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Isa al-Masih (Jesus Christ): Difference between revisions
→The Conception of Isa: Have added a section on the loss of theological meaning of 'the messiah' from the bible to the Quran, citing the academic works of Mark Durie and Nicolai Sinai - highlighting it's difference to the Christian Jesus.
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(And We breathed into it (private part) through Our Ruh,) meaning, through the angel Jibril. Allah sent the angel Jibril to Maryam, and he came to her in the shape of a man in every respect. Allah commanded him to blow into a gap of her garment and that breath went into her womb through her private part; this is how `Isa was conceived.}} | (And We breathed into it (private part) through Our Ruh,) meaning, through the angel Jibril. Allah sent the angel Jibril to Maryam, and he came to her in the shape of a man in every respect. Allah commanded him to blow into a gap of her garment and that breath went into her womb through her private part; this is how `Isa was conceived.}} | ||
== The Messiah (al-Masīḥ) == | |||
The term "al-Masīḥ" in the Qurʾan, referring to ʿĪsā (Jesus), presents an intriguing case of linguistic and theological borrowing from the Biblical tradition into the Islamic text. As Durie 2018 shows, while '''al-Masīḥ''' as a phonological form has Biblical origins, its Qurʾanic usage does not carry the theological weight or implications it holds in the Biblical tradition. The incorporation of this term into the Qurʾan illustrates a borrowing process that involves the adaptation of a superficial feature stripping away its original theological significance from one religious tradition into another, serving a different theological function simply as a 'fossilized title' in its new context.<ref>Durie, Mark. ''The Qur’an and Its Biblical Reflexes: Investigations into the Genesis of a Religion. 6.2 Christology (p. 315 - 325)''. Lexington Books. 2018.</ref> | |||
=== Messiah in the Bible and Biblical Theology === | |||
In the Hebrew Bible, the term '''māshiaḥ''' (Greek: '''messías''' or '''christós''') carries rich narrative, ritual, and theological connotations. It means "anointed one" and is applied to kings of Israel, signifying their consecration and divine favor through anointing with oil. This practice is seen in the anointing of Saul (1 Samuel 10:1)<ref>[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Samuel%2010&version=ESV ''1 Samuel 10.''] Saul Anointed King. English Standard Version. Biblegateway.com</ref> and David (1 Samuel 16:13).<ref>[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Samuel%2016%3A1-13&version=NIV ''1 Samuel 16:1-13.''] Samuel Anoints David. English Standard Version. Biblegateway.com</ref> Anointing was not limited to kings but extended to priests<ref>''[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus%2028%3A41&version=NIV Exodus 28:41.]'' Other Priestly Garments. English Standard Version. Biblegateway.com</ref> and sacred objects,<ref>[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus%2029%3A36&version=NIV ''Exodus 29:36.''] Other Priestly Garments. English Standard Version. Biblegateway.com</ref> indicating dedication to God. | |||
The term '''māshiaḥ''' thus encompasses themes of kingship, divine favor, protection, and covenant, especially highlighted in God's promise to David of an eternal dynasty (2 Samuel 7:12-16).<ref>[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Samuel%207%3A12-16&version=NIV ''2 Samuel 7:12-16.''] Samuel Anoints David. English Standard Version. Biblegateway.com</ref> In the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, '''māshiaḥ''' is translated as '''christós'''. In the New Testament, '''christós''' (or '''messías''') is used as a title for Jesus, central to the proclamation of his identity and role as the fulfillment of Messianic prophecies, thus embedding Jesus deeply in the Messianic traditions of Israel. | |||
