Page 134 - Prophet Jesus (Pbuh): A Prophet Not A Son, Of God

132 Prophet Jesus (pbuh): A Prophet, Not A Son, of God

Neither the authors of the Gospels nor those of the New Testament's other
books were actual eye witnesses to the events they describe. They were people
who made texts out of the oral and written traditions transmitted from genera-
tion to generation for a few decades after Prophet Jesus' (pbuh) ascension. For
that reason, various experts who have researched the texts over the cen-
turies have stressed that various factors played a role in the texts of the
Gospels assuming their present forms. In one article, this influence is de-

scribed as follows:
The original first-hand memories of Prophet Jesus (pbuh) were pre-
served by various means, edited, developed, elevated, and partially
destroyed 1) by the early Christians' efforts to gain a universal reli-
gious identity for their own religion by elevating its leaders; 2) by
allowing the pagan deity motifs of the time to enter their texts; 3) by
the first Church established by Gentile (non-Jewish) Christians op-
posing the Judaism from which it had broken away; 4) by the de-
bates that led to serious disputes within the Christian community
itself; and 5) by portraying the promises of events given by the Old
Testament prophets as being fulfilled in the life of Prophet Jesus
(pbuh), thereby claiming that he was the final component of Old
Testament prophethood… In addition, since the Gospels were written
by the early Church that was struggling to survive Jewish pressure and
Roman persecution, and because of the prevailing circumstances, they are
not an account of Prophet Jesus (pbuh) and his life, but the early Church's
interpretation of Prophet Jesus' (pbuh) words and deeds in connection with
its struggle against its opponents. Based on that fact, it can be seen that
the Gospels do not provide enough information to write the biogra-
phy of Prophet Jesus (pbuh). Therefore, in examining his position
and status in the interpretation of the four Gospels, we have to take
into account the lives of the first Christian communities, the beliefs,
ideas, opinions, preconceptions, and debates of which are reflected
both in the Gospels and the other books of the New Testament …
Again in examining his position, we must not forget that the Gospels, our