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Historical Errors in the Quran: Difference between revisions
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→Crucifixions in ancient Egypt: Strengthened against various apologetic counter-arguments
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{{Quote|{{Quran|12|41}}| | {{Quote|{{Quran|12|41}}| | ||
O two companions of prison, as for one of you, he will give drink to his master of wine; but as for the other, he will be crucified, and the birds will eat from his head. The matter has been decreed about which you both inquire." }} | O two companions of prison, as for one of you, he will give drink to his master of wine; but as for the other, he will be crucified, and the birds will eat from his head. The matter has been decreed about which you both inquire." }} | ||
{{Quote|{{Quran| | |||
{{Quote|{{Quran|20|71}}| | |||
(Pharaoh) said: Ye put faith in him before I give you leave. Lo! he is your chief who taught you magic. Now surely I shall cut off your hands and your feet alternately, and '''I shall crucify you on the trunks of palm trees''', and ye shall know for certain which of us hath sterner and more lasting punishment.}} | (Pharaoh) said: Ye put faith in him before I give you leave. Lo! he is your chief who taught you magic. Now surely I shall cut off your hands and your feet alternately, and '''I shall crucify you on the trunks of palm trees''', and ye shall know for certain which of us hath sterner and more lasting punishment.}} | ||
Ancient Egypt has been subjected to extensive study by archaeologists. While there exists hieroglyphic evidence of people impaled | Ancient Egypt has been subjected to extensive study by archaeologists. While there exists hieroglyphic evidence of people impaled by upright wooden stakes through their torsos in ancient Egypt, this remains distinct from crucifixions "on the trunks of palm trees" described in the Quran, as palm trees are of too great girth to be used to vertically impale an individual. Nor is there any evidence that the Arabic verb for crucifixion (salaba) could also mean "to impale".<ref>salaba [https://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume4/00000435.pdf Lane's Lexicon p. 1711-1713 - صلب]</ref> | ||
The same verb for crucifixion is used in {{Quran|4|157}} regarding Jesus. Two other verses, {{Quran|38|12}} and {{Quran|89|8}}, use another word to call Pharaoh "owner of the pegs" or "stakes". Sometimes this is claimed to refer to impalement and even mistranslated as such. However, the context in {{Quran-range|89|6|11}} shows that it refers to unspecified rock-hewn monuments (most likely columned temples, obelisks or possibly even the pyramids). | The same verb for crucifixion is used in {{Quran|4|157}} regarding Jesus. It appears again in {{Quran|5|33}} which lists killing and crucifixion as distinct punishments, probably as the latter is a long, drawn out death (impalement would not be). Two other verses, {{Quran|38|12}} and {{Quran|89|8}}, use another word to call Pharaoh "owner of the pegs" or "stakes". Sometimes this is claimed to refer to impalement and even mistranslated as such. However, the context in {{Quran-range|89|6|11}} shows that it refers to unspecified and lasting rock-hewn monuments (most likely columned temples, obelisks or possibly even the pyramids). | ||
Moreover, there is no ancient Egyptian evidence of cross amputation (punitive removal of a single hand and foot on | Moreover, there is no ancient Egyptian evidence of cross amputation (punitive removal of a single hand and foot on opposite sides). It seems that here again a contemporary punitive practice has been transferred in the Quran to ancient Egypt. A parallel using the same Arabic words occurs in {{Quran|5|33}}, which commands crucifixion or cross amputation among a range of punishment options (both of which became part of Islamic jurisprudence). In the exceptionally cruel combination of both punishments put in the mouth of Pharaoh in 20:71 quoted above (see also {{Quran|7|124}} and {{Quran|26|49}}), the victim would need to be fastened to the palm tree by what remains of their limbs. In Roman crucifixion, ropes were typically used, though nails were sometimes driven through the heel bones and perhaps between the ulnar and radius above each wrist. Sometimes a crossbeam (patibulum) was added, though other times just a tree or upright post (''crux simplex'', or ''stipes''), which is likely what the Quranic author had in mind.<ref>[https://www.tastesofhistory.co.uk/post/dispelling-some-myths-crucifixion Dispelling Some Myths: Crucifixion] - Tastes of History, March 31, 2024 ([https://web.archive.org/web/20250619085601/https://www.tastesofhistory.co.uk/post/dispelling-some-myths-crucifixion archive])</ref> | ||
Professor Sean W Anthony notes this anachronism and why it may have occurred when asked about it in his Reddit r/AcademicQuran [https://www.reddit.com/r/AcademicQuran/comments/13rkbxo/comment/jll1x3v/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button AMA]. | Professor Sean W Anthony notes this anachronism and why it may have occurred when asked about it in his Reddit r/AcademicQuran [https://www.reddit.com/r/AcademicQuran/comments/13rkbxo/comment/jll1x3v/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button AMA]. | ||