In this post I extract the section on Melchizedek from James Kugel’s book, Traditions of the Bible: A Guide to the Bible as It Was at the Start of the Common Era, Chapter 8. Melchizedek (GENESIS 14:17-20), published by Harvest University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts/London, England, in 1998. All emphasis will be mine.

MELCHIZEDEK is something of an enigma in the Bible. We are not told the name of his father or his mother, or anything about his family. He is not mentioned anywhere in the various lists of Noah’s descendants. We are not told when he was born–nor even that he was born–and the Bible is equally silent about his death. Nor, for that matter, is the location of his kingdom, Salem, known for sure. Thus, almost everything about was mysterious for ancient interpreters. His encounter with Abraham certainly seemed designed to impart some lesson–but what exactly was it? Nothing really happened in this meeting, save that Melchizedek brought out food and then blessed Abraham (as priests were later to bless the people who came to the Jerusalem Temple). Abraham then apparently gave him a tithe (as people were also to bring tithes to the temple). But these very details were what was most intriguing in the story. For Melchizedek thus seemed to be a priest. But how could that be? The priesthood itself had not yet been established, nor had the Jerusalem Temple been built. Yet here was Melchizedek, bluntly described as a “priest of God Most High.” Not only that, but Melchizedek apparently had not the slightest connection to the priesthood that would eventually be established in Israel–for the priesthood was hereditary, and its family line went back through Abraham, not Melchizedek! Who was this so-called priest?…

Righteous King and Priest

Other things, however, suggested that Melchizedek must have been a noteworthy figure in his own right. To begin with, Melchizedek seems to mean something like “king of righteousness” or “king of justice” in Hebrew. It occurred to some that this might be not his real name but–like “king of Salem” and “priest of God most High”– a title, one that might hold the key to his real importance. Perhaps he was an extraordinarily just and righteous king.

[Jerusalem’s] first founder was a leader of the Canaanites, called in his native tongue “righteous king”–for indeed he was. –Josephus, Jewish Wars 6:438

He is first, by translation of his name, king of righteousness. –Heb. 7:2

Moreover, since “Salem” corresponded to the last part of the name “Jerusalem,” some interpreters concluded that Melchizedek had been Jerusalem’s first king and founder. Indeed, if he was a “priest,” perhaps he had also founded some sort of sanctuary in Jerusalem, a forerunner of the great temple to be built there centuries later:

For this reason he was the first to serve as a priest before God and, having been the first to build the temple, gave to the city previously called “Salem” the name Jerusalem [understood in Greek as “Holy Salem”]. –Josephus, Jewish Wars 6:438 (also Jewish Antiquities 1:180-181)

He was made king by reason of his greatness … and moreover was a high priest, which office he had received from Noah in succession. –Ephraem, Commentary on Genesis 11:2

The Jerusalem temple was built in his [Melchizedek’s] domain, as it says, “And Melchizedek, king of Salem …” [Gen. 14:18], and “Salem” means Jerusalem, as it says, “His [God’s] abode has been established in Salem, his dwelling place in Zion” [Ps. 78:3 (some texts: 2)]. –Midrash ha-Gadol Gen. 11:10

Divinely Appointed Priest

There was, however, another factor that bore on Melchizedek’s true identity. The name “Melchizedek” appears in one other place in the Hebrew Bible, in a passing reference in Psalm 110. The language of this psalm is somewhat obscure in Hebrew; here is one modern translation of its opening line:

The Lord says to my lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.”

The Lord sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your foes!

Your people will offer themselves freely on the day you lead your host upon the holy mountains. From the womb of the morning like a dew your youth will come to you.

The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, “You are a priest forever, after the line of Melchizedek.” –Ps. 110:1-4

Ancient readers of the story of Abraham and Melchizedek in Genesis looked to this psalm to help clarify its significance. But that meant first of all deciding to whom these words were addressed and what they meant. Here, the potentially ambiguous writing system of biblical Hebrew played a crucial role: the Hebrew words that correspond to those highlighted above could in fact be read and understood in two radically different fashions. This led to the development of two different schools of thought on the identity of Melchizedek among the Bible’s ancient interpreters.

One way of understanding the highlighted words in Ps. 110:4 was: “You are a priest forever by my order [or “on my account”], O Melchizedek.” If this is the right translation, then it is Melchizedek who is being addressed throughout the psalm, and everything else in the psalm that refers to “you” must therefore be talking about Melchizedek. The psalm would thus seem to recount that Melchizedek had been appointed to the priesthood by God Himself (since the whole of verse 4 would now be: “The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, ‘You are a priest forever by my order, O Melchizedek’”). This would of course correspond to his description in Genesis as a “priest of God Most High”–indeed, a priest who was personally appointed by God must have been no ordinary priest but an ancient forerunner to the exalted office of high priest:

When the high priest of God Most High saw him [Abraham] approaching and bearing his spoils … – Philo, On Abraham 235

You [O God] are the one who appointed Melchizedek as a high priest in Your service. – Apostolic Constitutions 8.12.23

And Melchizedek, the king of Jerusalem … was a priest serving in the high priesthood before God Most High. – Targum Neophyte Gen. 14:18

The Heavenly Melchizedek

But interpreting Abraham’s encounter with Melchizedek in the light of Psalm 110 led to other, more radical conclusions. After all, the Melchizedek described in the psalm seemed in some ways superhuman. His royal scepter had come from God Himself (“The Lord sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter”). In fact, Melchizedek is apparently the “lord” referred to in the first line, who was commanded by God to “sit at my right hand” like some sort of angel or divine being.

It is from this interpretation of Psalm 110 that there emerged the figure of a heavenly Melchizedek, an angelic being who sits next to the divine throne. Such a Melchizedek is found in the Dead Sea Scrolls, where (in a text going back to the early first or second century B.C.E.) he is said to be ready to punish the guilty and save the righteous in the great day of reckoning:

Melchizedek will carry out the vengeance of the laws of Go[d on that day and he will sa]v[e them from] Belial and from all his k[indred spirits,] and to his aid will (come) all the “gods” of [justice and] he [Melchizedek] is the one w[ho will stand on that day over] all the sons of God and will ord[ain] this [asse]mbly.

This is the Day of P[eace, a]bout which [God] spoke [of old in the words of] the prophet [Isai]ah, who said “[How] beautiful on the mountains are the messen[ger]’s feet, [pr]oclaiming peace.” – (11Q13) Melchizedek Text 2:13-16  

It may be that the interpretation of the name of “Melchizedek” had a role in the understanding of this angel’s precise functions: he is the “king of justice” in the sense that he “will carry out the vengeance of God’s laws.” This understanding also corresponds to the psalm’s assertion that “he will execute judgment among the nations” (Ps. 110:6). Some identified this angelic Melchizedek with the archangel Michael.

In a liturgical text among the Dead Sea Scrolls are further possible references to Melchizedek the angel; unfortunately, the text here is quite fragmentary:

] priest[s

G]od of knowledge and [

Melchi[Zedek, priest in the assemb]ly of God – (4Q401) Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice 11:1-3

] holy ones of [

Holine]ss [?] consecrate [

Mel]chizedek [ –(4Q401) Songs of Sabbath 22:1-3

Although both passages are fragmentary, if the restoration of the name Melchizedek is correct, it would seem from the overall context (namely, a hymn describing the service of God performed by the angels in the heavenly temple) that Melchizedek is, here as well, an angel, indeed perhaps the highest of the angels serving God in heaven. 

Another crucial ambiguity found in Psalm 110 also contributed to the identification of Melchizedek as an angel or heavenly being. It is the verse translated above as, “From the womb of the morning like dew your youth will come to you.” This could be translated in a radically different way–and was. The old Greek (“Septuagint”) translation of this verse reads:

From the womb, before the morning star, I have begotten you.  – Septuagint, Ps. 110:5 [sic]

If these words were spoken by God to Melchizedek (as they seemed to be in context), then they meant that Melchizedek is God’s “son.” Now, “sons of God,” as we have seen, was a phrase elsewhere understood as referring specifically to the angels. If so, then this “son of God” who sits at God’s right hand, must have been an angel charged with executing divine justice on earth, the angelic “king of justice.”

A somewhat related Melchizedek appears in the work called 2 Enoch, which may go back to the early first century C.E. In this text, Melchizedek seems to be born to Sopanim (or “Sothonim”), the wife of Noah’s (mythical) brother Nir, without any prior act of sexual intercourse (2 Enoch 71:2). The idea that Melchizedek was so conceived may be in keeping with the interpretation of Ps. 110:5 [sic] just seen: God’s words “I have begotten you” meant that Melchizedek was begotten without any human progenitor. In any case, God promises Nir that, although a great flood is coming to destroy the earth, Melchizedek will be safe:  

Behold, I plan now to send down a great destruction onto the earth. But concerning the child [Melchizedek], do not be anxious, Nir, because I in a short while shall send my archangel Gabriel. And he will take the child and put him in the garden of Eden, and he will not perish with those who must perish … And Melchizedek will be my priest to all priests, and I will sanctify him and I will change him into a great people who will sanctify me. – 2 Enoch (A) 71:27-29

However much this Melchizedek had a human mother, he nonetheless seems to have acquired superhuman traits: miraculously saved from the flood, he is actually permitted to reenter Eden, and will go on to become some sort of “priest to all priests”–in keeping with Melchizedek’s title in Genesis, “a priest [directly] to God Most High.” (Pp. 278-281)

An Uncircumcised Priest?

At the same time, the fact that Melchizedek was a priest without the usual genealogy, and that he had apparently not undergone circumcision nor followed other Jewish laws and practices, was taken by Christians from an early period as a biblical proof that such things were not important.  

For if [circumcision] were necessary, as you think, God would not have formed Adam uncircumcised, nor would He have looked with favor upon the gifts of Abel, who offered sacrifices but was not circumcised, nor would Enoch, who was not circumcised, have pleased him… The priest of God Most High, Melchizedek, was without circumcision, and he had tithes given him by Abraham as offerings. Abraham was the first to receive circumcision in the fleshly sense, and yet he was blessed by Melchizedek [the uncircumcised], after whose order God has announced by David [for example, in Psalm 110] that He would establish the eternal Priest. –Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho 19:3-4 [also ch. 33)

Likewise Melchizedek priest of God Most High, was not circumcised and did not keep the sabbath, yet he was chosen for the priesthood of God. –Tertullian, Against the Jews 2

Others maintained the opposite:

Likewise, [Melchizedek] was born circumcised, as it says “And Melchizedek, king of Salem” [interpreted as the king of shalem, “complete” or “perfect,” hence, circumcised]. –Abot deR. Natan (A) 2

He was righteous and he was born circumcised. –Genesis Rabba 26:3

 Melchizedek in Samaria

As we have already glimpsed, Jewish sources generally held that Melchizedek’s kingdom. Salem, was simply a shortened form of the name “Jerusalem”:

And the kingdom of Sodom heard that Abraham had given back all the captives and all the booty, and he went up to meet him; and he came to Salem, which is Jerusalem. –(1Q20) Genesis Apocryphon col. 22:12-13

Some interpreters

Elsewhere, as well, Salem is identified as a place in its own right:

And Jacob came to Salem, the city of Shechems. – Septuagint Gen. 33:18

And … Jacob went up to Salem, to the east of Shechem, in peace. –Jubilees 30:1

And Jared became the father of Enoch and he built a city and called it Salem the Great. –al-Asatir 2:5

The idea that Salem was at or near Shechem would have been very useful to the Samaritans. For in later time, too, they considered Mt. Gerizim to be sacred and, indeed, the real site intended by God for His temple (not Jerusalem). If Melchizedek had been a priest of God in their territory way back in the time of Abraham, here was biblical proof that their claims for the sanctity of their own temple and its priests were truly valid.  

