Nida ilal-Fatikan Rajiu Asfarkum al-Muqaddasa
- Author died
- -
- Editions
- Mu'assasat Dar al-Sha'b
Nida ilal-Fatikan Rajiu Asfarkum al-Muqaddasa (A Call to the Vatican: Review Your Sacred Scriptures) is a single-volume comparative religion treatise by the Egyptian writer Mustafa Abd al-Latif Darwish, subtitled al-Mutanaqidat al-Ilmiyya fi Asfar al-Ahd al-Qadim wal-Jadid (Scientific Contradictions in the Books of the Old and New Testaments) . The book was published in Cairo by Mu'assasat Dar al-Sha'b .
Background and Purpose
Darwish notes in his introduction that after publishing his earlier works—Muhammad al-Rasul fit-Tawrah wal-Injil (Muhammad the Messenger in the Torah and the Gospel) and al-Quran wan-Nasraniyya (The Quran and Christianity)—he received letters and treatises offering theological justifications and allegorical interpretations for various Christian doctrines, including the Crucifixion, the image of the Lamb upon the throne in the Book of Revelation, and anthropomorphic accounts of God . To move away from dialectical arguments that he considered unproductive, he structured this work around empirical figures, historical timelines, and scientific facts, arguing that these data points do not admit allegorical rationalization .
The author frames his appeal directly to the Catholic Church by invoking official ecclesiastical statements, specifically the document on divine revelation issued during the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965), which stated that Old Testament books contain imperfections and obsolete material (shawāʾib wa-shayʾ min al-buṭlān), approved by a council vote of 2,344 to 6 .
Contents and Methodology
The work contrasts the historical development and scientific accuracy of biblical and Quranic texts:
- Biblical Cosmological Conceptions: Darwish argues that the human authors and redactors of the Old and New Testaments wrote during an era of limited scientific knowledge, reflecting the prevailing worldview of their times without anticipation of later cosmological, astronomical, or geological discoveries .
- Scientific and Chronological Discrepancies: The book highlights chronological and historical difficulties in biblical narratives, such as biblical genealogies dating the creation of Adam to around 37 centuries before Christ or calculating human antiquity to roughly 5,736 years, contrasting these accounts with archaeological discoveries establishing older human habitation . It also points to internal chronological tensions, such as the lifespans recorded before and after the Deluge, and textual anomalies like the account of Moses's death and burial in the final chapter of Deuteronomy .
- Comparison with the Quran: The text draws comparisons with Quranic descriptions of natural phenomena, asserting that the Quran contains references to cosmic dust or gas (dukhān), the separation of celestial bodies, the spherical shape and rotation of the Earth, the distinct nature of solar emission versus reflected lunar light, atmospheric pressure at high altitudes, and the role of winds in pollination, which Darwish maintains harmonize with modern scientific findings .
- Citations and Western Studies: In presenting his critique of biblical texts and modern science, Darwish cites Western scholarship, including the critical observations and statistical data discussed by the French physician Maurice Bucaille regarding the history of the biblical canon and scientific critique .
Answer updated