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. We will be analyzing Muslim vs Christian.
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:
- that Jesus is the son of God,
- the concept of Atonement,
- 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).
Photo Attribution: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hagia_Sophia_weekend.jpg
Comments
I have no dispute with anyone, we are all given the choice from GOD to believe what we belive. I am curious about something though, if Muslims believe one solitary GOD then why do some Quran entries say we?? For instance - 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) and See how We make Our signs clear to them; and see where they are turning away!" (Quran 5:75). Who are the We and Us in these references??I am a Christian and I know the Trinity seems very confusing, but as it is said ALL things are possible with GOD. I believe the We and Us, also stated that way in the Bible, is the Father (GOD), the Son (Jesus) and the Holy Spirit, all present from the beginning. GOD, our Heavenly Father, sent his Son Jesus, who has always been a part of him, to earth as a human to pay the price for our sins because Jesus was the only one perfect enough to live a sinless life, since he had come from the perfect place of Heaven. There had to be a sinless sacrifice as atonement for our sins. GOD's Holy Spirit is a part of all of us, the life that GOD breathes in to us.
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Peace be upon you. If that is right, am I free to do whatever I want?If that is right, why did God taught us what to do and what not to do, what is right and what is wrong? Why did he send prophets? But what is more important is why didn’t he just create us without hate, grudge, greed, Jealousy………?I just want to remind you of two important things with these verses from the Quran“But they have no knowledge therein. They follow nothing but conjecture; and conjecture avails nothing against Truth ” (53:28)“Then woe to those who write the Book with their own hands, and then say:"This is from Allah," to traffic with it for miserable price!- Woe to them for what their hands do write, and for the gain they make thereby. “(2:79)Peace be upon you.
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I suggest you read my previous comment
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If Jesus is not the Son of God how can He be born from a virgin while all prophets have their own parents on earth? Jesus Himself will come back at the End of Age. Can any other prophets will come back as of Jesus? May we all have the peace about the truth of Jesus' life. God bless us all.
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Peace be upon you,I am a Muslim and I will answer your questions,1. Who put Him in her womb? Where did the seed to fertilize the baby come from? Remember that God created Adam (peace be upon him) without a father or mother, and the one who can create without a father or mother, can create without a father "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).The one who created us from a sperm and an egg, the one who created millions of species, some of them we can not even see, the one who created the sun and the moon and planets, the one who created the earth and the seven heavens in six days, the one who sent down water from the sky then revived the earth after it's death , the one who will revive us in the judgment day, after becoming remains and bones, without our fathers and mothers, he can absolutely create someone without a father so easily. ."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)2- What makes Jesus different? How can they call Him just another prophet or teacher? The miraculous birth is one of the miracles of Jesus (peace be upon him), God have long supported his messengers by miracles, for instance, Moses (peace be upon him) split up the sea with his stick, this stick was also transformed into snake…………..Why should a great, strong, wise, and a perfect God, have a son!!!? or become this child within the womb of a woman!!!? Then he becomes like humans, eat, drink, and then......"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). This is not decent, and does not make sense; it can not happen for any reason.Peace be upon you.
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It is so confusing to me how the Muslims can believe that Jesus was born of a virgin, but was not the son of God? Someone had to father him! He had to come from someone. Who put Him in her womb. Where did the seed to furtilize the baby come from? The creator of us is the only one who could have allowed a baby to be born so miraculously. No other prophet or teacher in all of history was born of a virgin. So what makes Jesus different? How can they call Him just another prophet or teacher? These are questions I would love to ask a Muslim who would give me an honest answer and back and have some kind of proof to back it up, because it seems like their doctrine is contradictory.
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Not all Christians believe the trinity! I believe in the oneness of God. I believe that the Muhummed was being forced to believe in the Trinity, because he knew there was only one God, he created the Quram and called God Allah. He had only one thing right and that there is only ONE GOD. I believe In the book of Isaiah you can ready about the prohesy of Jesus about God manifesting himself into flesh. One must study the bible in detail and ask the Lord to reveal the truth. There is only one time they baptize in the name of the father the son and the holy spirit, after that they people were baptized in Jesus name and recieved the holy ghost after repenting! It's the truth I have experienced it, you have to experience for yourself and in order to experience you must seek and accept for yourself and want it from deep within your soul. I am a mother, sister, aunt but although I play different roles I am still one person! Several people saw the Angel Gabriel in the bible but it only appeared to one person in the Quram.
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Well, I have a simple thing we can all agree with: 11 planets around the sun, one of these planets is located at a suitable distance from the sun; this planet rotates around its axis, so the sun rays reach half of the planet while the other half rests in darkness. It also turns around the sun on a regular orbit, to form the four seasons, when the northern hemisphere is in summer, the southern is in winter …. so crops mature in a timely manner . As we reflect on the earth's surface, we realize another stuffs, this land contains millions of species of life, these creatures need: air, food and water, and fortunately it's all available. When we look at ourselves we see miracles. When we get hurt we feel pain, when viruses attack, our immune system defends us, respiratory system for breathing, blood circulation, gastrointestinal system...... and all our genetic recipes are written in a microscopic thing called DNA. This did not happen by coincidence, someone created and organized all this, someone great, strong, wise, Generous, All Knowing and capable to do anything.However, we should ask an important question here, why did he create us and gave us minds?Do you find the answers in your beliefs?
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Michael, in London UK, said it perfectly. Praise the Lord our God for those who are willing and able to correctly tell about Jesus. Jesus is the Messiah. And He will return to take back that which we have ruined. Come, Lord, come.
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I was very interested to learn that Muslims revere Jesus Christ. Based on what I had read, Muslims despise Jews and desire their extermination as they are pointed to as the root of all evil and the reason for any and all suffering of the Arabic nations. We can all agree that verses from anyone's holy scriptures, taken out of context, can give a false representation of their religion and beliefs. While I trust that the comments regarding Islam are accurate in this comparison (I have no background in Islam to use as a point of reference), I found some of the conclusions regarding Christianity a bit iffy. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life (everlasting). No one comes to the Father (God) except through Me." He also said, "If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father." a direct, personal statement that He was God's son. Although there are differences in the Gospels and other New Testiment accounts of Jesus's life, this is acceptable and should be somewhat expected due to the fact that each apostle/author was writing from a different perspective, personal background, and time in his life. Neither did they seek permission for or editing of their texts from Jesus. Rather, they worked from memory, inspired by God, to provide their wittness and testiment to life and actions of His Son, His promised Messiah, Jesus. It would be more suspicious if all their stories matched!
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