Field: Christianity Title: The True Message of Jesus Christ
Author: Dr. Bilal Philips
Publication: International Islamic Publishing House 2006
ISBN: 9960-850-82-X
Rating: aaaaa
Level: Intermediate
Reviewed by: Safwan
In the midst of the celebrated ideologies of pluralism, tolerance, and cohesion, this book stands out distinctively as one of the best made efforts in reconciling truth between two religions, i.e. Islam and Christianity. The author, who has walked the paths of both ‘ways of life’, maintains a consistent elegance in presenting bullet-proof arguments in attainment of the absolute truth.
After giving a compact explanation on the manuscripts that give rise to the Bible, which he argues to be of doubtful authenticity, Dr Philips goes on to disclose to the readers the many versions of the ‘Holy Book’, with many of them a revision to another, or in some cases, an urgent replacement. This is manifested in the many ‘revisions’ of the Bible made in 1560, 1611, 1881, 1901, 1952, 1971 and so on, producing versions which are hardly consistent. As a result, for instance, in the RSV one will never find some verses that are clearly printed in many other versions (John 7:53-8:11, I John 5:7).
Dr Philips argued that countless scholars and researches, including himself, despite the widely accepted legitimacy of the Bible, have not succeeded in shedding off doubts from the question of the Book’s authorship. He presented how the Christian scholars themselves are void of such knowledge, expressing significant dubiety even on the authors of the four Gospels. He further showed how many verses in the Bible, contrary to the Glorious Qur’an, are found to be directly contradictory- inconsistencies that can never be resolved.
The subsequent chapters are devoted to highlighting the unchallenged truth of Islam, mainly the Qur’an, and refuting arguments for Jesus’ divinity from the Bible itself. In the last two chapters, ‘the Message’ and ‘the Way’, Dr. Philips rightly presents Islam in its own skin, i.e. pure and simple.
In the midst of the celebrated ideologies of pluralism, tolerance, and cohesion, this book stands out distinctively as one of the best made efforts in reconciling truth between two religions, i.e. Islam and Christianity. The author, who has walked the paths of both ‘ways of life’, maintains a consistent elegance in presenting bullet-proof arguments in attainment of the absolute truth.
After giving a compact explanation on the manuscripts that give rise to the Bible, which he argues to be of doubtful authenticity, Dr Philips goes on to disclose to the readers the many versions of the ‘Holy Book’, with many of them a revision to another, or in some cases, an urgent replacement. This is manifested in the many ‘revisions’ of the Bible made in 1560, 1611, 1881, 1901, 1952, 1971 and so on, producing versions which are hardly consistent. As a result, for instance, in the RSV one will never find some verses that are clearly printed in many other versions (John 7:53-8:11, I John 5:7).
Dr Philips argued that countless scholars and researches, including himself, despite the widely accepted legitimacy of the Bible, have not succeeded in shedding off doubts from the question of the Book’s authorship. He presented how the Christian scholars themselves are void of such knowledge, expressing significant dubiety even on the authors of the four Gospels. He further showed how many verses in the Bible, contrary to the Glorious Qur’an, are found to be directly contradictory- inconsistencies that can never be resolved.
The subsequent chapters are devoted to highlighting the unchallenged truth of Islam, mainly the Qur’an, and refuting arguments for Jesus’ divinity from the Bible itself. In the last two chapters, ‘the Message’ and ‘the Way’, Dr. Philips rightly presents Islam in its own skin, i.e. pure and simple.
A perfect link for downloading the whole book.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.kalamullah.com/Books/true_message_of_jesus.pdf
:)