The Injil and the Canonical Gospels
A common Muslim reply says the Injil was a single revelation given to Jesus, not the four canonical Gospel books written about Jesus. The Christian response observes that the Qur'an addresses a community called the People of the Gospel and must still explain the historical relationship between that community's texts and the revelation being named. The resulting dispute is historical and semantic, not solved merely by translating Injil as Gospel.
Perspective note
This is a Christian apologetics analysis. Muslim interpretations are identified as replies and should be read from their cited Qur'anic and tafsir sources before evaluation.
Key points
- The Qur'an portrays God as giving the Injil to Jesus.
- Christianity uses 'Gospel' both for the apostolic message and for four canonical narrative books that witness to it.
- The dilemma turns on whether the Qur'anic referent is accessible through the Christian texts being addressed.
Scripture
- Mark 1:1 — Mark introduces his work with the language of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
- 1 Corinthians 15:1-8 — Paul uses 'gospel' for the proclaimed message of Christ's death and resurrection before the canonical Gospels were completed.
Primary sources
Read Qur'an 5:47 in Pickthall's translation:
This commands judgment by what was revealed in the Gospel. Identifying the precise historical referent and its relation to the four canonical Gospels requires additional evidence.
Let the People of the Gospel judge by that which Allah hath revealed therein.
Passage context and translation
This commands judgment by what was revealed in the Gospel. Identifying the precise historical referent and its relation to the four canonical Gospels requires additional evidence.
After the excerpt
Whoso judgeth not
Read the Christian proclamation in 1 Corinthians 15:3–4:
Paul presents Christ's death, burial, and resurrection as a received proclamation. This establishes what the letter claims; dating that reception and identifying later Gospel books require additional evidence.
what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures; that he was buried; that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures
Passage context and translation
Paul reminds the Corinthians of the gospel he preached and explicitly introduces its death, burial, resurrection, and appearance claims as material he had received and handed on.
After the excerpt
that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve