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Christianity in the Light of Islam
by Brother A. D. AJIJOLA (Bar at Law)
Christianity as understood and believed by the Christians of both Catholics and Protestant persuasions comprises three creeds, namely , the Apostles , the Nicene and the Athanasian. The fundamental doctrines of modern Christianity area
These basic doctrines of Christianity have for centuries kept the intellect of man in a state of perplexity. They are subjects on which much intellectual blood has been shed .These doctrines developed into a full-fledged religion which not only dealt a death blow to the true teachings of Jesus but also caused great harm to humanity.
According to the Holy Qur'an , Jesus was sent to his people to preach Belief in God. This implies recognizing God as only One , associating no partner with him. He has power to do all things and He is only One who deserves to be worshipped. This is the fundamental principle of the teachings of Jesus.
" And when Jesus perceived their disbelief , he said, 'Who will be my helpers in the cause of Allah ?' The disciples answered , 'We area the helpers of Allah. We have believed in Allah. And bear thou witness that we are obedient ; Our Lord , we believe in that which Thou hast sent down and we follow this Messenger .So write us down among those who bear witness" (Holy Qur'an 3: 52 - 53 )
" Indeed , they are disbelievers who say , 'Allah , He is 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 resort. And the wrongdoers shall have no helpers" (Holy Qur'an 5 :72)
Qur'an there for rejects the doctrine of the Trinity.
" they surely disbelieve who say. 'Allah is the third of three '; there is no god but the One God. And if they do not desist from what they say, a grievous punishment shall surely befall those of them that disbelief " (Holy Qur'an 5: 73 )
Will they not then turn to Allah and ask His forgiveness , while Allah is Most Forgiving and Merciful?
" The Messiah , son of Mary , was only a Messenger ; surely Messengers (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 " (Holy Qur'an 5 :74 -75)
" This grace is from Allah. And Allah suffices as One who is All knowing " (Holy Qur'an 4 : 70)
" Surely , Allah will not forgive that a partner be associated with Him : But He will forgive whatever is short of that to whosoever He pleases. And whoso associates partners with Allah indeed devised a great sin " (Holy Qur'an 4 : 48 )
" Allah shall not forgive that anything be associated with Him as partner .but He will forgive what is short of that to whomsoever He pleases. and whoso associates anything with Allah has indeed strayed far away. " (Holy Qur'an 4 : 116 )
" And they say ,' The Gracious God has taken unto Himself a son '.
Assuredly , you have indeed uttered a most hideous thing.
The heavens might well -nigh burst thereat , and the earth cleave asunder , and the mountains fall down in pieces.
Because they ascribe a son to the Gracious God. It becomes not the Gracious God that He should take unto Himself a son " (Holy Qur'an 19 : 88 -92 )
Islam believes in the uncompromising doctrines of monotheism -belief in One and only One God.
The New Testament also supports this Islamic view that Jesus was raised to prophethood by God for the Israelites , who had ceased to act upon the teachings of the Torah ,had become spiritually dead.
The Muslims believe that Jesus was one of the prophets who was sent to his own people alone and whose message was not meant for others in other parts of the world.
" Verily , We have sent thee with the Truth , as a bearer of glad tidings and as a Warner ; and there is no people to whom a Warner has not been send " (Holy Qur'an 35 : 24 )
This view is confirmed by the New Testament .
" But he answered and said , ' I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel " ( Mathew 15 : 24 )
" And she shall bring forth a son and thou shalt call his name Jesus ; for he shall save his people from their sins. " (Mathew 1: 21 )
" And thou Bethlehem , in the land of Juda , are not the least among the princes of Juda : for out of the thee shall come a governor, that shall rule my people Israel " (Mathew 2: 6 )
The Muslims love , respect and believe in Jesus as a prophet of God as they love , respect and believe in other prophets of God.
Belief in Prophets
Belief in prophets is the natural sequence of faith in divine revelation since revelation must be communicated through human being.
The Prophet is not the bearer of Divine message only but he also shows how the message is to be interpreted in practical life. Therefore , he is the model or example to be followed. It is the Prophet's example that inspire a living faith in the hearts of his followers and brings about a real transformation in their lives. This is why the Holy Qur'an lays special stress on the facts that the prophet must be a man. The reformation of transformation of man can only be accomplished through a prophet. Hence , the Holy Qur'an rejects the doctrine of incarnation , because God incarnate would serve no purpose in the reformation of man , seeing that man has to face temptation at ever step but there is no temptation for God.
A Muslim must believe in all the prophets ; Hud and Salih raised up in Arabia, Luqman in Ethiopia , a contemporary of Moses. The Holy Qur'an says :
" And who believe in that which has been revealed to thee and that which was revealed before thee and they have firm faith in the Hereafter " (Holy Qur'an 2 : 4 )
Thus the Holy Qur'an lays the foundation of a world - wide religion by making a belief in the Prophet of every nations the basic principle of his faith.
In order to teach men how to live in this life ; how to behave with each other with friends ; enemies ; parents and children and how to give each man his right and dues ,God sent a number of prophets. To every nation God has sent a messenger , in order to bring them our of darkness into light ; to teach them how to live a happy life. But each prophet was opposed and ill- treated by those persons of his own nation who had wealth and power and who did not like to change their evil ways. They did not want to give up their injustices to the poorer people. The prophets were abused , beaten , killed or driven out by their people. But these prophets went on doing their work and suffered everything patiently until they succeeded in bringing a large number of followers around them. They gave the message of God to their followers, taught them how to live and treat other people justly. They further asked them to obey God and fear His punishment for doing evil.
All these prophets were born in different times and among different peoples . Therefore , they could not adopt the same methods .Because their people had different customs , habits , languages and manners .But they had one thing in common , that is , all of them asked people to believe in God and in the Life after Death and to lead a life of virtue , truth and honesty.
