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when it was lost, with whom was it found? And who compiled this Gospel for you?” He said, “We did not lose it, except for one day, and when we found it, it was like new, and it was brought out by John and Matthew.” Then Rida(a.s.) said to him, “How little is your knowledge of the mystery[1] of the Gospel and its scholars! If it is as you imagine, then why are there differences about the Gospel? And verily, there are differences about the Gospel that is in your hands today. If it were the original testament, you would not differ about it. But I will offer you knowledge about it. Know that when the original Gospel was lost, the Christians gathered around their scholars and said to them, ‘Jesus the son of Mary was killed, the Gospel has been lost, and you are scholars, so what is in your possession?’ Luke and Mark said to them, ‘Verily, the Gospel is within our breasts, and we will bring it out scripture by scripture for everyone, so do not worry about it. Do not empty the synagogues. So, we will soon recite for every one of you scripture by scripture until it is all collected.’ Luke, Mark, John and Matthew sat down and compiled this Gospel for you after you had lost the original Gospel. These four persons were students of the first students. Did you know this?” The Catholicos said, “I did not know this, but now I know it. The extent of your knowledge of the Gospel has become clear to me. I heard something to the truth of which my heart testifies, so I want to increase my understanding.” Rida(a.s.) said to him, “What do you think about that to which they all testify?” He said, “It is allowed; they are the scholars of the Gospel. Everything to which they testify is true.” Rida(a.s.) said to Ma‘mun and to his folk and others with him present, “Bear witness to this.” They said, “We bear witness.” Then he said to the Catholicos, “By the truth of the son and his mother, do you know that Matthew says, ‘Verily the Messiah is the son of David son of Abraham son of Isaac son of Jacob son of Yahuda son of Hadrun,’ and that Mark, regarding [1] In another text, instead of mystery (sirr) there is traditions (sunan). |
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هَذَا الاِنجِيلَ؟‘ قَالَ لَهُ: ’مَا إفْتَقَدْنَا الاِنجِيلَ، إلاَّ يَوْمًا وَاحِدًا، حَتَّي وَجَدْنَاهُ غَضًّا طَرِيًّا. فَأخْرَجَهُ إلَينَا يُوحَنَّا وَمَتَّي.‘ فَقَالَ لَهُ الرِّضَا (ع): ’مَا أقَلَّ مَعْرِفَتُكَ بِسِرِّ الاِنجِيلِ وَعُلَمَائِهِ! فَإنْ كَانَ هَذَا كَمَا تَزْعَمُ، فَلِمَ إخْتَلَفْتُمْ فِى الاِنجِيلِ؟ وَإنَّمَا وَقَعَ الاِخْتِلاَفُ فِى هَذَا الاِنجِيلِ الَّذِى فِى أيْدِيكُمْ الْيَوْمَ. فَلَوْ كَانَ عَلَي الْعَهْدِ اْلاَوَّلِ لَمْ تَخْتَلِفُوا فِيهِ. وَلَكِنِّى مُفِيدُكَ عِلْمَ ذَلِكَ. إعْلَمْ أنَّهُ لَمَّا اُفْتُقِدَ الاِنجِيلُ اْلاَوَّلُ، إجْتَمِعَتِ النَّصَارَي إلَي عُلَمَائِهِمْ، فَقَالُوا لَهُمْ: ’قُتِلَ عِيسَي بْنُ مَرْيَمَ وَإفْتَقَدْنَا الاِنجِيلَ وَأنْتُمُ الْعُلَمَاءُ. فَمَا عِنْدَكُمْ؟