The Source of the Story that Jesus Dwelt in the Galilee and the Beginning of his Preaching

Chapter III

The Sources of the Gospels and the Way of Writing Them

Section IV

The Texts that were attributed directly to the Old Testament in the Gospels

In this section we will examine the texts of the Old Testament that were attributed directly to it, and the Gospels authors said that they have not been fulfilled, and achieved only in Jesus and his time and his generation, to find out what is the truth and the reality of them, and if the Gospels authors have told the truth or not.

7 - The Source of the Story that Jesus Dwelt in the Galilee and the Beginning of his Preaching

Matthew 4:12 Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee.

Matthew 4:13 And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali,

Matthew 4:14 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:

Matthew 4:15 "The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles:

Matthew 4:16 The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death Light has dawned."

Matthew 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

Matthew 4:18 And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.

Matthew 4:19 Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."

Matthew 4:20 They immediately left their nets and followed Him.

Matthew 4:21 Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them,

Matthew 4:22 and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.

Firstly, let's read the text of Isaiah from some versions, then we continue our discussion on it:

King James Version

Isaiah 9:1 Nevertheless the dimness [shall] not [be] such as [was] in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict [her by] the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations.

Isaiah 9:2 The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.

Isaiah 9:3 Thou hast multiplied the nation, [and] not increased the joy: they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, [and] as [men] rejoice when they divide the spoil.

Septuagint Version

Isaiah 9:1 Drink this first. Act quickly, O land of Zabulon, land of Nephthalim, and the rest inhabiting the sea-coast, and the land beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles.

Isaiah 9:2 O people walking in darkness, behold a great light: ye that dwell in the region and shadow of death, a light shall shine upon you.

Isaiah 9:3 The multitude of the people which thou hast brought down in thy joy, they shall even rejoice before thee as they that rejoice in harvest, and as they that divide the spoil.

Hebrew version

Isaiah 8:23 For is there no gloom to her that was stedfast? Now the former hath lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but the latter hath dealt a more grievous blow by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, in the district of the nations.

Isaiah 9:1 The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light; they that dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.

Isaiah 9:2 Thou hast multiplied the nation, Thou hast increased their joy; they joy before Thee according to the joy in harvest, as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.

As we read that there is a difference between what was written by Matthew and the Septuagint Version and Hebrew Version, and here I will not discuss the reason of this difference, but I will talk on the reality and the reliability and the credibility of this story; to find out if the prophecy of Isaiah has been fulfilled at that time or not.

He writes about the time and the place that Jesus began preaching, and the First Disciples, by saying " Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he departed to Galilee", "and leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali", and then he says "that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying", then writes what has been written by Isaiah, then begins talking about the preaching of Jesus, saying "From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand", "and Jesus walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen", "Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. he called them". Which means that Jesus had begun preaching when John the Baptist was put in prison, near the Sea of Galilee, and the First Disciples were Peter, Andrew, James and John, and before comparing this with what is written in Isaiah, and whether it applies to Jesus and the land of Galilee or not, I would like to discuss some information contained in the text of Matthew and comparing it with the other Gospels. Matthew says that Jesus had begun preaching after hearing that John the Baptist has been put in prison, and when he was walking beside the Sea of Galilee called Peter and his brother Andrew, then called Jacob and his brother John, and this contrasts with what is written by John in his Gospel about the time and the place that Jesus began preaching and the First Disciples, as in the following text:

John 1:35 Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples.

John 1:36 And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God!"

John 1:37 The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.

John 1:38 Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, "What do you seek? " They said to Him, "Rabbi" (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), "where are You staying?"

John 1:39 He said to them, "Come and see." They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).

John 1:40 One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.

John 1:41 He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated, the Christ).

John 1:42 And he brought him to Jesus. Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, "You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas" (which is translated, A Stone).

In this text John says that Jesus had begun preaching near the Jordan River, and John the Baptist was still out of prison! And the First Disciples who followed Jesus were Andrew, and one of the disciples who was not mentioned his name, and Peter.