Melchizedek Was Shem

Many Jews must have found such uses of the story of Melchizedek disturbing. No doubt the situation was eased somewhat by a contrary tradition that held that “Melchizedek” was simply an honorific name of Shem, Noah’s son.

About Shem [‘s being a prophet] it says, “Upon My Word, Melchizedek” [Ps. 110:4]. –Seder Olam 21

And Melchizedek, the king of Jerusalem, who was the great Shem… –Targum Neophyti Gen. 14:18

Likewise Shem was born circumcised, as it says, “And Melchizedek, king of Salem …” [interpreted as the king was shalem, “complete” or “perfect,” hence, circumcised]. –Abot deR. Natan (A) 2

This Melchizedek was Shem. –Ephrem, Commentary on Genesis 11:2

The [Jews] say that he [Melchizedek] was Shem, Noah’s son, and counting up the total years of his lifetime [eight hundred years, according to Gen. 11:11] they demonstrate that he would have lived up to [the time of] Isaac [and so certainly could have encountered Abraham in Gen. 14:18-21]. –Jerome, Questions in Genesis, Gen. 14:18

This identification–while probably of ancient origin–must have helped to “domesticate” Melchizedek in the face of some of the claims made regarding his true identity. For if Melchizedek was indeed Shem, a distant ancestor of the Jews, and if his high priesthood was associated with the very site on which the great temple was to be built (Salem, understood as Jerusalem), then here was really only another indication that Jerusalem had always been God’s chosen spot for His sanctuary and that the Jewish people, even in the time of their remotest ancestors, had already been chosen by God to supply that sanctuary with its priests. (Pp. 281-285)

FURTHER READING

Is Michael the Ruler of Israel? The Witness of the Dead Sea Scrolls

Doesn’t the Bible (also) present Melchizedek as possessing divine attributes?

The Dead Sea Scrolls and God’s Uniplurality: Some Observations on Melchizedek

It is clear from the Quran and the sunnah that Muhammad disliked the Jews more than he did Christians, even though he disliked both. Muhammad’s attitude towards the Jews can be seen from the following passages:

Certainly you will find the most violent of people in enmity for those who believe (to be) the Jews and those who are polytheists, and you will certainly find the nearest in friendship to those who believe (to be) those who say: We are Christians; this is because there are priests and monks among them and because they do not behave proudly. And when they hear what has been revealed to the apostle you will see their eyes overflowing with tears on account of the truth that they recognize; they say: Our Lord! we believe, so write us down with the witnesses (of truth). S. 5:82-83 Shakir

The likeness of those who were charged with the Taurat, then they did not observe it, is as the likeness of the ass bearing books, evil is the likeness of the people who reject the communications of Allah; and Allah does not guide the unjust people. S. 62:5 Shakir

Muhammad even likened disbelieving Jews, Christians and idolaters as the worst of creatures:

Verily, those who disbelieve (in the religion of Islam, the Qur’an and Prophet Muhammad) from among the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) and Al-Mushrikun will abide in the Fire of Hell. They are the worst of creatures. S. 98:6 Hilali-Khan

Hence, according to Muhammad these groups are worse than rats, pigs, and even Satan himself!

Another interesting fact that even some Muslims do not realize is that seventeen times a day, Muhammad’s followers pray that Allah will not allow them to become either a Jew or Christian:

The Way of those on whom You have bestowed Your Grace, not (the way) of those who earned Your Anger (such as the Jews), nor of those who went astray (such as the Christians). S. 1:7 Hilali-Khan

The traditions attributed to Muhammad state that those who earned Allah’s wrath are the Jews:

(Not (the way) of those who earned Your anger, nor of those who went astray) meaning guide us to the straight path, the path of those upon whom you have bestowed Your grace, that is, the people of guidance, sincerity and obedience to Allah and His Messengers. They are the people who adhere to Allah’s commandments and refrain from committing what He has prohibited. But, help us to avoid the path of those whom Allah is angry with, whose intentions are corrupt, who know the truth, yet deviate from it. Also, help us avoid the path of those who were led astray, who lost the true knowledge and, as a result, are wandering in misguidance, unable to find the correct path. Allah asserted that the two paths He described here are both misguided when He repeated the negation `not’. These two paths are the paths of the Christians and Jews, a fact that the believer should beware of so that he avoids them. The path of the believers is knowledge of the truth and abiding by it. In comparison, the Jews abandoned practicing the religion, while the Christians lost the true knowledge. This is why `anger’ descended upon the Jews, while being described as `led astray’ is more appropriate of the Christians. Those who know, but avoid implementing the truth, deserve the anger, unlike those who are ignorant. The Christians want to seek the true knowledge, but are unable to find it because they did not seek it from its proper resources. This is why they were led astray. We should also mention that both the Christians and the Jews have earned the anger and are led astray, but the anger is one of the attributes more particular of the Jews. Allah said about the Jews…

(Those (Jews) who incurred the curse of Allah and His wrath) (5:60). The attribute that the Christians deserve most is that of being led astray, just as Allah said about them…

(Who went astray before and who misled many, and strayed (themselves) from the right path) (5:77)…

<<Those who have earned the anger are the Jews and those who are led astray are the Christians.>>” This Hadith was also collected by At-Tirmidhi who said that it is Hasan Gharib. Also, when Zayd bin `Amr bin Nufayl went with some of his friends – before Islam – to Ash-Sham seeking the true religion, the Jews said to him, “You will not become a Jew unless you carry a share of the anger of Allah that we have earned.” He said, “I am seeking to escape Allah’s anger.” Also, the Christians said to him, “If you become one of us you will carry a share in Allah’s discontent.” He said, “I cannot bear it.” So he remained in his pure nature and avoided worshipping the idols and the polytheistic practices. He became neither a Jew, nor Christian. As for his companions, they became Christians because they found it more pure than Judaism. Waraqah bin Nawfal was among these people until Allah guided him by the hand of His Prophet, when he was sent as Prophet, and Waraqah believed in the revelation that was sent to the Prophet. (Tafsir Ibn Kathir https://www.alim.org/quran/tafsir/ibn-kathir/surah/1/7/; emphasis mine)

Muhammad’s disgust for Jews is further displayed by his claiming that Allah transformed some of them into apes and swine:

Say (O Muhammad to the people of the Scripture): “Shall I inform you of something worse than that, regarding the recompense from Allah: those (Jews) who incurred the Curse of Allah and His Wrath, those of whom (some) He transformed into monkeys and swines, those who worshipped Taghut (false deities); such are worse in rank (on the Day of Resurrection in the Hellfire), and far more astray from the Right Path (in the life of this world).” S. 5:60 Hilali-Khan

And ye know of those of you who broke the Sabbath, how We said unto them: Be ye apes, despised and hated! S. 2:65 Pickthall

Ask them (O Muhammad) of the township that was by the sea, how they did break the Sabbath, how their big fish came unto them visibly upon their Sabbath day and on a day when they did not keep Sabbath came they not unto them. Thus did We try them for that they were evil-livers. And when a community among them said: Why preach ye to a folk whom Allah is about to destroy or punish with an awful doom, they said: In order to be free from guilt before your Lord, and that haply they may ward off (evil). And when they forgot that whereof they had been reminded, We rescued those who forbade wrong, and visited those who did wrong with dreadful punishment because they were evil-livers. So when they took pride in that which they had been forbidden, We said unto them: Be ye apes despised and loathed! S. 7:163-166 Pickthall

The ahadith indicate that Muhammad was initially confused since he wasn’t certain whether his deity had actually changed a group of Jews into rats or lizards. It wasn’t until the Quranic ayat “came down” that he became aware of their fate:

Narrated Thabit ibn Wadi’ah:

We were in an army with the Apostle of Allah. We got some lizards. I roasted one lizard and brought it to the Apostle of Allah and placed it before him. He took a stick and counted its fingers. He then said: A group from the children of Isra’il was transformed into an animal of the land, and I do not know which animal it was. He did not eat it nor did he forbid (its eating).

Grade: Sahih (Al-Albani)

Reference: Sunan Abi Dawud 3795

In-book reference: Book 28, Hadith 60

English translation: Book 27, Hadith 3786 (sunnah.com https://sunnah.com/abudawud:3795; https://www.searchtruth.com/book_display.php?book=27&translator=3&start=0&number=3786)

Narrated (Abu Huraira):

The Prophet said, “a group of Israelites was lost. Nobody knows what they did. But I do not see them except that they were cursed and changed into rats, for if you put the milk of a she-camel in front of a rat, it will not drink it, but if the milk of a sheep is put in front of it, it will drink it.” I told this to Ka’b who asked me, “Did you hear it from the prophet?” I said, “Yes”. Ka’b asked me the question several times; I said to Ka’b, “Do I read the Taurat (Torah)? (i.e., I tell you this from the prophet).” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 4, Book 54, Hadith 524 https://www.searchtruth.com/book_display.php?book=54&translator=1&start=0&number=524)

Here’s what the translator Muhammad Muhsin Khan wrote in his fn. to this narration:

“Later on, the prophet was informed through inspiration about the fate of those Israelites: They were transformed into pigs and monkeys.”

Muhammad even cursed Jews (along with Christians) for allegedly worshiping at the graves of deceased prophets:

Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah’s Apostle said, “May Allah’s curse be on the Jews for they built the places of worship at the graves of their Prophets.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 1, Book 8, Number 428 https://www.searchtruth.com/book_display.php?book=8&translator=1&start=0&number=428)

Yahya related to me from Malik from Ismail ibn Abi Hakim that he heard Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz say, “One of the last things that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said was, ‘May Allah fight the Jews and the Christians. They took the graves of their Prophets as places of prostration. Two deens shall not co-exist in the land of the Arabs.’” (Malik’s Muwatta, Book 45, Number 45.5.17 https://www.searchtruth.com/book_display.php?book=45&translator=4&start=0&number=45.5.17)

The Muslim deity himself categorized Jews and Christians as impure pagans who needed to be banished from Mecca and subjugated for the express purpose of humiliating them:

O you who believe (in Allah’s Oneness and in His Messenger (Muhammad)! Verily, the Mushrikun (polytheists, pagans, idolaters, disbelievers in the Oneness of Allah, and in the Message of Muhammad) are Najasun (impure). So let them not come near Al-Masjid-al-Haram (at Makkah) after this year, and if you fear poverty, Allah will enrich you if He will, out of His Bounty. Surely, Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise. Fight against those who (1) believe not in Allah, (2) nor in the Last Day, (3) nor forbid that which has been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger (4) and those who acknowledge not the religion of truth (i.e. Islam) among the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians), until they pay the Jizyah with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued. And the Jews say: ‘Uzair (Ezra) is the son of Allah, and the Christians say: Messiah is the son of Allah. That is a saying from their mouths. They imitate the saying of the disbelievers of old. Allah’s Curse be on them, how they are deluded away from the truth! S. 9:28-30 Hilali-Khan

Here’s how the renowned Muslim expositor Ibn Kathir explained the order to force Jews and Christians to pay jizyah:

The Order to fight People of the Scriptures until They give the Jizyah

Allah said…

<Fight against those who believe not in Allah, nor in the Last Day, nor forbid that which has been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, and those who acknowledge not the religion of truth among the People of the Scripture, until they pay the Jizyah with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued.>

Therefore, when People of the Scriptures disbelieved in Muhammad, they had no beneficial faith in any Messenger or what the Messengers brought. Rather, they followed their religions because this conformed with their ideas, lusts and the ways of their forefathers, not because they are Allah’s Law and religion. Had they been true believers in their religions, that faith would have directed them to believe in Muhammad, because all Prophets gave the good news of Muhammad’s advent and commanded them to obey and follow him. Yet when he was sent, they disbelieved in him, even though he is the mightiest of all Messengers. Therefore, they do not follow the religion of earlier Prophets because these religions came from Allah, but because these suit their desires and lusts. Therefore, their claimed faith in an earlier Prophet will not benefit them because they disbelieved in the master, the mightiest, the last and most perfect of all Prophets. Hence Allah’s statement…

<Fight against those who believe not in Allah, nor in the Last Day, nor forbid that which has been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, and those who acknowledge not the religion of truth among the People of the Scripture,>

This honorable Ayah was revealed with the order to fight the People of the Book, after the pagans were defeated, the people entered Allah’s religion in large numbers, and the Arabian Peninsula was secured under the Muslims’ control. Allah commanded His Messenger to fight the People of the Scriptures, Jews and Christians, on the ninth year of Hijrah, and he prepared his army to fight the Romans and called the people to Jihad announcing his intent and destination. The Messenger sent his intent to various Arab areas around Al-Madinah to gather forces, and he collected an army of thirty thousand. Some people from Al-Madinah and some hypocrites, in and around it, lagged behind, for that year was a year of drought and intense heat. The Messenger of Allah marched, heading towards Ash-Sham to fight the Romans until he reached Tabuk, where he set camp for about twenty days next to its water resources. He then prayed to Allah for a decision and went back to Al-Madinah because it was a hard year and the people were weak, as we will mention, Allah willing.

