Isa al-Masih (Jesus Christ): Difference between revisions

Islam's portrayal of the crucifixion of Jesus differs vastly from the mainstream Christian view and approaches the Gnostic view. According to [[Qur'an, Hadith and Scholars:Islamic Theology|Islamic theology]], Jesus was never crucified. It was merely a [[Allah the Best Deceiver|deception by Allah]] who made it appear that he was. This conception of Jesus' crucifixion curiously borrows elements from the docetist heresy (in Greek Δοκηταί Dokētaí , from the word δοκεῖν/δόκησις dokeĩn "to seem", dókēsis "apparition, phantom), a heresy which otherwise is the total opposite of the Islamic christology: in this conception, Jesus was a totally unearthly, divine being, without even a human body. It's doctrines in the present day are based on several apocryphal works which have been discovered, particularly from the Nag Hammadi cache of gnostic Christian texts.   

The dates of authorship for these writings show the relative lateness of the doctrine.  All of The canonical Christian scriptures were authored during the 1st century A.D.  The Coptic Apocalypse of Peter and the Second Treatise of the Great Seth were authored during the 3rd century A.D.<ref>Ehrman, Bart D. (2003) ''The Lost Scriptures: Books that Did Not Make It into the New Testament''. (p. 78). Oxford: Oxford University Press. "Most scholars have dated this gnostic treatis [The Coptic Apocalypse of Peter] to the third century."</ref><ref>Ehrman, Bart D. (2003) ''The Lost Scriptures: Books that Did Not Make It into the New Testament''. (p. 82). Oxford: Oxford University Press.  "This book [The Second Treatise of the Great Seth], which was discovered at Nag Hammadi (see page 19), probably dates from the third century."</ref> Meanwhile, according the traditional Muslim chronology, the Qur'an was revealed between 610-632 AD; its initial compilation was in 633 AD; and a "revisionary committee" preserved a standardized version sometime between 644-656 AD. Possible modern findings allow for an even earlier date of composition, but no estimate puts any Qur'anic material as in existence before the 5th century.