We have offered the responsibility—the freedom of choice—to the heavens and the earth, and the mountains, but they refused to bear it, and were afraid of it. But the human being accepted it; he was transgressing, ignorant. — Quran 33:72 Read that verse again slowly, because the standard reading glosses over something extraordinary. The responsibility—al-amanah, … Continue reading The Burden the Mountains Refused (Part IV: Constitutive Freedom)
Counting the Sacred Text: A History of Numerical Verification in Scripture Preservation
In most languages, the word for "scribe" evokes an image of someone who writes. In Hebrew, the word is sofer (סוֹפֵר), and it means, at its root, s-p-r (ס-פ-ר), one who counts. That etymology is not incidental. It encodes a technology of preservation that is among the most durable and sophisticated ever devised for protecting … Continue reading Counting the Sacred Text: A History of Numerical Verification in Scripture Preservation
Stand Out of My Sunlight (Part II: Independence Freedom)
Alexander the Great was, by any reasonable accounting, the most powerful man in the Greek world when he paid a visit to Diogenes of Sinope. He had conquered nations, commanded armies, and possessed the kind of authority that made other men nervous just standing near him. He approached Diogenes—who was lying in the sun doing … Continue reading Stand Out of My Sunlight (Part II: Independence Freedom)
Jesus’ Body Was Crucified & There is no Second Coming
In mainstream Sunni theology, Jesus (ʿĪsā) was neither killed nor crucified but was raised alive to God, where he continues to live in a state unique among all prophets. Sunnis generally hold that God made someone else resemble Jesus externally, and that this substitute was crucified in his place. They derive this "substitution theory" from … Continue reading Jesus’ Body Was Crucified & There is no Second Coming
The Hawk & The Dove (Quran & Gospel)
The opening verse of Sura 53, "The Stars" (Al-Najm) states: [53:1] As the stars fell away. وَٱلنَّجْمِ إِذَا هَوَىٰ 1wal-najmiوَٱلنَّجْمِBy the star2idhāإِذَاwhen3hawāهَوَىٰit fell down / fell away Dr. Rashad Khalifa provides the following footnote for this verse: *53:1-18 Muhammad was summoned to the highest universe to receive this Quran into his heart. The stars fell away … Continue reading The Hawk & The Dove (Quran & Gospel)
How John Rewrote Thomas to Silence a Rival Gospel
In 1945, a remarkable discovery was made near the Egyptian village of Nag Hammadi. Hidden in a sealed jar for over a thousand years, a collection of Coptic manuscripts was unearthed, among them a text that came to be known as the Gospel of Thomas. The text is attributed to the apostle Thomas, also called … Continue reading How John Rewrote Thomas to Silence a Rival Gospel
Apostolic Succession Debunked
One of the most distinctive claims of the Catholic Church is the doctrine of apostolic succession. According to this teaching, the authority that Christ gave to his apostles did not die with them but was passed on to their chosen successors. Through the laying on of hands, this authority is believed to have continued in … Continue reading Apostolic Succession Debunked
Hypocrisy of Peter & Paul
One of the sharpest controversies in the early church, according to the Christian canon, revolved around the question of Jewish law: Should Gentile believers be required to follow the Torah, particularly the command of circumcision, in order to be part of God’s covenant people? The apostles in Jerusalem, led by James, Peter, and John, were … Continue reading Hypocrisy of Peter & Paul
How Did Paul Come to Dominate Christianity?
Few figures in history have shaped Christianity more than Paul. Yet his dominance was not inevitable. In the earliest decades after Jesus, Paul was only one voice among many—sometimes controversial, sometimes ignored, and often overshadowed by the Jerusalem leaders like Peter and James. So how did Paul come to stand at the center of Christianity, … Continue reading How Did Paul Come to Dominate Christianity?
Why the Gnostics & Marcion Rejected Yahweh
For years, I dismissed the Gnostics as eccentric heretics who claimed that the god who created this world was in fact the Demiurge—a false and flawed being. At first glance, the claim seemed so absurd that I never thought it deserved serious contemplation. But a nagging question remained: if their ideas were so obviously wrong, … Continue reading Why the Gnostics & Marcion Rejected Yahweh
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