JESUS ON MUHAMMAD (s.a.w.)
(FROM THE GOSPEL OF BARNABAS)
(By: M. Javed Naseem)
Jesus, the son of Mary , showed great respect for Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) and always referred to him as the ‘Messenger of God’ in the Bible (The Gospel of Barnabas). He told his disciples that the soul of Muhammad (s.a.w.) was created and kept in a celestial splendor by God sixty thousand years before God created anything.
Jesus gave the good news of the arrival of Muhammad (s.a.w.) (in different chapters of the Gospel) and told his disciples that Muhammad (s.a.w.) was ‘created before him but shall come in the world after him’. He would destroy all the idols and proclaim the Religion of God (Islam) in the world.
Here are some excerpts from the Gospel of Barnabas where Jesus talks about Muhammad (s.a.w.). Chapter 39:
‘Then said John: “Well have you spoken, O master, but we lack to know how man sinned through pride.” Jesus answered: “When God has expelled Satan, and the angel Gabriel had purified that mass of earth whereon Satan spat, God created everything that lives, both of the animals that fly and of them that walk and swim, and he adorned the world with all that it has. One day Satan approached to the gates of paradise, and, seeing the horses eating grass, he announced to them that if that mass of earth should receive a soul there would be for them grievous labor ; and that therefore it would be to their advantage to trample that piece of earth in such wise that it should be no more good for anything.’
‘The horses aroused themselves and impetuously set themselves to run over that piece of earth which lay among lilies and roses; whereupon God gave spirit to that unclean portion of earth upon which lay the spittle of Satan, which Gabriel had taken up from the mass; and raised up the dog, who, barking filled the horses with fear, and they fled. Then God gave his soul to man, while all the holy angels sang: “Blessed be your holy name, O God our Lord.” Adam, having sprung upon his feet, saw in the air a writing that shone like the sun; which said: “There is only one God, and Muhammad is the Messenger of God” (La ilaha illa-Allah, Muhammad-ur Rasool-Allah).
Whereupon Adam opened his mouth and said: “I thank you, O Lord my God, that you have deigned to create me; but tell me. I pray you, what means the message of these words: Muhammad is Messenger of God. Have there been other men before me?” Then said God: “Be you welcome, O my servant Adam. I tell you that you are the first man whom I have created. And he whom you have seen (mentioned) is your son, who shall come into the world many years hence, and shall be my Messenger, for whom I have created all things; who shall give light to the world when he shall come; whose soul was set in a celestial splendor sixty thousand years before I made any thing.”
Adam besought God, saying: “Lord, grant me this writing upon the nails of the fingers of my hands.” The God gave to the first man upon his thumbs that writing; upon the thumb-nail of the right hand it said: “There is only one God” (La ilaha illa-Allah), and upon the thumb-nail of the left it said: “Muhammad is Messenger of God” (Muhammad-ur Rasool-Allah). Then with fatherly affection the first man kissed those words, and rubbed his eyes, and said: “Blessed be that day when you shall come to the world”.
That happened in the beginning when Allah had just created Adam, according to the Gospel. Later, when Allah commanded all, those who were present, to bow down in prostration (Sajdah) in front of Adam, Satan showed his arrogance declaring that he was superior and Adam was inferior, therefore, he refused to bow down. At this point he was cursed by Allah and expelled from Heaven. Adam and Eve were also punished and expelled. They were sent down to earth. The expulsion must have been devastating for Adam and Eve but Allah forgave them and consoled them. Jesus narrates this instance to his disciples in Chapter 41 of the Gospel:
‘… Then said God: “Depart, cursed one, from my presence!” Then Satan departed, and God said to Adam (and) Eve, who were both weeping: “Go forth from paradise, and do penance, and do not let your hope fail, for I will send your son so that your seed shall lift the dominion of Satan from off the human race; for I will give all things to he who shall come, my Messenger.”
‘God hid himself (from Adam and Eve), and the angel Michael drove them forth from paradise. Then Adam, turning around, saw written above the gate: “There is only one God, and Muhammad is Messenger of God” (La ilaha illa-Allah, Muhammad-ur Rasool-Allah). Weeping, he said: “May it be pleasing to God, O my son, that you come quickly and draw us out of misery”. And thus, said Jesus, Satan and Adam sinned through pride, the one by despising man, the other by wishing to make himself equal with God.’
That proves that all the angels and the Jinns, Satan being their chief, were aware of the coming of the last Messenger of God, Muhammad (s.a.w.). Not only that, but all the prophets and the messengers also had the knowledge of it.
