@ramadhan bro i'm not talking about the islamic dogma and whether i accept it or not i'm only asking questions in an attempt to understand more . And to bring evidence about jesus crucifixion from the original christian text i'm not sure if they are available. But i can look at the quran at verse 4:157 and What i understood from it is that they thought they crucified jesus But actually it appeared to them cos god raised jesus and replaced him by someone else on the cross , So as i understand it So far that the crucifixion or the torturing and the killing of "someone" did happened and it was in public But people saw someone who looks like jesus on the cross or being tortured. it means No one can know that that's not jesus on the cross . So did anyone know back then that god raised jesus? if not then How do you expect people not to believe What they saw if god never showed them How jesus was raised to heaven. If you wanna tell me Yeah few knew it and saw jesus flying up in a beam of heavenly light and at the same time god put someone else that looks exactly like him in front of thousands it makes No sense to me cos god made it exclusive for few to see the truth and complicated the minds of thousands!
Greetings,
There is no doubt that the crucifixion of Jesus is the foundation of Christianity. According to the Pauline doctrine, there is NO salvation without the sacrificial death of Jesus, and hence
“no salvation outside the Church”.
Yet the Gospels provide evidence that Jesus was not crucified at all. It was Judas who took Jesus’ place on the cross.
Let us discuss what exactly happened on the night of Jesus’ arrest:
Judas Iscariot, a disciple of Jesus, was won over on the promise of receiving thirty pieces of silver, if, through his help, Jesus was arrested. In order to avoid any further trouble, it was decided to make the attempt at night. On reaching the place where Jesus had gone with a few of his followers, Judas was told to kiss Jesus, so that the foreign Roman soldiers could identify him. The plan miscarried. When the soldiers materialised from the darkness, a tumult ensued. The two Jews were mixed up in the dark, and the soldiers mistakenly arrested Judas instead of Jesus. Thus, the latter made good his escape. (Muhammad Ataur-Raheem, Jesus Prophet of Islam, p. 36)
The Gospels record the
“disciples forsook him and fled” and Jesus was among them.
The Gospel of Barnabas also details what happened at Gethsemane:
When the soldiers with Judas drew near to the place where Jesus was, Jesus heard the approach of many people, wherefore in fear he withdrew into the house. And the eleven were sleeping. Then God, seeing the danger of his servant, commanded Gabriel;, Michael;, Rafael;, and Uriel, his ministers, to take Jesus out of the world. The holy angels came and took Jesus out by the window that looks toward the South;. They bare him and placed him in the third heaven in the company of angels blessing God for evermore.
Judas entered impetuously before all into the chamber whence Jesus had been taken up. And the disciples were sleeping. Whereupon the wonderful God acted wonderfully, insomuch that Judas was so changed in speech and in face to be like Jesus that we believed him to be Jesus. And he, having awakened us, was seeking where the Master was. Whereupon we marvelled, and answered: 'You, Lord, are our master; have you now forgotten us?'
And he, smiling, said: 'Now are you foolish, that know not me to be Judas Iscariot!' And as he was saying this the soldiery entered, and laid their hands upon Judas, because he was in every way like to Jesus. We having heard Judas' saying, and seeing the multitude of soldiers, fled as beside ourselves. And John, who was wrapped in a linen cloth, awoke and fled, and when a soldier seized him by the linen cloth he left the linen cloth and fled naked. For God heard the prayer of Jesus, and saved the eleven from evil.
(The Gospel of Barnabas, online Source)
The renowned Muslim commentator Ibn Kathir record a similar tradition
(O you to whom the Dhikr (the Qur'an) has been sent down! Verily, you are a mad man!) When Allah sent `Isa with proofs and guidance, the Jews, may Allah's curses, anger, torment and punishment be upon them, envied him because of his prophethood and obvious miracles; curing the blind and leprous and bringing the dead back to life, by Allah's leave. He also used to make the shape of a bird from clay and blow in it, and it became a bird by Allah's leave and flew. `Isa performed other miracles that Allah honored him with, yet the Jews defied and bellied him and tried their best to harm him. Allah's Prophet `Isa could not live in any one city for long and he had to travel often with his mother, peace be upon them. Even so, the Jews were not satisfied, and they went to the king of Damascus at that time, a Greek polytheist who worshipped the stars. They told him that there was a man in Bayt Al-Maqdis misguiding and dividing the people in Jerusalem and stirring unrest among the king's subjects. The king became angry and wrote to his deputy in Jerusalem to arrest the rebel leader, stop him from causing unrest, crucify him and make him wear a crown of thorns. When the king's deputy in Jerusalem received these orders, he went with some Jews to the house that `Isa was residing in, and he was then with twelve, thirteen or seventeen of his companions. That day was a Friday, in the evening. They surrounded `Isa in the house, and when he felt that they would soon enter the house or that he would sooner or later have to leave it, he said to his companions, "Who volunteers to be made to look like me, for which he will be my companion in Paradise'' A young man volunteered, but `Isa thought that he was too young. He asked the question a second and third time, each time the young man volunteering, prompting `Isa to say, "Well then, you will be that man.'' Allah made the young man look exactly like `Isa, while a hole opened in the roof of the house, and `Isa was made to sleep and ascended to heaven while asleep.
