Aramaic Gospel uses word for Muslim!

Muslim theology believes that Islam did not start with their “prophet” Muhammad, but that it was the religion from the time of Adam, and that even Jesus was a Muslim! As evidence for this claim, some Islamic apologists make the following assertion:

Muslim argument from answering Christianity:

Let us look at Luke 6:40 from my N.I.V. Bible "A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher."

 The perfection here means a spiritual one.  What the verse is saying is that knowledge is not what matters!  The teacher or master is higher in knowledge than his student.  But the student can be as high as his teacher, or even higher, by being a true 'MUSHLAM' or Muslim, a spiritually perfect and well-disciplined person!

Let us look at what Jesus said in Luke 6:40 in the language of Aramaic translated into Hebrew as shown below 

אין תלמיד נעלה על רבו; שכן כל אדם שמשלם יהיה כרבו

"Ein talmeed na'leh 'al rabbo; shekken kal adam she'MUSHLAM yihyeh k'rabbo."

This absurd argument is not saying that Lord Jesus speaking in Greek, Aramaic, or even Hebrew, or St Luke in the translation of the Aramaic Peshitta text has Jesus using the word Muslim, but that a MODERN day translation of the verse into Modern Hebrew from Aramaic uses a word that is similar to Muslim! Biblical Hebrew in the Hebrew Bible never uses the word שמשלם [shemmushlam], and משלם is used 19 times in the Hebrew Bible and even then 17 [e.g. 2 Kings 22:3, 1 Chronicles 3:19, Ezra 10:29, Nehemiah 3:4,...etc] of those times refers to a person’s name: מְשֻׁלָּם M'shullam, whereas the other two appear in Isaiah 66:6 and Jeremiah 51:6 and appear as follows:

It is the sound of the LORD repaying [מְשַׁלֵּם,m’shallém] his enemies all they deserve—Isaiah 66:6 (NIV)

קוֹל יְה, מְשַׁלֵּם גְּמוּל לְאֹיְבָיו—Isaiah 66:6 Hebrew Text

Kol YHVH, m’shallem g’mul l’oyevav—Isaiah 66:6 transliteration

Let’s see Jeremiah 51:6

It is time for the Lord’s vengeance; he will repay [מְשַׁלֵּם, m’shallem] her what she deserves.—Jeremiah 51:6

כִּי עֵת נְקָמָה הִיא, לַיה--גְּמוּל, הוּא מְשַׁלֵּם לָהּ–Jeremiah 51:6 Hebrew Text

Ki et n’kamah hi, l’YHVH—g’mul m’shallem lah-- Jeremiah 51:6 transliteration

Here we see the word is m’shallem, not Mushlam, or Muslim, or anything like that. So the word Muslim is NEVER used in Biblical Hebrew, and the closest is a person’s name, and the only time otherwise it is used in context of God smiting His enemies! Certainly less than complimentary for Islam.

If we were to look at the same chapter the Muslim provides for the word Muslim ‘appearing’, we can see another verse in which the word for ‘Muslim’ is used in the Peshitta Aramaic Text of Luke 6:

ܘܝܗܘܼܕܼܐ ܒܿܪ ܝܥܩܘܼܒܼ܂ ܘܝܗܘܼܕܼܐ ܣܟܼܪܝܘܼܛܐ܂ ܗܘ ܕܿܗܘܐ ܡܲܫܠܡܵܢܵܐ—Luke 6:16 Peshitta Text

And Judas the son of James, and Judah of Iscariot, who became the traitor [ܡܲܫܠܡܵܢܵܐ , mushlamana   ] —Luke 6:16 Lamsa Translation from Aramaic

 The word is also used in Luke elsewhere at the last Supper:

 ܒܿܪܲܡ ܗܵܐ ܐܼܝܕܼܸܗ   ܕܿܡܲܫܠܡܵܢܝ   ܥܲܠ ܦܿܵܬܼܘܼܪܵܐ—Luke 22:21 Peshitta Text

"But behold, the hand of him who is to betray [ܕܿܡܲܫܠܡܵܢܝ   , domushlaman’ ] me is on the table—Luke 22:21 Lamsa Translation from Aramaic

We see here the Aramaic word for Muslim ܡܲܫܠܡܵܢܵܐ mushlamana is used in Luke 6 and it means “traitor”—not submission or peace like Muslims claim Muslim means!

If we were to move on the Peshitta text of Matthew's gospel we see the word appear more, with a word that is even closer to Muslim:

ܩܘܼܡܘ܂ ܢܼܐܙܲܠ܂ ܗܵܐ ܡܛܵܐ ܗܲܘ ܕܿܡܲܫܠܸܡ ܠܼܝ  ܘܥܲܕܼ ܗܘܼ ܡܡܲܠܸܠ܃ ܗܵܐ ܝܼܗܘܼܕܼܵܐ   ܡܲܫܠܡܵܢܵܐ܂--Matthew 26:46-47

 "Arise, let us go; behold he who is to deliver me [ ܕܿܡܲܫܠܸܡ , domashlema] has arrived. Whiel he was speaking, behold, Judas the traitor [ܡܲܫܠܡܵܢܵܐ , mashlmana ] ......"--Matthew 26:46-47

 The word domashlema--where do--who, which, and mashlema--transfer, hand over [in this case hand over in the sense of betrayal!]. Interestingly enough the domashlema seems to have shlama, or 'peace' or 'wholeness' as its root, similar to what SOME Muslims claim the word Muslim is related to, yet we see here that mashlema here means to BETRAY Jesus.