This is also very clear that all prophets/messengers were part of the same project that was completed with Muhammad’s (s.a.w.) Ummah. They believed and preached the same religion which was not other than Islam. They were all Muslims. Islam is Allah’s religion. Every time when people, under the influence of Satan, deviated from Islam and started worshiping Devil’s religion (under different names), Allah sent a prophet/messenger to guide and warn them.
Today, people talk of the similarities among different religions. The parts that have not been changed by humans, remained similar to Islam; and the commands that were a bit difficult to implement or hard to obey, were modified, edited or altogether replaced to make things easier for the followers. That happened many times in the history of mankind, therefore, there are hundreds of religions. And the funny thing is that every religion claims to be based on truth.
The truth does not need to find any similarities in the falsehood. On the contrary, it is the falsehood that ‘needs’ such similarities to prove its authenticity. The truth is truth! It comes from God and will always prevail.
When the chiefs of the priests from different towns came together to ask Jesus whether he was the Messiah, Jesus denied it in front of his disciples and clarified the misconception. He talked about the Messenger of God (Muhammad, s.a.w.).
Chapter 42 of the Gospel starts like this:
‘Then the disciples wept after this discourse, and Jesus was weeping, when they saw many who came to find him, for the chiefs of the priests took counsel among themselves to catch him in his talk. Wherefore they sent the Levites and some of the scribes to question him, saying: “Who are you?”
Jesus confessed, and said the truth: “I am not the Messiah.” They said: “Are you Elijah or Jeremiah, or any of the ancient prophets?” Jesus answered: “No”. Then said they: “Who are you? Say, in order that we may give testimony to those who sent us”. Then Jesus said: “I am a voice that cries through all Judea, and cries: “Prepare you the way for the messenger of the Lord” even as it is written in Esaias.’
They said: “If you be not the Messiah nor Elijah, or any prophet, wherefore do you preach new doctrine, and make yourself of more account than the Messiah?” Jesus answered: “The miracles which God works by my hands show that I speak that which God wills; nor indeed do I make myself to be accounted as him of whom you speak. For I am not worthy to unloose the ties of the hosen or the ratchets of the shoes of the Messenger of God whom you call “Messiah”, who was made before me, and shall come after me, and shall bring the words of truth, so that his faith shall have no end.’
I’ll remind you once again that Jesus refers to Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) as the ‘Messenger of God’. In Chapter 43 of the Gospel, we find these paragraphs:
‘… Then said Andrew: “You have told us many things of the Messiah, therefore of your kindness tell us clearly all”. And in like manner the other disciples besought him.’
‘Accordingly Jesus said: “Everyone that works, works for an end in which he finds satisfaction. Wherefore I say to you that God, truly because he is perfect, has not need of satisfaction, seeing that he has satisfaction himself. And so, willing to work, he created before all things the soul of his Messenger, for whom he determined to create the whole, in order that the creatures should find joy and blessedness in God, whence his Messenger should take delight in all his creatures, which he has appointed to be his slaves. And wherefore is this, so save because thus he has willed?’
‘Truly I say to you, that every prophet when he is come has borne to one nation only the mark of the mercy of God. And so their words were not extended save to that people to which they were sent. But the Messenger of God, when he shall come, God shall give to him as it were the seal of his hand, insomuch that he shall carry salvation and mercy to all the nations of the world that shall receive his doctrine. He shall come with power upon the ungodly, and shall destroy idolatry, insomuch that he shall make Satan confounded; for so promised God to Abraham, saying: “Behold, in your seed I will bless all the tribes of the earth; and as you have broken in pieces the idols, O Abraham; even so shall your seed do.”
‘James answered: “O master, tell us in whom this promise was made; for the Jews say “in Isaac”, and the Ishmaelite say ‘in Ishmael”. Jesus answered: David, whose son was he, and of what lineage?” James answered: “O Isaac; for Isaac was father of Jacob, and Jacob was father of Judah, of whose lineage is David.”
‘Then Jesus said: “And the Messenger of God when he shall come, of what lineage will he be?” The disciples answered: “Of David”. Whereupon Jesus said: “You deceive yourselves; for David in spirit calls him lord, saying thus: God said to my lord, sit you on my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool. God shall send forth your rod which shall have lordship in the midst of your enemies. If the Messenger of God whom you call Messiah were son of David, how should David call him lord? Believe me, for truly I say to you, that the promise was made in Ishmael, not in Isaac.”
