INTRODUCTION TO CHRISTIANITY
Yahya Bashir John
Christianity holds a particular place in religions of the world since it
is the most stable religion as per social and political perspectives. Around
thirty percent of the world population belongs to Christianity. Christianity
is actually considered as a branch of the Abrahamic Religion, like Islam and
Judaism, and the believers of Prophet Essa (علیہ السلام) are called, Christians.
Definition
of the Christianity;
Christianity is the religion that centers on Prophet Eesa (علیہ السلام). This religion is related to his life and his teachings. (1)
According to the Nelson`s New Christian Dictionary, Christianity is; 1)
the Christian gospel., 2) Christendom., 3) The totality of belief in and
commitment to Jesus Christ as Redeemer and Lord., 4) The condition of being a
Christian; Christian spirit, and character.”(2)
Who
is the Christian?
Nelson`s New Christian Dictionary defines the term as; “1) Person who
believes in Jesus Christ and follows or tries to follow his teachings., 2) Name
by which a follower of Jesus Christ is known, first used at Antioch between 40
A.D. to 44 A.D. (Acts11:26). In the New Testament, it occurs only in two other
places: Acts 26:28 and 1st Peter 4:16. Originally a pejorative
epithet used by pagans, it replaced the earlier terms by which Christians were
known, as disciples (Acts 11:26), brethren (Acts 1:16), saints (Acts 9:13;
Romans 12:13), the elect (Romans 8:33; Colossians 3:12), Nazarenes (Acts 24:5),
and believers (Acts 2:44)., 3) In Roman usage, person belonging to, or the
property or slave of, Christ. (Adjective) Of or relating to Christ,
Christianity, or the Christian Church.”(3)
The early Christians themselves sometimes referred to their faith as ‘the
Way’ (see Acts 24:14), and so they were ‘followers of the Way’. In 85 A.D. this
prayer was introduced into Jewish synagogue services: “May the Nazarenes and
the heretics be suddenly destroyed and removed from the Book of Life”. (4)
Since this religion is acclaimed to be linked to Prophet Essa (علیہ السلام), it is important to have a brief review of his life.
Origin
of the Christianity:
Within his own lifetime, Jesus came to be seen by some Jews as the
special ‘anointed one’ from God, as promised by their prophets. In the Jewish
language (Hebrew), the word for ‘anointed one’ is Messiah; in Greek – the
language of the civilized world at that time – it is Christ. So Jesus
eventually became known as ‘the Christ’ and his followers as ‘Christians’. (5)
Rudolf Bultmann writes that “Primitive Christianity arose from the band
of Jesus` disciples, who, after their Master had been put to death by Pontius
Pilate on the cross, had seen him as one Risen from the dead”.(6)
Prophet Eesa (علیہ السلام`s name) is found to be “Joshua” in
English. It is transliterated of the Hebrew name “Yeshiva”. The name of the Prophet
Essa A.S. is used as “Eisous” in the Greek translations of the Gospels.(7) In Arabic
it is transliterated as “Eesa” similar to its Greek sound.(8)
The Prophet Essa A.S. is also famous as The “Messiah” which is “Mashiach”
in Hebrew. Mashiach means, the “anointed one”, or the “Savior”. It is simply
the designation of the king, especially the king of the age of redemption. The
Greek rendering, ‘Christos’, eventually became a proper name in Hellenistic
Christianity.(9) Brenda Courtie and Margaret
Johnson wrote that; ‘some people are not sure if Jesus is John the Baptist or
the prophet Elijah reborn. But Peter is very sure – that Jesus is the Christ.
Jesus does not deny it, but he warns his disciples not to tell anyone.
He is also called “Jesus of Nazareth” since he was a resident of the
Palestinian city Nazareth.(10) His surname
was also as “Ibn-e-Mariam (the Son of St. Mary)”. The Christians believe that the
Hebrew name “Emmanuel” is also used for Prophet Eesa (علیہ السلام) in the
Old Testament Prophecy of the Prophet Isaiah A.S.(11)
Emmanuel means “God is with us”.(12) This
name is found only once in the predictions of the Old Testament.(13)
Eesa
(علیہ السلام):
The name of the prophet Eesa A.S. as “Iisous” is used in the New
Testament for the last Jewish prophet, Yeshua, who is also called the Messiah
among Christians.(14)
Prophet Eesa (علیہ السلام) belonged to Nazareth a city near the
river of Galilee in northern Palestine. Although the birth of Christ is
said of eastern Palestine in the city of “Bethlehem”.(15)
Birth
Date of the Prophet Eesa A.S.:
The calculation of the date of Jesus` birth was made by a Christian monk
called Dionysius about 500 years after Jesus died. Modern scholars believe he
was about five or six years out, and they prefer to date the birth of Jesus at
about 5 BC.(16) There are some contradictions in the historical records about the
birth of Prophet Eesa (علیہ السلام). He was born to the spinster Prophetess Mariam (علیہ
السلام) , due to
which he is not considered as a normal human by the Christians but as the son
of God.(17)
Some believe him as the God himself, or the God-Incarnated, who is been
sent to the world in the face of human being.(18)
In the Bible, initial chapter of Matthew, the birth of Eesa (علیہ السلام) is explained as when Prophet Mariam was
engaged to a man named Yusuf, she was found pregnant before their wedding as
per the nature of the Holy Spirit, as Yusuf didn’t want to infamous her he
decided to left her secretly.(19)
The childhood and the youth of Eesa (علیہ السلام) are
explained very discretely in the Bible. He learned his basic education and
religious rituals at home. During this he attended the Holy day gathering
regularly.(20)
The historians have no particular information about the youth of Eesa (علیہ السلام), the Gospels
are silent on this part and refer to this era as the “Lost years of Eesa (علیہ السلام)”.(21)
Some say that there`s no information anywhere about the rest of
childhood or his years as carpenter. Because the Gospel-writers were so
concerned with the teaching and death of Jesus, it seems that they weren`t
writing ‘life story’ books, but books which would present a special ‘view’ of
Jesus. The Gospels are not ‘life stories’ in the way that we have biographies
of famous or interesting people today. In fact, main bulk of the material in
the Gospels is about the last three years of Jesus` life.(22)
The researchers and historians present different views on this topic. The
present scholars present the history in a more complex manner as in the
comparison to the older scholars. Eesa (علیہ السلام) was
worried about the misdeeds of the people of Bethlehem and often criticized
their actions. Once Eesa (علیہ السلام) said to the so-called scholars; “You deny
of the orders of God and follow the man-made rules? To follow your traditions you
have left the path of God. (23) (At the age
of thirty, revelations were sent upon Eesa (علیہ السلام) and
prophethood was initiated.(24) God had
gifted Eesa (علیہ السلام) with many gifts which included curing the
dying sick. Thus Eesa (علیہ السلام) was titled as “Messiah”.(25)
The teaching of the Prophet Eesa A.S.:
The teaching of Jesus can be summarized under five main headings as some
scholars described it as following:
·
Teaching about the fatherhood of God
·
Teaching about the Kingdom of God
·
Teaching on living according to God`s standards
·
Teaching about his own true identity
·
Teaching about his mission(26)
As upon receiving the order of God, Eesa (علیہ السلام) had begun
the preaching of the religion, it was not a new religion thus the real face of
the religion Mosaic religion which was denied by the Jew scholars. Due to the
criticism of the Jewish scholars upon Eesa (علیہ السلام) he left
Galilee and went to Capernaum.(27)
The people believed Eesa (علیہ السلام) as the Messiah whom they were waiting
for. Eesa (علیہ السلام) addressed a large gathering upon the
mountain and informed about the religion in a precise manner. This address is known
as the “Sermon on the Mountain”. This address holds the same status as the
status of Buddha’s Preaching in Banaras or the Last sermon of Islam.
The
important points of the sermon are as following;
1.
Happy are those who know they are spiritually poor; the Kingdom of heaven belongs to them!
2.
“Happy are those who mourn; God will comfort them!
3.
“Happy are those who are humble; they will receive what God has
promised!
4.
“Happy are whose greatest desire is to do what God
requires; God will satisfy
them fully!
5.
“Happy are those who are merciful to others; God will be merciful to them!
6.
“Happy are the pure in heart; they will see God!
7.
“Happy are those who work for peace; God will call them his children!
8.
“Happy are those who are persecuted because they do what
God requires; the Kingdom of
heaven belongs to them!
