Realities of Jesus as found in the Quran and Bible(whole book posted)
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MARY MAGDALENE
SAINT OR SINNER?The above heading was printed in extra bold face over a two-page spread in the Canadian Edition of TIME magazine. The sub-title read A new wave of literature is cleaning up her reputation. How a woman of substance was ?harlotized?. Under the heading ?MARY MAGDALENE? were two pictures. One was of a young woman, absolutely nude, sleeping on the ground with leaves scattered around, her hands raised towards her raised head to show her bare breasts, her right leg raised higher than her body to hide her lower body. That was the image of ?The Adulteress? or ?The Sinful Woman? of the Gospel. In other words, Mary Magdalene was either of the two. There was also a chalk drawn sketch. The portrait of an innocent looking face of a young woman, with her long hair neatly tied and her eyes gazing downwards to the earth. That image was of ?Saint Mary Magdalene?. Here are some interesting excerpts from that TIME magazine
Mary Magdalene?s image became distorted when early church leaders bundled into her story those of several less distinguished women whom the Bible did not name or referred to without the last name.
The mix-up was made official by Pope Gregory the Great in 591 ?She whom Luke calls the sinful woman, whom John calls Mary , we believe to be the Mary from whom seven devils were ejected according to Mark.? Gregory declared in a sermon. That position became church teaching. Although it was not adopted by Orthodoxy or Protestantism when each later split from Catholicism.
Magdalene?s witness to the Resurrection, rather than being acclaimed as an act of discipleship in some ways greater than the men?s, was reduced to the final stage in a moving but far less central tale about the redemption of a repentant sinner.Jane Schaberg writes in The Resurrection of Mary Magdalene ?The pattern is a common one, the powerful woman disempowered, remembered as a whore or whorish.? She added ?I think it was a power struggle, and the canonical texts that we have come from the winners.? David Van Biema, author of the four page article in TIME, writes ?any retrieval of Magdalene as a ?winner? inevitably shakes up current assumptions about male church leadership. After Pope John Pope II prohibited even the discussion of female priests in 1995, he cited ?the example recorded in the Sacred Scriptures of Christ choosing his apostles only from among men??? Van Biema has also given details of an active group in San Jose, California called ?Neo-Magdalenes?.
Thirteen centuries later and more than two decades after the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls and Nag Hammadi Library in 1945, ?In 1969, in the liturgical equivalent of fine print, the Catholic Church officially separated Luke?s sinful woman, Mary of Bethany and Mary Magdalene as part of a general revision of its missal?, records the author David Van Biema. I, for one, do not see any apology or sincere attempt on the part of the Church to reinstate Mary Magdalene to her rightful status.
The stigma of ?the sinful woman? attached to Mary Magdalene - a dedicated disciple and apostle of Jesus, may be erased gradually by the waves of new literature that are crusading for the truth and justice for this woman. On the other hand, a passionate movement appealing to the Christian Church to admit the past error of the ?mix-up? and recognize Mary as the first woman apostle could remove the shame instantly. The true story of Mary could inspire other women to participate actively in the Church.If the ?Good News? of Jesus was for equal consumption by men and women, then the ?Gospel of Jesus according to Apostle Mary? could be the Fifth Gospel of the New Testament. No one can deny, not even the Pope or the Archbishop of Canterbury that God had sent the ?historical Jesus? upon this earth through the womb of a woman who carried the weight of Baby Jesus for months. All the Messengers of God (with the exception of Adam), and all the Popes and the Archbishops came on this earth only after their mothers carried them in the womb.
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JESUS EXALTED IN STATUS -- NOT PHYSICALLY RAISED
TO HEAVENBelow are two translations and two commentaries
- Translation by Dr. Mohammad Asad
?For, of a certainty, they did not slay him nay, God exalted unto Himself ? and God is indeed almighty, wise.?