The number of these apostles of God is said to be more than a hundred thousand but 25 of them are amore important than the others and these are distinctly mentioned in the Holy Qur'an (See Surahs or Chapters 7, 10 ,11, 19, 21, 26 and 38 ) The following are the names mentioned in the Qur'an.
| Qur'anic Name | Biblical Name | Qur'anic Name | Biblical Name | |
| Adam | Adam | Nuh | Noah | |
| Hud | Heber | Salih | Saleh or Methusela | |
| Lut | Lot | Idris | Enoch | |
| Ibrahim | Abraham | Ismail | Ishmael | |
| Ishaq | Isaac | Yusuf | Joseph | |
| Yaqub | Jacob | Shu'aib | Jethro | |
| Musa | Moses | Dawud | David | |
| Sulaiman | Solomon | Yunus | Jonah | |
| Ayyub | Job | Dhul-kifl | Isaiah or Ezekiel | |
| Ilyas | Ellijah | Alyasa | Elisha | |
| Zackariyyah | Zechariahs | Yahya | John the Baptist | |
| Harun | Aaron | Isa | Jesus | |
| Mohammed |
A Muslim must believe in all the prophets of God. To believe in some prophets and reject other is regarded as disbelief. the Holy Qur'an says :
" Surely , those who disbelieve in Allah and His Messengers and seek to make a distinction between Allah and his messengers, and say 'We believe in some and disbelieve in others ' and seek to take a way in between :
These really are the disbelievers , and We have prepared for the disbelievers and humiliating punishment " (Holy Qur'an 4 : 150 -151)
Faith in all the prophets of God and in the finality of the prophethood of Muhammad (peace be upon him) as the last prophet.
By belief in all the prophets of Allah, one means that at different stages of the history of mankind. Allah sent prophets as His Messengers for their guidance. One must believe in all of them in general , and in those whose names are mentioned in the Holy Qur'an in particular. One cannot personify anyone as a prophet if his name is not so mentioned in the divine Book, nor can one deny the prophethood of any one whose name is so mentioned in the Divine Book.
A prophet is a servant and a messenger of Allah who receives Divine revelations. He is a model for human being and teaches and practices the Commands of Allah. One does not consider them as models of conduct for themselves as well as humanity at large. The prophets worshipped Allah and taught us to do the same. But we cannot call any of the prophets God ; for they were all created by Allah who is Self-Existing and has no partner.
Besides being Messengers and Servants of Allah , none of the prophets claimed Divinity for they themselves were human beings.
Belief in the Books of God
Muslims also believe in all the Books of God :
" This Messenger of Ours believes in that which has been revealed to him from his Lord. and so do the believers ; all of them believe in Allah , and in His Books , and in His, Messengers, saying , 'We make no distinction between any of His messengers; ' and they say 'We have heard and we are obedient. Our Lord , we implore thy forgiveness , and to thee is the returning " (Holy Qur'an 2 : 285)
It is obligatory to believe in all the books of Allah ,i.e., Books which He ahs sent down through His prophets for the guidance of mankind from time to time at different stages of history. God revealed His Books to His Prophets before Muhammad (pbuh) and these Books were sent down in the same way as He sent down the Qur'an to Muhammad (pbuh).
There are five books of Allah (or code of religion) mentioned in the Qur'an namely
1. Suhuf revealed to Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham).
2. Torah (Old Testament) revealed to Prophet Musa (Moses).
3. Zabur (Psalms) revealed to Prophet Dawud (David).
4. Injil (New Testament) revealed to Prophet Isa (Jesus).
The Holy Qur'an revealed to the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) the last of the
prophets.
The older revealed books : Torah, Zabur and Injil do not exist in their original forms except the Holy Qur'an. Their present day editions are only interpretations by their respective followers of later ages. Thus the original teachings of the Torah, Zabur and Injil have been tampered with and the word of God is no longer preserved in them in its original unalloyed and unadulterated form.
All these books have many things in common and they have the same purpose. i.e., to reform mankind. Furthermore, all these books originated from the same geographical are. They are all Divine revelations as well as written scriptures and all alike are to be believed and accepted
Each of these books have come to confirm and clarify the earlier scriptures. As far as the Qur'an is concerned, it not only confirms earlier scriptures, but as the final revelation, clears up all uncertainties and is the repository of perfect truth.
The Qur'an, the Holy Book of the Muslims, makes mention of the great prophets and messengers to whom the Holy Books were given with great reverence and respect. It places Moses as a great reformer, a great guide of mankind, holy man, and prophet and so on. Similarly, it tells about David and his Zabur. The Holy Qur'an describes Jesus (unlike the Jews who accused him and and depict him and his mother as Immoral characters) as one of the greatest of the messengers and his mother as a chaste lady. It says he suffered great pains at the hands of oppressors or tyrants but he did not move from his primary mission to reform mankind.
About the Injil (Gospel), the Qur'an speaks very highly. The Holy Qur'an refers to the Christians and Jews as the "People of the Book" (Ahl al -kitab) and a Muslim can live peacefully in a Christian or Jewish society. Also, a Muslim can eat and drink with them and marry the Jewish and Christian ladies without any difficulty.
In Islam, Muslims do not believe that any prophet has ever claimed to be a God or Son of God or a partner in the God head. Thus, the basic doctrine of Islam is the Concept of the Unity God. The humble writer somewhere had stated:
" Wahdahoo La Sharika Lahoo" meaning , "He is One, He has no partner ". This is what distinguishes the Islamic Religion from other religion.
The Unity of Allah is the distinguishing characteristic of Islam. This is the purest form of monotheism, i.e., the worship of Allah who was neither begotten or begot nor had any associates with him in his Godhead. Islam teaches this in the most unequivocal terms.
Yet, Muslims' faith in Allah is not a blind, international faith. a Muslim is taught in the Holy Qur'an to be a grateful for all the bounties and blessings of God and thus, to adore Him and Him alone.
Therefore, the most fundamental and the most important distinctions of Islamic Faith from any other Faith is the Unity of God. This is expressed in the primary Kalima of Islam as "La illlah illallah ", i.e., "There is no god but Allah".
This beautiful phrase is the bed-rock of Islam, its foundation and its essence. It is the expression of this belief which differentiates a Muslim form non-Muslim.
Islam does preach, pure and simple, the Unity of God, the Almighty, the All-Loving, the All-knowing , the All-wise, the All-Holy, the Unique , the Creator and Sustainer of all the Worlds.
"An your God is One God ; there is not god but He, the Gracious Merciful" (Holy Qur'an 2 : 163)
" Say " He is Allah, the one!
Allah , the Independent and Besought of all. He begets not, nor He begotten; And there is none like unto Him" (Holy Qur'an 112 :1-4)
Thus, the Mulsims believe in the Oneness of God. They consider the Modern Christian deification of Jesus to be a reversion to paganism. According to the Holy Qur'an, Jesus Jesus was not an incarnation of God but a prophet or messenger of God like all other prophets (including the Holy h Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) , he was every bit a human being.
Islam also rejects the doctrine or the divine son-ship of Jesus may be called a son of a God in the sense in which righteous human beings may be called the children of God but not in any literal or special sense. Thus, the concept of fatherhood of God is acceptable to Islam only in the spiritual sense, in which case it embraces all humanity. All mankind are the children of God and the prophets were their teachers sent by God. This is in tune with the idea of father-hood as taught in "The Lord's Prayer", which says : "Our Father which art in Heaven".
In the same manner, Islam rejects the dogmas of the Original Sin, the vicarious Sacrifice and the Atonement.
There isn't any evidence that any of the Christ's disciples believed in these doctrines.
The religion of Islam has no place init for any of these dogmas. The Holy Qur'an, categorically rejects the fallacious notion of the above modern Christian doctrines. The Holy Qur'an enunciates the pictures of the real Jesus and the faith preached by him in Surah Al- Baqarah (Chapter Cow) , Al-Imran (Chapter Family of Imran ), Mai'dah (Chapter Table Spread), Maryam (Chapter Mary) and other parts of the Holy Qur'an. The Holy Qur'an does not substantiate any of the doctrines of modern Christianity nor the stories of the Gospels pertaining to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. According to the Holy Qur'an Jesus was no more than a prophet.
The Bible says very little about Jesus. We are merely told that he was a Jew by birth and that the Virgin Mary gave birth to an illustrious Nazarene. Afterwards, Mary fled to Judea with the child and after twelve-years, Jesus was seen in the synagogue finding faults with the Rabbis and joining issues with teachers of Judaism. The curtain drops again. Another gap of eighteen years passed when Jesus appeared again from ascetic monasteries and he was seen at the bank of the river Jordan performing miracles, preaching about God and the establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth. He was subsequently arrested and crucified.
Islam throws light on the life of Jesus. According to Islam, Jesus (Prophet Isa) was the son of Mary. Mary was the daughter of Imran. Imran was the descendant of Prophet Harun (Aaron) the brother of Musa (Moses). Mary as a young girl was placed in the care of Prophet Zackariah, the father of Prophet Yahya (John the Baptist) and she grew up as a chaste woman, sinless with a great devotion to God and she was one of the devoted women of her time.
"And remember when the angels said, O Mary, Allah has chosen thee and purified thee and chosen thee above all women of the time.
O Mary, be obedient to thy Lord and prostrate thyself and worship the one God with those who worship Him" (Holy Qur'an 3: 43-44)
The above verses of the Qur'an suggest that with all her great virtues, Mary was a mere mortal and she had no part of divinity in her. She was like all true and devoted servants of Allah spending her time in prayer. She was neither a goddess nor a demi-goddess, nor mother of God. According to the Holy Qur'an Jesus was born by the Virgin Mother Mary.
This is of the tidings of things unseen which We revealed to thee. and thou wast not with them when they cast their arrows, as to which of them should be the guardian of Mary., nor wast thou with them when they disputed with one another. (Holy Qur'an 3:44)
When the angels said, 'O Mary, Allah gives thee glad tidings of a son through a Word from Him; his name shall be the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, honoured in this world and the next, and those who are granted nearness to God. (Holy Qur'an 3: 45)
And relate the story of Mary as mentioned in the book, when she was withdrew from her people to an eastern place:
And screened herself off from them. Then we sent Our angel to her and he appeared to her in the form of a well-proportioned man.
She said I seek refuge with the Gracious God from thee if indeed thou dost fear Him.
The angel said, ...... (Holy Qur'an 19-16-21)
The above Qur'anic verses show that Mary was a chaste woman who gave birth to a faultless boy prophet Jesus by Divine decree. These verses refute the most vulgar charges of the Jews that Mary led an immoral life.
As far as Christianity is concerned, it believes not only in virgin birth of Jesus birth but also consider him as a son of God. Islam recognises the virgin birth but points out that this does make Jesus the son of Mary, not the 'son of God'. In fact, whenever Jesus is mentioned as a son in the Qur'an , it is always "Isa ibn Maryam" (Jesus the son of Mary).
The Christian considered the miraculous conception of Jesus in the womb of the virgin Mary as a fundamental basis for the claim of Jesus' unique relationship with God. The Qur'an says :
" 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." (Holy Qur'an 3:59)
Therefore, all that is meant is that Jesus is no more than a mortal, and that is an error to take him for God. Jesus was conceived by a woman in the manner all women conceive; she was delivered of him as all women are delivered of children. He was fed as children are fed. Then, he ate food and drank water and answered the call of nature as all other mortals do. The experience of Mary during the time of labour is described in the Hoy Qur'an as follows :
And the pains of child-birth drove her unto the trunk of a palm tree. She said, "O, would that I had died before this and had become a thing quite forgotten!" (Holy Qur'an 19:23)
This shows that Mary gave birth to Jesus under the ordinary circumstances which women experience in giving birth to children. The throes of childbirth were too severe for her to bear and hence she gave utterance to such words. The reference to the thrones of childbirth clearly shows, that an ordinary human child was coming into the world ; reference may be to the prediction in the Bible :
".... . . . . . . . in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children" (Genesis 3:16)
The likeness of Adam here also indicates that the creation of Adam is more wonder-inspiring than the birth of Jesus ; for Jesus had a mother, but Adam had neither father nor mother, if any creature were to be accorded the privilege of divinity , it is Adam, for he was a "direct" handiwork of God and God breathed life into him. All other creatures, including Jesus, came into being through intermediary agents. God himself refers to Adam as His vicegerent on earth.
Muslims accepted Jesus as a prophet bringing the Injil (original New Testament) as a guide for his people which according to Islam, means Allah's revelation to Jesus :
And We caused Jesus, so of Mary, to follow. . . .. . . .. . (Holy Qur'an 5:46)
Jesus was a Messenger of God sent to the Jews to confirm the messages of the earlier Jewish prophets and to call his people back to obedience to the guidance given through the earlier prophets like Musa (Moses) and Yahya (John the Baptist).