9.
“Happy
are you when people insult you and persecute you and tell all kinds of evil
lies against you because you are my followers.
10.
Be happy and glad, for a great reward is kept
for you in heaven. This is how the prophets who lived before you were
persecuted”.(28)
As a result of the
preaching on the Mount, twelve people were included as the special followers of
Eesa (علیہ السلام) who were called
“Disciples”.(29) The preaching of Eesa (علیہ السلام) stresses on the Eesa (علیہ السلام), that the Jews may leave their false actions and may follow
the true path of God. His teachings centered upon love, stopped the people from
the concept of interest, gambling and drinking. The power of Skies (i.e.) the
rule of God was also predicted by Prophet Eesa (علیہ السلام). Thus the Jews denied and restrained from the truth. According
to the Gospel, Prophet Eesa (علیہ السلام) was accused of the following allegations:
1.
Prophet
Eesa (علیہ السلام) prayed for the
devastation of Jerusalem.
1. Prophet Eesa (علیہ السلام) claimed the inheritance of Prophet Dawood
(علیہ السلام)`s throne as the “Promised
Messiah”.(30)
At the
time of the Passover, Eesa (علیہ السلام) came to
Jerusalem with his followers and was arrested by the Jewish authorities. He was
presented before the chief priests but the Jewish teachers of the Law declared
him infidel and ordered for his murder.(31) According to that era, the Jews
had murdered him upon a cross (as per Christian belief), and as per the
Christians Eesa (علیہ السلام) was resurrected
on the third day and was taken upon the sky.(32)
The
Christians say that this great sacrifice was given by the Prophet Eesa (علیہ السلام) to free the people as of their greatest
sins from the time of Adam and Eve and that every human is born with this
burden, thus he is called the “Savior”.(33)
Dark
Age of the Christianity:
There has been but little interest manifest in the history of
Christianity of the past because, most of the historians leave the history of
the true faith with the death of the apostles, and then trace what they call
Christianity down through the “Dark Aged” as it emanated from Rome after being
polluted with the teaching and practice of “Sun-worshippers” of the East,
through the historical “Council of Nice” 321 A.D. presided over by King
Constantine of Rome.(*1)
Christianity
as an Official Religion:
These conditions
remained till the year 306, after this the rule of Constantine was established
in Rome who accepted Christianity and played an important role to promote Christianity.
He introduced many religious associations and engaged the scholars in the work
of constructing the dogmas. He held great councils to justify the faith in God,
Esa A.S., Holy Spirit, Atonement, Relation between Eesa A.S. and God etc. Among
the councils, the council of Nicaea in Turkey, which was held in 325 A.D., was
the most important council in the History of the Church. According to Dr. John
Foster, in the same council there, The New Testament was compiled formally. Many
books (Gospels and Letters) were also declared as Non-Inspired and Inspired. (34)
Some Rejected
Gospels and books:
“Many others tried to
compose lives of the prophet Eesa A.S. None of these were inspired, as they
were the work of individuals and not of the whole Church. We call such gospels
which have not been inspired, the ‘apocryphal gospels’. Many of them had some
devotional value in their own time.(35) Others
were downright heretical and untrustworthy. Here we may mention some of the
better known ones:
·
The gospel
according to the Hebrews;
·
The gospel of
St. Peter;
·
The gospel
according to the Egyptians;
·
The gospel of
the twelve apostles;
·
The gospel
according to St. Philip;
·
The
proto-gospel of St. James;
·
The gospel of
Pseudo-Matthew;
·
The gospel of
St. Thomas;
·
The Arabic
gospel of the Infancy;
·
The gospel of
Nicodemus;
·
The story of
Joseph, the carpenter;
·
The transition
of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Dr. John Foster
writes that three hundred scholars were invited but most of them withdrawn and were
sent out of the council due to disagree to the aims of Constantine. That
council excluded the deniers of the belief in the Trinity. The associations
held after these associations were just an extension and were for the better
explanation. Before this council, the disbelievers of the belief in Trinity
were not excluded yet after the respective meetings they were not considered as
part of the holy circle.(36) This age is called the Age of Councils because
there were many of the councils held on the same issues. A few councils are as
following;
1.
Council under
Bishop Carlos held in 350 A.D.
2.
Council in 374
A.D.
3.
The Council of
Constantinople held in 381 A.D.
4.
Chalcedon held
in 451 A.D.
5.
Council of
Toledo held in 589 A.D.(37) The Trinity was
practiced only in a Church of Caesarian province before 325 A.D.(38) The early church historian named Eusebius
presented it to the first council saying that Dogma of Trinity is used in our
Church, it will better to accept it for all Churches under the Roman Empire,
Constantine. Eusebius` advised was considered and the Dogma of the Trinity was
granted as the Central Faith after some changes and additions.(39) Later, Bishop Carlos added some more codes
into the Trinity in 350 A.D. In the Council at Chalcedon (451 A.D.) more codes
about the relationship among the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit were
included. At last the Western Church added two more sentences i.e. “Esa is god
from God” and “the Holy Spirit is derived from both the Father and the Son”.
But the Greek and the Eastern Churches did not accept these addition suggested
by the Western Church.(40) The priests, who
had formed an official body, that were engaged for a particular purpose. They
were called the Church and the others are declared as non-believers. That
golden era of Christianity remained till year 540 and had spread in South
Africa and the Arabian Sea with the Roman Empire side by side. The state of Axiom
under the rule of Roman Empire was also under the Christianity effectives.
Holy
Books:
The Bible is divided
into two major parts:
·
Old Testament
·
New Testament
The
Old Testament:
This part of the
Bible is common in both Christians and Jews; it has total of thirty nine books.
Among the Christian sects, the Protestants declare seven books of the Old
Testament as non-inspired. These books are related to the era of 400 B.C. and
it includes the books of different Socio-Political Leaders that stood to save
the people of Israel from Greek and Roman persecutions. These leaders are
called the “Maccabean” whose` great leader was Judas Maccabeus.(41)
Jew`s Holy
Book(s):
Jews holy book is
called “Tanakh” which is abbreviation of the words; Torah, Nav`eem and
Kutv`eem. There are 24 books in the Jewish Bible. Christians believe all the
books of Jewish Bible but they divided three books into two parts as;
·
1st
and 2nd Samuel
·
1st
and 2nd Kings
·
1st
and 2nd Chronicles
Therefore there are 39
books in the Christian Old Testament multiplying these 3 books.(42)
The Torah:
Torah is the Hebrew
word which means “the Law, the Shariya and the Divine Commandment.”(43) Its Greek Translation is called “Pentateuch”
which means the collection of “Five Books”.(44)
It is because the Torah has five parts of its content that are as following;
·
Genesis
·
Exodus
·
Leviticus
·
Numbers
·
Deuteronomy
The Torah is sent
upon the Prophet Moses علیہ السلام. Hence the others books sent upon to the
other prophets. The Bible includes about the creation of the universe till to the
birth of the prophet Yahya A.S. (45)
The Neviim:
The Eight
Books of the Prophets;
·
Joshua
·
Judges
·
Samuel
·
Kings
·
Isaiah
·
Jeremiah
·
Ezekiel
·
The Twelve (minor
prophets) Trei-Assar
The Kesuvim:
The Eleven Books of the Writings;
·
Psalms –
Tehilim
·
Proverbs – Mishlei
·
Job – Iyov
·
Song of Songs – Shir HaShirim
·
Ruth – Rus
·
Lamentations – Eicha
·
Ecclesiastes –
Koheles
·
Esther
·
Daniel –
Doniel
·
Chronicles – Divrei Hayamim
The New
Testament:
The writings of the
New Testament are the sources which tell us about the initial principles of
Christianity and the life of Prophet Eesa (علیہ السلام).
Some suggested that;
“Because the beliefs of Christianity are based on what is written in the ‘New
Testament’ books of the Bible, any study of Christianity has to consider three
important questions:
1.
Are the
printed Bibles of today reliable records of what was originally written down?
2.
Were the original
writers telling the truth?
3.
Why are there
four different versions of the life of Jesus (Gospels)?”(*) (Christianity Explored, by
Brenda Courtie & Margaret Johnson, Lion Publishing plc, England 1990)
On a complete
analysis, it consists of twenty seven books, which includes four Gospels:
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. An important book is about the acts of the
disciples and the other includes 14 letters of Paul and some of others. Last is
the book of Revelation by John.