Allah said: (
And (remember) when Allah said: "O `Isa! I will take you and raise you to Myself.'') When `Isa ascended, those who were in the house came out. When those surrounding the house saw the man who looked like `Isa, they thought that he was `Isa. So they took him at night, crucified him and placed a crown of thorns on his head. The Jews then boasted that they killed `Isa and some Christians accepted their false claim, due to their ignorance and lack of reason. As for those who were in the house with `Isa, they witnessed his ascension to heaven, while the rest thought that the Jews killed `Isa by crucifixion. They even said that Maryam sat under the corpse of the crucified man and cried, and they say that the dead man spoke to her. All this was a test from Allah for His servants out of His wisdom. Allah explained this matter in the Glorious Qur'an which He sent to His honorable Messenger, whom He supported with miracles and clear, unequivocal evidence. Allah is the Most Truthful, and He is the Lord of the worlds Who knows the secrets, what the hearts conceal, the hidden matters in heaven and earth, what has occurred, what will occur, and what would occur if it was decreed.
(Online Source)
The scholar Ibn Kathir mentions a house where Jesus ascended to Heaven through a window, and it’s confirmed by Barnabas.
The Crucifixion of Judas:
Judas was crucified in Jesus’ place to punish him for treachery. Many people deny that Judas was crucified, yet the following passages condemn Judas:
Then Jesus replied, "Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!" (He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, who, though one of the Twelve, was later to betray him.) (John 6:70-71)
While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled. (John 17:12)
Judas cried with a loud voice that God forsaken him:
And about the ninth hour Jesus (Judas) cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? (Matthew 27:46)
And the soldiers came before him, bowing down in mockery, saluting him as King of the Jews. And they held out their hands to receive gifts, such as new kings are accustomed to give; and receiving nothing they smote Judas, saying: 'Now, how are you crowned, foolish king, if you will not pay your soldiers and servants?' The chief priests with the scribes and Pharisees, seeing that Judas died not by the scourges, and fearing lest Pilate should set him at liberty, made a gift of money to the governor, who having received it gave Judas to the scribes and Pharisees as guilty to death. Whereupon they condemned two robbers with him to the death of the cross. So they led him to Mount Calvary, where they used to hang malefactors, and there they crucified him naked;, for the greater ignominy. Judas truly did nothing else but cry out: 'God, why have you forsaken me, seeing the malefactor has escaped and I die unjustly?' Truly I say that the voice, the face, and the person of Judas were so like to Jesus, that his disciples and believers entirely believed that he was Jesus; wherefore some departed from the doctrine of Jesus, believing that Jesus had been a false prophet, and that by art magic he had done the miracles which he did: for Jesus had said that he should not die till near the end of the world; for that at that time he should be taken away from the world. (Gospel of Barnabas)
How can God forsake Jesus? This is absurd; God never forsakes His righteous servants.
For the LORD loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. They will be protected forever, but the offspring of the wicked will be cut off;
(Psalms 37:28)
LORD God, do not reject your anointed one. Remember the great love promised to David your servant."
(2 Chronicles 6:42)
For the sake of David your servant, do not reject your anointed one. The LORD swore an oath to David, a sure oath that he will not revoke: "One of your own descendants I will place on your throne-
(Psalms 132:10-11)
Judas was forsaken by God, not Jesus!
According to the Gospels, Judas was given a sponge full of vinegar. The vinegar had stimulating effects on the body, the senses were aroused and the body awakened.
Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth. When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost. (John 19:29-30)
This proves Judas was poisoned, the vinegar is supposed to have stimulating effects, yet it killed Judas instantly!
Within the canonical texts certain clues may be found that shows that the biblical crucifixion was a less then transparent affair. In the Fourth Gospel Jesus, hanging
on the cross, says that he thirsts and is given a sponge allegedly soaked in vinegar. Tradition has it that this act was an act of derision, but in actuality vinegar - or soured wine – was a temporary stimulant with effects similar to smelling salts. It was often used to resuscitate exhausted galley slaves. For an exhausted man, a sniff or taste of vinegar
would induce a restorative, rejuvenating effect. Surprisingly, in Jesus' case the effect is exactly the opposite. As soon as he tastes or inhales the sponge he expires.