Paying Jizyah is a Sign of Kufr AND DISGRACE

Allah said…

<until they pay the Jizyah>, if they do not choose to embrace Islam…

<with willing submission>, in defeat and subservience…

<and feel themselves subdued.>, DISGRACED, HUMILIATED AND BELITTLED. Therefore, Muslims are not allowed to honor the people of Dhimmah or elevate them above Muslims, FOR THEY ARE MISERABLE, DISGRACED AND HUMILIATED. Muslim recorded from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet said…

<<Do not initiate the Salam to the Jews and Christians, and if you meet any of them in a road, FORCE THEM TO ITS NARROWEST ALLEY.>>

This is why the Leader of the faithful `Umar bin Al-Khattab… demanded his well-known conditions be met by the Christians, THESE CONDITIONS THAT ENSURED THEIR CONTINUED HUMILIATION, DEGRADATION AND DISGRACE. The scholars of Hadith narrated from `Abdur-Rahman bin Ghanm Al-Ash`ari that he said, “I recorded for `Umar bin Al-Khattab the terms of the treaty of peace he conducted with the Christians of Ash-Sham:

‘In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. This is a document to the servant of Allah `Umar, the Leader of the faithful, from the Christians of such and such city. When you (Muslims) came to us we requested safety for ourselves, children, property and followers of our religion.

We made a condition on ourselves that we will neither erect in our areas a monastery, church, or a sanctuary for a monk, nor restore any place of worship that needs restoration nor use any of them for the purpose of enmity against Muslims.

We will not prevent any Muslim from resting in our churches whether they come by day or night, and we will open the doors [of our houses of worship] for the wayfarer and passerby.

Those Muslims who come as guests, will enjoy boarding and food for three days.

We will not allow a spy against Muslims into our churches and homes or hide deceit [or betrayal] against Muslims.

We will not teach our children the Qur’an, publicize practices of Shirk, invite anyone to Shirk or prevent any of our fellows from embracing Islam, if they choose to do so.

We will respect Muslims, MOVE FROM THE PLACES WE SIT IN IF THEY CHOOSE TO SIT IN THEM.

We will not imitate their clothing, caps, turbans, sandals, hairstyles, speech, nicknames and title names, or ride on saddles, hang swords on the shoulders, collect weapons of any kind or carry these weapons.

We will not encrypt our stamps in Arabic, or sell liquor.

We will have the front of our hair cut, wear our customary clothes wherever we are, wear belts around our waist, refrain from erecting crosses on the outside of our churches and demonstrating them and our books in public in Muslim fairways and markets.

We will not sound the bells in our churches, except discretely, or raise our voices while reciting our holy books inside our churches in the presence of Muslims, nor raise our voices [with prayer] at our funerals, or light torches in funeral processions in the fairways of Muslims, or their markets.

We will not bury our dead next to Muslim dead, or buy servants who were captured by Muslims. We will be guides for Muslims and refrain from breaching their privacy in their homes.’

When I gave this document to `Umar, he added to it, `We will not beat any Muslim. These are the conditions that we set against ourselves and followers of our religion IN RETURN FOR SAFETY AND PROTECTION. If we break any of these promises that we set for your benefit against ourselves, then our Dhimmah (promise of protection) is broken and you are allowed to do with us what you are allowed of people of defiance and rebellion.’” (Tafsir Ibn Kathir https://www.alim.org/quran/tafsir/ibn-kathir/surah/9/28/; capital emphasis mine)

Moreover, Muhammad used this assertion of Jews and Christians being unclean as a pretext to banishing them both from the Arabian Peninsula:

It has been narrated by ‘Umar b. al-Khattab that he heard the Messenger of Allah say: I will expel the Jews and Christians from the Arabian Peninsula and will not leave any but Muslim. (Sahih Muslim, Book 019, Number 4366 https://www.searchtruth.com/book_display.php?book=019&translator=2&start=0&number=4366)

Now compare this with Muhammad’s orders to expel the pagans from the Arabian Peninsula:

Narrated Said bin Jubair:

Ibn ‘Abbas said… “The Prophet on his death-bed, gave three orders saying, ‘Expel the pagans from the Arabian Peninsula, respect and give gifts to the foreign delegates as you have seen me dealing with them.’ I forgot the third (order)” (Ya’qub bin Muhammad said, “I asked Al-Mughira bin ‘Abdur-Rahman about the Arabian Peninsula and he said, ‘It comprises Mecca, Medina, Al-Yamama and Yemen.’” Ya’qub added, “And Al-Arj, the beginning of Tihama.”) (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 4, Book 52, Number 288 https://www.searchtruth.com/book_display.php?book=52&translator=1&start=0&number=288)

Doesn’t the foregoing clearly prove that Muhammad treated the Jews and Christians the same way he treated the pagans and that he considered all of them to be unclean? And doesn’t this perfectly illustrate his utter disdain and hatred for these groups?

Muhammad’s father-in-law and close friend, Umar ibn al-Khattab, carried out his prophet’s wishes:

Narrated Ibn ‘Umar:

Umar expelled the Jews and the Christians from Hijaz. When Allah’s Apostle had conquered Khaibar, he wanted to expel the Jews from it as its land became the property of Allah, His Apostle, and the Muslims. Allah’s Apostle intended to expel the Jews but they requested him to let them stay there on the condition that they would do the labor and get half of the fruits. Allah’s Apostle told them, “We will let you stay on thus condition, as long as we wish.” So, they (i.e. Jews) kept on living there until ‘Umar forced them to go towards Taima’ and Ariha’. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 3, Book 39, Number 531 https://www.searchtruth.com/book_display.php?book=39&translator=1&start=0&number=531)

If the above wasn’t clear enough to establish the point that the context of Q. 9:28 includes Jews and Christians as being among the unclean mushrikin, here is how certain Muslim scholars of the past interpreted this specific reference:

Idolators are no longer allowed into Al-Masjid Al-Haram

Allah commands His believing servants, who are pure in religion and person, to expel the idolators who are filthy in the religious sense, from Al-Masjid Al-Haram. After the revelation of this Ayah, idolators were no longer allowed to go near the Masjid. This Ayah was revealed in the ninth year of Hijrah. The Messenger of Allah sent `Ali in the company of Abu Bakr that year to publicize to the idolators that no Mushrik will be allowed to perform Hajj after that year, nor a naked person allowed to perform Tawaf around the House. Allah completed this decree, made it a legislative ruling, as well as, a fact of reality. `Abdur-Razzaq recorded that Jabir bin `Abdullah commented on the Ayah…

<O you who believe! Verily, the Mushrikin are impure. So let them not come near Al-Masjid Al-Haram after this year> “Unless it was a servant or one of the people of Dhimmah.” Imam Abu `Amr Al-Awza’i said, “Umar bin `Abdul-`Aziz wrote (to his governors) to prevent Jews and Christians from entering the Masjids of Muslims, and he followed his order with Allah’s statement…

<Verily, the Mushrikin are impure.>” `Ata’ said, “All of the Sacred Area [the Haram] is considered a Masjid, for Allah said…

<So let them not come near Al-Masjid Al-Haram (at Makkah) after this year.> This Ayah indicates that idolators are impure and that the believers are pure. In the Sahih is the following…

<<The believer does not become impure.>> Allah said…

<and if you fear poverty, Allah will enrich you, out of His bounty.> Muhammad bin Ishaq commented, “The people said, ‘Our markets will be closed, our commerce disrupted, and what we earned will vanish.’ So Allah revealed this verse…

<and if you fear poverty, Allah will enrich you, out of His bounty>, from other resources…

<if He wills>, until…

<… and feel themselves subdued.> This Ayah means, ‘this will be your compensation for the closed markets that you feared would result.’ Therefore, Allah compensated them for the losses they incurred because they severed ties with idolators, by the Jizyah they earned from the People of the Book.” Similar statements were reported from Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, `Ikrimah, Sa`id bin Jubayr, Qatadah and Ad-Dahhak and others. Allah said…

<Surely, Allah is All-Knowing>, in what benefits you…

<All-Wise>, in His orders and prohibitions, for He is All-Perfect in His actions and statements, All-Just in His creations and decisions, Blessed and Hallowed be He. This is why Allah compensated Muslims for their losses by the amount of Jizyah that they took from the people of Dhimmah. (Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Q. 9:28 https://www.alim.org/quran/tafsir/ibn-kathir/surah/9/28/; emphasis mine)

Muslim scholar Ibn Juzayy noted:

(The mushrikun are unclean) It is said that they are impure because of their rejection. It is said that it is by janâba (impurity as a result of sexual intercourse).

(they should not come near the Masjid al-Haram) This is a text barring the idolaters from the Masjid al-Haram. The scholars agree on that. By analogy, Malik took mushrikun to apply all the unbelievers of the People of the Book and others. By analogy, he makes the Masjid al-Haram to apply to all mosques. Thus he forbids all unbelievers from entering any mosque. Ash-Shafi’i made it particular to the unbelievers and the Masjid al-Haram. He forbade ALL unbelievers from entering the Masjid al-Haram in particular and permits them to enter other mosques. Abu Hanifa confines it to the position of the text. He forbids the idolaters in particular from entering the Masjid al-Haram in particular but allowed them to enter other mosques and he permits the People of the Book to enter the Masjid al-Haram and other mosques. (Aisha Bewley, Tafsir (Commentary), Surat at-Tawbah (Repentance) https://web.archive.org/web/20080725132814/http://bewley.virtualave.net/tawba2.html; bold emphasis mine)

Muhammad’s hatred for them is further seen from the fact that he even deliberately chose to do the opposite of what the Jews and Christians would do:

Narrated Abu Huraira:

I heard Allah’s Apostle saying, “We (Muslims) are the last (to come) but (will be) the foremost on the Day of Resurrection though the former nations were given the Holy Scriptures before us. And this was their day (Friday) the celebration of which was made compulsory for them but they differed about it. So Allah gave us the guidance for it (Friday) and all the other people are behind us in this respect: the Jews’ (holy day is) tomorrow (i.e. Saturday) and the Christians’ (is) the day after tomorrow (i.e. Sunday).” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 2, Book 13, Number 1 https://www.searchtruth.com/book_display.php?book=13&translator=1&start=0&number=1; see also Number 21)

Narrated Abu Huraira:

The Prophet said, “Jews and Christians do not dye their hair so you should do the opposite of what they do.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 7, Book 72, Number 786 https://www.searchtruth.com/book_display.php?book=72&translator=1&start=0&number=786)

Muhammad also permitted Muslims to force Jews and Christians to the narrowest part of the road, and forbade his followers from greeting them first!

