Page:The Faith as Unfolded by Many Prophets.djvu/28

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20

Havilah said, We call Jesus the Apostle of God; the Christians call him the Son of God. But the Book saith, 'God is God. Far be it from him that he should have a son[1].'

Eber replied, We call Jesus the son of God, because God himself so called him; but that name was only given him because he was the chiefest apostle of God. Jesus was a man, and the servant of God. He was, like other men, wearied in body, and sorrowful in spirit. He loved as the heart of man is made to love; and we know that his friends Lazarus and Mary and Martha, and his follower John, and Mary his mother, were dear to him, and that he mourned when they were sorrowful, and was careful to do them good. The soul of Jesus was the soul of a man. As for his body, we know that he suffered as mortal men suffer. He hungered in the desert, and was in agony on the cross, and died with those who were crucified with him.

There are many, said Havilah, who say that it was one in the likeness of Jesus, and not Jesus himself, who was crucified; and the Book saith, 'They did not really kill him, but God took him up unto himself[2].' Nevertheless, as there

  1. Koran, chap. 4.
  2. Ibid. chap. 4.