And I come fulfilling that which is before me, namely, the Torah ; and to allow you some of that which was forbidden unto you, and I come to you with a Sign from your Lord ; so fear Allah and obey me" (Holy Qur'an 3:50)
The Bible also confirmed that Jesus was only sent to his people the Jews.
But he answered and said. "I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. (Mathew 15:24)
And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda ; for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel (Mathew 2:6)
The Bible agrees that Jesus received his revelation from God
For I have not spoken of myself, but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. (John 12:49)
Jesus strongly disclaim Godhood or divinity when he says:
Why callest me good? There is none good but One, that is God (Mark 10:18)
He spoke of God as :
My Father and your Father and my God and your God. (John 20:17)
This verse shows that he stood in the same relation to God as any other
man-he was a creature of God.
In his agony on the cross, Jesus cried out:
Eloi, Eloi lama sabachthani ? Which is , being interpreted, 'My God, my God, Why hast thou forsaken me? (Mark 15:34)
Can you imagine these words coming out of the mouth of God ? Here we have the cry of a helpless man to His Creator and Lord.
The fact is, Jesus claimed only to be a prophet of God. He was a man, to whom God had revealed His message for the guidance of other man ; many passages from the Bible support the view :
Jesus saith unto them, if ye are Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham. But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told, you the truth, which I have heard from God. (John 8:39-40)
And this is life eternal, that they might know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent. (John 17:3)
The doctrine of the Incarnation like the Trinity, was also developed long after Jesus. The modern scholars have, in fact, traced several stages through which Jesus was gradually defied.
Reason also refuses to accept a man, who was born of a woman, who suffered from human wants, ignorance and limitations, and grew in stature, power and wisdom, like all other human beings as God. To put human limitations upon God and to believe in His incarnation in a human body is to deny the perfection of God.
The dogma of the incarnation was brought into Christianity like many other Christian doctrines and rituals from paganism. In the pre-Christian mythologies, we often find the here being regarded as God. The Hindus of India even today worship their heroes, Rama and Krishana as incarnations of Vishnu, the second person of the Hindu Trinity.
The essentials of Islam may be summed up in the theism of one God, the unity of all genius revealed religions, the unity of humanity and virtues with full-hearted love and service of Allah, to love one's neighbour as one loves one's self and the belief in the community as an instrument to protect and promote good life its simple democratic socialism. Islam also believes that God will one say make a reckoning with each individual and prescribe appropriate reward. Hence, knowledge and love are the ultimate values to which Islam reduces all value which together constitute the good life.
The greatest service Islam rendered to humanity was the exaltation and purification of the concept of God. Islam strove to deliver humanity from a multiplicity of gods on the one hand and from incarnationism on the other and to bring man back to the Unseen God.
Eyes cannot reach him but He reaches the eyes, And He is the knower of subtleties, the All-Aware (Holy Qur'an 6:103)
In Islam, God is the creator Who rather than being immanent in .His creation transcends all His creations. The highest and the purest of human beings are also His creatures and the oneness of the creatures with the Creator is achieved by complete self-surrender which is the literal meaning of Islam.
All creation is the manifestation of God :
He is the Originator of the heaven and the earth. He has made for you pairs of your own selves, and of the cattle also He has made pairs. He multiplies you therein. There is nothing whatever the unto Him, and He is the All-Hearing. the All-Seeing. (Holy Qur'an)
All similes applied to Him are imperfect. Nobody can comprehend him completely in his essence. He is the nearest to the near and beyond of the beyond. The universe embodies His Will without exhausting it.
Islam, as the religion of harmony, promulgates the doctrine of the Unity of Religion. Islam is, therefore, a universal religion. It is the religion of the identification of human and divine will to attain that perfect harmony which is the ideal urge, not only of humanity, but of the entire Creation.
Muhammad (pbuh) insisted that all religions have a tendency to become fossilised and hardened into orthodoxies claiming monopoly of truth and salvation as well as barring the door of paradise to all others who do not profess certain doctrines or follow certain rituals, customs or conventions and make their religions mere dogmas which become the living faith of the dead or the dead faith of the living.
It makes all the difference to our understanding of Christianity if we are enabled to apprehend that it did not begin as a new religion but as a movement of montheistic Jews who held Jesus to be their God -sent kind and deliverer. Here in a sentence is what it is imperative to know, the origins of Christianity. Here we have essential clue to the activities of Jesus and his first followers which helps to compensate for many material facts which are beyond recovery. Armed with this information, we can get Christianity in correct perspective and trace clearly and simply in the light of what is ascertainable how it was transformed into what it afterwards became. (The Politics of God, Hugh. J. Schonfield)
Jesus declares clearly that he had come not to destroy but fulfill older books. Thus in Mathew we read :
Think not I am 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 (Mathew 5:17-18)
From his ,it is evident that the mission of Jesus was to restore the Mosaic teachings, but the New Testament as we have been today, teaches that the Mosaic teachings was abrogated completely by Jesus. The teachings of Jesus must have been a reproduction of the teachings of Moses, except for what the Scribes and Pharisees had themselves added to it. But the New Testament seeks to correct not only what the Scribes and Pharisees had invented but also what Moses and subsequent Prophets had taught in their time. This position is contradictory. One part of the New Testament teaches one thing and another part something different. When a book contradicts itself in such a manner, the book can be presumed to be of various authors.
The books of the New Testament are said to have been dictated by the disciples of Jesus and we cannot say that the disciples were not sane. The great disciples of prophets always possess a high decree of sanity. We must, therefore, conclude that the disciples did not dictate the writings of such a book. They talked as they went about and those who heard them passed on the substance of what they heard to others. When the others sat down to record what they had heard, they added many of their own thoughts. The result was the New Testament as we know it today, a bundle of contradictions.
Thus Jesus Christ was not the founder of Modern Christianity.
