This world belongs to the worldly. It doesn’t belong to the believers. The world enhances its own or takes a ‘hero’ and makes him/her bigger than life. So a deeper look at Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill and John Kennedy, as a few examples, uncovers some mighty strange stuff which is never emphasized and for all intent and purposes is beneficially buried. They came at the right time and did their thing because peoples and places are ‘measured’ by the Creator Lord for HIS purposes and not for ours.
That is a deep and uncomforting thought and puts Allah in TOTAL control though the minds of men cannot conceive of it. And thanks are given to HIM Who covers these things and keeps them hidden so that the frail human will not be overcome by insanity or steal a march on the secrets of time.
Not too long ago I came across a Christian Web site that featured a nice looking chart and an extensive one at that discussing the so-called top scholars of Islam who made Tafsirs concerning their viewpoints on the non-crucifixion of Jesus (pbh). Fair enough but I would hardly call some self-proclaimed Sufis and other exotic type scholars belonging to ‘strange’ sects as a definitive viewpoint on the non-crucifixion of Jesus (pbh).
Perhaps the real purpose of this fancy chart was to show the goodly Muslims that they were the ones confused by this issue. That is a neat trick considering the Christians have never been forthright about their own scriptures or the lack thereof. In reality, their own holy books show grave defects and a basic but honest look at history would reveal that they are the ones who are confused and not willing to own up to that fact.
First of all, how can one approach this subject when one of the players insists on carrying with him a two-headed coin? It is the ‘I am right and you are wrong’ syndrome. Coupled with this arrogance is the fact that the Christians of the late second, the third and fourth century made the crucifixion a major element of faith rather than the believers of the first century and that can be proven.
The ‘new Jewish’ faith better known as ‘The Way’ in the New Testament did not harp on the crucifixion event as it is harped about today but rather considered the ‘clean way’ of life and rejection of the worldly interests much more of a concern for earning the ‘life giving waters’ than philosophical mumbo-jumbo of the poised but surreal preachers that came after the first generation of believers.
Even the highly valued ‘cross’ didn’t become a symbol of Christian glory until the era of Constantine and that should tell an honest person something. It tells us that the real followers of Jesus (pbh), those that formed the bedrock of the faith, were not mentally deficient or irresponsible. In fact, according to recorded history, the year 148 AC along with other events (1) became a dramatic point in the so-called crucifixion story and this, taken together with true history, will show just exactly what the Quran is talking about.
During the first century there were many competing centers claiming seats of knowledge called in the vernacular ‘churches’. Rome was not the central authority because there was no central authority. However, as time wore on Rome started to become important and around 130 AC it was building a reputation for itself for having ‘polished’ educated orators and what could be called scholars as such.
As a result of Rome’s growing strength, Rome started to become a common meeting ground where other ideas could be debated and shared among the ‘learned’. So around the year 148 AC we find something very peculiar happening. A man by the name of Justin Martyr has to do ‘research’ to find out what exactly happened to Jesus (pbh) concerning the crucifixion event because of conflicting claims and conflicting records.
And WE granted them Clear Signs in Affairs (of Religion – the Correct Pathway of belief and Behavior): it was only after knowledge had been granted to them that they fell into schisms {wrangling disputes}, through insolent envy among themselves {arrogant hairsplitting}. Verily your LORD will judge between them on the Day of Judgment as to those matters in which they set up differences. Q (45: 17)
In Islam, what would be somewhat equivalent to that event? Well, if a group of today’s modern Islamic scholars got together to do research concerning whether Prophet Muhammad (pbh) actually existed or was he just a figment of someone’s imagination would be a close proximity to it!
As far as Islam is concerned, the non-crucifixion of Jesus (pbh) is 100% clear without any ambiguity and surprisingly enough the still existent New Testament agrees with the Quran but only when it is studied and understood properly.
In studying this topic of the non-crucifixion, it is helpful to reject a comic book mentality and self-pleasing philosophies and start at the top and not at the bottom. The top is the Quran and from the Quran all that needs to be known on this subject is mentioned. Some of the of the ‘side issues’ that I put in my book, The Non-Crucifixion of Jesus may not be crystal clear but just the topic of the actual non-crucifixion event is abundantly clear.
First of all, there is only One Holy Book that declares of itself to be completely free from error! That is an amazing statement yet it can be tested and shown to be absolutely true. And a few verses in the Old Testament go on to show that the Quran is free of errors!!! But people, like the pagan Arabs of old and the pagans amongst whom Abraham (pbh) lived have their own agendas to fan their woe- begotten pride and therefore lack real common sense.
For then I will turn to the people a PURE LANGUAGE {that is incorruptible} that they may all call upon the NAME of the LORD, {standing shoulder to shoulder or else the prayer will be invalidated}/to serve HIM with one consent.
From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia {Arabia} MY suppliants, even the daughter of my dispersed {the other abundant Semitic line that did not have a ton of prophets coming to them}, shall bring MY offering. Zephaniah (3: 9-10)
Without a doubt it {The Quran} is (announced) in the {previous} revealed Books of {the} former peoples. Q (26: 196)
From the Quran:
Praise be to Allah, Who has sent to HIS Servant The BOOK and has allowed NO crookedness therein. Q (18: 1)
First, one has to start with the ‘Pure Record’ known as the Quran. What does the Quran say about the non-crucifixion of Jesus (pbh)?
That they said (in boast), “We killed Christ Jesus the son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah” but they killed him not, nor did they crucify him. Only a likeness of that was shown to them. And those who differ therein are full of doubts, with no (certain) knowledge but {they have} only conjecture to follow. For of a surety they killed him not! Q (4: 157)
Words are words and they make no sense whatever unless a person knows what these words are talking about!
