taken from Origen’s response to Celsus where he mentioned and refuted the assertion of certain Jews whom he had debated that Isaiah 53 is about the nation. All emphasis is mine: Chapter 55 Now I remember that, on one occasion, at a disputation held with certain Jews, who were reckoned wise men, I quoted these prophecies; to which my Jewish opponent replied, that these predictions bore reference to the whole people, regarded as one individual, and as

In the previous segment (Jesus: Our Passover Lives!) I showed that Jesus’ vicarious death is likened to the slaughter of the Passover lamb. Here I am going to demonstrate that Christ’s offering up his very own soul on the cross is likened to, in fact, consummates, the other sacrifices prescribed in the Hebrew Bible. YHVH God granted the prophet Ezekiel a vision of a restored temple where the Passover feast would be observed along with all the sacrifices associated with atonem

All the Gospel accounts record that Jesus’ betrayal, crucifixion, and death coincided with the Passover feast: “Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which is called the Passover, drew near. And the chief priests and scribes were seeking how to kill Jesus, for they feared the people. Then Satan entered into Judas, called Iscariot, who was one of the twelve. He went and discussed with the chief priests and captains how he might betray Him to them. They were glad and agreed to giv

The following excerpts are taken from The Psalms as Christian Worship: An Historical Commentary, co-authored by Bruce K. Waltke and James M. Houston with Erika Moore, published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. in 2010, Chapter 12. Psalm 22: Prophetic Psalm of Christ’s Passion, pp. 376 ff. All emphasis will be mine. III. Polemical Interpretation of Psalm 22 in the Third to Sixth Centuries The official adoption of Christianity by Constantine, following the previous fierce pers

In this post I will citing portions from Justin Martyr’s “Dialogue with Trypho the Jew” to show how the early Church utilized specific OT texts in support of Jesus messianic claims. Specifically, I will highlight Justin’s use of Isaiah 53 in his discussion to prove that the Messiah must suffer vicariously for the sins of others. Justin even gets Trypho to admit that the Hebrew Bible does announce that the Messiah would indeed suffer. All emphasis will be mine. Chapter 89. The

Denis Giron Today I visited Paul Williams’ Blogging Theology site, and saw an interesting article by Eric bin Kisam, titled Eli Eli lama sabachthani – a case of misquoting Psalms? The article focuses on what can be inferred from the Semitic phrase attributed to Jesus on the cross by the Gospels of Mark and Matthew. That happens to be a subject I am interested in[1], so I wanted to share some thoughts. Before getting to the meat of Eric’s article, I want to touch on some comme

We continue from where we left off: Tovia Singer Exposes Muhammad Pt. 1. In this section we are going to deal with the texts that Singer uses to prove that the Servant of Isaiah 53 is the nation of Israel. We will try to quote from the very chapter that Singer himself cites from in order to show from the context itself that Israel CANNOT possibly be the Servant that suffers for the sins of the world so as to bring about the salvation of all the nations. However, it is importa

Muslim polemicist Paul Williams posted an article by noted anti-Christian rabbi Tovia Singer titled, Who is God's Suffering Servant? The Rabbinic Interpretation of Isaiah 53, seemingly because Williams assumed that the rabbi would refute the claim of Christians that Isaiah 53 announces that the Messiah would offer up his soul as a guilt offering in order to make atonement for the sins of the world. Note what this amazing prophecy actually says: Note what this amazing prophecy

In this short post I will provide internal evidence from Psalm 22 that “they have pierced my hands and my feet” is the correct reading. Here are the two alternate renderings of v. 16 (v. 17 in some translations): “Dogs surround me, a pack of villains encircles me; they pierce my hands and my feet.” New International Version (NIV) “Because dogs have surrounded me; a gang of evildoers has encircled me. Like the lion they are at my hands and my feet.” Lexham English Bible (LEB)

According to anti-Christian rabbi polemicists and other biblical critics, Psalm 22:16[17 in Jewish translations] is an instance where Christians supposedly corrupted the Hebrew text in order to turn it into a prophecy of the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus. Here’s how it reads in the King James Version (AV): “For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.” Now contrast this with the following Jewish translations: “For

