Comparative Theology · Additions & Interpolations
The Bloody Sweat and 'Father, Forgive Them'
Handle with care. Scholars are divided on whether Luke 23:34 was added or deleted. Present it as textually uncertain, not as a proven insertion.
In short
- 1.Luke 22:43-44 (the angel and the sweat like drops of blood) is absent from major early witnesses
- 2.Luke 23:34 ('Father, forgive them') is missing from P75, Vaticanus and others
- 3.Both are printed in double brackets in critical editions
The claim being examined
Two of the most emotionally powerful moments in Luke's passion narrative are missing from important early manuscripts.
The Islamic position
Islam holds that the human portrait of Jesus in the Gospels has been reshaped over time. These two passages show shaping in both directions — one adding anguish, one adding mercy.
Analysis
Neither passage is textually secure. The agony scene is missing from several of the earliest and best manuscripts and may have been added to counter docetic claims that Jesus did not truly suffer. The prayer of forgiveness is absent from an equally weighty set of witnesses, and some scholars propose it was removed by scribes unwilling to have Jesus forgive the Jewish crowd after the destruction of Jerusalem. Either direction of change makes the same point: passages central to preaching were not stable in the text.
Side by side
| P75, Vaticanus | Luke 22:43-44 | Absent. |
|---|---|---|
| P75, Vaticanus, Codex Bezae (first hand) | Luke 23:34 | Absent. |
| Later majority text | both passages | Present, and familiar from the KJV onward. |
From the Qur'an
Qur'an 5:13
وَنَسُوا حَظًّا مِّمَّا ذُكِّرُوا بِهِ
And they forgot a portion of what they were reminded of.
From the Bible
Luke 22:44
ἐγένετο ὁ ἱδρὼς αὐτοῦ ὡσεὶ θρόμβοι αἵματος
His sweat became like great drops of blood falling to the ground.
Read it in their BibleLuke 23:34
Πάτερ, ἄφες αὐτοῖς, οὐ γὰρ οἴδασιν τί ποιοῦσιν
Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.
Read it in their BibleSources
Bart D. Ehrman, The Orthodox Corruption of Scripture · Bruce M. Metzger, A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament
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