The borrowing is more likely from Syriac '''məšîḥ''', a regular passive participle of the root '''m-š-ḥ''' ("anoint"), used in Syriac Christian texts not only for Jesus but for other anointed Biblical figures as well.<ref>Durie, Mark. ''The Qur’an and Its Biblical Reflexes: Investigations into the Genesis of a Religion. 6.2 Christology (p. 321)''. Lexington Books. 2018.</ref> | |||
=== Masīḥ in the Qurʾan === | |||
The Qurʾan refers to ʿĪsā as '''al-Masīḥ''' in six passages (Q3:45; Q4:157, 171–172; Q5:17, 72, 75; Q9:30-31). In these instances, '''al-Masīḥ''' is presented as part of Jesus' full name without any explicit theological or narrative context that would link it to its Biblical meanings. The term appears in the structure: laqab (descriptive epithet) + ism (personal name) + nasab (ancestry): al-Masīḥ ʿĪsā ibn Maryam.<ref>Ibid. pp 320.</ref> | |||
The Qurʾan does not provide any context that would suggest a meaning for '''al-Masīḥ''' beyond it being a title for ʿĪsā. There are no implications of kingship or divine favor, nor is there any association with the rich Messianic traditions found in the Bible. This absence of context suggests that the term was borrowed as a phonological form—a title stripped of its original Biblical meanings. | |||
This has led to various speculative interpretations by Muslim exegetes, often attempting to connect the term to Arabic roots in creative ways. However, these interpretations do not align with the original Biblical meanings.<ref>Ibid. pp 321-322.</ref> | |||
Nicolai Sinai similarly notes: | |||
{{Quote|<i>al-masīḥ Entry {{!}} Christ Further vocabulary discussed: masaḥa intr. bi- {{!}} to wipe s.th. </i> | |||
Sinai, Nicolai. Key Terms of the Qur'an: A Critical Dictionary (p. 621-622). 2023. Princeton University Press.|Al-masīḥ is a conventional Qur’anic epithet for Jesus, whose full Qur’anic name three verses give as al-masīḥu ʿīsā bnu maryama, “al-masīḥ Jesus, the son of Mary” (Q 3:45, 4:157.171), but who is also referred to simply as al-masīḥ, as in Q 4:172 or 9:30.6 Al-masīḥ obviously reflects the Syriac title mshīḥā, “the Messiah, the anointed one,” which renders Greek christos (CQ 24–25; FVQ 265–266). Within the morphological structure of Arabic, masīḥ is formed like a regular passive verbal adjective, such as qatīl, “killed,” with the corresponding first-form verb presumably being masaḥa bi-, “to wipe s.th.” (Q 4:43, 5:6, 38:33).<sup>7</sup> | |||
Despite its potential semantic analysability, however, the expression al-masīḥ appears to be little more than a fossilised title in the Qur’an that does not convey any properly messianic expectations of the sort that imbue the New Testament title christos (Robinson 2003b, 12–13; Durie 2018, 157–164; see also QP 310–311). The fact that al-masīḥ can be followed by the matronymic “son of Mary” without an intervening “Jesus” (see Q 5:17.72.75) further heightens the impression that it behaves largely like an alternative proper name for Jesus; although al-masīḥ may formally be described as a laqab or “descriptive epithet,” which “would normally have a recognizable meaning” (Durie 2018, 161), there is no clear Qur’anic evidence to confirm that the Qur’an’s addressees did in fact connect the title al-masīḥ with the verb masaḥa, “to wipe,” which is only employed in the context of regulating the ablutions to be performed before prayer (Q 4:43, 5:6). Translationally, this state of affairs is best conveyed by rendering al-masīḥ as “Christ” rather than as “the Messiah” or “the anointed one,” seeing that in ordinary English usage “Christ” has come to function as a semantically opaque quasi-surname of Jesus (thus also Stewart 2021, 54–56). | |||
The epithet al-masīḥ entered Arabic prior to the Qur’an: it is reported that ʿabd al-masīḥ, “servant of Christ,” was a pre-Islamic proper name (KU 130). This is confirmed by a Nabataeo-Arabic inscription from the region around Najrān (Robin et al. 2014, 1125). Moreover, the title ms1ḥ, “Messiah,” features in Epigraphic South Arabian inscriptions by the Christian king Abraha (Sima 2004, 25; Robin 2015a, 153–154, 164, 169).}} | |||
==No More Than a Messenger== | ==No More Than a Messenger== | ||