Mistrusting the Bible: Ibn Taymiyya’s (d. 1328) Views of Biblical Distortion and Altercation (Tahrif)

This presentation will analyze the concept of biblical misinterpretation and altercation (tahrif) within Ibn Taymiyya’s Correct Reply to Those Who Have Changed the Religion of Christ (Jawab al-sahih li-man baddala din al-masih).  The treatise is one of the longest refutations of Christianity in the Islamic tradition and was written in reply to a letter addressed to Muslims by Cyprus Christians.  While previous scholarship has analyzed Ibn Taymiyya’s treatise as a whole, this paper will situate the chapters relating to tahrif within its historical context and milieu.  Ibn Taymiyya contends that he supports an intermediate position between two extremes.  The first, represented by the Andalusian scholar Ibn Hazm (d. 1064), states that the Bible has been distorted to the point that Muslim scholars should not engage its contents.  The second, represented by al-Ghazali (d. 1111) and Fakhr al-Din al-Razi (d. 1209), believes that the Bible was only slightly altered and could be seen as divine revelation.  Ibn Taymiyya situates himself between these positions arguing that distortion did occur through transmission and translation but that the Bible can still be engaged with after critical evaluation.