Chapter III
The Sources of the Gospels and the Way of Writing Them
Section VI
The Texts which were quoted from the Old Testament, but they have not been attributed directly to it
In this section will examine the texts which were quoted from the Old Testament, but they have not been attributed directly to it, as is the case in the previous sections, which I call it Storyline or Plot-story or screenplay of the Gospels, where we will review the most of the events and stories and sayings that mentioned in the Gospels, and comparing them with the Old Testament and with Jesus as was portrayed in the Gospels, and his attributes in the laws of the faith of the churches as well.
26 - The Sources of the Last Moments and the Last Words of Jesus
Matthew 27:45 Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land.
Matthew 27:46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" that is, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"
Matthew 27:47 Some of those who stood there, when they heard that, said, "This Man is calling for Elijah!"
Matthew 27:48 Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink.
Matthew 27:49 The rest said, "Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him."
Matthew 27:50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.
Mark 15:33 Now when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.
Mark 15:34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" which is translated, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"
Mark 15:35 Some of those who stood by, when they heard that, said, "Look, He is calling for Elijah!"
Mark 15:36 Then someone ran and filled a sponge full of sour wine, put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink, saying, "Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to take Him down."
Mark 15:37 And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last.
Luke 23:44 Now it was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.
Luke 23:45 Then the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn in two.
Luke 23:46 And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, "Father, ‘into Your hands I commit My spirit’." Having said this, He breathed His last.
John 19:13 When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus out and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha.
John 19:14 Now it was the Preparation Day of the Passover, and about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, "Behold your King!"
John 19:15 But they cried out, "Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!" Pilate said to them, "Shall I crucify your King?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar!"
John 19:16 Then he delivered Him to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus and led Him away.
John 19:28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, "I thirst!"
John 19:29 Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth.
John 19:30 So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.
These texts talk about the story of the last hours and the last words of Jesus, which contain several contradictions and errors that confirms that this story was not written by the revelation or the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and away from seeing, or hearing from trusted source, and this confirms that what we have read in the previous sections of the texts that were quoted from the Old Testament texts in the Gospels is a method and an approach of the Gospels authors to write their accounts about Jesus, not to fulfill the prophecies of the Old Testament, to bestow a state of holiness and credibility and reliability on them.
One of the most important contradictions that cannot be reconciled nor justified is what was written by Matthew, Mark and Luke about the story of the darkness that occurred over all the earth after the crucifixion of Jesus from the sixth hour until the ninth hour, while John wrote that Pilate handed Jesus to the Jews about the sixth hour and then the Jews took Jesus and led him away and then they crucified him, this period is exceeding the sixth hour, which confirms that the darkness did not happen, because if so, this implies that Jesus was still walking on the way to the Golgotha when the darkness happened; according to John, who did not mention the darkness, even though he says that he was there while the others were not there!
The second contradiction is concerning the beginning of the time of the crucifixion, Matthew, Mark and Luke say that Jesus was crucified on the cross at the third hour, while John says that Jesus was crucified after the sixth hour, which confirms that there are many contradictions between the Gospels stories, and cannot be reconciled them.
The third contradiction is that they disagree about the last words uttered by Jesus; Matthew and Mark wrote that he said "My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?", while Luke wrote that Jesus said "Father, ‘into Your hands I commit my spirit’.", and John wrote that Jesus said "I thirst!" and "It is finished!".
I had discussed these contradictions and many others in detail in the book "Jesus the Son of Joseph the Carpenter ... Confusing Questions", and what matters here is the source of these paragraphs, regardless of these contradictions?
The first paragraph: "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" was quoted from the Psalm 22, which has been discussed previously, in the fourth section of this chapter, because John had quoted the paragraph "They divided My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots." from this Psalm, therefore no need to discuss it again, but I would like to mention a few paragraphs, which are as follows:
Psalm 22:1 (To the Chief Musician. Set to "The Deer of the Dawn." A Psalm of David.) My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, And from the words of My groaning?
Psalm 22:2 O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear; And in the night season, and am not silent.
Psalm 22:6 But I am a worm, and no man; A reproach of men, and despised by the people.
In the last paragraph the speaker in the Psalm describes himself as a worm, and not a man; a reproach of men! And I do not think that anyone of the good people of the followers of the various churches has the courage to describe Jesus that he is a worm, and not a man, which confirms that the Psalm was not talking about him!
The second paragraph: "Father, ‘into Your hands I commit My spirit’", which has been quoted by Luke is written in the Psalm 31, and we will examine all paragraphs of this Psalm to find out if it was talking about Jesus, or was quoted according to their method and approach of writing the Gospels, as is shown in this book.
Psalm 31:1 (To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.) In You, O LORD, I put my trust; Let me never be ashamed; Deliver me in Your righteousness.