The word ‘crucified’ has nothing to do with being killed. In other words, if a person is put on a cross (fastened onto it as to being set and raised up) for 3 hours, 1 hour, 10 seconds or even 1 second then that person has in reality been crucified.
A disgusting practice found in the modern Philippines of today, has a ritual whereby some adherents undergo a crucifixion for a few hours only to be taken down and have their wounds administered to so that they can be up and walking in a few hours. Nobody in their right mind considers these people actually physically dead BUT THEY WERE CRUCIFIED!
Now, when a person dies A PHYSICAL DEATH (2) his body starts to decay right away although it will not be noticeable to the physical eyes for a few hours. And we know from Old Testament prophecy that the Messiah will not suffer corruption as he will be protected by Allah. Also, corruption here means sin but in any case (still according to the New Testament philosophy) sin (corruption) leads to death.
Simply put, Jesus the son of Mary (pbh) did NOT undergo those two actions of being crucified (put on the cross at any time or for any length of time) or the action of being dead by the hands of any man. The second part of this equation is spoken clearly in the current New Testament which agrees with the Quran. However, the corrupt priest-class (found in every religion, as we can see from various sects with widely different viewpoints in our historical perspective) has misinterpreted or ‘fixed’ the records through forgery. The end result is that either the befuddled Christians are telling the truth or that Jesus has lied (God forbid).
In order to understand the New Testament and the foolishness of the ‘times’, it is helpful to look precisely at what we are dealing with.
The Quran does not suggest that the Old or New Testament is without value to those who follow those persuasions. The Quran does not testify to those books as being valueless. What it does declare is that they have been altered to a certain degree basically by having some letters changed from the original words and that some words have been ‘conveniently’ replaced by falsehoods. Furthermore, there is a hint of things taken out of their rightful place. (3 & 4)
Also, one can fathom that a lot of meat has been removed which suggests that the original Sunnah and practices of the prophets have undergone a somewhat disappearing act.
From hadith material one gets the notion that there are certain ‘stories’ contained in those books that don’t have any bases of fact or somehow certain ‘insertions’ have been placed therein which have nothing to do with the truth.
In other words, the People of the Book can still study their records and with common sense be more acquainted with the truth if they but studied their records as they should be studied.
The original meaning behind the Gospels and some other writings found in the New Testament was to pave the way for the coming of Prophet Muhammad (pbh) in general and specifically to hold the line as long as possible against the ravages of the world for those who were to be marked down as believers.
So in effect the Gospels were about the Good News to come (and obviously why it had to come) and to introduce people to the truth concerning the last of the ‘Jewish prophets’ – Jesus the son of Mary (pbh). Are people in doubt about this?
Al-‘Irbad b. Sariya reported Allah’s Messenger (pbh) as saying, “I was inscribed in Allah’s presence as the seal of the prophets when Adam was prone in his basic substance. I shall inform you about the beginning of my career: It was the petition of Abraham, the Good Tidings {Good News from Jesus’ lips to his followers} by Jesus, and the vision my mother saw when she gave birth to me and a light issued to her from which the castles of Syria shone for her.” (It is transmitted in Sharh as-sunna, and Ahmad transmitted it on the authority of Abu Umama from “I shall inform you… to the end.)
If people are in doubt, they should look at the Gospel of John. Why should we turn to another personage to come if everything is going great? Why has someone got to come and tell the truth (reawaken the truth from being buried) if the truth has not been changed to falsehood? That doesn’t make any sense at all. In John’s Gospel, it is obvious that truth will be trashed (5)! Therefore, the rebirth of truth must come about to purge the lies against this man Jesus (pbh) among other things.
And when he is come, he will reprove {admonish and instruct} the world of {about} sin, and of righteousness and of judgment:
Of sin, because they believe NOT ON ME {as to the truth I (Jesus) brought}. John (16: 8-9)
However, when he, the Spirit of truth {Prophet Muhammad (pbh)} is come, he will guide you {the faithful} into ALL TRUTH: John (16: 13)
In conjunction with this, the New Testament boldly declares the end (of the pure teachings of Jesus (pbh) and the miscreants who will come to mutilate the truth) because they have defective hearts and they do not understand the continuity of the records whereas in reality the records are one! And these sayings have been given in my other articles showing this.
A look at the New Testament and its contents through the eyes of history does, however, provide some revealing things that have been conveniently grossed over.
The Gospels as well as some other writings most notably the Epistle to the Hebrews and somewhat of The Acts are writings that provide only a very tiny ‘drop in the bucket’ about the life and times of Jesus (pbh) and the life of the true Apostles. Here we will concentrate on the Gospels while using mostly internal evidence provided by these writings.
How can these Gospels be only a very tiny piece of evidence? Well, we take a look at the Gospel of John again and take him for his word.
And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen. John (21: 25)
Although this is a very poetic saying, I do not express the idea that it is wrong and in fact I would support it. However, that is neither here nor there. If one wants to write about this personage whom we now know today as Jesus the son of Mary (pbh) tons of material could have been written and not just a thousand words concerning him.
Therefore, the New Testament Gospels represent not an abridged addition of the life and times of Jesus (pbh) but just a tiny speck of what took place – a kind of summary of a summary that discusses the highpoints but which ended cutting back on a lot of ‘choice’ details which of course would make a lot of matters clear.
