history

Historical analysis of religious developments, events, and theological movements relevant to apologetics.

A Coptic Convert Exposes Muhammad Pt. 1 Members Public

Bulus Ibn Raja (nicknamed al-Wadih [“the Clarifier”]) was a Muslim convert to Christianity and became a Coptic monk. Ibn Raja, who born 950s and died after 1009 AD, wrote a scathing book exposing Muhammad and refuting Islam, titled Kitāb al-wāḍiḥ bi-l-ḥaqq (Arabic: كتاب الواضح بالحق), known in Latin as the

Sam Shamoun
Sam Shamoun
islamchristianityorthodoxy

Muhammad’s Hypocrisy & Inconsistencies Members Public

Another case of Muhammad being an inconsistent hypocrite comes from his treatment of his daughters in contrast to how he viewed other folks’ daughters. For instance, Muhammad forbade Ali from marrying other women since it angered and hurt his daughter Fatima: 9 The Chapters on Marriage (56) Chapter: Jealousy It

Sam Shamoun
Sam Shamoun
islamhadithsunnah

BUKHARI & THE UNCREATED QURAN Members Public

I will be uploading specific responses from one of the most prominent online salafi websites in regards to the traditional sunni position on the Quran being uncreated, namely, Islam Question & Answer (IslamQa). In particular I will cite what this site writes in respect to al-Bukhari’s view of the

Sam Shamoun
Sam Shamoun
islamquranhadith

Jewish Traditions about the Afterlife Members Public

Kaddish Prayer (c. Second Temple Period, before 70 CE): The earliest form, known as the “Half Kaddish”, dates back to the Second Temple period. The Mourner’s Kaddish is a Jewish prayer traditionally recited for eleven months after a loved one’s death and on the death anniversary (yahrzeit). It

Sam Shamoun
Sam Shamoun
judaismprayereternal-life

QURAN MSS & CARBON DATING Members Public

I will be quoting from renowned Islamic scholar and Mariologist Stephen J. Shoemaker’s Creating the Qur’an: A Historical-Critical Study, published by University of California Press, Oakland, California 2022, Chapter 3, Radiocarbon Dating and the Origins of the Qur’an. Shoemaker demonstrates why carbon dating is inexact and cannot

Sam Shamoun
Sam Shamoun
quranislamhistory

DIVINE NAME, SAMARITANS & ZEUS Members Public

In this post I will share some of the issues surrounding the Divine Name that appears over 6,800 times in the Hebrew Bible, and which is represented by four Hebrew Consonants yod he waw he (YHWH). Scholars typically refer to these consonants as the Tetragrammaton (“four letters”). Some experts

Sam Shamoun
Sam Shamoun
biblegodjudaism

PLINY & CHRIST’S DEITY Members Public

In this post I will quote an ancient non-Christian witness, specifically from a pagan governor, which testifies to the fact of Christians gathering on a specific day of the week to worship Christ as God by singing hymns to him. The source that I am about cite also mentions some

Sam Shamoun
Sam Shamoun
church-historyworshipjesus-christ

SYRIAC CHRISTIANITY & THE QURAN Members Public

In this post I am going to provide evidence that the Quran has been heavily influenced by, and even fashioned after the Christological debates which took place among Syriac speaking Christians. I will prove that the very language of the Quran has been shape by the theological vocabulary and expressions

Sam Shamoun
Sam Shamoun
christianityislamquran
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