What Are Some Questions About the Bible? A Three-Faith Comparison

Judaism has a rich tradition of questioning scripture — it's not just permitted, it's expected. The Talmudic method, codified by rabbis like Rashi (1040–1105 CE) and Maimonides (1135–1204 CE), is built on asking probing questions about the Torah's meaning, context, and application. Deuteronomy itself invites this posture, asking rhetorically whether any nation has experienced what Israel has Deuteronomy 4:32, implying that reflection and inquiry are acts of faith.

Common questions in the Jewish tradition include: Who wrote the Torah? What is the relationship between the Written Torah and the Oral Torah? How do we reconcile apparent contradictions in the text? The Torah even anticipates that children will ask questions about the commandments: "And when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments?" Deuteronomy 6:20. This models questioning as a multigenerational, communal practice.

Jewish scholarship also stresses diligent investigation of difficult passages. Deuteronomy commands that when something seems wrong or unclear, one must "enquire, and make search, and ask diligently" Deuteronomy 13:14. This investigative spirit gave rise to centuries of midrash, commentary, and debate — none of which are considered threats to faith but rather expressions of it.

Christianity embraces a wide range of questions about the Bible, from textual and historical inquiries to theological and moral ones. Jesus himself modeled this, frequently asking his disciples probing questions to test their comprehension: "Have ye understood all these things?" Matthew 13:51. He also challenged them when they failed to grasp deeper meanings Matthew 15:16, suggesting that genuine understanding — not mere recitation — is the goal of engaging scripture.

Some of the most common Christian questions about the Bible include: Is the Bible inerrant or infallible? How should we interpret prophecy? What is the relationship between the Old and New Testaments? Jesus himself quoted the Old Testament to answer critics, saying "Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?" John 10:34, demonstrating that scripture is meant to be actively wrestled with and applied.

Christian scholars like N.T. Wright and Bart Ehrman (though from very different theological positions) have both emphasized that the Bible contains far more material than any single reading can exhaust. John's Gospel famously closes by noting that Jesus did so many things that "even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written" John 21:25 — a reminder that the written text is a selective witness, not an exhaustive record. This has fueled centuries of hermeneutical debate within Christianity.

Islam acknowledges the Bible's origins as divine revelation — the Torah (Tawrat) given to Moses and the Gospel (Injil) given to Jesus are recognized in the Quran — but Muslim scholars raise significant questions about whether the current biblical texts have been preserved in their original form. This doctrine, known as tahrif (corruption or alteration), is a central point of Islamic critique of the Bible as Christians and Jews use it today.

Common Islamic questions about the Bible include: Has the text been altered over time? Does the Bible predict the coming of Muhammad? Why do the Gospels differ from one another? Muslim scholars like Ibn Hazm (994–1064 CE) and more recently Ahmed Deedat (1918–2005 CE) have written extensively on these questions. The Quran itself asks rhetorically whether people have not understood from the foundations of creation Isaiah 40:21, a challenge that Muslims apply to those who rely on potentially corrupted scriptures rather than the final, preserved revelation of the Quran.

Despite these critiques, Islam doesn't dismiss the Bible entirely. It's seen as containing remnants of genuine revelation, and Muslims are encouraged to engage its contents thoughtfully. The spirit of diligent inquiry Deuteronomy 13:14 resonates with Islamic epistemology, which values ijtihad — independent scholarly reasoning — when examining any religious text. The key difference is that for Muslims, the Quran is the final arbiter of truth when the Bible and Quran appear to conflict.