Muhammad PBUH in the Bible

Dr. Khalil Ahmad Nasir

The world today looks for rational and historical evidence to prove the truth of a person who claims to be from God. These criteria fully support the truth of our Holy Prophet Muhammad.

Rational Test

Rational thinking indicates that the world was in dire need of revelation, of water from the fountain of spiritual guidance, at the time when the Holy Prophet appeared. He led an ideal life, a perfect example to be followed throughout the future. He started his mission against immense difficulties. He and his followers met strong persecution and opposition. But he was protected and helped by God in miraculous ways. Before his death his mission was firmly established all over Arabia and was rapidly spreading to other countries.

He worked miracles. He foretold the future, and his prophecies were fulfilled not only in his lifetime but continue to be fulfilled in our time as well. He brought a teaching which has attracted countless adherents since he appeared. In short, all rational tests prove that the mission of the Holy Prophet Muhammad was truly from God.

The Historical Test

There is also another test, the historical one, which our present day world requires of a messenger of God. A notable American Bishop of the Catholic Church wrote in a nationally famous magazine that the test of history available to all men, all civilizations and all ages can be applied only to Jesus, because:

There were no predictions about Buddha, Muhammad, or anyone else -except Christ. Others just came and said: “Here I am, believe me”. Christ alone steps out of the line and answers: My coming was foretold, even to the smallest detail.

This statement is quite challenging and requires attention. We Muslims believe that Jesus was a true prophet of God. We also accept his advent as having been foretold in the previous scriptures.

But what about Muhammad?

We find that his coming was foretold in clear and precise terms not only by Jesus himself but by Moses and other Biblical prophets as well. In fact it seems from whatever words of Jesus are available to the world, that the bringing of glad tidings of a great coming prophet was one of the chief objects of his mission.

Again and again Jesus said that he was sent to the world only to give as much guidance as the people of his own time could bear. As for complete teaching which would stay forever with mankind, he said:

But the comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. (John 14-26)

Only the prophet of Islam could have fulfilled this prophecy of Jesus. Muhammad was truly sent in his name because he bore testimony to his truth. The Holy Quran says:
The Messiah, son of Mary, was a messenger, "surely messengers like unto him had passed away before him" (The Holy Quran 5:76)

The Holy Quran reports that the angels told Mary:

Surely Allah gives you good news with a word from Him of whose name is the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, worthy of regard in this world and hereafter. (The Holy Quran 3:46)
The Holy Prophet testified to the truth of Jesus as a divine and honored Teacher and Prophet, and declared them mistaken and misguided who thought him accursed.

The Holy Quran described his teachings as "guidance and light ."Further elaborating the same prophecy, Jesus said:

Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will sent him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment. ... I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. How be it when he, the Spirit of truth is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak.. and he will show you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you. (John 16:7-14)

This prophecy clearly lays down that:

The Comforter will come after the departure of Jesus.
When the Comforter comes, he will reprove the world of sin, truth and justice.
He will guide the world into all truth.
The book revealed to him will contain no human word.
He will foretell things to come.
He will glorify Jesus and clear him of all charges.
Now when we take this prophecy point by point, it is unmistakably proven that it applies to none else but the Holy Prophet Muhammad. He came after Jesus. The Comforter was supposed to reprove the followers of Jesus. Obviously, he could not be a Christian or a Jew .The prophecy must relate to one who would belong to another people but should respect Jesus and promote reverence for him. The Holy Prophet was neither Jew nor a Christian. He was an Ishmaelite. But he defended the honor of Jesus.

Thus says the Quran:

[The Jews] slew him not, nor crucified him, but he was made to appear to them like one crucified, and those who differ therein are certainly in a state of doubt about it: they have no definite knowledge thereof, but only follow a conjecture; and they did not convert this: conjecture into a certainty; on the contrary, Allah exalted him to Himself (The Holy Quran 4: 158)

Here the Holy Quran specifically says that Jesus was saved from that accursed death designed for him by his enemies. However, they only suspected that they had succeeded in crucifying him. But Allah had not only saved him but admitted him to the circle of His favored ones.
Of the promise, "He will show you things to come", we need only say that no prophet has told the world of things to come as much as has the prophet of Islam.

The prophecy said that "he shall not speak of himself, but whatsoever he shall hear, that he shall speak". This description can only apply to the Prophet Muhammad. The New and Old Testaments do not contain a single book in which man's word has not been mixed with God's. The Quran is nothing but the word of God from beginning to end. Not a word even of the Prophet is to be found in it.

When Peter appeared before the people of Jerusalem, his words were: "Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you". John starts one of his conversations with "I, John, who am your brother". On the same lines we read the utterances of Philip, James and others in the Bible.

About the Holy Prophet, the Quran says:
He does not speak out of his own desire. It is naught but revelation that is revealed. (The Holy Quran 53:4-5)

The prophecy had said: "He will guide you unto all truth". Again Muhammad was the only prophet who claimed to have brought a universal and perfect law. The Holy Quran says:
Today We have perfected your religion for you and completed Our favor upon you. (The Holy Quran 5:4)

How clearly has the prophecy been fulfilled in the person of the Prophet Muhammad in all of its details. Sometimes an unsuccessful attempt is made to dim the glory of this marvelous prophecy by claiming that this Comforter was the Holy Ghost who came after Jesus to his disciples. One wonders how this claim can be harmonized with the fact that the person foretold in the verses is described with the pronoun "he," which could not possibly refer to a spirit. Then, was not the Spirit of Truth supposed to come only after the departure of Jesus? Should it be then assumed that the Holy Ghost was not with Jesus ?

Obviously no devoted Christian will accept this assumption. One can also inquire where that truth is which is not found in the New Testament but was later brought by the Holy Ghost.

A Prophet From Thy Brethren

The fact is that before Jesus, Moses had also foretold of a great prophet in clear and precise words. When Moses went to Mount Horeb under the command of God he addressed the Israelites saying:

The Lord thy God will raise unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me, unto him ye shall hearken. (Deuteronomy 18:15)

And again, God's words to Moses:

I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it shall come to pass that, whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him. (Deuteronomy 18:18-19)

It is evident from these verses that Moses foretold a Law-giving Prophet who was to appear after him, and who was to be from among the brethren of Israel.That he was to be a Law-giver and not an ordinary Prophet is obvious from the words "like unto Moses", since Moses was also a Law-giver. The promulgation of "a new Law" means the initiation of a new movement, a new nation. A prophet with a new Law is obviously no ordinary teacher or reformer. He has to present a comprehensive teaching, incorporating fundamental principles as well as detailed rules.

Was Jesus such a prophet? Was he a Law-giver? Did he bring a new Law into the world to replace an old one? The answer, in his own words:

Think not that I am come to destroy the Law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto You, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the Law, till all be fulfilled. (Matthew 5:17-18)

And the followers of Jesus went so far as to declare:
And the Law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law. (Galatians 3:12-13)

Jesus laid no claim to a new Law; his disciples regarded the Law as a curse. It was the Holy Quran which announced from the very outset that:

This is the (complete and perfect) Book, there is nothing of doubt in it. It is a guidance for the righteous. (The Holy Quran 2:3)

The prophecy also said that the Promised One was to be raised not from among Israel but from their brethren. Muhammad was from the brethren of the Israelites, the Ishmaelites.
It also told that God would put his words in his mouth. The New Testament gospels do not consist of words which God put in Jesus's mouth. They only tell us his story and what he himself and his disciples said and did.

The Holy Quran, on the other hand, says:
Say,O Muhammad, I am a man like unto you: Only the word of God come unto me. (The Holy Quran 18: 111)

The prophecy spoke of "words which he shall speak in my name." Strange as it may seem, there is not a single example of words which Jesus may be said to have received from God with the command to pass them on. The Holy Quran, on the other hand, specifically claimed to be the word from God.