Here, Jesus has clarified the confusion or misconception about the lineage of Muhammad (s.a.w.). He declared that the Messenger of God (Muhammad, s.a.w.) would be a descendant of Ishmael and not Isaac.
In another part of the Gospel (Chapter 44), we find this passage in which Jesus is talking to his disciples about Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.):
‘I therefore say to you that the Messenger of God is splendour that shall give gladness to nearly all that God has made, for he is adorned with the spirit of understanding and of counsel, the spirit of wisdom and might, the spirit of fear and love, the spirit of prudence and temperance, he is adorned with the spirit of charity and mercy, the spirit of justice and piety, the spirit of gentleness and patience, which he has received from God three times more than he has given to all his creatures.’
‘O blessed time, when he shall come to the world! Believe me that I have seen him and have done him reverence, even as every prophet has seen him; seeing that of his spirit God gives to them prophecy. And when I saw him my soul was filled with consolation, saying: “O Muhammad, God be with you, and may he make me worthy to untie, your shoe-latchet, for obtaining this I shall be a great prophet and holy one of God”. And having said this, Jesus rendered his thanks to God.’
Jesus talks about the Resurrection Day (Chapters 53 & 54 of the Gospel of Barnabas). He narrates the proceedings of that day to his disciples. Here is an excerpt from Ch. 54:
‘When these signs be passed, there shall be darkness over the world forty years, God alone being alive, to whom be honor and glory forever. When the forty years have passed, God shall give life to his Messenger, who shall rise again like the sun, but resplendent as a thousand suns. He shall sit, and shall not speak, for he shall be as it were beside himself. God shall raise again the four angels favoured of God, who shall seek the Messenger of God, and, having found him, shall station themselves on the four sides of the place to keep watch upon him.’
‘Next shall God give life to all the angels, who shall come like bees circling round the Messenger of God. Next shall God give life to all his prophets, who, following Adam, shall go every one to kiss the hand of the Messenger of God, committing themselves to his protection. Next shall God give life to all the elect, who shall cry out:
“O Muhammad be mindful of us!” At whose cries pity shall awake in the Messenger of God, and he shall consider what he ought to do, fearing for their salvation.’
‘… After this shall God cause Satan to be raised up, at whose aspect every creature shall be as dead, for fear of the horrid form of his appearance. May it please God, said Jesus, “that I behold not that monster on that day. The Messenger of God alone shall not be affrighted by such shapes, because he shall fear God only.’
Jesus continues explaining the proceedings of the Judgment Day. In Chapter 55, we find this text:
‘The Messenger of God shall go to collect all the prophets, to whom he shall speak praying them to go with him to pray God for the faithful. And every one shall excuse himself for fear; nor, as God lives, would I go there, knowing what I know. Then God, seeing this, shall remind his Messenger how he created all things for love of him, and so his fear shall leave him, and he shall go near to the throne with love and reverence, while the angels sing: “Blessed be your holy name O God, our God.”
‘And when he has drawn near to the throne, God shall open (his mind) to his Messenger, even as a friend to a friend when for a long while they have not met. The first to speak shall be the Messenger of God, who shall say: “I adore and love you, O my God, and with all my heart and soul I give you thanks for that you did vouchsafe to create me to be your servant, and made all for love of me, so that I might love you for all things and in all things and above all things; therefore let all your creatures praise you, O my God.” … ‘And God shall speak to his Messenger, saying: “You are welcome, O my faithful servant; therefore ask what you will, for you shall obtain all.” The Messenger of God shall answer: “O Lord, I remember that when you did create me, you said that you had willed to make for love of me the world and paradise, and angels and men, that they might glorify you by me your servant. Therefore, Lord God, merciful and just, I pray you that you recollect your promise made to your servant.”
‘And God shall make answer even as a friend who jests with a friend, and shall say: “Have you witnesses of this, my friend Muhammad?” And with reverence he shall say: “Yes, Lord.” Then God shall answer: “Go call them, O Gabriel.” The angel Gabriel shall come to the Messenger of God, and shall say: “Lord, who are your witnesses?” The Messenger of God shall answer: “They are Adam, Abraham, Ishmael, Moses, David, and Jesus son of Mary.” Then shall the angel depart and he shall call the aforesaid witnesses, who with fear shall go thither. And when they are present God shall say to them: “Remember you that which my Messenger affirms?” They shall reply: “What thing, O Lord?” God shall say: “That I have made all things for love of him, so that all things might praise me by him.”
