Jesus 100: 100 days to find him, to follow him and to begin to become like him

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The question “was Jesus the messiah?” requires a prior question: “What is the definition of messiah?” The Prophets (Nevi’im), who wrote hundreds of years before Jesus’ birth, envisioned a messianic age as as a period of universal peace, in which war and hunger are eradicated, and humanity accepts God’s sovereignty. By the first century, the view developed that the messianic age would witness a general resurrection of the dead, the in-gathering of all the Jews, including the 10 lost tribes, to the land of Israel, a final judgment and universal peace. Robinson, Neal (1991). Christ in Islam and Christianity. New York: SUNY Press. ISBN 978-0-791-40559-8. Some disagreement and discord can be seen beginning with Ibn Ishaq's ( d. 761) report of a brief accounting of events leading up to the crucifixion, firstly stating that Jesus was replaced by someone named Sergius, while secondly reporting an account of Jesus' tomb being located at Medina, and thirdly citing the places in the Quran ( 3:55, 4:158) that God took Jesus up to himself. [64]

Ja'far ibn Mansur al-Yaman ( d. 958), Abu Hatim Ahmad ibn Hamdan al-Razi ( d. 935), Abu Yaqub al-Sijistani ( d. 971), Mu'ayyad fi'l-Din al-Shirazi ( d. 1078) and the group Ikhwan al-Safa also affirm the historicity of the Crucifixion, reporting Jesus was crucified and not substituted by another man as maintained by many other popular Quranic commentators and Tafsir. More recently, Mahmoud M. Ayoub, a professor and scholar, provided a more symbolic interpretation for Surah 4 Verse 157: Muslims believe Christ was a prophet and a messenger of God • In Islam, Jesus, or Isa, is considered an important prophet and a Messiah. Islam also holds that Jesus was born of a virgin, but that he was not the Son of God. Most Muslims believe that God brought Jesus to heaven and that he wasn't actually crucified. [8] Ayoub, Mahmoud M. (1992). The Qur'an and Its Interpreters, Volume II: The House of 'Imran. SUNY Press. ISBN 978-0-7914-0994-7.The New Testament also include numerous verses testifying to Jesus as equal to God and as divine — a belief hard to reconcile with Judaism’s insistence on God’s oneness. However, some Jews at the time found the idea that the divine could take on human form compatible with their tradition. Others might have regarded Jesus as an angel, such as the “Angel of the Lord” who appears in Genesis 16, Genesis 22, Exodus 3 (in the burning bush) and elsewhere. Are There Jewish Texts that Reference Jesus? In a record by the Sunni exegete Tabari, before the last supper, the threat of death made him anxious. Therefore, Jesus invited his disciples for the last supper. After the meal, he washed their hands and performed their ablutions to wipe their hands on his clothing. Afterwards Jesus replied to them: "As for that I have done to you tonight, in that I served you the meal and washed your hands in person, let it be an example for you. Since you indeed consider me to be better than you, do not be haughty in relation to each other but rather expand yourselves for each other as I have expanded myself for you." After instructing the disciples in his teachings, Jesus foretells that one of them would deny him and another betray him. However, in accordance with Islamic views on Jesus' death, just a corpse in semblance of Jesus was crucified and Jesus himself was raised to God. [42] Other miracles In one passage of Jewish Antiquities that recounts an unlawful execution, Josephus identifies the victim, James, as the “brother of Jesus-who-is-called-Messiah.” While few scholars doubt the short account’s authenticity, says Mykytiuk, more debate surrounds Josephus’s lengthier passage about Jesus, known as the “Testimonium Flavianum,” which describes a man “who did surprising deeds” and was condemned to be crucified by Pilate. Mykytiuk agrees with most scholars that Christian scribes modified portions of the passage but did not insert it wholesale into the text. Tacitus connects Jesus to his execution by Pontius Pilate. Schäfer, Peter (13 September 2009). Jesus in the Talmud. Princeton University Press. p.139. ISBN 978-0691143187. In traditional Islamic eschatology, it is claimed that Jesus Christ will return in the Second Coming with Imam Mahdi to kill the Al-Masih ad-Dajjal ('The False Messiah'), after which with the ancient tribes Gog and Magog ( Yaʾjūj Maʾjūj) would disperse. After these creatures would miraculously perish, Imam Mahdi and Jesus would rule the entire world, establish peace and justice, and die after a reign of 40 years. Some Muslims believe that he would then be buried alongside Muhammad at the fourth reserved tomb of the Green Dome in Medina. These are apocryphal traditions related to hadith-based traditions.

Jestice, Phyllis G., Holy people of the world: a cross-cultural encyclopedia, Volume 1, 2004, ISBN 1-57607-355-6, pp. 558–559 Al-Masudi wrote that Jesus as a boy studied the Jewish religion reading from the Psalms and found "traced in characters of light": Jesus is featured as a major figure in two categories of hadiths which can be described as apocalyptic and biblical. [128] The eschatological role of Jesus in the hadiths may have been influenced by ideas of the Second coming held by the Eastern Churches, as well as the Quranic Jesus mentioned in 43:61. [128] Many of the hadiths which feature Jesus's sayings were not included in the canonical hadith collections, which became more focused on the sayings of Muhammad, but were instead included in a separate genre known as Qisas al-anbiya ('Stories of the Prophets'). [129] Sunni Islam Special thanks to Amy-Jill Levine, University Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies at Vanderbilt Divinity School and College of Arts and Sciences, for her assistance with this article. C. Stephens. The Historical Christ & The Jesus of Faith: The Incarnational Narrative as History. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004.

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Islamic exegesis extrapolates a logical inconsistency behind the Christian argument of divine intervention, as such implications would have ascribed divinity to Adam who is understood only as creation. [103] Precursor to Muhammad Lineage of several prophets Even Jesus needed "alone time." The Gospels frequently mention that Jesus needed to withdraw from the crowds. One cave where he spent some time is called the Eremos Cave, from which the word "desolate" and "hermit" derive. [4]

The miraculous birth and life of Jesus becomes a metaphor for Rumi of the spiritual rebirth that is possible within each human soul. This rebirth is not achieved without effort; one needs to practice silence, poverty, and fasting—themes that were prominent in Jesus' life according to Islamic traditions. [135] An early interpretation of verse 3:55 (specifically "I will cause you to die and raise you to myself"), Al-Tabari ( d. 923), records an interpretation attributed to Ibn 'Abbas, who used the literal "I will cause you to die" ( mumayyitu-ka) in place of the metaphorical mutawaffi-ka ('Jesus died'), while Wahb ibn Munabbih, an early Jewish convert, is reported to have said "God caused Jesus, son of Mary, to die for three hours during the day, then took him up to himself." Tabari further transmits from Ibn Ishaq: "God caused Jesus to die for seven hours", [71] while at another place reported that a person called Sergius was crucified in place of Jesus. Ibn-al-Athir forwarded the report that it was Judas, the betrayer, while also mentioning the possibility it was a man named Natlianus. [72] Owen. " What Did Jesus Really Look Like? New Study Redraws Holy Image." Live Science. February 27, 2018. Accessed: June 24, 2019. Peters, Francis E. (1990). Judaism, Christianity, and Islam: The Classical Texts and Their Interpretation, Volume 3. Princeton University Press. ISBN 9780691020556.Zahniser, Mathias (30 October 2008). The Mission and Death of Jesus in Islam and Christianity (Faith Meets Faith Series). New York: Orbis Books. p.55. ISBN 978-1570758072.