The words of the Lord had announced that the Promised One would be a prophet. Jesus, according to the Christian evangelists, did not claim to be a prophet. Matthew reports that he asked his disciples:

"Whom do men say that I the son of man ..?"Peter replied that he was the Christ. the Son of the living God.(Matthew 16:13-16)

Thus Jesus denied being either John the Baptist or Elias or one of the prophets. Muhammad was proclaimed as not only a prophet but also as "like unto Moses," when the Quran said:
Verily We have sent to you a Messenger, who is a witness over you, even as we sent a Messenger to Pharaoh. (The Holy Quran 73:16)

In short, one thousand nine hundred years before the advent of the prophet of Islam, Moses declared that his own Law was, in the divine scheme, not the last Law; that the world was to have a fuller Law later on; and that, for this God would send in the latter days another Messenger of His. This Messenger was to teach all truth; it was he who was to mark the last stage in the spiritual advance of man. The world had to wait for another book and another Prophet.

If, therefore, the Quran and the Holy Prophet have come after the Bible and after the Prophets Moses and Jesus, and if they claim to have come from God as guidance to man, their claim must be treated as just and true. It must be taken as the Fulfillment of ancient prophecies. The revelation of the Quran was not a gratuitous revelation, a redundance in the presence of other revelations. Indeed, if the Quran had not been revealed, promises made by God through His messengers would have gone unfulfilled, and the world would have become afflicted with doubt and disbelief.

Divine Light From Paran

The prophecies of the Bible had even led its followers to that part of the world where the great Prophet was to appear. Thus it was said:

And he said, the Lord came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; and shined forth from Mount Paran and he came with ten thousands of saints: from his right hand went a fiery law for them. (Deuteronomy 33:2)

In this verse Moses is promised three manifestations of the glory of God. The first of these appeared on Sinai in the time of Moses. Time passed. The second manifestation promised in the prophecy was to take place at Seir, a part of the world near where the miracles of Jesus took place. "Rising up from Seir," therefore, meant the advent of Jesus.

The third manifestation of divine glory was to take its rise from Paran, and Paran (Arabic Faran) is the name of the hills which lie between Mecca, the birth place of Muhammad, and Medina, the town where he died. According to the Old Testament, Ishmael, the ancestor of Muhammad, lived in this part. Thus we have in the Bible:

And God was with the lad (Ishmael): and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer. And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran. (Genesis 21:20-21)

Historical and geographical evidence shows that the descendents of Abraham lived in Arabia. All of them held Mecca and Kaaba, the house of worship built by Abraham, in great reverence. His son Ishmael first settled in Mecca. Genesis gives the names of twelve sons of Ishmael including two named Tema and Kedar. (Genesis 25:13-16) This is further supported by the testimony of Isaiah where we read:

The burden of Arabia. In the forest of Arabia shall ye lodge, O ye traveling companies of Dedanim.The inhabitants of the land of Tema brought water to him that was thirsty, they provided with their bread him that fled. For they fled from the swords, from the bent bow, and from the grievousness of war. For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Within a year, according to the years of an hireling, and all the glory of Kedar shall fail: And the residue of the number of archers, the mighty men of the children of Kedar, shall be diminished: for the Lord God of Israel hath spoken it. (Isaiah 21:13-16)

This prophetic passage is a picture of the Battle of Badr which took place about a year after the Holy Prophet's migration from Mecca to Medina. In this battle the sons of Kedar , the people of Mecca and the territories around, unable to withstand the fierceness of Muslim swordsmen and archers, sustained disastrous defeat. God made a handful of men, poorly armed and without provisions, the means of inflicting this humiliation on an army led by experienced generals.
The battles with the Meccans continued against heavy odds until such time that the Prophet Muhammad entered Mecca after a struggle of several years.

This was the time when ten thousands of saints accompanied him. The Holy Prophet declared that the message of God had been completed in the form of the Holy Quran. Thus the prophecy of Moses was fulfilled that the Lord would shine forth from Paran with ten thousands of saints, with a fiery Law in his right hand. Thus also the prophecy of Jesus was fulfilled that the spirit of Truth "will guide you into all truth." His fiery Law, the Holy Quran, consumed all impurities of flesh and turned the grossest hearts into pure gold.

Could Jesus have fulfilled this wonderful prophecy? He did not rise from Paran. He had only twelve disciples and not ten thousand saints. Isaiah had spoken of one that fled; the flight of Muhammad is such an important part of Muslim history that the Islamic calendar starts from the very year of migration.

The Earth Was Full Of His Praise

This advent was also prophesied by Habakkuk several centuries before Jesus. Thus we have:
God comes from Teman, and the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah. His glory covered the heavens, and the ea11h was full of his praise. And his brightness was as the light; he had horns coming out of his hand5: and there was the hiding of his power. Before him went the pestilence, and the burning coals went fo11h at his feet. He stood and measured the earth: he beheld, and drove asunder the nations; and the everlasting mountains were scattered, and the perpetual hills did bow: his ways are everlasting. I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction; and the cu11ain of the land of Midian did tremble. (Habakkuk 3:3-7)

This again shows that the third manifestation mentioned earlier was going to be by one who would appear from the land of Tema and Mount Paran. The earth was going to be full of his praise. It is not a mere accident, then, that the Holy Prophet of Islam was named Muhammad, which literally means, the Praised One. Only a man with a name as beautiful as his personality and character could answer to the description of Habakkuk.The enemies of Muhammad suffered destruction, pestilence and humiliation of "burning coals" in encountering him in spite of overwhelmingly stronger and larger forces.

Moses died while he was still fighting his enemies. Jesus was put on the Cross. The prophet who beheld and drove the nations asunder, as mentioned by Habakkuk,could be, there- fore, none else but Muhammad. His enemies who looked like "everlasting mountains and perpetual hills" with their immense power were completely routed. Later "the tents of Cushan" and the "curtains of the land of Midian," that is, the land of Canaan then under the Roman Caesar, also found their salvation in surrendering to the servants of the Holy Prophet in the time of that Caesar's successors.

The Prince Of Peace

Lets us go on now to Isaiah. Here we find many passages about a coming prophet which can be true only of Muhammad. We are told of a time when a man will call the nations of the world who would swiftly answer his call and gather around him (Isaiah5:26-30).

We are told that the followers of the Promised One will be obliged to take part in wars. We are told that the advent of this prophet will be at a time when even the light will be darkened by the sin and corruption of land and sea. Isaiahalso tells us that at the time God will turn away His face from the house of Jacob (Isaiah 8:13-17).

And then: For unto us a Child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. (Isaiah 9:6- 7)

The prophecy gives promise of a king who will have five titles:
Wonderful
Counsellor
The Mighty God
The Everlasting Father and
The Prince of Peace
Was Jesus ever a King? Were the names enumerated in this prophecy ever applied to him? Wonderful he might have been called, because of peculiar birth, but while his deniers regarded his birth as illegitimate, his supporters were in doubt about his ancestry. He gave no exhibition of the might that is mentioned in the above verse. Nor could he be called Everlasting Father, because he himself had mentioned another one coming after him. He neither became king nor could he ever bring peace to the world. He remained oppressed by his opponents until he was put on the Cross. He could not, therefore, be rightly called the Prince of Peace. He never attained to any government and, therefore, the words, "of his government there shall be no end," have no meaning in terms of his life. These signs mentioned in Isaiah apply only to the Prophet of Islam.
It was he who had to shoulder the responsibilities of a state, and thus, quite against his will, had to be called king.

Muhammad was Wonderful both in his name and achievements. Jesus, in his parable of the vineyard, speaks of the householder who let his vineyards to husbandmen. These wicked men not only beat, killed and stoned his other servants but also his son. The lord, says Jesus, will come himself, destroy these wicked husbandmen and render the vineyard to those who "shall render the fruits in their seasons." This will be so because:

The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the comer; and this is the Lord's doing, and it marvelous in our eyes. (Matthew 21:33-44)

This is the way in which the "Wonderful" one had to appear. When the son would be slain, then the other one would be sent who would prove to be the head of the corner. And he would seem "marvelous" in the eyes of Jesus and the whole world.