‘Then every one of them shall answer: “There are with us three witnesses better than we are, O Lord.” And God shall reply: “Who are these three witnesses?” Then Moses shall say: “The book that you gave to me is the first”; and David shall say: “The book that you gave to me is the second”; and he who speaks to you shall say: “Lord the whole world, deceived by Satan, that I was your son and your fellow, but the book that you gave me said truly that I am your servant; and that book confesses that which your Messenger affirms”. Then shall the Messenger of God speak, and shall say: “Thus says the book that you gave me O Lord”.
‘And when the Messenger of God has said this, God shall speak, saying: “All that I have now done, I have done in order that every one should know how much I love you”. And when he has thus spoken, God shall give to his Messenger a book, in which are written all the names of the elect of God. Wherefore every creature shall do reverence to God, saying: “To you alone O God, be glory and honour, because you have given us to your Messenger”.
Jesus continues narrating the proceedings of the Judgment Day and we find these passages in Chapter 56 of the Gospel:
‘God shall open the book in the hand of his Messenger, and his Messenger reading therein shall call all the angels and prophets and all the elect, and on the forehead of each one shall be written the mark of the Messenger of God. And in the book shall be written the glory of paradise.’
‘Then shall each pass to the right hand of God; next to whom shall sit the Messenger of God, and the prophets shall sit near him, and the saints shall sit near the prophets, and the blessed near the saints, and the angel shall then sound the trumpet, and shall call Satan to judgment.’
There is another reference in the Gospel of Barnabas (Chapter 72) about the arrival of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.). Jesus tells his disciples:
‘… As for me, I am now come to the world to prepare the way for the Messenger of God, who shall bring salvation to the world. But beware that you be not deceived, for many false prophets shall come, who shall take my words and contaminate my gospel.’
‘Then said Andrew: “Master tell us some sign, that we may know him”. Jesus answered: “He will not come in your time, but will come some years after you, when my gospel shall be annulled, insomuch that there shall be scarcely thirty faithful. At that time God will have mercy on the world, and so he will send his Messenger, over whose head will rest a white cloud, whereby he shall be known of one elect of God, and shall be by him manifested to the world. He shall come with great power against the ungodly, and shall destroy idolatry upon the earth. And it rejoices me because that through him our God shall be known and glorified, and I shall be known to be true; and he will execute vengeance against those who shall say that I am more than man.’
‘Truly I say to you that the moon shall minister sleep to him in his boyhood, and when he shall be grown up he shall take her in his hands. Let the world beware of casting him out because he shall slay the idolaters, for many more were slain by Moses, the servant of God, and Joshua, who spared not the cities which they burnt, and slew the children; for to an old wound one applies fire. He shall come with truth more clear than that of all the prophets, and shall reprove him who use the world amiss. The towers of the city of our father shall greet one another for joy; and so when idolatry shall be seen to fall to the ground and confess me a man like other men, truly I say to you the Messenger of God shall be come.’
Now, here is something special, something extra-ordinary! Allah has shown His mercy to Muslims by granting them the gift of Ramadan, the holy month of blessings. The Holy Quran was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) during that month. There is a special night in the last part of that month which has been declared by Allah as the ‘night better than a thousand months’ (Lailat-al-Qadr). I was shocked (a pleasant shock) to discover that Jesus talked to his disciples about a similar (or the same?) night – the jubilee! He said that the ‘jubilee night’ came once every hundred years but during the time of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.), it will appear every year. So, they decided to pray all night instead of sleeping.
Here is an excerpt from the Chapter 83 of the Gospel:
‘After the prayer of midnight; the disciples came near to Jesus, and he said to them: “This night shall be in the time of the Messiah, Messenger of God, the jubilee every year that now comes every hundred years. Therefore I will not that we sleep, but let us make prayer, bowing our head a hundred times, doing reverence to our God, mighty and merciful, who is blessed for evermore, and therefore each time let us say: “I confess you our God alone, that has not had beginning, nor shall ever have end; for by your mercy gave you to all things their beginning, and by your justice you shall give to all an end; that has no likeness among men, because in your infinite goodness you are not subject to motion nor to any accident. Have mercy on us, for you have created us, and we are the works of your hand.”