Qur?an 4 157/158Commentary # 172 by Dr. Asad
Cf. 355, where God says to Jesus, "Verily, I shall cause thee to die, and shall exalt thee unto Me." The verb rafa'ahu (lit., "he raised him" or "elevated him" has always, whenever the act of raf' ("elevating" of human being is attributed to God, the meaning of "honouring" or "exalting". Nowhere in the Qur?an is there any warrant for the popular belief that God has "taken up" Jesus bodily, in his lifetime, into heaven. The expression "God exalted him unto Himself" in the above verse denotes the elevation of Jesus to the realm of God's special grace - a blessing in which all prophets partake, as it is evident from 1957, where the verb rafa'nahu ("We exalted him" is used with regard to the Prophet Idris. (See also Muhammad Abduh in Manar III, 316 f., and VI, 20f.) The "nay" (bal) at the beginning of the sentence is meant to stress the contrast between belief of the Jew that they had put Jesus to a shameful death on the cross and the fact of God's having "exalted him unto Himself."
- Translation by Abdullah Yusuf Ali
?For of a surety they killed him not - Nay, Allah raised him up unto Himself; and Allah is Exalted in Power, Wise? Qur?an 4 157/158.
Commentary # 664 by Yusuf Ali (The first edition)
There is a difference of opinion as to the exact interpretation of this verse. The words are ?The Jews did not kill Jesus, but God raised him up (rafa?a) to Himself.? One school holds that Jesus did not die the usual human death, but still lives in the body in heaven; another holds that he did die but not when he was supposed to be crucified, and that his being ?raised up? unto God means that instead of being disgraced as a malefactor, as the Jews intended, he was on the contrary honoured by God as His Apostle see also next verse. The same word rafa?a is used in association with honour in connection with Mustafa in 94. 4. (End of commentary).Another verse in connection with the exaltation
Lo! God said ?O Jesus! Verily, I shall cause thee to die, and shall exalt thee (mutawaffe-ka wa-raafi?u-ka), unto Me and cleanse thee of those who are bent on denying the truth?? Q. 3 55The sequence of the above Message is crucial. The first action is; ?cause thee to die? and thereafter comes the action of ?shall exalt thee?. To say; Jesus has been Raised up with his physical body to Heaven and is yet ?alive? and will die after his ?Second Coming? to earth at the ?End Time? is to reverse the sequence of that revealed Message. The dictionary meaning of ascension reads; ?the action of ascending in status? and God did raise the status of Jesus, after the event of his nailing.
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THE LESSON FOR MEN ENDOWED WITH DEEPER KNOWLEDGE ? THE GNOSIS
?We appointed immortality for no mortal before thee. What! if thou diest, can they be immortal?? Qur?an 21 34.
?Muhammad is but a messenger, messengers (the like of whom) have passed away before him?? Qur?an 3 144.
?And before thy time, We never sent any but men, whom We inspired, from among the people of the community ?? Qur?an 12 109
The last revelation is in its negative form and empathetically tells us that all the messengers of God were mortal men and as such they have died. There is no mention that Jesus was an exception. Two verses later, the Qur?an reveals in verse 12 111
Indeed, in the stories of these men there is a lesson for those who are endowed with insight. It is not a discourse invented, nay indeed, it is confirming the truth of whatever there still remains , clearly spelling out everything and guidance and grace unto people who will believe.
The Arabic phrase Uulil?albab translated above as ?those who are endowed with insight? is a reference to men who have insight into Gnosticism. The enigmatic term ?Gnostic? is derived from the Greek word gnosis meaning ?knowledge? and is also understood to be ?a divinely endowed insight?. The stories of the earlier messengers (including Jesus) have lessons in the documents that remain for us to read and discover. They offer ?guidance and grace? to people who have deeper knowledge and insight than normal. Some of the passages from the church canonized fourth Gospel and the letters of Paul are also Gnostic philosophies. Biblical editors have described these canonized passages as the ?combating forms of Gnosticism?. Thus there are ?Gnostic texts? inside and outside of the canonized Gospels. Those endowed with gnosis should not be unwilling to rediscover realities within the documents created by the apostles of Jesus whom he himself chose during his ministry. The Greek
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The Saviour?s teaching makes up the substantial core of the Gospel of Mary, and Jesus is the central figure in salvation. He is called the Lord and Savior, and his teaching holds the key to eternal life with God. But the interpretation of that teaching in the Gospel of Mary differs radically from other common understandings.
