Bismika Alllahuma Bismika Alllahuma

Introduction Introducción

Instead of writing a full-scale biography of Jesus of Nazareth, I want to focus on some aspects of the life and teaching of Jesus of Nazareth that are commonly overlooked by most Christians. En lugar de escribir una escala completa biografía de Jesús de Nazaret, quiero centrarme en algunos aspectos de la vida y enseñanzas de Jesús de Nazaret que comúnmente son pasados por alto por la mayoría de los cristianos. Any attempt to reconstruct the historical Jesus (as distinct from the incarnate deity of ecclesiastical faith) needs to take into account all the recoverable data about Jesus, much of which has been ignored by many Christians because of its’ embarrassment to Christian orthodoxy. Cualquier intento de reconstruir el Jesús histórico (a diferencia de la deidad encarnada de la fe eclesial) hay que tener en cuenta todos los datos recuperables acerca de Jesús, gran parte de la cual ha sido ignorado por muchos cristianos debido a su «vergüenza para la ortodoxia cristiana. Jesus’ reported sayings in the Gospels are frequently subjected to tortuous exegesis by fundamentalist Christians to make them fit later church tradition. Jesús informó de refranes en los Evangelios son frecuentemente sometidos a tortuosos exégesis de fundamentalistas cristianos con objeto de hacerlos aptos iglesia más tarde la tradición. Paradoxically, the data has been critically examined by none other than Christian scholars themselves. Paradójicamente, los datos se ha examinado críticamente por nada menos que los estudiosos cristianos.

It is the time-honoured Christian practice to read the New Testament gospels through the perspective of centuries of later church tradition. Es el momento de la práctica cristiana el honor de leer los evangelios del Nuevo Testamento desde la perspectiva de siglos más tarde iglesia de la tradición. This later tradition developed in a very different environment to the milieu of Second Temple Judaism. Esta tradición más tarde desarrollado en un entorno muy diferente al entorno del Segundo Templo el judaísmo. Certain titles and expressions which had been used of or by Jesus underwent a radical semantic shift, resulting (to give but one example) in a title such as ’son of God ‘ acquiring a totally new and non-Jewish meaning in the Hellenistic world of the third and fourth centuries. Algunos títulos y expresiones que se habían utilizado o por el de Jesús se sometió a un radical cambio semántico, resultante (para dar sólo un ejemplo) en un título como «hijo de Dios" la adquisición de una totalmente nueva y no judíos en el sentido helénico del mundo el tercer y cuarto siglos. The Catholic Church came to redefine the ontology of the man from Nazareth into categories of Greek philosophy and metaphysics. La Iglesia Católica llegó a redefinir la ontología del hombre de Nazaret en las categorías de la filosofía griega y la metafísica. Thus, the charismatic healer and prophet from Nazareth became a God. De este modo, el carismático sanador y profeta de Nazaret se convirtió en un Dios. The doctrine of the Incarnation of God in Jesus has always scandalised Jews and, later, Muslims would also find it blasphemous, an unacceptable Christian dogma. La doctrina de la Encarnación de Dios en Jesús siempre ha escandalizado Judios y, más tarde, los musulmanes también sería blasfemo, un dogma cristiano inaceptable.

Western biblical scholarship since the Enlightenment has tried to strip away these ideological accretions and uncover, as much as possible, the real Jesus of history: Jesus the Messiah, a prophet of God. Occidental bíblico beca desde la Ilustración ha tratado de una banda de distancia ideológica estas acumulaciones y descubrir, la medida de lo posible, la verdadera historia de Jesús: Jesús, el Mesías, un profeta de Dios. There is an extraordinary resemblance between the historical picture produced by many biblical scholars and the Jesus of the Qur’an. Hay una extraordinaria similitud entre la imagen histórica producida por muchos eruditos bíblicos y el Jesús del Corán. This convergence has not gone unnoticed in recent works by New Testament scholars who see in it an exciting opportunity for rapprochement between the two Abrahamic faiths (I cite two examples in my conclusion below). Esta convergencia no ha pasado inadvertida en las obras recientes de los estudiosos del Nuevo Testamento que ven en ella una oportunidad emocionante para el acercamiento entre las dos religiones abrahámicas (Cito dos ejemplos en mi conclusión más abajo).

I want to explore four key issues that reveal crucial aspects of the teaching and life of Jesus that are commonly obscured or even suppressed by traditional Christian apologetics and piety - whether Evangelical or Roman Catholic. Quiero explorar cuatro cuestiones clave que revelan aspectos cruciales de la enseñanza y la vida de Jesús que se oculta o incluso suprimida por apologética tradicional cristiana y la piedad - ya sea evangélica o católica romana.

NB There is a Glossary of unfamiliar terms at the end of this essay and Suggestions for Further Reading if you wish to explore the subject further. Nota: Hay un glosario de términos desconocidos al final de este ensayo y Sugerencias para más información si desea explorar el tema más a fondo.

The Key Issues Las cuestiones clave

The key issues I will explore come under four chapter headings: Las principales cuestiones voy a estudiar bajo cuatro epígrafes:

• Chapter 1: The Jewish Law: Jesus did not declare all foods clean Capítulo 1: La Ley judía: Jesús no declarar todos los alimentos limpios
• Chapter 2: What Jesus taught about ‘being saved’, or inheriting eternal life (and what St Paul wrote) Capítulo 2: ¿Qué enseñó Jesús acerca de "ser salvado", o heredar la vida eterna (y lo que San Pablo escribió)
• Chapter 3: Jesus is portrayed in the Gospels as predicting his own death: difficulties with taking this at face value Capítulo 3: Jesús es retratado en los Evangelios como predecir su propia muerte: con dificultades en tomar el valor nominal
• Chapter 4: Jesus did not claim to be the Creator of the universe Capítulo 4: Jesús no pretende ser el Creador del universo

We will be covering these issues in the following sections. Estaremos cubriendo estos temas en las siguientes secciones.

Chapter 1: The Jewish Law: Jesus did not declare all foods clean Capítulo 1: La Ley judía: Jesús no declarar todos los alimentos limpios

It is widely believed that Jesus taught and declared that all foods are clean, that is, it is permissible for his followers to consume every kind of meat. En general se cree que Jesús enseñó y declaró que todos los alimentos están limpios, es decir, es permisible para sus seguidores a consumir todo tipo de carne. However, purported sayings of Jesus in Matthews’ gospel suggest otherwise. Sin embargo, el presunto dichos de Jesús en Matthews' evangelio sugieren lo contrario.

At the beginning of his ministry Jesus is reported to have taught his disciples this crucial teaching: Al comienzo de su ministerio Jesús se informa, han enseñado a sus discípulos esta importante enseñanza:

Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them. No penséis que he venido para abrogar la ley o los profetas; no he venido para abrogar, sino para cumplirlas. Truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. En verdad os digo que hasta que pasen el cielo y la tierra desaparece, no la más pequeña letra, no menos de un plumazo, por cualquier medio desaparecer de la Ley hasta que todo se logra. Anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Cualquier persona que deja a un lado uno de estos comandos y enseña a otros en consecuencia será llamado en el reino de los cielos, pero el que enseña las prácticas y estos comandos será llamado grande en el reino de los cielos. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven Matthew 5:17-20 Por le digo que a menos que su rectitud supera a la de los fariseos y los maestros de la Ley, usted seguramente no entrará en el reino de los cielos Mateo 5:17-20

(All quotations are from the New International Version of the Bible) (Todas las citas son de la Nueva Versión Internacional de la Biblia)

Towards the end of his teaching ministry, eighteen chapters later, we are told Jesus said: Hacia el final de su ministerio de enseñanza, dieciocho capítulos después, se nos dice Jesús dijo:

The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. Los maestros de la ley y los fariseos se sientan en Moisés asiento. So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. Así que ellos deben obedecer y hacer todo lo que dicen ustedes. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach Matthew 23:1-2 Pero no hacen lo que hacen, porque ellos no practican lo que predican Mateo 23:1-2

When Jesus said this, he must have known that any Rabbi would say you could not eat pork, as it says in Leviticus 11:7-8: Cuando Jesús dijo esto, él debe haber sabido que cualquier rabino diría usted no puede comer carne de cerdo, como se dice en Levítico 11:7-8:

And the pig, though it has a divided hoof, does not chew the cud; it is unclean for you. Y el cerdo, a pesar de que tiene una pezuña dividida, no masticar el cud; es inmundo para usted. You must not eat their meat or touch their carcasses; they are unclean for you. Usted no debe comer su carne o toque sus cadáveres, son inmundos para usted.