The present doctrines of Modern Christianity was based partly on paganistic doctrines of the time and partly on the doctrines of St. Paul which became prevalent years after the episode of Jesus Christ's alleged crucifixion. For instance, Paul says :
Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go unto perfection ; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith forward God. (Hebrews 6:1)
CRUCIFICTION OF THE CROSS
The holy Qur'an questions the veraeity of the stories as narrated in the New Testament concerning the Cruci-fiction, and Resurrection of Jesus. The Holy Qur'an asserts that Jesus was neither killed or crucified but raised unto God, thus clearing this great prophet of God from a blasphemous charge of having died an accursed death in a manner of a thief or a robber :
And for their saying, 'We did slay the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah' ; whereas they slew him not, nor did they crucify him but the matter was made dubious for them ; and those who differ therein are certainly in a state of doubt about it ; they have no certain knowledge thereof, but only pursue a conjecture, and they certainly did not kill him, but Allah raised him to Himself. And Allah is Mighty, Wise . (Holy Qur'an 4: 157-158)
Jesus being a great prophet could not have died on cross because according to the Bible :
His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day (for he that is hanged is accursed of God ) ; that thy land be not defied, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance. (Deuteronomy 21:23)
He had prayed to God in great agony to save him :
And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me ; nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt. (Mark 14:36)
And he went a little father, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. (Mathew 26:39)
Saying Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine ,be done. (Luke 22:42)
And his prayer was heard :
Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared. (Hebrews 5:7)
Another doctrine of Modern Christianity, is the doctrine of Atonement which is based on the doctrine of Original sin. Islam condemns that dogma of the Original sin which is part of the Christian doctrine of Salvation and regards children as pure and sinless at birth. Sin, it says, is not inherited ;it is something which every man acquires for himself by doing what he should not do and not by doing what he should do.
Rationally considered, it would also be the height of injustice to condemn the entire human race for the sins committed thousands of years ago by the first parents. Sin is a wilful transgression of the laws of God or the laws of right and wrong. The responsibility or blame for it must lie only on the person committing it, and not on his children. The theological dictum of St. Augustine , "that all unbaptised infants are doomed to burn eternally in the fire of hell" shows how hard-hearted a man can become in believing in the dogma of the inherited sin.
The very basis of the doctrine of the Atonement that is the belief in the Original Sin could be found to be wrong on the authority of Jesus Christ as well as of reason, therefore, the superstructure of dogma built on it must also be false. But let us consider the Christian scheme of Salvation.
The second part of the Christian scheme of Salvation is that God's justice requires that a price must be paid for original and other sins of men and that it would be a denial of His justice, if God were to pardon a sinner without punishment. This view shows complete ignorance of the nature of God. God is not a mere judge or king. He is, as Qur'an describes Him, "Master of the Day of Judgment" , He is not only Just, but also Merciful and forgiving. If He find some real good in a man or sees that he is sincerely repentance and has a genuine urge to conquer the evil within him, then He may forgive his sins and failings altogether and this can by no stretch of imagination be described as violation of justice. After all, the only right motive for punishment is to check evil and reform the offender.
To punish a person , even after he has repented and reformed himself, is a sign of vengeance and not of justice. It must be borne in mind that by committing a sin, a man harm not God, but himself. If God prescribes a law and a way and demands obedience, it is not for His own benefit, but for the benefit of mankind. If he punishes a man for his fault and sins, it is not for His own satisfaction, as the Christian dogma states, but to check evil and purify the sinner. Those who have the persistent urge to do good and the sincerely repentant will find God ever-ready to forgive them of their sins without demanding any compensation from them, or from any other persons on their behalf.
The third part of the Christian scheme of Salvation is that Jesus paid the penalty for the original and other sins of men by his death on the cross of Calvary, and that Salvation cannot be had without belief in the saving power of his blood as it is recorded in the First Epistle of St. Peter :
Forasmuch as ye
know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from
your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers.
But with the
precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. (I
Peter 1: 18-19)
This dogma is a denial not only of the Mercy of God, but also His Justice. To demand the price of blood in order to forgive the sins of men is to show a complete lack of mercy and to punish an innocent man for the sins of others, whether the former is willing or not, is to show a total disregard of justice. We fail to see how the suffering and death of one man can wipe the sins of others. It sounds something like the physician breaking his own head to cure the headache of his patient.
The idea of substitutionary or vicarious sacrifice is illogical and unjust. The fact is that the shedding of blood is not necessary for redemption. What is necessary to wash away sin is not blood, but repentance, remorse, persistent struggle against evil inclinations, determination to carry out the will of God, as revealed to us through the prophets, and doing good to God's creatures.
The Christian scheme of Salvation is not only morally and rationally unsound, it also has no support of the words of Jesus. Jesus may be said to have suffered for the sins of men in the sense that, in order take them out of darkness into light, he incurred the wrath of the evil-doers and was tortured by them. But that Jesus did not come to die voluntarily and spontaneously for the sins of men is clear from his prayer to God :
Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee: take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what Thou wilt. (Mark 14 : 36)
He had come to rescue men from sin by his teachings and the example of his godly life and not by deliberately dying for them on the cross and offering his blood as a propitiation for their sins. When a man asked him :
Good Master,
what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?
And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that
is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. (Mathew 19 :
16-17)
"Keep the commandments", that according to Jesus, was the way of eternal life. Salvation could be gained by believing in God, eschewing evil and doing good and not by faith in Jesus as the redeemer.
Islam rejects the dogma of Atonement. It declares that the forgiveness of sins cannot be obtained by the suffering and death of any other person, human or divine, but by the grace of God and our sincere efforts to fight against evil and do good. Islam refutes the Christian doctrines of Atonement in many verse of the Holy Qur'an. For example :
God burdens not any soul beyond its capacity. It shall have the reward it earns, and it shall get the punishment it incurs. Our Lord, do not punish us, if we forget or fall into error, and our Lord, lay not on us responsibility as Thou didst lay upon those before us. Our Lord, burden us not with what we have not the strength to bear ; and efface our sins and grant us forgiveness and have mercy on us ; Thou art our Master ; so help us against the disbelieving people. (Holy Qur'an 2: 286)
The verse constitute a powerful refutation of the doctrine of Atonement. It embodies two important principles:
1. That the commandments of God are always given with due regard for man's capacities and his natural limitations.
2. That moral purification in this world does not necessarily signify complete freedom from all kinds of failing and shortcomings. All that man is expected to do is to sincerely strive for good and avoid sin to the best of his power and the rest will be forgiven him by the Merciful God. So no Atonement is needed.