The Gospel of Mary focuses instead on Jesus as a teacher and mediator of divine revelation. The Savior teaches that at death, the human body dissolves into the elements out of which it came; only the spiritual soul is immortal and lives forever. This knowledge leads people to discover the truth about themselves ? that they are spiritual beings made in the Image of God -- and it allows them to overcome the worldly attachments and bodily passions that lead to suffering and death. Therefore the final goal of salvation is not the resurrection of the body at the end of the age, but the ascent of the soul to God -- both in this life by following the Savior?s teaching, and at death when the bonds between the body and the soul are loosened beyond time and eternity.28
MARY WAS ?AN APOSTLE OF THE APOSTLES?
Below are some more excerpts from THE GOSPEL OF MARY (BG 8502, I), A Coptic manuscript of this Gospel of Mary has been dated to the early fifth century, and a Greek fragment has been dated to the early third century.
After greeting his disciples with the usual greeting of ?Peace be with you? Jesus instructs them to go and preach the gospel of the kingdom to others?
When he had said this, he departed. But they were grieved. They wept greatly, saying ?How shall we go to the Gentiles and preach the gospel of the kingdom of the Son of Man? If they did not spare him, how will they spare us?? Then Mary stood up, greeted them all, and said to her brethren, ?Do not weep and do not grieve nor be irresolute, for his grace will be entirely with you and will protect you. But rather let us praise his greatness, for he has prepared us (and) made us into men.? When Mary said this, she turned their hearts to the Good, and they began to discuss the words of the .
Peter said to Mary, ?Sister, We know that the Saviour loved you more than the rest of women. Tell us the words of The Saviour which you remember- which you know (but) we do not nor have we heard them.? Mary answered and said, ?What is hidden from you I will proclaim to you.?
Then Mary wept and said to Peter, ?My brother Peter, what do you think? Do you think that I thought this up myself in my heart, or that I am lying about the Saviour?? Levi answered and said to Peter, ?Peter, you have always been hot tempered. Now I see you contending against the woman like the adversaries. But if the Saviour made her worthy, who are you indeed to reject her? Surely, the Saviour knows her very well. That is why he loved her more than us. Rather let us be ashamed??
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MARY SAT NEXT TO JESUS
AT THE LAST SUPPEROne of the world?s widely acclaimed and admired masterpiece of the divine painting, ?The Last Supper? painted by Leonardo Da Vinci, has started a significant controversy.
This masterpiece of art was commissioned by the Duke of Milan, Ludovico Sfroza in 1495 and was completed by Leonardo in 1498. It is painted on the northern wall of a Church named Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy. This painting measures fifteen by twenty-nine feet. The technique employed by Leonardo was unprecedented. It is not a fresco but a sort of tempera on stone. Many other painters of the Last Supper have shown six apostles facing the viewer and the other six with their backs to the onlooker. Leonardo has arranged all the thirteen (Jesus included) facing the viewer so they can be easily identified. To appreciate this masterpiece of art which billions have admired and to understand the nature of this controversy, one should visit the under mentioned Internet Website (see the footnote), or obtain a full colored reproduction.
Upon having a closer look at the apostle number six from left to right one immediately notices that this disciple has no beard or mustache and has long reddish brown hair flowing down the neck. The face and the upper body look like that of a young woman. Moreover this person is sitting at a prestigious position, on the right hand of Jesus. Is this disciple apostle John or Mary Magdalene? The appearance of the painting alone may not be conclusive. The ?Fourth Gospel? has recorded text concerning the individual sitting next to Jesus, who was in a position to lean on the bosom of Jesus.
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'THE LAST SUPPER'
A Masterpiece Divine Painting
by Leonardo Da VinciPlease read the following verses carefully. For the time being, please read the verses ignoring the gender of the pronoun used by the editor
When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, ?Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.?
Then the disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom he spake.
Now there was leaning on Jesus? bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved.
Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him, that he should ask who it should be of whom he spake.
He then lying on Jesus? breast saith unto him, Lord, who is it? (Fourth Gospel 13 21 to 25).The bible scholars and editors have suggested that this disciple whom Jesus loved and was found lying on Jesus? breast was the author of the ?Fourth Gospel? and his name was John. The important question is how do they know that for a fact? In the above verses no name of that disciple is given nor any indication that that disciple had written the gospel. Nowhere in the New Testament is it recorded that the name of the person sitting on the right hand of Jesus at the Last Supper was John.