Narrated Abu Hurayrah:

Suhayl ibn Abu Salih said: I went out with my father to Syria. The people passed by the cloisters in which there were Christians and began to salute them. My father said: Do not give them salutation first, for Abu Hurayrah reported the Apostle of Allah as saying: Do not salute them (Jews and Christians) first, and when you meet them on the road, FORCE THEM TO GO TO THE NARROWEST PART OF IT. (Sunan Abu Dawud, Book 41, Number 5186 https://www.searchtruth.com/book_display.php?book=41&translator=3&start=0&number=5186)

In fact, Muhammad hated the Jews so much that he commanded that if any Muslim called a fellow “believer” a Jew then that person had to be punished with twenty lashes!

Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas

The Prophet said: “When a man calls another a Jew give him twenty lashes, when he calls someone a mukhannath give him twenty lashes; and kill anyone who has intercourse with a woman who is within the prohibited degrees.”

Tirmidhi transmitted it, saying this is a gharib tradition. (Tirmidhi Hadith, Number 1024 – ALIM version)

It gets worse.

Muhammad told his followers that the end would not come until they fight and kill the Jews, with even the stones helping Muhammadans to kill them!

Narrated Abdullah bin Umar: Allah’s messenger said, “You (i.e. Muslims) will fight against the Jews till some of them will hide behind stones. The stones will (betray them) saying, ‘O Abdallah (i.e. slave of Allah)! There is a Jew hiding behind me; so kill him.’ In another quotation: ‘The hour will not come until you fight against Jews.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 4, Book 52, Hadith 176 https://www.searchtruth.com/book_display.php?book=52&translator=1&start=0&number=176)

Narrated ‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar:

I heard Allah’s Apostle saying, “The Jews will fight with you, and you will be given victory over them so that a stone will say, ‘O Muslim! There is a Jew behind me; kill him!’” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 4, Book 56, Number 791 https://www.searchtruth.com/book_display.php?book=56&translator=1&start=0&number=791)

The Islamic sources reveal the cause of Muhammad’s utter disdain for the Jews. He came to the realization that not only would they never believe in him, but also became aware that they were actually mocking him. The Jews realized just how gullible and naïve he truly was since he was quick to believe just about anything they told him.  

In fact, Muhammad himself told the Jews that if they couldn’t find a prophecy about him in their Scriptures then they were not obligated to follow him. But when the Jews denied that he was mentioned in their inspired Books, he refused to accept this and took this as a sign of their obstinate rebellion:

The apostle wrote to the Jews of Khaybar according to what a freedman of the family of Zayd b. Thabit told me from ‘Ikrima or from Sa‘id b. Jubayr from Ibn ‘Abbas: ‘In the name of God the compassionate the merciful from Muhammad the apostle of God friend and brother of Moses WHO CONFIRMS WHAT MOSES BROUGHT. God says to you, O scripture folk, and you will find it in your scripture “Muhammad is the apostle of God; and those with him are severe against the unbelievers, merciful among themselves. Thou seest them bowing, falling prostrate seeking bounty and acceptance from God. The mark of their prostrations is on their foreheads. That is their likeness in the Torah and in the Gospel like a seed which sends forth its shoot and strengthens it and it becomes thick and rises straight upon its stalk delighting the sowers that He may anger the unbelievers with them. God has promised those who believe and do well forgiveness and a great reward.” I adjure you by God, AND BY WHAT HE HAS SENT DOWN TO YOU, by the manna and quails He gave as food to your tribes before you, and by His drying up the sea for your fathers when He delivered them from Pharaoh and his works, that you tell me, DO YOU FIND IN WHAT HE SENT DOWN TO YOU that you should believe in Muhammad? IF YOU DO NOT FIND THAT IN YOUR SCRIPTURE THEN THERE IS NO COMPULSION UPON YOU. “The right path has become plainly distinguished from error” so I call you to God and His Prophet’ (313).

Among those people whom the Quran came down, especially the rabbis and the unbelieving Jews who used to ask him questions and annoy him in confusing truth with falsehood – as I was told on the authority of ‘Abdullah b. ‘Abbas and Jabir b. ‘Abdullah b. Ri’ab–was Abu Yasir b. Akhtab who passed by the apostle as he was reciting the opening words of The Cow… (The Life of Muhammad: A Translation of Ibn Ishaq’s Sirat Rasul Allah, with introduction and notes by Alfred Guillaume [Oxford University Press, Karachi, Tenth impression 1995], p. 256; bold and capital emphasis mine)

According to what I heard from ‘Ikrima, freedman of Ibn ‘Abbas or from Sa‘id b. Jubayr from Ibn ‘Abbas, Jews used to hope that the apostle would be a help to them against Aus and Khazraj before his mission began; and when God sent him from among the Arabs they disbelieved in him and contradicted what they had formerly said about him. Mu‘adh b. Jabal and Bishr b. al-Bara’ b. Ma‘rur brother of B. Salama said to them: ‘O Jews, fear God and become Muslims, for you used to hope for Muhammad’s help against us when we were polytheists and to tell us that he would be sent and describe him to us.’ Salam b. Mishkam, one of the B. al-Nadir, said, ‘He has not brought us anything we recognize and he is not the one we spoke of to you.’ So God sent down about that saying of theirs: ‘And when a book comes to them from God CONFIRMING what they have, though beforehand they were asking for help against those who disbelieve, when there came to them what they knew, they disbelieved in it, so God’s curse rests on the unbelievers.’

Malik b. al-Sayf said when the apostle had been sent and they were reminded of the condition that had been imposed on them and what God had covenanted with them concerning him, ‘No covenant was ever made with us about Muhammad.’ So God sent down concerning him: ‘Is it not that whenever they make a covenant a party of them set it aside? Nay most of them do not believe.’

Abu Saluba al-Fityuni said to the apostle: ‘O Muhammad, you have not brought us anything we recognize and God has not sent down to you any sign that we should follow you.’ So God sent concerning his words, ‘We have sent down to thee plain signs and only evildoers disbelieve in them.’ (Ibid., p. 257; bold and capital emphasis mine)

A number of them came in to the apostle and he said to them, ‘Surely you know that I am an apostle from God to you.’ They replied that they did not know it and would not bear witness to him. So god sent down concerning their words: ‘But God testifies concerning what He has sent down to thee. With His knowledge did He send it down and the angels bear witness. And God is sufficient as a witness.’ (Ibid., p. 265; bold emphasis mine)

Mahmud b. Sayhan and Nu’man b. Ada’ and Bahri and ‘Uzayr and Sallam came to him and said: ‘Is it true, Muhammad, that what you have brought is the truth from God? For our part we cannot see that it is arranged as the Torah is.’ He answered, ‘You know quite well that it is from God; you will find it written IN THE TORAH WHICH YOU HAVE. If men and jinn came together to produce its like they could not.’ Finhas and ‘Abdullah b. Suriya and Ibn Saluba and Kinana b. al-Raba‘ and Ashya‘ and Ka’b b. al-Asad and Shamwil and Jabal were there and they said: ‘Did neither men nor jinn tell you this, Muhammad?’ He said: ‘You know well that it is from God and that I am the apostle of God. You will find it written IN THE TORAH YOU HAVE.’ They said: ‘When God sends an apostle He does for him what he wishes, so bring down a book to us from heaven that we may read it and know what it is, otherwise we will produce one like the one you bring.’ So God sent down concerning their words: ‘Say, Though men and jinn should meet to produce the like of this Quran they would not produce its like though one helped the other.’ (324).

Huyayy, Ka’b, Abu Rafi‘, Ashya‘, and Shamwil said to ‘Abdullah b. Sallam when he became a Muslim, ‘There is no prophecy among the Arabs, but your master is a king.’ Then they went to the apostle and asked him about Dhu’l-Qarnayn and he told them what God had sent him about him from what he had already narrated to Quraysh. They were of those who ordered Quraysh to ask the apostle about him when they sent al-Nadr and ‘Uqba to them. (Ibid., pp. 269-270; bold and capital emphasis mine)

In point of fact, the Muslim authorities candidly admit that it was because of the Jews making him look like a foll that Muhammad decided to change the qiblah, the direction of prayer, from Jerusalem to the pagan Kabah shrine in Mecca:

The Change of Qiblah

One of these is God’s changing of the Muslims’ Qiblah (the direction faced in prayer) from Syria (that is, Jerusalem) to the Ka‘bah. This was in the second year of the Prophet’s residence in Medina, in Sha‘ban (which began January 28, 624). The early scholars disagree as to the date at which the Qiblah was changed in this year; the majority say that it was changed halfway through Sha‘ban, eighteen months after the arrival of the Messenger of God in Medina.

Those who says this.

According to Musa b. Harun al-Hamdani – ‘Amr b. Hammad – Asbat – al-Suddi – Abu Malik and Abu Salih – Ibn ‘Abbas and Murrah al-Hamdani – Ibn Mas‘ud and some companions of the Prophet: People used to pray towards Jerusalem when the Prophet came to Medina, and for eighteen months after his Emigration. He used to raise his head to heaven when he prayed, to see what he would be commanded, he used to pray towards Jerusalem, and then this was abrogated in favour of the Ka‘bah. The Prophet used to like to pray towards the Ka‘bah, and God revealed the verse: “We have seen the turning of your face to Heaven…”

According to Ibn Humayd – Salamah – Ibn Ishaq: The Qiblah was changed in Sha‘ban, eighteen months after the arrival of the Messenger of God in Medina.

Ibn Sa‘d – al-Waqidi offers a similar account, adding: The Qiblah was changed to the Ka‘bah at midday on Tuesday, halfway through Sha‘ban.

According to Abu Ja‘far (al-Tabari): Others say that the Qiblah was changed to the Ka‘bah sixteen months after the beginning of the Hijrah era.

Those who have said this.

According to Al-Muthanna b. Ibrahim al-Amuli – al-Hajjaj – Hammam b. Yahya – Qatadah: They used to pray towards Jerusalem while the Messenger of God was in Mecca before the Hijrah. After the Messenger of God emigrated, he prayed towards Jerusalem for sixteen months and after that was turned towards the Ka‘bah.

According to Yunus b. ‘Abd al-A‘la – Ibn Wahb – Ibn Zayd: The Prophet turned towards Jerusalem for sixteen months, and then it reached his ears that the Jews were saying, “By God, Muhammad and his companions did not know where their Qiblah was until we directed them.” This displeased the Prophet and he raised his face toward Heaven, and God said, “We have seen the turning of your face to Heaven.” (The History of Al-Tabari: The Foundation of the Community, translated by M. V. McDonald, annotated by W. Montgomery Watt [State University of New York Press (SUNY), Albany 1987], Volume VII, pp. 24-25; bold emphasis mine)

There you have it, folks. This is the religion of Muhammad, a politico-socio-economic-spiritual system that fuels the evil, carnal, lustful passions of Muslim terrorists to murder, pillage, rape and enslave men, women and children in the name of Allah and his “messenger.”

FURTHER READING

The Myth of Islamic Tolerance  

The Mistreatment and Degradation of the People of the Book

Is Islam a religion of Peace?

The Meaning and Purpose of Paying Jizyah

Muhammad’s changing of the Qiblah

In this post I excerpt a portion from the writings of the 14^th century Muslim scholar and Quranic commentator Ibn Kathir in relation to the compilation of the Quran.

Al-Bukhari said: Musa bin Ismail narrated to us, Ibrahim narrated to us, Ibn Shihab narrated to us, that Anas bin Malik narrated to him, that Hudhayfah bin Al-Yaman came to Uthman bin Affan, and he was fighting with the people of the Levant in the conquest of Armenia and Azerbaijan with the people of Iraq; Hudhayfah was alarmed by their disagreement in reading, and Hudhayfah said to Uthman: O Commander of the Faithful, this nation realized before they differed in the book the difference between the Jews and the Christians, so Uthman sent to Hafsa: Send us the scrolls so that we may copy them, 4 and then return them to you. So Hafsa sent them to Uthman. So he ordered Zaid bin Thabit, Abdullah bin Al-Zubayr, Saeed bin Al-Aas, and Abdul-Rahman bin Al-Harith bin Hisham, and they copied it into the Qur’an.