So these Gospels would perform a function of being likened to a stopgap measure and hopeful reading material to those whose hearts would be awakened to the remembrance of the LIGHT while the world would wait for the one who would reform (bring back the remembrance) of the truth while giving strong warnings for the Last Day of Judgment – Prophet Muhammad (pbh).
History is a witness to the turbulent times of what the believers in Jesus (pbh) had to go through. These Jews who were believers in The Way as is recorded in the New Testament were heavily outnumbered by the other Jews who were their enemies. They were also going to be put in mortal danger from the Romans.
And to top all of this off, they were going to be soundly wounded from the villainous ‘wolves in sheep’s clothing as can be found recorded in the New Testament. In other words, they were going to be attacked from all sides – but if they were constant in their true worship, they would be marked down as true believers and loved by Allah.
So the believers were put under terrible pressure from all sides and indeed those times of turmoil took their toll on the believers and with the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AC the remnants of true first generation believers were reduced to practically an insignificant number. That is but one of the things that opened the door to the ‘corruption’ that followed.
This does not imply that the ‘truth’ disappeared. It implies that ‘the power to hold the line’ against villainous aggression would be seriously and mortally weakened.
Now in one of my articles, I expressed something of one of the ‘Gifts’ (favors) given to the prophet Solomon (pbh).
It is absolutely true and that is that various prophets have had Gifts (favors) given to them by the Grace and Mercy from their LORD as is recorded in the Quran. We only know of some of these Gifts and that by way of Islamic Science. Other than that we know nothing of what these Gifts might be – so to stay on the safe side it is best not to venture off the pathway and delve into that which we do not know.
However, it is reported in the New Testament that there was a peculiar Gift given to the Messiah (pbh) and we can look at this Gift in discussing his non-crucifixion without trying to pursue other avenues of expression.
This Gift, and we will take the New Testament to be correct on this notion, is his Gift and not ours!!! So what is this Gift?
Therefore does my Father love me, because I lay down my life {according to HIS WILL}, that I might take it {up} again {according to HIS WILL}.
No man takes it from me, but I lay it down of myself {according to Allah’s WILL}. I have the power {given to me from Allah} to lay it down, and I have the Power {given to me from Allah} to take it up again. This commandment {gift/favor} I have received {from} my Father {THE CREATOR LORD}. John (10: 17-18)
The explanation of this verse concerning the non-crucifixion event becomes very important. Either Jesus (pbh) is telling the truth or he is not! Being a true prophet we know that he is telling the truth! So what can this verse imply concerning the non-crucifixion?
No man (person – man, women, boy, girl, child or anything to do with the human race) will be able to kill him. Quite frankly, when the Christians claim that Jesus (pbh) was killed {put to death}, they are going against their own Testament. How so? Well, if he died a physical death, who killed him? It all boils down to this point. Somebody is telling the truth and somebody is not. Jesus (pbh) is TELLING THE TRUTH!
So if the Romans and the Jews did not kill him did he go against the Laws of his LORD and kill himself in a form of suicide? Well that would be moronic to show the world that suicide, which is cursed by the ONE GOD is blessed by a mere man!
So suicide is ruled out. Then how did Jesus (pbh) die? That they can’t answer without butchering their own scriptures as well as the other scriptures!
Those verses in the New Testament show that AS DETERMINED BY his CREATOR LORD, Jesus (pbh) comes forth and then lays down his life and can take it up again WHEN, WHERE, IN WHAT MANNER, AND AT THE TIME SO APPOINTED BY his GOD and not something done willy-nilly on his own whim!
Another issue found in the New Testament is the man called Simon the Cyrenian – the man who was crucified in the place of Jesus (pbh). The Gospel of Mark says something incredible about this man. At first, it doesn’t seem so incredible but when one thinks about it, it becomes strange. The Gospel of Mark mentions this man’s home country; he must have been married as it mentions his two sons.
Now that doesn’t seem too incredible.
And they compel{ed} one Simon the Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear his cross. Mark (15: 21)
Now our good Simon, who is definitely not a native to Palestine, is somehow wandering around a very dangerous area where some executions are going to be taking place. He definitely seems out of place among the yelling throng out for blood and amidst the Roman soldiers. If he caused any commotion amongst the throng, he would have been seriously beaten.
How is it that this strange individual gets to be written down as to his country and the fact that he had two sons whose names are recorded? Did he hand out business cards during this tumultuous event? Did he set up a ‘carnival booth’ after the fact while broadcasting his lineage? Or was he mentioned on the offhand for another reason? And as to his personal details, why does this man go off the ‘radar screen’ not to be seen again?
Then there is the strange happenings found in the current New Testament whereby Jesus (pbh) seemingly turns to a convicted felon hanging on a cross next to him and because of the ‘kind’ words of this felon, Jesus (pbh) declares:
And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto you, “Today you shall be with me in Paradise.” Luke (23: 43)
Well, that would seemingly appear to be truthful for whatever reason EXCEPT JESUS (PBH) WAS NOT EVEN ON THE CROSS IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!
So are we at a loss in this case? No, we aren’t if one considers this saying from John’s Gospel.
Greater love has no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends. John (15: 13)
And there is the type of man who gives his life to earn the Pleasure of Allah; and Allah is full of kindness to HIS devotees. Q (2: 207)
The above saying found in Luke (23: 43) does have a meaning NOW when it is put in its proper perspective and would apply to the ‘one’ who took it upon himself with God’s Permission to render his services for the SAKE OF ALLAH and becomes a true martyr right blessed!
(1)The following excerpt is taken from the book, The Non-Crucifixion of Jesus pages 12-23.
