TRUST ME BRO:

​Why the "Injeel" Never Existed

​By Apostolic Fidelity

​In the dialogue between Catholicism and Islam, a fundamental misunderstanding arises regarding the nature of the New Testament. Islamic theology claims that Jesus (Isa) was given a specific, singular book from Heaven called the Injeel. Muslims argue that the canonical Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) are merely corrupted biographies or fragments of this original "lost" book.

​As faithful Catholics, we must rebuke this error with historical precision and theological clarity. The Injeel—as defined by Islamic apologetics—is a historical fiction, a 7th-century anachronism imposed upon 1st-century history. Here is why the Injeel never existed.

​1. The Theological Definition: Christ is the Word, Not the Courier

​The primary error of the Injeel theory is a misunderstanding of who Jesus is. In Islam, prophets are couriers who deliver a book (Moses brought the Torah, David the Psalms, Muhammad the Quran). Therefore, they assume Jesus must have brought a book.

​However, Catholic Theology teaches Incarnational Theology. Jesus did not come to write a book; He came to be the Message.

• ​John 1:1, 14: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God... And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us."
• ​Hebrews 1:1-2: "Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son."

​Jesus is the Logos. He is the revelation itself. To look for a book written by Jesus is to miss the Incarnation entirely. There is no "Book of Jesus" because Jesus is the Living Word.

​2. The Silence of History

​If the Injeel existed as a physical text "sent down" to Jesus, it would be the most significant document in human history. Yet, history is deafeningly silent regarding it.

• ​The Apostolic Fathers (c. 70 – 150 AD): Men like St. Clement of Rome, St. Ignatius of Antioch, and St. Polycarp, who were disciples of the Apostles, quote profusely from Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and the Pauline Epistles. They never mention a single book written by Jesus called the Injeel.
• ​St. Irenaeus (c. 180 AD): In Against Heresies, he explicitly defends the fourfold nature of the Gospel, stating, "It is not possible that the Gospels can be either more or fewer in number than they are." He does not defend a lost single book; he defends the four testimonies of the one Christ.
• ​Roman and Jewish Historians: Tacitus, Josephus, and Pliny the Younger mention Jesus and the early Christians. They mention Christians worshipping Christ as God. They never mention a holy book written by Christ himself.

​To believe in the Injeel, one must believe that a book existed, was widely known enough to be "corrupted," and yet left zero archaeological or textual trace in the 600 years between Jesus and Muhammad. This is historically impossible.

​3. The Manuscript Evidence Rebuke

​We possess approximately 5,800 Greek manuscripts of the New Testament, with some fragments dating back to the 2nd century (e.g., P52, the Rylands Library Papyrus).

• ​P75 (Bodmer Papyrus): Contains large portions of Luke and John, dated to roughly 175-225 AD.
• ​Codex Sinaiticus & Vaticanus (c. 300s AD): Contain the full New Testament.

​None of these manuscripts—spanning different centuries and geographical locations (Egypt, Rome, Syria)—show evidence of a "singular Injeel." They all consistently attest to the fourfold Gospel. If the Injeel was the original and the four Gospels are corruptions, we would expect to find at least one manuscript fragment of this "original" text. There are none.

​4. The "Tahrif" (Corruption) Paradox

​Muslim apologists claim the Bible has been corrupted (Tahrif). However, this creates a logical paradox when compared with the Quran itself.

• ​Surah 5:47 (Al-Ma'idah): "Let the people of the Gospel judge by what Allah has revealed therein."
• ​Surah 10:94 (Yunus): "So if you are in doubt, [O Muhammad], about that which We have revealed to you, then ask those who have been reading the Scripture before you."

​If the Gospel was already corrupted in the 7th century, why would the Quran command Christians to judge by it? Why would Muhammad be told to ask those who read the previous scriptures for verification?

• ​If the corruption happened before the 7th century, the Quran is commanding us to read a fake book.
• ​If the corruption happened after the 7th century, we have manuscripts from before that time (Sinaiticus, Vaticanus) that match the Bible we have today.

​Therefore, the text the Quran refers to is the text we have today: The Four Gospels.

​5. Biblical Warning Against a "Different Gospel"

​The Holy Spirit, through St. Paul, preemptively rebuked the idea of a later, different revelation that contradicts the Apostolic witness.

• ​Galatians 1:8-9: "But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed."

​The "Injeel" as described by critics—a book that denies the Divinity of Christ, denies the Crucifixion, and denies the Trinity—is precisely the "different gospel" Paul warned us about. It is a Gnostic-style rejection of the Cross.

​Conclusion: The Gospel is Good News, Not a Book

​The word Gospel comes from the Greek Evangelion, meaning "Good News." It refers to the event of Christ's victory over death. It was later written down by four evangelists to preserve the Apostolic memory.

​The Injeel is a myth. The Evangelion is the Power of God for salvation (Romans 1:16). We stand on the solid rock of history, archaeology, and the unanimous witness of the Church Fathers: Jesus did not write a book. He wrote his name in our hearts with His Precious Blood.