by Dennis Green
If humility is not your bag, there may still be hope for you. A comparison between Judaism, Christianity and Islam — concerning the nature and the claims made on behalf of Jeshua of Nazareth — can be revealing. And reassuring.
Islam says that Jeshua, (aka “Jesus” in Romanized texts), was a great Prophet in the same line of prophets as Abraham, Ishmael, Moses and Mohammed, but that he was not the son of Allah, and that Allah is a lone and solitary deity, transcendent and numinous and beyond human comprehension or portrayal. Not a person in any sense at all.
Some Jews say that Jesus was a great teacher, but that he was definitely not the Messiah promised by the Prophets, or else his coming would have brought universal peace and justice to mankind. They also say that Isaac, not Ishmael, was the son Yahweh commanded Abraham to sacrifice, and that the tribe of Israel is descended from Isaac, that Ishmael and his usurper mother Hagar were, correctly, banished by Abraham to wander in the desert alone and afraid.
Both the believer in Islam and the Jew would also say that Jeshua was contrived by Saul of Tarsus, a Pharisee, as the Son of God, and the Messiah, and that the New Testament was purged of most of its Jewish names and “Romanized” by Saul, who changed his name to Paul, in order to make Christianity more acceptable to the Romans, if not during his lifetime, then eventually, as it was.
Many devout Jews and Muslims also say that early Church fathers rejected many of the true gospels in favor of those that perpetrated their view of New Testament doctrine and dogma, such as the Gospels of Mary Magdalene, Judas, Thomas and others. They also say that if Jeshua/Jesus were without sin, he would not have asked his cousin John to baptize him, to cleanse him of his sinful nature as a fully human male.
And it is true that several early conferences of bishops, such as the Nicene Council, decided which texts were authentic and which were not, and put their imprimatur on some and not on others. These are very crucial contradictions, so what are we to believe?
If Jesus was not the son of God, and never claimed to be, then the bishops, and perhaps even the gospel writers, are prevaricating. If he was not the son of God, but claimed to be, then he is the one prevaricating. And if he falsely claimed divinity, then he was a malignant narcissist, and a liar of the first rank, and nothing else he says can be trusted.
And if Jesus was the son of God as Paul says he was, and whom Paul and the gospel writing disciples say he claimed to be, then believing Jews and Muslims are so mistaken that they cannot be taken seriously, let alone saved. And that’s what orthodox Christianity says they are — damned all to Hell, as infidels.
Feel better now?
Humility may be a virtue, but the historic Jesus is portrayed, even by orthodox Christian doctrine, as having none. He repeatedly makes fun of his disciples for being “of little faith,” and presents himself as possessing a wisdom and a vision none of them can quite appreciate, let alone duplicate. He claims succession from the line of Abraham, Moses and all the inspired prophets, and constantly admonishes his disciples for being dense.
He displays spectacular and miraculous abilities, converting water to wine, raising the dead, multiplying the loaves and fishes, and coming back to life after crucifixion and burial. He contradicts most sacred Judaic beliefs and practices, including prayer in public places, money-changing in the Temple, and he replaces the Ten Commandments with only two. “But I say unto you…”
Moreover, in a culture that places a high value on material success and careful planning and foresight, even scheming, he says, “Take no thought for the morrow,” and “It is more difficult for a rich man to get into Heaven than for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle.”
So much for respect for one’s elders and their traditions. Jeshua/ Jesus was many things, but none of the three Abrahamic traditions presents him as having the virtue of humility. So go ahead, indulge your inner narcissist! It’s okay.
©2010 Dennis Green
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