“Some of these characters from church history that had a large impact on its future development as to belief systems were as follows:
- Justin Martyr
- Tertullian
- Montanus
- Constantine
How could they accomplish such things? In part, they elevated their organization to such a degree that it seemed a miracle to be blessed to be a part of that whole. Therefore, happy is the man who has been elevated above his brother – the unfortunate one who is not a member of that faith or philosophy. That concept does not form the basis of any true religion although in truth it does sort of shadow real belief. But it is a fake imitation of correct principles laid down in the real scriptures and like high class counterfeit money, it is not easy to spot by the unwary.
Hence, many people can be taken for a ride because their knowledge of their own faith is made of straw and not steel. So faith and the indulgence in faith is a job in itself which many of the flocks around the world woefully neglect thus proving that man can try and live by bread alone although that has never been suggested in any scripture.
One such character from church history was Justin Martyr. Born a pagan around 100 AC and a dabbler in what best can be called pagan/Christian philosophy, this converted ‘Catholic’ crusader loved to wow his listeners with philosophical mumbo-jumbo. Three of his biggest contributions in church history were to cement the idea, for the last time, concerning the crucifixion of Jesus, his so-called divinity and his relationship to the One God. Besides the crucifixion issue his big contributions were to set forth Jesus as a real son of the living God and his last contribution was to set forth arguments for the interpretation of the ‘Logos’ concept which eventually was to lead others to the pathway of explaining how Jesus was somehow related to the Divine. In truth, he had no business discussing the subject of ‘Logos’ but if one goes into ancient history one might be able to understand why he attempted it.
Acceptable religion has been with humanity since its entrance into Earth. There has also followed in the wake of true religion that which was false or what one can call paganism. Paganism has formed different offshoots just as religion has had different offshoots. Paganism has its own system of gods, sons of gods, creation theories and various levels of mythical inventions. Paganism was around long before the entrance of Jesus the son of Mary (pbh) and each sect had its own priest-class to explain the mysteries of the universal creation.
Even though Christianity was a growing concern in the pagan world during Paul’s time, it still had to battle for the hearts and minds of the people. A lot of those people seemed to fancy the notion of myths and false mysticism which probably to them added color to their lives. Christianity, in being sensible and forthright, did not seem to have quite as much color or as much as a circus atmosphere as did pagan beliefs and customs. Christianity’s central figure, Jesus the Messiah, was perhaps a little too bland for the people who were hell-bent on looking for colorful fairytales.
The concept of what was called ‘Logos’ was not a new term in philosophical circles as well as pagan circles and various offbeat theories were presented to explain it. The ‘church’ was not to be found lacking in this extracurricular activity either. Well, Justin Martyr gave his rendition of what he believed the Logos to be, thus opening the door for Christianity to match the wonders of circus-like paganism.
In the Quran we find a statement concerning what philosophers down through the centuries have tried to decipher:
And they ask you (O Muhammad) concerning the Ruh (the Spirit); Say, “The Ruh (Spirit) is one of the things, the knowledge of which is only with my Lord. And of knowledge you (mankind) have been given only a little.” Q (17: 85)
The lesson here should be to let things that cannot be understood left alone. The philosophers, like Justin Martyr, sometime ignore this good advice and in the end lead others astray in search of wild fantasies strictly condemned in all of the religious records.
Concerning the so-called crucifixion, Justin Martyr became the ‘voice’ of the church in Rome when in about 148 AC, he finalized the debate about whether Jesus was actually crucified or not. According to his research, Jesus was most definitely crucified and one must not overlook that Martyr did do research. The question to ask would be what kind of research did he do?
In order to find the ‘truth’, Justin Martyr went to the Jews as well as falling back on ancient Roman records. He did not like the Jews (remember that this is 148 AC and Christianity was rising its head against the condemners of Christ – philosophically anyways) but he wanted to find out if they really believed that they had killed Jesus. Their answer, of course, was that they killed the imposter and that was that. As for the Romans, they had records and as worldly people, they took down what they saw. Religious miracles were not their forte. The Romans were as worldly as one gets and mostly they depended on paganism.
Whatever the case, Justin Martyr had his so-called proof which seemed solid enough and he was not going to be silenced by what he would claim as spurious documents claiming otherwise. In other words, Jesus was crucified because he was crucified and that was going to be that!
Another stalwart of future Catholic fame was Tertullian born around 160 AC. Tertullian is an amazing study because of his lack of being canonized by the Church in Rome. That is amazing since his contributions to Roman Catholicism cannot be overemphasized. This one-time pagan turned Christian/philosopher/apologist and lawyer had few peers when it came to oratory and persuasion.
His noteworthy productions include the strongest defense for the church of Rome going back into history noting the passing of the torch from Jesus to his Apostles to the true line of ‘popes’. This established the great link of continuation of perfect and unassailable linkage whereby church authority could not be questioned. This act was done to counter all false ideas whose pagan origins could not be shown to have such great depth or lineage. In other words, with such a pedigree the church wins easily against all comers (ideas – pagan or Gnostic because they could not show their rightful beginnings). So it becomes logical that when they want to express something new and wonderful, they could not go back to original sources. Therefore, their expressions were nothing but fluff and inventions.