Corey Gilkes, The Crucifixion Demystified, [online Source]
The scholar Michael Baigent confesses that Judas was poisoned:
There is a curious incident recorded in the Gospels that may be explained by this hypothesis: while on the cross, Jesus (Judas) complained that he was thirsty. A sponge soaked in vinegar was placed on the end of a long reed and held up to him. But far from reviving Jesus (Judas), the drink from this sponge apparently caused him to die. This is a curious reaction and suggests that the sponge was soaked not in vinegar, a substance that would have revived Jesus (Judas), but rather in something that would have caused him to lose consciousness – some sort of drug, for example. And there was just this type of drug available in the Middle East.
(The Jesus Papers, p. 128) [1] Brackets are mine
Jesus said he wouldn’t drink any wine (fruit of the vine) until he arrives in Heaven.
But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.
(Matthew 26:29)
Judas was crucified while Jesus escaped. Jesus couldn’t have drunk the wine because he specifically said he wouldn’t drink any wine. This indicates that Jesus ascended to Heaven shortly after Judas was arrested. Historically, it takes three days to die from crucifixion, so Judas was indeed poisoned on the cross, which resulted in death.
The Gospels record that Jesus died instantly from the poisoned vinegar, but it wasn’t Jesus at all. The crucified was Judas Iscariot:
Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth. When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost. (John 19:29-30)
The vinegar Judas drank was really wine, yet Jesus said he wouldn’t drink any wine!
The drink offered to our Lord was vinegar (made of light wine rendered acid, the common drink of Roman soldiers) "mingled with gall," or, according to Mark (15:23), "mingled with myrrh;" both expressions meaning the same thing. [1]
If Jesus was truly hanging on the cross, then he contradicted his own words by drinking the vinegar (wine), which he promised not to drink
(Matt. 26:29, Mk. 14:25, Lk. 22:18)
What Happened to Judas’ body?
There are two contradictory passages in the New Testament that record Judas’ death. The Gospel of Matthew says Judas hanged himself (27:5), yet the Book of Acts says Judas fell on rocks and his bowels burst open (Acts 1:18). There is no other solution but accepting the crucifixion of Judas, he was taken down from the cross and thrown into a field where his bowels burst open.
The tradition of Judas hanging himself is fabricated:
Matthew’s Gospel follows the Passion and Resurrection sections of Mark very closely in the main outlines but adds a number of new elements – what Beare calls “legendary embroidery”. These are the death of Judas by hanging (27:3-8); the dream of Pilate’s wife (27:19); Pilate’s washing of his hands and the acceptance of guilt for the blood of Jesus by “the whole people” (27:24 ff.) (what terrible persecution and hatred the Jewish people have suffered at so-called Christian hands because of this addition to the tale!); certain sayings of Jesus (26:26-9); and the story of the guard at the tomb (27:62-64)
(Tom Harper, For Christ’s Sake, p. 101)
The contradiction between Matthew and Acts cannot be solved, so the only explanation is to reconcile Judas’ crucifixion with Acts 1:18.
According to Matthew’s gospel, the chief priests bought a field with 30 pieces of silver. Judas was already dead when the field was purchased, so his body was thrown “headlong” after he was crucified.
Notably, some would object to the suggestion of Judas having been crucified on the basis that, as per Matthew 27:5, Judas threw his ill-gotten silver back at the priests and “…went and hanged himself”. So some would object. The author of ‘Acts (commonly held to have been Luke the evangelist)…for Acts records that Judas “…purchased a field with the wages of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his entrails gushed out”. (Acts 1:18) So if the author of ‘Acts’ and the author of the gospel of ‘Matthew’ cannot agree on the matter, what truly happened could be anybody’s guess.
(The First and Final Commandment, p. 213)
There is good reason to believe that God transformed Jesus to look exactly like Judas.
On the other hand, if the proposal of Judas having been crucified in place of Jesus sounds technically strained, it shouldn’t; God is described as having restrained the eyes of two disciples (i.e., intimate companions who should have readily recognized their teacher) when they met the supposedly ‘risen’ Jesus on the road to Emmaus, “…so that they did not know him” (Luke 24:16). Another Biblical example would be that Mary Magdalene is reported to have failed to recognize Jesus outside of the tomb, “…supposing him to be the gardener…” (John 20:15). A person could reasonably expect Mary Magdalene to have known better, under normal circumstances. (ibid, p. 213)
In the Old Testament, God transformed Miriam to be leprous:
The anger of the LORD burned against them, and he left them. When the cloud lifted from above the Tent, there stood Miriam—leprous, like snow. Aaron turned toward her and saw that she had leprosy; and he said to Moses, "Please, my lord, do not hold against us the sin we have so foolishly committed. Do not let her be like a stillborn infant coming from its mother's womb with its flesh half eaten away."