The following introduction to the fourth gospel by editors of the New Revised and Updated 6th edition of K.J.V., reads ?John?s name is never mentioned in the book, but it is assumed that he is referring to himself when he speaks of the disciple ?whom Jesus loved? and who leaned against the bosom of Jesus.? The above introduction is in reality an admission by the editor of KJV that this is an ?assumption? and not a fact.
As for the apostle John having written the fourth gospel we know that he was a fisherman before he joined the ministry of Jesus. The Book of Acts records that when Peter and John were brought before the Jewish rulers, the rulers ?perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men,? (Acts 4 13, K.J.V.).In chapter nineteen of the fourth gospel there are detailed accounts of what transpired on the cross and the giving of Jesus? body by Pilate to Joseph of Arimathea. Matthew records that when Jesus was arrested ?all the disciples forsake him, and fled.? (Mt. 26 56). However, Mary Magdalene and other women who were standing in front of the cross had observed first hand the details of what had transpired. Mary being an eyewitness was in a better position than John to write the accounts that have been recorded in the fourth gospel.
The Gospel of Mary has been recently discovered from Nag Hammadi and that supports the likelihood of her having written this gospel. The Bible does not record; ?Jesus loved John more than the other disciples?. On the other hand the Nag Hammadi documents clearly record; Jesus loved Mary more than other disciples.
Under the circumstances the leaning of Mary on the bosom of Jesus among disciples is very likely and understandable. Even in this era of a ?permissible society? a Jewish male of marriageable age with a beard would not encourage or permit a younger Jewish male without a beard to ?lean on his bosom?, especially before the other members of his own community to whom he is preaching the Jewish Laws. Whereas, it would not be abnormal for a married Jewish woman, to lean on the bosom of her husband, before the close knit members of her own community. It is likely that Mary Magdalene, whom the Gnostic Gospels call a ?companion of the Saviour?, had a marital relationship. Was ?companion? a Gnostic terminology, for ?spouse?? Leonardo had collected old biblical manuscripts. One such was recently purchased by Bill Gates. Did he know from these original documents that the one sitting next to Jesus was his life long companion? If Leonardo knew that person was Apostle John, it is unlikely he could have painted John without beard or moustache on a temple wall.30
JESUS HAD A SON?
The apostle Philip was probably the third disciple to join Jesus and probably accompanied Jesus during most of his ministry. He was an eyewitness to several historical events that took place in the life of Jesus, before and after the event of the Cross. The Gospel of Phillip includes crucial texts concerning Jesus having offspring. Wesley W. Isenberg, the translator of the text, observes that the gospel has made an important contribution to our knowledge of early Christian beliefs and that the author Philip was not a radical person.
The Gospel of Philip makes an important contribution to our rather limited knowledge of Gnostic sacramental theology and practice. The sacraments exhibited in the Gospel of Philip are similar to those used by Christians in the Great Church for the initiation of candidates. Thus the Gnostics who wrote and used the present text had not departed radically from the orthodox sacramental practice; yet the interpretation provided for the sacraments clearly remain Gnostic.?
It is no surprise that the following text from The Gospel of Philip upholds the prophecy made by Isaiah and recorded in (53 10). One can now say that the rediscovered portion of the New Testament supports the text of the Old Testament.?There is the Son of man and there is the son of the Son of man. The Lord is the Son of man, and the son of the Son of man is he who is created through the Son of man. ?He also has the ability to beget.?
Jesus often called himself ?Son of man?. If Jesus ? the Son of man, had a son then the mother of that child could be Mary Magdalene the one who was sitting on the right hand of Jesus and was leaning on his bosom at the Last Supper.
May the Gospel Truth that remained ?Hidden? for the last 1600 years in the belly of Nag Hammadi, prevail upon the hearts, the minds and the souls of the People of the Gospel. May the Qur?anic Truth that was ?uncomprehending? for the last 1400 years, prevail upon the hearts, the minds and the souls of the People of the Qur?an.
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THE ?RETURN OF JESUS?
