The Rightly-Guided Injil

An Epistle unto the Congregation of Paul of Tarsus

Islamic position

I, a bondservant set free from the shadow of Paul of Tarsus1, who aforetime walked in the darkness of a false revelation and am now returned unto the doctrine undefiled, write unto thee that yet holdest fast to every gospel that hath been bent from its true course: grace and peace be unto thee from God, Most High and Glorious, and from ʿĪsā al-Masīḥ, His servant, whom He hath held in honour.2

I give thanks unto God, Most High and Glorious, who in His bounty3 hath opened the eyes of some among His servants, and loosed them from the fetters of a faith inherited without understanding. Wherefore I write, not with the pen of malice, but with the ink of love, born of the light of truth that hath visited the heart and stirred the soul.

Thou hast heard how I, in time past, did defend Paul of Tarsus with all my zeal, reading out his letters4 and guarding him against every reproach. Yet when I was tried with proofs and with light, it was made plain unto me that the gospel I had defended was not the Gospel of ʿĪsā al-Masīḥ, but another gospel: not from heaven, but from the tongue of one who professed to have seen a light upon the road5, with no witness, no confirmation, and no testimony of the congregation6, and who thereupon named himself an apostle of Christ Jesus.

Hast thou forgotten that Paul of Tarsus never met ʿĪsā al-Masīḥ?7 That he never sat to hear His sayings? And knowest thou not that Peter, James, yea, Barnabas himself, did rebuke him and withdrew from his way?8 How then art thou turned so swiftly from the teaching of ʿĪsā al-Masīḥ, who never laid claim to godhead for Himself9, unto one who maketh Him a god upon feeble reasoning and false speech?

Try every spirit.10 Weigh each saying, and examine every claim. Be not beguiled by the glitter of sweet words that lead astray, for even the adversary doth disguise himself as an angel of light11. And is it not the disguised one who cometh bearing the gospel of Christ Jesus, which heaven hath never confirmed?

Knowest thou not that the tale of the Damascus event, as he told it, is at variance with itself?12 What then is this? A revelation, or his own contriving? If it came from heaven, would not its course be steadfast? If it were truly from God, Most High and Glorious, would it not sound one note? Or is the holy word mingled with confused speech, until the whole world is bewildered who is in the right and who is corrupt?

I bear witness with all my soul and understanding that the gospel which setteth aside the law, putteth away circumcision13, and exalteth ʿĪsā al-Masīḥ to be Lord Sovereign14, is no gospel of heaven. If ʿĪsā al-Masīḥ Himself hath said, “I am come not to destroy the law,”15 how then saith Paul of Tarsus, “Ye are not under the law”?16 Do two voices proceed from one Lord, or hath enmity arisen among them that wrote?

Brother, I say not this to cast thee down, but that thou mayest awake. Hast thou searched out whom thou followest? If ʿĪsā al-Masīḥ never taught godhead for Himself, and yet thou dost worship Him, who then hath turned thy worship aside? Dost thou not tremble, lest thou stand one day before God, Most High and Glorious, and perceive that he whom thou didst follow was one who was never sent, yet styled himself a servant of Christ Jesus?

I write with a flood of tears17: forsake Paul of Tarsus, and return unto the true teaching of ʿĪsā al-Masīḥ. Follow Him as a servant of God, Most High and Glorious, and not as a Lord Sovereign lifted up by the tongues of men. Worship Him alone who is One18, and not him whom words and the devices of men have made a god.

Carry my greeting to all that seek the truth in the true ʿĪsā al-Masīḥ. Hold fast to the oneness of God19, and shun the gospel that came not from heaven, nor from an apostle, nor from ʿĪsā al-Masīḥ, but from one who repeateth the name of Christ Jesus as a shield for his error.

This letter have I written with mine own hand20, as a token that I live no more in the shadow of Paul of Tarsus.

The grace of God, Most High and Glorious, who sent ʿĪsā al-Masīḥ as His servant21, and not as a Lord Sovereign held on high, be with thee that seekest the truth. And mayest thou be loosed from that shadow, and return unto the teaching of the true messenger. Amen.

I, who aforetime walked in the shadow of Paul of Tarsus, am now turned unto ʿĪsā al-Masīḥ, peace be upon him, servant of the true Lord Sovereign.

