Religious Text Comparison, Essay Example

The below essay is focusing on the similarities and differences in Qur’an and the Holy Bible regarding the role of Jesus in religion. Despite the still very common misconception, both religions highly respect Jesus’ role. The one difference is that while Christians believe that he was the last prophet and above all, Muslims regard him to be the last prophet before Muhammad. Examining the original texts, the author would like to reveal the source of the differences in the writings.

Miracles of Jesus are not only featured in the Holy Bible, but also the Qur’an. In Chapter 5, titled “The table laden with food”, Jesus says:

“O God, our Lord, send down for us a Table laden with food out of heaven, that shall be for us a recurring festival, the first and last of us, and a miracle from You. And provide us our sustenance, for You are the best of providers!” (Qur’an 5:112-114)  

The same event is described in the Lord’s Supper paragraph of the Holy Bible (Matthew, 26:26) While the miracle is not clearly stated in the Bible, the Qur’an regards this as one of the many miracles of Jesus. Similarly, the healing of the blind and the leper is described as a miracle performed by Jesus, one of the greatest prophets of the religious text. Jesus states: ““I also heal the blind and the leper.” (Qur’an 3:49) The events are described in detail in Mark:

What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him.

The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”

“Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road. (Mark, 10: 51-52)

The main difference between the perception of Jesus in the Holy Bible’s authors and the Qur’an is that Jesus is described as a divine creature; supernatural, and the Son of God in the Bible, while he acts as a prophet in the books of the Qur’an. The Bible refers to Jesus as the Son of God, and the promised Messiah. At the same time, the Qur’an refers to him as the Son of Mary, and a highly regarded prophet. In the Qur’an, he acts with God’s permission, as the text confirms:

“I have brought you a Sign from your Lord. I will create the shape of a bird out of clay for you and then breathe into it, and it will be a bird by God’s permission. I will heal the blind and the leper and bring the dead to life, by God’s permission. I will tell you what you eat and what you store up in your homes. There is a Sign for you in that if you believe.” (Qur’an, 3:49)

As a contrast, the Bible describes him as the Son of God. When he is crucified, the soldiers mock him about his claims: “Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” (Matthew 27:40).

The above review has revealed that Jesus is respected by both Islam and Christianity, however, he is regarded a great prophet by the writer of the Quran, and the Son of God by the Holy Bible. As Katheer (78) states in his book: “Muslims believe that Jesus is Allah’s bondman and Messenger – which is the most truthful belief -. Further, they believe that “Jesus was the last Prophet sent to the Israelites” (Katheer, 79).

Works Cited

Katheer, I. The Islamic View of Jesus. 2002. Web.

The Holy Bible. NIV.

The Holy Quran. English Translation. Al Islam website.