We find Jesus talking about Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) in Chapter 84 of the Gospel. It starts with Jesus and his disciples praying and glorifying God for His mercy:
‘Having made the prayer, Jesus said: “Let us give thanks to God because he has given to us this night great mercy; for that he has made to come back the time that needs must pass in the night, in that we have made prayer in union with the Messenger of God. And I have heard his voice”. The disciples rejoiced greatly at hearing this …’
Jesus talks about himself and Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) in front of a huge gathering, in the presence of King Herod, the Roman Governor and the high Priest. The occasion is described in Chapters 93 to 97 of the Gospel of Barnabas. The priest asks Jesus to clarify his position:
Chapter 93: … ‘The priest answered: “Now is Judea so greatly moved over your signs and your teaching that they cry out that you are God; wherefore, constrained by the people, I am come here with the Roman Governor and King Herod. We pray you therefore from our heart, that you will be content to remove the sedition which is arisen on your account. For some say you are God, some say you are son of God, and some say you are a prophet.’
‘Jesus answered: “And you, O high priest of God, why have you not quieted this sedition? Are you also perhaps, gone out of your mind? Have the prophecies with the Law of God, so passed into oblivion, O wretched Judea, deceived of Satan!”
Chapter 94: ‘And having said this, Jesus said again: “I confess before heaven, and call to witness everything that dwells upon the earth, that I am a stranger to all that men have said of me, to wit, that I am more than man. For I am a man, born of a woman, subject to the judgment of God; that live here like as other men, subject to the common miseries. As God lives, in whose presence my soul stands, you have greatly sinned, O priest, in saying what you have said. May it please God that there come not upon the holy city great vengeance for this sin”. Then said the priest: “May God pardon us, and do you pray for us. Then said the Governor and Herod: “Sir, it is impossible that man should do that which you do; wherefore we understand not that which you say”.
‘Jesus answered: “That which you say is true, for God works good in man, even as Satan works evil. For man is like a shop, wherein whoever enters with his consent works and sells therein. But tell me, O Governor, and you O King, you say this because you are strangers to our Law; for if you read the testament and covenant of our God you would see that Moses with a rode made the water turn into blood, the dust into fleas, the dew into tempest, and the light into darkness. He made the frogs and mice to come into Egypt; which covered the ground, he slew the first-born, and opened the sea, wherein he drowned Pharaoh. Of these things I have wrought none”.
“And of Moses, every one confesses that he is a dead man at this present. Joshua made the sun to stand still, and opened the Jordan, which I have not yet done. And of Joshua every one confesses that he is a dead man at this present. Elijah made fire to come visibly down from heaven, and rain, which I have not done. And of Elijah every one confesses that he is a man. And (in like manner) very man other prophets, holy men, friends of God, who in the power of God have wrought things which cannot be grasped by the minds of those who know not our God, almighty and merciful, who is blessed for evermore”.
Chapter 95: ‘Accordingly the governor and the priest and the king prayed Jesus that in order to quiet the people he should mount up into a lofty place and speak to the people. Then went up Jesus on to one of the twelve stones …’
Chapter 96: ‘When the prayer was ended, the priest said with a loud voice: “Stay, Jesus, for we need to know who you are, for the quieting of our nation”. Jesus answered: “I am Jesus, son of Mary, of the seed of David, a man that is mortal and fears God, and I seek that to God be given honour and glory”.
‘The priest answered: “In the Book of Moses it is written that our God must send us the Messiah, who shall come to announce to us that which God wills, and shall bring to the world the mercy of God. Therefore I pray you tell us the truth, are you the Messiah of God whom we expect?”
‘Jesus answered: “It is true that God has so promised, but indeed I am not he, for he is made before me, and shall come after me”. The priest answered: “By your words and signs at any rate we believe you to be a prophet and an holy one of God, wherefore I pray you in the name of all Judea and Israel that you for love of God should tell us in what wise the Messiah will come”.
Chapter 97: ‘Jesus answered: “As God lives, in whose presence my soul stands, I am not the Messiah whom all the tribes of the earth expect, even as God promised to our father Abraham, saying: “In your seed will I bless all the tribes of the earth”. But when God shall take me away from the world, Satan will raise again this accursed sedition, by making the impious believe that I am God and son of God, whence my words and my doctrine shall be contaminated, insomuch that scarcely shall there remain thirty faithful ones; whereupon God will have mercy upon the world, and will send his Messenger for whom he has made all things, who shall come from the south with power, and shall destroy the idols with the idolaters who shall take away the dominion from Satan which he has over men. He shall bring with him the mercy of God for salvation of them that shall believe in him, and blessed is he who shall believe his words.’