And about his wonderful achievements we may quote Thomas Carlyle. He writes:
To the Arab nation it was a birth from darkness into light; Arabia first become alive by means of it. A poor shepherd people ,roaming unnoticed in its deserts since the creation of the world, a hero-prophet was sent down to them with a word they could believe: see, the unnoticed becomes world-notable, the small has grown world-great,' within one century afterward, Arabia is at Grenada on this hand, Delhi on that, glancing in valor and splendor and the light of genius, Arabia shines through long ages over a section of the world. Belief is great, long-living, The history of a nation becomes fruitful, soul-elevating, great, so soon as it believes.

These Arabs, the man Mahomet and that one century-is it not as if a spark had fallen, one spark, on a world of what seemed black, unnoticeable sand, but 10, the sand proves explosive powder, blazes heaven-high from Delhi to Grenada. I said ,the great man was always a lightning out of heaven; the rest of men waited for him like fuel and then they too would flame.(Thomas Carlyle in Heroes And Hero-worship)

The second name of the Promised One is Counsellor. This again applied to the Holy Prophet. A nation turned to him for advice. He, in turn, held regular consultation with his people, and made it obligatory on the State to consult the people in all important matters. The Holy Quran tells us that his companions sought his consultation regularly.

The prophecy had also described him as mighty God. The Bible has often mentioned the prophets as God himself. (Exodus 7:1 and 4:16)

Whenever a human being is spoken of as a "like of God" it can only mean that he is a manifestation of the Almighty .The Holy Prophet, again, answers the description of the prophecy. There are several references relevant to this in the Holy Quran. At the Battle of Badr, the prophet took a handful of gravel and threw it at the enemy. This proved a signal for a dust storm which discomfited the enemy and contributed to his defeat. Of this, God says to the Holy Prophet:

And thou threwest not when thou didst throw, but it was God who threw. (The Holy Quran 8:18)

Again it says:
Verily those who swear allegiance to thee indeed swear allegiance to God. (The Holy Quran 48:11)

Thus came the manifestation of mighty God, The Holy Prophet, who was able to subjugate all his enemies in his lifetime and to smash all opposition.

The fourth name in the prophecy is Everlasting Father. Jesus was sent only to the lost sheep of the House of Israel and, therefore, could not possibly have an everlasting character. On the other hand, the Holy Prophet was referred to in the Quran as "bringer together of all mankind". (The Holy Quran 34 :29). He was promised that his teaching would abide forever with the people because at the end of days, the Promised Messiah would appear from among his followers and would revive the teachings of Islam and prove conclusively that the spiritual dominion of the Prophet of Islam was everlasting and there would be no heavenly teachers then except from his followers.

The fifth name in the prophecy is Prince of Peace. Can Jesus be truly called such? He did not become a sovereign in his life. He did not ever gain power to administer forgiveness to his enemies, and therefore, there was not much occasion for him to perform what he preached. On the other hand, the very religion of Muhammad is called Islam, meaning peace. As for the performance of peace and forgiveness in Muhammad's life we have ample evidence.
Through thirteen long and weary years the prophet of Islam and his little band of devoted followers bore with calm dignity and patience the bitterest persecution at the hands of the Meccans. Starvation, flogging, scoffings, humiliations, degradations and outrages of every description were the order of the day.

When the Prophet took refuge in Medina, even there he was not left in peace. Over a period of seven years of sustained and brutal persecution the Prophet of Islam appeared suddenly on the heights of Paran, at the head of ten thousand saints, with no battle fought and not a drop of blood shed, when any penalty inflicted upon these Meccans would have been light in comparison to their long record of misdeeds, the Prophet announced, gently and mercifully:

There shall be no retribution exacted from you, you shall all go free. (The Holy Quran 12:93)
Is it the same way that the Christians treated their enemies when they came to power? Who should then be called a true Prince of Peace, Jesus or Muhammad? Jesus could not afford peace to others. His followers were able to afford it, but they did not give it. The prophet of Islam had the power to punish his enemies but he chose to forgive. Muhammad, therefore, was the Prince of Peace of Isaiah's prophecy. It was he again who also attained government and thus could fulfill the last part of this prophecy saying, "Of the increase of his government and peace, there shall be no end."

Conclusion

These are just a few of the many prophecies found in the Bible about the advent of that great prophet who was going to lead the world into all truth.

Muhammad was going to be, in the words of Solomon, "altogether lovely" which in Hebrew is expressed as Mahmaddim. (Song of Solomon 5: 10-16) He was the fulfillment of the "stone" of Daniel's dream. (Daniel 2:34-35) He was the coming of the lord of the vineyard himself as foretold by Jesus.

True, there are some prophecies about Jesus as well in the Old Testament but it is also a fact that there are many which cannot rightly be applied to him. These could be fulfilled in the person of the one who was coming with a Law and whose mission was to be not just to "the lost sheep of the house of Israel" but to the whole world, one who was spoken of by Jesus as the Comforter and Spirit of Truth. The predictions about Muhammad in the Bible are clear and precise.
The door to the Kingdom of Heaven has been opened by the fulfillment of these prophecies. Blessed are those who accept the call of the Lord of Heaven and Earth to enter His Kingdom and receive His communion.

And our last observation is that all praise is due to God, the Sustainer of the Universe.

JESUS In Comaparative Religions

Nontrinitarian views

Current religious groups that do not accept the doctrine of the Trinity include the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), Jehovah's Witnesses, Oneness Pentecostals and the Christadelphians.

A statue of Jesus at a Latter-day Saint temple visitor center

Latter-day Saint theology maintains that Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost are three separate and distinct beings, though all eternal and equally divine, who together constitute the Godhead. Though described as "one God"and "one in purpose", each plays a distinct role: the Holy Ghost is a spirit without a physical body, the Father and Son possess distinct and perfected bodies of flesh and bone.The Book of Mormon records that the resurrected Jesus visited and taught some of the inhabitants of the early Americas after he had appeared to his apostles in Jerusalem.Mormons also believe that an apostasy occurred after the deaths of Christ's apostles.

They believe that Christ and Heavenly Father appeared to Joseph Smith in 1820 as part of a series of heavenly visits to restore the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. They believe Jesus (not the Father) is the same as Jehovah or Yahweh of the Old Testament, acting under the direction of the Father. See Jesus in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Based on a claimed divine revelation of Smith, they state that Jesus was born on April 6.

Jehovah's Witnesses believe Jesus to be God's (or Jehovah's) son, rather than being God himself. Jehovah's Witnesses believe he was the same divine created being as Michael the Archangel, and that God made him a perfect human by transferring his life to the womb of Mary.During the time Jesus was on earth he was simply a man, not a god-man. They also believe that he is "the word" of John 1:1. This is understood to mean that he is God's spokesman, likely the one speaking in God's name to Adam, and to the Israelites in the wilderness. In line with this, they point out that the Bible presents him as the only way humans can approach God. They include words like "in Jesus' name" in every prayer.They view the term "Son of God" as an indication of Jesus' importance to the creator and his status as God's "only-begotten (unique) Son",[Jn. 3:16] the "firstborn of all creation",[Col. 1:15] the one "of whom, and through whom, and to whom, are all things."[Romans 11:36] They believe that Jesus died on a single-piece torture stake, not a cross. They believe that he is currently ruling in heaven as king of God's heavenly Kingdom, and will soon extend his rule to earth for a reign of peace. They also believe he is now immortal and can never die again.