If you look at another New Testament book called the Acts of the Apostles you will read that at a council held in Jerusalem, the disciples ruled that all believers must stay away from Si nos fijamos en otro Nuevo Testamento libro llamado los Hechos de los Apóstoles se lee que en un consejo celebrado en Jerusalén, los discípulos dictaminó que todos los creyentes deben permanecer fuera de la

Food sacrificed to idols, from blood, and from the meat of strangled animals (Acts 15:29) Alimentación sacrificado a los ídolos, de sangre, y de la carne de animales estrangulados (Hechos 15:29)

Incidentally, St Paul is reported to have agreed with this decision. Por cierto, San Pablo se informó que de acuerdo con esta decisión. Blood is not to be eaten, nor the meat of strangled animals because they would have the blood still in them (see Leviticus 17:10-12) La sangre no es para ser consumido, ni la carne procedente de animales estrangulados, ya que tendría la sangre aún en ellos (ver Levítico 17:10-12)

For the meat to be fit for eating the blood must be properly drained out of the animal (see v 13). Para la carne para ser apto para comer la sangre debe hacerse de manera de drenar del animal (ver v 13). The disciples knew their Bible and acted accordingly. Los discípulos sabían su Biblia y actuó en consecuencia.

Nevertheless, many Christians think that in the book of Acts the disciples were told to give up obeying the Law on unclean foods. Sin embargo, muchos cristianos piensan que en el libro de los Hechos los discípulos se les dijo que renuncien a obedecer la ley sobre los alimentos impuros. To support this assumption they refer to Acts 10 where Peter has a vision, in which a voice tells him, Para apoyar esta hipótesis se refieren a actos 10 cuando Peter tiene una visión, en la que una voz le dice,

do not call anything impure that God has made clean (verse 15) no ponen nada impuro que Dios ha hecho limpio (versículo 15)

It is important to read this verse in its complete context. Es importante leer este verso en su contexto completo. If you have a copy of the New Testament to hand, I recommend you read the book of Acts, chapter 10, verses 1-35. Si usted tiene una copia del Nuevo Testamento a mano, le recomiendo que lea el libro de los Hechos, capítulo 10, versículos 1-35.

If you have read the whole passage, you will see that this vision was not about clean and unclean foods, but about clean and unclean people . Si usted ha leído todo el pasaje, verá que esta visión no se trataba de limpio y lo inmundo alimentos, sino de limpio y sucio personas. The voice from heaven told Peter that human beings should not be called ‘unclean’ just because they did not belong to Israel. La voz del cielo le dijo a Pedro que los seres humanos no deben ser llamados' sucio 'sólo porque no pertenecen a Israel. Peter wondered about the meaning of the vision (vv. 17, 19). Peter se pregunta sobre el significado de la visión (vv. 17, 19). Then he explains what he understood to be the import of the vision: Luego explica lo que él entiende que la importación de la visión:

He said to them: ‘You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with Gentiles or visit them. El les dijo: 'Ustedes saben muy bien que está en contra de nuestra ley por un Judio a asociarse con o visitar gentiles. But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean. (Acts 10:28) Pero Dios me ha mostrado que no debo llamar a nadie impuro o sucio. (Hechos 10:28)

I now realise how true it is that God does not show favouritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right (Acts: 10:34) Ahora me doy cuenta de cómo es cierto que Dios no muestra favoritismo, pero acepta los hombres de todas las naciones que le temen y hacer lo correcto (Hechos: 10:34)

So it is evident that, contrary to what many Christians assume, Peter did not proclaim that all foods were now clean. Por lo tanto, es evidente que, contrariamente a lo que muchos cristianos asuman, Peter no proclamar que todos los alimentos que ahora se limpia. Indeed, if we look at Acts 15 again, at the council of Jerusalem the disciples ruled that all believers must stay away from, De hecho, si nos fijamos en Hechos 15 una vez más, en el Concilio de Jerusalén los discípulos dictaminó que todos los creyentes deben permanecer fuera de,

Food sacrificed to idols, from blood, and from the meat of strangled animals (Acts 15:29) Alimentación sacrificado a los ídolos, de sangre, y de la carne de animales estrangulados (Hechos 15:29)

It may be of interest to note that these prohibitions are mentioned in the Qur’an too, Puede ser de interés observar que estas prohibiciones se mencionan en el Corán también,

You are forbidden to eat carrion; blood; pig’s meat; any animal over which any name other than God’s has been invoked; any animal strangled, or anything sacrificed on idolatrous altars Surah 5:3 Usted está prohibido comer carroña; sangre; carne de cerdo; cualquier animal sobre el que cualquier nombre que no sea de Dios se ha invocado; cualquier animal estrangulado, o algo sacrificado en los altares idólatras Sura 5:3

(All quotations are from The Qur’an : a new translation by MAS Abdel Haleem published by Oxford University Press, 2004) (Todas las citas son de El Corán: una nueva traducción de MAS Abdel Haleem publicado por la editorial Oxford University Press, 2004)

A Very Curious Phenomenon Un fenómeno muy curioso

I have not mentioned a very curious phenomenon so far. No he mencionado un fenómeno muy curioso hasta el momento. According to Mark’s Gospel 7:18-19, Jesus supposedly said this: De acuerdo con el Evangelio de Marcos 7:18-19, Jesús supuestamente dijo lo siguiente:

Don’t you see that nothing that enters you from the outside can defile you? ¿No ves que nada de lo que le entra desde el exterior puede desfiladero? For it doesn’t go into your heart but into your stomach, and then out of your body. Para no entrar en su corazón, sino en su estómago y, a continuación, fuera de su cuerpo. (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean) (Al decir esto, Jesús declara todos los alimentos limpios)

The words in parenthesis were added by Mark, and were not spoken by Jesus. Las palabras entre paréntesis se añadieron por Mark, y no se habla de Jesús.

An alert reader would have noticed that this statement directly contradicts the passages quoted above (Matthew, 5:17-20; 23:1-2; Acts, Chapters 10 and 15). Un lector alerta habría notado que esta declaración contradice directamente los pasajes citados anteriormente (Mateo, 5:17-20; 23:1-2; actos, los capítulos 10 y 15).

In these passages it is evident that the disciples were not told to abandon kosher food laws by Jesus and that they had to struggle with the difficult question of whether or not the Torah laws could be relaxed for converts (it is crucial to note that the issue was how the gentile converts should live, and not the disciples themselves who continued to observe the Torah ). En estos pasajes es evidente que los discípulos no se le dijo a abandonar los alimentos kosher leyes de Jesús y que tuvo que luchar con la difícil cuestión de si o no leyes de la Torá podía relajarse para convierte (es fundamental señalar que la cuestión cómo se convierte el gentil debe vivir, y no los propios discípulos que siguieron a observar la Torá).

Christian scholars have faced this problem with commendable honesty. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary (ed. R. Brown et al, Prentice Hall, 1990) is a prestigious work of Roman Catholic biblical scholarship with contributions from top scholars in America and the UK. Christian estudiosos se han enfrentado a este problema con encomiable honestidad. Jerome El Nuevo Comentario Bíblico (ed. R. Brown et al, Prentice Hall, 1990) es una prestigiosa labor de la Biblia católica romana de becas con aportaciones de los estudiosos superior en los Estados Unidos y el Reino Unido.

