Disclaimer: This Article Will Be Revised In The Future
In my last post I conducted a lingual analysis of the Islamic name: "Issa". Together we discovered that Issa is neither the original name of Jesus nor a truly valid translation of the name Jesus into Arabic. In fact all the evidence appears to suggest the simplest explanation of 'Issa is that it is the Quranic rendition equivalently translated into English as Esau.
Now that we know that the Quranic Jesus and the Biblical Jesus could not possibly have the same original name on their hypothetical birth certificate, we must examine other details. Perhaps this is not a significant issue, if we examine a variety of factors we maybe able to reconcile such a trivial matter. With that in mind that brings us to the next portion of this series:
In my last post I conducted a lingual analysis of the Islamic name: "Issa". Together we discovered that Issa is neither the original name of Jesus nor a truly valid translation of the name Jesus into Arabic. In fact all the evidence appears to suggest the simplest explanation of 'Issa is that it is the Quranic rendition equivalently translated into English as Esau.
Now that we know that the Quranic Jesus and the Biblical Jesus could not possibly have the same original name on their hypothetical birth certificate, we must examine other details. Perhaps this is not a significant issue, if we examine a variety of factors we maybe able to reconcile such a trivial matter. With that in mind that brings us to the next portion of this series:
Linguistic- Genealogical
- Geographical
- Chronological
- Historical
- Conceptual/Theological
GENEALOGY
Who?
Esau (Issa in the Qur'an) and Jesus (Yeshua in the Bible) have incompatible lineages resulting in these two distinct historical figures having different parents, families and ancestors. Islam rejects the genealogies of Jesus contained in the New Testament (recorded in Matthew and Luke). However Islam provides an alternative genealogy (in part) found within the Qur'an which specifies that Mary (the mother of Esau) had a brother called Aaron (19:27-28). The Qur'an also specifies Mary is the daughter of a father named Imran (66:12). Many commentaries even the earliest groups of Christians recognized the uncanny resemblance connected to the Old Testament with Mary the sister of Moses and Aaron and daughter of Amram. However my argument here is not to make such a pre-mature conclusion. I will not be arguing the Qur'an has an error here but rather that Esau cannot be Yeshua regardless of whether this is an error or not. This is due to both individuals possessing severely different birth certificates, so radically different, these cannot possibly refer to the same individual. It is only necessary to point out that if the Qur'anic Mary had a brother named Aaron and a Father named Amram, then this cannot be the Jesus or Mary of the New Testament, the Jesus of history.
There are further discrepancies: The New Testament records that Mary had a sister(John 19:25) but does not report a brother, and therefore Jesus was a nephew with an aunt but unlike the Qur'an may think he actually had no uncle (Aaron). It also shows us that Jesus believed in the ideal of adoption as Jesus declares the apostle John to be Mary's Son (John 19:26-27), where as the Qur'an prohibits adoption altogether (33:4-5). Mary also had other biological children, specifically James (Luke 24:10; Galatians 1:19), a fact the Qur'an omits, the Biblical Jesus has a brother, the Qur'anic Esau is without (not even Jacob). The Bible tells us that Mary was the cousin (or relative) of Elizabeth and Zechariah (Luke 1:36) and therefore Jesus had first cousins. The Qur'an reports these characters, but does not connect them within a genetic relationship. The Bible tells us Jesus had a legal (adopted) Father Joesph (Matthew 1;16, Luke 3:23), the Qur'an does not recognize such an idea and therefore omits any reference to Mary's husband (19:22-25), but has no problem mentioning her Father Imran's wife (3:35-36) since her parents were explicitly married and portrayed in these terms, the fact that the Qur'an omits this in the case of Mary's husband is a clear evidence that she was never married in the Qur'an, but is definitely married in the Bible. Jesus therefore grew up with a Father in the Bible, Mary was married, but Esau was Fatherless in the Qur'an, proving (time again) they cannot be the same person.