Rabbinic Judaism teaches that all the prophets announced the coming days of the Messiah: אָמַר רַבִּי חִיָּיא בַּר אַבָּא אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן: כׇּל הַנְּבִיאִים כּוּלָּן לֹא נִתְנַבְּאוּ אֶלָּא לִימוֹת הַמָּשִׁיחַ, אֲבָל לָעוֹלָם הַבָּא – ״עַיִן לֹא רָאָתָה אֱלֹהִים זוּלָתְךָ אֱלֹהִים יַעֲשֶׂה לִמְחַכֵּה לוֹ״. וּפְלִיגָא דִּשְׁמוּאֵל, דְּאָמַר שְׁמוּאֵל: אֵין בֵּין הָעוֹלָם הַזֶּה לִימוֹת הַמָּשִׁיחַ אֶלָּא שִׁעְבּוּד מַלְכִיּוֹת בִּלְבַד. § Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba says tha

Moses Maimonides was a 12th–13th century AD Jewish theologian/philosopher who was heavily influenced by the Greek notions of God’s incorporeality and impassibility, which caused him to allegorize and anthropomorphize much of the Hebrew Bible. Maimonides explained away OT verses, which speak of God appearing invisible, tangible ways, often as a Man. One of the ways he did so was to argue that these appearances were not of God himself but of something other, such as God’s Glo

In this post I will wrap up the case for Satan causing Muhammad to commit shirk by praising the three goddesses whom the pagans worshiped as the daughters of Allah. Al-Tabari, one of Islam’s greatest commentators and historians, relays two versions of the story: Satan Casts a False Revelation on the Messenger of God’s Tongue The Messenger of God was eager for the welfare of his people and wished to effect a reconciliation with them in whatever ways he could. It is said that h

THE SATANIC VERSES We now come to the final installment in the series: THE FRAUD THAT IS ALI ATAIE PT. 2. Here I will cite the various traditions on the satanic verses, many of which are based on sahih or sound chains. THE MUSLIM EXPOSITORS ON Q. 22:52 AND 17:73-75 … Then the Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him, approached them (Quraysh) and got close to them, and they also came near to him. One day he was sitting in their assembly near the Ka‘bah, and he recited: “By the S

THE SATANIC VERSES I continue from where I previously left off: THE FRAUD THAT IS ALI ATAIE PT. 1. In this post I will refute Ataie’s assertion that Q. 22:52 was “sent down” eight years after Muhammad recited the verses which Satan caused him to utter. THE QURAN’S DISJOINTED AND HAPHAZARD COMPOSITION What Ataie deceitfully withheld from his audience and what he dishonestly failed to mention is that the Islamic sources clearly attest that particular verses would be added later

THE SATANIC VERSES This is the material that I am preparing for my forthcoming sessions exposing the lies and misinformation of Muhammadan Ali Ataie in respect to the veracity of the “satanic verses”. In these posts I will address Ataie’s two main contentions, which are: There are no manuscripts of the Quran that contain the satanic verses, not a single one. And there are no variant Arabic readings (qiraat) which them either. Q. 22:52, which is supposed to have been “revealed

I quote from Ibn Kathir’s exposition of the term muhaimin in the context of Q. 5:48, where the Quran is said to be a guardian/witness to the previous Scriptures. If the promise of our Lord is to be fulfilled (108) ﴾ [Al-Isra’] That is: If what God promised us through the tongues of His previous messengers regarding the coming of Muhammad is to be fulfilled; that is: to be inevitable and certain. And His Almighty saying: “And a guardian over it” Sufyan al-Thawri and others

MUHAMMAD’S SATANIC INSPIRATION This is a follow up to my previous post on this subject: HIGH FLYING CRANES PT. 1. I am going to address a few of the typical objections that Muhammadans have raised to cast doubt on the historical veracity of Satan inspiring Muhammad to utter verses glorifying the three pagan goddesses whom the Arabs believed were the daughters of Allah. RECORDED IN ISLAM’S EARLIEST SOURCES Note once again how some of Islam’s earliest and most reliable sources

MUHAMMAD’S SATANIC INSPIRATION According to the earliest Muslim accounts on Muhammad’s life, Satan deceived Muhammad to recite sentences magnifying the three pagan goddesses of the Arabs, whom they called the daughters of Allah. It wasn’t until Gabriel supposedly came to Muhammad and asked him to recite surah 53 that the latter was told that his praise of the goddesses actually came from the Devil. This event is known as the “Satanic Verses.” Here’s one particular version of