Constantine and Nicea...Again

Okay, real quick video here. I haven't done this for a little while and this is a perfect opportunity to do it again educational type situation here I've often since 2006 and talking about Islam mentioned Sheikh Yasser Qadhi now, Dr. Yasser Qadhi.

Dr. Qadhi has been very kind to me. He sent me a 16 CD set that he did light and guidance, which I found to be extremely helpful as an introduction to Islamic beliefs and I've mentioned that his pronunciation of Arabic was very helpful to me.

Dr. Qadhi’s Helpfulness and Shared Concerns About Religious Consistency

So I've just found As a as a Muslim cleric as as an American Muslim cleric that he's just been extremely useful in studying and understanding that perspective that particular Stream Of Islamic thought and especially on the subject his emphasis upon Tawhid very important Defining shirk and things like that very very important in in my studies over the years and I've very much appreciated his striving for consistency and his willingness to say things that would not necessarily be popular amongst Less thoughtful elements of Islam I see a lot of parallels because as most of you know I say a lot of things that are not very popular amongst the less thoughtful elements of Christianity.

So I I see a kinship there anyway, I was pointed to a recent talk that he gave on the subject of ISIS And things like that I'm not talking about that in this video. I hope to report on that next week on the dividing line.

And when I did that someone then directed me to another recent talk where there was a discussion of Well the Council of Nicaea and Boy, I just barely got that in time tonight. This is a lot of video. It was how'd I know it was coming?

I mean I managed to silence that right as the ring was started. I don't think I've ever done that before. It's pretty good I'm not stopping this because it's a live video. Anyhow, it was a discussion on The Council of Nicaea and the canon of scripture and I'm hoping that dr Khadi will will watch this and we'll look into this subject because what it is.

The Council of Nicaea Did Not Decide the Canon

He repeated a statement that I have heard So many Muslims make and I think it's just one of those situations where You you get a meme going to use internet language in a particular community and it just gets repeated so often that it's taken for granted and that is he he talks about the canon of scripture and Allegedly Constantine's role in getting rid of all other Gospels except Matthew Mark Luke and John.

Now I'm not some famous church historian I've taught church history on a graduate level number of times, but I'm not some famous church historian, but if you look at any Serious church historian Christian or non on the subject of the Council of Nicaea.

There's one Universally accepted fact the Council of Nicaea did not address the canon of scripture in any way shape or form. Constantine had nothing to do with the canon of scripture had nothing to do with selection of Gospels.

It's just a completely untrue very often repeated but Untrue statement and it's it's just it comes from the internet. It comes from the fact that this person quotes that person you put quotes that person and it just gets repeated over and over again.

It takes on a life of its own, even though if you go to any meaningful original sources there is not a shred of Evidence that the Council of Nicaea had anything to do with Throwing out the Gospel of Thomas or something like that.

The Gospel of Thomas and Other Gnostic Texts

Now. There's more in this that I may address later on because It's fascinating that dr. Khadi addresses the fact that the Quran contains stories That are found only in later Semi-gnostic and Gnostic Gospels that were well known amongst the Christians now He says they wouldn't have been known amongst the Arabs of Muhammad's time I would dispute that very strongly because the Christians did know that the Arabic infancy gospel which is what contains the story of Jesus speaking from his cradle was well known amongst Arabic Christians and That would have been the source From which the Quran draws.

I mean one of my arguments is the Quran draws From pre-existing sources and the author of the Quran did not make any differentiation did not seem to understand What the nature of the canon of the New Testament was?

That's another issue. Right now my focus is upon the statement that Constantine had something to do with the camp. Here's here's what? Yasser Khadi had to say and.

This these scrolls. Contained Gospels that are beyond the four canonical Gospels you guys following this. Of them is a gospel now. You should know that Constantine and others in 325 CE they basically got rid of all of the other Gospels.

There were lots of Gospels and Constantine ordered these four to be chosen. Others later after him is not just Constantine. But later and the these four became the canonical all the rest were destroyed and to this day.

Most of them are destroyed once in a while. We come across something from the ancient times. This was one of the most significant discoveries in the 18 70 I think some something like basically last 19th century hundred fifty years ago.

Okay, dr. Khadi is a little confused on these issues. He's talking about the Gospel of Thomas and We have addressed the Gospel of Thomas so many times before. It is At its earliest earliest possible for the Gospel Thomas as it exists today 165 AD probably a little bit later than that.

It is plainly dependent upon the canonical Gospels the only Gospels that have any meaningful historical foundation. For being first century or Matthew Mark Luke and John. These other Gospels clearly give evidence of influence from religious movements that are utterly Disconnected from the time period of the writing in the New Testament the ministry of Jesus they demonstrate a worldview completely disconnected from What we have in the New Testament and in fact The Gnostic Gospels and normally when people talk about all these other Gospels are talking about Gnostic Gospels.

Muslims should not be looking to Gnostic Gospels. The the Gnostics believed that the creator of this world that Allah was a demi-urge an evil God and That there was another God above the creator of this world, and you don't you don't want to you don't want to go for the Gnostics.

Dr. Khadi you don't want to go there, and you don't want to really go for The gospel of Thomas either, but the point specifically was the assertion once again often repeated But utterly untrue historically that Constantine said we're gonna get these Gospels and no others.

I mean, that's Dan Barker in the Da Vinci Code, but it's not history and so I would challenge dr. Khadi to look as a researcher who does original research look at the Material that comes from the Council of Nicaea come from the look at the contemporary sources.

Where does any of this come from? It is a a modern myth that has taken on a life of its own because of the internet. But it has no meaningful historical foundation what so ever. It just doesn't work in fact.

I'd like to highly suggest to you the works the recent works published by dr. Michael Kruger. Dr. Kruger is the president reform theological seminary in Charlotte. He's written two books recently on the subject of the canon of scripture and I would highly recommend them to you as providing you with cutting-edge a Meaningful believing scholarship on the subject of the canon of scripture, and I think they would help a lot in these in this area so Once again appreciate all that I've learned from dr. Khadi hope that he can learn something from us on this subject now Constantine did not determine the canon in the New Testament did not have anything to do with the with Matthew Mark Luke and John Matthew Mark Luke and John were well known before this.

They're the only Gospels that have any meaningful foundation in going back to the first century and coming from Tanaitic Judaism Second Temple Judaism. None of these other Gospels have any type of pedigree along those lines at all and so just some factual information.

Hopefully helpful to everyone involved. Thanks for watching You.