Secret 1500yr old Bible in which 'Jesus predicts coming of Prophet Muhammad' unearthed in Turkey

--Vatican 'wants to see' 1,500-year-old ancient script
--Has been hidden by Turkish state for 12 years
--Handwritten in gold-lettered Aramaic
By DAILY MAIL
February 24, 2012

A secret Bible in which Jesus is believed to predict the coming of the Prophet Muhammad to Earth has sparked serious interest from the Vatican.

Pope Benedict XVI is claimed to want to see the 1,500-year-old book, which many say is the Gospel of Barnabas, that has been hidden by the Turkish state for the last 12 years.

The £14million handwritten gold lettered tome, penned in Jesus' native Aramaic language, is said to contain his early teachings and a prediction of the Prophet's coming.

Secret Bible: The 1,500-year-old tome was is said to contain Jesus' early teachings and his prediction of the Prophet's coming

Ancient: The leather-bound text, written on animal hide, was discovered by Turkish police during an anti-smuggling operation in 2000

The leather-bound text, written on animal hide, was discovered by Turkish police during an anti-smuggling operation in 2000.

It was closely guarded until 2010, when it was finally handed over to the Ankara Ethnography Museum, and will soon be put back on public display following a minor restoration.

A photocopy of a single page from the handwritten ancient manuscript is thought to be worth £1.5million.

Turkish culture and tourism minister Ertugrul Gunay said the book could be an authentic version of the Gospel, which was suppressed by the Christian Church for its strong parallels with the Islamic view of Jesus.

He also said the Vatican had made an official request to see the scripture - a controversial text which Muslims claim is an addition to the original gospels of Mark, Matthew, Luke and John.
In line with Islamic belief, the Gospel treats Jesus as a human being and not a God.

Historic: The £14million handwritten gold lettered tome is penned in Jesus' native Aramaic language

It rejects the ideas of the Holy Trinity and the Crucifixion and reveals that Jesus predicted the coming of the Prophet Muhammad.

In one version of the gospel, he is said to have told a priest: 'How shall the Messiah be called? Muhammad is his blessed name'.

And in another Jesus denied being the Messiah, claiming that he or she would be Ishmaelite, the term used for an Arab.

Despite the interest in the newly re-discovered book, some believe it is a fake and only dates back to the 16th century.

The oldest copies of the book date back to that time, and are written in Spanish and Italian.
Protestant pastor İhsan Özbek said it was unlikely to be authentic.

This is because St Barnabas lived in the first century and was one of the Apostles of Jesus, in contrast to this version which is said to come from the fifth or sixth century.

He told the Today Zaman newspaper: 'The copy in Ankara might have been written by one of the followers of St Barnabas.

'Since there is around 500 years in between St Barnabas and the writing of the Bible copy, Muslims may be disappointed to see that this copy does not include things they would like to see.

'It might have no relation with the content of the Gospel of Barnabas.'

Theology professor Ömer Faruk Harman said a scientific scan of the bible may be the only way to reveal how old it really is.

ACT OF WAR: Syria intercepts and detains civilian airliner en route to Syria from Moscow

Turkish F16s intercept Syrian civilian flight from Moscow to Damascus
RT NEWS
October 11, 2012

 
A Syrian passenger plane which was forced to land sits at Esenboga airport in Ankara October 10, 2012. (Reuters/Cem Oksuz/Anadolu Agency)

Turkish F-16 fighter jets forced a Syrian airline passenger plane to land in Ankara over suspicions it was carrying "non-civilian" cargo. The Damascus-bound plane, which had departed from Moscow, has departed after a nine-hour inspection.

Ankara has granted the Syrian plane a departure clearance, after Turkish security confiscated its suspicious cargo, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told a local broadcaster.

“Just because of the clear evidence that we received, we negotiated with our prime minister and decided to let the plane fly on to Syria with the passengers, but we are going to hold on to the material because of the ongoing investigation and the next steps,” he said. “Our investigation is continuing. Since there might be materials that were supposed to be declared but have not been, we are holding this material in our hands to continue to inspect.”

