How Jews and Muslims View Christ

Judaism, Christianity and Islam

Introduction

The three main world religions are Judaism, Christianity and Islam. These religions have a great deal of influence around the world. They are hundreds and even thousands of years old and share some similarities in terms of morals, values, and beliefs about the goodness of God. However, they also contrast sharply when it comes to specific doctrines. This paper looks at the historical timeline of these three religions, their theological divisions, how they contrast particularly on two points—the nature of Jesus and holy books—and challenges that they face in terms of relations with one another in a globalized world.

Timeline

The historical relationship among Judaism, Christianity and Islam is that Judaism appears first on the historical timeline around 2000 BC. Abraham is considered the founder of Judaism, as he is cited as the Father of the Hebrews (Brenner, 1952). However, Moses is also viewed as a founder of Judaism, because he led the Jews out of captivity in Egypt around 1300 BC. Judaism actually has many “fathers” and important figures, including David (who restored the Ark of the Covenant to Israel), and the many rabbis who taught the Talmud (the laws and beliefs of the Jews) after the Second Temple was destroyed in 70 AD and the Jews were scattered. Jews reject Jesus Christ as the Messiah, which is why there has historically been contention between Jews and Christians, with Jews seeing Christianity—and Islam—as false imitators of Judaism (Lasker, 1990). Jews teach that in order to be saved one must adhere to the traditions of the Mosaic Law.

Christianity was founded by Jesus Christ around 30 AD. He established a Church in Jerusalem and gave up His life on the cross for the purpose of redeeming mankind. The geographical intersection of Judaism and Christianity is that Jesus lived and died in the same area where the fathers of Judaism, including Abraham and David, lived and manifested their faith in God (Biddle, Cooper & Robson, 1992). Jesus claimed to be True God, which upset some Jews who refused to believe that He was the promised Messiah (Brown, 1965). After Jesus, the Mathew, Mark, Luke and John were instrumental in spreading the Gospels, and the convert Paul (a Jewish Roman) helped preach Christianity and spread the belief in Christ. Apostles went as far as Indian (St. Thomas) to spread Christianity. Peter as the first pope, oversaw the organization of the Christian Church. Christianity teaches that salvation comes by way of faith in Jesus Christ.

Islam was founded by Mohammed around 600 AD in Mecca, in modern-day Saudi Arabia and was influenced to some degree by Judaism, Christianity, and other religions (Pregill, 2007). Jerusalem is important in Islam because it is believed that this is where Mohammed was taken up into Heaven. Thus, the three religions all view Jerusalem as important (Limor, 2007). Islam, like Judaism, does not view Christ as God but also has its own holy book, which is much different from the Torah and Talmud of modern Judaism. Mohammed claimed to be given the holy book of Islam directly from God, which is known as the Quran. Muslims believe that to be saved one must follow the Quran.

The Nature of Jesus

The nature of Jesus is disputed among the three religions: Jews claim He was a liar and was not God but purely a man and a reprehensible one at that. Christians believe Jesus is true God and true Man, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. Islamists view Jesus as more of a prophet, like Abraham, but unconnected to God beyond that and certainly of lesser significance than Mohammed. Jews are said to have killed Christ, because they rejected His claims of divinity and viewed Him as blasphemous, particularly after He attacked their habit of desecrating the Temple by conducting financial dealings there, as described in the New Testament. Jews argue that Christians stole Christ’s body from the tomb and claimed He rose from the dead. Christians reject this idea and say that Christ rose of His own power and that He will come again to judge the living and the dead. In Islam, the nature of Christ is not a matter of great importance, as Muslims came much later and had no role to play in His death. Therefore, they conclude that He was a minor prophet, but nothing more than a man.

Holy Books

The holy book in Judaism is the Torah (the books of Moses) and the Talmud (the collected teachings of the rabbis over hundreds of years). The Talmud consists of the rules that Jews are meant to follow; however, Reform Judaism is less observant of these rules, which are followed mainly by Orthodox Jews. The Talmud refers to Jesus as a historical figure but presents Him as a criminal: stating that “on the eve of the Passover Yeshu was hanged” (Habermas & Licona, 2004, p. 30).

The holy book of Christians is the New Testament. It states explicitly that Christ is God (“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God”—John 1:1). It also lists many of the precepts of the Church, as stated by Christ in His own words during His teaching moments. It also includes letters written by the Apostles to the various churches that were established: these are known as the Epistles.

The holy book of Islam is the Quran and it presents a notion of God that is similar to that presented in Torah and the New Testament. For instance, the Quran states that Allah (God) is all-powerful, omniscient, eternal, merciful, but also just: “Allah is severe in punishment!” (p. 165). All three books are similar when it comes to the nature of God, but they differ when it comes to Christ. The Quran only briefly refers to the gospel of Jesus; the Talmud refers to Jesus as a criminal and deceiver; and the New Testament refers to Him as divine.

Two Challenges Affecting the Relations of the Three Religions

Two challenges affecting relations of the three religions are how to share the holy land of Jerusalem that they all lay claim to; and also how to deal with their differences in a peaceful way. For example, Jews and Muslims are still fighting over the area where the Dome of the Rock is located next to the Wailing Wall. Christians also sought control of this area during the Crusades. Another example is that Muslims are viewed by some Jews and Christians as terrorists since 9/11. Some Christians still view Jews as responsible for the death of Christ. And some Jews see themselves as the original chosen ones and thus have bias against others. Globalization is the spread of a single culture under a global economic and political regime. It hinders the challenge of rapport because it suppresses the actual ideas that make these religions relevant, which causes the tension to boil under the surface until it explodes outward. It is better to be upfront and honest.