It states: Dice así:

Again the problem: If Jesus had been so explicit about the observance of Jewish food laws, why were there so many debates on this matter in the early church? Una vez más el problema: Si Jesús había sido tan explícito acerca de la observancia de las leyes judías de alimentos, ¿por qué hay tantos debates sobre esta cuestión en la iglesia primitiva? (p. 612) (p. 612)

In historical fact Jesus did not abolish the ceremonial law as such, since otherwise the struggles of the early church recorded in Galatians, Acts 10 and 15 would be unintelligible (p. 658) En el hecho histórico de Jesús no abolió la ley ceremonial como tal, ya que de otro modo las luchas de la iglesia primitiva registrada en Gálatas, Hechos 10 y 15 sería ininteligible (p. 658)

Therefore, I would conclude that Mark has probably read the attitude of the church of his time and place back into the original sayings of Jesus. Por lo tanto, quisiera concluir que Marcos ha leído probablemente la actitud de la iglesia de su tiempo y lugar de nuevo en el original de dichos de Jesús. Mark is usually believed to have written his Gospel about 65-70AD for a non-Jewish audience, a generation after Jesus. Mark es por lo general cree que han escrito acerca de su Evangelio 65-70AD para un no-judío público, una generación después de Jesús. The Hellenization of Jesus is already well underway! El Hellenization de Jesús ya está en marcha!

The Plot Thickens! La trama espesa!

Now this is not the end of the matter. Ahora, este no es el final de la cuestión. There is a further complication to consider. Existe una complicación adicional a considerar.

Three different positions are possible to adopt concerning Jesus’ real teaching about the Old Testament Law. Tres diferentes posiciones son posibles de adoptar en relación con Jesús real de enseñanza sobre la Ley del Antiguo Testamento. They are: Ellos son:

i. i. Jesus completely abolished the OT law. Jesús completamente abolido el Antiguo Testamento la ley.

In the light of the discussion so far we might be forgiven if we are tempted to dismiss this possibility straight away. A la luz de la discusión hasta el momento que podríamos ser perdonados si se ven tentados a descartar esta posibilidad de inmediato. But it is found in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians 2:15. Sin embargo, se encuentra en la carta de Pablo a los Efesios 2:15. Paul says that Jesus, Pablo dice que Jesús,
Set aside in his flesh the law with its commands and its regulations Retiradas de la producción en su carne la ley con sus comandos y su reglamento

In Paul’s letter to the Romans 14:20 he says unequivocally, En la carta de Pablo a los Romanos 14:20 dice de forma inequívoca,

All food is clean Toda la comida está limpio

In 1 Timothy 4:1-3 Paul (though most scholars do not think the apostle Paul wrote the Pastoral Epistles, I assume Pauline authorship for arguments sakes) even condemns those people (James and the other apostles?) who order people to abstain from certain foods, and accuses them of abandoning the true faith and following demons! En 1 Timoteo 4:1-3 Pablo (aunque la mayoría de los estudiosos no cree que el apóstol Pablo escribió las Epístolas Pastorales, supongo Pauline autoría de argumentos bien), incluso condena a esas personas (James y los otros apóstoles?) Para que las personas se abstengan de ciertos alimentos, y los acusa de abandono de la verdadera fe y siguientes demonios!

The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. El Espíritu dice claramente que en algunos momentos más tarde abandone la fe y seguir engañando a los espíritus y las cosas enseñadas por los demonios. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. Estas enseñanzas vienen a través de hipócritas mentirosos, cuya conciencia se han seared como con un hierro caliente. They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods. Ellos prohíben a las personas a contraer matrimonio y el orden a abstenerse de ciertos alimentos.

Finally, as if it were not clear enough already, Paul in his letter to the Colossians 2:14 claims that Jesus Por último, como si no fuera ya suficientemente claro, Pablo en su carta a los Colosenses 2:14 afirma que Jesús

cancelled the written code, with its regulations… canceló el código escrito, con su reglamento…

ii. II. Jesus taught that the Torah was still to be followed in its entirety. Jesús enseñó que la Torah fue aún no se ha seguido en su totalidad.

The Letter of James, to be found towards the end of the New Testament, assumes the continuing normativity of the law, La Carta de James, que se encuentra hacia el final del Nuevo Testamento, supone la continuación de normatividad de la ley,

For whoever keeps the whole Law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. Para cualquiera que guardare toda la ley, pero ofendiere en un punto, se hace culpable de todos. For he who said, ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ also said, ‘You shall not murder.’ If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you become a law-breaker. 2:10-11 Para que él dice, 'No cometerás adulterio, también dijo,' No matarás'. Si no cometerás adulterio, pero cometer el asesinato, usted se convierte en un derecho para romper. 2:10-11

As we have seen even Jesus is quoted as saying that no one should think he came to abolish the law, but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17). Como hemos visto, incluso Jesús es citado diciendo que nadie debe pensar que vino a abolir la ley, sino para cumplir (Mateo 5:17). Furthermore, Jesus continues, Por otra parte, Jesús continúa,

Anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven Matthew (5:19) Cualquier persona que deja a un lado uno de estos comandos y enseña a otros en consecuencia será llamado en el reino de los cielos Mateo (5:19)

So even the smallest command in the Torah should be adhered to. Por lo tanto, incluso el más pequeño comando en la Torá deben ser atendidas.

However, paradoxically, even in Matthew’s Gospel we read of Jesus cancelling some Old Testament Laws. Sin embargo, paradójicamente, incluso en el Evangelio de Mateo leemos que Jesús de la cancelación de algunas leyes del Antiguo Testamento.

The Law of Moses states in Deuteronomy 24:1, La Ley de Moisés en Deuteronomio estados 24:1,

If a man marries a woman who becomes displeasing to him because he finds something indecent about her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house… Si un hombre se case con una mujer que se convierte en displeasing a él porque encuentra algo indecente sobre ella, y él escribe su certificado de divorcio, le da a ella y le envía su de su casa…

In Mathew 5:31 Jesus clearly cancels the Law about divorce and issues a new commandment to replace it, En Mateo 5:31 Jesús claramente anula la Ley sobre el divorcio y emite un mandamiento nuevo para sustituirlo,

It has been said, “Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.” But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery Se ha dicho, "Cualquier persona que se divorcia de su esposa debe darle un certificado de divorcio." Pero yo os digo que cualquiera que divorcia de su esposa, con la excepción de la inmoralidad sexual, sus causas para convertirse en una adúltera, y cualquiera que se case con la mujer divorciada comete adulterio

iii. III. Jesus confirmed the continuing validity of Torah Law in general, but abrogated some specific laws. Jesús confirmó la validez de la Ley Torá en general, sino que derogó algunas leyes específicas.

This view is a mediating position between positions i and ii above and makes best sense of all the evidence. Este punto de vista es una posición de mediar entre las posiciones I y II anteriores y hace mejor sentido de todas las pruebas. Confirmation of the correctness of this interpretation is found in Holy Qur’an, a book sent by God to discern what is true and what is false in previous books. La confirmación de la exactitud de esta interpretación se encuentra en el Sagrado Corán, un libro enviado por Dios para discernir qué es verdad y qué es falso en los anteriores libros. Jesus says, Jesús dice,

I have come to confirm the truth of the Torah which preceded me, and to make some things lawful to you which used to be forbidden…(3:50) He venido a confirmar la verdad de la Torá que me ha precedido, y para hacer algunas cosas que a usted lícito que solía ser prohibido… (3:50)

Now, some readers might think this argument is a tendentious ploy to prove the Qur’an right. Ahora, algunos lectores podrían pensar este es un argumento tendencioso estratagema para demostrar el derecho Corán. So it is instructive to reflect on the findings of Christian scholars who have wrestled with this problem: Por lo tanto, es instructivo para reflexionar sobre las conclusiones de los estudiosos cristianos que han luchado con este problema:

The New Jerome Biblical Commentary makes the following observations: The New Jerome Bíblica Comentario hace las siguientes observaciones:

The problem arises because the plain sense of the words is that Jesus affirms the abiding validity of the Torah; but this contradicts Paul (eg Gal 2:5, 16; Rom 3:21-31). El problema surge porque el llano sentido de las palabras es que Jesús afirma la validez respetuosos de la Torá, pero esto contradice Paul (por ejemplo, Gal 2:5, 16; Rm 3:21-31). Moreover no major Christian church requires observance of all 613 precepts of the OT law, (p.641) Por otra parte no importante iglesia cristiana requiere la observancia de todos los 613 preceptos de la ley OT, (p.641)

If Matthew is right about Jesus in chapters 5 and 23 then: Si Mateo tiene razón acerca de Jesús en los capítulos 5 y 23 entonces:

There is a gap between the teaching here and the teaching and practice of the churches p.641 Existe una brecha entre la enseñanza de aquí y de la enseñanza y la práctica de las iglesias p.641

The New Jerome Biblical Commentary (p. 641) suggests that even if we deny the genuineness of Matthew 5:17-20, The New Jerome Comentario Bíblico (p. 641) sugiere que incluso si le negamos la autenticidad de Mateo 5:17-20,

The denial of the authenticity of 17, 19, and 20 does not make Jesus hold the same view as Paul. La negación de la autenticidad, de 17, 19, y 20 no hace Jesús celebrar la misma opinión que Pablo.