In another verse:
How will it be with them when We will gather them together on the Day about which there is no doubt : and when every soul shall be paid in full what is has earned, and they shall not be wronged ? (Holy Qur'an 3: 25)
This verse constitute an emphatic contradiction of the doctrine that he blood of any person, and not one's own good works, can bring about salvation.
To Islam, every man is responsible for his own sins. The Holy Qur'an says :
Say, 'Shall I seek a lord other than Allah while He is the Lord of all things?' And no soul earns evil but only against itself ; nor does any bearer of burden bear the burden of another. Then to your Lord will be your return, and He will inform you of that wherein you used to differ. (Holy Qur'an 6: 164)
That no bearer of burden shall bear the burden of another. (Holy Qur'an LIII : 38)
He who follows the right way follows it only for the good of his own soul : and he who goes astray, goes astray only to his own loss. and no bearer of burden shall bear the burden of anther. And We never punish until We have sent a Messenger. (Holy Qur'an 17:15)
The above verses show that every man shall carry his own cross and bear his own burden. These verses, therefore, contain emphatically draw attention to the fact that everyone has to carry his own cross and to account for his own actions. Nobody's vicarious sacrifice can do one any good. Punishment is not something that comes from outside but it takes its birth with man himself. In fact, the punishments and rewards of Haven and Hell will only be so many embodiments and representations of the deeds good or bad, of man done by him in this life. Thus, in this life, man is the architect of his own destiny and in the next he will be, so to say, his own rewarder or punihser.
Islam does not burden any soul beyond its capacity.
But as to those who believe and do good works- and We charge not any soul beyond its capacity -these are inmates of Heaven : they shall abide therein. (Holy Qur'an 7: 42)
The clause, "We charge not any soul beyond its capacity" ,contradicts the Christian dogma that sin being ingrained in human nature, it is beyond the power of man to get rid of it.
In Islam, God is Just and also Merciful and Forgiving so that if a man repents, God will forgive him of his sins.
Say, 'O My
servants who have sinned against their souls, despair not of the mercy of Allah,
surely, Allah forgives all sins. Verily, He is Most Forgiving. Ever Merciful :
And
turn to your Lord, and submit yourself to Him, before there comes unto you
the punishment : for then you shall not be helped ;
And
follow the best Teaching that has been revealed to you from your Lord,
before the punishment comes upon you suddenly, while you perceive not. (Holy
Qur'an 39: 53-55)
Theses verses hold out a message of hope and good cheer to the sinners. It encourages optimism and kills despair and despondency. It denounces and condemns pessimism because pessimism lies at the root of most sins and failures in life. Again and again the Qur'an give a promise of Divine mercy and forgiveness than which, there could be no greater message of solace and comfort for the grieved and the heavy-laden.
Will they not turn to Allah and ask His forgiveness, while Allah is Most Forgiving and Merciful (Holy Qur'an 5:74)
In this verse, Qur'an reminds us that no vicarious sacrifice is needed for the salvation of man. God Himself can forgive all sins. Only a true penitent and contrite heart is required to attract His forgiveness.
Islam promises salvation which in the Islamic religion, means the eternal felicity which is nearness to God and the development of the good in oneself to all those who are obedient to God and do good to others.
Nay, whoever submits himself completely to Allah and he is the doer of good, shall have his reward from his Lord. No fear shall come upon such, neither shall they grieve. (Holy Qur'an 2 :112)
We have inquired into some of the fundamental doctrines of Christianity and the Islamic views on them. Our examination had led us to the conclusion that the dogmas of the Trinity, the Divinity of Jesus , the Divine Son-ship, the Original sin and the Atonement are rejected by Islam and they are neither rational nor in conformity with the teachings of Jesus. These dogmas took shape long after Jesus, as a result of pagan influence. They show that Christianity has departed considerably from the religion of Jesus.
Islam, as preached by the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) about six hundred years after Jesus, is the revival and restatement of the religion of Jesus and of all other Prophets. It is a simple and rational religion, having no mind-baffling dogmas, no mysteries or mythology. It recognises no mediator between God and man. Its appeal is to human reason and conscience.
Dr. Laura Veccia Vaglieri, the famous Italian Orientalist has this to say in her book on Islam.
The Arabian Prophet, with a voice which was inspired by a deep communion with his Maker, preached the purest monotheism to the worshippers of fetish and the followers of a corrupt Christianity and Judaism. He put himself in open conflict with those regressive tendencies of mankind which lead to the association of other being with the creator.
In order to lead men to a belief in one God, he did not delude them with happenings which deviate from the normal course of nature- the so-called miracles ; nor did he compel them to keep quiet by using celestial threats which only undermine man's ability to think. Rather, he simply invited them, without asking them to leave the realm of reality, to consider the universe and its laws. Being confident of the resultant belief in the one and indispensable God, he simply let men read in the book of life Muhammad Abduh and Ameer Ali both state that Muhammad was content to appeal to the intimate conscience of the individual and to the intuitive judgment of man" (An Interpretation of Islam, Dr. Laura Veccia Vaglieri , pp 30-31)
After quoting some relevant verses from the Holy Qur'an, the learned author continues :
Thanks to Islam, paganism in its various forms was defeated . . . . . .The spirit of man was liberated from the prejudice, man's will was set free from the ties which had kept it bound to the will of other man or other so-called hidden powers. Priests, false guardians of mysteries, brokers of salvation, all those who pretended to be mediators between God and man and consequently believed that they had authority over other people's wills, fell from their pedestals. Man became the servant of God alone and towards other men he had only the obligation of one free man towards other free men. While previously men had suffered from the injustices of social differences. Islam proclaimed equality among human beings. (An Interpretation of Islam, Dr. Laura Veccia Vaglieri , pp 33-34)
The interesting question is after reading the Qur'an the modern Christian doctrines, what is the course of the present fundamental difference between Islamic doctrines and Christianity doctrines ?
The fact is that Jesus and his disciples were strangers to the modern Christian doctrines as these doctrines were invented by St. Paul and early Roman Pagan Christians. St. Paul was a Jew, who had been bitterly hostile to Jesus all his life and who, after the event of crucifixion had not the honour of living in the company of the disciples. He only met them occasionally. He, however, appeared one day before them, saying that Jesus had appeared to him in vision and that he had become a believer in him. But in spite of this belief, he came into very little personal contact with the disciples to the end of his life.