There are 27 books in
the New Testament;
·
Gospels 4 books
·
History of the
early Church 1 book
·
Letters 21 books
·
Revelation 1 book
The Meaning of
Gospel:
The word Gospel (“good
spell”, good tidings”) is derived from the Greek term ‘eu (i.e. good) -- angelion
(i.e. message). In Latin it became ‘evangelium’. Many English words have been
derived from this: evangelist, evangelical, etc.
In the Old Testament
usage, we find the term employed at first with a purely profane meaning. When Juab,
the General of the Prophet Dawood A.S`s army, has defeated the rebel Absalom,
he wants someone to bring the message of victory to the Prophet Dawood A.S.
(Read 2nd Samuel chapter 18th verse 19th).
But in the language
of the prophets, the term ‘good tidings’ began to mean much more than just some
‘happy news’. (Rev. J.N.M. Wijngaards, “Background to the Gospels” pg#3).
Political Usage
of the Good Tidings in the History of Jewish Prophets:
Wijngaards writes in
his book that; The Prophets point to the messianic future. Then, when God will
begin to redeem His people, they will hear the “good tidings” of messianic
salvation. (Read Isaiah chapter 40th verse 9th). The Jews
were waiting anxiously for these “good tidings” of messianic salvation. They
were looking forward to them. That is why, when the Prophet Eesa A.S. begins
his preaching, he announces his own message as these “good tidings” of
salvation. (Background to the Gospels pg#3). So therefore the teachings of the
Prophet Eesa A.S. became known as “the Good News”, the Gospel.
In the New Testament
the word ‘Gospel’ the Good News’ always refers to the happy announcement of all
that Prophet Eesa A.S. said and did (Acts8:35, 11:20; Romans 1:1). In this
sense there is only one Gospel. Since there is only one Gospel Paul wrote in
this way: “. . . Actually there is no ‘other gospel’….
In actual fact, this
Good News about Prphet Eesa A.S. this one Gospel, which was preached by the Apostles,
has come down to us in four different edittions, the four books of the one
Gospel. This means: The Good News about Messiah as it is presented to us by the
editor Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
The
Evangelist:
The word “evangelist”
has undergone a similar change of meaning as the word “gospel”. An “evangelist”
is someone who brings good tidings. We find Paul employing the term in this
fashion (Ephesians 4:11; 2-Timothy 4:5; Acts 21:8).
In later times only
the four editors of the Gospel were called ‘evangelists’. The word was applied
only to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. But After the reformation the word was
used once again for preachers in some Protestant Churches. In today`s writings
the term ‘evangelist’ is therefore sometimes given the meaning of: a Protestant
minister.
Question about
the “Inspiration” of the Gospel Accounts:
Rev. Wijngaards says;
“The Gospel texts excel the work of human authors”. (Background to the Gospels
pg#6) He writes more that God Himself is the author because He moved the human
authors to write down what they wrote. But only Luke admitted that he wrote his
book by research. Read Luke chapter 1st verse 1 to 4. Says the same
writer, in his book, “… We should mark well the gospels are not the product of
the four evangelists alone. The gospels are the product of the Church`s
preaching. Some individuals, it is true, had an important hand in giving the
final shape to the gospels: that was the special task and glory of the
evangelists.” (pg#8).
Texts of the
early Gospels:
Dr Wijngaards writes
in his book, “Backgrounds to the Gospels” that Gospels were written on
“papyrus” which was liable to decay soon, especially if constantly used. No
wonder then that the original manuscripts of Mathew, Mark, Luke and John no
longer exist. First collections were made of passages that belonged together.
The time came for a complete written expression of the Prophet Eesa A.S`s
message. At the time when the evangelists wrote, it was customary to write all
letters as capitals and without intermediate spaces. This kind of text was
difficult to read. Example:
PETERTOOKHIMASIDEANDBEGANTOREBUKEHIMGODFORBIDITLORDHESAID
After some centuries
an easier way of writing and reading was introduces, including the spacing of
words and the use of reading signs. The same phrase now reads:
Peter took Him aside
and began to rebuke Him.
“God forbid it, Lord,”
he said.
Since all the gospel
passages were written without any divisions, it was extremely difficult to find
any precise text. (Background to the Gospels, pg#11).
Gospels were compiled
by the Disciples of the Prophet Eesa (علیہ السلام). Luke has mentioned in the beginning that many others have
also written a biography upon the prophet (Luke 1:1-4). Therefore the Christian
scholars have discussed about one hundred and fifty eight books among which
only some are accepted. Among the Gospels, Matthew and John are accepted as
Disciples` books whereas the other two are not considered as Disciples` but as
their pupils.
The Date of
Writing:
·
27 A.D. The preaching of John the Baptist. The
beginning of prophet Eesa A.S`s public ministry.
·
30 A.D. On the eve of the Passover, prophet Eesa
A.S`s sacrificial death. On Pentecost, outpouring of the Spirit.
·
36-37 A.D. Martyrdom of St. Stephen. Later Paul`s
conversion.
·
45-49 A.D. Paul`s first missionary journey.
·
50 A.D. The Council of Jerusalem.
·
50-52 A.D. Paul`s second missionary journey.
·
53-58 A.D. Paul`s third missionary journey.
·
61-62 A.D. Paul imprisoned in Rome. James stoned to death
in Jerusalem.
·
64 A.D. St. Mark`s Gospel.
·
65 A.D. St. Luke`s Gospel? St. Matthew`s Gospel
(Greek edition)?
·
67 A.D Martyrdom of St. Peter and Paul in Rome.
·
68-70 A.D. The Romans wage war against the Jews, defeat
them and destroy Jerusalem.
·
70-80 A.D. Other possible date for St. Luke`s Gospel and
the final edition of St. Matthew.
·
95 A.D. St. John`s Gospel.
·
100 A.D. St. John, the last apostle, dies at Ephesus.
(Background
to the Gospels, pg#8 and 9)
Editors of the book,
“Christianity Explored”, wrote that; “None of the original books of the New
Testament is still in existence. Today`s printed Bibles based on copies of the originals.
Knowing whether documents are reliable records of historical events is a
problem faced by historians all the time.(*) (Christianity Explored, by Brenda Courtie &
Margaret Johnson, Lion Publishing plc, England 1990)
Translation of
the Gospels:
Christ preached in
Aramaic, the language of the Jews in Palestine. The early apostolic traditions
were formulated in that language. St. Matthew too wrote his gospel originally
in Aramaic. (JNM Wijngaards, Background to the
Gospels, pg#) But as the Church spread over the known world, Greek soon
took over as the language of communication. For, Aramaic was only known to the
Jews, whereas Greek could be understood by everybody. Thus we find that all the
books of the New Testament were eventually composed or translated in Greek.
Ann Punton writes
that; “Hebrew thought, culture and religious values underlie the way in which
even the Greek language is used in the New Testament. After all, apart from
Luke, the writers were Jews. Without doubt, translations of the Bible are a
great gift from God but something is always lost in a translation. (Ann Punton, “The World Jesus Knew”, Olive Press, Monarch
Books, England 2000.)
From the third
century onwards Latin became more important than Greek as language of
communication. Various Latin translations of the Gospel were made. In 383 A.D.
St. Jerome was commissioned by the Pope Damascus, to revise these translations.
His work, the so called VULGATE, became the standard Latin translation.
The Gospels were
translated into the languages spoken by nations that had embraced Christianity.
At present, Gospel translations exist in about 2000 languages of the world.
The Gospel of
Matthew:
Papias,
Bishop of Hierapolis, about 130 A.D., wrote about the various Gospel editions.
He tells us that Matthew put together the discourses of the prophet Eesa in the
Aramaic language. (Wijngaards, Background to the
Gospels, pg#17). In other words: Matthew collected prophet Eesa A.S`s
words and made one book of them. This book was written in Aramaic, that is: in
the language spoken by the prophet A.S. himself.