The Commentary suggests that these verses, El comentario sugiere que estos versos,

Reflect the outlook of Jewish Christianity, which, as a separate movement, was eventually defeated by Paulinism [churches influenced by Paul] and died out, perhaps to be reborn in a different form as Islam . Reflejar las perspectivas de judíos del cristianismo, que, como un movimiento, fue finalmente derrotado por Paulinism [iglesias influenciado por Paul] y murió, tal vez para renacer en una forma diferente, como el Islam. (Emphasis added) - p. (El subrayado es mío) - p. 641.

This quotation is an acknowledgement from top biblical scholars that Islam has much in common with the practice of the earliest followers of Jesus. Esta cita es un reconocimiento desde la parte superior eruditos bíblicos que el Islam tiene mucho en común con la práctica de los primeros seguidores de Jesús.

Paul, as we know, had very different views. Paul, como sabemos, había opiniones muy diferentes.

As far as modern Christians are concerned, Paul won his fight and they follow him p.641 En la medida de lo moderno se refiere a los cristianos, Paul ganó su lucha y que lo siguen p.641

The authors of the Commentary hold the view that neither Matthew nor Paul is entirely correct. Los autores del comentario sostienen la opinión de que ni Mateo ni Paul es del todo correcto. They admit, Ellos admiten,

There are contradictions within the New Testament on penultimate matters p.641 Existen contradicciones en el Nuevo Testamento en asuntos penúltima p.641

As we have seen, the Qur’an has provided us with the key to finding the authentic teaching of Jesus on the Law. Como hemos visto, el Corán nos ha proporcionado la clave para encontrar la auténtica enseñanza de Jesús sobre el Derecho. As I discuss in the conclusion, recent studies have demonstrated the extraordinary resemblance between the historical picture of Jesus produced by many biblical scholars and the Jesus of the Qur’an. Como discuto en la celebración, estudios recientes han demostrado la extraordinaria similitud entre la imagen histórica de Jesús, producida por muchos eruditos bíblicos y el Jesús del Corán. How is this so? ¿Cómo es esto así? Muslims believe that the Qur’an is the word of God, revealed to the Prophet Muhammad via the archangel Gabriel, and intended as a guide for all times and places. Los musulmanes creen que el Corán es la palabra de Dios, revelado al Profeta Mahoma a través del arcángel Gabriel, y pretende ser una guía para todos los tiempos y lugares. Unlike the Bible we have today which contains Jesus’ words in an often corrupted and altered state, God has given mankind a book free from any errors, contradictions or alterations by man. A diferencia de la Biblia que tenemos hoy, que contiene las palabras de Jesús a menudo en un corrompido y alterado estado, Dios ha dado a la humanidad un libro libre de errores, contradicciones o alteraciones por el hombre.

That said, I would like to reiterate that my discussion of the food laws in the Gospels has not been ‘tainted’ or derived through Qur’anic lenses. Dicho esto, quisiera reiterar que mi discusión de las leyes de la alimentación en los Evangelios no ha sido "viciado" o derivados del Corán a través de lentes. Putting the Qur’an aside and studying the Gospels according to the methodologies of historical enquiry - we would end up with a Jesus who has an uncanny resemblance with the Jesus presented by the Qur’an. Poniendo de lado el Corán y el estudio de los Evangelios de acuerdo con las metodologías de investigación histórica - que podría terminar con un Jesús que tiene una extraña semejanza con el Jesús presentado por el Corán. Thus in the case of clean and unclean food, most scholars believe that the historical Jesus did not nullify the OT food laws. Así, en el caso de limpio y sucio de alimentos, la mayoría de los estudiosos creen que el Jesús histórico no anular el Antiguo Testamento legislaciones alimentarias. I recommend the discussion of this issue in The Historical Figure of Jesus by EP Sanders, pp. Recomiendo el debate de esta cuestión en la figura histórica de Jesús de EP Sanders, pp. 218-223 (see my suggestions for further reading below). 218-223 (ver mis sugerencias para seguir leyendo más abajo).

(I am indebted to Shabir Ally, President of the Islamic Information and Da’wah Centre International, Canada, for various suggestions contained in his excellent pamphlet What God said about Eating Pork , Al-Attique Publishers Inc. Canada, Second Edition 2003). (Estoy en deuda con Shabir aliado, el Presidente de la República Islámica de Información y Centro Internacional de Da'wah, Canadá, por varias sugerencias que figuran en su excelente folleto Lo que Dios dice acerca de comer carne de cerdo, Al-Attique Publishers Inc Canadá, segunda edición 2003).

Chapter 2: What Jesus taught about ‘being saved’, or inheriting eternal life; what St Paul later wrote about salvation Capítulo 2: ¿Qué enseñó Jesús acerca de "ser salvado", o heredar la vida eterna; lo que San Pablo escribió más tarde acerca de la salvación

If the reader has followed the discussion thus far he or she will have some idea of the difficulties facing the student in attempting to uncover Jesus’ true message from the many retrospective changes made to Jesus’ teaching. Si el lector ha seguido el debate hasta el momento que él o ella tendrá una idea de las dificultades que enfrenta el estudiante al tratar de descubrir a Jesús "verdadero mensaje de la retrospectiva muchos cambios introducidos en la enseñanza de Jesús.

Here I will simply put side-by-side two answers to the following question: How is a human being to attain eternal life, that is, how are we saved? The first answer is given by Jesus and the second answer by St Paul. Aquí me limitaré a poner de lado a lado dos respuestas a la siguiente pregunta: ¿Cómo es un ser humano a alcanzar la vida eterna, es decir, ¿cómo se salvó? La primera respuesta es dada por Jesús y la segunda respuesta de San Pablo. Fundamentalist Christians often put this vital question to Muslims. Fundamentalistas cristianos a menudo a esta cuestión vital para los musulmanes. They tell Muslims that if they want to be saved they need only put their ‘faith in Jesus’. Ellos dicen que los musulmanes si quieren ser salvados sólo tienen que poner su "fe en Jesús. The reader can judge for himself if these Christians are being faithful to Jesus’ teaching or not. El lector puede juzgar por sí mismo si estos cristianos están siendo fieles a la enseñanza de Jesús o no.

In Mark’s Gospel 10:17-19 we read, En el evangelio de Marcos 10:17-19 leemos,

As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. Como Jesús empezó en su camino, un hombre corrió hasta él y cayó de rodillas ante él. ‘Good teacher’, he asked, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ «Buenas maestro", preguntó, '¿qué debo hacer para heredar la vida eterna? "

‘Why do you call me good?’ Jesus answered. «¿Por qué me llaman bueno?" Respondió Jesús. ‘No-one is good - except God alone. "Nadie es bueno - con excepción de sólo Dios.

You know the commandments: “You shall no murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honour your father and mother Tú sabes los mandamientos: "Usted no asesinato, usted no cometerás adulterio, no robar, no deberán dar falso testimonio, no defraudar, honrar a tu padre ya tu madre

Here is St Paul’s answer to the same question in Romans 10:9. Aquí está St Paul's respuesta a la misma pregunta en Romanos 10:9.

If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved Si se declara con su boca, "Jesús es el Señor ', y creer en tu corazón que Dios le levantó de entre los muertos, serás salvo

The differences are startling. Las diferencias son sorprendentes. Jesus’ answer to the question about salvation focuses on obedience to the Torah. Jesús respuesta a la pregunta acerca de la salvación se centra en la obediencia a la Torah. As a Prophet to the Jewish people, Jesus sees his faithfulness to God expressed in adherence to the Creator’s commands and precepts in the Torah. Como Profeta al pueblo judío, Jesús ve su fidelidad a Dios se expresa en la adhesión a los comandos del Creador y los preceptos de la Torá.