The Unity Church considers Jesus the master teacher and "way show-er", citing Jesus' frequent calls to emulate him rather than worship him, and the ability of others to be like him, such as in John 10:34 and John 14:12. Jesus is not worshiped as God, but regarded as someone who had achieved a complete connection with God the Father.

Christadelphians believe that Jesus is literally God's son, hence the Biblical title son of God,not God the Son. They believe that Jesus was in God's plan right from the beginning of creation, but that he came into existence at his birth.Quoting Biblical passages such as Hebrews 2:10-14 and 2:17-18, they maintain that Jesus was fully human, and that Jesus' total humanity was vital in saving people from their sins.

They believe that Jesus is now in heaven, at God's right hand, waiting to return to the Earth to establish God's kingdom here forever.

Others believe that the one God, who revealed himself in the Old Testament as Jehovah, came to earth, taking on the human form of Jesus Christ. They believe Jesus is Jehovah, is the Holy Spirit, and is the one Person who is God. Examples of such churches today are Oneness Pentecostals and the New Church.


Other early views

Jesus Carrying the Cross, El Greco, 1580
Some early Christian groups and theologians held differing views of Jesus. The Ebionites, an early Jewish Christian community, believed that Jesus was the last of the prophets and the Messiah.

They believed that Jesus was the natural-born son of Mary and Joseph, and thus they rejected the Virgin Birth. The Ebionites were adoptionists, believing that Jesus was not divine, but became the son of God at his baptism. They rejected the Epistles of Paul, believing that Jesus kept the Mosaic Law perfectly and wanted his followers to do the same. However, they felt that Jesus' crucifixion was the ultimate sacrifice, and thus animal sacrifices were no longer necessary. Therefore, some Ebionites were vegetarian and considered both Jesus and John the Baptist to have been vegetarians.

The Apologists of the 2nd century, such as Justin Martyr, saw Jesus as the Logos or Word of God united with a human being. They viewed the Logos, in line with Middle Platonism, as the source of order and rationality, but distinct from God.

In Gnosticism, Jesus is said to have brought the secret knowledge (gnosis) of the spiritual world necessary for salvation. Their secret teachings were paths to gnosis, and not gnosis itself. While some Gnostics were docetics, other Gnostics believed that Jesus was a human who became possessed by the spirit of Christ during his baptism. Many Gnostics believed that Christ was an Aeon sent by a higher deity than the evil demiurge who created the material world. Some Gnostics believed that Christ had a syzygy named Sophia. The Gnostics tended to interpret the books that were included in the New Testament as allegory, and some Gnostics interpreted Jesus himself as an allegory. The Gnostics also used a number of other texts that did not become part of the New Testament canon.

Marcionites were 2nd century Gentile followers of the Christian theologian Marcion of Sinope. They believed that Jesus rejected the Jewish Scriptures, or at least the parts that were incompatible with his teachings.Seeing a stark contrast between the vengeful God of the Old Testament and the loving God of Jesus, Marcionites, like some Gnostics, came to the conclusion that the Jewish God was the evil creator of the world and Jesus was the savior from the material world. They also believed Jesus was not human, but instead a completely divine spiritual being whose material body, and thus his crucifixion and death, were divine illusions.Marcionism was declared a heresy by proto-orthodox Christianity.

Sabellius in the 3rd century taught that the Trinity represented not three persons but a single person in three "modes". Jerome reported that the Montanists of his day shared this view.

Islamic views


Majority view

Sermon on the Mount in Islamic art
Islam holds Jesus to be a prophet, or messenger of God, along with Muhammad, Moses, Abraham, Noah, and others. In particular, Jesus (Arabic: عيسى‎ `Īsā) is described as the Messiah, sent to guide the Israelites (referred to as the "Children of Israel" in the Qur'an, or banī isrā'īl) with a new scripture, the Injīl (gospel).

According to the Qur'an, believed by Muslims to be God's final revelation, Jesus was born to Mary (Arabic: Maryam) as the result of virginal conception, a miraculous event which occurred by the decree of God (Arabic: Allah). To aid him in his quest, Jesus was given the ability to perform miracles. These included speaking from the cradle, curing the blind and the lepers, as well as raising the dead; all by the permission of God. Furthermore, Jesus was helped by a band of disciples (the ḥawāriyūn). Islam rejects historians assertions that Jesus was crucified by the Romans, instead claiming that he had been raised alive up to heaven. Islamic traditions narrate that he will return to earth near the day of judgement to restore justice and defeat al-Masīḥ ad-Dajjāl (lit. "the false Messiah", also known as the Antichrist) and the enemies of Islam.

As a just ruler, Jesus will then die.Like all prophets in Islam, Jesus is considered to have been a Muslim, as he preached for people to adopt the straight path in submission to God's will. Islam denies that Jesus was God or the son of God, stating that he was an ordinary man who, like other prophets, had been divinely chosen to spread God's message. Islamic texts forbid the association of partners with God (shirk), emphasizing the notion of God's divine oneness (tawhīd). As such, Jesus is referred to in the Qur'an frequently as the "son of Mary" ("Ibn Maryam").Numerous titles are given to Jesus in the Qur'an, such as mubārak (blessed) and `abd-Allāh (servant of God). Another title is al-Masīḥ ("the Messiah; the anointed one" i.e. by means of blessings), although it does not correspond with the meaning accrued in Christian belief. Jesus is seen in Islam as a precursor to Muhammad, and is believed by Muslims to have foretold the latter's coming.

Judaism's view

Judaism holds the idea of Jesus being God, or a person of a Trinity, or a mediator to God, to be untrue. Judaism also holds that Jesus is not the Messiah, arguing that he had not fulfilled the Messianic prophecies in the Tanakh nor embodied the personal qualifications of the Messiah.

According to Jewish tradition, there were no more prophets after Malachi, who lived centuries before Jesus and delivered his prophesies about 420 BC/BCE. Judaism states that Jesus did not fulfill the requirements set by the Torah to prove that he was a prophet. Even if Jesus had produced such a sign that Judaism recognized, Judaism states that no prophet or dreamer can contradict the laws already stated in the Torah, which Jesus did.

The Mishneh Torah (an authoritative work of Jewish law) states in Hilkhot Melakhim 11:10–12 that Jesus is a "stumbling block" who makes "the majority of the world err to serve a divinity besides God".According to Conservative Judaism, Jews who believe Jesus is the Messiah have "crossed the line out of the Jewish community". Reform Judaism, the modern progressive movement, states "For us in the Jewish community anyone who claims that Jesus is their savior is no longer a Jew and is an apostate".

Bahá'í views

The Bahá'í Faith, founded in 19th-century Persia, considers Jesus, along with Muhammad, the Buddha, Krishna, and Zoroaster, and other messengers of the great religions of the world to be Manifestations of God (or prophets), with both human and divine stations.

Hindu views

Ramakrishna, a mystic of 19th century, believed that Jesus was an Incarnation of God and reportedly had a vision of Jesus. Swami Vivekananda has praised Jesus and cited him as a source of strength and the epitome of perfection.

Though Vivekananda became one of the prominent Hindu missionaries, he would often exhort his disciples "to become like Jesus Christ, and to aid in the redemption of the world."Paramahansa Yogananda taught that Jesus was the reincarnation of Elisha and a student of John the Baptist, the reincarnation of Elijah.


Buddhist views

Buddhists' views of Jesus differ. Some Buddhists, including Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama regard Jesus as a bodhisattva who dedicated his life to the welfare of human beings. The 14th century Zen master Gasan Jōseki indicated that the Gospels were written by an enlightened being.

Sikh views

Sikhism has no connection to Jesus religiously, but there is respect for him. Jesus is mentioned in the Sikh Holy Book, The Sri Guru Granth Shaib as "Issa" as with Allah and the Buddha. Jesus is not believed to be a God, as Sikhism does not think God comes in the form of a man.