Uthman said to the three Quraysh men: If you and Zaid bin Thabit disagree about anything in the Qur’an, write it in the Quraysh language. It was revealed in their language, and they did so, until when they had transcribed the pages into the Qur’an, Uthman returned the pages to Hafsa, and sent to every region a Qur’an of what they had transcribed, and he commanded everything else from the Qur’an to be written. (Ibn Kathir, The Book of the Virtues of the Quran https://shamela.ws/book/22800/54)

Every newspaper or Qur’an must be burned.

Ibn Shihab Al-Zuhri said: Then Kharijah bin Zaid bin Thabit informed me. Zaid bin Thabit heard he said: He said: I lost a verse from Al-Ahzab when we copied the Qur’an. I had been hearing the Messenger of God reciting it, so we searched for it and found it with Khuzaymah bin Thabit Al-Ansari: {Among the believers are men who have been true to what they covenanted with God} so we added it to its surah in the Qur’an.

This is also one of the greatest virtues of the Commander of the Faithful, Othman bin Affan.

The two sheikhs preceded him in memorizing the Qur’an, so that something would be removed from it, which is to gather people on one reading so that they would not differ in the Qur’an, and all the companions agreed with him on that, but it was narrated on the authority of Abdullah bin Masud that he expressed some anger because he was not among those who wrote the Qur’an, and he ordered his companions to bind their Qur’an when Uthman ordered the burning of everything except the Imam’s Qur’an. Then Ibn Masud returned to Al-Wefaq1, until Ali bin2 Abu Talib said: If Uthman had not done that, I would have done it.

1 in “t”: “he says.”

2 in “A”: “in the Qur’an.”

3 The author refers to what was reported by Muslim (2462/114) and the context for it, and Al-Nasa’i in “Al-Fada’il” (22) who said: Ishaq bin Ibrahim Al-Hanzali told us, Abdah bin Sulayman told us, Al-A’mash told us, on the authority of Shaqiq, on the authority of Abdullah Ibn Masud said:

{And whoever defrauds will bring what he defrauded on the Day of Resurrection} [Al Imran: 161], then he said: Who do you order me to recite upon? I recited to the Messenger of God seventy-some surahs, and the companions of the Messenger of God knew that I was the most knowledgeable of them in the Book of God, and if I had known that someone was more knowledgeable than me, I would have gone to him.
Shaqiq said: So I sat in the circle of Muhammad’s companions and I did not hear anyone say that to him or criticize him. Narrated by Ibn Abi Dawud, p. 16.

Al-Hasan bin Ismail bin Suleiman disagreed with them, saying: Abdah bin Suleiman told us, on the authority of Al-Amash, on the authority of Abu Ishaq, on the authority of Hubayra bin Yarim, on the authority of Ibn Masud, so he mentioned some of it. Narrated by Al-Nasa’i 8/134.

Although Al-Hasan bin Suleiman is trustworthy, the narrations of Ibn Rahawayh and Harun are more likely, and their narrations were considered more likely by two reasons, which I mentioned in “Al-Taslah.” and thank God.

1 His graduation will come soon.

2 It was included by Abu Ubaid in “Al-Fada’il” (p. 157), and by Ibn Abi Dawud in “The Qur’an” (12, 23) through chains of transmission on the authority of Shu’bah, on the authority of Alqamah bin Marthad, on the authority of a man, on the authority of Suwayd bin Ghafla, on the authority of Ali that he said when Uthman burned the Qur’an “If he hadn’t made it, I would have made it.”

Thus, he narrated it on the authority of Shu’bah, his trustworthy companions, including: “Muhammad bin Jaafar Ghandar, Abu Dawud al-Tayalisi, and Abd al-Rahman bin Mahdi.” Yaqub bin Ishaq Al-Hadrami differed from them, and he was truthful. He narrated it on the authority of Shu’bah, on the authority of Alqamah bin Marthad, on the authority of Suwayd bin Ghafla, on the authority of Ali.

He dropped the intermediary between Alqamah and Suwayd.

It was narrated by Ibn Abi Dawud (p. 12), and the group’s narration is undoubtedly more likely, but it was narrated by Umar bin Shibh in “Tarikh al-Madina” (3/994-995, 996), Ibn Abi Dawud (p. 23) and Al-Bayhaqi – as in “The Beginning and the End” 7/236 “From the path of Muhammad bin Aban, he said: Aqlamah bin Marthad told me, he said: I heard Al-Izar bin Harith, saying: When Al-Mukhtar came out… he mentioned it at length, and it included: “Ali said: O people! Beware of the exaggeration of Uthman; what you say: burn the Qur’an?! By God, he did not burn it except on behalf of a group of the companions of Muhammad. If I had been appointed as he was appointed, I would have done the same as he did.”

I said: This is a chain of narration whose men are trustworthy, except for Muhammad ibn Aban, who is Ibn Salih al-Kufi. Translated by Ibn Abi Hatim in Al-Jarh. And the amendment, 3/2/199, and he quoted his father who said: “He is not strong in hadith, his hadith is written metaphorically!” And Ahmad said: “He was not lying”. So the hadith is possible to improve in both ways. And God knows best. (Ibid. https://shamela.ws/book/22800/55#p1)

The four imams, Abu Bakr, Omar, Uthman and Ali, agreed that this was among the interests of the religion, and they were the caliphs whom the Messenger of God said: “You should follow my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the Rightly Guided Caliphs from after me,” and the reason for this was Hudhayfah bin Al-Yaman, when he was a conqueror of Armenia and Azerbaijan, and the people of the Levant and Iraq had gathered there, and Hudhayfah heard from them readings on various letters, and he saw from them a lot of disagreement and separation, so when he returned to Uthman, he informed him, and said to Uthman: “Before they differed regarding the Book, this nation realized the difference between the Jews and the Christians.”

This is because the Jews and Christians differ in the books they have in their hands. The Jews have a copy of the Torah in their hands, while the Samaritans differ from them in many words and meanings as well. The Torah of Samaria does not have the letters hamza, nor the letter ha or yaa. The Christians also have a Torah in their hands, which they call the antique, and it is contrary to the copies of the Jews and the Samaritans.

As for the Gospels in the hands of Christians, they are four: the Gospel of Mark, the Gospel of Luke, the Gospel of Matthew, and the Gospel of John. They are also very different, and each of these four Gospels is of a nice size. Some of them are close to fourteen pages in medium handwriting, and some of them are larger than that, either half or twice, and their content is the biography of Jesus, his days, his rulings, and his words, and with it a little of what they claim to be the word of God, and it is with this is different as we said. Likewise, the Torah, with its distortions and alterations, was later abrogated by this purified Muhammadan law.

When Hudhayfah said that to Uthman, it frightened him, and he sent to Hafsa, the Mother of the Believers, to send him the manuscripts she had from what the two sheikhs had collected, to write that in one Qur’an, and he carried it out to the horizons, and gathered the people to read with it and abandon everything else. So Hafsa did so. Uthman commanded these four, namely: Zaid bin Thabit Al-Ansari, one of the writers of revelation to the Messenger of God, Abdullah bin Al-Zubair bin Al-Awwam Al-Qurashi Al-Asadi, one of the jurists of the Companions and their eminent men in knowledge and deed, origin and virtue, and Saeed bin Al-Aas bin Umayyah Al-Qurashi Al-Umawi. He was generous, generous and praised, and he was the person most similar in tone to the Messenger of God. And Abdul Rahman bin Al Harith bin Hisham bin Al Mughirah bin Abdullah bin Umar bin Makhzum Al Qurashi Al Makhzumi.

So these four people sat down and wrote copies of the Qur’an, and if they disagreed about placing¹ the writing in any language, they returned to Uthman, just as they disagreed about the coffin², should they write it with a ta’ or a ha’? Zaid bin Thabit said: It is the coffin, and the three Quraishi said: It is the coffin, so they pleaded with Uthman, and he said: Write it in the language of the Quraish. The Qur’an was revealed in their language, and Uthman⁴ – and God knows best – arranged the surahs in the Qur’an, giving the length by seven, and multiplying it by two hundred.

1 Sahih hadith.

It was included by Abu Dawud (4607), Al-Tirmidhi (2676), Ibn Majah (42, 43, 44), Al-Darimi (1/43-44), Ahmad (4/126, 127), and Abu Ubaid in “Sermons and Sermons” (2) And Ibn Hibban in his Sahih (102) and in Al-Thiqat (1/4), and Al-Tabari in his “Tafsir” (10/212), and Ibn Nasr in “Al-Sunnah” (21, 22), and Ibn Abi Asim in Al-Sunnah, 1/19, 26-27, 29, 30, And others in Al-Irbad bin Sariyah said: The Messenger of God preached to us one day after the morning prayer an eloquent sermon, which made eyes shed tears and hearts were terrified by it, and a man said: “This is a Farewell sermon, so what do you entrust us, O Messenger of God?” He said: “I advise you to fear God, listen, and obey, even if a slave is an Abyssinian, for whoever of you lives will see a lot of disagreement. And beware of new matters; It is a misguidance, so whoever of you realizes that, you should adhere to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the Rightly Guided Caliphs; bite it with your molars.” Al-Tirmidhi said: “A good and authentic hadith.”

Abu Naim said: “It is a good hadith from the authentic hadith of the Levant.” It was transmitted by Ibn Rajab in Jami’ al-Ulum (p. 226).

1 in “A”: “place”.

2 It was included by Al-Tirmidhi (3104), Omar bin Shibah in Tarikh Al-Madina (3/1000-1001), Ibn Abi Dawud in The Qur’ans (p. 19), and Al-Bayhaqi (2/385) from Al-Zuhri’s saying.

Al-Hafiz said in Al-Fath (9/20): “Al-Khatib said: It was only narrated by Ibn Shihab as mursal.” a. e.

Al-Bayhaqi narrated it on the authority of Abu al-Walid, on the authority of Ibrahim ibn Sa`dah, on the authority of al-Zuhri, saying, “And his action returns the transmission.” God knows.

3 In “A” and “T”: “So they retreated.”

4 of “A”. (Ibid. https://shamela.ws/book/22800/57#p1)

FURTHER READING

Hafs: The Lying, Unreliable Transmitter of the Quran

THE 1924 ARABIC QURAN: AN UNINSPIRED HUMAN COMPILATION

 THE CORRUPT QURAN’S MISSING VERSES PT. 1

THE CORRUPT QURAN’S MISSING VERSES PT. 2

THE IMPERFECTLY PRESERVED QURAN

In this post I will cite some of the early post-biblical Christian writings’ application and interpretation of Psalm 110. But before I do so I will first cite the 110^th Psalm and bring out its theological and Christological implications.

MESSIAH’S HEAVENLY ENTHRONEMENT

Here’s the Psalm in question:

“A Psalm of David. The Lord says to my lord: ‘Sit at my right hand, till I make your enemies your footstool.’ The Lord sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your foes! Your people will offer themselves freely on the day you lead your host upon the holy mountains. From the womb of the morning like dew your youth will come to you. The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, ‘You are a priest for ever after the order of Melchiz′edek.’ The Lord (Adonay)is at your right hand; he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath. He will execute judgment among the nations, filling them with corpses; he will shatter chiefs over the wide earth. He will drink from the brook by the way; therefore he will lift up his head.” Psalm 110:1-7

David prophesied that YHWH would enthrone a King who would be the Lord of Israel’s ruler, and therefore superior to him, and who also functions as a Priest from a different order, namely that of Melchizedek. This Melchizedek was the King of Jerusalem who blessed Abraham the father of national Israel, and who ate bread and wine with the patriarch (Cf. Gen. 14:18-20).

David also envisions his Lord overcoming and vanquishing his enemies on the day when he comes to judge and rule the nations.

