Mohammad and Jesus Christ are two prominent names in the history of world religions. These two individuals are most followed religious leaders in its history itself. Jesus Christ was born about 6 B. C. ; crucified about 29 A. D. ), the founder of Christianity. The name Jesus is the Greek form of the Hebrew Joshua, which means “God saves. ” Christ is the title, and is the Greek term for the Hebrew Messiah, “the Anointed One. ” Mohammad was born in Mecca, in what is now Saudi Arabia.
He belonged to one of the city’s leading families but was left an orphan early in life and was raised by an uncle. The boy received little formal education but probably could read and write. From traders in Mecca and from foreigners he met while traveling with his uncle, he gained knowledge of the Bible, Judaism, and Christianity. The purpose of this study is to compare and contrast the life of Jesus Christ and Mohammed. B. Discussion a. ) Jesus Christ When Jesus was 30 years old, he was baptized by his cousin John the Baptists.
He then went into the wilderness, where he fasted 40 days while he meditated over his mission and was tempted by the devil. He rejected three temptations: that he cater to the physical needs of his people, that he use his miraculous powers to win favor by spectacular methods, and that he use political methods and set up an earthly empire. There are two basic conceptions of Jesus Christ as the founder of Christianity: (1) that he is the Son of God, one of the Trinity; and (2) that God sent him into the world to live as human beings live, to suffer as they rise in glory from the grave.
The belief is that Jesus Christ was both divine and human, being conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He was tempted as men are tempted but lived without sin. Christians regard Jesus as Redeemer and savior, who was sent to atone for the sins of mankind and to open the door to eternal life for everyone (Cornfiled, 2000). They believe that he will come to earth again at the Last Judgment to judge the living and the dead and to bring the present world order to an end. Information about Jesus’ life comes from the New Testament, Mark, Luke, and John.
The purpose of the Gospels is not to record the life of Jesus, but to proclaim the “good news” (the literal meaning of gospel) of salvation in Christ. They represent only highlights of Jesus’ life and teachings, with emphasis on his Crucifixion and Resurrection. b. ) Mohammed On the other hand, Mohammad or Mahomet or Muhammad was an Arabian prophet and the founder of Islam, the religion of the Moslems. A brilliant religious teacher, a wise governor, and a successful military leader, he was one of the most influential men (second to Jesus Christ) in history.
The Koran, Islam’s sacred book, consists of Mohammad’s teachings as recorded by his followers. Moslems believe that Allah (God) is the author of the Koran, and that he spoke to the Arabians through Mohammad, the last of his prophets. Moslems do not regard Mohammad as being divine and for that reason they object to the terms Mohammedanism and Mohammedans, sometimes used by Westerners for Islam and Moslems. Less is known of Mohammad’s personal life from the Koran than from early biographies, and from sayings and deeds traditionally attributed to him (Kelen, 2001).
Mohammed’s first marriage gave him financial independence and the leisure to spend long periods in meditation. He worried about the ignorance and superstition of his people and apparently lost faith in the heathen gods of Arabia. He was also disturbed by the extremes of wealth and poverty that he saw around him. III. Conclusion As I studied the lives of Jesus Christ and Mohammed, I can state that Jesus Christ has lived a life totally centered on Spiritual matters whereas Mohammed has mixed it with political.
Jesus is not merely a prophet (as what the Islam faith believes) but He himself is a God because of the authentic evidences that can be traced in the history of religions while Mohammed is simply a prophet. If people believe that Jesus is only a “prophet”, why is it that of all who claimed as prophets, only Jesus Christ has lived again and vividly seen by his witnesses ascended to heaven?
Reference: 1. Cornfiled, Gaalyah. The Historical Jesus: A Scholarly View of the man and His World (Macmillan, 2000). 2. Kelen, Betty. Muhammad: the Messenger of God (Nelson, 2001).