The Mystery of the Historical Jesus

The Messiah in the Qur'an, the Bible, and Historical Sources

By Louay Fatoohi

2007

First Published

3.82

Average Rating

851

Number of Pages

25H58M

Audio Length

Jesus remains one of the most studied characters in history. In the two millennia since his birth, countless writers have published numerous books and articles on every aspect of his life, personality, teachings, and environment. Depending on the backgrounds, goals, and trainings of their respective authors, these works relied on the New Testament, other Christian sources, Jewish writings, or other historical sources, or on combinations of these writings. The Qur'an is rarely mentioned, let alone seriously considered, by the mainly Christian authors of these studies. This explicit or implicit neglect reflects a presumed historical worthlessness of the Qur'an. Muslim scholars have also written extensively about Jesus. Contrary to their Western counterparts, they have studied in detail what the Qur'an and other Islamic sources say about Jesus. The Christian image of Jesus is often cited to be dismissed, usually on the basis of what Islamic sources say, but at times also because of its incoherence and inconsistency. Like Western scholars who have ignored the Qur'an, Muslim writers have shown no interest in independent historical sources. This book fills a gap in the literature on the historical Jesus by taking the unique approach of considering together the Qur'an, the Gospels, and other religious and historical sources. This genuinely new contribution to the scholarship on the historical Jesus shows that, unlike the New Testament accounts, the Qur'anic image of Jesus is both internally consistent and reconcilable with known history. While showing that our understanding of how the New Testament was formed and our growing knowledge of history confirm that the Christian Jesus is unhistorical, this study makes a strong case for the historicity of the Jesus of the Qur'an. Its friendly style makes this comprehensive book suitable for the general reader as well as the specialist. Readers with interest in the historical Jesus, the Messiah in the various scriptures, modern Qur'anic exegesis, or comparative religion will find this compelling study highly informative and thought-provoking. No specialist knowledge of any scripture or history is required for reading the book.

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Author

Louay Fatoohi

Author · 2 books

I was born in Baghdad, Iraq, in 1961. I married Shetha Al-Dargazelli in 1991. Shetha and I have been living in our adopted home, the UK, since August 1992. I obtained a BSc in Physics from the College of Sciences, University of Baghdad, in 1984. I received a PhD in Astronomy from the Physics Department, Durham University, in 1998. The title of my thesis was “First Visibility of the Lunar Crescent and Other Problems in Historical Astronomy.” I converted from Christianity to Islam in my early twenties. I have been particularly interested in studying the Qur’an. For more details about how I developed interest in Islam, see the Preface to my book about the historical Jesus. I have written over 15 books in English and Arabic and over forty scientific and general articles in Arabic and English. I am particularly interested in studying historical characters and events that are mentioned in the Qur’an and comparing the Qur’anic account with the Biblical narratives, other Jewish and Christian writings, and historical sources. In addition to writing books, I have also edited, translated, and added a commentary to Fifteen Letters (Khamsata ‘Ashara Maktuban). I have also co-translated with my wife Shetha Al-Dargazelli the book Purification of the Mind (Jila’ Al-Khatir), which is currently in its second edition. Both books are by Shaikh ‘Abd Al-Qadir Al-Jili. My previous works include “History Testifies to the Infallibility of the Qur’an” which I co-authored with Shetha and which has been completely rewritten and updated and published under the title “The Mystery of Israel in Ancient Egypt.” I have published 16 scientific papers on astronomy and another 6 on the Islamic calendar. I have also written several technical papers and general articles about psychology, parapsychology, Sufism, and other topics. I regularly publish excerpts from my writings and new articles on my website QuranicStudies.com. You can read my blog at louayfatoohi.com My facebook address is http://www.facebook.com/louay.fatoohi