For Paul however, writing decades later, the Law itself has been abolished, and in place of faithfulness to the Creator, we are asked to put our trust in an event no human being witnessed - the alleged resurrection of Jesus from the dead, and the ‘Lordship’ of Jesus. Para Pablo no obstante, escrito décadas más tarde, la propia Ley ha sido abolida, y en lugar de la fidelidad al Creador, se nos pide que pongamos nuestra confianza en un evento no fue testigo de ser humano - la supuesta resurrección de Jesús de entre los muertos, y la «Señorío» de Jesús.

Chapter 3: Jesus is portrayed in the gospels as predicting his own death: difficulties with taking this at face value Capítulo 3: Jesús es retratado en los evangelios como predecir su propia muerte: con dificultades en tomar el valor nominal

Did Jesus clearly announce his suffering and death to his disciples? ¿Jesús anunciar claramente su sufrimiento y muerte a sus discípulos? Or did his arrest, crucifixion and reported resurrection take them completely by surprise? ¿O su arresto, crucifixión y resurrección informó tener completamente por sorpresa? We will briefly survey these questions in this chapter. Vamos a una breve encuesta sobre estas cuestiones en este capítulo.

The synoptic gospels contain six separate instances in which Jesus predicts his suffering and death, and four times he predicts his resurrection. Los evangelios sinópticos contienen seis casos en los que Jesús predice su sufrimiento y la muerte, y cuatro veces predice su resurrección. Here are three examples from Mark and one from Luke. He aquí tres ejemplos de Mark y uno de Lucas.

• And he charged them to tell no one about him. Y él les cargará decirle a nadie sobre él. And he began to teach them that the son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again Mark 8:30-31 Y comenzó a enseñarles que el Hijo del Hombre debe sufrir muchas cosas y ser rechazado por los ancianos y los principales sacerdotes y los escribas, y ser muerto, y después de tres días resucitará Marcos 8:30-31

• And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the son of man should have risen from the dead . Y como lo fueron bajando la montaña, con cargo a decirle a nadie lo que habían visto, hasta que el hijo del hombre debería haber resucitado de entre los muertos. So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what the rising from the dead meant…And he said to them,… How is it written of the son of man, that he should suffer many things and be treated with contempt? Mark 9:9-10 Así que la cuestión mantenerse a sí mismos, la cuestión de cuál es el aumento de los muertos significaba… Y él les dijo:… ¿Cómo es posible por escrito del Hijo del Hombre, que debería sufrir muchas cosas y ser tratados con desprecio? Mark 9:9 -10

• But while they were all marvelling at everything he did, he said to his disciples, Let these words sink into your ears; for the son of man is to be delivered into the hands of men . Pero si bien todas ellas fueron marvelling a todo lo que hizo, dijo a sus discípulos, Que estas palabras se hunden en los oídos, por el hijo del hombre, se deberá entregar en las manos de los hombres. But they did not understand this saying…and they were afraid to ask him about this saying. Pero ellos no entienden esto… y diciendo que tenían miedo de preguntarle acerca de este refrán. Luke 9:43-45 Lucas 9:43-45

• And they were on the road, going to Jerusalem…And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him saving, Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the son of man will be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death, and deliver him to the Gentiles; and they will mock him, and spit upon him, and scourge him, and kill him; and after three days he will rise . Y estaban en el camino, va a Jerusalén… Y tomando de nuevo los doce, comenzó a decirles lo que iba a suceder a él ahorro, He aquí, vamos a Jerusalén, y el hijo del hombre será entregado al jefe sacerdotes y los escribas, y que le condenará a muerte, y entregar a los gentiles, y ellos simulacros de él, y escupir sobre él, y él flagelo, y matarlo, y después de tres días se elevará. Mark 10:32-34 Marcos 10:32-34

Note the detailed prediction in Mark 10:32-34 (in bold ) and how clear and unambiguous it is. Tenga en cuenta la predicción detallada en Marcos 10:32-34 (en negrita) y la forma clara y sin ambigüedades es.

I wish to make the following observations on these passages: Deseo hacer las siguientes observaciones sobre estos pasajes:

1. According to the evangelists (with one exception, Matt. 12:40) all of the predictions were made during the final period of his life. 1. De acuerdo a los evangelistas (con una excepción, Matt. 12:40) todas las predicciones se hicieron durante el último período de su vida. They are all solemn in tone: ‘Let these words sink into your ears…’ They are not mysterious, but expressed in plain language. Todos ellos están en tono solemne: «Que estas palabras se hunden en sus oídos…" No son misteriosas, pero expresada en un lenguaje sencillo. There is no doubt that Jesus had put the disciples in the picture about soon to transpire events, at least six times. No cabe duda de que Jesús había puesto a los discípulos sobre la imagen que pronto reflejado los acontecimientos, por lo menos seis veces.

2. Yet how did these same disciples react when the recently foretold events started to occur? 2. Sin embargo, ¿cómo estos mismos discípulos reaccionar cuando el recientemente anunciado acontecimientos comenzaron a producirse? At the critical time between his arrest and execution, absolutely no one seems to have remembered the repeated warnings concerning the events leading to the cross. En el momento crítico entre su detención y ejecución, absolutamente nadie parece haber recordado las reiteradas advertencias en relación con los acontecimientos que condujeron a la cruz. All Jesus’ disciples fled when he was arrested (Mark 14:50). Todos Jesús los discípulos huyeron cuando fue detenido (Marcos 14:50). When Peter was confronted he denied having anything to do with Jesus or that he even knew him (Mark 14:66-71). Cuando Peter se enfrenta negó tener nada que ver con Jesús o que incluso lo conocieron (Marcos 14:66-71). None of the apostles (or his family) went with him to Golgotha, according to the Synoptic Gospels. Ninguno de los apóstoles (o su familia) fue con él al Gólgota, según el evangelios sinópticos.

3. Jesus would certainly have had good grounds for believing that an attempt would be made on his life and that he may get killed. 3. Jesús, sin duda, han tenido buenas razones para creer que un intento se hizo en su vida y que puede llegar asesinados. However, at the same time he prayed that God would save him from death. Sin embargo, al mismo tiempo que oró para que Dios lo salvaría de la muerte. ‘ Father, everything is possible with you. "Padre, todo es posible con usted. Take this cup from me. Tome esta copa de mí. Yet not what I will, but what you will ‘ Mark 14:36 Sin embargo, no lo que yo se, pero lo que "Marcos 14:36

4. All the apostles were initially extremely reluctant to believe in the resurrection of Jesus. 4. Todos los apóstoles fueron inicialmente muy reacios a creer en la resurrección de Jesús. Amazingly, after the death of Jesus and the women had returned from the tomb, the disciples ‘did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense’ Luke 24:11. Sorprendentemente, tras la muerte de Jesús y la mujer habían regresado de la tumba, los discípulos "no cree que las mujeres, porque sus palabras les parecían como una tontería" Lucas 24:11. The Greek work for nonsense is leros which literally means ’silly nonsense’. El griego trabajo para Leros es una tontería que literalmente significa 'tonto disparate ».

5. Would a group of people who had been assured in advance by their charismatic and prophetic teacher that the tragic events would be followed promptly by a happy ending have shown such deep disbelief? 5. ¿Un grupo de personas que se habían asegurado de antemano por su carismático y profético profesor que los trágicos acontecimientos sería rápidamente seguida por un final feliz han mostrado tan profundas incredulidad? Even if we allow for the initial shock and fear caused by the arrest of Jesus at night, the apostles should surely have remembered the chain of events so often and so recently rehearsed before them by Jesus. Incluso si dejamos para el choque inicial y el temor causado por la detención de Jesús por la noche, los apóstoles que sin duda han recordado la cadena de acontecimientos tan a menudo y tan recientemente ensayado antes por Jesús.

6. The evangelists had to provide some explanation for this curious phenomenon to ensure the credibility of their stories. 6. Los evangelistas tuvieron que ofrecer alguna explicación para este curioso fenómeno para garantizar la credibilidad de sus historias.

7. All the Gospels end up by laying the blame on the disciples themselves for failing to grasp or simply forgetting (!) the predictions of Jesus. 7. Todos los Evangelios terminan de sentar las culpas a los discípulos a sí mismos por no entender o simplemente olvidar (!) Las predicciones de Jesús.

