The academic quest to disentangle the historical Jesus the Messiah, from Jesus Christ of the Church, started in the Western Hemisphere some two hundred years ago, but gathered considerable momentum in the last three decades of the twentieth century. Few people in the academic circles can now deny the vast gap existing between the mythical Christ of Pauline Christianity, and the historical Jesus of Nazareth. Notwithstanding, most Christians today are either incognizant of, or unwilling to confront such conclusions. On the other hand a rapid decline in religious belief in the West is witnessed today among Christians who would only accept a religion based on reason, not on mythology. The book addresses the results of modern Biblical criticism through Islam's perspective and advances the view that Islam, while denying the mythical Christ of Pauline persuasion, had been more than twelve centuries ahead of Biblical scholars in proclaiming the truth about the historical Jesus.

Not only did the Qura'n preach the truth about the historical Jesus the Messiah, but also redressed justice to, and made sense of his historical prophetic mission on earth.

The book further contends that the remarkable agreement arising from Qur'anic revelation and many modern Biblical findings can serve as a useful platform for further understanding, cooperation, and fruitful dialogue between Christians and Muslims. To this end, curious parallels between the beliefs of the Nazarenes of Jesus and the Qura'nic revelation are pointed out.

In the absence of meaningful Christian-Muslim dialogue, Fundamentalist Christians' beliefs in the Western Hemisphere in general, and the US in particular, are reaching a climax with policy decisions bordering on catastrophe. Christian Fundamentalism, basing itself on the legacy of John the seer and his ‘Revelation', is presented as a major driving force behind American policy towards Palestine in particular and the Middle East in general.

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

1 - FREEDOM OF RELIGION, FREEDOM OF THOUGHT, AND WARS IN ISLAM

i . Freedom of Thought and Religious Freedom in the Qura'n
ii. Wars in Islam
iii. Jihad

2 -THE BIBLE, THE QURA'N, AND PROGRESSION OF DIVINE REVELATION

i . Definitions
ii. The Old Testament
iii. The New Testament
iv . From the Q Gospel to the Narrative Gospels
v. Gospels' Evolution
vi. Versions of the Christian Bible
vii. Historical Development
viii. Authors and Editors of the Christian Bible
ix. The Twelve Disciples, and Bible Authorship
x. The Qura'n , and the Bible
xi. Credibility of The Qura'n
xii. The Qura'nic Challenge
xiii. De-dogmatization and Appeal to Reason

3- CHRISTIANITY AND HELLENISTIC CULTURE

i . The Christian Enigma
ii. Mythical Jesus, Jesus of the kerygma
iii. The ‘Apostle' Paul
iv . From Nazarenes to Christians
v. The Council of Nicea
vi. The Christian Paradox
vii. The Islamic View

4-THE NAZARENES AND THE CHRISTIANS

i . Who were The Nazarenes
ii. The ‘ Jerusalem Church '
iii . The Nazarene-Christian dilemma
iv. Paul and the Heavenly Jesus
v. Trying to Bridge the Gap
vi. The Nazarene Legacy
vii. The Nicene Creed
viii. Unitarianism in the Modern Age
ix. The Islamic Perspective, and the Gospel of Jesus

5-CHRISTIANITY, OR PAULINISM ?

i . Cardinal Features
ii. The Savior Concept
iii. The Eucharist
iv. The End of History
v . Pauline Social Values
vi. Islam's Appeal to Reason

6- The Messiah

i. Titles of Jesus According to the Gospels
ii. Titles of the Historical Jesus

The Prophet
The Messiah
Of Virgin Birth
Having No Blood Brothers and Sisters

iii. Titles of the Mythical Jesus

Son of God
Lord
Son of Man
Lamb of God

iv. The Islamic View

7- THE SON OF MAN, WHO WAS HE?

iv. Definitions
v. The Messiah is not the Deliverer
vi. Jesus the Messiah, and the Hellenistic Chrestos
vii. The Messiah, Elias, and the Prophet
viii. Jesus denies being the Deliverer
ix. Sit Down, O Men of Israel
x. The Coming of the Kingdom
xi. The Son of Man
xii. The ‘Son of Man' foretold by Jesus: The Islamic Perspective

8- THE CRUCIFIXION?

ii. The Evidence
iii. Passion Narratives
iv. Eye-Witnesses
v. Roman Justice
vi. A King's Triumphant Entry
vii. Contrast with Paul's Trial
viii. Three Women at the Sepulchre
ix. Jesus Re-Appears with the Disciples
x. Other Appearances
xi. Jesus' Lifetime
xii. The Islamic Viewpoint

9- THE BOOK OF REVELATION, U.S. ORIENTALISM, AND CHRISTIAN FUNDAMENTALISM

i .Orientalism
ii. Book of Revelation
iii . Emperor Nero
iv. Christian Persecutions
v. John the Seer, and his Revelation
vi. The Rapture
vii. Middle Eastern Legacy of John the Seer
viii. John's Legacy on Palestine
ix. John's Legacy on Iraq , the ex-Babylon

10- THE PROTESTANT REFORMATION,  AND CHRISTIAN FUNDAMENTALISM   

i . Christian Fundamentalism in the West
ii. Catholic Viewpoint
iii. The Providential Plan according to Western Fundamentalism
iv. Pushing Forward the ‘Providential Plan'
v. Awaiting the Messiah
vi. The International Christian Embassy
vii. The Islamic Perspective

The Awaited Messiah
Kingdom of God
The Second Coming
The Promised Land

viii. Islam and the Reforms of Luther

Franck Sebastian

ix. Fundamentalism

APPENDIX:

Palestine and Jerusalem. Chronology of Conflict