Joanna Broyles
It is just astonishing how two
empires located so closely together geographically, could be so distinctly
diverse when it comes to one of the major figures of religion, Jesus. In the
Islamic empire, Jesus was viewed as only a messenger from Allah, or God. They
believed that there was, is, and always will be only one Allah, not three as
thought by the Christians in the Byzantine empire. This three, or the holy
trinity, is God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. However, in the Qur’an, Mary is
mentioned in place of the Holy Spirit. In Mark 14:61-62 Jesus directly
announced that he was the son of god, but the Qur’an contradicts this in Surah
4:171. These are the two primary sources that this research was fixated upon. In summary, the Islamic empire, which was predominantly Muslim, believed that Jesus was not divine, so therefore he could not be Allah's child. However, the Byzantine Empire, which was mainly Christian, believed that Jesus was God's son and that made him divine. This is one of the biggest contradictory stumbling blocks between these two great empires.
Paraphrase 1
In Mark 14:61-62, Jesus is asked
many questions. One of those questions was
if he was actually the messiah, or the son of God. Jesus replied that he is the Lord, and the
Lord is here with him.
o
This is one example of Jesus risking his life
saying he was the son of God. If he wasn’t, would any normal person be willing
to die one of the most gruesome deaths because of something they weren’t?
o
Right after Judas, one of his twelve disciples
betrays him.
§
Greets him with a kiss in the garden of
Gethsemane with a crowd of men carrying swords and clubs. These are Roman
soldiers.
o
He is ultimately arrested after Judas betrays
him
o
After his arrest he is sent to a trial before a
council of priests, elders and teachers of the religious laws.
o
His answer is very important because he is
risking his life by saying he is actually the messiah.
§
If he didn’t, his life could have been spared
and he would have lived a life longer than just 30 some odd years.
§
This seals his fate of imminent execution by the
cross.
o
This is not the only time he has been in a
nearly deadly situation because of him saying he is the messiah.
§
Once, when he used the name that God revealed to
Moses to refer to himself, even using the Torah for context so he wouldn’t be
misunderstood by the crowd.
·
He basically said “I am the God of Israel” and
the Jews didn’t like that so much. So they nearly stoned him to death, but
Jesus snuck away.
o
Because Jesus is not afraid to die for what he
believes in, but not many others, it is easy to believe he is actually the son
of God.
Paraphrase 2
In Surah 4:171, the Qur’an says that
people of the book (Christians and Jews) should not say anything about Allah
that isn’t the truth. Jesus is no more than a messenger, a prophet. Do not
believe in Jesus as being god’s son; believe in Allah and all of his
messengers. There is no such thing as a “trinity”. There is only one god and he
is above having a son, because he doesn’t need one. Everything on earth and in
heaven belongs to him, and he is enough as a giver of tasks to us mortals.
o
How Muslims and Christians think of Jesus is one
of the fine lines that separate the two religions.
o
Do agree on virgin birth by Mary
§
However, Muslims do not believe that Jesus is
the son of god because he is not a physical being, and therefore cannot give
girth or be a father, so no children for him
o
Muslim is the only other religion other than
Christianity that requires for its followers to commit to an option on who
Jesus is
§
This brings the two religions closer together
while pulling it further apart
o
Jesus being a prophet is foundational for Muslims
§
There to bring judgment on those who worship
idols while turning others towards Allah
·
He is not divine but no less than that either
o
To reject him is sacrilegious.
o
New Testament of the Bible focuses on Jesus,
while the Qur’an only speaks of how he was a prophet, and not very much more.
Mostly of his gospel, specific teachings aren’t mentioned.
§
Distinctive elements of his life the same
·
His birth
·
And his miracles
·
And the miraculous events on the cross
o
Miracles represent the power of god, not how
Jesus was divine.
o
Muslims also don’t believe Jesus was crucified
and that he was raised from the dead.
§
To make sense of this they decided that he is
awaiting the end of time, and then he will defeat the antichrist and champion
the cause of Islam. He will then die a natural death.
§
What happened on the cross
·
Muslim view of rescue from a physical death
contrasts Christian view of a physical death followed by a hopeful
resurrection.
·
Theories were also produced of a substitute for
Jesus was killed on the cross, not actually Jesus.
o
Believe that Christians do a disservice to him
by focusing on his divinity, not his prophetic messages.
o
Does Jesus have to be both a bride and a gap
between Islam and Christianity?
kIn conclusion, the debate between whether or not Jesus is divine can be one of the greatest controversies between two of the greatest empires, the Byzantine and the Islamic.
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