(٢٣)IS ALLAH (S.W) ONE OR THREE?2- VERSES ATTRIBUTING DIVINE SON-SHIP TO JESUS(PBUH)The Gospels speak of Jesus (PBUH) as the Son of God, andChr<strong>is</strong>tians consider that as evidence of h<strong>is</strong> divinity. Is thatconsideration c<strong>or</strong>rect, and what <strong>is</strong> the meaning of “the Son of God”?Did Jesus (PBUH) call himself the “Son of God”?The first <strong>is</strong>sue that we have to consider <strong>is</strong> that Jesus (PBUH) did notcall himself “the Son of God” except once (John 10:36). The rest ofthe Gospels’ passages tell us that h<strong>is</strong> d<strong>is</strong>ciples and h<strong>is</strong>contemp<strong>or</strong>aries also said so. Th<strong>is</strong> <strong>is</strong> what made some scholars doubtthat Jesus (PBUH) <strong>or</strong> h<strong>is</strong> d<strong>is</strong>ciples had truly uttered these w<strong>or</strong>ds. 1In h<strong>is</strong> book, “The Gospel Dictionary”, Senger wrote, “That Jesushimself used th<strong>is</strong> term <strong>is</strong> uncertain”. In th<strong>is</strong> regard, Charles Gene Pairsaid, “The firm conclusion of the researchers’ studies <strong>is</strong>, that Jesusnever claimed that he was the expected messiah, and he nevercalled himself the Son of God… f<strong>or</strong> th<strong>is</strong> language was not in useexcept by Chr<strong>is</strong>tians who were influenced by the Greek Culture." 2Coleman, the prominent scholar, said regarding th<strong>is</strong> title, “Thed<strong>is</strong>ciples, menti<strong>one</strong>d in Acts, were influenced by their master who didnot use th<strong>is</strong> title and he did not want it, and then they followed h<strong>is</strong>steps”.1 - In th<strong>is</strong> regard, Pfleiderer, the prominent German scholar, said in h<strong>is</strong> book on earlyChr<strong>is</strong>tianity, “in the st<strong>or</strong>ies of the apostles as in all the secular h<strong>is</strong>t<strong>or</strong>ians of antiquitythese speeches are free compositions, in which the auth<strong>or</strong> has h<strong>is</strong> heroes speak in the waythat he himself thinks they could have spoken in the given situation” (p.500f.) (Kautsky,Karl, Foundations of Chr<strong>is</strong>tianity, 1908, pp 22)In h<strong>is</strong> book, “ Saint Mark”, Nineham said, “Any<strong>one</strong> who has looked critically at the various modern ‘lives’of Jesus, with their widely different pictures of him, will realize how largely their auth<strong>or</strong>s have had to drawon their own imaginations.” (Nineham, D.E, Saint Mark, 1963, pp 35)(Th<strong>is</strong> footnote was added by the proofreader, and it was taken from h<strong>is</strong> book, “Contemp<strong>or</strong>ary Chr<strong>is</strong>tianityUnder The Light of Science and Reason” p 44, 61)2 - Chr<strong>is</strong>tianity, its beginning and its development, Charles Gene Pier, pp 50
(٢٤)IS ALLAH (S.W) ONE OR THREE?Jesus (PBUH) <strong>is</strong> also the “Son of Man”There are eighty-<strong>three</strong> passages in the Gospels, which mention thatpeople repeatedly call Jesus (PBUH) “the Son of Man”, and thesepassages contradict and refute the few passages that call him(PBUH) the “Son of God”.Jesus (PBUH), acc<strong>or</strong>ding to the Egyptian Chr<strong>is</strong>tian scholar Matta ElMeskeen, had given himself th<strong>is</strong> title “in <strong>or</strong>der to hide h<strong>is</strong> true divineson-ship when he spoke about himself”. 1If these passages, which call Jesus (PBUH) “the Son of God”, areproof of h<strong>is</strong> divinity, the other passages, which call him “the Son ofMan”, are solid proof of h<strong>is</strong> humanity, d<strong>is</strong>m<strong>is</strong>sing the divinitypassages to their metaph<strong>or</strong>ic meaning.In Matthew, we read the following, “And Jesus said to him, thefoxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but theSon of man has nowhere to lay h<strong>is</strong> head.” (Matt. 8:20)In Mark, “The Son of man indeed goes, as it <strong>is</strong> written ofhim” (Mark 14:21)The T<strong>or</strong>ah mentions that, “God <strong>is</strong> not a man that he should lie;neither the son of man that he should repent” (Numbers 23:9)theref<strong>or</strong>e, Jesus (PBUH) <strong>is</strong> not God.There are many sons of God in the Bible, are theyall Gods?The title “Son of God”, which was attributed to Jesus (PBUH), wasattributed to many others, and they were not considered as gods.However, their son-ship was metaph<strong>or</strong>ic, meaning, believers andrighteous. Acc<strong>or</strong>ding to the Bible, the following people are sons ofGod:1 - The Gospel acc<strong>or</strong>ding to Matthew’s commentary, Father Matta El Meskeen, pp 147.Why did Jesus (PBUH) hide th<strong>is</strong> <strong>is</strong>sue, why did not he face us with h<strong>is</strong> identity, why didhe hide h<strong>is</strong> claimed divinity with th<strong>is</strong> title, which cries loud in the face of those whoclaim h<strong>is</strong> divinity, that he <strong>is</strong> a man and a son of man!