So we are faced with something of an historical dilemma: Por lo tanto, nos encontramos con algo de un dilema histórico:

Either Jesus did not in fact predict the events, and the weakness and disbelief of the disciples are quite natural and understandable. O bien Jesús no en el hecho de predecir los acontecimientos, y la debilidad y la incredulidad de los discípulos están muy natural y comprensible.

Or he did in fact warn them, and the ignominious behaviour of every single one of the disciples is quite inexplicable! O lo hizo, de hecho, les advierto, y el ignominioso comportamiento de cada uno de los discípulos es bastante inexplicable!

Weighing up the pros and cons, at a distance of 2000 years, leads me to think that it is much more likely that the Evangelists invented the predictions and inserted them into their story (or it could also be that the predictions were fabricated prior to the composition of the Gospels and came to the authors though tradition), than all concerned should suddenly forget those clear, detailed and repeated warnings. Con un peso máximo los pros y los contras, a una distancia de 2000 años, me lleva a pensar que es mucho más probable que los evangelistas inventaron las predicciones y se incluirán en su historia (o también podría ser que las predicciones fueron fabricados antes de la composición de los evangelios y llegó a los autores a pesar de la tradición), que todos los interesados deben olvidar de repente esos claras y detalladas y repetidas advertencias. Fabricated prophecies after the event are known to exist elsewhere in the Gospels. Profecías inventadas después de los hechos se sabe que existen otros lugares en los Evangelios. Matthew even went so far as to invent a prophecy about Jesus from the Old Testament: ‘ he shall be called a Nazarene ‘, see Matthew 2:23. Mateo incluso llegó tan lejos como para inventar una profecía acerca de Jesús del Antiguo Testamento: "se le llama Nazareno ', vea Mateo 2:23. There is no such passage anywhere in the Old Testament! No hay paso de dichos objetos en cualquier parte del Antiguo Testamento! Scholars call this genre of ‘creative’ writing pesher interpretation, and it was widely used by the teachers of the Qumran community in the Dead Sea Scrolls. Estudiosos llamar a este género de "creativo" escrito pesher interpretación, y es ampliamente utilizado por los maestros de la comunidad de Qumran en los Rollos del Mar Muerto.

We have seen that the final form of the Gospels is self-contradictory and occasionally bizarre. Hemos visto que la forma definitiva de los Evangelios es en sí contradictorio y en ocasiones extraño. The apostles are portrayed as having no idea what rising from the dead meant (Mark 9:10), though historians are aware that the idea of resurrection was widely understood amongst 1 ^st century Jews. Los Apóstoles se presentan como no tener idea de lo que el aumento de los muertos significaba (Marcos 9:10), aunque los historiadores son conscientes de que la idea de la resurrección fue ampliamente comprendido entre el ¹ de siglo Judios. The evangelists tried to excuse the disciples by saying that not only did they not understand Jesus, but also the meaning of his words was hidden from them. Los evangelistas trataron de excusa a los discípulos diciendo que no sólo no comprender que Jesús, pero también el sentido de sus palabras se oculta de ellos.

In the attempt to give the Gospels some coherence and sense the evangelists make the apostles look extremely dense and dim-witted, hardly the reliable people Jesus would have chosen to continue his mission! En el intento de dar los evangelios cierta coherencia y sentido de los evangelistas que los apóstoles ver muy denso y oscuro-ingenioso, difícilmente el pueblo fiable Jesús habría decidido a continuar su misión!

(I am indebted to Professor Geza Vermes, Director of the Forum for Qumran Research at the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies, for various suggestions contained in his book The Authentic Gospel of Jesus ) (Estoy en deuda con el profesor Geza Vermes, Director del Foro para la Investigación de Qumran en el Centro Oxford para el hebreo y Estudios Judaicos, por diversas sugerencias que figuran en su libro La Auténtica Evangelio de Jesús)

Chapter 4: Did Jesus claim to be the Creator of the universe? Capítulo 4: ¿Jesús pretende ser el Creador del universo?

The short and incontrovertible answer is No! La corta e incontrovertibles respuesta es ¡No! The fact that later generations of Christians came to believe that Jesus is ‘God from God, light from light, true God from true God’ (as stated in the Nicean Creed) is therefore in need of some explanation. El hecho de que las generaciones futuras de los cristianos llegaron a creer que Jesús es "Dios de Dios, Luz de Luz, Dios verdadero de Dios verdadero" (como se afirma en el Credo Nicean) es, por tanto, necesitados de alguna explicación.

In this chapter I will look at two historical phenomena which I hope will give us some understanding of this development. En este capítulo voy a ver a dos fenómenos históricos que espero nos dará una cierta comprensión de este desarrollo. They are: Ellos son:

i) the traditional Christian belief that to confess Jesus as ‘the Son of God’ is to confess his deity, and to say that ‘Jesus is the Son of God’ means and always meant that Jesus is the pre-existent, second person of the Trinity, who ‘for us men and our salvation became incarnate’. i) la creencia cristiana tradicional que confesar a Jesús como «el Hijo de Dios' es para confesar su divinidad, y decir que" Jesús es el Hijo de Dios », y siempre significa que Jesús es el pre-existente, segunda persona de la Trinidad, que "para nosotros los hombres y nuestra salvación se encarnó».

ii) An illuminating historical parallel to the divinisation of Jesus: the divinisation of the Buddha ii) Un esclarecedor histórico paralelo a la divinización de Jesús: la divinización del Buda

+++ + + +

i) The New Testament (NT) calls Jesus ‘the Son of God’. i) El Nuevo Testamento (NT) se pide a Jesús "Hijo de Dios». But what does this mean? Pero, ¿qué significa esto? It is important, if we wish to adopt an historical approach (and most Christians do not), to discover the significance of words and ideas in their original language, as the original speakers meant the original listeners to understand them. Es importante, si queremos adoptar un enfoque histórico (y la mayoría de los cristianos no), para descubrir el significado de palabras e ideas en su idioma original, ya que el significado original de oradores el original a los oyentes a comprender ellos. Jesus and his disciples spoke Aramaic, a Semitic language related to Hebrew, and spoken by most Palestinian Jews. Jesús y sus discípulos habla arameo, una lengua semítica relacionada con el hebreo, y hablado por la mayoría de palestinos Judios. Jesus’ Aramaic teaching (except for a dozen words that are still found in the gospels) has not been preserved. Jesús arameo enseñanza (a excepción de una docena de palabras que todavía se encuentran en los Evangelios) no se ha conservado.

In the years after Jesus was taken up to God, the early church spread quickly in the Greek-speaking (ie non-Jewish) world, and the gospels and letters that came to comprise the NT were all written down in Greek. En los años después de Jesús fue llevado hasta Dios, la iglesia primitiva se propagan rápidamente en el griego de habla (es decir, no judíos) mundo, y los Evangelios y las cartas que llegaron a comprender el NT fueron escritos en griego. It is important to grasp that this Greek NT is a ‘translation’ of the original thoughts and ideas of the Aramaic thinking and speaking Jesus, a translation not just into a totally different language but also a transplantation of the thought of the gospels into an utterly alien cultural and religious environment of the pagan Graeco-Roman world. Es importante entender que este griego NT es una «traducción» del original pensamientos e ideas del pensamiento arameo y haciendo uso de la palabra de Jesús, una traducción no sólo en un idioma totalmente diferente, sino también un trasplante de la idea de los evangelios en una totalmente exóticas culturales y religiosos de medio ambiente el pagano greco-romano mundo.

To discover the authentic teaching of Jesus, and what others believed about him, it is therefore necessary to be alert to any changes or developments in meaning arising from the transmission of ideas through the channel of Hellenistic culture. Para descubrir la auténtica enseñanza de Jesús, y lo que otros creían sobre él, por lo tanto, es necesario estar alerta a cualquier cambio o la evolución en el sentido resultante de la transmisión de ideas a través del canal de la cultura helenística.