Iraenaeus
(about 180 A.D.) reports the same traditions. He tells us that Matthew preached
among the Jews in Palestine. He also produced in their language a writing of
the Gospel. Many other outstanding writers of the early church confirm this
testimony: Pantaneus (about 200 A.D.), Clement of Alexandria (150-215 A.D.),
Origen (186-254), Tertullian (160-240 A.D., Eusebius of Caesarea (265-340 A.D.)
and so on. (Background to the Gospels, pg#17)
The
Gospel according to Matthew went through 2 processes of growth;
a)
Aramaic
Matthew:
About
50 A.D. Matthew composed the first gospel in the Aramaic language. He made
ample use of the texts (the words of the prophet Eesa A.S. In fact, the gospel
itself was nothing else but a summary of that instruction arranged for the
particular purposes.
b)
Greek
Matthew:
Modern
Bible Scholars think that the material handed over by Matthew was worked out by
disciples and so they speak of the “School of Matthew” to which we owe the
Gospel in its present form. They translated it into Greek, (added some
sections, cut others short). The Gospel may have reached its final form in 80
A.D. Dr. Wijngaards says; “Aramaic Matthew” has entirely been lost.
We know very little
about Matthew`s further life. Some ancient writers say that he went to
Ethiopia; others mention Persia, Syria, Greece and even Ireland.
Matthew
was one of the disciples and chosen by the Prophet Eesa A.S. himself.
·
He was Jew and
an educated person of his age. He had an official job under the Roman
Government as a Tax Collector. Hence he was a learned man, he was able to write
and compile the sayings of Prophet Eesa A.S.)
·
He wrote his
gospel originally in Aramaic or Hebrew, as mostly great scholars of the Bible
thought (Dr. John F. Marks, “Survey of the New Testament Books” published in
Urdu). Matthew compiled his record during 50-70 A.D. Although there is no any
name of the author mentioned in the book, but scholars agree on the authorship
of Matthew. Scholars guess that Matthew was a learned man among the disciples
of Eesa A.S. The Writing style, vocabulary and the quotation from the Old
Testament was definitely a work of Matthew. Because only Matthew could be able
to describe the record more systematically.
·
If Matthew
compiled his Gospel in Aramaic or Hebrew, then question is raised that where is
his Manuscript? Church and scholars could not find the answer. Some say that Matthew
recorded it as a diary notes and others used it for their translations into
Greek. During the first persecution in 70 A.D. the diary of Mathew was lost.
The
Gospel of Mark:
Some scholars note how often Hebrew
and Aramaic idioms occur in the style of Greek used by New Testament writers.
They feel that certain books, such as Mark`s gospel, were perhaps first written
in Hebrew and only later translated into Greek.(Ann
Punton, The World Jesus Knew, pg#10) We know much about Mark from the
other New Testament writings.
Mark`s
Conversion to Christianity:
His
name was John (Acts 13:5) and also called John Mark (Acts12:12; 15:37). He was
a cousin of St. Barnabas (Colossians 4:10) Like Barnabas he must have been a
Levite, i.e. belonging to a priestly family. He may converted to Christianity
about 38 A.D. by Peter. He never heard the prophet Eesa A.S. under the light of
Papias` testimony.
Mark`s
first missionary tour with Paul and Barnabas:
About
45-49 A.D. Mark left his mother`s home in Jerusalem and went to Antioch with
Paul and Barnabas (Acts 12:25). But for some unknown reasons Mark left them
there and travelled back to home at Jerusalem (Acts 13:13).
Mark`s
second missionary tour with Barnabas alone:
We
do not know why he left Paul and Barnabas in his first missionary tour and
later joined only to Barnabas in the second journey. We cannot find the actual
reasons because the entire New Testament is silent about it. Dr. Wijngaards
writes; Whatever the reason of Mark`s departure may have been, Paul disapproved
of it. So, when the planning for another missionary tour began, some argument
arose between Paul and Barnabas. Paul refused to take Mark as companion a
second time. Barnabas, however, insisted that Mark should be taken. As a
result, two different itineraries were decided upon. Paul and Silas went to
Asia Minor. Barnabas and Mark sailed for Cyprus (Acts 15:36-40).
Mark
was the cousin of Barnabas; (Colossians 4:10).
64
A.D. During his stay in Rome Mark must have composed his edition of the Gospel.
Mark
after Peter`s death:
66-67
A.D. Probably St. Peter had been killed under the persecution of Nero. At that
time may Mark was not at work and been alone. So Paul wrote; “Only Luke is with
me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he can help me in the work. (2 Timothy
4:11). Mark was not disciple. He was a student and follower of the disciple,
Peter. It is accepted among scholars and historian of the church that Peter
took services from Mark as his writer. Mark compiles it as his teacher, Peter,
instructed him. It was written about 60-65 A.D. Paul may demanded him,
therefore, to assist him as he assisted Peter. Dr. Wijngaards says; “Mark was
no immediate disciple of the prophet Eesa A.S. Yet he was well qualified to
bring out his Gospel edition. Mark`s Gospel lies in the fact that in contains
the preaching of St. Peter.
Mark`s
Political Messiah:
According
to Mark`s some passages we know the Jewish concept about the Messiah. They were
waiting the person who will liberate them from the subjection of Romans. Dr. Wijngaards
wrote that, “Jesus does not want his preaching to be misunderstood for a
political movement. He knows that the Jews were expecting a political Messiah…”
(Background to the Gospels, pg#39).
The
Gospel of Luke:
Ancient
tradition is unanimous in ascribing the third Gospel to St. Luke. St. Irenaeus
(180 A.D.) tells us; “Luke, Paul`s companion, put down in his book the Gospel
which Paul preached.”
|
“There
is Luke, a native of Antioch in Syria, a medical doctor by profession.
He
was a companion of Paul until Paul`s martyrdom.
Gospels
had already been written by Matthew in Judea and by Mark in Rome.
Luke
wrote this Gospel in the neighborhood of Achaea, near Athens in Greece.” |
Luke is distinguished
from the other evangelists in many ways: a)
He was not a Jew, but a
convert from Antioch. b)
He was a highly cultured man.
As medical doctor he would know Greek science. c)
He wrote his Gospel in the
center of Greek civilization (Achaea). Luke shared
Paul`s point of view about Gospel and his personal pastoral experiences. |
Here
we must remember that, Luke himself was no eyewitness of the prophet Eesa A.S`s
ministry. He wrote his book under influence of Paul. He mostly stresses on
Paul`s life and work in his second book, the Acts.
Here
we can take a look on his Life;
1.
Background:
Luke belonged to a Greek (Hellenistic) family. His home town was Antioch in
Syria (i.e. North of Palestine). His writing shows him to have been a man of
good education. He practiced medicine perhaps somewhat like ‘Ayurvedic medicine’
in our own days.
2.
Conversion:
He may converted among 45 to 50 A.D. Antioch became the missionary center for
the conversion of the non-Jews (Acts chapter 13 verses 1 to 3). Antioch also
became the center of ‘progressive theology’ which insisted that the Law of
Moses need not be followed by non-Jewish Christians. In Antioch the famous
public discussion between Peter and Paul took place (Galatians 2:11-21).
(Backgrounds to the Gospels, pg#47).
3.
Luke`s
Journey with Paul: Luke joined Paul for the return
trip to Jerusalem. With Paul he visited the communities at Troas, Miletus and
Ephesus, Tire and Caesarea (Acts chapter 20 verse 5 to chapter 21 till verse
16). Luke stayed with Paul during all this period, helping him as much as he
could (Acts 21:20 to 26:32; see especially 24:23). We do not know precisely
what happened after Paul`s release from prison. It may be that Luke wrote his
Gospel during this period, perhaps while visiting the churches in Greece.
During
Paul`s second imprisonment we find Luke once more at his side. In fact, he
seems to have been Paul`s only companion then.
Writers
think that Luke wrote his two books only at this period, or even after Paul`s
death. (Background to the Gospels, pg#49).
Sources
for Luke`s Gospel:
From
a study of the Gospel we know that St. Luke collected the material for his book
from three sources;
1.
From the
common catechetical teaching, which we also find in Mark and Matthew.
2.
From
traditions handing down words of the prophet Eesa; also Matthew drew from this
source.
3.
From some
traditions specially known to Luke by himself.
When
composing his Gospel, Luke followed the arrangement of the common catechetical
teaching. As a consequence, he has many passages parallel to and in the same
order as the Gospel of Mark. What he added from own source, here we draw it as;
1.
Prophet Eesa
A.S`s Infancy (chapter 1 verse 5 to chapter 2 verse 52)
2.
Prophet A.S`s
journey to Jerusalem (chapter9 verse 51 to chapter 19 verse 28)
3.