He, however, wrote certain writings in which he set forth his own views about the mission of Christ. These writings gradually obtained currency among the Christians. Those were trying times for the Christians. The seemingly fate of Jesus, had a sad appearance to all. He had been hung on the cross against his wish and his prayers had apparently been rejected. All hopes of his disciples had been frustrated. He had, according to some, expired on cross crying in despair:
Elo, Eloi , lama sabachthani ? My Lord, My Lord, why hast thou forsaken me. (Mathew 27:46)
The Jews,
on the other hand, said exultantly that Jesus was as accursed man and an
imposter, and they quoted scriptures in support of their assertion.
" He is accursed of God, that hangeth on a tree. (Deuteronomy 21:23)
The object of their plots to have him crucified was that they might show him to be an imposter according to the word of God. Hence, the disciples of Jesus were on the horns of a dilemma. An admission of his death on the cross involved a belief in his having become accursed. Paul, hit upon a device by advancing the theory that Jesus had indeed been put to death and subjected to curse, but that he was himself innocent and that he had borne the curse for other's sins. Hence, death on the cross was not an infamy but a meritorious dead.
Thus, the Christian people had at least something to say in reply to the Jews. This theory , however, which was originally adopted to meet the attacks of the Jews, gradually developed into the doctrine of Atonement as now preached by the Christian missionaries all over the world.
In short, it was neither Jesus nor his disciples who taught this doctrine. It was taught by St. Paul, hence the question has often occurred to thoughtful Christians, whether the present form of Christianity is the religion of Jesus or Paul. Only recently, a German scholar, Dr. Arnold Meyer, Professor of Theology, University of Zurich has written a book of the subject. It has also been translated into English and is called "JESUS OR PAUL" Therein the learned Professor proves conclusively that the Godhead of Jesus and the Atonement are doctrines which owe their origin to the ingenuity of Paul and of which both Jesus and his disciples were totally ignorant.
The Christian world looks upon Jesus as their saviour. It is he through whom they expect to attain their salvation. The Jews through their enmity and hatred held him to be accursed and represented him as one that had been condemned to the endless tortures of hell. The Christians, too, out of a desire to attain an easy salvation, admitted that he was really accursed and had actually died on the cross. Thus, both friends and foes combined to show that he had met a baneful end. May God send His blessings and peace on the Holy Prophet of Islam who rescued him from this pit of darkness and proved that he was a true apostle of God and a faithful servant of his Divine Master.
The Holy Prophet (pbuh) exonerated only Jesus, but also his mother by clearing her of the heinous charge which the Jews brought against her, so that even to this day, when Christians find themselves unable to prove from the Gospels the purity of the character of Jesus, they refer to the testimony which the Holy Qur'an bears to his own righteousness and to the chastity of his mother.
Thus, Paul who was a learned Jew deviated from the teachings of Jesus. He set up the framework of a new religion, which was adorned and decorated by the Christian priests of later ages. Speaking of Atonement, the learned author of " THE HISTORY OF THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION AND THE CHURCH" admits that the doctrine of Atonement as now believed in by the Christian church, was not definitely and distinctly formulated until the Twelfth Century and that "the Twelfth Century constitutes an epoch in the history of this doctrine".
There was no mention of Atonement either in the Torah or in the Talmud. the learned authors of the Jewish Encyclopedia, a work consisting of twelve large volumes and compiled by more that 400 Jewish scholars, say under the word 'Atonement', that according to the Jewish Law, the element of Atonement are Divine mercy, repentance, reparation of wrong, prayer, fasting and charity.
The custom of offering sacrifices was also very prevalent, so that it became a saying among them, "There is no Atonement except with blood". Paul who was also fully conversant with the Jewish religious literature, set this saying before them (vide Hebrews 9: 22), and having perverted some other figurative sentences of the Jewish scriptures, based a new religion on the supposed atonement of the blood of Jesus. St. Paul since his appearance became the leading moulder of Modern Christianity.
The Christians have abandoned the religious of Jesus Christ. What is most essential for the dignity of man and social progress is, freedom of thought, the very freedom which the churches have striven through centuries of religious wars and persecutions to destroy. The progress that Europe and America have made in the fields of science, democratic institutions and social welfare has not been due to Christianity, but rather as consequence of becoming free from the strange-hold of the Christian Churches.
According to the Christian priests, salvation from Hell depended not so much upon the manner of life people led, or the good deeds they performed as upon the faith they had in the words of the Christian minister who chanced to be preaching. In the state of ignorance then prevailing among the people, this faith was hardly to be distinguished from supernatural fear. From the Pope, "the Holy Man" to the local preacher everyone was to be regarded with awe and often with terror. On these lines, the Christian Church for centuries kept the laity in subjection. For what end?
The history, when dispassionately studied, shows clearly that the Church as an organisation failed to use its tremendous influence on the side of justice, honour, love and compassion. Instead, the hierarchy of Rome devoted itself consistently to worldly affairs until the pope became one of the leading political powers of Europe; and the main object of Roman Catholic communities, from the large and opulent monastery to the humble cell of the village priest, was to maintain the supremacy of Papacy, which claimed that no potentate has ever claimed before; Universal dominion over the minds and bodies of mankind.
This pursuit of worldly power maintained by the suppression of all who questioned even the least of the Church's actions, was soon linked with an even greater crime against mankind-the attitude that Christianity adopted towards the spread of science, that is, towards the attempt by inquisitive men to explain natural phenomena.
Until the seventeenth century, man of genuine research had either to recant what they knew about truth and submit to Christianity or be prepared to be tortured to dearth or imprisoned as the instances of Bruno, Galileo and a host of others reveal. The diabolical instruments of torture invented by the Spanish inquisition and heresy-hunters all over the Christian world have no parallel in the history of mankind !
In no instance did the Christian Church encourage the pursuit of knowledge, save only when some knowledge seemed to support its own pretension. Therefore, at best, the influence of the Church was static. at the period of the Reformation, the priests were offering the people the same "spiritual" food they had been concocting at the time of Constantine.
The reformation was the result of these faults and follies on the part of the Church. It was partly a political movement and partly a revolt by those who, awakened by their conscience and fresh development were dissatisfied with the monstrous growth of abuses sanctioned by Rome The reaction against Rome was , however, of little benefit to mankind at large, since it produced the long and dreadful religious warfare that so split Europe that any potentate with some personal end to serve could, by taking the name of Protestant or Catholic, obtain a large following of the fanatical, the ignorant or the self-seeking mass of people.