And this contrasts with what is written by Matthew; so, was the story of the beginning of preaching of Jesus and his First Disciples in the Gospel of Matthew not true, and it had been written only to be consistent with the text of Isaiah, and the story which was written by John is the true one, especially that John was mentioned in the story of Matthew? Or was the story of Matthew the true one, and what was written by John in his Gospel was wrong, and he wrote his story based on incorrect information, and he did not know that Jesus had begun his preaching from the Galilee, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet?! And also he did not know that Jesus had called him and Jacob when they were in their ship?!

This contradiction between these two stories how can be justified, if they were written through the same source of knowledge, or even through hearing the story from those who were present during the beginning of preaching of Jesus, not to mention that they were written by the revelation or inspiration of the Holy Spirit?!

Now we come to examine the text of Isaiah to find out if it applies to Galilee in the time of Jesus, and has not been fulfilled but at that time. Or that Matthew has written his story based on the text of Isaiah to say that what is written in the stories and the texts of the Old Testament were prophecies about Jesus, with his well knowledge about the contradictions and differences between the four Gospels about this story, whether which we have already read in the Gospel of John, or with the story of Luke who clearly contradicted with both of them in the time and the place where Jesus began preaching, (Luke 5:1-11), and the text is mentioned in Chapter IX, which is as follows:

Isaiah 9:1 Nevertheless the gloom will not be upon her who is distressed, As when at first He lightly esteemed The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, And afterward more heavily oppressed her, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, In Galilee of the Gentiles.

This paragraph talks about the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali in ancient times, and how the Lord has punished them by sending calamities and disasters and wars upon them, and finally they were taken into exile in Assyria (2 Kings 17:1-23), as in the following text:

Judges 5:18 Zebulun is a people who jeopardized their lives to the point of death, Naphtali also, on the heights of the battlefield.

Then the text says that the LORD in the future will honor them, and this honor was expressed in the next paragraph which is as follows:

Isaiah 9:2 The people who walked in darkness Have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Upon them a light has shined.

Here, the text says that the honoring of those areas will be by sending a great light which they will see, and also those who have dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined, and as an expression for this joy, the text says:

Isaiah 9:3 You have multiplied the nation And increased its joy; They rejoice before You According to the joy of harvest, As men rejoice when they divide the spoil.

This paragraph says that the people will rejoice before the LORD according to the joy of harvest, as men rejoice when they divide the spoil, and this was not the case of the Jews in the time of Jesus, neither in Galilee of the Gentiles, nor in Jerusalem nor in the Jordan nor in any place he went to, and the proof of this is that the brothers of Jesus and his relatives did not believe in him, so that he said a prophet is not without honor except in his own country, as in the following texts:

John 7:5 For even His brothers did not believe in Him.

Mark 6:4 But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house." 

Mark 6:5 Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them.

As well as at the end of his life the total of the people who followed him was not more than a few dozen only, (Acts 1:15), and when he was arrested all of them left him alone and deserted him and fled, (Matthew 26:56). So where is written in the gospels that the Jews have rejoiced before Jesus according to the joy of harvest, or as men rejoice when they divide the spoil?!

Moreover, that the Jews at that time have not healed their hearts of rage of it until they crucified him, as the Gospels say. And I think that this position expresses the utmost hatred not joy, which confirms that the text was not talking about the land of Galilee in the time of Jesus.

Isaiah 9:4 For You have broken the yoke of his burden And the staff of his shoulder, The rod of his oppressor, As in the day of Midian.

This paragraph says that the LORD will break the yoke of burden of the people of that region and the staff of their shoulder and the rod of their oppressor as in the day of Midian, and this description does not apply to the Jews in the time of Jesus, even Jesus himself! Because the Jews were subject to Roman Rule, and they had been forced to pay taxes, even Jesus himself has paid taxes. So, is there any yoke of burden or rod on the Jews has been broken by Jesus? And this indicates that the text was not talking about Jesus or his time.

