Few Americans know the many faces of Jesus.
Yet as the country becomes increasingly pluralistic, more and more non-Christian religions bring their own perspectives to the mystery surrounding Jesus. Even Hollywood has wrestled with his identity: the Jesus in “The Last Temptation of Christ” is worlds apart from Mel Gibson’s hero in “The Passion of the Christ.”
The fact that the latter has generated so much controversy at least partly suggests there is little consensus over the real Jesus.
But as the Christian concept of Christ is deeply rooted in faith, other religions’ understanding of Jesus is inextricably tied to their own traditions and beliefs. Finding the key to the real Jesus may be just as problematic as any Hollywood rendition of Him.
Jews, for example, share with Christians an appreciation of the personage of Jesus, His life and His teachings.
“Jesus of Nazareth was born a Jew. He died a Jew and he lived as a Jew,” said Michael Berenbaum, a professor of theology at the University of Judaism in Los Angeles. “Jews do not dispute that he was indeed crucified.”
But there are sharp differences between the Christian and Jewish concepts of Jesus and the meaning of His life.
“Jesus is not the center of Jewish religion. In fact, He’s enormously peripheral,” Berenbaum said. “The issue is whether Jews can distinguish between the Jesus of Nazareth and the Christ of Christian faith. The mystery of the (Christian) Resurrection is believable only to the faithful.”
For Jewish scholars, the Dead Sea Scrolls have shed some light on the historical Jesus.
One of many teachers
Some believe the Scrolls suggest Jesus is from the Essene tradition of the first century — a Jewish sect that believed in the notion of light and darkness, exercised a strict spiritual discipline and practiced a type of communal celebration that the Gospels seem to recount. In fact, said Berenbaum, Jesus was one of many teachers at that time. For some, he was a wise preacher; for others, a radical thinker or even a political zealot.
Regardless, the Jesus of Judaism is neither a prophet nor a messiah. “Most all Jews would say Jesus died. That was the final thing,” Berenbaum added.
But what’s final in Judaism is somewhat ambiguous in Islam. The Quran teaches that Jesus was born miraculously of a virgin birth (of Mary) by the command of God, or Allah. Jesus is not God’s Son, but instead a major prophet who performed many miracles.
But Islam departs from Christianity at the point of Jesus’ death. According to the Quran, Jesus’ enemies did not crucify Him nor did they kill Him. And that, said Khaleel Mohammed, has led to a series of different interpretations.
“To some, it appeared that Jesus had died,” said Mohammed, an assistant professor at San Diego State University’s Department of Religion. “But in fact, He was in a comatose state and not dead (because) three days later, He appears with His wounds and speaks to His people.”
But what happens after the crucifixion depends upon whom you ask. The Sunni and Shiite Muslims jointly believe Jesus will come again, but as a prophet.
“The Ahmadiyya Muslims (of India) believe that Jesus did not die on the cross but made His way to India, taught in Kashmir, married and is buried in that place. They say there was no resurrection,” Mohammed said.
Ultimately, Islam isn’t really concerned with the details and interpretations of Jesus’ death.
Neither do Muslims quarrel over His representation, as Islam forbids the depiction of prophets. What’s important is that Jesus was a messenger or a prophet of God, and not God Himself.
“The Quranic Jesus is an extremely peaceful person and more peaceful than in the New Testament,” Mohammed said.
Hinduism’s idea of who or what Jesus was could seem rather obscure to the average Christian.
That’s because Hinduism’s tolerance of other religions allows much flexibility in the individual understanding of God.
David Haberman, professor and chair of Indiana University’s Department of Religion, said every Hindu perceives God differently. It’s similar to when people look at the same object and have different interpretations of it.
Hard to understand
“In a general way, what Hindus believe is that God is one,” Haberman explained. “But God is perceptualized in a different way by different individuals.”
The notion that the Divine is singular and yet plural explains how Hindus appear to worship different gods. “That’s how Jesus fits in. Whether you call God Allah, Vishnu, Shiva or Jesus doesn’t really matter. What does matter is that you establish a relationship with him or her through a name or form,” Haberman adds.
Still, a few Christian teachings puzzle many Hindus. “The belief that God was tortured and crucified and the notion of original sin makes no sense in Hinduism,” Haberman said.
Meanwhile, Hollywood’s portrayal of Jesus continues to raise debate, and His many faces around the world suggest that He is more enigmatic than what Christians may realize.
(RNS)
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