The Qur'an rejects the idea of adoption, in every and any sense. It rejects the historical proposition that Jesus has a legal and adoptive Father and even refers to Jesus only as 'Esau "Son of Mary" implying he maybe a bastard in this context. This is because in Semitic culture when your lineage can only be recorded by maternal descent without a record to any Father, the implication is that the Child's father is unknown and therefore is the product of an illicit union. Although Matthew and Luke's genealogy may mention women (Mary, Ruth, Thamar, Rachab, and Bathsheba - the wife of Urias), notice that the line of the genealogy is strictly through the male names, this is normative of lineages from Semitic antiquity. For the Qur'anic author(s) to adopt such a phrase with the added ignorance of using the name "Esau" is evidence the Quran could not be accurately representing the Biblical or historical Jesus. In conclusion Esau and Jesus do not have the same family, parents or ancestors.
GEOGRAPHY
Where?
Islamic Esau is said to specifically be a messenger to Israel(43:59), but also said to be a sign to all peoples (19:21). Exactly the same is repeated of Muhammad. In the Qur'an he is specifically sent to address Israel (27:76) but was also was a mercy to all mankind (21:107). This means we cannot point Esau in Israel anymore than we could pin point Mohammed in Israel. The Qur'an no where specifies Jesus was born in Bethlehem, raised in Nazareth (Galilee) and paid homage in Jerusalem, or even became a pilgrim to the temple, it doesn't specify who his enemies were other than: "children of Israel who disbelieved". However the exact same sentiment is a commonly expressed Jewish view of Mohammed (4:46-47), once again showing it is an obsolete process to attempt to place Jesus in Israel anymore than we should place Mohammed in Israel.
One narrative that distinguishes Esau and Mary from Yeshua and Mary is exactly where Mary's pregnancy took place. In the Qur'an she is said to have isolated herself from her people and/or family: "to a place in the East". However it is impossible to tell where her original location may have been or what precise location was east of it. If we make an unwarranted presumption that Jerusalem was the original location, then Maududi adds a worthwhile observation: "It cannot be Nazareth as some people have wrongly taken it to be, because Nazareth is to the north of Jerusalem". Wherever this fantasy took place this is where she meets and greets the Angelic envoy Gabriel. After which she departs in new-found pregnancy to "a far place". According to the Qur'an we have several examples of a far place, heaven (34:53), hell (25:12) Israel/Jerusalem is far from central or southern Arabia (17:1), hence if Mary were in Israel she would of traveled well outside of Israel. So where exactly is she going? The text gives us very little detail. Firstly Mary appears to be by herself in a secluded remote place (19:22), secondly, she is exhausted and there doesn't appear to be much water or food (until a miracle occurs), nor is she in a busy or populated region (19:26). She appears to find rest near the trunk of a date-palm, with a water stream, and fresh ripe dates (19:22-25). This matches well with a description of an Oasis, geographically speaking, located in a desert. But which desert? The Qur'an only describes one such place on earth with an almost identical description. Pharaoh of Egypt uses these trunks of the date-palms to crucify his opponents (20:71). Hence this shows evidence that Mary appears to be travelling to Egypt via the Sinai or somewhere in Egypt.