The renaissance as the ultimate analysis was severe setback to the temporal power of the degenerate church and as the church wielded political power at that time, it reacted with all the vigour and venom at its command. Consequently, the leaders of the Renaissance became the sworn enemies of the Church. This enmity towards Christianity which culminated into hatred and antagonism against all revealed religions, with the results that today, the majority of the population in Europe and America is either agnostic or atheist or existentialist !!
Moreover, Jesus did not formulate any articles of faith. The attitude of the Christian teachers is that you must not question the teachings of the Church but to have faith in the God of the Church and the teachings are more of mysteries to my mind. The Christian beliefs formulated by St. Paul are unreasonable and repugnant to the conscience of man and as such cannot expect any reasonable allegiance from the advanced nations of the world as it is a religion of primitive people.
The whole of modern Christian doctrines was not formulated by Jesus, but by St. Paul in his Epistle to the Romans, where he based his exposition on the heathen practices of his day.
when a young man is confronted with basic problems relating to reconciling of his every day affairs with the claims of religion; here one comes across the first weakness of Christianity. Christianity is a dualism which regards the world as sinful and seeks to turn its back to the reality of the life projecting its hope into a future world. As a result of this, it creates a Sunday attitude towards religion which has no place in the rest of the secular week.
Therefore, Christianity based on the dogma formulated by the Christian Fathers, ceases to exist in the land of culture and advancement. These Fathers have treated man as as child. They have fed men with many a credulity ; but when the child matures to intelligence and judgment, he begins to query things in the light of reason and culture. That is why education is alienating the human mind from the Church. Religion and the civilization of many of those nations is nothing but superstition, gambling, drinking and communism.
a few of the people from the developing world who have either seen the Western world from a distance or through coloured lens, owing to the pre-conceived notions and an acute sense of insecurity, have been taken in by the artificial achievement and glamour of the Western Civilisation. Some of them have been so overwhelmingly impressed by the West, that they look upon it as the apogee of man's creative achievements and they erroneously conclude that these achievements are due to Christian Civilisation. Whereas, as a matter of fact, Christianity has proved as irreconcilable enemy of human advancement. It crushed science as long as it had the powers to do so and it would do the same today, if the Modern World allowed it. The Modern progress in the West should not be taken as a consequence of man's faith in the church dogma as the West made no progress as long as it was in the grip of Christianity.
It opposed new ways of human progress and persecuted those who sought after truth. Christianity is incompatible with modern ideas of democracy and equality of man. Many of the so-called Christian states practise racial pride and even the South African Apatheid is stated by the Dutch Reformed Church as directly derived from the Biblical revelation. The doctrine of Atonement that Adam fell a prey to sin and punished the whole human race : because of this, mean that God's judgment cannot be satisfied by any repentant set of men. Therefore, He decided that His son should die for the sake of human beings. For this reason God caused His son to die on the cross and then raised him the third day and took him into Heaven. this doctrine of representative suffering or vicarious suffering is repugnant to my sense of reasoning.
The Christian faith deals only with the spiritual side of life and offers no solution to the material side. For instance, it offers no solution to industrial relations, family life, nor does it advocate any economic doctrine. Its doctrines paralysed the intellect and it is based on mysteries and miracles. Its adherents must not question the teachings of the church but must accept the faith. In prayer, the Christians beg God through Jesus Christ to grant them worldly favours.
Belief in the Trinity or other modern doctrines of the Christians is impossible for me.
The modern dilemma of Christianity is patent and stems from a creed which down the centuries has so insisted God in Jesus Christ, that it is in danger, as is now evident, of being unable to apprehend the existence of God without him. Far too many Christians do not know God in any other way than through Jesus. Take away the deity of Jesus and their faith in God is imperilled or destroyed. The New Testament is not entirely to be blamed for this. The major fault lies with those who have pampered to the ignorance and superstition of the people in giving them a God created in the image of man. Yet, Jesus and his own disciples differently taught , could love and worship God without recourse to incarnation.
I have often asked my Christian friends. Is it not enough if you believe in the One God, Lord of all creature and accept Jesus as his Messianic Messenger? But it seemed that the Messiahship of Jesus in their view, had only to do with the Jews and meant nothing in their experience. Many were not even aware that Christ was simply a Greek translation of the Hebrew title "Messiah" (the Anointed One) and supposed that it had to do with the heavenly nature of the Second Person of the Trinity.
It took me a long time to appreciate that when we talked of God, we were not speaking the same language and that there was serious problem of communication. Finally, it dawned on me, and I have in honesty to say this, that Christianity was still much too close to the paganism over which it had scored a technical victory to be happy with a faith in God as a transcendent Being. There has never been in the Church a complete conversion from heathenism. We might be living in the New Millennium , but the Gentile fetish remained for a human embodiment of deity. God had still to be grasped through a physical kinship with man and his earthly concern and there yet lingered the sense of the efficacy of the substitutionary and propitiatory sacrifice of a choice victim. As a consequence, where there has been emancipation from this ancient heritage, this has tended to produce not a pure religion but natural reaction to atheism.
But what is now in the New Testament can only be. utilised constructively when we are uninhabited by a religious compulsion to assume that the records about Jesus were divinely inspired. We must hold that they rate no higher that what can be established as to their reliability. They do not pass the test very well, though they certainly incorporate a good deal which is of the utmost value. The authors had to write up their subject with rather meagre resources of documentation and living recollection. This was because of the Jewish revolt against Rome in A. D. 66, which resulted in the devastation of Palestine and Jerusalem and largely extinguished access to further information. Actually we are better placed now then they were. When the Gospels were composed, legends, special pleading, new environment of Christianity after the war and a changed view of the nature of Jesus, gave them a flavour of which we have to be fully conscious when we enlist their essential aid in the quest for the historical Jesus.
Already it is evident that no modern Christian scholar of any repute any longer consider Jesus to be divine in any other sense than as a man who best expressed what what God wanted to be in his own time. Jesus is, therefore, a man of his time who is a highly placed and respected Prophet of God, nothing more or less.
(ICRA)