The Islamic and Christian views of Jesus: a comparison

The person of Jesus or Isa in Arabic (peace be upon him) is of great significance in both Islam
and Christianity. However, there are differences in terms of beliefs about the nature and life
occurrences of this noble Messenger.

Source of information about Jesus in Islam

Most of the Islamic information about Jesus is actually found in the Quran.

The Quran was revealed by God to Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), and
memorized and written down in his lifetime. Today, anyone who calls him or herself a Muslim
believes in the complete authenticity of the Quran as the original revealed guidance from God.

Source of information about Jesus in Christianity

Christians take their information about Jesus from the Bible, which includes the Old and New
Testaments.

These contain four biblical narratives covering the life and death of Jesus. They have been
written, according to tradition, respectively by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. They are placed
at the beginning of the New Testament and comprise close to half of it.

Encyclopedia Britannica notes that none of the sources of his life and work can be traced to
Jesus himself; he did not leave a single known written word. Also, there are no contemporary
accounts written of his life and death. What can be established about the historical Jesus
depends almost without exception on Christian traditions, especially on the material used in
the composition of the Gospels of Mark, Matthew, and Luke, which reflect the outlook of the
later church and its faith in Jesus.

Below are the views of Islam and Christianity based on primary source texts and core beliefs.

ISLAM

1. Do Muslims believe he was a Messenger of One God? YES

Belief in all of the Prophets and Messengers of God is a fundamental article of faith in Islam.
Thus, believing in Prophets Adam, Jesus, Moses, and Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon them)
is a requirement for anyone who calls him or herself a Muslim. A person claiming to be a Muslim
who, for instance, denies the Messengership of Jesus, is not considered a Muslim.

The Quran says in reference to the status of Jesus as a Messenger:

"The Messiah (Jesus), son of Mary, was no more than a Messenger before whom many Messengers
have passed away; and his mother adhered wholly to truthfulness, and they both ate food (as
other mortals do). See how We make Our signs clear to them; and see where they are turning
away!" (Quran 5:75).

2. Do Muslims believe he was born of a Virgin Mother? YES

Like Christians, Muslims believe Mary, Maria in Spanish, or Maryam as she is called in Arabic,
was a chaste, virgin woman, who miraculously gave birth to Jesus.

"Relate in the Book the story of Mary, when she withdrew from her family, to a place in the
East. She screened herself from them; then We sent to her Our spirit (angel Gabriel) and he
appeared before her as a man in all respects. She said: I seek refuge from you in God Most
Gracious (come not near) if you do fear God. He said: Nay, I am only a Messenger from your
Lord, to announce to you the gift of a pure son. She said: How shall I have a son, when no man
has ever touched me, and I am not unchaste? He said: So it will be, your Lord says: ‘That is
easy for Me; and We wish to appoint him as a sign unto men and a Mercy from Us': It was a
matter so decreed" (Quran 19:16-21).

3. Do Muslims believe Jesus had a miraculous birth? YES

The Quran says:

"She (Mary) said: ‘O my Lord! How shall I have a son when no man has touched me.' He (God)
said: ‘So (it will be) for God creates what He wills. When He has decreed something, He says to
it only: ‘Be!'- and it is" (3:47).

It should also be noted about his birth that:

"Verily, the likeness of Jesus in God's Sight is the likeness of Adam. He (God) created him
from dust, then (He) said to him: ‘Be!'-and he was" (Quran 3:59).

4. Do Muslims believe Jesus spoke in the cradle? YES

"Then she (Mary) pointed to him. They said: ‘How can we talk to one who is a child in the
cradle?' He (Jesus) said: ‘Verily! I am a slave of God, He has given me the Scripture and made
me a Prophet; " (19:29-30).

5. Do Muslims believe he performed miracles? YES

Muslims, like Christians believe Jesus performed miracles. But these were performed by the will
and permission of God, Who has power and control over all things.

"Then will God say: ‘O Jesus the son of Mary! recount My favor to you and to your mother.
Behold! I strengthened you with the Holy Spirit (the angel Gabriel) so that you did speak to
the people in childhood and in maturity. Behold! I taught you the Book and Wisdom, the Law and
the Gospel. And behold: you make out of clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, by My leave,
and you breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by My leave, and you heal those born blind, and
the lepers by My leave. And behold! you bring forth the dead by My leave. And behold! I did
restrain the children of Israel from (violence to you) when you did show them the Clear Signs,
and the unbelievers among them said: ‘This is nothing but evident magic' (5:110).