Sikhism specifically says that salvation can be reached through either the path of the Sikh Religion or through any other religion including Christianity.

Other views

Mandaeanism, a very small Mideastern, Gnostic sect that reveres John the Baptist as God's greatest prophet, regards Jesus as a false prophet of the false Jewish god of the Old Testament, Adonai,and likewise rejects Abraham, Moses, and Muhammad. Manichaeism accepted Jesus as a prophet, along with Gautama Buddha and Zoroaster.

The New Age movement entertains a wide variety of views on Jesus. The creators of A Course In Miracles claim to trance-channel his spirit. However, the New Age movement generally teaches that Christhood is something that all may attain.

Theosophists, from whom many New Age teachings originated (a Theosophist named Alice A. Bailey invented the term New Age), refer to Jesus of Nazareth as the Master Jesus and believe he had previous incarnations.
Many writers emphasize Jesus' moral teachings. Garry Wills argues that Jesus' ethics are distinct from those usually taught by Christianity.

The Jesus Seminar portrays Jesus as an itinerant preacher who taught peace and love, rights for women and respect for children, and who spoke out against the hypocrisy of religious leaders and the rich.Thomas Jefferson, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States and a deist, created the Jefferson Bible entitled "The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth" that included only Jesus' ethical teachings because he did not believe in Jesus' divinity or any of the other supernatural aspects of the Bible.

JESUS in Ahmadiyya Islam

The Ahmadiyya Movement

believe that Jesus of Nazareth did not die on the cross (as Christians believe), neither did he ascend physically to Heaven (as some Christians and mainstream Muslims believe). Instead, they believe that he survived the ordeal of crucifixion and later migrated eastwards where he died a natural death in Kashmir.

Although the belief of Jesus having migrated to Kashmir had previously been proposed in the literature of independent researchers and historians pre-dating the foundation of the movement, the Ahmadiyya Movement are presently the only religious organisation to adopt these views as a characteristic of their faith.

Overview

According to the late 19th Century writings of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the founder of the Ahmadiyya movement, the theological basis of the Ahmadi belief is that Jesus was only "in a swoon"when he was taken down from the cross. Mirza Ghulam Ahmad interpreted the phrase in Deuteronomy 21:31: kī qilelat Elohim taluy, "… for a hanged man is the curse of God", as suggesting that "God would never allow one of His prophets to be brutally killed in such a degrading manner as crucifixion. Following his ordeal, Jesus was cured of his wounds with a special ointment known as the 'ointment of Jesus' (marham-i ʿIsā)."

After his Resurrection from the tomb, Jesus had fled Palestine to avoid recapture and journeyed towards India. Jesus later settled in Kashmir where he died a natural death of old age, and was laid to rest in Srinagar, Kashmir. The prophet Yuz Asaf said to be entombed there (at what is now known as the Roza Bal) is said to be that of Jesus of Nazareth.

According to ancient manuscripts and Kashmiri tradition, Yuz Asaf is said to have been a Prophet who had miraculous healing powers and had travelled from Palestine during the 1st century.

The Ahmadiyya Movement also hold the belief that the prophecy concerning the second coming was fulfilled in the personality of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the founder of the movement and one whom they also regard as the Muslim Imam Mahdi (Promised Messiah).

Conflicting views

In contrast of these views, the majority of orthodox Islamic theologians believe that after his crucifixion, Jesus was physically raised up to the heavens. As such orthodox Muslims believe that Jesus is presently alive and is resting in the same physical form that he had possessed prior to his attempted crucifixion. He is also expected to return in the same earthly body during the End times. Other[who?] clerics alternatively suggest that the person whom was crucified was not that of Jesus himself, but someone else in his place (i.e an impostor/lookalike). Either way, orthodox clerics regard the Ahmadiyya views as heretical and regard those who digress from the traditional orthodox beliefs as kufr (non-believers).

According to the Encyclopedia of Islam, this aspect of Ahmadi belief is one of three primary characteristics that distinguish Ahmadi teachings from general Islamic ones, and that it has provoked a fatwa against the movement.

Biblical accounts

Main article: Crucifixion of Jesus

Ahmadis also illustrate the notion of Jesus having survived the Cross through various Biblical scriptures.

Jesus had prophesied that his fate would be like that of Jonah (the story of Jonah is one of survival). (Matt. 12:40)

Jesus was placed on the cross for only a few hours. Death by crucifixion usually takes several days so could not have occurred. While he was placed on the cross his legs were left intact. This would have prevented death by respiratory distress. As blood and water were reported to have 'gushed' from the spear wound, this was sign of a beating heart.

Jesus prayed to be rescued from death on the cross (Matthew 21:22)

Pilate, having sympathy for Jesus, secretly devised to save him by setting his Crucifixion shortly before Sabbath day

The Gospel of John records that Nicodemus brought myrrh and aloes (John 19:39). These healing plants, particularly aloe plants, are considered medicinal and applied to wounds.

After he had awoken from swoon(resurrection), Jesus bared his wounds to Thomas (John 20:25-7), showing he did not have a supernatural, resurrected body, but a patient's body. He was also seen in the flesh by a large number of his followers, baring the same wounds that he had suffered from his ordeal on the Cross.(Luke 24:38,39)

After his wounds had sufficiently healed Jesus left the tomb and met some of his disciples and had his food with them and walked on foot from Jerusalem to Galilee (Luke 24:50)
Jesus had prophesied that he would go to seek out the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel (John 10:16). The Jews of Jesus's time believed that the Lost tribes of Israel had become dispersed in different lands (John 7:34-35)

Being a Divine Prophet Jesus could not have died on the Cross because according to the Bible "He that is hanged is accursed of God" (Deut. 21:23)

There is not to be found in all the Gospels a single recorded eye-witness statement that Jesus was dead when he was taken down from the Cross or when he was placed in the tomb.
After surviving crucifixion, Jesus fled to Galilee. Jesus (along with several disciples) later left Palestine to further preach the Gospel to the Lost tribes of Israel (John 10:16) - that had scattered as far as Afghanistan and northern India. He eventually settled in Kashmir where he was given the name Yuz Asaf (meaning "Leader of the Healed"/"Son of Joseph").

Quranic accounts

Main articles: Jesus in Islam and Islamic view of Jesus' death

Furthermore, Ahmadi theologians highlight passages from the Qur'an to suggest that Jesus had not ascended to heaven and died a natural death on Earth. The verses in Chapter Al-Nisa (4:158-159) for example describe that Jesus did not die on the Cross and that God had "raised" Jesus unto himself

[4:158] And their saying, ‘We did kill the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah;’ whereas they slew him not, nor crucified him, but he was made to appear to them like one crucified; and those who differ therein are certainly in a state of doubt about it; they have no definite knowledge thereof, but only follow a conjecture; and they did not convert this conjecture into a certainty;

[4:159] On the contrary, Allah raised him to Himself. And Allah is Mighty, Wise.
As the Quran speaks of God being omnipresent in the Earth and in the Hearts of mankind, God existance should not be misconstrued as being confined to the Heavens alone.
Thus Ahmadis interpret the Arabic word for "raised" in these verses to mean "exalted". In other words, Jesus' spiritual rank and status was elevated to become closer to God.
Natural Death of Jesus

To further support the notion of Jesus having died a mortal death Ahmadis use the Quran verse 5:76:

[5:76] The Messiah, son of Mary, was only a Messenger; surely Messengers the like unto him had passed away before him. And his mother was a truthful woman. They both used to eat food. See how We explain the Signs for their good, and see how they are turned away. (Jesus is being compared to Mary - whom did not ascend bodily)
Second Coming of Jesus

The Hadith (sayings of the Prophet Muhammad) indicate that Jesus would return during the latter days, and that he would be a follower of the Prophet Muhammed. He would promote the cause of Islam rather than fostering a new religion.