‘ فَقَالَ لَهُمْ ألُوقَا وَمِرْقَابُوسُ: ’إنَّ الاِنجِيلَ فِى صُدُورِنَا وَنَحْنُ نُخْرِجُهُ إلَيْكُمْ سِفْرًا سِفْرًا فِى كُلِّ أحَدٍ. فَلاَ تَحْزَنُوا عَلَيْهِ وَلاَ تَخْلُوا الْكَنَائِسَ، فَإنَّا سَنَتْلُوهُ عَلَيْكُمْ فِى كُلِّ أحَدٍ سِفْرًا سِفْرًا، حَتَّي نَجْمَعَهُ كُلَّهُ.‘ فَقَعَدَ ألُوقَا وَمِرْقَابُوسُ وَيُوحَنَّا وَمَتَّي، فَوَضَعُوا لَكُمْ هَذَا الاِنجِيلَ بَعْدَ مَا إفْتَقَدْتُمُ الاِنجِيلَ اْلاَوَّلَ. وَإنَّمَا كَانَ هَؤُلاَءُ الاَرْبَعَةُ تَلاَمِيذَ التَّلاَمِيذِ اْلاَوَّلِينَ. أعَلِمْتَ ذَلِكَ؟‘ قَالَ الْجَاثِلِيقُ: ’أمَّا هَذَا، فَلَمْ أعْلَمْهُ، وَقَدْ عَلِمْتُهُ اْلآنَ وَقَدْ بَانَ لِى مِنْ فَضْلِ عِلْمِكَ بِالاِنجِيلِ، وَسَمِعْتُ أشْيَاءَ مِمَّا عَلِمْتَهُ، شَهِدَ قَلْبِى أنَّهَا حَقٌّ، فَاسْتَزَدْتُ كَثِيرًا مِنَ الْفَهْمِ.‘ فَقَالَ لَهُ الرِّضَا (ع): ’فَكَيْفَ شَهَادَةُ هَؤُلاَءِ عِنْدَكَ؟‘ قَالَ: ’جَائِزَةٌ، هَؤُلاَءِ عُلَمَاءُ الاِنجِيلِ، وَكُلُّ مَا شَهِدُوا بِهِ فَهُوَ حَقٌّ.‘ فَقَالَ الرِّضَا (ع) لِلْمَاْمُونِ: ‘وَمَنْ حَضَرَهُ مِنْ أهْلِ بَيْتِهِ وَمِنْ غَيْرِهِمْ، إشْهَدُوا عَلَيْهِ.‘ قَالُوا: ’قَدْ شَهِدْنَا.‘ ثُمَّ قَالَ لِلْجَاثِلِيقَ: ’بِحَقِّ الاِبْنِ وَأُمِّهِ، هَلْ تَعْلَمُ أنَّ مَتَّي قَالَ: ’إنَّ الْمَسِيحَ هُوَ إبْنُ دَاوُدَ بْنِ إبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ إسْحَاقَ بْنِ يَعْقُوبَ بْنِ يَهُودَا بْنِ حَضْرُونَ.‘ وَقَالَ مِرْقَابُوسُ فِى نِسْبَةِ عِيسَي بْنِ |
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the lineage of Jesus the son of Mary says, ‘Verily, he is the word of Allah, He made it incarnate in the body of a man; so it became man,’ and that Luke says, ‘Verily, Jesus the son of Mary and his mother were two persons of flesh and blood, and the holy spirit entered into them,’ and then you say that Jesus testifies about himself, ‘In truth I say to you, O company of disciples, verily, no one ascends to heaven unless he descends from it, except the rider of the camel, the seal of the prophets. Verily, he ascends to heaven and then descends from it.’? What do you say about this saying?” The Catholicos said, “That is the saying of Jesus; we do not deny it.” Rida(a.s.) said, “So, what do you say about the testimony of Luke, Mark and Matthew about Jesus and what they have attributed to him?” The Catholicos said, “They lied about Jesus.” Rida(a.s.) said, “O people! Did he not just say that they were pure and testify that they were scholars of the Gospel, and that their word is the truth?” The Catholicos said, “O scholar of the Muslims! I would like you to pardon me for this about them.” Rida(a.s.) said, “We have done it. Ask, O Christian, whatever comes to your mind!” The Catholicos said, “Let someone other than me ask you. Nay! By the truth of the Messiah! I never imagined that a scholar like you was among the Muslims.” Then Rida(a.s.) turned to