Therefore, when we examine the term “son of God” in its original ‘context of meaning’ we make an interesting discovery. Por lo tanto, cuando examinamos la expresión "hijo de Dios" en su original 'contexto de significado' que hacemos un interesante descubrimiento. In Hebrew or Aramaic “son of God” is always used figuratively as a metaphor for a child of God, whereas in Greek addressed to Gentile Christians, brought up in a religious culture filled with gods, sons of gods and demigods, the NT expression tended to be understood literally as ‘Son of God’ (with a capital letter): in other words as someone possessing the same nature as God. En hebreo o arameo "hijo de Dios" se utiliza siempre figurado como una metáfora de un hijo de Dios, mientras que en griego dirigido a los cristianos gentiles, criado en una cultura religiosa llena de dioses, hijos de dioses y semidioses, la expresión tiende NT debe entenderse literalmente como "Hijo de Dios» (con mayúscula): en otras palabras, como alguien que posea la misma naturaleza que Dios.

In the fourth century the Catholic Church officially endorsed this new pagan idea at the Council of Nicea: Jesus was declared to be of the same ’substance’ or ‘nature’ (the Greek word used was ousia ) as the Deity. En el siglo IV la Iglesia Católica aprobado oficialmente esta nueva idea pagana en el Consejo de Nicea: Jesús fue declarado de la misma «sustancia» o «naturaleza» (la palabra griega utilizada fue ousia) como la Deidad. Pagan philosophy triumphed over the Jewish understanding of God. Pagan triunfó sobre la filosofía judía el entendimiento de Dios.

The same transformation, or rather deformation of meaning occurred to another key term: ‘ Lord ‘. La misma transformación, o más bien deformación del significado ocurrido a otro término clave: «Señor». According to the gospels the title ‘lord’ was regularly used as an address to Jesus during his ministry. Según los evangelios el título de «señor» se utiliza habitualmente como una dirección a Jesús durante su ministerio. In its Aramaic context it was synonymous with ‘teacher’. En su contexto arameo es sinónimo de «maestro».

Later generations of Gentile (non-Jewish) Christians would completely alter this meaning: the Aramaic definition of ‘Lord’ = teacher became synonymous with the title of God himself: the Lord Jesus = the Lord your God. Más tarde, las generaciones de gentiles (no judíos) los cristianos se altera por completo este sentido: el arameo definición de 'Lord' = maestro pasó a ser sinónimo con el título del mismo Dios: el Señor Jesús = Jehová tu Dios. As noted NT scholar James Dunn comments, expressing the consensus view of New Testament scholars (including NT Wright who is much beloved of evangelicals), Como se ha señalado NT estudioso James Dunn comentarios, expresando la opinión de consenso de los estudiosos del Nuevo Testamento (NT Wright incluidos los que es muy querida de evangélicos),

The history of this confession of Jesus as Lord in earliest Christianity largely revolves round the question, How significant is the application of this title to Jesus? La historia de esta confesión de Jesús como Señor en gran medida el cristianismo antes gira alrededor de la pregunta, ¿Qué importancia es la aplicación de este título a Jesús? What role or status does this confession attribute to Jesus or recognise as belonging to Jesus?…The problem is that ‘lord’ can denote a whole range of dignity - from a respectful form of address as to a teacher or judge to a full title for God. ¿Qué papel o la condición de no atribuir esta confesión a Jesús o reconocer como pertenecientes a Jesús?… El problema es que «señor» puede designar toda una serie de dignidad - de una forma respetuosa de dirección como a un maestro o un juez a un título completo de Dios. Where do the early Christian references to the lordship of Jesus come within this spectrum? ¿De dónde provienen los primeros cristianos referencias a la señorío de Jesús entran en este espectro? The answer seems to be that over the first few decades of Christianity the confession of Jesus as ‘Lord’ moved in overt significance from the lower end of the ’spectrum of dignity’ towards the upper end steadily gathering to itself increasing overtones of deity . La respuesta parece ser que durante los primeros decenios del cristianismo la confesión de Jesús como 'Señor' se trasladó en abierta importancia desde el extremo inferior del "espectro de la dignidad 'hacia el extremo superior de manera constante la recolección a sí mismo cada vez más matices de deidad.

We need not doubt that the Aramaic mari underlies the Greek kyrie (vocative)… Mar was used of the first century BC holy man Abba Hilkiah, presumably in recognition of the charismatic powers attributed to him. Necesitamos no cabe duda de que el arameo marí griego subyace en el Kyrie (vocative)… Marzo se utilizó del primer siglo aC hombre santo Abba Hilkiah, presumiblemente en reconocimiento de los poderes carismáticos que se le atribuyen. Moreover, ‘lord’ was largely synonymous with ‘teacher’ at the time of Jesus, and Jesus was certainly recognised to have the authority of a rabbi or teacher (Mark 9:5 etc). Por otra parte, 'señor' era en gran medida sinónimo de "maestro" en el momento de Jesús, y Jesús fue sin duda han reconocido a la autoridad de un rabino o maestro (Marcos 9:5, etc.) We can therefore say that the confession of Jesus as Lord was rooted within the ministry of Jesus to the extent that he was widely acknowledged to exercise the authority of a (charismatic) teacher and healer (cf. Mark 1:22,27). Por lo tanto, podemos decir que la confesión de Jesús como Señor tiene sus raíces en el ministerio de Jesús en la medida en que fue ampliamente reconocida para ejercer la autoridad de un (carismático) y maestro curandero (cf. Marcos 1:22,27).

Whether ‘Lord’ already had a higher significance for Jesus himself during his ministry depends on how we evaluate Mark 12:35-37: Ya sea «Señor» ya tenía un mayor significado para el propio Jesús durante su ministerio depende de cómo evaluar Marcos 12:35-37:

‘While Jesus was teaching in the temple courts, he asked, ‘Why do the teachers of the law say that the Messiah is the son of David? "Aunque Jesús estaba enseñando en el templo tribunales, el orador preguntó, '¿Por qué los maestros de la ley dicen que el Mesías es el hijo de David? David himself, speaking by the Holy Spirit, declared: David sí mismo, hablando por el Espíritu Santo, declaró:

‘ “The Lord said to my Lord: "El Señor dijo a mi Señor:
‘Sit at my right hand "Siéntate a mi diestra
Until I put your enemies Hasta pongo a tus enemigos
Under your feet.”‘ Bajo sus pies "."

David himself calls him “Lord”. David mismo lo llama "Señor". How then can he be his son?’ Entonces, ¿cómo puede ser su hijo? "

Even if it contains an authentic word of the historical Jesus (as is quite possible) it need only mean that he understood Messiah to be a figure superior to David in significance and specially favoured by Yahweh. Incluso si contiene una auténtica palabra del Jesús histórico (como es muy posible) que sólo tendrán que significa que él entiende el Mesías a ser una cifra superior a David en importancia y en especial a favor de Yahvé. It does not necessarily imply that he thought the Messiah was a divine figure (Psalm 110 after all probably referred to the king). Esto no implica necesariamente que él pensaba que el Mesías era una figura divina (Salmo 110, después de todo probablemente se refiere al rey).

From: Unity and Diversity in the New Testament: An Inquiry into the Character of Earliest Christianity (emphasis in the original) pp.53-54. De: Unidad y Diversidad en el Nuevo Testamento: una investigación sobre el carácter de Primeras cristianismo (el subrayado en el original) pp.53-54.

So Dunn recognises that the title ‘lord’ originally denoted a human being. Así Dunn reconoce que el título de «señor» originalmente denota un ser humano. As the term began to be used in pagan contexts as the Gentile mission spread, where it was well established as a title for the cult deity in the mystery religions (especially Isis and Serapis), and also in Emperor worship - ‘Caesar is Lord’- a radical alteration of the meaning of the term occurred . Above all, St Paul advanced this change in meaning quite deliberately. He uses Old Testament texts that speak of Yahweh and applies them to Jesus (eg Romans 10:13). For Paul, ‘Lord Jesus’ had become a title of divinity. In a profound sense, Paul founded the religion of Christianity we know today.

(It is of interest to note that evangelical fundamentalists are bitterly resistant to these historical facts. Typically, they are simply ignored, perhaps in the hope that the evidence will just go away. I have noticed this reluctance to discuss these key issues in my debates with Christians. One of the most articulate spokesmen of Evangelicalism, Andy Bannister, is on record expressing his willingness to debate the historical Jesus, as the reader can see on my blog. However, and I regret to say this is quite typical of Evangelicals, he repeatedly refuses to engage the historical questions I survey in this paper. In reality, Bannister and his colleagues demonstrate no interest in serious debate at all. They advocate what they call a “confrontational” approach to Islam and Muslims, and are a serious menace to harmonious relations between people of different faiths.)