This last endeavor comports well with the New Testament and Apocryphal accounts however there are two major differences. Firstly in the Qur'an Mary is by herself and second she is pregnant and gives birth in the desert and upon return carries and presents the child to her (anonymous) people (19:27). All other accounts place Mary's visit to Egypt with her family including her born baby, and after her virgin birth. Other than these exceptions the Qur'an is very similar to the Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew, an infancy Gospel:
"Now the day before this was done Joseph was warned in his sleep by the angel of the Lord, who said to him: Take Mary and the child, and go into Egypt by the way of the desert. And joseph went according to the saying of the angel." (Chapter 17)
"Lions and panthers adored Him likewise, and accompanied them in the desert. Wherever Joseph and the blessed Mary went, they went before them showing them the way, and bowing their heads; and showing their submission by wagging their tails, they adored Him with great reverence. Now at first, when Mary saw the lions and the panthers, and various kinds of wild beasts, coming about them, she was very much afraid. But the infant Jesus looked into her face with a joyful countenance, and said: Be not afraid, mother; for they come not to do thee harm, but they make haste to serve both thee and me. With these words He drove all fear from her heart. And the lions kept walking with them, and with the oxen, and the asses, and the beasts of burden which carried their baggage, and did not hurt a single one of them, though they kept beside them; but they were tame among the sheep and the rams which they had brought with them from Judaea, and which they had with them. They walked among wolves, and feared nothing; and no one of them was hurt by another. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by the prophet: Wolves shall feed with lambs; the lion and the ox shall eat straw together. There were together two oxen drawing a waggon with provision for the journey, and the lions directed them in their path." (Chapter 19)
"And it came to pass on the third day of their journey, while they were walking, that the blessed Mary was fatigued by the excessive heat of the sun in the desert; and seeing a palm tree, she said to Joseph: Let me rest a little under the shade of this tree. Joseph therefore made haste, and led her to the palm, and made her come down from her beast. And as the blessed Mary was sitting there, she looked up to the foliage of the palm, and saw it full of fruit, and said to Joseph: I wish it were possible to get some of the fruit of this palm. And Joseph said to her: I wonder that thou sayest this, when thou seest how high the palm tree is; and that thou thinkest of eating of its fruit. I am thinking more of the want of water, because the skins are now empty, and we have none wherewith to refresh ourselves and our cattle. Then the child Jesus, with a joyful countenance, reposing in the bosom of His mother, said to the palm: O tree, bend thy branches, and refresh my mother with thy fruit. And immediately at these words the palm bent its top down to the very feet of the blessed Mary; and they gathered from it fruit, with which they were all refreshed. And after they had gathered all its fruit, it remained bent down, waiting the order to rise from Him who bad commanded it to stoop. Then Jesus said to it: Raise thyself, O palm tree, and be strong, and be the companion of my trees, which are in the paradise of my Father; and open from thy roots a vein of water which has been hid in the earth, and let the waters flow, so that we may be satisfied from thee. And it rose up immediately, and at its root there began to come forth a spring of water exceedingly clear and cool and sparkling. And when they saw the spring of water, they rejoiced with great joy, and were satisfied, themselves and all their cattle and their beasts. Wherefore they gave thanks to God." (Chapter 20)
"After this, while they were going on their journey, Joseph said to Jesus: Lord, it is a boiling heat; if it please Thee, let us go by the sea-shore, that we may be able to rest in the cities on the coast. Jesus said to him: Fear not, Joseph; I will shorten the way for you, so that what you would have taken thirty days to go over, you shall accomplish in this one day. And while they were thus speaking, behold, they looked forward, and began to see the mountains and cities of Egypt. And rejoicing and exulting, they came into the regions of Hermopolis, and entered into a certain city of Egypt which is called Sotinen; and because they knew no one there from whom they could ask hospitality, they went into a temple which was called the Capitol of Egypt. And in this temple there had been set up three hundred and fifty-five idols, to each of which on its own day divine honours and sacred rites were paid. For the Egyptians belonging to the same city entered the Capitol, in which the priests told them how many sacrifices were offered each day, according to the honour in which the god was held. (Chapter 22)
Chronology
When?
"Then the angels called to him as he stood praying in the sanctuary: That Allah gives you the good news of Yahya verifying a Word from Allah, and honorable and chaste and a prophet from among the good ones." 3:39If we assume Esau is the word being confirmed and verified here, Yahya may have had a direct contact or personal relationship with Esau. However the problem with this theory is that it assumes the New Testament (John and Jesus) neither of which align to Yahya and Esau. The second problem is Esau is said to have also confirmed Moses and Mohammed (61:6), but clearly verifying someone does not mean existing as their contemporary or having direct contact or relations with them. There is one other interesting piece of evidence a Muslim might submit. Esau appears to exist in a chronological sequence: "And Zachariah and Yahya and Isa and Elias" (6:85), the only problem appears to be that Elias does not fit in here sequentially. Other lists also confirm the fact that the Qur'an is not deliberately patterning names: "'Iesa (Esau), Ayub (Job), Yunus (Jonah), Harun (Aaron)" (4:163) and: "Noah, Abraham, Moses, and 'Iesa (33:7).
