بائبل کے متن کی تاریخی تنقید: بارٹ ڈی اہرمن اور مولانا رحمت اللہ کیرانوی کے مناہج کا تقابلی مطالعہ

BIBLICAL TEXTUAL CRITICISM: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE METHODOLOGIES OF BART D. EHRMAN AND MAULANA RAHMATULLAH KAIRANVI

Abstract

This research article presents a comparative analysis of the methodologies employed in biblical textual criticism by two prominent figures from different intellectual traditions: Bart D. Ehrman, a leading contemporary secular biblical scholar, and Maulana Rahmatullah Kairanvi, a 19th-century Islamic scholar. The study focuses on Ehrman’s "Rational Eclecticism" as presented in Misquoting Jesus and Kairanvi’s systematic critique in Izhar-ul-Haq. While both scholars identify significant manuscript variants and scribal alterations, their theological premises and objectives differ substantially. Ehrman utilizes the historical-critical method to question the orthodox narrative of scripture, whereas Kairanvi employs these textual discrepancies to argue for the Islamic concept of Tahrif (alteration). This paper examines the points of convergence and divergence in their treatment of 'Internal' and 'External' evidence, concluding with an assessment of their impact on modern interfaith dialogue and biblical scholarship.