Since "The Secular Web" doesn't have a "Qur'an Criticism & Archaeology" forum, I thought I'd just post this here. If it needs to be moved somewhere else, that's fine with me.

While perusing the Qur'an for references to Jesus' name, I stumbled across something that I found very interesting:

-> I believe the Qur'an might have been influenced by New Testament Apocrypha, more specifically the "Infancy Gospel of Thomas".

The Food, Surah 5:110 says:
"...and when you [Isa/Jesus] determined out of clay a thing like the form of a bird by My permission, then you breathed into it and it became a bird by My permission..."

(The Qur'an, trans. by M.H. Shakir, 7th U.S. ed, 1995)

The Infancy Gospel of Thomas (2.2) says:
"He [the boy Jesus] made soft clay and fashioned from it twelve sparrows."

(New Testament Apocrypha, ed. by Wilhelm Schneemelcher, 1991)

Perhaps another apocyphal gospel has this story of the "clay birds" as well?

Thoughts?

Ish

[This message has been edited by Ish (edited February 18, 2001).]

Thought I'd bump this back up. Does anyone here have any opinions on whether this connection is plausible? Has anyone read anything on the subject?

Thanks,
Ish

Hi Ish

You may want to give Baalthazaq or ProMuslimUnity a holler on this one. Quite honestly there are not a lot of experts on the Qur'an or Islam on these boards except for these two. You can usually find them on the Existence of God Board, so maybe repost over there and see what comes up.

Peace,

Nomad