Saint Mary

Saint Mary

In Bible versus Quran: was Saint Mary Virgin or an ordinary woman?

This is the seventh article of the series:

"The Foreigner woman in Bible versus Quran"

In the previous articles of this series, we have seen that Language-wise, the "foreign" woman or the "strange" woman is the alien or the exotic or the outsider woman.  However, the Bible has another opinion.

As confirmed by the Bible, the "foreign" woman or the "strange" woman is the non-Israelite woman or the non-Jewish woman.

As a result, all non-Israelite or all the non-Jewish women are "foreign" women or "strange" women.

This indicates that the women in the Bible are but one of two categories; they are either Legitimate (genuine) or Foreign (strange).

 

According to the inspired word of God, the Bible gives three examples of the foreign women; all of them were prostitutes.

As a matter of fact, all the foreign women in the Old Testament save Ruth are prostitutes or evil or robbers and they are unfaithful and they lead to death.

 

The first foreign woman was Rahab, the prostitute, who welcomed the spies and helped them against her country. 

The second foreign woman, a prostitute, was the mother of Jephthah, a mighty man of valor who delivered Israel from the oppression of the Ammonites and judged Israel six years.

The third foreign woman was from Gaza. One day Samson went to Gaza, where he saw a prostitute. He went in to spend the night with her.

The most important one of these foreign women is Rahab the prostitute as the Bible calls her. 

 

Rahab in the Old Testament (Joshua 2 and 6)

Joshua sent two spies to spy Jericho. They went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there.  This Biblical verse throws some light about the importance of the women especially the prostitutes in the "world of spies".   The king of Jericho sent this message to Rahab: "Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house, because they have come to spy out the whole land.

After invading Jericho, Joshua commanded: The city and all that is in it are to be totally destroyed. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid the spies.

Joshua had said unto the two men that had spied out the country, Go into the prostitute's house, and bring out thence the woman, and all that she has, as you swore unto her.

And Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her family and all who belonged to her; because she hid the men Joshua had sent as spies to Jericho; and she lives among the Israelites.  And Joshua destroyed with the sword every living thing in Jericho, men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys.

 

Rahab in the New Testament

1) Matthew puts Rahab the prostitute, in the Genealogy of the Lord Jesus, as being one of family tree of the Lord Jesus.

2) Paul says: By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.

3) James says: even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them out by another way?

 

Rahab and Jericho; her citizenship was violated to the highest degree

Rahab was a Jericho citizen, she changed to the side of Jericho's enemy and helped the spies; she did not listen to her king. She is a collaborator in the total destruction of her city.  Was she a turncoat to her country, was she an agent of the enemy and traitor to her homeland?

However, the Bible, especially the New Testament, honors Rahab very much!

It seems likely that helping the spies against your country is a relative issue; some believe that it is the top crime against your country although the others say that it is the sign of faith and righteousness!

 

Also, the cause of invasion of Jericho is not mentioned. Why did Joshua invade Jericho and destroyed with the sword every living thing in it, all men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys.

It was total destruction of all forms of life, every living thing, men and all the foreign women, babies, girls, kids, even all the animals were killed.

I really do not think that God Love would be happy with such acts.

Also, I am not sure if you smart reader know that the sword is mentioned more than 400 times in the Bible (a year is 365 days!); and the sword is never ever mentioned in the entire Quran.

 

On the other hand, Joshua, Rahab, Jephthah, Samson, Jericho and Gaza are not mentioned therein in the entire Quran.

Moreover, the idiom "Foreign woman" is not found in the Quran; all women are equal in respect to their rights and responsibilities regardless of race, color, location etc.

 

Moreover, I wonder why Matthew and Mark insist that the splendid Saint Mary was an ordinary woman; she married Joseph who begot four children from her.

In the Quran, Saint Mary was one of the best four women ever walked on the earth. No man touched her; she was absolutely pure and virgin until she died. She was virgin all through her life from birth to death and no man has ever touched her. All respects, greetings and Peace are due to her and her son.

Nevertheless, both Matthew (13:55) and Mark (6:3) claim that Joseph begot four boys from Saint Mary; they were James, Joseph, Simon and Judas. These four boys are the four brothers of the Lord Jesus (four God's brothers!).

Besides, the genealogy of the Lord Jesus in the Bible is composed of 42 generations according to Matthew-1 while it is composed of 55 generations according to Mark-3, i.e., there are 13 missed generations. These 42 or 55 generations are from Abraham to Joseph who married Mary and had four children from her.  On the other hand, the genealogy of the Lord Jesus in the Quran is only three words: "Jesus the Son of Mary!"  PERIOD

 

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The Bible (New International Version)

 

Joshua 2:1

Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim. "Go; look over the land," he said, "especially Jericho." So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there.

 

Joshua 2:3

So the king of Jericho sent this message to Rahab: "Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house, because they have come to spy out the whole land."

 

Joshua 6:17

The city and all that is in it are to be devoted to the LORD. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid the spies we sent.

 

Joshua 6:21

They devoted the city to the LORD and destroyed with the sword every living thing in it—men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys.

 

Joshua 6:22

Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, "Go into the prostitute's house and bring her out and all who belong to her, in accordance with your oath to her."

Joshua 6:25

But Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her family and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent as spies to Jericho—and she lives among the Israelites to this day.

 

Hebrews 11:31

By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.

 

James 2:25

In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction?

 

Judges 11:1

Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty warrior. His father was Gilead; his mother was a prostitute.

 

Judges 16:1

One day Samson went to Gaza, where he saw a prostitute. He went in to spend the night with her.

 

Matthew 1:1, 5

1A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham:

5Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse (the father of King David),

 

Matthew 13:55

"Isn't this the carpenter's son? Isn't his mother's name Mary, and aren't his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas?

 

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The Quran

 

In the entire Quran, the term "foreign woman" is not mentioned therein; all women are equal in respect to their rights and responsibilities regardless of race, color, location etc.

To avoid repetition, the interested reader can read the previous six articles of this series: "The Foreigner woman in Bible versus Quran".

 

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Back to my question to the smart and interested reader:

Are the Scholars honest when they claim that the Quran is quoted from the Bible?

About the Author

Professor Dr. Ibrahim Khalil,
Prof. of Clinical and Chemical Pathology, Head (ex-) of Clinical Microbiology and Infection Control Unit, Ain-Shams University. Cairo, Egypt
President of the Egyptian Society of Inventors, Honorary President of SPIC-Egypt (The Society of Practitioners of Infection Control – Egypt), Co-Chief Editor of the Egyptian Journal of Lab. Medicine
Member of the Egyptian union of Writers, Published 5 Books and some 60 Medical Articles, Supervisors for 79 PhD theses and111 Master Degree theses.

When will Islam give birth to a Humanist such as Saint Mary Mackillop of australia?

Islam has raised thousands of her kind however we do not publicize it as it is expected of each of us to reach the highest spiritual platform through our personal jihad. Her work and that of Mother Theresa are publicized because such people happen once in a while in Christianity.

Apparitions of Saint Mary in Egypt