Crucifixion of Jesus From WikiAhmadiyya, the free encyclopedia on Islam and Ahmadiyyat The crucifixion of Jesus occurred during the 1st century AD, most probably between the years 30 and 33. Christians believe Jesus to be the Son of God and view Jesus' death as central aspects in the Christian theology of atonement. Islam rejects both these concepts, believing God has no partner or children. Moreover the Quran states Jesus was not successfully crucified, but rather survived the attempted assassination. Further, the Quran rejects the concept of atonement altogether, stating 'no bearer of burden shall bear the burden of another'. (Quran 35:18) According to Jewish religious beliefs of Jesus' time - as recorded in the Bible - death by crucifixion amounted to an accursed death - which would have proven Jesus' claims to be false:
Jesus repeatedly prayed to be saved from such a fate both immediately prior to and during the crucifixion:
Jesus' anguished cry during the crucifixion of 'My God, why hast thou forsaken me?' suggests he expected to be saved from death. Jesus promised to deliver the sign of Jonah to the Jewish people:
Jonah was a prophet of God who was swallowed by a whale and survived. The above comments of Jesus suggest he expected to survive the crucifixion and would not die on the cross. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community believes historical, religious and medical evidence points towards Jesus swooning upon the cross and surviving the crucifixion:
Normally, death from crucifixion would take several days. However, due to the approach of the Jewish holy day of the Sabbath, Jesus - an otherwise healthy young man - was taken down after just a few hours. His enemies among the Jewish people realising he was still alive requested his legs be broken to ensure death. However, this was not carried out. Instead Jesus was stabbed once and blood poured forth - the flow of blood confirming his heart was still beating. Even then, one stab wound in his side after a few hours of crucifixion was by no means enough to certainly kill a healthy young man and Jesus was immediately taken down and able to receive medical treatment from his followers. On recovering, Jesus soon fled from Jerusalem to ensure his persecutors were not given a second chance to complete his murder:
Ahmadis argue that had Jesus been the immortal son of God - who could not be permanently killed - this would not have been his natural reaction. Rather, he would have publicly revealed himself to his enemies to ensure they witnessed his survival and were able to accept his godship. Instead he hid and fled, showing he considered himself a mortal susceptible to death if his enemies were given a second opportunity. See also |