CONTRADICTION · GENEALOGICAL
Shelah’s father?
(...which was the son of Saruch...) which was the son of Sala, Which was the son of Cainan, which was the son of Arphaxad...
And Arphaxad lived five and thirty years, and begat Salah.
This is relevant because genealogical records form the backbone of biblical chronology. Divergence in such a fundamental listing suggests that not all biblical texts share a uniform source. It questions the notion that the Bible is a single, perfectly transmitted unit and emphasizes that historical alterations or differing textual traditions have affected its final form, something Muslims contrast with the unwavering consistency of the Qur’an.
THE CHRISTIAN RESPONSE
Some claim that Luke relied on a Greek translation (Septuagint) which included Cainan, or that Cainan was a known traditional ancestor omitted in the Masoretic text. They argue textual variants account for the discrepancy without undermining faith.
THE ISLAMIC POSITION
If multiple manuscript traditions lead to different genealogies, how can one assert divine preservation of every detail? Muslims highlight that the Qur’an’s uniform text across centuries prevents such genealogical confusions, reinforcing its reliability over altered documents.
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Shelah’s father?