the Exilarch and said to him, “Will you question me or shall I question you?” He said, “I would question you, and I will not accept any argument from you unless it is from the Torah, the Gospel, the Psalms of David or from what is in the scriptures of Abraham and Moses.” Rida(a.s.) said, “Do not accept any argument from me unless it is spoken of in the Torah by the tongue of Moses ibn ‘Imran, the Gospel by the tongue of Jesus the son of Mary or the Psalms by the tongue of David.” the Exilarch said, “How do you prove that Muhammad was a prophet?” Rida(a.s.) said, “Moses ibn ‘Imran, Jesus the son of Mary and David the Steward of Allah, the mighty and magnificent, on earth bore witness to it.” So he said to him, “Prove the saying of Moses ibn ‘Imran.” |
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مَرْيَمَ: ’أنَّهُ كَلِمَةُ اللَّهِ، أحَلَّهَا فِى الْجَسَدِ الآدَمِىِّ فَصَارَتْ إنْسَانًا.‘ وَقَالَ ألُوقَا: ’إنَّ عِيسَي بْنَ مَرْيَمَ وَأُمَّهُ، كَانَا إنْسَانَيْنِ مِنْ لَحْمٍ وَدَمٍ؛ فَدَخَلَ فِيهِمَا رُوحُ الْقُدُسِ.‘ ثُمَّ إنَّكَ تَقُولُ مِنْ شَهَادَةِ عِيسَي عَلَي نَفْسِهِ: ’حَقًّا أقُولُ لَكُمْ، يَا مَعْشَرَ الْحَوَارِيِّينَ، إنَّهُ لاَ يَصْعَدُ إلَي السَّمَاءِ إلاَّ مَنْ نَزَلَ مِنْهَا، إلاَّ رَاكِبَ الْبَعِيرِ، خَاتَمَ اْلاَنْبِيَاءِ؛ فَإنَّهُ يَصْعَدُ إلَي السَّمَاءِ وَيَنْزِلُ.‘ فَمَا تَقُولُ فِى هَذَا الْقَوْلِ؟‘ قَالَ الْجَاثِلِيقُ: ’هَذَا قَوْلُ عِيسَي؛ لاَ نُنْكِرُهُ.‘ قَالَ الرِّضَا (ع): ’فَمَا تَقُولُ فِى شَهَادَةِ ألُوقَا وَمِرْقَابُوسَ وَمَتَّي عَلَي عِيسَي وَمَا نَسَبُوهُ إلَيْهِ؟‘ قَالَ الْجَاثِلِيقُ: ’كَذَّبُوا عَلَي عِيسَي.‘ قَالَ الرِّضَا (ع): ’يَا قَوْمُ، ألَيْسَ قَدْ زَكَّاهُمْ، وَشَهِدَ أنَّهُمْ عُلَمَاءُ الاِنجِيلِ، وَقَوْلُهُمْ حَقٌّ؟‘ فَقَالَ الْجَاثِلِيقُ: ’يَا عَالِمَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ، أُحِبُّ أنْ تُعْفِيَنِى مِنْ أمْرِ هَؤُلاَءِ.‘ قَالَ الرِّضَا (ع): ’فَإنَّا قَدْ فَعَلْنَا؛ سَلْ يَا نَصْرَانِيُّ، عَمَّا بَدَا لَكَ.‘ قَالَ الْجَاثِلِيقُ: ’لِيَسْألْكَ غَيْرِي. فَلاَ وَحَقِّ الْمَسِيحَ، مَا ظَنَنْتُ أنَّ فِى عُلَمَاءِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ مِثْلَكَ.‘ فَالْتَفَتَ الرِّضَا (ع) إلَي رَاسِ الجَالُوتِ، فَقَالَ لَهُ: ’تَسألُنِى أوْ أسْألُكَ؟‘ فَقَالَ: ’بَلْ أسْألُكَ، وَلَسْتُ أقْبَلُ مِنْكَ حُجَّةً، إلاَّ مِنَ التَّوْرَاةِ أوْ مِنَ الاِنجِيلِ أوْ مِنْ زَبُورِ دَاوُدَ أوْ بِمَا فِى صُحُفِ إبْرَاهِيمَ وَمُوسَي.‘ قَالَ الرِّضَا (ع): ’لاَ تَقْبَلْ مِنِّى حُجَّةً، إلاَّ بِمَا تَنْطِقُ بِهِ التَّوْرَاةُ عَلَي لِسَانِ مُوسَي بْنِ عِمْرَانَ وَالاِنجِيلُ عَلَي لِسَانِ عِيسَي بْنِ مَرْيَمَ وَالزَّبُورُ عَلَي لِسَانِ دَاوُدَ.‘ فَقَالَ رَاْسُ الْجَالُوتِ: ’مِنْ أيْنَ تَثْبُتُ نُبُوَّةَ مُحَمَّدٍ؟‘ قَالَ الرِّضَا (ع): ’شَهِدَ بِنُبُوَّتِهِ مُوسَي بْنُ عِمْرَانَ وَعِيسَي بْنُ مَرْيَمَ وَدَاوُدُ، خَلِيفَةُ اللَّهِ، عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، فِى الاَرْضِ.‘ فَقَالَ لَهُ: ’ثَبِّتْ قَوْلَ مُوسَي بْنَ عِمْرَانَ.‘ |
