CONGRUITIES AND INCONGRUITIES BETWEEN THE BIBLE AND THE QUR'AN

BAPTISM OF JESUS « John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.» (Mark 1/4) « And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. »(Mark 1/9) John the Baptist who had received from God the commandment to baptize people in order that they may be cleansed from their sins invited them to the desert. The entire population of Jerusalem and Judah rushed there; they repented and were baptized in the river. In the meantime, Jesus Christ was among those who had been baptized. BAPTISM WAS DONE AT FIRST IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST « Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.» (Acts 2/38) « Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. »(Acts 19/4,5) During the lifetime of Jesus and the Apostles, the converts into Christianity were baptized in the name of Jesus. The Apostles Peter, John and Paul applied this practice. The Apostles nearest Jesus, baptized not only basing on the Trinity in the Gospel of Matthew but also in the name of Jesus Christ. « Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) (»Acts 8/14-16) « Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.» (Acts 10/47,48) PAUL ALSO HAD BEEN BAPTIZED IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST « (Ananias) And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.»(Acts 22/16) According to the account that Paul told his friend Luke, the author of the Acts, Jesus Christ had appeared to him on the road to Damascus and delegated him to represent him hereafter; he had gone to Ananias who was a devout man. During his conversion, he was baptized not in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, but in the name of Jesus Christ. According to the Gospel of St.Matthew, Jesus Christ had spoken to his disciples after having resurrected three days following his death: (Now, the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, " All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in 'the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them 'to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, " I am with you always to the end of the age." St. Paul, who declared that he was the messenger of Jesus Christ, should have been baptized in the name of the concept of trinity under the circumstances; yet he was baptized in the name of Jesus; is this not contradictory? BAPTISM IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER, THE SON AND THE HOLY SPIRIT In the Council of Nicaea the divinity of Jesus Christ had been sanctioned along with the Father and the Holy Spirit. In the First Council of Constantinople which met in 381, the Holy Spirit also was accepted part of the Godhead. Thus the basis of Christianity had been founded. As from the said date, the baptism was to be performed in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Researchers think that the passage in the Gospel of Matthew “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:” (Matthew 28/19) shown as a proof for the concept of Trinity had been added to the said Gospel after the Council of Constantinople. Their assertion is based on the fact that in the other gospels and in the letters of Paul there is no such mention. Thus, the concept of Trinity ratified in the fourth century had been added to the gospel of Matthew written in the first century. BAPTISM IN CHRISTIANITY Baptism is union with Messiah, attachment to him, atonement realized by the blood he shed, re-birth in His Spirit, his acceptance as Son of God, and acquiring immortality. The persons that should not be baptized are those that remain outside the ecclesiastical circle and are alien to the Covenant and who do not believe in Messiah and act according to his dictates. The children, whose father or mother is a believer in Christ, are also part of this Covenant and can be baptized. Baptism is a ritual foreseen by Christ in the New Testament. It connotes not only the participation of the baptized in the Church, but also the fact that as a seal of the Covenant proving that he has been as of that moment attached to Christ, that he has been reborn, that his sins have been pardoned, and that, in resignation to God, he has begun a new life. In the ritual in question water is used. The person to be baptized will be baptized by the person who invited him there, in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. Immersion is not obligatory; it can also be done by sprinkling. Not only those who believe in Christ, but also the children whose believing mother or father must be baptized Although to look askance at baptism is a great sin, grace and salvage are not strictly linked to it. A person may be saved without having been baptized; he may be re-born or may not be saved even though he has been baptized. The effect of baptism is not instantaneous. When correctly administered in addition to the grace received the manifestation of it is displayed by God through the Holy Spirit. Everybody should receive baptism. CIRCUMCISION IN THE QUR'AN