Comparative Theology · Internal Contradictions
The Last Words from the Cross
Handle with care. Some argue he said all three in sequence. Acknowledge that possibility, then point out that each Gospel presents its saying as the last, and the tone of each is incompatible with the others.
In short
- 1.Mark and Matthew: 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?'
- 2.Luke: 'Father, into your hands I commit my spirit'
- 3.John: 'It is finished'
- 4.A last word is by definition singular — these are three different endings
The claim being examined
Christian devotion treats the final saying of Jesus as a revealed word of God. The four Gospels record three mutually exclusive final utterances.
The Islamic position
The Qur'an presents Jesus as a servant honoured by God, never abandoned by Him (Q 19:30-33). A cry of forsakenness sits awkwardly with the doctrine of an incarnate God, and the sources cannot agree that it was said at all.
Analysis
Mark's cry of dereliction, quoting Psalm 22:1 in Aramaic, is the earliest. Luke replaces it with a serene commitment drawn from Psalm 31:5, and John replaces it again with a declaration of completion that fits his theology of a sovereign Jesus. The direction of change is consistent: the later the Gospel, the less distressed the dying Jesus. This is a literary development, not four fragments of one speech, and Luke's own manuscript tradition confirms scribes were sensitive to how Jesus appeared at this moment.
Side by side
| Mark | 15:34,37 | 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?' … and he breathed his last. |
|---|---|---|
| Matthew | 27:46,50 | 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?' … and yielded up his spirit. |
| Luke | 23:46 | 'Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.' Having said this, he breathed his last. |
| John | 19:30 | 'It is finished.' And he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. |
From the Qur'an
Qur'an 19:30-31
قَالَ إِنِّي عَبْدُ اللَّهِ آتَانِيَ الْكِتَابَ وَجَعَلَنِي نَبِيًّا
He said: Indeed I am the servant of God. He has given me the Scripture and made me a prophet.
From the Bible
Luke 23:46
Πάτερ, εἰς χεῖράς σου παρατίθεμαι τὸ πνεῦμά μου
Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.
Read it in their BibleSources
Bart D. Ehrman, Jesus, Interrupted · Raymond E. Brown, The Death of the Messiah
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