Isaiah 9:5 For every warrior’s sandal from the noisy battle, And garments rolled in blood, Will be used for burning and fuel of fire.

This paragraph is clearer than its predecessor on that the entire text was not talking about Jesus or his time, because Jesus throughout his life did not burn a single straw owned by the Romans, so how their weapons or their garments or their sandals! Indeed he was throughout his life subject to the Romans, and pays taxes as any one of the Jews, even he refused to be king when the Jews tried to make him king over them, thus if the text indicates to Jesus, or prophesies about Jesus; the Gospels authors should write some stories which say that Jesus has burned some sandals and garments of the Romans soldiers!

John 6:15 Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.

Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

This paragraph should be read from other versions to find out the exact meaning of it, and if the versions of the Old Testament have agreed with what is written here, or has been tampered with and distorted its meaning.

King James Version

Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Septuagint Version

Isaiah 9:6 For a child is born to us, and a son is given to us, whose government is upon his shoulder: and his name is called the Messenger of great counsel: for I will bring peace upon the princes, and health to him.

Hebrew Version

Isaiah 9:6 For a child is born unto us, a son is given unto us; and the government is upon his shoulder; and his name is called Pele-joez-el gibbor-Abi-ad-sar-shalom;

As we notice that the paragraph was changed dramatically in the King James Version and other Christianity Versions, and in all other languages to serve the beliefs of the churches, which based on the multiplicity of gods, they have written the mighty God, the everlasting Father instead of the Messenger of great counsel, while the Old Testament is based on the Oneness of the LORD and the lack of the true gods with Him or beside Him, and nothing is equal to Him, as shown in the first chapter. However, let's suppose that the original text is written as in the Christianity Versions, does this indicate to the true son of the Lord, or to a true god with the Lord, and if it has indicated to a true god, does it indicate to Jesus?!

The existence of term "son of God" and "god with the Lord", if it is not distorted, as the case in this text, in the Old Testament does not mean a true god, because the Old Testament uses this term sometimes concerning some persons, and is not intended the true meaning, as in the following texts:

Exodus 7:1 So the LORD said to Moses: "See, I have made you as God to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother shall be your prophet.

Exodus 7:2 "You shall speak all that I command you. And Aaron your brother shall speak to Pharaoh to send the children of Israel out of his land.

This text says that Moses is a god to Pharaoh, and Aaron shall be his prophet! It does not mean that Moses was a true god, but as a matter of metaphor.

Exodus 4:15 "Now you shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth. And I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and I will teach you what you shall do.

Exodus 4:16 "So he shall be your spokesman to the people. And he himself shall be as a mouth for you, and you shall be to him as God.

In this text we read that Moses is a god of Aaron! And here also it does not mean that Moses is a true god, because there are dozens of texts which say that Moses is the servant of the Lord, including the following texts:

Exodus 14:31 Thus Israel saw the great work which the LORD had done in Egypt; so the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD and His servant Moses.

Numbers 12:7 Not so with My servant Moses; He is faithful in all My house.

Numbers 12:8 I speak with him face to face, Even plainly, and not in dark sayings; And he sees the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid To speak against My servant Moses?"

Joshua 1:1 After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, it came to pass that the LORD spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, saying:

The same applies to the term "son of the LORD" which was called on certain persons, as well as was called on the tribes and Peoples, such as the tribe of Ephraim and the people of Israel, which is certainly does not mean a true son of the LORD, as in the following texts:

Exodus 4:22 "Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the LORD: "Israel is My son, My firstborn.

Exodus 4:23 "So I say to you, let My son go that he may serve Me. But if you refuse to let him go, indeed I will kill your son, your firstborn.

Jeremiah 31:9 They shall come with weeping, And with supplications I will lead them. I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters, In a straight way in which they shall not stumble; For I am a Father to Israel, And Ephraim is My firstborn.

Psalm 68:5 A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, Is God in His holy habitation.