Earlier, Davutoglu said that Ankara had received intelligence that the Syrian plane was carrying "certain equipment in breach of civil aviation rules," but refused to comment on the presumed content.

The Turkish authorities were interested in some spare parts, which a businessman bought in Russia and was transporting to Syria, passenger Fatima Al-Saman told RT. She said they were clearly not weapons.

“They started unloading some packages. They opened them, took pictures. There were many people. We all saw what was in there. There were no weapons. You could see it with an unaided eye!” she said.

Al-Saman added the search involved only luggage, and the passengers were mainly ignored by the Turks. Russian diplomats arrived at the airport but were reportedly not allowed to meet with the passengers.

[...]

The Airbus, which belongs to Syrian Air, was intercepted on its way from Moscow by F16 jets and forced to land at the capital's Esenboga Airport as it entered Turkish airspace.

Turkey is determined to stop any transfer of weapons to Syrian administration through its airspace, Davutoglu said Wednesday. The FM added that Turkey has every right under the international law to investigate any civilian plane suspected to be carrying military materials.
Meanwhile, Ankara has banned Turkish passenger flights from entering Syrian airspace.

"All civilian flights in Syrian airspace have been stopped since it is no longer safe," the ministry added in their Wednesday statement. A Turkish plane that had already taken off for Saudi Arabia made a detour and landed at the Adana airport, reports Today's Zaman newspaper.
17 Russians, including kids, onboard – Russian Foreign Ministry to RT

Russia’s Foreign Ministry said diplomats are already heading to the airport and sent an information request to the Turkish Foreign Ministry.

“The preliminary information is that out of 35 passengers, there may be 17 Russians on board, children among them,” Maria Zakharova, the chief of the Foreign Ministry’s Information Department, exclusively told RT.

Tensions between Turkey and Syria have escalated since a Syrian shell killed five civilians in the border town of Akcakale last week...

(click here to read the full article and view pictures)

U.S. does a double-take: Obama messages Khamenei he is willing to accept civilian nuclear program in Iran provided no nuclear bombs be developed

'Obama signaled to Khamenei that U.S. could accept civilian nuclear program in Iran'
Washington Post's David Ignatius says U.S. president passed a message to Iran, through Turkish PM Erdogan, that he could agree to a civilian nuclear program if Tehran proved it was not building a nuclear bomb.

By Barak Ravid
Haaretz
March 6, 2012
U.S. President Barack Obama has recently passed a message to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Washington Post reported on Friday, which signaled that the United States would agree to an Iranian civilian nuclear program if they proved they were not developing a nuclear bomb.

According to David Ignatius, the Washington Post's senior columnist specializing in intelligence matters, Obama passed Khamenei the message through Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who visited Tehran this week.

U.S. President Barack Obama (R) shakes hands 

with Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan after a 

bilateral meeting in Seoul March 25, 2012.

Photo by: Reuters

Obama reportedly signaled Khamenei that the U.S. would be prepared to accept a civilian nuclear program in Iran, should the Iranian leader take steps that would support his public declarations in February, in which he said that Iran "would never develop nuclear weapons." The U.S., Obama also wrote, would also expect Iranian leaders to prove that Tehran does not have a military nuclear program.

Obama met with Erdogan at the nuclear summit in South Korea for two hours and asked him to pass on the message to Khamenei. Obama told Erdogan that the Iranians must understand that time is running out on a solution for the Tehran nuclear problem and that they must take advantage of the negotiations that will begin with the six world powers on April 13.

According to Ignatius, Obama did not give details as to whether Iran would be allowed to continue enriching uranium on its soil while developing its civilian nuclear program.

Erdogan told Obama that he will transfer the message, and the U.S. administration believes that he did so during the meeting he held with Khamenei in Tehran this week.

Since Obama entered the White House, an alliance was formed between him and Erdogan. The Turkish prime minister is the Muslim leader that is most closely associated with the U.S. president.

Negotiations between Iran and the six world powers are due to begin on April 13, but a location has yet been scheduled.


Related:
Exclusive: What were the six points Obama sent Khamenei through Erdogan?