The point that needs to be emphasized is that this Ruler must be a physical descendent of David since kingship was assigned to his line as an everlasting possession (Cf. Psalm 89:19-37). This indicates that this particular King would be both divine and human since he could not be David’s Lord if he were merely a man. And yet the only Lord whom David submitted to is none other than YHWH God, since there was no other authority figure equal to, let alone greater than, the King of Israel.  

This brings me to my next point.

The Psalms are explicitly clear that YHWH sits enthroned in heaven, and that he alone rules from his heavenly throne as Lord over all creation:

“He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord has them in derision.” Psalm 2:4

“The ORD is in his holy temple, the LORD’s throne is in heaven; his eyes behold, his eyelids test, the children of men.” Psalm 11:4

“The LORD has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.” Psalm 103:19

“Who is like the LORD our God, who is seated on high,” Psalm 113:5

“The heavens are the LORD’s heavens, but the earth he has given to the sons of men.” Psalm 115:16

“Let them praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is exalted; his glory is above earth and heaven.”

Thus, for David’s Lord to sit at YHWH’s right hand means that he is reigning alongside God on his heavenly throne, which provides further confirmation that this King is truly divine and essentially coequal with YHWH.

BEGOTTEN BEFORE CREATION

Another important fact to point out is that certain Hebrew manuscripts (MSS) and several ancient versions contain a reading, which points to the Messianic King’s prehuman existence and pre-creational divine begetting:

“The Lord said to my lord (Eipen ho Kyrios to Kyrio mou), ‘Sit on my right until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.’ A rod of your power the Lord will send out from Sion. And exercise dominion in the midst of your enemies! With you is rule on a day of your power among the splendors of the holy ones. From the womb, before Morning-star, I brought you forth (egennesa se).” Psalm 109:1-3 (Psalms (and Prayer of Manasses),”, translated by Albert Pietersma, A New English Translation of the Septuagint, published by Oxford University Press in 2009, including corrections and emendations made in the second printing (2009) and corrections and emendations made in June 2014, p. 603)

“The Lord said to my Lord: Sit thou at my right hand: Until I make thy enemies thy footstool. The Lord will send forth the sceptre of thy power out of Sion: rule thou in the midst of thy enemies. With thee is the principality in the day of thy strength: in the brightness of the saints: from the womb before the day star I begot thee.” Psalm 109:1-3 Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition (DRA)

“LORD JEHOVAH said to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies as a stool for your feet.’ LORD JEHOVAH will send the scepter of power to you from Zion and he will rule over your enemies. Your people are glorious in the day of power; in the glories of holiness from the womb, from the first, I have begotten you, Son.” Psalm 110:1-3 Peshitta Holy Bible Translation (PHBT https://biblehub.com/hpbt/psalms/110.htm)

“THE LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool. The LORD will send forth the sceptre of his power out of Zion, and he will rule over thine enemies. Thy people shall be glorious in the day of thy power; arrayed in the beauty of holiness from the womb, I have begotten thee as a child from the ages.” George Lamsa Bible (LAMSA https://biblehub.com/lamsa/psalms/110.htm)

The womb and the morning-star refer to creation, and therefore point to the fact that David’s Lord was already existing as God’s uniquely begotten Son before anything had been created.  

The following Biblical scholars argue that “begotten you” (y^elidtika) should be the preferred rendering of the Hebrew consonants of v. 3, and state that this reading is accepted by many commentators:  

For our present purposes, the main focus of interest in Psalm 110 is the notoriously corrupt verse 3b:

bahadre qodesh merechem mishchar laka tal yaldutheka

The corresponding Greek (Ps 109:3) reads:

en tais lamprostesin ton hagion

ek gastros pro heosphorou exegennesa se.

The MT points the last word as yaldutheka, “your youth.” The NRSV translates accordingly:

From the womb of the morning,

like dew, your youth will come to you.

MANY Masoretic manuscripts, however, read y^elidtika, the reading presupposed by the Greek, and also supported by the Syriac. In view of the consonantal spelling in the MT, and the parallel in Psalm 2, this reading should be preferred and is accepted by many commentators.⁸⁴

By re-pointing the Masoretic text, but making no changes to the consonants we read:

In sacred splendor, from the womb, from dawn, you have the dew wherewith I have begotten you.⁸⁵ (Adela Yarbro Collins & John J. Collins, King and Messiah as Son of God: Divine, Human, and Angelic Messianic Figures in Biblical and Related Literature [William. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., First Edition, First Printing, 2008], 1. The King as Son of God, pp. 16-17; bold and capital emphasis mine)

NEW TESTAMENT

Here are the places where the inspired NT writings either quote or allude to the 110^th Psalm:

“And as Jesus taught in the temple, he said, ‘How can the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David? David himself, inspired by the Holy Spirit, declared, “The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, till I put thy enemies under thy feet.” David himself calls him Lord; so how is he his son?’ And the great throng heard him gladly.” Mark 12:35-37  

“But he was silent and made no answer. Again the high priest asked him, ‘Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?’ And Jesus said, ‘I am; and you will see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.’” Mark 14:61-62

“So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that attended it. Amen.” Mark 16:19-20

“Brethren, I may say to you confidently of the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants upon his throne, 31 he foresaw and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this which you see and hear. For David did not ascend into the heavens; but he himself says, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, till I make thy enemies a stool for thy feet.’ Let all the house of Israel therefore know assuredly that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” Acts 2:29-36

“God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.” Acts 5:31

“But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God; and he said, ‘Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing at the right hand of God.’” Acts 7:55-56

“who is to condemn? Is it Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us?” Romans 8:34

“and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power in us who believe, according to the working of his great might which he accomplished in Christ when he raised him from the dead and made him sit at his right hand in the heavenly places, FAR ABOVE ALL rule and authority and power and dominion, and ABOVE EVERY NAME that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come; and he has put ALL THINGS under his feet and has made him the head over ALL THINGS for the church, which is his body, the fulness of him who fills all in all.” Ephesians 1:19-23

“For in him the whole fulness of deity dwells bodily, and you have come to fulness of life in him, who is the head of all rule and authority… If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.” Colossians 2:9-10, 3:1

“He reflects the glory of God and bears the very stamp of his nature, upholding the universe by his word of power. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high… But to what angel has he ever said, ‘Sit at my right hand, till I make thy enemies a stool for thy feet’?” Hebrews 1:3, 13

“Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, a minister in the sanctuary and the true tent which is set up not by man but by the Lord.” Hebrews 8:1-2

“But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, then to wait until his enemies should be made a stool for his feet.” Hebrews 10:12-13  

“looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2

“Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers subject to him.” 1 Peter 3:21-22

As the readers can see, Psalm 110 is consistently applied to Jesus’ post-resurrection and physical, bodily ascension into heaven to sit enthroned alongside the Father as Lord of all creation.

EXTRA-BIBLICAL WRITINGS

I now quote some of the early Christian witnesses to Psalm 110.

ASCENSION OF ISAIAH

CHAPTER 10

AND thereupon I heard the voices and the giving of praise, which I had heard in each of the six heavens, ascending and being heard there:

2. And all were being sent up to that Glorious One whose glory I could not behold.

3. And I myself was hearing and beholding the praise (which was given) to Him.

4. And the Lord and the angel of the Spirit were beholding all and hearing all.

5. And all the praises which are sent up from the six heavens are not only heard, but seen.

6. And I heard the angel who conducted me and he said: “This is the Most High of the high ones, dwelling in the holy world, and resting in His holy ones, who will be called by the Holy Spirit through the lips of the righteous the Father of the Lord.”

7. And I heard the voice of the Most High, the Father of my Lord, saying to my Lord Christ who will be called Jesus:

8. “Go forth and descent through all the heavens, and thou wilt descent to the firmament and that world: to the angel in Sheol thou wilt descend, but to Haguel thou wilt not go.

9. And thou wilt become like unto the likeness of all who are in the five heavens.

10. And thou wilt be careful to become like the form of the angels of the firmament [and the angels also who are in Sheol].

11. And none of the angels of that world shall know that Thou art with Me of the seven heavens and of their angels.

12. And they shall not know that Thou art with Me, till with a loud voice I have called (to) the heavens, and their angels and their lights, (even) unto the sixth heaven, in order that you mayest judge and destroy the princes and angels and gods of that world, and the world that is dominated by them:

13. For they have denied Me and said: “We alone are and there is none beside us.”

14. And afterwards from the angels of death Thou wilt ascend to Thy place. And Thou wilt not be transformed in each heaven, but in glory wilt Thou ascend and sit on My right hand.

15. And thereupon the princes and powers of that world will worship Thee.”

16. These commands I heard the Great Glory giving to my Lord.

17. And so I saw my Lord go forth from the seventh heaven into the sixth heaven.

18. And the angel who conducted me [from this world was with me and] said unto me: “Understand, Isaiah, and see the transformation and descent of the Lord will appear.”…

CHAPTER 11

AFTER this I saw, and the angel who spoke with me, who conducted me, said unto me: “Understand, Isaiah son of Amoz; for for this purpose have I been sent from God.”

2. And I indeed saw a woman of the family of David the prophet, named Mary, and Virgin, and she was espoused to a man named Joseph, a carpenter, and he also was of the seed and family of the righteous David of Bethlehem Judah.

3. And he came into his lot. And when she was espoused, she was found with child, and Joseph the carpenter was desirous to put her away…

18. And when He had grown up he worked great signs and wonders in the land of Israel and of Jerusalem.

19. And after this the adversary envied Him and roused the children of Israel against Him, not knowing who He was, and they delivered Him to the king, and crucified Him, and He descended to the angel (of Sheol).

20. In Jerusalem indeed I saw Him being crucified on a tree:

21. And likewise after the third day rise again and remain days.

22. And the angel who conducted me said: “Understand, Isaiah”: and I saw when He sent out the Twelve Apostles and ascended.

23. And I saw Him, and He was in the firmament, but He had not changed Himself into their form, and all the angels of the firmament and the Satans saw Him and they worshipped.

24. And there was much sorrow there, while they said: “How did our Lord descend in our midst, and we perceived not the glory [which has been upon Him], which we see has been upon Him from the sixth heaven?”

25. And He ascended into the second heaven, and He did not transform Himself, but all the angels who were on the right and on the left and the throne in the midst.

26. Both worshipped Him and praised Him and said: “How did our Lord escape us whilst descending, and we perceived not?”

27. And in like manner He ascended into the third heaven, and they praised and said in like manner.

28. And in the fourth heaven and in the fifth also they said precisely after the same manner.

29. But there was one glory, and from it He did not change Himself.

30. And I saw when He ascended into the sixth heaven, and they worshipped and glorified Him.

31. But in all the heavens the praise increased (in volume).

32. And I saw how He ascended into the seventh heaven, and all the righteous and all the angels praised Him. And then I saw Him sit down on the right hand of that Great Glorywhose glory I told you that I could not behold.

