how did jesus prove his divinity

As St. John notes There are many more things that Jesus did. And He still has compassion on us in our suffering, for He loves us. It is clearly offered to us as the summation of Jesus' divinity, representing his ability to conquer death itself, through bringing the dead back to life. Islam thus tells us that the polytheistic interpretation of Jesus being the divine Son of God is something that arose contrary to the claims of Jesus (as), which finds its basis in the idolatrous teachings of previous peoples. He stated: Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Now, this is an interesting case. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans. He himself almost always gave preference to the titles son of man and the son, which were not subject to the same misunderstandings that could arise from the use of the term son of God. In certain later texts, the term is used for a righteous individual. For example, Son of a night refers to something that is one-night old (Jonah 4:10). Moreover, especially in the case of theology, once we determine that a certain term is metaphorical, it must be interpreted in the correct fashion. That all-important like is nowhere to be found in his many usages of the term for himself. The Islamic view of Jesus lies between two extremes. It would be sheer blasphemy to say so; for, God is Holy and has no sons. Like modeling clay, people often create Christ to be the way they desire while leaving out parts they do not specifically want. (Matthew 7:15). There remains an important question: if Jesus (as) never claimed to be a divine son of God, how did these ideas enter into the Christian psyche? The idea that he was a divine son of God came to prominence after his disappearance following the crucifixion. In short, pure monotheism must form the basis of our interpretation of the words of Jesus (as). In one place, it is stated: For if the righteous man is Gods child, he will help him (Wisdom of Solomon 2:18). Jesus makes divine demands upon his followers. Right from the beginning, it is important to realize that even the most conservative Christians do not advocate for a literal interpretation of the term son of God. One of the foremost is that Jesus and His early followers frequently referred to Him as a divine being. In their minds, a merely human Jesus would be inferior to their other heroes and mythological gods. This was a vision that the prophet saw, and therefore is subject to interpretation. Paul, the preacher to the gentiles, was himself was a Jew, but his letters are almost empty in terms of details about the life of Jesus (as). Therefore, his argument was that if he had very sparingly used the term son of God for himself, what problem did they have with such a metaphorical term that was well-known to them and was interpreted in an entirely monotheistic manner? B. When the stories about Jesus (as) were finally penned by the Greek authors of the Gospels, they adopted a term regarding Jesus (as) that was subject to interpretation: huios tou theos. pg. The scriptures record 37 miracles by Jesus (you can see the list here: The Father testified at Jesus Baptism, This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. But Jesus is more likely speaking here of the interior graces the Father is sending to them so that they may believe. (Matthew 5:9). Now that we have an understanding of the general grammatical construction of the term son of God, it is an opportune time to look into its specific uses in Jewish idiom and the context in which it has been used. Jesus (as) was a Jew, and therefore his religious language would likely closely follow the Hebrew idiom of the Old Testament. The Jews never interpreted such texts literally, rather they would always understand them as being metaphorical a term applied to human beings who had been given a divine mandate. This is important, as the language of the oldest New Testament manuscripts are not in Hebrew and Aramaic, but in Greek. Therefore, we can conclude that the term son of God, if used at all, was most likely done so infrequently and that too within a legitimate, monotheistic Jewish context, as the explanation of Jesus (as) in John clearly indicates. So, through either lineage, Jesus is disqualified from being a descendant of David who could sit on the Davidic throne. 2:1). If he was the biological, literal son of Joseph, one must deny the virgin birth. [1] Truth in Translation: Accuracy and Bias in the English Translations of the New Testament, Jason DeDuhn, pg. The Testimony of John the Baptist But there is another who testifies on my behalf, and I know that the testimony he gives on my behalf is true. 67, Ruhani Khazain (Spiritual Treasures) vol. 13, 16, 18; v. 5, where the sons of God are identical with the saints; comp. In todays Gospel Jesus makes it clear that there are four things that made the unbelief of some inexcusable. BGEA is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. The converted Gentile Christians, at least some and quite possibly a large majority of them, very quickly deified Jesus (as), and the term Son of God began to be applied to him in a divine, polytheistic fashion. This is because the term does not originate in the Gospels; rather, its basis is found in the Old Testament. Is this passage literal or metaphorical? They have tried to equate a minuscule particle of mere possibility which is so self-negating and unreal, with the Supreme Self-Existent God. John spoke truthfully of Jesus even when it cost him his followers and his own fame. He declared an unrelated follower as the son of Mary (John 19:26-27), demonstrating how his followers were like his spiritual family, something he also confirmed in another place when he said, whoever does the will of my Father in heavenis my brother and sister and mother. (Matthew 12:50). Allah has mentioned in the Holy Quran a saying of the Jews, and that saying is we are the sons of Allah and His beloveds. 