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1 – These (holy) scriptures were written over a period of approximately fifteen centuries or more, and most — if not all — of the original texts are now lost. In addition, many of them have unknown authors; we do not know who wrote them, who copied them, or when they were written. The available copies are, at best, believed to be derived from original manuscripts. Can it then be claimed that the copyists of these later books made no mistakes, especially when it is said that these books were translated from Hebrew into other languages?
And was this translation — as the Jews believed regarding the Septuagint — carried out through divine inspiration or not?
Therefore, I believe that the books and scriptures of the Old Testament that we possess today cannot be relied upon with absolute certainty, nor can we be confident that errors did not creep into them. The Bible Dictionary states: “All that has reached us are copies taken from the original. Although the copyists took great care of these manuscripts, it was inevitable that some very slight scribal errors would slip into them.” (1)
At the very least, there is doubt that these existing copies are identical to the original manuscripts. Hence, we see the disagreements among biblical scholars regarding these scriptures.
(1) Bible Dictionary, p. 763.
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2 – As believers in God and His messages, despite differences in sects and religions, we believe that the divine prophets are among the best of humanity. Therefore, we can say they are righteous and, at the very least, protected from legislative sins and errors.
However, unfortunately, we find in these scriptures — in many places — the attribution of major sins and immoral acts to these great prophets, such as drinking alcohol, incest, and other matters that any honorable believer would refuse even to think about, let alone practice. I will mention a few examples, and whoever wishes to expand may consult the Old Testament.
The Old Testament reports that the Prophet Lot (peace be upon him) drank wine, became intoxicated, and then committed the sin of incest with those forbidden to him (his daughters), who then became pregnant by him (see: Genesis 19:1–38).
Likewise, it narrates about the Prophet Solomon (peace be upon him), who was filled with wisdom, that the later years of his reign were unfortunate. He began to multiply wives and loved many women in addition to Pharaoh’s daughter (his wife). He had seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines who turned his heart toward foreign gods, and he even built places for idol worship to please them; thus the Lord became angry with him (see: 1 Kings 11:1–25).
Similarly, the story of the Prophet Noah (peace be upon him) — the Old Testament reports that he made wine, drank it, became intoxicated, and uncovered himself before his sons, who then covered him (see: Genesis 9:1–29).
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The story of Jacob wrestling with the Lord and other stories lead us to believe that some distortions entered these scriptures, prompting the belief that the Old Testament in our possession is, at the very least, not entirely divine revelation.
In addition, there are strange accounts that reason rejects, for example: (The prophets becoming naked) — “While Saul was going there, the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied along the way. He also stripped off his clothes and prophesied before Samuel, lying down naked all that day and night; therefore it is said, ‘Is Saul also among the prophets?’” (see: 1 Samuel 19:20–24).
Also Isaiah (20:1–6): the Prophet Isaiah walked naked and barefoot for three years, and likewise the captives of Egypt were described as going naked and barefoot with their backsides uncovered, and many other examples.
3 – Another issue worth mentioning is the abundance of contradictions within these texts. In a single story, some books contradict others, and even within the same book we find inconsistencies.
For example, in Genesis, regarding the story of Noah and the Ark, he is commanded to take two of every living creature, male and female (see: Genesis 6:19–20). Yet in the same book he is commanded to take seven pairs, male and female (see: Genesis 7:2–3). Many such examples exist in the books of the Old Testament, which leads us to say
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that these scriptures are the product of human imagination and cannot be accepted as divine revelation.
I will suffice with this brief discussion of the Old Testament, hoping to have the opportunity to study it independently and in greater detail, God willing, in the near future.
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