As time passed the title used exclusively by Jesus to describe himself, the ‘Son of man’, came to denote Jesus’ humanity in contrast to his divinity. So in the thought of second century Catholic theologian Irenaeus (bishop of Lyons), the term ‘Son of God’ is interchangeable with ‘God the Son’. Most Christians today, in total ignorance of the historical transmutation of meaning of these words, still think this way.

The term ’son of man’ is a storm centre of New Testament scholarship, and the debate is quite technical.. There is no consensus as to its meaning for Jesus or the Judaism of his day. James DG Dunn in his magisterial survey of the issue in Christology in the Making gives his considered view: the ‘thought of the Son of Man as a pre-existent heavenly figure [Dunn has Daniel chapter 7 in mind] does not seem to have emerged in Jewish or Christian circles before the last decades of the first century AD’(p 96). I refer readers to the discussion in Dunn’s book and The Authentic Gospel of Jesus by Geza Vermes, chapter 7, ‘Son of Man sayings’.

A popular new evangelistic course in the UK called Christianity Explored provides participants with an introductory book about Jesus. It runs courses all over the English speaking world. The course is unashamedly conservative evangelical in theology, and adopts a fundamentalist approach to the Bible. It repeats the claim that the terms ’son of God’ and ‘God the Son’ are simply interchangeable titles. It saddens me that sincere seekers after spiritual truth are being misled into an uncritical fundamentalism, or far worse, the blasphemous worship of the Messiah. It is salutary to recall that Jesus is reported to have said in Mark’s Gospel, Why do you call me good? No-one is good - except God alone .

The perils of failing to ask the following simple question are incalculable: what would those who first used this language about Jesus expect their hearers and readers to understand by the phrase? (Dunn, Christology , p.13). The answers, detailed in this paper, will show that Christians need to re-evaluate their understanding of who Jesus was. If Christians would undertake this difficult but necessary task, they will find that the results will bear a striking resemblance to the Jesus of the Qur’an, and that the two great faiths would be in substantial agreement.

ii) We can see a comparable religious impulse behind this startling divinisation of Jesus by looking at some developments in India at about the same time. The Buddha had died at the end of the sixth century BCE. A deep love developed for him and a need to contemplate his enlightened humanity became so strong that in the first century BCE the first statues of the Buddha appeared in NW India. Buddhist spirituality became focused on the image of the Buddha, enshrined in statues, despite devotion to a being outside of the self being quite different to the interior discipline advocated by Gautama.

Devotion to Jesus arose in a similar way, in disregard of his clear teaching about wholehearted love of God and neighbour. As the Gospels unmistakably demonstrate, Jesus invited people to turn in heartfelt repentance and obedience to God, never to himself. Later Christians inverted Jesus’ message by announcing the worship of the proclaimer rather than the God he proclaimed .

Conclusion

As I mentioned in my introduction, recent studies have demonstrated the extraordinary convergence between the historical picture of Jesus produced by many biblical scholars and the Jesus of the Qur’an. This similarity has not gone unnoticed in two significant recent works by New Testament scholars which were published in the last twelve months. Both celebrate this remarkable correspondence. Jeffrey J. Butz, is Professor of World Religions at Penn State University and an ordained Lutheran Minister. His book is entitled The Brother of Jesus & the Lost Teachings of Christianity . I highly recommend this book. The other work is by James D Tabor, Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina. His book The Jesus Dynasty (published by HarperElement 2006) is a study of Jesus and the New Testament. His comments are a fitting conclusion to my study:

Muslims do not worship Jesus, who is known as Isa in Arabic, nor do they consider him divine, but they do believe that he was a prophet or messenger of God and he is called the Messiah in the Qur’an. However, by affirming Jesus as Messiah they are attesting to his messianic message, not his mission as a heavenly Christ.

There are some rather striking connections between the research I have presented in The Jesus Dynasty and the traditional beliefs of Islam. The Muslim emphasis on Jesus as messianic prophet and teacher is quite parallel to what we find in the Q source, in the book of James, and in the Didache . To be the Messiah is to proclaim a message, but it is the same message as that proclaimed by Abraham, Moses and all the Prophets.

Islam insists that neither Jesus nor Muhammad brought a new religion. Both sought to call people back to what might be called “Abrahamic faith.” This is precisely what we find emphasised in the book of James. Like Islam, the book of James, and the teaching of Jesus in Q, emphasise doing the will of God as a demonstration of one’s faith. Also, the dietary laws of Islam, as quoted in the Qur’an, echo the teaching of James in Acts 15 almost word for word: “Abstain from swine flesh, blood, things offered to idols, and carrion” (Qur’an 2:172).

The Christianity we know from the Q source, from the letter of James, from the Didache, and some of our other surviving Jewish-Christian sources, represents a version of the Jesus faith that can actually unite, rather than divide, Jews, Christians, and Muslims. If nothing else, the insights revealed through an understanding of the Jesus dynasty can open wide new and fruitful doors of dialogue and understanding among these three great traditions that have in the past considered their views of Jesus to be so sharply contradictory as to close off discussion. (pp. 287-288)

Appendix: What the Qur’an says about Jesus

The Qur’an describes the state of Christianity and its doctrines as they were in the seventh century, a thousand years before the Protestant Reformation. Mostly, the Qur’an accepts and promulgates many teachings that are accepted in Christianity. Jesus holds a particularly high place in Islam. Muslims accept the virgin birth, but do not see it as a sign of his divinity (after all Adam and Eve did not have a human father either). Jesus did many miraculous signs, raising the dead, curing blindness and healing lepers. But these are not attributed in the Qur’an to Jesus as God, but as powers given to Jesus from God. The Bible confirms this important distinction, ‘People of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him.’ Acts 2:22.

(Incidentally, Muslims do not accept St Paul as an authentic interpreter of the teaching of Jesus).

The Holy Qur’an says:

People of the book, do not go to excess in your religion, and do not say anything about God except the truth: the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, was nothing more than a messenger of God, His word, directed to Mary, a spirit from Him. So believe in God and His messengers and do not speak of a ‘Trinity’ - stop this, that is better for you - God is only one God, He is far above having a son, everything in the heavens and earth belongs to Him and He is the best one to trust. (Qur’an, 4:171)

Suggestions for Further Reading

GENERAL

A History of God by Karen Armstrong, published by Vintage 1999.
From Abraham to the present day: the 4000-year quest for God. An enlightening and intellectually challenging book, Armstrong offers many valuable insights.
The Varieties of Religious Experience by William James, various editions.
Though James focuses mainly on Western spiritual experiences, this classic work reminds us of the staggering diversity of religious experience. A useful antidote to exclusivist conceptions of the Divine.

CHRISTIANITY

The Historical Figure of Jesus by EP Sanders, published by Penguin Books 1995. America’s most distinguished scholar in the field of Jesus-research, he provides a generally convincing picture of the real Jesus, set within the world of Palestinian Judaism.

The Changing Faces of Jesus by Geza Vermes, published by Penguin Books 2001. Vermes gives an equal voice to both the New Testament and non-biblical Jewish writings to uncover the historical figure of Jesus hidden beneath the oldest gospels, showing how and why a charismatic holy man was elevated into the divine figure of Christ. Essential reading.

The Authentic Gospel of Jesus by Geza Vermes, published by Penguin Books 2004. The first Professor of Jewish Studies at Oxford, he almost single-handedly brought to the attention of New Testament scholarship the significance of Jesus as a Jew .

Christology in the Making: A New Testament Inquiry into the Origins of the Doctrine of the Incarnation by James DGDunn, Second Edition, published by SCM Press 1989. This classic text is crucial reading for scholars and public alike. An advanced work, but it repays the effort.

Unity and Diversity in the New Testament: An Inquiry into the Character of Earliest Christianity by James DGDunn, Third Edition, published by SCM Press 2006. Dunn is an author who simply must be read by all serious students of early Christianity. Like his other work on Christology mentioned above, it assumes the reader is familiar with the basic critical issues of NT scholarship.

The Brother of Jesus & the Lost Teachings of Christianity by Jeffrey J. Butz

The Apotheosis of J