Prophet A.S`s
Resurrection (chapter24 verse 1 to 53)
According
to Rev. Wijngaards, Luke was not the eyewitness. But like others, he also tried
to write a systematic summary of the apostolic preaching. He invested all very
carefully.
In
this respect Luke`s Gospel differs much from the editions of Matthew and Mark.
Rev.
Wijngaards writes more; “Luke wrote his Gospel for the sake of further personal
readings, of further personal reflection and study. That is also why he
dedicated it to one person, Theophilus. To achieve his purpose he wrote a new
Gospel which Greek converts could read after their instruction.” (pg#52)
Origin
of the concept of “For All Mankind”:
Firstly,
we should understand that the Jews have a stronghold faith about themselves
that; God is one, and the Jews are chosen by God (Encyclopedia of Religion and
Ethics, pg581). Therefore they think they were special among the nations of the
world.
Luke
stressed that the Love and the death of Jesus is not only for the redemption of
Jews but “for all mankind” (Luke 2:14; 2:30; 3:6; 24:47). So Fr. Wijngaards
says; St. Luke stresses all those aspects which shows Christ as the Savior of
all men.”
No
doubt St. Luke reechoes in this preaching of St. Paul.
(Pg#53,
Background to the Gospels). Therefore Fr. Wijngaards wrote that;
“The
Gospel of St. Luke breathes the same spirit which we find in Paul”. (Background
to the Gospels, pg#54)
Fr. Wijngaards says;
“St, Luke has much
valuable material which we do not find in the other Gospels.” (pg#57)
The
Gospel of John:
The
early church knew three distinct persons called John: John the Baptist, John
the Elder and John the Apostle. At times, also John the Apostle was called John
the Elder, because of his seniority and his age. Some confusion has arisen
among later Christian writers about the question: Who wrote the fourth Gospel?
And even today some authors express doubt and uncertainty regarding the matter.
Fr.
WIjngaards says; we know also that the Gospel was known right from the
beginning of the second century (i.e. from 100 A.D. onwards). Chapter 21 was
certainly added by disciples after John`s death (John 20:30-31). Also many
other passages may have been amplified or expliciated by the disciples. Many
commentators take it that the fourth Gospel may have gone through various
stages of redactiuon. (Backgrounds to the Gospels, pg#63).
We
do not know precisely at what time John left Jerusalem. In all likelihood it may
have been just before the outbreak of the Jewish-Roman war during 68-70 A.D. He
wrote the book of Revelation while in exile on the island of Patmos. During the
reign of the Emperor Trajan (98-117 A.D.) St. John died at Ephesus.
Rev.
Wijngaards wrote; at the time when St. John`s Gospel received its final shape
about 95 A.D., the editions of Matthew, Mark and Luke were already widely used
in the Christian communities. Why did St. John think it necessary to add a
further Gospel edition? (pg#68).
“John
took some which had not yet been narrated in these other Gospel editions.”
(pg#69)
John`s
Gospel is Impersonal?:
Fr.
WIjngaards writes that “John`s Gospel, however, differ s from this in as far as
it bears the stamp of a very personal testimony. In it we do not find a
memorized text, learned by heart and handed on from teacher to pupil in a fixed
formulation.” He made it so much his own; that is, at times, difficult to
distinguish Jesus` words from John`s. (pg#73)
Bible experts think
that John`s Gospel may well have been written many years after the
Synoptics.(*) (Christianity
Explored, by Brenda Courtie & Margaret Johnson, Lion Publishing plc,
England 1990)
Professor Harnack
(1851-1930) has written in his book what is Christianity which is evident to
the present truth.
The Acts of the Apostles:
This is the fifth
book of the New Testament written also by Luke. The introductory history of
Christians is also found in it. The preaching of Disciples during Roman reign
is also found in this book.
Pauline
Epistles:
We find about 14
letters are acclaimed written by Paul.
Letter to
Romans:
Scholars are agree
for this letter to be authored by Paul. Paul wrote it on his third missionary
tour at the city of Corinth about 57-58 A.D.
Church
at Rome:
Some scholars thought
that the church at Rome was founded by Peter. Others thought only Paul visited
and preached to the Christians at Rome. (Dr. John F. Marks, Survey of the New
Testament, pg#95).
But the modern
critics and scholars of the Bible say; the church at Rome was not founded by
Paul nor by Peter. They give some internal evidences to support their opinion;
·
When Paul
started his Christian life and works, Peter was preaching and serving in
Jerusalem.
·
Peter was
strictly attached to the Church of Jewish-Christian community at Jerusalem. So
he never would be interested to bring the Gospel out from the holy city.
·
We see Paul
only as visiting missionary to this church at Rome.
Other Letters
of Paul:
Paul wrote about
fourteen 14 letters to the different cities for non-Jewish Christians. He was
convicted to be a 13th disciple and also even prophet for Non-Jewish
world, especially for Greeks and Romans. We see this point reading his letters.
For example 2nd Corinthians chapter 10th to 13th.
The Book of
Revelation:
The book of
Revelation is acclaimed written by John the apostle as the church believe.
This book was
compiled after some great persecutions against the early Christians. Some as
followed;
·
Emperor
Claudius 41 – 45 A.D.
·
Emperor Nero 45 – 68 A.D.
·
Vespasian 69 – 79 A.D.
·
Domitian 81 – 96 A.D.
Last
persecution was held at the time when John was getting very old. He was
arrested by the Roman authorities and sent to the island of Patmos. At Patmos
he dreamed visions about past, present and future.
Christians
believe that the book of Revelation is a prophetic content.
Beliefs
of the Christians and the Creeds of the Church
Before reading about
the beliefs and creeds used in the modern Christianity and the church, we
should have a look over its history regarding the progressive pint of faith and
creeds.
Between the years
A.D. 100 and A.D. 500, the Christian Church changed almost beyond recognition.
Says Tony Lane; “While the Gospel and epistles were in circulation, they had not
yet been gathered together to form a ‘New Testament’. While there were brief
affirmations of faith like ‘Jesus is Lord’, there was no formal creed to be
recited. Finally, there were no set forms of worship, although particular
prayers, like the Lord`s Prayer, might be used.” (The Lion Concise Book of
Christian Thought, by Tony Lane, Lion Publishing Plc, Fourth Edition 2002 A.D.,
pg#10)
Different
Churches—Different Faiths:
By the year 500 A.D.
a very different picture had emerged. The great majority of people within the
Roman Empire called themselves Christians and Christianity had become the
official religion of the state. There were also substantial churches outside
the bounds of the empire, as in New Testament—the latter being identical to
ours today, with a few lingering local variations. There were two major creeds
which were widely used. There was also a clear understanding of ‘orthodoxy’ as
opposed to heresy, especially regarding the doctrines of the Trinity and the
person of Christ.
The ministry of the
church everywhere took the threefold form of bishops, presbyters and deacons,
though lesser regional differences remained. The worship of the church was
entirely liturgical, with fixed set forms of prayer.
Most of these changes
came gradually over the four hundred years. There were two major turning points
in the life of the early church;
·
First came in
A.D. 70. Until then the disciples of Jesus were predominantly Jewish and would
generally have been seen as a ‘deviant’ group within Judaism. The ‘Nazarenes’
could be seen as a Jewish sect, alongside the Pharisees, the Sadducees and the
Essenes (Acts 24:5). The mother church
was at Jerusalem. St. Paul had to struggle for the recognition of his mission
to the Gentiles. He fought hard to establish the point that Gentiles did not
need to become Jews by being circumcised. But in A.D. 70 Jerusalem was sacked
by the Romans and there was no more Jerusalem church. From this time on it was
the Gentile church which was dominant. The leading church soon became the one
at Rome, the capital of the Gentile world. Christianity had been transformed
from a Jewish sect into a potentially universal faith.
·
The second
major turning point came with the conversion of the Emperor Constantine to
Christianity, in 312 A.D. Until this time, the church was a dissenting
minority, persecuted from time to time. This changed rapidly. Constantine ended
persecution and offered the church support and official favour. Of the emperors
who followed him, only one was pagan.
Church
and the State:
The
link between the church and the state was greeted enthusiastically by some at
the time and still defended by many today. But some had doubts from the
beginning, and it is increasingly fashionable today to regard the link as a
horrible mistake. A number of issues are involved;
1.
First, the
adoption of Christianity as the state religion led to a massive influx of
superficial converts from paganism. This resulted in declining moral standards
and the adoption of some pagan and idolatrous practices.