Mirza Ghulam Ahmad professed that the predicted Second Coming of Jesus in Muslim and Christian religious texts did not indicate that Jesus of Nazareth himself would return, but that of a person similar to Jesus (mathīl-i ʿIsā). In other words, a return in likeness to Jesus, his personality, his circumstances and his original peaceful teachings in uncorrupted form would return. Ahmadi's believe this prediction was fulfilled in the personality and spiritual teachings of Ghulam Ahmad and furthered by the movement.

Furthermore, Ahmadi's commonly depict that the expected coming of a Latter day Messiah is commonly represented across all major faiths. The original prophecy historically diverged into separate distinct theories and interpretations whereas the original prophecy was characteristically designated to only one single Messiah. As such, Ahmadi's adjorn that prophecy of all world faiths has been unified by the advent of the Promised Messiah (Ghulam Ahmad). Moreover, Ahmadis maintain that all faiths will gradually converge inclining towards Ahmadiyyat.

That such process would follow a correlative pattern of circumstances and take a similar amount of time that it took for Christianity to rise to dominance (roughly 300 years).

Breaking of the Cross

The Islamic Hadith describe that the Jesus upon his second coming would "Break the Cross". Ahmadi's interpret this as meaning that he will make plain the 'error of the creed of the cross' and that the teachings of Jesus being a mortal man, who survived crucifixion and died a natural death upon earth, is a testimony of this prophecy being fulfilled as it will eventually render the traditional Christian worship of the Cross and doctrine of the immortatility of Jesus as meaningless.

Jesus in India

The notion of the Jesus having travelled India is not exclusively founded by the Ahmadiyya Movement. Numerous articles and books have been written and several documentaries discussing the topic in depth. Prior to the Ahmadiyya claim Nicolas Notovitch had also researched and studied the evidence of Jesus in India. Unlike Notovitch however, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad claimed that Jesus had travelled towards India post-crucifixion.

Yuz Asaf

Main article: Yuz Asaf

"Yus Asaf" is the traditional Kashmiri name for Isa (Jesus).
Many of the local people in Kashmir also traditionally hold a belief that Yuz Asaf was a Prophet who had travelled from Palestine and who had miraculous healing powers.

Tomb of Mary

The Ahmadis believe that Mary accompanied her son on the journey to Kashmir.
Numerous Muslim and Persian documents — the Tafir-Ibn-I-Jarir, the Kanz-al-Ummal, and the Rauzat-us-Safa — have references that contribute to the theory of Christ's escape. Some of these also mention that Jesus was accompanied by Mary, and there is another burial place in Pakistan, along his theoretical route to Kashmir, known as Mai Mari da Ashtan, or "resting place of Mother Mary."

Tomb of Jesus (Roza Bal)

During his research into Jesus' death, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad had initially proposed that Jesus may have been buried in either Galilee, or Syria, until eventually uncovering evidence to conclude that the tomb of Jesus was located in Srinigar, Kashmir. Thus, Ahmadis today believe the tomb of Jesus is presently located in the Srinagar region of Kashmir.

Ancient literary works in Kashmir testify to the view that Yuz Asaf and Jesus are the same person. One old manuscript for instance describes the shrine of Yuz Asaf as the grave of Issa Rooh-Allah, (Jesus the Spirit of God).The importance of the shrine has been preserved in the memory of the descendants of the ancient Israelites to this day. They call the shrine, "The tomb of Hazrat Issa Sahib", "The Tomb of Lord Jesus".

The building constructed is named "Roza bal" or "Rauza Bal". "Rauza" is generally a term used to denote the tomb of a celebrated personality, i.e. noble, wealthy or saintly. Ahmadis give the Yuz Asaf enshrined the epithet Shahzada Nabi, "Prophet Prince". In accordance with Jewish tradition, the tomb is arranged with the feet pointing in the direction of Jerusalem.

However, given the strong influence of hardline clerics and militancy in the Kashmiri region, many of the residents choose to distance themselves from the Ahmadiyya claims of Prophet Yuz Asaf as being the Prophet Jesus.

Is JESUS still alive or died like all other Prophets? PART 2

• Did Jesus Die on the Cross? (English With Urdu Sub-Titles)What happened to Jesus 2,000 years ago? Amazing Historical Facts regarding Jesus’ surviving crucifixion and migrating to Kashmir. Video Clips from BBC FOUR research documentary. This video is divided in three parts of 08:44, 08:03 and 10m04s of length respecively.

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• What happened to Jesus (AS) 2,000 years ago? (English)Historical & Biblical proofs of Jesus’ surviving crucifixion & migrating to Kashmir, India.

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• Did Jesus die on the cross or did he survive crucifixion? (English)Extract from Question and Answer session dated 30th April 1996 by Hadhrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad (rh) Khalifatul Massih IV

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• Non-Ahmadiyya Scholar Believes that Jesus Died Natural Death (English)Muhammad Shaikh of "International Islamic Propagation Center" believes that Jesus (as) died a natural death.

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Is JESUS still alive or died like all other Prophets? PART I

• “The Hidden Story of Jesus” A clip from Channel 4 Documentary giving historical evidences of Jesus’ (as) surviving crucifixion & migrating to Kashmir.

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• “Shroud of Turin” - Video clips from National Geographic's documentary giving indications that Jesus (as) survived crucifixion.This video is divided in three parts of 09:53, 10:28 and 02m50s of length respecively.

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• Renowned Non-Ahmadi Scholars Admit that Jesus (as) had died a natural Death (Urdu/English) . Jawed Ahmad Ghamdi, Dr. Khalid Zaheer & Muhammad Shiekh admits that Jesus (as) died a natural Death.

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Questions Raised By Anti MUSLIMS - Audio

Question – What is the prophecy concerning Jesus Christ descending from Heavens?

Question – Why do Ahmadis believe that Jesus spent most of his life in Kashmir’s vicinity while there isn’t much historical evidence to support the claim?

Question – Was Jesus Christ the Son of God?

Question – Did Jesus have any brother or sisters?

Question – Why did Jesus’s disciples denounce him when he was arrested?

Question – Why do you believe that Jesus Christ did not rise from the dead?

Question – How does the Quran explain the nature of Jesus’s birth by the verse, "Surely, the case of Jesus with Allah is like the case of Adam. He created him out of dust, then He said to him, "Be’, and he was." (3:60)?

Question – What is the status of the negotiations between the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and the Church of England in regards to holding private discussions about Jesus’ deliverance from the Cross?

Question – Is there a religious law that would prohibit people from exhuming the tomb of Jesus Christ in Kashmir, India to scientifically examine it?

Question – What happened to Jesus’s body after it was pierced with a spear while he was on the cross?

Question – Even if Jesus had died, is it possible that source of the blood and water that gushed from his spear wound came from his bladder?

Question – Would the scientific verification that Jesus’ body is in a tomb in India mean the end of Christianity?

Question – What response should one give to those who believe that Jesus will return because of a prophecy in the Bible that states, "One shall say unto him, ‘What are these wounds in thy hands?’ and he shall answer, ‘Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.’" (Zechariah 13:6)?

Question – How could have Jesus survived the Cross if his heart was pierced by the spear?

Question – What is the Ahmadi interpretation of Jesus’ statement in the Bible, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:4-6)

Question – Why do Muslims believe that Jesus was only a prophet and not God as the Christians believe?

Question – Why do people only recently claim to have found Jesus’ tomb in India when he has supposedly been there for nearly 2000 years?

Question – Why did Jesus refuse to bless a woman who had come to him for guidance?

Question – Can one infer that Jesus must have married from the Quranic verse, "And, indeed, We sent Messengers before thee, and We gave them wives and children…" (13:39)?

Question – What is the Ahmadi view of Maudoodi’s claim that even if Jesus has died, Allah has the power to resurrect him as He did in the Quran (2:260)?

Question – Are the Christian claims of seeing Jesus in their dreams and visions actually true dreams from God?

