Prophecy in the Abrahamic faiths Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Prophecy in the Abrahamic faiths - Essay Example In Judaism, male prophets including Hosea, Amos, Jeremiah, Isaiah, and female prophets like Huldah and Miriam are considered the â€Å"mouthpieces† of God, Moses being the greatest of these prophets (Swidler, Duran, and Firestone 2007, p. 39). In Christianity as well, Jesus and the other prophets, including Moses are considered as God’s â€Å"spokespersons† (Swidler, Duran, and Firestone 2007, p. 39). Some others such as those mentioned in early Christian writings are also considered prophets. Islam also believes in the authenticity of the Jewish and Christian prophets, apart from the belief in the prophethood of Muhammad. The similarities among the prophets of the Abrahamic faiths are mostly in terms of their teachings, i.e. they preached monotheism, the oneness of God. They denounced idol worship and belief in false gods. They brought in social order to their nation and worked towards delivering the people from oppression and misery. They served as guides, fore tellers, and warners against sins. The prophets of the Abrahamic faiths also gave the holy scriptures to their people. All these holy books were a result of divine inspiration. All the prophets taught the concept of good and evil, life in the hereafter, heaven and hell, the Day of Judgment, angels, Satan, etc. All the prophets trace back their lineage to Prophet Abraham. 11 Differences between Prophets of the Abrahamic Faiths 11 Jews do not believe in the prophethood of Jesus and Muhammad (Honda, Alderman and Korneliussen n.d). In Christianity, Moses is believed to be a prophet, yet Muhammad is not considered to be a prophet. In Islam, however, both Moses and Jesus are revered as prophets. However, one difference in the Muslim and the Christian belief is that while the Christians believe Jesus to be more than a prophet, the Muslims view him only as a prophet. They do not believe him to be the son of God, unlike the Christians. Moreover, while Christians associate divinity with Jesus , Muslims believe that he was able to perform miracles only by the will and permission of God. Furthermore, unlike the Christian belief, the Muslims do not believe that Jesus was crucified (Honda, Alderman and Korneliussen n.d). As Nasr explains, the Quran does not accept the crucifixion of Jesus, but rather mentions that Jesus was taken to heaven (4:157-58 cited in Phipps 1999). The Muslim belief about Prophet Adam is also different from the Christian and Jewish belief. According to Islam, although Adam was considered to have sinned upon eating the forbidden fruit, humankind is not responsible and the concept of original sin is denounced in Islam (Schirrmacher n.d.). However, according to the biblical version, Adam transgressed the commandment of God by eating the forbidden fruit, and so brought death and sin to the entire human race, the reconciliation of which is possible only through the death of Jesus (Schirrmacher n.d.). 12 The main difference between Jesus and Moses, as per C hristian belief, is the divinity they associate with Jesus (Carmody and Carmody 1996). As per Christian faith, although Moses is a â€Å"great religious hero† and the â€Å"medium of God’s amazing grant of the covenant†, Jesus was more than that (Carmody and Carmody 1996, p. 187). According to them, Jesus sacrificed himself for humankind, â€Å"fashioned a new covenant†