AT THE ?END TIME?!For those who are anxiously waiting for the imminent ?Return of Jesus? from heaven and have their beliefs based upon the Church advocated Gospels, here is the Rediscovered Truth
Bible scholars like Dr. Constantine von Tischendorf, who after having personally examined the original hand written copies of the oldest available Four Gospels have noted that the texts for the physical ascension of Jesus to heaven or Jesus being carried by the angels to heaven, are lacking in these ancient documents. The texts that are found within the published copies of the circulating gospels on the subject of the physical ascension of Jesus have been added centuries later.
Since the True (unedited) Gospels do not record the physical ascension of Jesus to heaven, to wait for his return can be regarded as building a house upon soft ground.
For the vast majority of those who are eagerly waiting for the ?Return of Jesus? from the heaven and have their beliefs based upon the verses of the Qur?an, here is the Revealed TruthThe verses of the Qur?an were revealed to the prophet in Arabic. Within Arabic Text of the Qur?an, the evidence for the coming of Jesus at the End Time or at any time in the future is lacking. The name of Jesus does not appear in the Arabic Text of the verse 43 61, the only verse put forward by some scholars as an evidence for his second coming. The translators who have already accepted the concept for the ?Second Coming of Jesus? from the traditional beliefs have inserted the name ?Jesus? within brackets in their translations. One such example from Abdullah Yusuf Ali?s English translation is given below. Besides, inserting the name of Jesus with the brackets, Yusuf Ali has mistranslated the Arabic word I?lm. Literally, this Arabic word translates ?knowledge? but instead we find the word ?Sign? in its place. The verse number 60, which immediately precedes the verse 43 61, deals with the ?angels? and not with Jesus. Hence, the insertion of name ?Jesus? in the ensuing verse number 61 is a pure conjecture and lacks the needed support from the Qur?an.
Please compare the following two translations as well as their related commentaries. The first translator has taken the liberty of inserting ?within the brackets? the name of Jesus. The second has not taken such a liberty with the revealed text. Please also notice how the concepts have changed drastically by such an insertion- Translation by Abdullah Yusuf Ali
And (Jesus) shall be a Sign (for the coming of) the Hour (of Judgment) therefore have no doubt about the (Hour) but follow ye Me this is a Straight Way. Qur?an 43 61.
Commentary Number 4662 by A. Yusuf Ali
This is understood to refer to the second coming of Jesus in the Last Days before the Resurrection, when he will destroy the false doctrines that pass under his name, and prepare the way for the universal acceptance of Islam, the Gospel of Unity and Peace, the Straight Way of the Qur'an.
- Translation by Dr. Muhammad Asad
AND, BEHOLD, this is indeed a means to know the Last Hour ; hence, have no doubt whatever about it, but follow Me this is a straight way.
Commentary Number 41 by Dr. Muhammad Asad
Whereas most of the commentators regard the pronoun hu in innahu as relating to Jesus and, consequently, interpret the above phrase as "he is indeed a means to know the Last Hour", some authorities - e.g., Qatadah, Al-Hasan Al-Basri and Said ibn Jubayr (all of them quoted by Tabari, Badhawi and Ibn Kathir) - relate the pronoun to the Quran, and understand the phrase in the sense adopted in my rendering. The specific mention of the Last Hour in the above context is meant to stress man's ultimate responsibility before the Creator and, therefore, the fact that worship is due to Him alone and so this parenthetic passage follows logically upon the mention of the false deification of Jesus.
The translation Number One contradicts the following revealed verses of the Qur?an. To believe that Jesus will come first and will rule the earth for such and such period and will wipe out all the evils from the earth and thereafter will come the End Time is to negate the following two verses of the Qur?an, which declares that the End Time will come suddenly. Jesus also spoke of the agreed time to come suddenly and none knows of its day or hour except the God.
And they say When will this promise be fulfilled, if ye are truthful? They await but one Shout, which will surprise them while they are disputing. Then they cannot make bequest, nor can they return to their own folk. Qur?an 36 48 ? 50
There are sects within Islam that have sprung up based upon the concept of ?some one? physically coming down from the heaven and playing a major role for their own community. Again the question is why would not Allah mention within the revealed Arabic text the name of the entity that is to come and spare the Muslim Brotherhood from schism? The Qur?an declares that Muhammad is the seal of the Prophets meaning no Prophet of God will come after him. Are the anxiously awaiting followers of Islam also going to follow the Christ along with the awaiting Christians, or they will have a contest for Christ?