4:4) and was a descendant of David according to the flesh (cf. Meaning, different shades of polytheism and the deification of human beings existed well before Christianity and Judaism. One of the arguments put forward by Christians in trying to prove the divinity of Jesus is that they claim he was called Son of God a title of divinity. The Gospels of Matthew and Luke state that in reply to the question of whether he was the son of God, he replied guardedly with you say I am (Matthew 26:64, Luke 22:70). Therefore, both Christians and Muslims do not advocate for a literal interpretation of the term son of God for Jesus (as). The meaning of the term did not imply divinity in the Jewish context the context in which Jesus (as) lived and preached. There is no genealogical record, in either the Old or the New Testament, which refers to a man as the son of his father-in-law. The One who comes from above is above all. Rather, he challenged them through his response in such a way that he brought a close to the argument, that you yourselves are deeply involved in my way of speech. If all of them were written down, I suppose that not even the world itself would have space for the books that would be written. [5:117], I said nothing to them except that which Thou didst command me Worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord. And I was a witness over them as long as I remained among them, but since Thou didst cause me to die, Thou hast been the Watcher over them; and Thou art Witness over all things. [5:118], Such beliefs spread in his absence, where he was no longer able to correct them. Jesus (as) most likely commonly referred to himself quite humbly as a servant of God and son of man, with his Jewish followers most likely referring to him in terms other than son of God. The raising of Lazarus is the last of the miracles or 'signs' of Jesus' divinity which John relates. He would either be a lunatic on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg or else he would be the Devil of Hell. Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, I am Gods Son? The lineage of Jesus (as) is recorded in two different ways in the gospels of Matthew (1:1-17) and Luke (3:23-38). Therefore, it is almost certain that Jesus (as) was using the term to declare his humanity and most probably as a rebuttal to those who either thought or accused him of claiming to be divine. This was completely in line with Jewish thought, which spoke about people whose piety granted them the distinction of being labelled the sons of God: the title belongs also to any one whose piety has placed him in a filial relation to God (see Wisdom ii. 455, Ruhani Khazain (Spiritual Treasures) vol. 1964- (G. Kittel, G. W. Bromiley & G. Friedrich, Ed.) A. Ethics Along with his teachings on the kingdom and the law, Jesus advocated ethical purity. Was it not imperative for Jesus (as) at this time, when his sonship was being questioned, that he state, if he was truly the son of God, that the fact is that I am the Son of God Almighty, and you all are human beings? (Acts 14:11-12), Even when Paul and Barnabas tried to stop them, they could scarcely restrain the people from sacrificing to them. (Acts 14:17). You must make your choice. 361. John spoke truthfully of Jesus even when it cost him his followers and his own fame. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); All rights reserved. In a certain sense it is a frightening question. God changed that destiny such that, apparently, he was put on the cross, and was even interned in the tomb, but, like Yunus, he entered alive and came out alive. It was a term that clarified that he was a (very human) prophet. Trans. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. And the truth is that Christians have learned of creature-worship from these very teachings. Stories of gods begetting demigods after consorting with human females and men becoming gods after death were commonplace. 4, [16] (Myers, A. C. (1987). The crucial point is that they believe that Jesus did not hold in His mind the concept, "I am God; I am divine." They would say Jesus is divine but not that He thought of Himself as divine. [14] [15]. Therefore, the Greek terms found in the Gospels are, at best, only translations of the original Hebrew and Aramaic words of Jesus (as) and those around him. He dedicated hundreds of pages in exploring and explaining the reality of Jesus. The Testimony of the Father Moreover, the Father who sent me has testified on my behalf. Foxes have dens, and birds of the air have nests, but the son of man has no place to lay His head. (Matthew 8:20). The plural sons at times refers to youth or young men (Proverbs 7:7) and children (Genesis 3:16). For example, in John 14:28, Jesus tells his disciples that the "Father is greater than I," implying that Jesus's deity isn't foremost. He was claiming to be a righteous individual who was carrying out the mandates of God on earth. The scriptures record 37 miracles by Jesus (you can see the list here: 37 Miracles) which included the miraculous multiplication of loaves and fishes, walking on water, raising the dead, healing multitudes from countless illnesses, casting out fierce demons, and calming storms. Whereas they adamantly pursue a decidedly non-monotheistic interpretation of the term son of God, they quite easily and happily accept certain monotheistic interpretations for many of the other titles of Jesus (as). 