2.
Second, the
persecuted church of the martyrs became before long the persecuting state
church. Legal coercion was used at first against Christian groups deviating
from the mainstream ‘Catholic Church’ and the later against pagan worship.
Religious
Language – A Great Quest:
The
church, like the Roman Empire, was divided into the Greek-speaking East and the
Latin-speaking West. Behind the linguistic difference lay the cultural
differences between the Greek and Roman worlds.
The
earliest Gentile Christianity was Greek and the New Testament, of course,
written in Greek. Even in the West the earliest churches were
Greek-speaking—the church at Rome remained predominantly Greek-speaking into
the third century.
Tertullian
-- the first Latin Father and Scholar:
The
first traces of Latin Christianity are found in North Africa, and the African
Tertullian (at the end of the second century) was the first important Latin
Christian writer. Most of the terms used in the Doctrine of the Trinity, are invented
by Tertullian.
Division
into Two Major Groups:
In
the early centuries the Greek-speaking and Latin-speaking churches coexisted
happily, although there were tensions from time to time. Later on, after the
collapse of the Roman Empire in the West in the fifth century, the two churches
drifted apart, later to become the Eastern Orthodox and the Roman Catholic
churches, respectively.
Listed
are the basic Christian beliefs:
1-
Concept
Of God:
Christianity is not
different to the other Abrahamic religions when it comes to the basic concept
of God. It also accepts all the qualities of Allah. But there is a major
different just because of its concept of Trinity.
2-
The
Trinity:
The Christians have a
famous belief, three in one, and the one in three. This concept is the mirror
of this belief that God is made of three persons: Father, the son and the Holy
Spirit. A dispute is found in the explanation of this concept. We could not
find any simple or easy explanation of this topic. Like a normal Christian
belief, the collective name of Father and the son and the Holy Spirit is God,
father is meant to be as a single entity, the son is meant as Word of God who
is sent to the world in a human face who will save the people and the Holy
Spirit is meant as the love in between them, although some take the spinster
Prophet Mariam A.S. the third person in the belief. However, according to the
belief, the Father is God, the Son is God and the Holy Spirit is also God, but
these three are not separate Gods but there is only one God in three different
offices. Christians say that Prophet Eesa (علیہ السلام) is the second person of the Godhead and declare him as God
manifested in the human flesh. (*)
According to the
Christian belief Prophet Eesa (علیہ السلام) was crucified which caused him to die, although we should keep
in mind that the Christians believe that they did not crucify God but the human
face of Eesa (علیہ السلام) thus he was a human.
3-
Prophet
Hood:
The belief on prophet
hood is also among the beliefs of Christians. They believe that prophet is the
person upon whom God sends revelations and is sent for the guidance of the
people. Similarly, prophet hood is said to be the path between God and people
which is made by prophet. As of this concept, God sends his people in this
world who are greater to people in their character and guide the people with
the revelations.
The other important
belief is to believe upon all Apostles. These prophets are not the Disciples
but are the people who were sent in different nations by Prophet Eesa (علیہ السلام).
4-
Hereafter:
Like the Muslims,
Christians also believe in the hereafter and say that after death they will be
presented after life in front of God for the accountability of their deeds,
resulting in heaven or hell as their reward. That life will be eternal and to
believe upon it will be end of all the belief.
5-
Second
Life:
This is a part of the
belief of crucifixion. This explains that after the crucifixion of Prophet Eesa
(علیہ السلام) he was buried and after three days it was
seen that he was alive and after giving some preaching to the Disciple he was
taken up the sky. He will come back to the world in a special time.
6-
Holy
Cross:
Since the Christians
believe that the Prophet Eesa (علیہ السلام) was crucified, thus the cross has great importance. This proof
is not found till the second century as the sign of Christianity, although this
sign is found differently in India, Greece, Egypt, China and Eastern America.
7-
Atonement:
The concept of
atonement is the foundation of Christianity. It is meant as the original sin
that was done by Prophet Adam علیہ السلام and his wife due to eating the prohibited
fruit, every human is born with the burden of that sin, and Eesa (علیہ السلام) gave this sacrifice to free the entire human race of this
debt. The Christians do not believe that Eesa (علیہ السلام) has paid for all the sins but only for the initial sins. On
the contrary the Muslims believe that when Prophet Adam علیہ السلام and his wife did seek repentance from Allah, they were forgiven
and their children were not born under burden, instead every human is born free
of sins and then he may fill his deeds with the right or the wrong ones.
Practices and
Customs:
Christians perform
many a sacred sacraments among which is the obvious Salat (Praise, Prayer).
Catholics perform seven rituals; Protestants also follow some of the practices.
Salat or the
Praise to God:
The praise of God is
an important ritual of the Church. This is done by the people by gathering at
Church both of the times, in the morning and the evening, one person recites
the verses from the Bible and the others remain standing in respect. Praying,
praising and begging in front of God, and confession of sins is taken as a good
act. The concept of rituals is different in all the sects but the following
qualities are found equally in all the Churches as;
·
Gathering on a
Sunday in Church
·
Recitation
from the Bible
·
Baptism
·
Banquet and
address
In the present era
music is become the most important part in religious activities and also has
been introduced in the Churches with singing praise. They sing praising verses
for the Prophet Eesa (علیہ السلام).
Asceticism:
Asceticism is that
concept according to which human is free of sin. It cleanse both their spirits
and bodies. Through this concept, the people may achieve high level of holiness
by leaving their temptations behind. This concept is also found in ancient
religions as Hinduism and Buddhism but is disliked in Islam.
Sacraments :(2)
Roman Catholics have
seven basic rituals, some are also found in Orthodox and Protestants.
1-
Baptism:
This is the most
obvious ritual. This is a type of a particular bath which is done upon the
entrance into the circle of Christianity. Nobody can be a Christian without
performing this ritual. They believe that the baptized person gets a new life
as for the sake of Eesa (علیہ السلام). The ritual is performed in such a way
that a person is laid in a room facing toward the west and then raises his
hands towards the west and says: “O Evil! I leave you and your actions.” And
then faces towards east and says the Christian principles. He is taken in another
room where the clothes are removed and is put in a fountain, then oil is
applied from head to toe and then he is asked if he believes in the principles
of God? Then he is removed from the fountain and white clothes are worn which
is a proof that he is now free of sins.
2-
Sacrament
Of Confirmation:
The Catholics perform
this ritual during Baptism which completes it. Usually this is done for the
young generation in which the Baptized person makes a promise and then the
Bishop of the Church places his hand upon the head, the applies olive oil with
his thumb on his hand and declares that they are with the Holy Spirit.
3-
Eucharist:
According to the
Gospels of Luke and Matthew, Prophet Eesa (علیہ السلام) had eaten food with his Disciples before his arrest by Romans.
Eucharist is performed in its remembrance. It has changed with the time but the
bases are same. People gather on Sunday in the Church, they pray in the
beginning and praise the Lord and Eesa (علیہ السلام). Then everybody hugs each other. Then bread and wine is
presented after the prayed. The Bread and Wine are called “Holy Communion”.
4-
Penance/Reconciliation/Confession:
According to the
Catholic Church one must ask forgiveness from the Lord once a year. The person
accepts his sins in front of the priest of the Church and asks forgiveness.
There is some curtain in between the two. The priest then provides guidance for
further life. The sins are not only accepted by individual but all the facts of
the heart are presented to the priest of the Church. At the end the priest
prays for them to free from sins.
5-
Anointing
The Sick:
This ritual is done
with illness. The verses of the Bible are read and olive oil is applied on head
and hands and then it is prayed for the health of the ill. If the patient has
not done the sacrament of Confession then he is considered free of sins upon
the holy oil.
6-
Marriage:
It is considered a
holy ritual in all Christians. According to them marriage is such a relation
where there is no redemption and that many Catholics upon some facts consider
divorce as unacceptable.
7-
Holy
Commands:
This ritual is done
when a person is made the Bishop of Church. In this ritual the teacher or the
Bishop reads some verses and commands from the Bible and places their hands
upon the head.
Festivals and
Holy Days:
Christians have
different fairs and festivals but two festivals are celebrated in each sect:
1-
Christmas:
This is the annual
celebration of Christians in which they celebrate happiness and is as holy as
the Eid to Muslims. Every year on the 25th of December the birth of the
Prophet Eesa (علیہ السلام) is celebrated. People exchange gifts,
sweets and presents to each other.
