Accoompanying Ramadan 22 Jesus brings us together

Jesus – ‘Isâ 1

Bible

To get to know Jesus, or at least to know about Jesus, one would have to read the whole of the New Testament, the Gospels of course, but also the other writings of the New Testament which bear witness to what the first Christian communities believed.

The first writings of Paul, the First Letter and the Second Letter to the community in Thessalonika, are dated to 50-52 CE. They are followed by the two letters to the Christians in Corinth (circa 57 CE).

This is what I received from the Lord, and in turn passed on to you: that on the same night that he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread, and thanked God for it and broke it, and he said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this as a memorial of me.” In the same way he took the cup after supper, and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Whenever you drink it, do this as a memorial of me.”

                                                               (1 Corinthians 11:23-25)

It is to be noted that Paul respects tradition; he hands on what he has received. Paul did not invent Christianity.

The four gospels are part of oral tradition that was later written down. Each of the four main authors, whom we call Evangelists, has his own point of view.

Mark (before 70 CE):

1. Prelude: Preaching of John the Baptist; Baptism of Jesus;

    Temptation.

2. Ministry of Jesus in Galilee.
3. Journeys outside Galilee.
4. The Jerusalem ministry.
5. Passion of Jesus and his Resurrection.

The Gospel of Mark was probably originally addressed to Christians in Rome. It focuses on the Kingdom of God.

Luke (between 80 and 85 CE)

1. Birth and Hidden Life of John the Baptist and of Jesus
2. Prelude to the Public Ministry of Jesus
3. Ministry of Jesus in Galilee
4. The Journey to Jerusalem
5. Ministry of Jesus in Jerusalem
6. Passion
7. Resurrection of Jesus and After

The Gospel of Luke was probably written in Antioch (Syria) for non-Jewish Christians. The author emphasizes the role of the Holy Spirit; he stresses the love of Jesus for sinners; he also gives importance to the role of women. He is described by Dante as scriba mansuetudinis Christi, “the faithful recorder of Christ’s lovingkindness.”

Matthew (between 80 and 90 CE)

1. Birth and Infancy of Jesus
2. The Kingdom of God Proclaimed
3. The Kingdom of God is Preached (i.e. taught)
4. The Mystery of the Kingdom of Heaven
5. The Church, First-Fruits of the Kingdom of Heaven
6. The Approaching Advent of the Kingdom of Heaven
7. Passion and Resurrection

The Gospel of Matthew was intended for Jewish converts to the Christian faith; he quotes often from the previous Scriptures to show that these are fulfilled in Jesus.

John (end of 1^st Century CE)

1. Prologue
2. First Week of the Ministry of Jesus. He is revealed as Messiah.
3. First Passover
4. Sabbath of the paralytic
5. The Passover of the Bread of Life.
6. The Feast of Tabernacles
7. The Feast of Dedication
8. The Week of the Passion
9. Resurrection and Week of apparitions

The Gospel of John was probably written for a special community of disciples, in a Jewish-Christian environment. These disciples seem to have been influenced by later currents in Judaism. The Gospel is more reflective, bringing out the meaning of the events of the life of Jesus. It emphasizes the importance of the Incarnation, the Word made flesh.

Qur’an

The name for Jesus in the Qur’an is ‘Isâ. “The Qur’an gives a greater number of honourable titles to Jesus than to any other figure of the past”

(G. Parinder, Jesus in the Qur’an p.16). Jesus is often referred to in the Qur’an as “Son of Mary”. This is, for Christians, both negative and positive: negative in that it avoids declaring Jesus to be the Son of God; positive in that it recognizes the virginal birth of Jesus: Jesus is the “son of Mary”, he has no earthly father.

A Muslim writes that Jesus “has provided both a bridge between Christian and Muslim faith and piety, and a great theological barrier between the Christian church and the Muslim ummah… for Muslim piety, Jesus is a model of true Islam, or total submission to God. He lived in God’s presence, free from all attachments to this world and its vain pleasures. He is a source of hope and solace for the poor and oppressed, and a stern reproach for the rich and greedy oppressors. For the Sufis, the ‘friends of God’, he is an example of true piety and trust in God, and through his gracious miracles he embodies for all faithful Muslims God’s gift of life and healing.”

[Mahmoud Ayoub, in Irfan A, Omar (ed.) A Muslim View of Christianity. Essays on Dialogue by Mahmoud Ayoub, p.117].

Another Muslim writes: “Jesus, as a messenger of God, is an integral part of Islamic theology, literature, culture and civilization… Muslims see no incongruity between Jesus and the mosque since the prophet Muhammad and Jesus are considered spiritual brothers. This clearly indicates that Muslims have honored Jesus as a part of their faith and culture. Perhaps for this reason many adherents of Islamic faith name their children ‘Isa, the Qur’anic name for Jesus.”

(Zeki Saritoprak, Islam’s Jesus, p.xiii)