1964- (G. Kittel, G. W. Bromiley & G. Friedrich, Ed.) His judgment extends to every idle word (Mt 12:36), and will be final and executed immediately (Mt 25:46). Even so, Some manuscripts of medium quality read, You say that I am. [13]. The angels will accompany Him at His second coming and do His will (Mt 16:27; 25:31; Mk 8:38; Lk 9:26). [7] Theological Dictionary of the New Testament. He valued diversity and placed an array of personalities, backgrounds, and experiences around him in order to advance his work. The Quran tells us that Jesus (as) never taught his followers anything other than monotheism and certainly never told them to take him as a divine figure. God so wills that love at first sprouts in the heart of the worshipper and then attracts the love of the Almighty Himself. as a form of intimate address for younger companions, students or listeners to whom the one speaking stands in the relation of a father (Proverbs 2:1). Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) was the divinely appointed reformer of the age. Jesus says elsewhere: Are These the End Times? I have been called son whereas you have been called god. There are stories where gods temporarily became humans, such as where the gods Jupiter and Mercury disguise themselves as mortals and wander the earth. 7, , ( ), Baraheen-e-Ahmadiyya (Arguments in Support of Muhammad(sa)) part 4, pgs. Roman and Greek mythology abounded with divine man/god figures. Even though the Quran does not refer to Jesus (as) as the son of God, it nonetheless does not deny that the term can legitimately be used in a metaphorical manner for servants of Allah. (Isaiah 42:1), See, my servantwill act wisely, he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted. Jesus appropriates divine actions unto Himself and thus sets forth an assimilation unto the Lord God. After all, the Son of God must be divine like his father. Is not Ephraim my dear son? (Jeremiah 31:20). 143. The difficulty with metaphors is that there is no qualifying word telling us that we are dealing with something that is not literal. His own explanation of the term demonstrates that he understood it as being metaphorical, entirely within the realm of monotheism and in no way implying his divinity. The next question is, did Jesus (as) ever explain the use of the term himself?. Others have attempted to answer this question by saying that Jesus was a "mere" good man with no divine . Instead of heeding the words of their prophets and holy scriptures that taught monotheism, they took the erroneous polytheistic interpretations of their religious teachers, preachers and monks as being authoritative. It was the ultimate proof of His divinity, and demonstrated for all time that He has conquered sin and death and Hell and the devil. The Bible says that when a large crowd gathered on one occasion to hear Jesus, he had compassion on them and healed their sick (Matthew 14:14). And the list goes on. [5:19] The Jews and the Christians say that we are the sons of Allah and his loved ones. Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. As such, all capitalization is based on the idiom of the translated language and is subject to the translators understanding of the text. Christians generally insist on understanding it in a way that ends with Jesus being divine. It is thus within this Jewish historical context that the term Son of God was used and most likely understood by Jesus (as) and his followers. He granted two of his followers (both brothers) the title of sons of thunder (Mark 3:17), a reference to their zeal in following the faith. The multiplication of the loaves is the only miracle in the list of 37 miracles that involves creation from nothing. It was a catch-22. Was he the literal son of Joseph or the son of God? Christians are, by and large, guilty of falling into this error. Who among the heavenly beings (lit. His adopted son, Octavian (or Caesar Augustus) was said to have been the son of the god Apollo and a mortal female, Atia. In any case, even if one does accept that Luke presents the lineage of Mary and not Joseph, problems persist. Therefore, it is possible that Jesus (as) felt that there was no point in arguing with them any further during the trial they would not believe or exonerate him no matter what he said. In How Jesus Became God, Bart Ehrman explores how a Jewish preacher from Galilee was transformed into a deity. In one verse of the Quran, Allah states that the Jews and Christians claim they are the sons of God, but rejects the application of the term in their case, stating instead that they are under His punishment: . It is interesting that here Jesus (as) answers the question of how he is one with God, while also providing an explanation for how he was or at least said to be, a son of God. He rejected this inference in terms of the title Son of David, and stated that he was not subordinate to David, rather that he was a prophet who was independent in his commission (Mark 12:37). To get around this problem, commentators usually state that Matthew traces his lineage through Joseph, while Luke through Mary, the mother of Jesus. It is only a figure of speech. This term could, admittedly, be translated literally as son of God, but could also be understood figuratively as servant of God: huis,hwee-os; apparently a primary word; a son (sometimes of animals), used very widely of immediate, remote or figuratively, kinship:child, foal, son. Jesus replied: Is it not written in your Law,I have said you are gods? Clearly, Jesus thought it fundamentally important what others believed about Him. These passages demonstrate that the Messiah was foretold as being a humble servant of God. They imitate the saying of those who disbelieved before them. It would be a mistake to believe that all Christians in history accepted that Jesus (as) was a divine son of God. To come to any sort of conclusion, one must first embark on a journey to understand the underlying terminology and the context in which the term son of God was used during the time of Jesus (as). Though they brought many false witnesses, they were unable to prove any instance of blasphemy. They have an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about