6. Do Muslims believe in the Trinity? NO

Muslims believe in the Absolute Oneness of God, Who is a Supreme Being free of human
limitations, needs and wants. He has no partners in His Divinity. He is the Creator of
everything and is completely separate from His creation.

God says in the Quran regarding the Trinity:

"People of the Book (Jews and Christians)! Do not exceed the limits in your religion, and
attribute to God nothing except the truth. The Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, was only a
Messenger of God, and His command that He conveyed unto Mary, and a spirit from Him. So believe
in God and in His Messengers, and do not say: ‘God is a Trinity.' Give up this assertion; it
would be better for you. God is indeed just One God. Far be it from His glory that He should
have a son. To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and in the earth. God is sufficient for a
guardian" (Quran 4:171).

7. Do Muslims believe that Jesus was the son of God? NO

"Say: "God is Unique! God, the Source [of everything]. He has not fathered anyone nor was He
fathered, and there is nothing comparable to Him!" (Quran 112:1-4).

The Quran also states:

"Such was Jesus, the son of Mary; it is a statement of truth, about which they vainly dispute.
It is not befitting to the majesty of God, that He should beget a son. Glory be to Him! When He
determines a matter, He only says to it, ‘Be' and it is" (Quran 19:34-35).

8. Do Muslims believe Jesus was killed on the cross then resurrected? NO

"“They did not kill him, nor did they crucify him, but they thought they did.” (Quran 4:156)
“God lifted him up to His presence. God is Almighty, All-Wise” (Quran 4:157) .

CHRISTIANITY

1. Do Christians believe Jesus was a human being and Messenger of God? YES & NO

With the exception of Unitarian Christians, who like all the early followers of Jesus, still do
not believe in the Trinity, most Christians now believe in the Divinity of Jesus, which is
connected to the belief in Trinity. They say he is the second member of the Triune God, the Son
of the first part of the Triune God, and at the same time "fully" God in every respect.

2. Do Christians believe he was born of a Virgin Mother? YES

A chaste and pious human woman who gave birth to Jesus Christ, the second member of the
Trinity, the Son of God, and at the same time "fully" God Almighty in every respect.

Christians believe however, that while she was a virgin, she was married to a man named Joseph
(Bible: Matthew:1:18). According to Matthew 1:25, Joseph "kept her a virgin until she gave
birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus".

3. Do Christians believe he had a miraculous birth? YES

"Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows. When His mother Mary had been betrothed to
Joseph, before they came together, she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit" (Bible:
Matthew 1:18)

4. Do Christians believe he performed miracles? YES

"And now, Lord, look upon their threats, and grant to thy servants to speak thy word with all
boldness, while thou stretches out thy hand to heal, and sign and wonders are performed through
the name of thy holy servant Jesus (Bible: Acts 4:30).

Christians believe that Jesus performed these miracles because he was the Son of God as well as
the incarnation of God.

5. Do Christians believe in the Trinity? YES

With the exception of the Unitarian Christians, who do not believe in the Divinity of Christ,
the Trinity, according to the Catholic encyclopedia, is the term used for the central doctrine
of the Christian religion. The belief is that in the unity of the Godhead there are Three
Persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three Persons or beings are distinct
from each another, while being similar in character: uncreated and omnipotent.

The First Vatican Council has explained the meaning to be attributed to the term mystery in
theology. It lays down that a mystery is a truth which we are not merely incapable of
discovering apart from Divine Revelation, but which, even when revealed, remains "hidden by the
veil of faith and enveloped, so to speak, by a kind of darkness" (Const., "De fide. cath.",
iv). The First Vatican Council further defined that the Christian Faith contains mysteries
strictly so called (can. 4). All theologians admit that the doctrine of the Trinity is of the
number of these. The Catholic Encyclopedia notes that of all revealed truths, this is the most
impenetrable to reason.

6. Do Christians believe that Jesus was the son of God? YES

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him should not
perish but have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through Him (Bible: John 3:16).

However, it is interesting to note that the term "son of God" is used in other parts of the
Bible to refer to Adam (Bible: Luke 3:38), Israel (Bible: Exodus 4:22) and David (Bible: Psalms
2:7) as well. The creatures of God are usually referred to in the Bible as children of God.