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CONCLUSION
THE TRUTH SHALL MAKE YOU FREE?
THE HISTORICAL JESUS was a Jew who lived in Palestine in the days of the Roman Governor Pontius Pilate, records the historian Flavius Josephus, a Pharisee who was working for the Romans. Josephus records that many Jews and Greeks were attracted by the words and deeds of this wise man. The gospels record that the ministry of Jesus was short-lived. During that brief period, he preached the ?Good News of God?s Kingdom?. To those who believed in him, Jesus told these essential things (1) ?If you abide in my word, then you are truly disciples of mine; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.? (2) ?I do nothing on my own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught me.? The fourth gospel also records that Jesus amazed his disciples with the performances of great miracles and informed his listeners that he always did the things that were pleasing to his Father. Jesus was a ?Righteous Prophet? acknowledges the Qur?an. Many Jews rejected him and some used to confront him to his face. Jesus simply told them to discover his realities in their own books. If they had believed in their own prophet Moses, they would have found Jesus in the writings of Moses. Jesus acknowledged, according to the prophecy of Moses, that he was similar to Moses.
The Qur?an reveals
And in their footsteps We sent Jesus the son of Mary, confirming The Torah that had come before him We sent him The Gospel therein was guidance and
light and confirmation of The Torah that had come before him. A guidance and an admonition to those who fear Allah.The Qur?an also reveals that all the earlier prophets were married and had offspring. That Jesus was no exception to this rule is supported by the text of the Gnostic Gospels discovered in 1945. The history of the earlier prophets recorded in the Qur?an tells us that the One who had sent His Prophets upon this earth had caused them to undergo a trial but in most cases when the prophets have called upon Allah, He had safe-guarded their lives. And thereafter, in the majority of the cases, the prophets? prestige had been restored and status elevated. 1) When the prophet Noah prayed to his God, he and his believers were saved from the great deluge and his disbelievers were drowned. 2) The prophet Abraham also prayed to his God when he was being cast into the burning fire. God saved Abraham. 3) The prophet Moses and his followers also prayed when they were being pursued by the mighty army of the Pharaoh and came to the Red Sea. Pharaoh and his army perished in that sea but Moses and his followers safely crossed. 4) The prophet Jonah also prayed from the belly of a great fish while he was ?fainting? and God saved him. 5) The prophet Jesus also cried to his God from the cross, while he was in great pain. Jesus had also ?fainted like Jonah? but to his enemies it was made to appear that he had died, when he had not. 6) The prophet Muhammad was also saved during his flight from Mecca to Medina when his enemies were on his trail. The prophet and his companion hid in a cave and also prayed like the earlier prophets. A freshly built spider?s web on the mouth of that cave misled the enemies into believing that no one had entered that cave. We also know that all these prophets obtained their due respect and honour only after their ordeals. Jesus was no exception. Today we know from the Nag Hammadi documents that God had fulfilled the prophecy made by Isaiah, and that supports the claim that this special prophecy was for Jesus. The Scrolls of Isaiah were written before the birth of Jesus Christ is well established from the fact that one such scroll was read by Jesus in a synagogue when he was known as a young son of Joseph the carpenter.
Just as Protestantism separated from Roman Catholicism, Jesus at the most may perhaps have thought of a schism in Judaism and liberating his fellow Jews from the dictates of the High Priests of the Temple in Jerusalem. Neither the prophet Abraham started a new religion bearing his own name, nor did the prophet Moses or prophet Jesus. History records that it was in Antioch, long after the ministry of Jesus had been concluded, that a ruler of northern and eastern Palestine named Herod Agrippa II asked a blunt question of Paul ?Are you so quickly persuading me to become a Christian?? With that perplexing counter question of Agrippa came into being the terms Christian and Christianity, unknown before that date. These two terms are not found in the Four Gospels, the Dead Sea Scrolls or in the Gnostic Gospels.
?THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST?