The second brilliant coup was coming up with the term ‘Trinitus’ in explaining the beginning philosophical notion of a form of 3 Gods in one idea. Although Tertullian did not quite get that far, he laid the groundwork for other goofy philosophers to come along and build on his foundations. He also was a firm believer in the crucifixion of Christ, which the church has held as an unshakeable truth. However, he adds a new twist to that idea. According to Tertullian, the only reason that Jesus should have undergone that humiliation was because of certain vermin placed on this earth. The real cause of why Jesus had to be crucified was simple. It was because of that sinful and disgraceful other half of humanity called women. This ingenious philosopher seems to have a flair for overstatement as he places the guilt of the human race and the reason why Jesus had to die squarely on the shoulders of what he considered as vermin – women! It follows logically that when one goes into his history that this man became an overzealous ascetic who had little regard for the fairer sex.
After his death, for nearly a century, Tertullian became a kind of forgotten slug, whose name was not mentioned much. However, after that period his name comes once more into vogue as a chief architect and builder of the great Roman Church. One might wonder why this eloquent and dynamic thinker was not only boycotted for a time but was never canonized by the institution he so vehemently defended.
The big reason for his lack of sainthood is simple. He died a heretic. The same church that he defended with such ‘eloquence’ just could not stand his next brilliant move, which landed him in hot water and the brand of being a heretic. Along came a man called Montanus, who is sometimes considered the father of modern of Pentecostalism, and Tertullian followed and praised him eagerly.
This ‘solid’ Christian activist started his movement around 167-170 AC and was to cause a huge uproar in Christian circles that it is no doubt that both Christians and Muslims would agree to Montanus being one of the little anti-christs of his day. He was a Christian and well steeped in Christianity but he also was a very dangerous person as his ideas spread like wildfire throughout the Christian empire of the day. His movement gained a lot of momentum, which shows that Christianity was not a solid and unified religion except for the centralized church in Rome.
This ascetic man accompanied by two woman friends, Priscilla and Maximilla, started to openly declare that they were getting direct revelations from the Holy Spirit (Gabriel) who anointed him as That Prophet or the spirit of truth incarnated in the flesh. In other words, he openly declared that he was the Paraclete spoken about in the Gospel of John.
In Islamic terms that would mean he would be announcing himself as Prophet Muhammad.
His declarations had such a profound effect on the church at Rome that even Pope Eleutherus has been recorded to have written letters in favor of Montanism. However, there was a change in mood amongst the Roman church as it became evident that the institution of popedom as well as the church in Rome would become in grave danger. Therefore, the letters of praise by Pope Eleutherus, the so-called Vicar of Christ on Earth, were hastily recalled. Needless to say, eventually the so-called Christian charlatan Montanus and the new Christianity that he preached eventually after several decades of huge success ended up on the garbage heap where it belonged.
As for Tertullian, the church maintains that he saw the error of his ways and returned to the body of the church towards the end of his life but this has never been proven.
One bright spot going for the church at about this time comes from Irenaeus. Hardly anything is known about his life but he does hold an important spot in church history. Irenaeus was not a philosopher nor was he much of a theologian. He was more of a historian and peacemaker. It is known from history that he opposed Gnosticism with great vigor. One of his strong suits was in having a tenuous relationship with Polycarp in his youth resulting in sort of a continuum of religious thinking.
The importance of Irenaeus lies in his historical research into church history and in his writings of the occurrences that were happening in his day and somewhat of a history to those heretical sects of Christianity. From Irenaeus, a true champion of orthodoxy, we learn that Christianity was definitely not as stable a religion as people are led to believe but was constantly in a state of flux with many different types of philosophies.
When it came down to writing about the earliest decades of true Christianity, Irenaeus was not on solid ground. In fact, he had to depend upon oral traditions handed down by the ‘church fathers’ and fill in the huge gaps that were missing as best as he could. His research did help to stabilize the acceptable books of the New Testament and although his list of acceptable books does not tally exactly as what is found in the New Testament of today, it is close enough. Irenaeus was not a maker of doctrine nor was he an eloquent speaker but that did not matter. He gave a history that provided a much-needed foundation to make the church more credible. So, thanks to the historian Irenaeus, we have a more fundamental look at the foolishness that was happening in the land of the Christian/pagan Empire.
It took nearly a century after Irenaeus but Christianity was on the move big time in the Roman Empire. Paganism was still a viable force but it was losing its grip upon the people. However, doctrinal debate was still rife within the church and for decades the church was arguing over the true nature of the Messiah and it was about to come to a head in the Arian debates. Enter now one of the lofty saints of the Catholic Church but to others a crafty demon. The man was Constantine.
History and the actions of Constantine go on to show exactly what kind of man he really was and it becomes readily apparent why the Catholic Church considers this individual a great saint.
In truth, Constantine did not care one whit for Jesus or anything Christian and this is proved by his ‘conversion’ to Christianity only on his deathbed. In fact, this creature was a cold calculating individual who thought only for himself. It is true that he was a worshiper of the Cross and a follower of a god called the ‘sun god’ but that goes on to show that he was an outright pagan. But who said pagans couldn’t be crafty and deep thinking?
Constantine was a man driven to lead an empire and the quickest way to get what he wanted was to unite a divided people under one banner – his own. History paints this man as a somewhat ruthless character that inspired an aura of awe, fear and respect. In his personal march to fame, he found out the realities of life soon enough. Paganism was on the wane but Christianity through various methods was on the increase and growing stronger by the day. It was a force of belief to be reckoned with and it was a force that would clearly dominate the political scene. Therefore, it had to be addressed carefully. In the past, tormenting the Christians made them stronger and not weaker. If this new ‘philosophy’ was going to overtake paganism, then that was the force that Constantine would use to get his empire.