2-
Easter:
Christians believe
that when Prophet Eesa (علیہ السلام) was crucified, he was raised from the
dead after three days (or after 3rd day); this date was 21 of March.
Thus it is celebrated in remembrance. Some celebrate on the same day or the
next Sunday prior to the date.
Christianity
and Path of Salvation:
Salvation depends
upon many facts in Christianity: although the Christian scholars of John say
that there are three conditions:
1-The person may
recognize his sins as the sinner.
2-Believe on the fact
that no human ritual is the way to salvation.
3-Only believing in Eesa
(علیہ السلام) for salvation.
1-
Recognition
Of Sin:
It
means that the person may know that sin is the deed against the will of Lord;
therefore it is denial of the path of Lord. And since God is Just and fair,
every sin will be punished. Therefore, the center of life should be the
pleasing of God.
2-
Deeds
And Salvation:
According
to Bible we should not depend upon ourselves for good deeds. Instead do good
deeds for the thanksto God. Bible (*) says that Paul states that salvation
cannot be received by deeds but only by faith. It is found in the Bible book
Romans (*) related to the prophets that they were not magnificent by their
deeds but of their faith. This does not mean that Christians do not perform
good deeds but they believe that if a person has done no good deeds in his life
he did not believe in Eesa (علیہ السلام).
3-
Believe
Upon Eesa (علیہ السلام) :
It
is important for salvation that one may believe in Eesa (علیہ السلام) , according to John (*) believe upon Eesa (علیہ السلام) is that the individual
may believe that Eesa (علیہ السلام) was sent by Lord, but according to the
scholars it is defined as the belief upon Prophet Eesa (علیہ السلام) and his principles.
Christian
Sects:
We find many sects in
the history such as Jacobites, Malkanians and Nestorians, but in the present
era there are three famous sects: Catholicism, orthodoxies and Protestantism.
Roman
Catholic:
·
This sect is also known as Peter`s
since it was first declared by the Disciple of the Prophet Eesa (علیہ السلام),
Peter. They have more books as compared to other sects;
·
Tobit.
·
Judith.
·
Additions to Esther.
·
1st Maccabees.
·
2nd Maccabees.
·
Wisdom.
·
Joshua bin Sirach.
·
Baruch / Letter of Jeremiah.
If said in easy words
the followers of the Roman Pope, are called as Roman Catholics. They believe in equal level in the concept of
Trinity. They believe that the father the son and the Holy Spirit all are
equally God at the same time. Their eldest leader is called the Pope. Pope
lives in an independent Italian state called the Vatican. The Catholics take Vatican
as a Holy place. Till the sixteenth century, Catholics were the largest sect. they
are now found in France, Italy, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, south and Central
America and Philippines. And they are also found in Asian and African states.
They believe that the pig meat is considered to be halal. They also permit to
drink wine and alcohol in Holy Communion and social occasions.
Eastern
Orthodox:
They are mostly found
in Russia and Eastern Europe. As per principles, they are greater since they
believe that Holy Spirit is only born from the father not from the son. Similarly
they also believe that God the father is greater than God the son. It is the
second largest Christian sect in the world. The believers are found in Belarus,
Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania,
Russia, Serbia and Ukraine.
Protestantism:
Martin Luther, a
former priest of the Roman Catholics, was the first leader who protested against
the non-Biblical deeds and creeds of the Pope and the Church. Following him
many of the Roman Catholics accepted that the Pope has no right to judge,
forgive or to punish any individual. The followers of Martin Luther are called
‘the Protestants’. They are against the Pope as his the Lordship of human in
between. They believe that the Church has no right to forgive any individual
and neither should one follow it. They have declared many books of the Bible as
non-inspired which is discussed in Roman Catholics.
Evangelicalism,
Evangelicals or Pentecostalism:
Evangelicalism is an
effective motion of Protestants. It began in the seventeenth century and became
a proper motion in 1730 A.D. The universal publication of the Gospel is done by
this sect. They do not accept many old versions of the Gospels. They have four
principles:
1-Belief in afterlife
2-Authority of Gospels
upon other Holy Books in the Old Testament
3-The belief in
crucifixion of the Prophet Eesa (علیہ السلام), in his resurrection and also in his return (the second coming
of the Prophet Eesa A.S.)
4-Publication of the
teaching of the Bible on a large scale
There are many sects
due to conflicts in the creeds the most common conflict is in the Dogma of the Trinity.
What is the nature of the relation between the father and the son? Is the spirit
and body of Prophet Eesa (علیہ السلام) is both the man and God? The respective
chart indicates the basic contradictions in the beliefs of different sects:
|
|
ORTHODOXY |
PROTESTANTS |
CATHOLICS |
|
Bible |
Fourteen
books of Bible called the Deuterocanonical, considered revealed and sacred. |
Do
not believe in Deuterocanonical. 66
Books are accepted. |
Believe
in 76 Books of the Bible. |
|
Marriage
and Divorce |
Divorce
is only allowed if engaged in adultery, or else is prohibited. |
Divorce
is disliked but is allowed. |
Only
allowed at some particular reasons. |
|
Pope |
Is
to be respected and has the same level as only the Bishop of the Church. |
Has
the respect of a religious leader and has no control upon the law. |
Has
control upon the law Equal to Peter in authority over the Church. |
|
Seven
Sacraments |
Believe
in seven and have added others also. |
Only
believe in Baptism and Eucharist. |
Believe
in the seven sacraments.
|
|
Eligibility
to become a Pastor |
Only
men and women who have dedicated their life for socio-religious work. |
Without
a doubt that women can be pastors, although some disagree. |
Priest
has to be a man and single. (Some also say they can be married.) |
(*) “You put aside God's
command and obey human teachings.” And Eesa (علیہ السلام) continued, “You have a clever way of rejecting God's law in
order to uphold your own teaching”. (Holy Bible, Mark, Chapter 7, Verse No. 8-9)
(1)Holy Bible,
Matthew, Chapter 5, Verse No. 3-12
(*) “He will be great and will be called the Son of the
Most High God. The Lord God will make him a king, as his ancestor David was, 33 and he will be the king of the descendants of Jacob forever; his kingdom
will never end!” (Holy Bible, Luke, Chapter 1, Verse No. 32-33)
“Eesa (علیہ السلام) left and was
going away from the Temple when his disciples came to him to call his attention
to its buildings. “Yes,” he said, “you
may well look at all these. I tell you this: not a single stone here will be
left in its place; every one of them will be thrown down.” As
Eesa (علیہ
السلام) sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him in
private. “Tell us when all this will be,” they asked, “and what will happen to
show that it is the time for your coming and the end of the age.” Eesa (علیہ السلام) answered, “Watch out, and do not let
anyone fool you. Many
men, claiming to speak for me, will come and say, ‘I am the Messiah!’ and they
will fool many people. You are going to hear the noise of
battles close by and the news of battles far away; but do not be troubled. Such
things must happen, but they do not mean that the end has come.
Countries
will fight each other; kingdoms will attack one another. There will be famines
and earthquakes everywhere. All
these things are like the first pains of childbirth”. (Holy Bible, Matthew,
Chapter 24, Verse No. 1-8)
(*)Answer: the
concept of Muslims is different that Allah had accepted the repentance of
Prophet Adam علیہ
السلام and Prophet Hawwa علیہ
السلام and
that Prophet Eesa (علیہ
السلام) was
not crucified but was taken up to the sky and as the Holy Quran says:
وَقَوْلِهِمْ إِنَّا قَتَلْنَا
الْمَسِيحَ عِيسَى ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَمَا قَتَلُوهُ وَمَا
صَلَبُوهُ وَلَٰكِن شُبِّهَ لَهُمْ ۚ وَإِنَّ الَّذِينَ اخْتَلَفُوا فِيهِ لَفِي
شَكٍّ مِّنْهُ ۚ مَا لَهُم بِهِ مِنْ عِلْمٍ إِلَّا اتِّبَاعَ الظَّنِّ ۚ وَمَا
قَتَلُوهُ يَقِينًا-
Translation: And because they said, “We have killed the
Messiah, Eesa the son of Maryam, the Messenger of
Allah”; they did not slay him nor did they crucify him, but a look-alike was
created for them; and those who disagree concerning it are in doubt about it;
they know nothing of it, except the following of assumptions; and without
doubt, they did not kill him.