Mel Gibson, a born Catholic, invested over $ 25 million and co-scripted a ?mega movie? with the above title. This film projects the graphic and at times violent accounts of the repeated beatings and unending brutal scourging of Jesus by the Jewish Temple Guards and the Roman soldiers. These are far beyond what the gospel accounts have recorded. This highly publicized film was projected simultaneously all over the world on February 28, 2004 - a day of repentance for the Christians -- Ash Wednesday. The film will continue to rouse the feelings of millions of viewers, Christians and non-Christians around the world. The historical Jesus, who had no army, was no threat to Rome. Jesus - the one who was preaching the Law of Moses, was tried on several concocted charges by the Jewish Council. The High Priest found him guilty. The Chief Prosecutor of the Council handed Jesus to Pontius Pilate for a trial before the Roman Court. The Roman Governor refused to sentence Jesus. The Council members and the crowd finally got what they wanted. A verdict for the death of Jesus on the cross as a malefactor and a false Messiah. These scenes of the movie became a major issue of religious controversy. Did Mel Gibson make an anti-Semitic Movie? The world media unreservedly exploited that controversy by publishing its reviews on the front pages of newspapers and on television screens during prime times. The Church that had failed to sustain the attendance of church-goers during the last century found that kind of media publicity as the God given opportunity of its lifetime to glorify Jesus.
The acts of the ?historical Jesus? leading to the event of his trial, as recorded in the gospels, suggest that Jesus of Nazareth wanted to liberate his fellow Jews from the dictates of the Temple High Priests in Jerusalem. A noteworthy question from a historical perspective is Did that community and its progeny, for whom Jesus under went what this film depicts, remain liberated or did they simply move from the Temple Hierarchy in Jerusalem to the Church Hierarchy in Rome? Under the latter, the early Christian community lost its freedom to read freely the historical records and preaching of their Liberator (Saviour). If the laity had had that freedom, it is unlikely that the texts of the four gospels could have been re-written or the texts of Gnostic Gospels written by the apostles would have gone underground.
The scholars, who have scrutinized the texts of the Gnostic Gospels in their original language, are of the opinion that Jesus did meet his disciples, when he was supposed to be in heaven sitting on the right hand of God. The non-appearance of Jesus in public after the supposed Day of Ascension is quite understandable because the Roman Governor?s Judgment for the death of Jesus by crucifixion had not been fulfilled. Likewise, the Gospel records and other written documents within which the account of his life after the ?supposed? Day of his Ascension appeared, were regarded as classified documents for circulation in private. Thus the Church circulated stories of Jesus Christ sitting in the heaven got the needed credence. Dr. James H. Charlesworth writes?The Jesus traditions were edited by the Jesus followers. They composed their accounts and gospels in light of their fervent belief that God had raised Jesus from the dead and that soon he would return gloriously and triumphantly to earth. They did not intend to publish an objective biography of Jesus that could withstand the acids of modern criticism.?
Elaine Pagels, author of The Gnostic Gospels questions at the beginning; ?Christ?s resurrection, was it a historical event or a symbolic??
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THE BLOOD OF JESUS?
When the Roman Governor Pilate washed his hands before the crowd, and said ?I am innocent of this man?s (Jesus?) blood?? The crowd answered ?His blood be on us and on our children.? With that Jesus was handed over to the soldiers to be crucified. Dr. Raymond Brown, the scholar of Anchor Bible fame, claims; the responsibility of the voiced line ?blood on our children? was for a particular group that took that oath rather than an assumed eternal guilt for the entire race.
Truly, the blood and water from the body of Jesus was spilled while on the cross, but his soul did not leave his body. Jesus foretold his own fate and compared it with the fate of the prophet Jonah, who simply fainted in the belly of the fish and did not die. If Jesus had met his death on the cross this would not be a true prophecy. The apostle Matthew records At 3 p.m. in the evening, when the sky was getting dark, Jesus cried out calling upon his God with the famous opening verse from Psalm 22. Before sunset, when the Sabbath was to begin, Jesus was lowered from the cross. Thus, Jesus stayed on the cross for only a brief period. This was probably God?s Master Plan to defeat his enemies! The experiments conducted by the American physician, F. Zugibe, demonstrate that death by asphyxiation was not possible within that short period of time, since the arms of Jesus were positioned on the cross, horizontal to the torso. The blood letting of Jesus was upon the crowd but not the physical killing. If the historical Jesus was killed on the cross, as the crowd had intended, then the prophecy from the Book of Isaiah that Jesus will see his offspring would be a false prophecy and Isaiah would be a false prophet according to the teachings of Jesus with regards to the signs of the false prophets.