Psalm 31:2 Bow down Your ear to me, Deliver me speedily; Be my rock of refuge, A fortress of defense to save me.
Psalm 31:3 For You are my rock and my fortress; Therefore, for Your name’s sake, Lead me and guide me.
Psalm 31:4 Pull me out of the net which they have secretly laid for me, For You are my strength.
The Psalm begins with someone who supplicates and prays to the Lord, and says that he trusts in Him and asks Him to not let him never be ashamed; and delivers him speedily in His righteousness, and pulls him out of the net which they have secretly laid for him, and all these supplications do not indicate that the speaker is the son of God, or that he has divine's characteristics which qualify him to be a true god who should be worshiped with the LORD or beside Him, but he merely a creature needs to be saved by the LORD, as well as he needs for guidance of the Lord, which applies to David more than Jesus; for two reasons. The first is because this Psalm of David. The second is that it complies with what is written in the Old Testament concerning his life that was filled with conflicts both with Saul and with the peoples of the region, and does not apply to Jesus according to what is written in the Gospels.
Psalm 31:5 Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O LORD God of truth.
This is the paragraph that was written by Luke on the lips of Jesus as the last words, but he added a word not listed here, which is "Father" to serve his beliefs that based on that Jesus is the son of God, although the Psalm begins with supplication and prayer to the LORD God of truth, not to his father!
Psalm 31:6 I have hated those who regard useless idols; But I trust in the LORD.
Psalm 31:7 I will be glad and rejoice in Your mercy, For You have considered my trouble; You have known my soul in adversities,
Psalm 31:8 And have not shut me up into the hand of the enemy; You have set my feet in a wide place.
These paragraphs indicate that the speaker is not Jesus, because Jesus as say the Gospels has shut him up into the hand of the enemy and was arrested until they crucified him, and this also shows that what was quoted from the Old Testament texts is a method and an approach to compose the Gospels, regardless of what it contains of information that are inconsistent with what is written in the Gospels themselves, as is shown in this book!
Psalm 31:9 Have mercy on me, O LORD, for I am in trouble; My eye wastes away with grief, Yes, my soul and my body!
This supplication certainly does not indicate that the speaker in the Psalm has divine characteristics!
Psalm 31:10 For my life is spent with grief, And my years with sighing; My strength fails because of my iniquity, And my bones waste away.
This paragraph once again confirms that the speaker in the Psalm has nothing to do with the LORD in terms of divinity and equality, because the LORD the Creator of the heavens and the earth who lives forever; His life is not spent with grief, and His years with sighing; His strength fails because of His iniquity! And His bones waste away!
Deuteronomy 32:39 ‘Now see that I, even I, am He, And there is no God besides Me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; Nor is there any who can deliver from My hand.
Deuteronomy 32:40 For I raise My hand to heaven, And say, "As I live forever,
Psalm 31:11 I am a reproach among all my enemies, But especially among my neighbors, And am repulsive to my acquaintances; Those who see me outside flee from me.
Psalm 31:12 I am forgotten like a dead man, out of mind; I am like a broken vessel.
Psalm 31:13 For I hear the slander of many; Fear is on every side; While they take counsel together against me, They scheme to take away my life.
These paragraphs talk about some events that might be similar to what is written in the Gospels about Jesus, but let's read the following paragraphs:
Psalm 31:14 But as for me, I trust in You, O LORD; I say, "You are my God."
Psalm 31:15 My times are in Your hand; Deliver me from the hand of my enemies, And from those who persecute me.
Psalm 31:16 Make Your face shine upon Your servant; Save me for Your mercies’ sake.
These paragraphs declare very clearly that this speaker is a servant of the Lord, and he asks the LORD to deliver him from the hand of his enemies, and from those who persecute him, and this is unlike what happened with Jesus as is written in the Gospels, and this also contradicts what the churches and the Gospels authors say that Jesus is a god and the son of God and one of three Persons who are one and have the same nature and essence.
Psalm 31:17 Do not let me be ashamed, O LORD, for I have called upon You; Let the wicked be ashamed; Let them be silent in the grave.
Psalm 31:18 Let the lying lips be put to silence, Which speak insolent things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous.
In these paragraphs the speaker in the Psalm asks the LORD to save him and to not let him be ashamed, and this was not the case with Jesus, because the Gospels authors have written that the soldiers mocked Jesus, and spat on him, and flogged and struck him!
And the rest of the paragraphs of the Psalm confirm that the speaker in the Psalm has a LORD who hears the voice of his supplications and prayers, which indicates that this Psalm was not talking about Jesus.
Psalm 31:19 Oh, how great is Your goodness, Which You have laid up for those who fear You, Which You have prepared for those who trust in You In the presence of the sons of men!