Deuteronomy 14:1 "You are the children of the LORD your God; you shall not cut yourselves nor shave the front of your head for the dead.

Deuteronomy 32:19 "And when the LORD saw it, He spurned them, Because of the provocation of His sons and His daughters.

Deuteronomy 32:20 And He said: ‘I will hide My face from them, I will see what their end will be, For they are a perverse generation, Children in whom is no faith.

Hosea 1:10 "Yet the number of the children of Israel Shall be as the sand of the sea, Which cannot be measured or numbered. And it shall come to pass In the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not My people’, There it shall be said to them, ‘You are sons of the living God’.

And even if the text of Isaiah intended the son of the LORD or a true god, t certainly does not apply to Jesus, because the text has mentioned some characteristics never been of his characteristics, because the paragraph says that the government will be upon his shoulder, and Jesus was not a governor or a ruler in one day throughout his life, so that he refused to be king when some Jews tried to make him king over them, as in the following text:

John 6:15 Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.

And what confirms that the text was not talking about Jesus is the following paragraph:

Isaiah 9:7 Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

This paragraph shows the true meaning of the government which will be upon the son's shoulder, by saying, of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over his kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever, and all these descriptions do not apply to Jesus, and this paragraph even if there is no others, will be sufficient to prove that the text which Matthew has quoted was not talking about Jesus, because it says that the son will be king upon the throne of David and over his kingdom, from that time forward, even forever, and Jesus did not sit on the throne of David, even for one hour, and he said my kingdom is not of this world, (John 18:36), and he was paying taxes to Caesar, (Matthew 17:24-27), and orders his followers to give Caesar what he wants, (Matthew 22:20-21), as well as he refused to divide the inheritance between two brothers, (Luke 12:13-14), and finally he refused to judge the woman who was caught in the act of adultery, (John 8: 1-7).

Isaiah 9:8 The Lord sent a word against Jacob, And it has fallen on Israel.

Isaiah 9:9 All the people will know — Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria — Who say in pride and arrogance of heart:

Isaiah 9:10 "The bricks have fallen down, But we will rebuild with hewn stones; The sycamores are cut down, But we will replace them with cedars."

Isaiah 9:11 Therefore the LORD shall set up The adversaries of Rezin against him, And spur his enemies on,

Isaiah 9:12 The Syrians before and the Philistines behind; And they shall devour Israel with an open mouth. For all this His anger is not turned away, But His hand is stretched out still.

These paragraphs talk about the Jews in Samaria in the time of their state before the captivity, and that the Lord will set up their adversaries against them, the Syrians before and the Philistines behind; and they shall devour Israel with an open mouth, and those events did not occur in the time of Jesus, but before hundreds of years, and this is a clear evidence that the text was not talking about Jesus, as well as the rest of the text, which does not need any explanation, it's screaming and says it was not talking about the time of Jesus!

Isaiah 9:13 For the people do not turn to Him who strikes them, Nor do they seek the LORD of hosts.

Isaiah 9:14 Therefore the LORD will cut off head and tail from Israel, Palm branch and bulrush in one day.

Isaiah 9:15 The elder and honorable, he is the head; The prophet who teaches lies, he is the tail. 

Isaiah 9:16 For the leaders of this people cause them to err, And those who are led by them are destroyed.

Isaiah 9:17 Therefore the Lord will have no joy in their young men, Nor have mercy on their fatherless and widows; For everyone is a hypocrite and an evildoer, And every mouth speaks folly. For all this His anger is not turned away, But His hand is stretched out still.

From this careful reading of the text of Isaiah and the contradictions between the Gospels in the story of the beginning of preaching of Jesus, we conclude that Matthew and the other writers did not write their Gospels based on the historical events, which they have seen or heard from trusted sources, but they wrote according to their way or method or approach through the use of the texts of the Old Testament to bestow a state of holiness and credibility and reliability on the Gospels, regardless of the true meaning of the texts or even if they inconsistent with each other, which indicates that our law "do not accept the lying and false" applies to this story.