Unfortunately, the Christians were having this several decades old confrontation amongst themselves as to whom Jesus really was. This was not going to get Constantine his beloved united empire filled with disenfranchised Christians. So being already known as a Christian supporter (for his own designs) he threatened the church to become organized or else. He also, like the crafty devil he was, gave all the expectations of making the new and approved doctrines these ‘bishops’ would come up with as the only way and means of worship. It is the old idea of ‘you get what you want without interference from me and I’ll get what I want without interference from you’. It was to turn out to be a happy marriage. Remember, by his fruits you will know him and that sentiment is from the New Testament itself.
Constantine could not care less if Jesus was regulated to a god or a piece of cheese. That was not his concern because truth and religion were not his concern. When the Arian Controversy was over and the dust settled, Christianity in around 325 AC became primarily what it is today concerning doctrine.
To show pleasure with their new leader or what would be called kissing his feet in today’s world, the high church decided to honor this ‘devil’ with fawning flatteries – just to cement their relationship with this powerful dictator and to be blessed in his presence.
It was reckoned that Christianity must have a symbol to celebrate this victory. In fact, it already had one (the fish) but why stop there? Constantine must be flattered and so the new symbol must reflect the greatness of this man. The new symbol became the Cross – a symbol very close to Constantine’s still pagan heart. And to add a little bit more sweetener to the pot, the sun god’s birthday which is around December 25th would be exactly Jesus’ birthday. WOW! What a coincidence. People should spend some time dwelling on that idea as to what it means to be a toady to some powerful figure like Constantine and the history of the church.
As to his conversion to Christianity on his deathbed, that idea seems to be psychologically explainable. Much like the Pharaohs of old who needed to establish monuments for their worship or the presidents of today who make libraries as symbols of their reigns on Earth, Constantine had thrown his weight behind Christianity and not paganism. So who could blame Constantine for wanting to be remembered as a king of kings, an emperor of emperors, a giant among men, leader of leaders amongst the faithful, chosen of God, and conqueror of the known universe. What a legacy this buffoon was building for himself! He sure was not going to get the pagan vote so it is logical to see why he, of such staunch defense of true faith and fear of the One God, finally caved in and became a Christian on his deathbed.
This is where the Cross becomes the central thrust for Christianity. This does not mean that the Cross was not a part of Christianity in the past but it now becomes even bigger than Jesus (pbh). Therefore, from philosophical to political development which is not hidden when true history is looked at, one can get the real picture, a clearer picture as to the dynamics of how a religion can be kidnapped and manipulated not so much by one man but by people willing to toady up to this creature of ill repute called the false priest-class.
The concept of the cross appears to be an evolutionary one that has a basis in fact. There was a crucifixion and that is a certainty. However, where does the notion of the crucifixion of Jesus precisely begin? That is somewhat of a mystery that can be almost possible to trace. Many of the Jews at the time of the actual crucifixion event from the Pharisaical sect would have believed that Jesus was actually crucified and would carry this tale for their own glorification of being the legitimate defenders of the truth.
Adding to the confusion of this myth would be the philosopher/pagan mixed bag of tricks that eagerly hung on to the legend of Jesus and proclaimed his triumph over flesh and hence the grave by having him being one of the ‘divines’ or sons of a central god- type legend. Their big time show was to incriminate the regular ‘bums’ of this earth in the presence of one who is of a super race of beings. Hence, when they went to grab this man who was not a real man, what they grabbed was nothing but spirit. Therefore, how could anyone crucify a spirit that had no corporeal body?
It is found in the New Testament, however, that these criminals who infested the church early on would make such false accusations which turned truth into a comic sideshow and thus they (those false Christian philosophers/Gnostics) were condemned as being wolves in sheep’s clothing or little anti-christs. The epistles of John and the Acts help to fill us in on these events but do not mention much beyond that.
In order to combat the idea of the ethereal Jesus, a man of spirit but no flesh, it seemed logical to have him become an actual partaker of the crucifixion itself. And those who did so could feel justified by certain passages of the Old Testament and manuscripts purporting to be various writings from the followers of Jesus as well as from the writings of Paul. This too is covered in the present day New Testament especially by Peter who writes about Paul being a good brother but one who is very difficult to understand at times. That is not all. He also puts the blame on those who are half-witted and who twist meanings of Biblical context out of all due proportion.
So we can see that the church is going to face some real heavy hitters who will become their enemies and actually cause a great deal of disruption to the body of believers. This body of believers is not going to live forever and after approximately 82-85 AC who is left who can counteract the poison being spread? The answer is not many will be left and certainly not in Rome.
Besides this, the idea of a physical crucifixion of Jesus is a lot easier to defend than a Jesus who was not crucified which sounds like the church would be falling into the Gnostic hands again with no way out of this quagmire. The phony Gnostics could now lick their wounds and fiddle with their Gospel of Judas and other phony gospels and have devils arise from the dust like Basilides who tried to peddle a new version of Christianity to the world. That, however, was not going to work and even though the truth was being diluted, the sense that Christianity was still hanging in there against all odds was nothing short of a miracle.
The devil does not sleep and go away so easily. He keeps hammering away at the problem until he pollutes just about every stream coming from the river. Once the door is opened, the horses will bolt from the barn and now it becomes everyman for himself. And this can be seen from the foolishness of Justin Martyr on up with very few exceptions. Give the devil his due but he still is an idiot and he cannot control the events of time and space. He can’t stop those of brave hearts from actually thinking or from those desiring to love the One God. All he can do is try to make life uncomfortable for people who care. He also cannot stop people from thinking or choosing and people who think actually pose quite a danger to him and his group – the other beasts as in Jinn and corrupt men.