33. And also the angel of the Holy Spirit I saw sitting on the left hand. (The Ascension of Isaiah)

EPISTLE OF BARNABAS

Chapter 12. The cross of Christ frequently announced in the Old Testament

In like manner He points to the cross of Christ in another prophet, who says, And when shall these things be accomplished? And the Lord says, When a tree shall be bent down, and again arise, and when blood shall flow out of wood. Here again you have an intimation concerning the cross, and Him who should be crucified. Yet again He speaks of this in Moses, when Israel was attacked by strangers. And that He might remind them, when assailed, that it was on account of their sins they were delivered to death, the Spirit speaks to the heart of Moses, that he should make a figure of the cross, and of Him about to suffer thereon; for unless they put their trust in Him, they shall be overcome forever. Moses therefore placed one weapon above another in the midst of the hill, and standing upon it, so as to be higher than all the people, he stretched forth his hands, and thus again Israel acquired the mastery. But when again he let down his hands, they were again destroyed. For what reason? That they might know that they could not be saved unless they put their trust in Him. And in another prophet He declares, All day long I have stretched forth My hands to an unbelieving people, and one that gainsays My righteous way. Isaiah 65:2 And again Moses makes a type of Jesus, [signifying] that it was necessary for Him to suffer, [and also] that He would be the author of life [to others], whom they believed to have destroyed on the cross when Israel was failing. For since transgression was committed by Eve through means of the serpent, [the Lord] brought it to pass that every [kind of] serpents bit them, and they died, Numbers 21:6-9; John 3:14-18 that He might convince them, that on account of their transgression they were given over to the straits of death. Moreover Moses, when he commanded, You shall not have any graven or molten [image] for your God, did so that he might reveal a type of Jesus. Moses then makes a brazen serpent, and places it upon a beam, and by proclamation assembles the people. When, therefore, they had come together, they besought Moses that he would offer sacrifice in their behalf, and pray for their recovery. And Moses spoke unto them, saying, When any one of you is bitten, let him come to the serpent placed on the pole; and let him hope and believe, that even though dead, it is able to give him life, and immediately he shall be restored. Numbers 21:9 And they did so. You have in this also [an indication of] the glory of Jesus; for in Him and to Him are all things. Colossians 1:16 What, again, says Moses to Jesus (Joshua) the son of Nave, when he gave him this name, as being a prophet, with this view only, that all the people might hear that the Father would reveal all things concerning His Son Jesus to the son of Nave? This name then being given him when he sent him to spy out the land, he said, Take a book into your hands, and write what the Lord declares, that the Son of God will in the last days cut off from the roots all the house of Amalek. Exodus 17:14 Behold again: Jesus who was manifested, both by type and in the flesh, 1 Timothy 3:16 is not the Son of man, but the Son of God. Since, therefore, they were to say that Christ was the son of David, fearing and understanding the error of the wicked, he says, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at My right hand, until I make Your enemies Your footstool. And again, thus says Isaiah, The Lord said to Christ, my Lord, whose right hand I have holden, that the nations should yield obedience before Him; and I will break in pieces the strength of kings. Isaiah 45:1 Behold how David calls Him Lord and the Son of God. (Epistle of Barnabas)

CLEMENT OF ROME

Chapter 36. All Blessings are Given to Us Through Christ.

This is the way, beloved, in which we find our Saviour, even Jesus Christ, the High Priest of all our offerings, the defender and helper of our infirmity. By Him we look up to the heights of heaven. By Him we behold, as in a glass, His immaculate and most excellent visage. By Him are the eyes of our hearts opened. By Him our foolish and darkened understanding blossoms up anew towards His marvellous light. By Him the Lord has willed that we should taste of immortal knowledge, who, being the brightness of His majesty, is by so much greater than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. Hebrews 1:3-4 For it is thus written, Who makes His angels spirits, and His ministers a flame of fire. But concerning His Son the Lord spoke thus: You are my Son, today have I begotten You. Ask of me, and I will give You the heathen for Your inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for Your possession. And again He says to Him, Sit at my right hand, until I make Your enemies Your footstool. But who are His enemies? All the wicked, and those who set themselves to oppose the will of God. (First Epistle)

POLYCARP

Chapter 2. An exhortation to virtue

Wherefore, girding up your loins, 1 Peter 1:13; Ephesians 6:14 serve the Lord in fear and truth, as those who have forsaken the vain, empty talk and error of the multitude, and believed in Him who raised up our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead, and gave Him glory, 1 Peter 1:21 and a throne at His right hand. To Him all things 1 Peter 3:22; Philippians 2:10 in heaven and on earth are subject. HIM EVERY SPIRIT SERVES. He comes as the Judge of the living and the dead. Acts 17:31 His blood will God require of those who do not believe in Him. But He who raised Him up from the dead will raise us up also, if we do His will, and walk in His commandments, and love what He loved, keeping ourselves from all unrighteousness, covetousness, love of money, evil speaking, false witness; not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing, 1 Peter 3:9 or blow for blow, or cursing for cursing, but being mindful of what the Lord said in His teaching: Judge not, that you be not judged; Matthew 7:1 forgive, and it shall be forgiven unto you; be merciful, that you may obtain mercy; Luke 6:36 with what measure you measure, it shall be measured to you again; Matthew 7:2; Luke 6:38 and once more, Blessed are the poor, and those that are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of God. (Epistle to the Philippians)

JUSTIN MARTYR

Chapter 45. Christ’s session in heaven foretold

And that God the Father of all would bring Christ to heaven after He had raised Him from the dead, and would keep Him there until He has subdued His enemies the devils, and until the number of those who are foreknown by Him as good and virtuous is complete, on whose account He has still delayed the consummation — hear what was said by the prophet David. These are his words: The Lord said to My Lord, Sit at My right hand, until I make Your enemies Your footstool. The Lord shall send to You the rod of power out of Jerusalem; and rule You in the midst of Your enemies. With You is the government in the day of Your power, in the beauties of Your saints: from the womb of morning have I begotten You. That which he says, He shall send to You the rod of power out of Jerusalem, is predictive of the mighty word, which His apostles, going forth from Jerusalem, preached everywhere; and though death is decreed against those who teach or at all confess the name of Christ, we everywhere both embrace and teach it. And if you also read these words in a hostile spirit, you can do no more, as I said before, than kill us; which indeed does no harm to us, but to you and all who unjustly hate us, and do not repent, brings eternal punishment by fire. (First Apology)

Chapter 32. Trypho objecting that Christ is described as glorious by Daniel, Justin distinguishes two advents

Trypho: These and such like Scriptures, sir, compel us to wait for Him who, as Son of man, receives from the Ancient of days the everlasting kingdom. But this so-called Christ of yours was dishonourable and inglorious, so much so that the last curse contained in the law of God fell on him, for he was crucified.

Justin: If, sirs, it were not said by the Scriptures which I have already quoted, that His form was inglorious, and His generation not declared, and that for His death the rich would suffer death, and with His stripes we should be healed, and that He would be led away like a sheep; and if I had not explained that there would be two advents of His — one in which He was pierced by you; a second, when you shall know Him whom you have pierced, and your tribes shall mourn, each tribe by itself, the women apart, and the men apart — then I must have been speaking dubious and obscure things. But now, by means of the contents of those Scriptures esteemed holy and prophetic among you, I attempt to prove all [that I have adduced], in the hope that some one of you may be found to be of that remnant which has been left by the grace of the Lord of Sabaoth for the eternal salvation. In order, therefore, that the matter inquired into may be plainer to you, I will mention to you other words also spoken by the blessed David, from which you will perceive that the Lord is called the Christ by the Holy Spirit of prophecy; and that the Lord, the Father of all, has brought Him again from the earth, setting Him at His own right hand, until He makes His enemies His footstool; which indeed happens from the time that our Lord Jesus Christ ascended to heaven, after He rose again from the dead, the times now running on to their consummation; and he whom Daniel foretells would have dominion for a time, and times, and an half, is even already at the door, about to speak blasphemous and daring things against the Most High. But you, being ignorant of how long he will have dominion, hold another opinion. For you interpret the ‘time’ as being a hundred years. But if this is so, the man of sin must, at the shortest, reign three hundred and fifty years, in order that we may compute that which is said by the holy Daniel —’and times’— to be two times only. All this I have said to you in digression, in order that you at length may be persuaded of what has been declared against you by God, that you are foolish sons; and of this, ‘Therefore, behold, I will proceed to take away this people, and shall take them away; and I will strip the wise of their wisdom, and will hide the understanding of their prudent men.’ Isaiah 29:14 and may cease to deceive yourselves and those who hear you, and may learn of us, who have been taught wisdom by the grace of Christ. The words, then, which were spoken by David, are these:

The Lord said to My Lord, Sit at My right hand, until I make Your enemies Your footstool. The Lord shall send the rod of Your strength out of Sion: rule also in the midst of Your enemies. With You shall be, in the day, the chief of Your power, in the beauties of Your saints. From the womb, before the morning star, have I begotten You. The Lord has sworn, and will not repent: You are a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek. The Lord is at Your right hand: He has crushed kings in the day of His wrath: He shall judge among the heathen, He shall fill [with] the dead bodies. He shall drink of the brook in the way; therefore shall He lift up the head.’

Chapter 33. Psalm 110 is not spoken of Hezekiah. He proves that Christ was first humble, then shall be glorious

Justin: And I am not ignorant that you venture to expound this psalm as if it referred to king Hezekiah; but that you are mistaken, I shall prove to you from these very words immediately. ‘The Lord has sworn, and will not repent,’ it is said; and, ‘You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek,’ with what follows and precedes. Not even you will venture to object that Hezekiah was either a priest, or is the everlasting priest of God; but that this is spoken of our Jesus, these expressions show. But your ears are shut up, and your hearts are made dull. For by this statement, ‘The Lord has sworn, and will not repent: You are a priest for ever, after the order of Melchizedek,’ with an oath God has shown Him (on account of your unbelief) to be the High Priest after the order of Melchizedek; i.e., as Melchizedek was described by Moses as the priest of the Most High, and he was a priest of those who were in uncircumcision, and blessed the circumcised Abraham who brought him tithes, so God has shown that His everlasting Priest, called also by the Holy Spirit Lord, would be Priest of those in uncircumcision. Those too in circumcision who approach Him, that is, believing Him and seeking blessings from Him, He will both receive and bless. And that He shall be first humble as a man, and then exalted, these words at the end of the Psalm show: ‘He shall drink of the brook in the way,’ and then, ‘Therefore shall He lift up the head.’

Chapter 34. Nor does Psalm 72 apply to Solomon, whose faults Christians shudder at

Justin: Further, to persuade you that you have not understood anything of the Scriptures, I will remind you of another psalm, dictated to David by the Holy Spirit, which you say refers to Solomon, who was also your king. But it refers also to our Christ. But you deceive yourselves by the ambiguous forms of speech. For where it is said, ‘The law of the Lord is perfect,’ you do not understand it of the law which was to be after Moses, but of the law which was given by Moses, although God declared that He would establish a new law and a new covenant. And where it has been said, ‘O God, give Your judgment to the king,’ since Solomon was king, you say that the Psalm refers to him, although the words of the Psalm expressly proclaim that reference is made to the everlasting King, i.e., to Christ. For Christ is King, and Priest, and God, and Lord, and angel, and man, and captain, and stone, and a Son born, and first made subject to suffering, then returning to heaven, and again coming with glory, and He is preached as having the everlasting kingdom: so I prove from all the Scriptures. But that you may perceive what I have said, I quote the words of the Psalm; they are these:

O God, give Your judgment to the king, and Your righteousness unto the king’s son, to judge Your people with righteousness, and Your poor with judgment. The mountains shall take up peace to the people, and the little hills righteousness. He shall judge the poor of the people, and shall save the children of the needy, and shall abase the slanderer. He shall co-endure with the sun, and before the moon unto all generations. He shall come down like rain upon the fleece, as drops falling on the earth. In His days shall righteousness flourish, and abundance of peace until the moon be taken away. And He shall have dominion from sea to sea, and from the rivers unto the ends of the earth. Ethiopians shall fall down before Him, and His enemies shall lick the dust. The kings of Tarshish and the isles shall offer gifts; the kings of Arabia and Seba shall offer gifts; and all the kings of the earth shall worship Him, and all the nations shall serve Him: for He has delivered the poor from the man of power, and the needy that has no helper. He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy: He shall redeem their souls from usury and injustice, and His name shall be honourable before them. And He shall live, and to Him shall be given of the gold of Arabia, and they shall pray continually for Him: they shall bless Him all the day. And there shall be a foundation on the earth, it shall be exalted on the tops of the mountains: His fruit shall be on Lebanon, and they of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth. His name shall be blessed forever. His name shall endure before the sun; and all tribes of the earth shall be blessed in Him, all nations shall call Him blessed. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who only does wondrous things; and blessed be His glorious name for ever, and for ever and ever; and the whole earth shall be filled with His glory. Amen, amen.