Now, going back to just the Aramaic word for Muslim--ܡܲܫܠܡܵܢܵܐ , mashlmana, we see it appearing in Matthew 4 times in: Matthew 26:25, 26:47, 26:48, and 27:3. All of these refer to Judas Iscariot when he BETRAYED Jesus. If we were to go to Mark's Gospel it appears once in Mark 14:44

 ܘܝܲܗ̱ܒܼ ܠܗܘܼܢ ܐܵܬܼܵܐ   ܡܲܫܠܡܵܢܵܐ   ܗܲܘ ܕܿܡܲܫܠܸܡ܂ ܘܸܐܡܲܪ܂ ܗܲܘ ܕܿܢܵܫܸܩ ܐ̱ܢܵܐ܂ ܗܘܼܝܘܼ܂ ܐܘܼܚܕܿܘܼܗ̱ܝ ܙܗܼܝܪܵܐܝܼܬܼ܂ ܘܲܐܘܒܿܠܘܼܗ̱ܝ--Mark 14:44 Peshitta Text

"And the traitor who was to do the delivering gave them a sign, and he said, He whom I kiss is the one; seize him carefully, and take him away"--Mark 14:44 Lamsa

Finally, St John's Gospel also uses the word ܡܲܫܠܡܵܢܵܐ , mashlmana twice:

ܝܵܕܼܲܥ ܗ̱ܘܵܐ ܕܸܿܝܢ ܐܵܦܼ ܝܼܗܘܼܕܼܵܐ   ܡܲܫܠܡܵܢܵܐ   ܠܕܼܘܼܟܿܬܼܵܐ ܗܵܝ܂ ܡܸܛܽܠ ܕܿܣܲܓܼܿܝ ܙܲܒܼܢܵܐ ܟܿܵܢܸܫ ܗ̱ܘܵܐ ܬܿܲܡܵܢ ܝܸܫܘܼܥ ܥܲܡ ܬܿܲܠܡܼܝܕܼܲܘܗ̱ܝ̈܂--John 18:2 Peshitta Text

 Judah the traitor also knew that place, for Jesus and his disciples frequently gathered there--John 18:2 Lamsa

 ܐܵܡܪܼܝܢ ܠܸܗ܂ ܠܝܸܫܘܼܥ ܢܵܨܪܵܝܵܐ܂ ܐܵܡܲܪ ܠܗܘܼܢ ܝܸܫܘܼܥ܂ ܐܸܢܵܐ ܐ̱ܢܵܐ܂ ܩܵܐܸܡ ܗ̱ܘܵܐ ܕܸܿܝܢ ܐܵܦܼ ܝܼܗܘܼܕܼܵܐ   ܡܲܫܠܡܵܢܵܐ   ܥܲܡܗܘܼܢ܂--John 18:5 Peshitta Text

They said to him, Jesus the Nazarene. Jesus said to them, I am he. Judah the traitor [ܡܲܫܠܡܵܢܵܐ , mashlmana]  was also standing with them.--John 18:5 Lamsa

 

Though the word mushlamana did not take up the Muslim meaning until the 7^th century, the same word was used long before it in Jewish and Christian writings, as we see in this definition:

mšlmn, mšlmnˀ   (mašləmān, mašləmānā)   nom.ag.C  betrayer; perfected

1. nom. ag. active:  Syr. (a) betrayer  Syr. 3Mac3:24ܘܢܗܘܘܢ ܡܢ ܡܫܠܡ̈ܢܝܢ ܘܒܥܠܕܒܒ̈ܝܢ  they might become some of our betrayers and our enemies.
2. nom. ag. passive  Syr. (a) perfected one  Palmyrene, CPA, Syr, JBA. JSB1 191:12 ܡܫܠܡܢܐ ܗܘܐ ܥܕܠܐ ܢܚܘܬ  He was perfect before he came down. BT San 7a(25) שבע בירי למשלמאנא וסליק٠ וחדא לדעבד ביש  there are seven pits for the perfect person, and then he arises, but one for the evildoer [cf. Prov. 24:16]. (b) muslim  Syr. BHMQ7 1.3.1 ܠܟܪ̈ܝܣܛܝܢܐ ܟܠܗܘܢ ܘܠܝܘ̈ܕܝܐ ܘܠܡܫ̈ܠܡܢܐ  all Christians, Jews, and Muslims.

Conclusion: The word for Muslim is used in Aramaic text of the New Testament—and it refers to the one that betrayed the Lord Jesus Christ, Judas Iscariot, the son of perdition! If Muslims wants to be in the New Testament let them be the TRAITORS they are, for the betrayed Christ’s own words of Divinity that He had Glory with His Father before the world was (John 17:3). Furthermore, it is insignificant that translating an old text in Aramaic into modern Hebrew produces a word that resembles Muslim.