Question – If God is All-Powerful, then is it not possible for God to bring Jesus back from the heavens?

Question – In Zafrulla Khan’s translation of the Quran, what is meant by the phrase "She [Maryam] accompanied him [Jesus] to her people, while he was riding…" (19:28)?

Question – In Zafrulla Khan’s translation of the Quran, what book was Jesus referring to in the verse, "Jesus taught: I am a servant of Allah, He has given me the Book, and has appointed me a Prophet;" (19:31)?

Question – In Zafrulla Khan’s translation of the Quran, was Jesus being carried or riding alongside Maryam as referenced in the verse, "She [Maryam] accompanied him [Jesus] to her people, while he was riding…" (19:28)?

Question – If we believe Jesus preached in the area of Kashmir, why do we not find as many Christians there as we do in Western countries?

Question – If Mirza Ghulam Ahmad was told by God that Jesus had been informed about his people’s eventual corruption, then why did God pose a question to Jesus about the same subject as referenced in the Quran (5:117,118)?

Question – Why are there so many misunderstandings about Jesus?

Question – How can prove that Jesus did not die on the cross now that the Shroud of Turin is claimed to be a forgery?

Question – What is the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community’s belief about Jesus’ resurrection and salvation?

Question – Based on historical evidence, how can one prove that Jesus travelled to India?

Question – Why did the breaking of the two Jewish tribes’ covenant with God result in Jesus’s fatherless birth while the remaining lost tribes of Israel may not have broken the covenant?

Question – Why are the Christians considered as one of the "People of the Book"?

Question – Who are the Christian Unitarians?

Question – How should one preach to Christians while being sensitive to their feelings?

Question – Does Islam support the concept of confession as practiced by the Roman Catholics?

Question – How should Muslims respond to those Christians who say that they ensured a place in Heaven since they have accepted Jesus as their Savior?

Question – How did the notion of Redemption come into Christian theology and has this belief been mentioned by Islam?

Question – What is the Muslim view about the Christian principle of Atonement?

Question – Hypothetically, do you think that Christians could wait another 2000 years for Jesus’ return?

Question – How is it possible to obtain closeness to God without a belief in the Crucifixion and Atonement of Jesus?

Question – Can one prove that Jesus was not the son of God?

Question – What is the significance of the dog in relation to the Christians as mentioned in the Quranic chapter, Al Kahf?

Question – What was the name of the religion of the people of Kashmir who followed Jesus?

Question – Why don’t the Christians believe in all the prophets?

Question – If a religion wrote a "true bible" then which religion wrote the "false bible"?

Question – What is the difference between the revelation of the Bible versus the revelation of the Quran?

ARIUS - The Trinity Controversy in the Church

Fazal Ahmad - UKThe Review of Religions, September 1996

The first three hundred years of Christianity are fraught with factions and feuding over the concept of Trinity. There were divisions between the major Church centres of thought; Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria and Rome. One such division over the nature of Jesus (as) which led to the Council of Nicaea, and the declaration of the Creed and belief in Trinity resulted from the teachings of Arius, who did not accept that Jesus (as) was divine. This article examines the arguments surrounding the Arian controversy and how it changed the face of Christian belief forever.

Indeed they are disbelievers who say 'Surely, Allah is none but the Messiah, son of Mary', whereas the Messiah himself said, 'O children of Israel, worship Allah Who is my Lord and your Lord. ' Surely, whoso associates partners with Allah, him has Allah forbidden Heaven, and the Fire will be his resort. And the wrongdoers shall have no helpers. (Ch.5, v.73)

Concept of Christ

At the start of the Fourth Century AD, the concept of God and the nature and role of Jesus (as) were not clearly understood, and hence there were numerous new strands of thought emerging and new heresies and schisms to deal with. Regarding the nature of Jesus (as) there were several philosophies which emerged during the course of time.

These ideas developed in different directions in different areas, depending upon the local influences. Roman Christianity was strongly influenced by the paganism in which it grew up and had to survive. Hence a belief in a God-system which would be understandable to the pagans was essential for the survival of the Church. Son of God equated to the Sun god or 'Sol Invictus' which was very popular among the Roman elite including the emperor Constantine. Elsewhere Greek and Egyptian culture had a major influence.

In Palestine, Judaism had a strong effect and many of the early sects thought of Jesus (as) as a human Messiah, a prophet from God. Such groups included the Ebionites and Elchasaites.
Elsewhere, there was a view that he was the literal 'Son of God', and hence part of the God-head (Father, Son and Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost).

There were others that argued that all three were co-existent and from one being, while the Sabellians preferred to think of Christ as one mode of God, i.e. that the Trinity represented three states of God, but that there was essentially only one God. This preserved their view of Monotheism. In Islam, there are so many attributes of God mentioned in the Qur'an that rather than having a Trinity, Muslims would need a hundred entities if they had followed the same approach.

Yet another theory was that in actual fact, Jesus (as) was created, and hence not eternal, and therefore could not be God, and was in fact inferior. Whatever views are examined, there was no common accepted view, and the Church faced potential conflict due to these misunderstandings.
The verse of the Qur'an quoted earlier (ch. 5, v.73) refers to those Christians who believed that Jesus (as) was the 'Son of God', but was also actually God! In another similar verse in the Qur'an in the same Chapter Al-Mai'idah, God says:

They are surely disbelievers who say, 'Allah is the third of three," there is no God but the One God. And if they desist not from what they say, a grievous punishment shall surely befall those of them that disbelieve. (Ch.5, v.74). This verse clearly talks about Trinitarians who associated equals with God in their statement 'Allah is the third of three'. Early Christianity has a history of confusion over the nature of Jesus (as), and the nature of God, and in the interplay between the two, whereas the Qur'an clearly states that there is One God, and Jesus (as) was his messenger, the Messiah for the Jewish tribes.

The Docetists believed that Jesus' body was inhabited by Christ, but that Christ did not suffer the crucifixion. They believed that Christ entered Jesus' body when he was baptised, and left just prior to the crucifixion event. Indeed they argued, If he suffered, he was not God. If he was God, he did not suffer.

Arius came along at a crucial point in the history of Christianity and made a huge impact with his theology. We shall examine his views in more detail, and see how they changed the course of the development of Christianity.

Arius

Arius, a priest in Egypt, was born in 250 AD to parents thought to be of Libyan origin. He grew up in Alexandria.

He became a priest in the spring of 312 under the episcopacy of Achillas, who was later followed by Alexander with whom Arius was to clash.

He was greatly influenced by Lucian of Antioch, who had laid great stress on the Judaic monotheistic origins of Christianity.

Arius' Views on Jesus (as)

Arius caused a storm as he started to propagate the view that Jesus (as) was distinct from the Father. He believed that Christ was created (begotten) and hence before that point, would not have existed. He therefore concluded that Christ had a finite nature, whereas the Father had an eternal infinite nature.

Socrates (440) records Arius' formula as being: If the Father begat the son, he that was begotten had a beginning of existence, hence it is clear that there was a time when the son was not. It follows then of necessity that he had his existence from the non-existent. Arius' view was based on agennesia i.e. that God is unbegotten, hence God is unique and eternal.

Consequently, Christ who was begotten (and referred to himself constantly as 'son of man') couldn't be the true God. The terminology that Arius used (e.g. 'there was a time when the son was not') was to get Arius into serious trouble as we shall see later. Arius said of Christ that he was:
... alien and dissimilar in all things from the Father. and continued:
There was when he (Christ) was not. He is also thought to have referred to Christ as the:
Eldest and highest of creatures. Hence, he is re-affirming his claim that Christ is not eternal.
Arius had picked up on the idea that Christ was not the literal Son of God, but was the Jewish Messiah, an idea that his teacher Lucian would have found favour with. He would have found ample evidence of this from the Gospels themselves:

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God. (Matthew 5:9) Arius wrote:

Indeed we can become sons of God, like Christ. Here Arius is accepting that Jesus (as) was a son of God in the spiritual sense, and that there was scope for all men to attain a similar status, although Jesus (as) was superior as he was God's chosen Messiah.