(Numbers 12:9-12)
The face of Jesus was transfigured on the mount:
After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. (Matthew 17:1-2)
Lawrence Brown further says:
Reviewing what can be surmised from unprejudiced historical accounts, opposing views to those of Trinitarian Christianity are seen to have been voiced by a large population of the religious, and spanning the known world. And the opinions of those who denied the crucifixion and death of Christ Jesus were not necessarily either a minority in their time or incorrect in their claim. All that not withstanding, many would argue that from a gut level it makes more sense for God to have punished Judas for his treachery than to have tortured Jesus for his innocence. (ibid, p. 221)
Many early Christian sects believed Jesus was spared:
On the other hand, if the concept of another crucified in place of Jesus sounds foreign to Christianity, it isn’t. Amongst the early Christian groups the Corinthians, the Basilidians, the Paulicians, and the Carpocrations all believe Christ Jesus to have been spared. The Basilidians, in specific, believe that Simon of Cyrene was crucified in his place. Typical of such dissenting groups, all of the above were judged to have been Gnostics and/or heretics by the orthodox Church, and were violently suppressed by a Trinitarian majority who systematically burned dissenters into oblivion for the first fifteen centuries of Roman Catholic rule.
(ibid, p. 214)
A Christian may argue “what about Jesus’ trial with Pilate?” the answer is very simple. The trial of Jesus is historically false, and it never occurred. The 19th century scholar Rabbi Wise examined the records of Pilate and concluded:
"In the nineteenth century an eminent scholar, Rabbi Wise, searched the records of Pilate’s court, still extant, for evidence of this trial. He found nothing." (The Sanhedrin was forbidden to meet over the Passover.)
Judas never rose from the dead; the ‘empty tomb’ is pure fiction.
Christianity probably began, and was taken up and preached by Paul the Apostle, with a different idea of the resurrection than is claimed today. The evidence suggests the first Christians, at least up to and including Paul, thought Christ's "soul" was taken up to heaven and clothed in a new body, after leaving his old body in the grave forever. The subsequent story, that Jesus actually walked out of the grave with the same body that went into it, leaving an empty tomb to astonish all, was probably a legend that developed over the course of the first century, beginning with a metaphorical "empty tomb" in the Gospel of Mark, most likely written after Paul's death. By the end of the first century the Christian fiction that would win total power three centuries later, and thus alone preserve its writings for posterity, had come to believe in the literal truth of the ensuing legend, forgetting or repudiating the original doctrine of Paul.
(Robert M. Price, The Empty Tomb: Beyond the Grave, p. 105)
There is a strong probability that the story of Joseph of Arimathea was developed to cover the apostles’ pain at the memory of Jesus’ having no one to claim his body and of his death as a common criminal. His body was probably dumped unceremoniously into a common grave, the location of which has never been known-then or now. This fragment in Paul’s sermon in Acts thus rings with startling accuracy...the empty tomb tradition does not appear to be part of the primitive kerygma.
(John Shelby Spong, Resurrection: Myth or Reality: p 225)
The scholar Shelby Spong says Paul never heard of the ‘empty tomb’
We must keep in mind that Paul knew nothing of an event called the ascension that was separate or different from Jesus' resurrection. Paul's writings contain no hint of the two-stage process that would develop later, where resurrection brought Jesus from the grave back to life and ascension then took Jesus from earth to heaven. Paul's proclamation was that God had raised Jesus into God's very life. That was Easter for Paul. For Paul there were no empty tombs, no disappearance from the grave of the physical body, no physical resurrection, no physical appearances of a Christ who would eat fish, offer his wounds for inspection, or rise physically into the sky after an appropriate length of time. None of these ideas can be found in reading Paul. For Paul the body of Jesus who died was perishable, weak, physical. The Jesus who was raised was clothed by the raising God with a body fit for God's kingdom. It was imperishable, glorified, and spiritual.
(ibid, p. 51)
There is no doubt that Judas was crucified in Jesus’ place, and the Gospels are fabricated accounts of Pauline Christianity.
Source and Read more here:
http://www.answering-christianity.com/abdullah_smith/crucifixion_of_judas.htm