There is one thing that these beasts could not do and that was to take away the Old and New Testaments in their entirety. Nor could they stop the behavior of men to do deeds of righteousness and character building. The only damage they could do was to themselves and those who are attracted to such immoral creeds built on philosophical nonsense.”
The following excerpt is taken from the book, The Non-crucifixion of Jesus page 70.
(2) “ And (remember) when Allah said: “O Jesus! I will take you and raise you to Myself and clear you of the blasphemies of those who disbelieve … Q (S. 3: 55)
(According to the Tafsir of Ibn Kathir, the words ‘take you’ refer to a form of sleep and according to the Quran sleep is a form of death – (6: 60) and (39: 42). It is not profitable to go beyond this point except to mention that the raising up idea, being totally correct, does not imply a time factor such that one second, one hour, day or week should be attributed as to when Jesus was raised.
It is He Who takes your soul by night (when you are asleep) and has knowledge of all that you have done by day, then He raises (wakes) you up again that a term appointed be fulfilled, then (in the end) unto Him will be your return. Then He will inform you of that which you used to do. Q (6: 60)
It is Allah Who takes away the souls at the time of their death, as well as those that do not die during their sleep. He keeps those (souls) for which He has ordained death and sends the rest {back} for a term appointed. Verily, in this are signs for a people who think deeply. Q (39: 42)”
(3) Words are easy to be tossed around but it would help if a ‘demonstration’ was given. In giving the following demonstration it is helpful to keep in mind the foolishness of the era (late first century and early to mid second century) treachery coupled with arrogance that causes the untrustworthy soul to ‘adjust’ the records to fall in line with one’s own interpretation.
And WE granted them Clear Signs in Affairs (of Religion – the Correct Pathway of belief and Behavior): it was only after knowledge had been granted to them that they fell into schisms {wrangling disputes}, through insolent envy among themselves {arrogant hairsplitting}. Verily your LORD will judge between them on the Day of Judgment as to those matters in which they set up differences. Q (45: 17)
Ye men of Israel hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did {as by HIS PERMISSION} by him in the midst of you, as you yourselves also know:
Him being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain. The Acts (2: 22-23)
The above quote is what appears NOW in the New Testament. The quote below is the one that should have appeared in the New Testament. The problem with the quote below is that it could be used to go either way concerning the so-called crucifixion of Jesus (pbh) so by ‘dressing it up’ one can claim to ‘improve’ on what surely the original author had in mind.
This mentality is no more than what a married man would do if he visited a prostitute but while engaging in his illicit act would claim that it is really virtuous simply because he kept thinking of being with his wife at that time instead of with a prostitute!
Ye men of Israel hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did {as by HIS PERMISSION} by him in the midst of you, as you yourselves also know:
Him being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken, and by wicked hands have {SOUGHT TO} crucify and slay. The Acts (2: 22-23)
(4) Another example comes from the Epistle to the Hebrews whereby it proclaims Isaac (pbh) to be the first born son of Abraham (pbh) and the one who was offered in sacrifice to the One God.
These ‘monkey shines’ are understandable when the verse from the Quran (45: 17) is understood. It is understandable what happened when it is seen how some characters act in their ‘arguable passions’.
The early Christians of the second century were still connected to Judaism by the bonds of closeness – a shared book and many practices – but were breaking away from Judaism and forming a Romanish-type of philosophy. While still being somewhat connected to Judaism, they were starting to arrogantly validate themselves as ‘inheritors’ of the scriptures and as a different set of peoples. So being somewhat connected by bonds with the past, they could only conceive of what the Old Testament declared. The Old Testament declares that Isaac (pbh) was the one who was ‘offered in sacrifice’.
And not only that, the ‘Kingdom’ being lost by the Jew as declared by Jesus would fall to them the Christians and not the Jews – another good reason to separate from the past. Good heavens, that prophecy could not be about the other set of Semites (Arabs) and other Gentiles who would be turned towards belief because they were of the lowlifes. However, nobody told Jesus (pbh) that he and his companions and followers were supposed to be Christian.
And I say unto you, that many shall come from the east and west and shall sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.
But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into utter darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Matthew (8: 11-12)
Therefore, the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews must have been in error to consider saying Ishmael (pbh) was the child who was the first son of Abraham and who was spared the sacrifice by having a ram substituted in his place. Well, people do make errors especially in copying old manuscripts. The solution is to copy the manuscript again but take out the word ‘Ishmael’ and substitute the word ‘Isaac’ in its place.
(4) The following excerpt is taken from the book, The Great Sacrifice of Jesus the Christ pages 16-19.
“Like the phases of the Moon, the Sacrifice changes.
It wasn’t so long ago in geological time that a mighty man who was to become known as the Friend of God was put under great stress to sacrifice his first-born son (his only son up to that time for his wife was barren). Before this the Sacrifice of Abel, Noah and others meant death in some form.
But something changed even though death can be said to be a part of the great Sacrifice.
The story of Abraham (pbh) the Friend of God is quite a story. He underwent many trials and tribulations in his life but was given great news of peoples to populate a great region called in the modern parlance the Middle East. The Middle East is where the People of the Book were to spring from. It would be the eventual fountainhead of three great religious movements and the birth place of the Lawgiver, the Messiah and the Messenger of messengers.
Like all things born on Earth, there would be no free ride and as much Light would enter the world, there would appear darkness and the intense story of the sons of light versus the sons of darkness continues to this very day.
O there are other ways and lessons to be learned but no man is in charge of that. The important thing is that the Way, with all of its implications both from the past going all the way back to the valley of Bakkah (now known as Makkah) to the future of the kingdom of the 5th Age whose center is in Jerusalem known before as Salem one would find a physical as well as spiritual setting. That represents a lot of historical past and a lot for the history of the future.