Tom Harpur writes in his book
Perhaps I am lacking in piety or some basic instinct, but I know I am not alone in finding the idea of Jesus? death as atonement for the sins of all humanity on one level bewildering and on the other morally repugnant. Jesus never to my knowledge said anything to indicate that forgiveness from God could only be granted after or because of the cross.
Ehrman, another Christian author, notes that some of the early Christians believed in one God. Some believed in two and others in thirty. ?There were some who believed Jesus? death brought about the world?s salvation, and others who thought it had nothing to do with it. Others said Jesus never died.?
The fourth gospel records that the living Messiah ? the historical Jesus, had claimed that he was ?the way? to approach the God who was in heaven. Some three centuries after his departure, ?the way? became or was made ?the destination?.
THE RESURRECTION OF A ?FALLEN WOMEN??
In the 6th century, Pope Gregory confused names and Mary Magdalene became a fallen woman. But more interestingly, the entire story of an adulterous woman in the last gospel is found only within the re-written texts. The story does not appear in the older manuscripts of the bible. Professor Jane Schaberg of the University of Detroit has coined the term ?harlotized? for what was done to the image of Mary. Was this an attempt by the Church to uphold the theory that Jesus was celibate because he could not have possibly married an adulterous woman? On the other hand, even the canonical gospels record that Mary Magdalene never left the place of Crucifixion while all the disciples fled from the scene leaving Jesus alone. Mary was the first one to see, hear and respond, the ?awakened? Jesus.THE ASCENSION OF JESUS TO HEAVEN!
After comparing the ancient fourth century handwritten texts of the Four Gospels, discovered in the middle of the nineteenth century at Mount Sinai with the present day gospel texts that are in circulation, one can easily conclude that the recent texts have been re-written. Most importantly, the stories of the physical ascension of Jesus from earth to heaven were inserted sometime after the fourth century. This was a period in Church history when access to the Bible was forbidden to the laity and only the clergy had that exclusive privilege. In these circumstances, fingers would most probably point to the Church in Rome as being responsible for the modifications of the gospel texts. A quick question one may ask Were the original texts modified to raise the status of Jesus and thereby elevate the authority of the Popes in the Vatican, who ultimately became Vicars of the elevated Jesus? Christian theologians of the third century such as Clement of Alexandria and Origen did not quote texts on the Ascension of Jesus, a fact that causes many scholars to believe that the theology of the Ascension was a concept developed later. The apostle Matthew, one of the few eyewitness authors, ended his gospel with the dialogue between Jesus and his disciples. If Matthew had seen or heard of the physical Ascension of Jesus he would not have left out such an important event from his ?Good News? of Jesus.
Author Marcus Borg writes in his book The Heart of Christianity ?Many people who have left the Church ? and some who are still in it ? are looking for another way of being Christian.? I would rather say ?another way of being the disciples of the historical Jesus who said ?If you abide in my word, then you are truly disciples of mine; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.?
AN ATTEMPT IS MADE IN THIS BOOK TO REDISCOVER THE REALITIES OF HISTORICAL JESUS
IN THE WAY WHICH HE HAD HIMSELF FORETOLD AND RECOMMENDED?Knowing the Historical Jesus is to know the Christ?
Abiding by the words spoken by that Historical Jesus is
the Reliable Way to know The Historical Truth? -
I hope it is a bit readable for people......
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Let's comment any things here, where it is more suitable...
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Salaam ArnoldYasin,
I've read Meherally's book from www.mostmerciful.com too. I emailed him a few times when I was still studying the case of Jesus and Hadiths. As far as I can tell, this book covers everything a person needs to understand how dead Jesus really is. I didn't like this book one bit at that time, but hey... I had to concede defeat no matter what. This book, finally, I consider as a great read. ;D
=adley=
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Same here....No one can refute the arguments used in his book....
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very intersting, i didn't read it all as my eyes started to hurt after reading a lot, i think i have to print it and read it hard copy better, but thanks for sharing it
salam
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God gives the info, we have only have to share it..............so no props...