About this chapter

This chapter is an English rendering, in the manner of the Authorised Version, of the Malay letter Epistel Kepada Jemaat Paulus (“An Epistle unto the Congregation of Paul of Tarsus”). It follows the form of the Pauline letters: salutation, thanksgiving, exhortation, an autograph line, and a benediction. It states the Islamic position and is set apart from the chapters above as a bonus. For the evidence behind its claims, see Acts against Galatians and James and the Jerusalem church.

Notes

  1. The opening follows Paul of Tarsus’s own: “Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ” (Romans 1:1; Philippians 1:1; Titus 1:1). The author sets the form of the Pauline letter against Paul of Tarsus. ↩
  2. “Grace and peace” is Paul of Tarsus’s greeting formula (Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:3; Galatians 1:3). Here “servant” (ʿabd) is the Qur’anic title: 4:172; 19:30; 43:59. ↩
  3. Paul of Tarsus’s letters open with a thanksgiving after the greeting (Romans 1:8; 1 Corinthians 1:4; Philippians 1:3). ↩
  4. Paul of Tarsus directs that his letters be read aloud to the congregation (Colossians 4:16; 1 Thessalonians 5:27). ↩
  5. The Damascus road: Acts 9:3; 22:6; 26:13. Paul of Tarsus’s own letters mention a revelation but give no account of the road (Galatians 1:11-12, 15-16). ↩
  6. Acts 9:7 says his companions heard the voice and saw no one. Acts 22:9 says they saw the light but did not hear the voice. Paul of Tarsus himself says he did not confer with anyone for three years (Galatians 1:16-18). ↩
  7. Paul of Tarsus does not claim to have known Jesus in the flesh. He claims to have seen the risen Lord (1 Corinthians 9:1; 15:8) and to have received his gospel “by the revelation of Jesus Christ” (Galatians 1:11-12). Compare 2 Corinthians 5:16. ↩
  8. Editorial note. The canonical texts record the reverse in the case of Peter: Paul of Tarsus rebuked Peter at Antioch after “certain came from James”, and even Barnabas was carried away (Galatians 2:11-14). Acts records a “sharp contention” in which Paul of Tarsus and Barnabas parted company (Acts 15:36-40). The elders at Jerusalem under James pressed Paul of Tarsus to show that he kept the law (Acts 21:18-24). A rebuke of Paul of Tarsus by Peter is not recorded in these sources. See James and the Jerusalem church. ↩
  9. Mark 10:18; John 14:28; 17:3. In the Qur’an, 5:116-117 and 4:171-172. ↩
  10. “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God” (1 John 4:1, Authorised Version). Compare “Prove all things” (1 Thessalonians 5:21). ↩
  11. 2 Corinthians 11:14, where Paul of Tarsus applies the saying to his own rivals (11:13). ↩
  12. Acts 9:3-9, 22:6-11 and 26:12-18 give three tellings. In 9:7 the companions stand speechless; in 26:14 they all fall to the ground. In 9:7 they hear the voice; in 22:9 they do not. See Acts against Galatians. ↩
  13. Galatians 5:2-6; 6:15; 1 Corinthians 7:19. Compare Acts 16:3, where Paul of Tarsus has Timothy circumcised, and Genesis 17:10-14. ↩
  14. Romans 10:9; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Philippians 2:9-11. In the Qur’an, 3:79-80 and 5:72-75. ↩
  15. Matthew 5:17, in the Authorised Version: “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.” ↩
  16. Galatians 5:18; compare Romans 6:14 and Galatians 3:25. Christian interpreters read these of the law as a means of justification. See Paul of Tarsus against Jesus. ↩
  17. Paul of Tarsus speaks of his own tears in the same way: Acts 20:19, 31; 2 Corinthians 2:4; Philippians 3:18. ↩
  18. Deuteronomy 6:4; Mark 12:29. In the Qur’an, 112:1-4. ↩
  19. “Hold fast” is Paul of Tarsus’s own phrase for steadfastness (1 Thessalonians 5:21; 2 Thessalonians 2:15). ↩
  20. Paul of Tarsus closes letters in his own hand as a mark of authenticity (1 Corinthians 16:21; Galatians 6:11; Colossians 4:18; 2 Thessalonians 3:17). ↩
  21. The benediction follows Galatians 6:18 and Philippians 4:23: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.” ↩