Psalm 31:20 You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence From the plots of man; You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion From the strife of tongues.
Psalm 31:21 Blessed be the LORD, For He has shown me His marvelous kindness in a strong city!
Psalm 31:22 For I said in my haste, "I am cut off from before Your eyes"; Nevertheless You heard the voice of my supplications When I cried out to You.
Psalm 31:23 Oh, love the LORD, all you His saints! For the LORD preserves the faithful, And fully repays the proud person.
Psalm 31:24 Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart, All you who hope in the LORD.
As for the text of John which says that Jesus said "I thirst!" and "It is finished!" because that the Scripture might be fulfilled, this indicates that either what he has written is true because he was present at the time of the crucifixion and the Scripture was fulfilled, and what was written by Matthew, Mark and Luke is not true! Or that what was written by them is true and what was written by John was not true and the Scripture was not fulfilled! Or in fact that all of them have not written what happened exactly with Jesus, otherwise they should know what are the last words of Jesus, but each one wrote his narrative based on the texts of the Old Testament that found it consistent with his account of Jesus, as is their method and approach of writing, away from the historical events, and away from the Holy Spirit as well, which means that the law "do not accept the lying and false" applies to these texts.
27 - The Sources of the Miracles that occurred during the Crucifixion of Jesus
Matthew 27:45 Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land.
Matthew 27:46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" that is, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"
Matthew 27:47 Some of those who stood there, when they heard that, said, "This Man is calling for Elijah!"
Matthew 27:48 Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink.
Matthew 27:49 The rest said, "Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him."
Matthew 27:50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.
Matthew 27:51 Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split,
Matthew 27:52 and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised;
Matthew 27:53 and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.
Mark 15:33 Now when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.
Mark 15:34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" which is translated, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"
Mark 15:35 Some of those who stood by, when they heard that, said, "Look, He is calling for Elijah!"
Mark 15:36 Then someone ran and filled a sponge full of sour wine, put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink, saying, "Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to take Him down."
Mark 15:37 And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last.
Mark 15:38 Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
Luke 23:44 Now it was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.
Luke 23:45 Then the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn in two.
Luke 23:46 And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, "Father, ‘into Your hands I commit My spirit’." Having said this, He breathed His last.
These texts talk about the miracles that occurred during the Crucifixion, which are the darkness that was over all the land, the tearing of the veil of the temple, the earthquake, the splitting of the rocks and the opening of the graves; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after Jesus' resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.
There are many issues that cast doubts on the occurrence of these miracles historically, including of course that none of the historians of the first century such as Flavius Josephus and Philo of Alexandria had mentioned any of them:
The first issue is that John did not mention any one of them, although he said that he was at that time in the place of the Crucifixion, as in the following texts:
John 19:26 When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, "Woman, behold your son!"
John 19:27 Then He said to the disciple, "Behold your mother!" And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.
John 19:33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs.
John 19:34 But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.
John 19:35 And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe.
The second issue is that they said that the darkness took place from the sixth hour until the ninth hour, while John wrote that the Jews took Jesus about the sixth hour, which means that the darkness occurred when Jesus was walking on the road to be crucified, not on the cross, as in the following text:
John 19:14 Now it was the Preparation Day of the Passover, and about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, "Behold your King!"
John 19:15 But they cried out, "Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!" Pilate said to them, "Shall I crucify your King?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar!"
John 19:16 Then he delivered Him to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus and led Him away.
The third issue is that Matthew and Mark wrote that the veil of the temple was torn before Jesus' death, while Luke wrote that it was after Jesus' death, and this indicates that what they have written was not based on a true story, which was seen or heard from trusted sources, or through the revelation or inspiration of the Holy Spirit, otherwise how the veil was torn twice?!
The fourth issue is that Mark wrote about the marveling of Pilate when he heard that Jesus has died, as in the following text:
Mark 15:43 Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent council member, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, coming and taking courage, went in to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.
Mark 15:44 Pilate marveled that He was already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him if He had been dead for some time.
This marveling is a great evidence that none of these miracles have occurred, otherwise why he marveled if he had seen or heard about these miracles?!
The fifth issue is the story of the doubting of Thomas as is written in the Gospel of John, as in the following text:
John 20:24 Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came.
John 20:25 The other disciples therefore said to him, "We have seen the Lord." So he said to them, "Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe."
So, if Thomas had seen or heard about these miracles; he will not be in this state of unbelief!
From all of the above, I am wondering what are the sources of these miracles?
As for the darkness, let's read the following texts:
Job 5:13 He catches the wise in their own craftiness, And the counsel of the cunning comes quickly upon them.
Job 5:14 They meet with darkness in the daytime, And grope at noontime as in the night.