It would have been strange for Arius to look at verses from the Bible quoting Jesus (as) such as the time when during the crucifixion, he said:

Eloi, eloi, lema sabachthani? (My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?) (Mark 15:34)

Would such a quote indicate that God was speaking to himself, blaming himself, doubting himself, or would they be the words of a prophet of God uncertain as to his future, and whether he would be able to fulfil his mission to preach to the remaining lost tribes of the Israelites.
As pastor of Banealis, a district of Alexandria, Arius preached his views to a large audience. His audience respected him due to his ascetic lifestyle, manners and learning. He used such arguments from the Gospels to back up his own claims that Christ was distinct and inferior to the Father, and finite. If Christ had been infinite, he would have had no reason to worry about a temporary crucifixion.

Row with Alexander

News of his preaching angered Bishop Alexander of Alexandria, who called a series of conciliatory conferences to try to get Arius to change his views (to be the same as Alexander's).
Speaking of Arianism, Alexander is recorded by Athanasius as having written:

It had spread through all Egypt, Libya and the Upper Thebais. Then we, being assembled with the bishops of Egypt and Libya, nearly one hundred in number, anathematized both them and their followers. (Athanas., Hist. Tr. (foreign symbol) 3)

But this was to no avail, and hence in 318, Arius and his followers were ex-communicated. Arius was expelled along with Bishops Theonas and Secundus, six priests and six deacons.
Before going into exile, he wrote his beliefs in poetic form in the Thalia (the Banquet). He went to Palestine and Bithynia where he was supported by many of the local clergy including Eusebius of Caesarea.

Constantine Learns of Conflict

Eventually, news got back to the Emperor Constantine about this conflict between Bishop Alexander and Arius. Constantine was concerned about the de-stabilising effects that such a feud might have.

He asked his cleric Bishop Hosius of Cordova to write to both Alexander and Arius in the following terms:

Constantine the Victor, Supreme Augustus, to Alexander and Arius .... how deep a wound has not only my ears but my heart received from the report that divisions exist among yourselves. I find their cause to be of a truly insignificant nature, quite unworthy of such bitter contention. Yet, it soon became clear that simple politics would not resolve such a situation.

Alexander was adamant that Arius was a trouble-maker, and that he could not reconcile with him, as he wrote:

For it befits us as Christians to keep aloof from those who think or speak against Christ. (Athanas. Hist. Eccl. i.6) On the recommendation of Bishop Hosius, Constantine called a world Church council or synod, and the venue was changed to Nicaea. The Council of Nicaea would therefore address the issue of the nature of Jesus Christ (as) and would have lasting effects on the Church from them on.

Council of Nicaea

There had been twenty Arian sympathisers among the attendees to the synod, who are thought to have numbered more than three hundred. Indeed, it is suggested that Constantine changed the venue of the Council from Ancyra to Nicaea to make it easier for the Western bishops to attend, and hence turn the balance against the Eastern Church which still sympathised with its Jewish origins.

The Council strongly rejected the statement of Arius that 'There was when he was not', although two Bishops from Libya refused to go along with this.

The Council finally accepted the following Creed which became known as the Nicene Creed:
One Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, begotten from the Father as only-begotten, that is from the substance of the Father, God from God, light from light. Arius refused to sign acceptance of the Nicene Creed which stated that Christ was of the same divine nature as God. He would suffer the consequences, as Constantine was keen to end the conflict as soon as possible, and would no longer tolerate any further debate on the issue.

Many commentators have noted Constantine's political ambitions, and the fact that he wanted a united Church in order to maintain a stable power base around the mediterranean. He therefore had to take strong action against Arius, and he needed to be 'seen to be taking such action' in order to gain support from the clergy throughout the known world.

Arius in Exile

Following Nicaea, Arius was banished to Illyricum.

Meanwhile, in an effort to stamp out the Arian view through brute force, the Emperor Constantine wrote:

If any treatise composed by Arius is discovered, let it be consigned to the flames ... in order that no memorial of him whatever be left ... [and] if anyone shall be caught concealing a book by Arius, and does not instantly bring it out and burn it, the penalty shall be death. Such sentiments from the Church leader made it very difficult for Arius to propagate his views.

Arius was undeterred. He maintained his views, and said of his maltreatment:

We are persecuted because we say that the son had a beginning, but God is without beginning ... and this we say because he is neither part of God nor derived from any substance. Many years later, after repeated calls from Arius that he wished to tone down his views, Constantine had accepted that he should be accepted back into the Church, but just before this was ratified, Arius died while out walking in the streets of Constantinople.

Argument of the Arians

The Arians persisted with their views. There was a power struggle in Egypt as Christians tried to come to terms with the consequences of the debate. Arians maintained that their arguments stemmed from the Gospels themselves.

For example, they could use the quote from the Gospel of John:

If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I. (John 14:28) There were repeated examples within the Gospels of Jesus (as) referring to himself as the Son of Man, and talking of the Father not just in his own context, but in the conext of all Israelites.

In order to terminate the Arian movement, at the end of the Council of Nicaea, the members of the synod wrote a letter to the Church in Egypt informing them of their decisions. A few extracts from the letter are presented here:

The bishops assembled at Nicaea, who constitute the great and holy synod, greet the church of the Alexandrians, by the grace of God holy and great, and the beloved brethren in Egypt, Libya and Pentapolis.

Since the grace of God and the most pious emperor Constantine have called us together from different provinces and cities to constitute the great and holy synod in Nicaea, it seemed absolutely necessary that the holy synod should send you a letter so that you may know what was proposed and discussed, and what was decided and enacted.

First of all the affair of the impiety and lawlessness of Arius and his followers was discussed in the presence of the most pious emperor Constantine. It was unanimously agreed that anathemas should be pronounced against his impious opinion and his blasphemous terms and expressions which he has blasphemously applied to the Son of God, saying "he is from things that are not", and "before he was begotten he was not", and "there once was when he was not", saying too that by his own power the Son of God is capable of evil and goodness, and calling him a creature and a work. The letter was meant to be a clarification for the Alexandrians that Arius and his followers were outlawed, and also a clear message that the emperor was now personally involved in the affairs of the Church and would frown upon any further schisms, or misunderstandings regarding the Trinity.

Trinity wins Favour

A common argument used against Arius is that his views would have led to polytheism, and that they originated in paganism. Such an argument was first used by Athanasius who said that if Christ and the Father were separate entities as suggested by Arius, then the natural conclusion would be that there was a plurality of gods, and hence the heretic Arius was proposing polytheism.

Such a view is absurd. It assumes that Arius accepted a divine nature for Christ. However, as we have seen earlier, this is not at all what he was suggesting.

Arius had identified a weakness in the argument for an eternal co- existent Christ alongside the Father, and had proved that Christ could not have been eternal, and was therefore not equal to the Father. In fact, he had gone further, and said that Christ was inferior to the Father, but superior to creatures created by God.

An obvious implication of this statement bearing in mind his mentor Lucian's preference for the Jewish heritage, is that Christ was actually a mortal prophet of God.

Following the Council of Nicaea, many Christians who had held 'unorthodox' views were forced to change, or suffer the consequences. There were years of torment for Gnostics in Egypt who went into hiding. Fearing for their lives, they hid their literature such as the Nag Hammadi library of documents which were uncovered in 1947 by chance in Egypt.

A later Council in Ephesus resulted in Mary being referred to as the Mother of God, and this resulted in yet more trouble for Christians who could not accept this concept.
As a result of the Council of Nicaea, the Trinity became officially recognised, and the Creed has stood to this day.

References

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