FABRICATIONS · ADDED VERSES
Woe Against Pharisees Missing
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses...
does not appear in certain early manuscripts and is likely a later addition drawn from parallel Gospels. for this reason, the NIV bible omits it. This reveals scribal efforts to harmonize narratives, showing that even reproaches could be introduced to create a more uniform Gospel tradition. Understanding this complicates claims of an untouched, original message.
THE CHRISTIAN RESPONSE
Though absent in some early manuscripts, this woe appears in Mark and Luke. A scribe may have included it in Matthew to reinforce a well-known condemnation. Doing so doesn’t alter theology but makes Matthew’s text consistent with established Gospel tradition.
THE ISLAMIC POSITION
If Matthew originally lacked this woe, adding it later to achieve harmony suggests scribes treated each Gospel as malleable. Instead of preserving distinct accounts, they molded Matthew’s text to resemble others. This calls into question the integrity of each Gospel’s unique witness.
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Woe Against Pharisees Missing