wordsthat result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions and constant friction between people of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truthand who think that godliness is a means to financial gain. It is telling that they were unable to prove any instance of blasphemy. Jesus appropriates divine actions unto Himself and thus sets forth an assimilation unto the Lord God. For example, it is stated that God said to King David: You are my Son; today I have begotten you (Psalms 2:7). The Trial of Jesus (as) and the Beginning of the End, Concept of Son of God in Greek and Roman Society, Jesus Becomes a Divine Son of God Amongst the Gentile Roman Converts, The Islamic Viewpoint The Corruption of the Message of Jesus (as), Secular & Spiritual Treasures of the Promised Reformer, Jesus, the Son of God An Investigation into the Virgin Birth and its Meaning. Nevertheless, people have struggled to find places where Jesus himself claims to be divine. There is a lot of theology and history to unpack here. 22, [15] See also Nishan-e-Asmani (A Heavenly Sign), pg. Therefore, the Quran strongly supports the claim that Jesus (as) fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies about the coming of a Messiah who would be a servant of God, and supports the idea that he did not use the term son of God for himself. He mostly referred to himself as son of man or the son. Pg. It is imperative that when trying to find the truth about the nature of Jesus (as), that we first understand the words of Jesus (as) and the context in which those words were said, without the filters that are placed upon them through later interpreters. The Jews continued to reject him and accuse him of blasphemy. It was not a common term amongst the Jews, nor was the awaited Messiah to be referred to primarily as a son of God. It is sometimes described as the "Lunatic, Liar, or Lord", or "Mad, Bad, or God" argument. The interpretation is one that is inevitably metaphorical. He is eternal Before Abraham was, I am (Jn 8:58); He has full knowledge of the Father (Jn 7:29; 8:55; 10:14ff); He has equal power and efficacy with the Father (Jn 5:17); He is the way, the truth, and the light (Jn 14:6); His disciples may and ought to pray to the Father in His name (Jn 14:13ff, 16:23ff); His disciples may pray to Him (Jesus) (Jn 14:13ff, 16:23ff); the solemn confession of the Apostle Thomas, My Lord and my God, is acceptable and in fact an act of faith (Jn 20:28). Vol. Coming back to the term son of man, we find that it has been almost exclusively used in the Old Testament, not as referring to a divine figure, rather to refer to man as contrasted with God an antonym. Grand Rapids, Mich.: W.B. He frequently taught that His followers must be all in or eventually be left out. : , ( ), Masnad Abi Yala, Masnad of Anas bin Malik, Thabit Al-Bunani from Anas, Hadith #3315, , ( ), Haqiqatul Wahi (The Truth of Revelation), pg. And in their Torah, which has been altered and tampered with, there exist several types of indignations towards God Almighty. To understand its use for Jesus (as), we must understand how it was used by the Jews in Hebrew and Aramaic. But others did believe and so should we. It is this final usage that is most relevant to our discussion about the meaning of Son of God. He claimed to be the Light of the World (John 8:12), The Bread of Life (John 6:35), The Living Bread (John 6:51) The Resurrection and The Life (John 11:25). Moreover, it was a term that he, in all likelihood, probably only used very sparingly for himself, preferring the terms son of man, and most likely the term servant of God. It is thus possible, if not likely, that Jesus (as) and his followers used the term servant of God and other primary, theologically significant terms which are found in the Old Testament, such as son of David, when referring to Jesus (as), and not son of God, which was uncommon and at most of secondary significance. literally to refer to physical descendants. Trans. In any case, the Jews were and are resolute monotheists, and never interpreted the term son of God in any sort of polytheistic fashion which ran counter to the idea of one, indivisible God. [7]. (Jn 6:44-45). Jesus (as) himself emphasized that to believe in one God is the very first, most important commandment: One of the teachers of the lawcame and heard them debating. "And he said to them, 'Then are you also without understanding? The Historical Context of Jesus Being Called the Son of God, How Islam can Help Christianity Understand the True Significance of the Virgin Birth, The Wait for the Second Coming of Jesus Must Stop, Abrahams Sacrifice According to Christianity and Islam, The Messiah Has Come: Divine Knowledge Bestowed on the Messiah. 6. A comparison has been drawn between the figure and other human beings, with the prophet Daniel stating: I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. There is only a single place in all four Gospels where Jesus (as) explains the use of the term Son of God in relation to himself. Now, those that are fair should study these verses with fear of Allah Almighty in their hearts. The ancient church creeds established that Jesus is God, fully God, and fully equal to God. This included the titles of Jesus as Christ, Lord, and Messiah, among others. That is why this love-laden spirit, again figuratively speaking, is like an offspring to the Divine spirit, the author of this love. The common understanding is that "Son of God" implies his deitywhich it doesand that "Son of Man" implies his humanity, which it does too. [8]. [21:27]. He claimed to be the awaited the second coming of Jesus (as) the Promised Messiah. So far, we have looked at some metaphorical titles of Jesus (as). 464-465 Footnote, Ruhani Khazain (Spiritual Treasures) vol.
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