And at the close of this Psalm which I have quoted, it is written, ‘The hymns of David the son of Jesse are ended.’ Moreover, that Solomon was a renowned and great king, by whom the temple called that at Jerusalem was built, I know; but that none of those things mentioned in the Psalm happened to him, is evident. For neither did all kings worship him; nor did he reign to the ends of the earth; nor did his enemies, falling before him, lick the dust. Nay, also, I venture to repeat what is written in the book of Kings as committed by him, how through a woman’s influence he worshipped the idols of Sidon, which those of the Gentiles who know God, the Maker of all things through Jesus the crucified, do not venture to do, but abide every torture and vengeance even to the extremity of death, rather than worship idols, or eat meat offered to idols.

Chapter 35. Heretics confirm the Catholics in the faith

Trypho: I believe, however, that many of those who say that they confess Jesus, and are called Christians, eat meats offered to idols, and declare that they are by no means injured in consequence.

Justin: The fact that there are such men confessing themselves to be Christians, and admitting the crucified Jesus to be both Lord and Christ, yet not teaching His doctrines, but those of the spirits of error, causes us who are disciples of the true and pure doctrine of Jesus Christ, to be more faithful and steadfast in the hope announced by Him. For what things He predicted would take place in His name, these we do see being actually accomplished in our sight. For he said, ‘Many shall come in My name, clothed outwardly in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.’ Matthew 7:15 And, ‘There shall be schisms and heresies.’ 1 Corinthians 11:19 And, ‘Beware of false prophets, who shall come to you clothed outwardly in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.’ Matthew 7:15 And, ‘Many false Christs and false apostles shall arise, and shall deceive many of the faithful.’ Matthew 24:11 There are, therefore, and there were many, my friends, who, coming forward in the name of Jesus, taught both to speak and act impious and blasphemous things; and these are called by us after the name of the men from whom each doctrine and opinion had its origin. (For some in one way, others in another, teach to blaspheme the Maker of all things, and Christ, who was foretold by Him as coming, and the God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, with whom we have nothing in common, since we know them to be atheists, impious, unrighteous, and sinful, and confessors of Jesus in name only, instead of worshippers of Him. Yet they style themselves Christians, just as certain among the Gentiles inscribe the name of God upon the works of their own hands, and partake in nefarious and impious rites.) Some are called Marcians, and some Valentinians, and some Basilidians, and some Saturnilians, and others by other names; each called after the originator of the individual opinion, just as each one of those who consider themselves philosophers, as I said before, thinks he must bear the name of the philosophy which he follows, from the name of the father of the particular doctrine. So that, in consequence of these events, we know that Jesus foreknew what would happen after Him, as well as in consequence of many other events which He foretold would befall those who believed on and confessed Him, the Christ. For all that we suffer, even when killed by friends, He foretold would take place; so that it is manifest no word or act of His can be found fault with. Wherefore we pray for you and for all other men who hate us; in order that you, having repented along with us, may not blaspheme Him who, by His works, by the mighty deeds even now wrought through His name, by the words He taught, by the prophecies announced concerning Him, is the blameless, and in all things irreproachable, Christ Jesus; but, believing on Him, may be saved in His second glorious advent, and may not be condemned to fire by Him. (Dialogue with Trypho the Jew, Chapters 31-47)

Chapter 63. It is proved that this God was incarnate

Trypho: This point has been proved to me forcibly, and by many arguments, my friend. It remains, then, to prove that He submitted to become man by the Virgin, according to the will of His Father; and to be crucified, and to die. Prove also clearly, that after this He rose again and ascended to heaven.

Justin: This, too, has been already demonstrated by me in the previously quoted words of the prophecies, my friends; which, by recalling and expounding for your sakes, I shall endeavour to lead you to agree with me also about this matter. The passage, then, which Isaiah records, ‘Who shall declare His generation? For His life is taken away from the earth,’ Isaiah 53:8— does it not appear to you to refer to One who, not having descent from men, was said to be delivered over to death by God for the transgressions of the people?— of whose blood, Moses (as I mentioned before), when speaking in parable, said, that He would wash His garments in the blood of the grape; since His blood did not spring from the seed of man, but from the will of God. And then, what is said by David, ‘In the splendours of Your holiness have I begotten You from the womb, before the morning star. The Lord has sworn, and will not repent, You are a priest for ever, after the order of Melchizedek,‘ — does this not declare to you that [He was] from of old, and that the God and Father of all things intended Him to be begotten by a human womb? And speaking in other words, which also have been already quoted, [he says]: ‘Your throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of rectitude is the sceptre of Your kingdom. You have loved righteousness, and have hated iniquity: therefore God, even your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness above Your fellows. [He has anointed You] with myrrh, and oil, and cassia from Your garments, from the ivory palaces, whereby they made You glad. King’s daughters are in Your honour. The queen stood at Your right hand, clad in garments embroidered with gold. Hearken, O daughter, and behold, and incline your ear, and forget your people and the house of your father; and the King shall desire your beauty: because he is your Lord, and you shall worship Him.’ Therefore these words testify explicitly that He is witnessed to by Him who established these things, as deserving to be worshipped, as God and as Christ. Moreover, that the word of God speaks to those who believe in Him as being one soul, and one synagogue, and one church, as to a daughter; that it thus addresses the church which has sprung from His name and partakes of His name (for we are all called Christians), is distinctly proclaimed in like manner in the following words, which teach us also to forget [our] old ancestral customs, when they speak thus: ‘Hearken, O daughter, and behold, and incline your ear; forget your people and the house of your father, and the King shall desire your beauty: because He is your Lord, and you shall worship Him.’ (Trypho, Chapters 55-68)

TERTULLIAN

Chapter 13. The Force of Sundry Passages of Scripture Illustrated in Relation to the Plurality of Persons and Unity of Substance. There is No Polytheism Here, Since the Unity is Insisted on as a Remedy Against Polytheism

Well then, you reply, if He was God who spoke, and He was also God who created, at this rate, one God spoke and another created; (and thus) two Gods are declared. If you are so venturesome and harsh, reflect a while; and that you may think the better and more deliberately, listen to the psalm in which Two are described as God: Your throne, O God, is for ever and ever; the sceptre of Your kingdom is a sceptre of righteousness. You have loved righteousness, and hated iniquity: therefore God, even Your God, has anointed You or made You His Christ. Now, since He here speaks to God, and affirms that God is anointed by God, He must have affirmed that Two are God, by reason of the sceptre’s royal power. Accordingly, Isaiah also says to the Person of Christ: The Sabæans, men of stature, shall pass over to You; and they shall follow after You, bound in fetters; and they shall worship You, because God is in You: for You are our God, yet we knew it not; You are the God of Israel. For here too, by saying, God is in You, and You are God, he sets forth Two who were God: (in the former expression in You, he means) in Christ, and (in the other he means) the Holy Ghost. That is a still grander statement which you will find expressly made in the Gospel: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1 There was One who was, and there was another with whom He was.

But I find in Scripture the name Lord also applied to them Both: The Lord said to my Lord, Sit on my right hand. And Isaiah says this: Lord, who has believed our report, and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? Isaiah 53:1 Now he would most certainly have said Your Arm, if he had not wished us to understand that the Father is Lord, and the Son also is Lord. A much more ancient testimony we have also in Genesis: Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrha brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven. Genesis 19:24 Now, either deny that this is Scripture; or else (let me ask) what sort of man you are, that you do not think words ought to be taken and understood in the sense in which they are written, especially when they are not expressed in allegories and parables, but in determinate and simple declarations? If, indeed, you follow those who did not at the time endure the Lord when showing Himself to be the Son of God, because they would not believe Him to be the Lord, then (I ask you) call to mind along with them the passage where it is written, I have said, You are gods, and you are children of the Most High; and again, God stands in the congregation of gods; in order that, if the Scripture has not been afraid to designate as gods human beings, who have become sons of God by faith, you may be sure that the same Scripture has with greater propriety conferred the name of the Lord on the true and one only Son of God.

Very well! You say, I shall challenge you to preach from this day forth (and that, too, on the authority of these same Scriptures) two Gods and two Lords, consistently with your views. God forbid, (is my reply). For we, who by the grace of God possess an insight into both the times and the occasions of the Sacred Writings, especially we who are followers of the Paraclete, not of human teachers, do indeed definitively declare that Two Beings are God, the Father and the Son, and, with the addition of the Holy Spirit, even Three, according to the principle of the divine economy, which introduces number, in order that the Father may not, as you perversely infer, be Himself believed to have been born and to have suffered, which it is not lawful to believe, forasmuch as it has not been so handed down. That there are, however, two Gods or two Lords, is a statement which at no time proceeds out of our mouth: not as if it were untrue that the Father is God, and the Son is God, and the Holy Ghost is God, and each is God; but because in earlier times Two were actually spoken of as God, and two as Lord, that when Christ should come He might be both acknowledged as God and designated as Lord, being the Son of Him who is both God and Lord. Now, if there were found in the Scriptures but one Personality of Him who is God and Lord, Christ would justly enough be inadmissible to the title of God and Lord: for (in the Scriptures) there was declared to be none other than One God and One Lord, and it must have followed that the Father should Himself seem to have come down (to earth), inasmuch as only One God and One Lord was ever read of (in the Scriptures), and His entire Economy would be involved in obscurity, which has been planned and arranged with so clear a foresight in His providential dispensation as matter for our faith.

As soon, however, as Christ came, and was recognised by us as the very Being who had from the beginning caused plurality (in the Divine Economy), being the second from the Father, and with the Spirit the third, and Himself declaring and manifesting the Father more fully (than He had ever been before), the title of Him who is God and Lord was at once restored to the Unity (of the Divine Nature), even because the Gentiles would have to pass from the multitude of their idols to the One Only God, in order that a difference might be distinctly settled between the worshippers of One God and the votaries of polytheism. For it was only right that Christians should shine in the world as children of light, adoring and invoking Him who is the One God and Lord as the light of the world. Besides, if, from that perfect knowledge which assures us that the title of God and Lord is suitable both to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, we were to invoke a plurality of gods and lords, we should quench our torches, and we should become less courageous to endure the martyr’s sufferings, from which an easy escape would everywhere lie open to us, as soon as we swore by a plurality of gods and lords, as sundry heretics do, who hold more gods than One. I will therefore not speak of gods at all, nor of lords, but I shall follow the apostle; so that if the Father and the Son, are alike to be invoked, I shall call the Father  God, and invoke Jesus Christ as  Lord. Romans 1:7 But when Christ alone (is mentioned), I shall be able to call Him  God, as the same apostle says: Of whom is Christ, who is over all, God blessed forever. Romans 9:5 For I should give the name of  sun even to a sunbeam, considered in itself; but if I were mentioning the sun from which the ray emanates, I certainly should at once withdraw the name of sun from the mere beam. For although I make not two suns, still I shall reckon both the sun and its ray to be as much two things and two forms of one undivided substance, as God and His Word, as the Father and the Son. (Against Praxeas)

FURTHER READING

Examining Psalm 110:1 — A look at Its Implications on God being a Multi-Personal Being and upon the Deity of Christ

Psalm 110:1 – Another Clear Testimony to Christ’s Deity Pt. 1

The Binitarian Nature of the Shema [Part 1]

DAVID’S MULTI-PERSONAL LORD PT. 2

APPEARANCE OF THE TRINITY TO ABRAHAM AND DAVID PT. 3

Revisiting the implications that Psalm 110 has on the divine identity of the Messiah Pt. 1

Solomon Was Not David’s Lord! Psalm 110:1 Revisited… Again!

JESUS CHRIST: THE LORD AND THE LORD’S SON

THE KING OF ISRAEL IS THE KING OF THE NATIONS