PROPHET ISA AS (6 BC - 30 AD)

 PROPHET ISA AS (6 BC - 30 AD)

Michael H. Hart, 1978

 

The influence of Prophet Isa on the history of humanity is so clear and so great. It seems that not many people are questioning why Prophet Isa is almost at the top of this list of books. In fact, many people may wonder why Jesus is not at the top.

As for Christianity, it doesn't matter. In the course of time, there is no doubt that this religion has gained more adherents than any other religion. It should be emphasized that it is not about the influence of various religions that is the point of calculation in this book, but about the influence of individuals. Unlike Islam, Christianity was founded not by one but by two -- Jesus and St. Paul -- therefore the recognition of merits for the development of religion must be shared equally between the two figures.

Prophet Isa laid the basic foundations of Christian ethical ideas including spiritual views and the main idea of ​​human behavior. While the basics of Christian theology is managed by St. Paul. Jesus offered spiritual messages while St. Paul added it in the form of worship of Jesus. More than that, St. Paul is the author of important parts of the New Testament and is the first advocate of people to embrace Christianity in the first century of the birth of that religion.

Isa was considered young when he "died" (as is the case with Buddha or Muhammad), and he left only a limited number of followers. When Jesus died, his followers consisted of only a small number of Jewish sects. Only through the writings of St. With Paul and his relentless preaching, the small sect was transformed into a dynamic force and became a larger movement, both Jewish and non-Jewish. From there, it eventually grew into one of the world's great religions.

As a result of these things while people think St. It is Paul and not Jesus who is more worthy of being seen as the founder of Christianity, therefore his place in the list of this book must be higher than Jesus! Although it is hard to imagine what Christianity would be without St. Paul, but the opposite is also very clear: without Prophet Jesus, Christianity would never have existed at all.

On the other hand, it seems unreasonable to hold Jesus responsible for all circumstances, such as the judgments of Christian churches and later Christian individuals, especially since Jesus himself did not agree with such attitudes. Among them -for example, religious wars between Christian schools of thought, cruel slaughter and hunting of Jews - are in contradiction with the attitudes and teachings of Jesus. It seems unreasonable to assume that the act was approved by Jesus.

Besides that, even though modern science first grew up in Christian countries in Western Europe, it doesn't feel right if it is considered the responsibility of Jesus. Naturally, none of the Christian leaders interpreted the teachings of Jesus as a call for scientific investigation of the world in a physical sense. What happened was quite the opposite: the flocking of Roman people to Christianity resulted in a decline in both the general basis of technology and the general level of interest in science.

That science happened to grow in Europe is actually an indication of the existence of a culture that was passed down from generation to generation in harmony with the scientific way of thinking. This has absolutely nothing to do with the teachings of Jesus but thanks to the influence of Greek rationalism which is clearly reflected in the works of Aristotle and Euclid. It should be noted that the emergence of modern science was not in the heyday of ecclesiastical power and Christian holiness but at the dawn of the renaissance, at a time when Europe was trying to renew the legacy before Jesus.

The story of Jesus' life if it is related to the New Testament is certainly familiar to readers, because it can be boring if chewed again. However, there are also aspects that are still worth noting. First, most of the information we get about the life of Jesus is chaotic, erratic. We don't even know what his real name is. Most likely his real name was Yehoshua, a common Jewish name (the English called him Joshua). And the year of his birth is not certain, although the year 6 BC can be used as a guide.

Even the year of his death, which his followers should have known clearly, has not been confirmed to this day. Jesus himself did not leave written works at all, so that in fact everything about his life story adheres to the New Testament explanation.

Unfortunately, the teachings of Jesus contradict each other on many points. Matthew and Luke present completely different versions of Jesus' final words. These two versions at first glance appear to be derived from direct quotations from the Old Testament.

Indeed, it is no coincidence that Jesus was able to quote from the Old Testament. Because, even though Jesus was a Christian leader, he was actually a devout Jew. It has often been pointed out that Jesus was in many ways very similar to the prophets of the Old Testament and that he was deeply influenced by them. Like the prophets, Jesus had an extraordinary personality charm that left a deep and indelible impression upon meeting him. Jesus is a person who has the power of charisma in the truest sense.

In stark contrast to Muhammad who held religious and political power in one hand, Jesus had no political influence in his lifetime or in the following century. (The two humans did have an indirect influence on long-term political developments). Isa spreads influence entirely within the realm of ethics and is a spiritual leader.

If Jesus' legacy is solely in his qualities as a spiritual leader, of course it is appropriate for people to question the extent to which his spiritual ideas have influenced the world. One of the central teachings of Jesus is of course the Golden Rule. Now, his Golden Rule has been accepted by many people, whether he is a Christian or not as a standard of moral behavior. We can do things not always on the basis of that standard, but at least we try to trace the rails. If Jesus is really the first formulator of standards and guidelines that have been accepted as almost universal principles, he certainly deserves to be placed first on this list.

However, the facts show that the name, the Golden Rule, has actually become the standard by which Judaism holds, long before Isa was born. Reverend Hillel, a Jewish leader who lived a century BC openly said that the Golden Rule is the main standard of Judaism.

This is not only known by the West but also the East. The Chinese philosopher Kong Hu-Cu had proposed this conception in 500 BC. Also such words are found in the Mahabharata, a collection of ancient Hindu poetry. So, the reality shows that the philosophy contained in The Golden Rule is accepted by almost every major religious group.

Does this mean that Jesus had no original ethical ideas? It is not like that! A high-quality and bright view is offered in Matthew 5:43-44:

You heard what was said that you must love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you, have mercy on those who have cursed you, do good to those who hate you, pray for those who hold a grudge against you and persecute you.

And the previous sentence reads "... do not fight evil. If they slap your right cheek, turn your left cheek too."

Today, this opinion is not part of Judaism at the time of Jesus and is not part of the grip of other religions. It's definitely something you've heard of. If this idea is widely embraced, I have no doubt or hesitation in placing Jesus first on the list.

However, the reality shows that the idea is not widespread. In fact, it is generally unacceptable. Most Christians think that the commandment "Love your enemy" can only be realized in a perfect world, but cannot act as a guide for behavior in the world we all live in today. Generally these teachings are not implemented, nor do they expect others to do so. We don't even teach our children that way. The most obvious teaching of Jesus is that it remains a kind of group teaching and is fundamentally not subject to pre-tested suggestions.