“Unworthy though I am to untie his hosen, I have received grace and mercy from God to see him”. Then answered the priest, with the governor and the king, saying: “Distress not yourself, O Jesus, holy one of God, because in our time shall not this sedition be any more, seeing that we will write to the sacred Roman senate in such wise that by imperial decree none shall any more call you God or son of God”. Then Jesus said: “With your words I am not consoled, because where you hope for light darkness shall come; but my consolation is in the coming of the Messenger, who shall destroy every false opinion of me, and his faith shall spread and shall take hold of the whole world, for so has God promised to Abraham our father. And that which gives me consolation is that his faith shall have no end, but shall be kept inviolate by God”.
‘The priest answered: “After the coming of the Messenger of God shall other prophets come?” Jesus answered: “There shall not come after him true prophets sent by God, but there shall come a great number of false prophets, whereat I sorrow. For Satan shall raise them up by the just judgment of God, and they shall hide themselves under the pretext of my gospel”. Herod answered: “How is it a just judgment of God that such impious men should come?”
‘Jesus answered: “It is just that he who will not believe in the truth to his salvation should believe in a lie to his damnation. Wherefore I say to you, that the world has ever despised the true prophets and loved the false, as can be seen in the time of Micaiah and Jeremiah. For every like loves his like”.
‘Then said the priest: “How shall the Messiah be called, and what sign shall reveal his coming?” Jesus answered: “The name of the Messiah is admirable, for God himself gave him the name when he had created his soul, and placed it in a celestial splendour. God said: ‘Wait Muhammad; for your sake I will to create paradise, the world, and a great multitude of creatures, whereof I make you a present, insomuch that whoever shall bless you shall be blessed, and whoever shall curse you shall be accursed. When I shall send you into the world I shall send you as my Messenger of salvation, and your word shall be true, insomuch that heaven and earth shall fail, but your faith shall never fail’. Muhammad is his blessed name”. Then the crowd lifted up their voices, saying: “O God send us your Messenger; O Muhammad, come quickly for the salvation of the world!”
Jesus also talks about Faith (religion) and he confirms that the religion prescribed by God was the same that was given to the Messenger of God (Muhammad, s.a.w.). And if the religion of Muhammad (s.a.w.) is Islam, same is true for Jesus himself and other prophets. I have proved in this booked that all prophets practiced and preached Islam. This is the religion God ordained. Everything else is either from Satan or the pagans.
In the Gospel of Barnabas, we find many references to prayers; like dawn prayer, morning prayer, midday prayer, evening/sunset prayer, midnight prayer, etc. Muslims have the same or similar prayers to perform. Here is an excerpt from Chapter 90 of the Gospel that refers to ‘Fajr’ (dawn) prayer. The passage also confirms the religion of Muhammad (s.a.w.) and other prophets. Jesus declares that there is only ONE faith:
‘When the prayer was done, his disciples again drew near to Jesus, and he opened his mouth and said: “Draw near, John, for today will I speak to you of all that you have asked. Faith is a seal whereby God seals his elect; which seal he gave to his Messenger, at whose hands every one that is elect has received the faith. For even as God is one, so is the faith one. Wherefore God, having created before all things his Messenger, gave to him before aught else the faith which is as it were a likeness of God and of all that God has done and said. And so the faithful by faith sees all things better than one sees with his eyes; because the eyes can err; no they do almost always err; but faith errs never, for it has for foundation God and his word. Believe me that by faith are saved all the elect of God. And it is certain that without faith it is impossible for any one to please God.’
Is there any doubt left now about the faith of the prophets and the believers?
Death penalty decreed for violators:
On the request of the high priest, as recommended by the Roman governor, the Roman senate declared that Jesus, the son of Mary, was a prophet of the Jews, and was neither God nor the son of God. The penalty of death was decreed for those who believed otherwise. This fact has been mentioned in Chapter 98 of the Gospel of Barnabas that starts with these words:
‘And having said this, the multitude departed with the priest and the governor with Herod, having great disputations concerning Jesus and concerning his doctrine. Whereupon the priest prayed the governor to write to Rome to the senate the whole matter, which thing the governor did; wherefore the senate had compassion on Israel, and decreed that on pain of death none should call Jesus the Nazarene, prophet of the Jews, either God or son of God. Which decree was posted up in the Temple, engraved upon copper.’
Man has been fooling around with scriptures for centuries. The holy Word of God has been changed by people to suit their desires and lifestyles. People of the Book have been blaming the Romans for every evil custom and ritual but the Romans did a great favor to the believers. They put things straight and even issued an imperial decree. It is that some Jews and Christians wanted to believe otherwise, disregarding the Law of God, and eventually crucified Jesus. The friends of devil disguised as friends of Moses and Jesus!
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