Even the Anti-christ that foul criminal finger of Satan will be given his short dominion of sorts showing the dark dreaded power of a vicegerent gone evil. But enough about his very brief but deadly rampage for the lands of blessedness will be washed clean of his filth and that mindless degenerate swarm (Gog and Magog) that will come after him.
This land is worth fighting for and maintained and history shows who best made things better for the people in a religious sense. No matter, for all of that is locked up and kept in safely guarded records.
The importance of this area and its celebration of faith and the Promise to come for mankind who would accept it were immense. It was an honor bestowed out of Love by no less than the Creator Lord Himself to His Friend Abraham (pbh) who had enjoyed his Lord’s Protection and Goodwill.
But something terrible had seemingly happened! The loyal and old prophet, whose seed was to be as numerous as the stars, was shaken to his very foundation. His joy turned to sadness – a depth of sadness that penetrated through his very bones and squeezed his heart in an unbelievable grip.
Being both old and with a barren wife was all right because he had taken another wife who bore him his first born from whence in the future they were to do service to their Lord and were further honored in rebuilding the Kabah in Makkah as a reborn place of honor stretching all the way back to Adam thus providing a great lineage.
But why must he now be ordered to destroy that which he loved above even himself? And if his first born should perish and the dream of the blessed nations be rejected, could it be that he, (God’s Friend) had committed some unspeakable crime or was he to be rejected as unworthy?
Always obedient to his Lord’s Call, he moved with his very young son up a hill to do the deed that must be accomplished. But he moved with a terrible weight on his shoulders and his heart was sorely being squeezed such that death itself would be a great release. Yet his Lord must be obeyed. And even when his son encouraged him to move forward to carry out his task, Friend Abraham (pbh) felt stricken and in near despair but his duty was clear and his love for Allah so great that any selfish pride he may have felt in moments of past joy was burned out of his heart.
Before he could sacrifice his first born son, Allah granted to him and symbolically to the world, if they but would have it, a Substitute ram from heaven. Thus, Abraham filled with joy overcame the test and together with his son participated in the Sacrifice of monumental import.
And for this reason was Abraham (pbh) given the joy of the Great News. Furthermore, he was given another piece of Great News which was that he would author another son, another holy child of great import, even a son from his barren wife: a child of destiny (as was his first son) but who would go on to form a line of greatness filled with many prophets culminating in the one prophet who would be That Sacrifice and known in history as the Messiah.
Now Abraham (pbh) was given two mighty gifts from his household and the man is given dominion over such things and is honored by his Lord as to have it become his household and the name of his children following after his name. His line would eventually lead to the birth of the Messenger of Allah (Muhammad) and a line also would be given that would lead to the birth of the Messiah known as Jesus the son of Mary – each line according to His Plan for the Salvation that has yet to come. But a PROMISE from the Creator Lord is a PROMISE that will not be defeated nor made undone.
So in part this is the story of Abraham (pbh) the father of the prophets. Like a true evolutionary force, the Promise would continue to move through history at the correct tempo and time as had been planned from beforehand.
And the evolution continued for the state of promise looked fairly bleak and particularly invisible at times especially with the degenerates like pharaoh on the scene. But once again the Light would shine brightly as His Plan poured forth in strength and power.”
(5) And this is the condemnation, that light {instructions given by the one brotherhood of prophets} is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. John (3: 19)
What about our current situation today amongst Muslims concerning the problems of these modern times? What lesson can we learn from our Prophet (pbh) so as to avoid being caught up in the ‘flux’ of societal woes?
What about the Arabs and Al-Qaeda? Well that is in the hadith literature. In a hadith found in Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim reported by Hudhaifa he reported that “People used to ask Allah’s Messenger (pbh) about good, but I used to ask him about evil from fear that it might overtake me… I asked whether there would be any evil after that good and he replied, “Yes, there will be people who summon others at the gates of Jahannam (Hell Fire) into which they will cast those who RESPOND to them.” I asked Allah’s Messenger (pbh) to describe them to us and he said, “They will be of our STOCK and speak like US.”
And according to another hadith by Hudhaifa found in Abu Dawud he asked what would come next and the Prophet (pbh) replied, “Then people who summon men to error will arise {those who ‘will be of our stock and speak like us’}; and if Allah has in the earth a Caliph who flays your back and takes your property, obey him; otherwise die holding on to the stump of a tree” {to protect your faith while avoiding mischief}. Then the dajjal will come forth…”
So, times change but the actions of the people don’t! This is the return of the ‘hotheads and hypocrites’ discussed in the article, A Fly in the Ointment. The hypocrites are those false people acting as Imams who give out faulty fatwas that mislead those who are NOT so well balanced in their faith (the hotheads). It leads them to ruin as they try to cause fitna between peoples.
So the Pattern remains the same. There should come the ‘false healing’ of society such that man can go about his business after the ‘recovery’ and forget much about Allah. Then IF ALLAH WILLS there comes a Caliph. Then, comes the Great Signs causing huge disturbances in the Earth lasting for a time and building one upon the other driving most to despair, desperation and unholy acts. Then in the midst of this chaos the dajjal comes forth.
Man is not in control of this nor does he control time and neither can he hasten or put back what has been recorded. So patience, perseverance and understanding are called for such that those who know their GOD will respond accordingly (as to what the Prophet (pbh) had taught)!
Who claims that Islam is backward only having to do with things of the past? People who have NO COMMON SENSE that is who!