Joel 2:1 Blow the trumpet in Zion, And sound an alarm in My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; For the day of the LORD is coming, For it is at hand:
Joel 2:2 A day of darkness and gloominess, A day of clouds and thick darkness, Like the morning clouds spread over the mountains. A people come, great and strong, The like of whom has never been; Nor will there ever be any such after them, Even for many successive generations.
Joel 2:30 "And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: Blood and fire and pillars of smoke.
Joel 2:31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD.
Amos 5:18 Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD! For what good is the day of the LORD to you? It will be darkness, and not light.
Amos 5:19 It will be as though a man fled from a lion, And a bear met him! Or as though he went into the house, Leaned his hand on the wall, And a serpent bit him!
Amos 5:20 Is not the day of the LORD darkness, and not light? Is it not very dark, with no brightness in it?
Zephaniah 1:14 The great day of the LORD is near; It is near and hastens quickly. The noise of the day of the LORD is bitter; There the mighty men shall cry out.
Zephaniah 1:15 That day is a day of wrath, A day of trouble and distress, A day of devastation and desolation, A day of darkness and gloominess, A day of clouds and thick darkness,
Despite all these texts, John, who is supposed to be there, did not mention the darkness that happened at that time!
As for the tearing of the veil of the temple, let's read the following text:
1Kings 13:3 And he gave a sign the same day, saying, "This is the sign which the LORD has spoken: Surely the altar shall split apart, and the ashes on it shall be poured out."
1Kings 13:4 So it came to pass when King Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God, who cried out against the altar in Bethel, that he stretched out his hand from the altar, saying, "Arrest him!" Then his hand, which he stretched out toward him, withered, so that he could not pull it back to himself.
1Kings 13:5 The altar also was split apart, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the LORD.
1Kings 13:6 Then the king answered and said to the man of God, "Please entreat the favor of the LORD your God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored to me." So the man of God entreated the LORD, and the king’s hand was restored to him, and became as before.
As we read that this text speaks of split apart the altar of Bethel, which was built by Jacob for the Lord, but in the time of Shemaiah became an altar to the gods that were worshiped by the children of Israel after their disbelief in the LORD the Creator of the heavens and the earth, and keeping away from His Law and commandments; for this Matthew and Mark and Luke tried to write a story similar to this story, as is their method and approach of writing the Gospels, as is shown in the book, so they have said that the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, although they have not agreed about the exact timing for it, and John has not mentioned it!
As for the earthquake and the splitting of the rocks which mentioned by Matthew alone, let's read the following text:
1Kings 19:9 And there he went into a cave, and spent the night in that place; and behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and He said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
1Kings 19:10 So he said, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life."
1Kings 19:11 Then He said, "Go out, and stand on the mountain before the LORD." And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake;
1Kings 19:12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.
1Kings 19:13 So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
1Kings 19:14 And he said, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God of hosts; because the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life".
In this text we read that the Transfiguration of the Lord leads to the earthquakes and strong wind which tearing the mountains and splitting the rocks, and this refers to the greatness of the Lord and His glory; so that just the Transfiguration of the Lord makes such as these phenomena, unlike Jesus as wrote Matthew, because if it was a true story, it refers to the weakness of Jesus and not the greatness and glory of him.
As for the opening of the graves; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after Jesus' resurrection, which Matthew wrote it alone, let's read the following text:
Ezekiel 37:9 Also He said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: "Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live."‘"
Ezekiel 37:10 So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.
Ezekiel 37:11 Then He said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, ‘Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off’!
Ezekiel 37:12 "Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.
Ezekiel 37:13 "Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves.
Ezekiel 37:14 "I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken it and performed it," says the LORD’."
In this text we read that the Lord, He who commanded Hezekiah to prophesy to the breath to come from the four winds and breathe on these slain, that they may live, then they lived, and stood upon their feet, and opened their graves and cause them to come up from their graves, and this shows the greatness of the Lord and His glory, unlike the story of Matthew, if it was true, that occurred after the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, which proves that he does not have any divine attributes, unlike the saying of the Gospels authors and the laws of faith of the various churches concerning him, because the Lord is the Living GOD, He who doesn't die, as in the following text:
Deuteronomy 32:39 ‘Now see that I, even I, am He, And there is no God besides Me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; Nor is there any who can deliver from My hand.
Deuteronomy 32:40 For I raise My hand to heaven, And say, "As I live forever.
From all of the above, we see how the Gospels authors have used the Old Testament texts to write their accounts of Jesus, even if they wrote events which contradict with each other, although the one who is supposed to be there; did not write anything about these miracles, i.e., John, which shows clearly their method and approach of writing the Gospels, and this proves that the law "do not accept the lying and false" applies to the story of the crucifixion of Jesus!
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