I often get letters from Christian apologists and evangelicals of the fundamentalist stripe. They often challenge me to read some apologetic literature and then decide for myself. I’ve always challenged them in response, telling them to send me some, saying that I would read it. The apologists almost never respond to that offer. So I [...]
Many authors have already written about the Roman Census, Bethlehem and other aspects of the “Christmas Story” of Jesus’ birth. Some elements derive completely from folklore and aren’t even mentioned in the bible, other important bits are only mentioned by one gospel writer but not by others, and all of them include historical errors. Prof. [...]
“By heaven furnished with paths;” (Surat adh-Dhariyat, 7) The Arabic word “alhubuki,” translated as “furnished with paths” in verse 7 of Surat adh-Dhariyat, comes from the verb “hubeke,” meaning “to weave closely, to knit, to bind together.” The use of this word in the verse is particularly wise and represents the current state of scientific [...]
Few periods in the history of Christian thought have received more scholarly attention than the christological debates of the fifth century. In fact, so much interpretive energy has been spent on these controversies that many textbooks report confidently that all relevant questions about the debates have been answered.(1) The controversy, the textbooks imply, was about [...]
In the early Church, Christians identified Jesus as Christ. Now, in the modern Church, many consider themselves believers in the Christ of faith (as developed by the teachings of the Church) without believing in the identity of that Christ as the actual, historical person of Jesus. But this distinction between the Christ of faith and [...]
THE FIGURE OF JESUS IN POPULAR ISLAM “I have an axe to grind,” said Tarif Khalidi, professor and fellow of the faculty of Oriental Studies at Cambridge University. Speaking at a June 9 panel on religion during ADC’s 18th National Convention, Khalidi addressed the topic of Jesus in the Islamic tradition, which he considers “an [...]
The word “Muslim” means one who submits to the will of God, regardless of their race, nationality or ethnic background. Becoming a Muslim is a simple and easy process that requires no pre-requisites. One may convert alone in privacy, or he/she may do so in the presence of others. If anyone has a real desire [...]
The Islamic view of Jesus lies between two extremes. The Jews, who rejected Jesus as a prophet, called him an imposter, while the Christians, on the other hand, considered him to be the son of God and worship him as such. Islam considers Jesus to be one of the greatest and most forbearing of prophets, [...]
THE FACT THAT JESUS was a Jew has not gone unrecognized. Libraries and bookstores are replete with volumes bearing such titles as Jesus the Jew, The Galilean Jewishness of Jesus, Jesus and the World of Judaism, The Religion of Jesus the Jew, Jesus in His Jewish Context, The Jewish Reclamation of Jesus, and three volumes [...]
Before the attested crucifixion of Jesus, the Roman governor Pilate gave the Jewish people a choice between releasing two characters, the first one was Barabbas, and the second was Jesus who is called the Messiah or the king of Jews. However, early Greece manuscripts of the Matthew Gospel mention the first name of Barabbas; the [...]