The role of Paul of Tarsus in shaping this belief and the belief in Trinity

The notion of Jesus as son of God is something that was established under the influence of Paul
of Tarsus (originally named Saul), who had been an enemy of Jesus, but later changed course and
joined the disciples after the departure of Jesus.

Later, however, he initiated a number of changes into early Christian teachings, in
contradiction, for instance, to disciples like Barnabas, who believed in the Oneness of God and
who had actually lived and met with Jesus.

Paul is considered by a number of Christian scholars to be the father of Christianity due to
his additions of the following ideas:

o

that Jesus is the son of God,
o

the concept of Atonement,
o

the renunciation of the Law of the Torah.

Paul did these things in hopes of winning over the Gentiles (non-Jewish people). His letters
are another of the primary sources of information on Jesus according to the Christian tradition.

The original followers of Prophet Jesus opposed these blatant misrepresentations of the message
of Jesus. They struggled to reject the notion of the Divinity of Jesus for close to 200 years.

One person who was an original follower of Jesus was Barnabas. He was a Jew born in Cyrus and a
successful preacher of the teachings of Jesus. Because of his closeness to Jesus, he was an
important member of the small group of disciples in Jerusalem who had had gathered together
following the disappearance of Jesus.

The question of Jesus's nature, origin and relationship with God was not raised amongst
Barnabas and the small group of disciples. Jesus was considered a man miraculously endowed by
God. Nothing in the words of Jesus or the events in his life led them to modify this view.

The Gospel of Barnabas was accepted as a Canonical Gospel in the Churches of Alexandria till
325 CE Iranaeus (130-200) wrote in support of pure monotheism and opposed Paul for injecting
into Christianity doctrines of the pagan Roman religion and Platonic philosophy. He quoted
extensively from the Gospel of Barnabas in support of his views. This indicates that the Gospel
of Barnabas was in circulation in the first and second centuries of Christianity.

In 325 (CE), a council of Christian leaders met at Nicaea and made Paul's beliefs officially
part of Christian doctrine. It also ordered that all original Gospels in Hebrew script which
contradicted Paul's beliefs should be destroyed. An edict was issued that anyone in possession
of these Gospels would be put to death.

The Gospel of Barnabas has miraculously survived though.

7. Do Christians believe he was killed on the cross? YES

This is a core Christian belief and it relates to the concept of atonement. According to this
belief, Jesus died to save mankind from sin. However, this is not stated explicitly in the four
gospels which form the primary source texts of Christianity. It is found, however, in Romans 6:8,9.

Christians believe Jesus was spat on, cut, humiliated, kicked, striped and finally hung up on
the cross to endure a slow and painful death.

According, to Christian belief, the original sin of Adam and Eve of eating from the forbidden
tree was so great that God could not forgive it by simply willing it, rather it was necessary
to erase it with the blood of a sinless, innocent Jesus.

Resurrection

The four Gospels and the Epistles of St. Paul are the main sources of Christianity which
discuss the Resurrection of Jesus after his crucifixion. According to St. Matthew, Jesus
appeared to the holy women, and again on a mountain in Galilee. Mark's Gospel tells a different
story: Jesus was seen by Mary Magdalene, by the two disciples at Emmaus, and the Eleven before
his Ascension into heaven.

Luke's Gospel says Jesus walked with the disciples to Emmaus, appeared to Peter and to the
assembled disciples in Jerusalem. In John's Gospel, Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene, to the
ten Apostles on Easter Sunday, to the Eleven a week later, and to seven disciples at the Sea of
Tiberias.

Another account of the resurrection by St. Paul is found in Bible: Corinthians 15: 3-8.

According to Christian belief, Resurrection is a manifestation of God's justice, Who exalted
Christ to a life of glory, as Christ had humbled himself unto death (Phil., 2: 8-9). This event
also completes the mystery of Christian salvation and redemption. The death of Jesus frees
believers from sin, and with his resurrection, he restores to them the most important
privileges lost by sin (Bible: Romans 4:25).

More importantly, the belief in the resurrection of Jesus indicates Christian acknowledgment of
Christ as the immortal God, the cause of believers' own resurrection (Bible: I Corinthians 4:
21; Phil., 3:20-21), as well as the model and the support of a new life of grace (Bible: Romans
4: 4-6; 9-11).
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