HISTORY
What happened?
You may have already gathered that Esau and Yeshua were born on different days, different times and even different regions with different circumstances showing a significant historical discrepancy. You probably saw that historically they have different families who raised him. However are there any other weighty historical issues at stake? The essential core is that Esau was neither crucified nor resurrected. However the Qur'an is not as definitive as we would like it to be on this matter. The Qur'an clearly speaks of Jesus being raised directly to Allah (3:55,4:158) however depending on how one interprets the Qur'an this could be a physical Resurrection, a spiritual elevation, or an assumption into heaven.
Only one passage in the Qur'an appears to negate the death or crucifixion of Jesus (4:157). And while the most famous theories deduced from this passage are the substitution theory and the apparent-death theory, these aren't necessarily the most plausible exegesis of the text. Assuming that at-least one of them must be, it would be then conclusive to assert that Islam rejects the death, crucifixion, burial and Resurrection of Esau, once again definitely demonstrating Esau is not Jesus/Yeshua. And while this is emotionally stimulating, the historical and theological credulity of the Islamic position, truly vindicates that ironic pun: "no certain knowledge". While the Qur'an mentions disciples it doesn't mention how many, who they are, and what they did nor why they are relevant in the least. The Qur'an doesn't mention the baptism of "Esau" by "Yahya". The Qur'an doesn't report Esau at the temple, or any words of his strong community. It doesn't mention his circumcision, it doesn't mention whether he kept Sabbath. It doesn't mention what exactly were his new allowances during his dispensation (3:50). It doesn't specify his teachings other than monotheism, obedience and signs. The Qur'an lacks the heart of Yeshua, but contains the conjure of a theological proposition entitled Esau.
The Qur'an does not specify that Jesus is from Galilee or a Jew, or of the Tribe of Judah. The Qur'an doesn't allude to any of Jesus parables or metaphors (Lion, Lamb). The Qur'an presents Jesus as more Arab like (61:6), rather than a bi-linguist who spoke Aramaic, Hebrew, Greek and Latin. It doesn't mention which language(s) he spoke. The Qur'an doesn't mention the prophecy of Jesus coming, his kingdom or even his second return. The Qur'an doesn't explain what it means by referring to him as "Messiah", "Word" or "Spirit", these terms essentially become meaningless. The Qur'an doesn't explain why Esau was born of a virgin or the meaning of his name. Why wasn't Mary married? Why do historical reports narrate different authentic information in contrast to Allah? The assigned attributes, positions and titles hold no value nor convey any comprehensibility with the Qur'anic context. The Qur'an does not mention Jesus birth place: Bethlehem or his home town Nazareth. The Qur'an falsely attributes many of the details contained in later uninspired Gnostic accounts to Esau. The Qur'an omits his crucial message of the Gospel and the Kingdom of Heaven/God. It doesn't mention any details of his enemies, his family, his disciples his friends, his loved ones or even who he healed, rescued, Resurrected or saved. The characters are not real due to so much patently false illiterate ignorance. Many of them have falsely designated names. In order to know anything about Jesus, you must go outside the Qur'an. You have to go outside the Qur'an to know his true name, to understand why he isn't merely the "Son of Mary" but also the "Son of Joesph" his adopted Father. The Qur'an does not specify whether adoption was valid or invalid but it surely has an agenda in omitting the fact, this would counteract Mohammed's public relations campaign.
After briefly examining these four sections, I find the results to be conclusive.
- Quranic Esau has none of the same peers/family as Jesus
- Quranic Esau (or his mother) cannot be identified as a Jew, Israelite, Nazarene or even born in Bethlehem, he doesn't live in the same area as Jesus
- Quranic Esau cannot be fixed in a time, place and space in history because he appears to be a theological construction
- Quranic Esau is not even remotely close to aligning with the character, deeds, teachings or events of the historical Jesus.
Quranic Esau is therefore not Jesus
