A Comprehensive Theological and Legal Analysis of Muhammad’s Violations of the Mosaic Law
By Dr. Maxwell Shimba, Shimba Theological Institute
8. Patristic Commentary: The Early Church on Prophets, Law, and Novel Revelation
8.1. Early Christian Attitudes Toward Prophetic Succession
a) Irenaeus of Lyons (c. 130–202 CE)
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In Against Heresies (Book IV, ch. 33), Irenaeus emphasizes the unity and consistency of God’s revelation:
“The law and the prophets and the evangelists and the apostles…proclaimed one and the same God, perfect, just, and good.” -
Irenaeus repeatedly asserts that true prophets confirm and do not contradict the Torah:
“The coming of the Son of God was prepared by the Law and the Prophets.”
b) Tertullian (c. 155–240 CE)
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In Prescription Against Heretics (ch. 6–7), Tertullian warned:
“No man is wise, no man is holy, except the man who is a disciple of the Law and the Prophets.” -
Tertullian sees any later prophet or teacher who seeks to “introduce another rule of faith” as a heretic and a corrupter of God’s original message.
c) Origen (c. 184–253 CE)
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In his Contra Celsum (Book V), Origen defends the continuity and completeness of Mosaic revelation, insisting that all new claims must be measured by the “pattern given in the Law and Prophets.”
d) John of Damascus (c. 676–749 CE)
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In Fount of Knowledge (Book II: Heresies), John of Damascus, who lived after the rise of Islam, directly addressed Muhammad, calling him “the false prophet” who “having no miracles to show for himself, says that God gave him this written book [the Qur’an].”
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John accuses Muhammad of introducing doctrines “in direct contradiction to the Law and the Prophets,” and saw Islam as a post-Christian heresy, judged by the standards of biblical revelation.
8.2. Patristic Summary
The Church Fathers—unanimous in their respect for the Mosaic Law—set a hermeneutical rule:
Any prophet or teacher whose doctrine contradicts, adds to, or subtracts from the Mosaic Law is to be rejected.
For them, Jesus fulfilled rather than abrogated the Law (Matt. 5:17–18). All later claims of prophecy must align with the “faith once delivered to the saints” (Jude 1:3).
9. Rabbinic Commentary: Talmud, Midrash, and Medieval Jewish Thought
9.1. The Talmud: Testing Prophets and Prophecy
a) Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 90a–99b
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The Talmud is clear that the Torah is eternal and unchangeable (Sanhedrin 99a):
“He who says, ‘The entire Torah is from Heaven except one verse…’—such a one has despised the word of the Lord.” -
Sanhedrin 90a–93b: If a prophet’s message contravenes the Torah, even if accompanied by miracles, he is a false prophet and liable to death.
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“If he seeks to uproot even a single commandment, he is a false prophet.”
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b) Maimonides (Rambam, 1135–1204)
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In his Mishneh Torah, Laws of Foundations of the Torah, ch. 9–10:
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“If a prophet arises and performs a sign or wonder and says that God sent him to add to or to detract from a commandment…he is a false prophet.”
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“Even if he performs a sign, listen not to him.”
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In Epistle to Yemen, Maimonides identifies Muhammad as a “madman” who “added to and took away from the Torah” and thus cannot be accepted by the people of Israel.
c) Rashi (1040–1105)
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On Deut. 13:2: “Even if he gives you a sign or a wonder…you shall not listen… For the Lord your God is testing you.”
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Rashi affirms that the test of a prophet is absolute loyalty to the Torah, regardless of signs or wonders.
9.2. Midrashic and Later Rabbinic Thought
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Midrash Tanchuma, Re’eh 13: “There will arise prophets who will say, ‘Let us go after other gods.’ The sign is not a proof, for the Law is above signs.”
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Rabbi Saadia Gaon (882–942): In The Book of Beliefs and Opinions, Gaon maintains that only Moses had direct, unmediated prophecy; all others are subordinate and must conform to his Law.
9.3. Jewish Evaluation of Later Claimants
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General rabbinic opinion (from Maimonides to modern times) is that any claimant to prophecy who advocates abrogation or alteration of the Torah is a navi sheker (false prophet).
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Notably, both Islam and Christianity are viewed as forms of sheker (false doctrine) where they diverge from Mosaic law. (See Letter to Yemen, Maimonides; Kuzari by Judah Halevi.)
9.4. Rabbinic Summary
Jewish tradition is explicit:
The Torah is perfect, eternal, and unchangeable.
Any prophet, no matter what signs he claims or performs, who seeks to alter the Torah or its commandments is to be rejected and, under Mosaic jurisdiction, put to death.
10. Synthesis: The Voice of Moses, the Fathers, and the Sages
The combined witness of the Mosaic Law, the Patristic Fathers, and the Rabbinic Sages establishes a consistent rule of judgment:
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The Law of Moses is the absolute standard by which all future claims of revelation are measured.
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Muhammad’s teachings—introducing new laws, rituals, and a different concept of God—would be judged by Moses, the Church Fathers, and the rabbis alike as a clear breach, meriting condemnation.
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The patristic and rabbinic consensus is unwavering: fidelity to Torah is the litmus test for prophetic authenticity.
11. Conclusion
The biblical, patristic, and rabbinic traditions are united:
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The Torah is inviolable;
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Any prophet contradicting or abrogating it is a false prophet, regardless of signs or claims;
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Muhammad, by his teaching and example, would have been judged and condemned under Mosaic Law, and declared false by the spiritual heirs of Moses in both the Synagogue and the Church.
Expanded Bibliography
Patristic Sources:
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Irenaeus, Against Heresies
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Tertullian, Prescription Against Heretics
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Origen, Contra Celsum
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John of Damascus, Fount of Knowledge
Rabbinic and Medieval Jewish Sources:
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Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 90a–99b
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Rashi, Commentary on the Torah
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Maimonides, Mishneh Torah and Epistle to Yemen
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Saadia Gaon, The Book of Beliefs and Opinions
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Midrash Tanchuma
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Judah Halevi, Kuzari
Islamic Sources:
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The Qur’an
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Ibn Ishaq, Sirat Rasul Allah
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Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim
Modern Scholarship:
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Mark Durie, Revelation? Do We Worship the Same God?
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Walter C. Kaiser Jr., Toward Old Testament Ethics
Dr. Maxwell Shimba
Shimba Theological Institute
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