(Al Quran,
Surat Al Nissa, 4:157)
And
the person who was crucified was the man who snitched about Prophet Eesa (علیہ
السلام) ,
as for the early sins Allah had accepted the repentance of Prophet
Adam علیہ السلام and Prophet Hawwa علیہ
السلام,
and no human is in debt and as the Holy Quran says:
قُلْ أَغَيْرَ اللَّهِ أَبْغِي رَبًّا
وَهُوَ رَبُّ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ ۚ وَلَا تَكْسِبُ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ إِلَّا عَلَيْهَا ۚ
وَلَا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِزْرَ أُخْرَىٰ ۚ ثُمَّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكُم مَّرْجِعُكُمْ
فَيُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمْ فِيهِ تَخْتَلِفُونَ-
Translation: Say,
“Shall I seek a Lord other than Allah, whereas He is Lord of all things?” And
whatever a soul earns is itself responsible for it; and no load bearing soul
will bear anyone else’s load; then towards your Lord you have to return and He
will inform you about the matters you differed.
(Al Quran, Surat Al Anaam, 6:164)
(*) a detail explanation of Old Testament is found in the previous
chapter of Introduction to Judaism sub chapter one.
(*) what is the truth of the
belief of trinity? When did Christians accept it? Was it said by Prophet Eesa (علیہ
السلام)? Was it found in the first three Gospels?
Until we find answers to these questions we may not understand the verses of
Quran and neither can talk about the Christianity. Let`s discuss these topics.
We are discussing Encyclopedia Britannica (1962) here apart from Bible,
which is a compilation of many researchers and is considered to be authentic.
Christian topics have been looked upon and the conclusion that we have found
is:
George William Knox and Sidney Herbert Mellon write:
Messiah didn’t declare himself as super human but was satisfied on the
fact that he was known as the son of Joseph and Mariam. (Encyclopedia
Britannica, Volume 5, P 632, Pub: Chicago, London)
This fact is followed by the verse of Mark Chapter 6, Verse No. 3-4:
Isn't
he the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and
Simon? Aren't his sisters living here?” And so they rejected him. Eesa (علیہ السلام)
said to them,
“Prophets are respected everywhere except in their own hometown and by their
relatives and their family”.
The
verse of John, Chapter 4, and Verse no. 43-44 says:
“After spending two days there, Eesa (علیہ
السلام) left and went to Galilee. For he himself
had said, “Prophets are not respected in their own country.”
The verse of Luke, Chapter 13, and Verse no. 33 is also of
importance:
“Yet I must be on my way today, tomorrow, and the next day;
it is not right for a prophet to be killed anywhere except in Jerusalem”.
From the respective verses of Gospels it is proved that
Prophet Eesa (علیہ السلام) called
himself as the son of Mariam and announced his [prophet hood and never said
himself as God or his son.
If this is the truth then why is the
concept of Trinity introduced. Observe the respective text:
“Father, Son and Holy Spirit
are introduced by Jewish sources. Eesa (علیہ السلام)
may have rarely used this word. It is also not clear about Saint Paul that he
had used it. Therefore the concept of Trinity is Jewish which is covered under
Greek effect”.
(Encyclopedia Britannica, Volume 5, P
633)
As per reading the history an unusual
fact to be observed that these are not the principles said by Prophet Eesa (علیہ السلام) and in his Gospels but are the principles made as per the
situation by the Pastors. These are the results of the same councils who once
declared one a non-Christian if didn’t abide by the religion. The stories of
this council are very informative and interesting.
When there is no source of Trinity in
the belief of Eesa (علیہ
السلام) and
the Gospels then why is this included and when? For this text is presented from
the Encyclopedia Britannica:
Before Constantine, Christians were under great atrocities and were also
negative in the eyes of Roman government but this religion spread slowly and
held power. When Constantine became a part of Roman Empire, so in 313 a free
religious society was announced in Milan. The Christians were taken under
influence due to their less population and to gain their sympathy and loyalty,
and when they were finished in 337, so they accepted Christianity and were
baptized. These were their political conditions.
On the topic of Church History four Christian writers have written:
At the end of the third century, Eesa (علیہ السلام) was formed into Logos but denied of its divinity. This name was
a dispute by Arius in the fourth century which was great amazement which gained
people’s attention in this problem. The council of Nicaea was held in 323 and
officially Eesa (علیہ السلام) was
considered divine. The belief of Nicaea was a success and laid the foundation
of Trinity. The divinity of son created a confusion which remained after the
fourth century. That Divinity and humanity are related in which way? The
council of Chalcedon held in 451 said that the Eesa (علیہ السلام) is both divine and human. The third council of Constantine
held in 680 A.D. added that they have different faces, Eesa (علیہ
السلام) has both the qualities, and the western
Church accepted Nicaea and Chalcedon and Constantine as well. Thus they had
believed in the correct concept. (Encyclopedia Britannica, Volume 5, P 677-678)
This elaborated text explains that the concept of Trinity was not
revealed by God but was sent by people after many years and declared as a
necessary belief. As said in the Holy Quran that the followers of Holy Books
will say things from themselves and will relate it to their prophets is thus
proved.
But this dispute remains in discussion until we know what decisions were
made in the council of Nicaea? And that all the Bishops who attended believed
it with heart?
It is important to understand the introduction. The rule of Constantine
gave Christians peace and prosperity which lead to conceptual war and destroyed
everything, as the concept that Constantine had supported created great
distress for them. Therefore to eliminate this issue the council of Christian
scholars was held from 20-25 may 323 A.D. The most important question rose:
what nature of relation is found in between God and Eesa (علیہ السلام)?
It should be remembered that the founder of this council was also from Constantine.
He declared many decisions by his royal power and imprisoned those who denied.
(Encyclopedia Britannica, Volume 6, P 5880)
Now after understanding the introduction, the concept that was passed
about the divinity of Eesa (علیہ السلام) is
explained below:
“It is true that many had accepted the Nicaea council but was accepted
as from heart and soul. But the reason was also that the amount of the people
who attended the Pastors was not great. They were not interested in the topic.
Second reason was royal; power and pressure. We have proofs for this fact that
if the decision against Arius was made with complete faith and belief then
Arius would not have been treated lightly although this did not happen. This is
true that this fact was given by their people who were the founders of this
council (meaning the Constantine and government), we have come to a conclusion that
the opinion of the council was not accepted by the people. (Encyclopedia
Britannica, Volume 6, P 410)
Some text is presented upon the council of Nicaea:
“The beliefs constructed in this council did not hold the capacity to
maintain peace. But it lead to such paths that had cause to shake the
foundations of nations. After the announcement of the belief by
Nicaea people thought on it and the belief that was imposed on them without any
thought, they engaged the church in such intense discussions that were hard for
them to answer”. (Encyclopedia Britannica, Volume 6, P 410) (Zia-Ul-Quran, Peer
Muhammad Akram Shah Al Zahri, (died: 1998), Volume 1, Pub: Zia Al Quran
Printing Press, 2014, P 496-499)
(2)John H. Armstrong. The Catholic Mystery, Page 96-98, USA: Harvest
House Publishers, 1999
(*) the present Bible holds the verse as:
“For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that
everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life. For God did not send his
Son into the world to be its judge, but to be its savior. Those who believe in the Son are not judged; but those who do not
believe have already been judged, because they have not believed in God's only
Son”. (Institution)
(*) the present Bible holds the verse as:
“You see, then, that it is by our actions that we are put
right with God, and not by our faith alone”. (Holy Bible, James, Chapter 2,
verse 24)
“What I say is this: let the Spirit direct your
lives, and you will not satisfy the desires of the human nature. For what our human nature wants is opposed to what the Spirit
wants, and what the Spirit wants is opposed to what our human nature wants.
These two are enemies, and this means that you cannot do what you want to do. If the Spirit leads you, then you are not subject to the
Law”. (Holy Bible, Galatians, Chapter 5, Verse No. 16-18) (Institution)
(*)”In this
way God shows that he himself is righteous and that he puts right everyone who
believes in Eesa (علیہ السلام) ”.
(Holy bible, Romans, Chapter 3, Verse No. 26)
(Institution)
(*)”I have
shown your glory on earth; I have finished the work you gave me to do”. (Holy
Bible, John, Chapter 17, Verse 4)
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