Before the assault in the garde:n

Was it true that Crucifixion was the purpose for which Christ came? “Or was it that Christ was surprised by an oppressive power about to destroy him and that he was exposed to danger he had not expected; therefore, he was so fatally scared that he wished at every moment to escape the danger and save himself from death?”[1]

1. Mark says: “And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane: and he saith to his disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray. And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy; and saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch. And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt. And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour? Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak. And again he went away, and prayed, and spake the same words. And when he returned, he found them asleep again, (for their eyes were heavy,) neither wist they what to answer him. And he cometh the third time, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: it is enough, the hour is come; behold, the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise up, let us go; lo, he that betrayeth me is at hand.”[2]

Denis Ninham said: “Opinions diverge concerning the historical value of this part. Some wonder whether it is actually part of the source that Saint Mark narrated from.[3] We, in our turn, address these questions to Christians:

First: Why did Christ (peace be upon him) pray and you claim that he is a god, for a god does not pray to anybody but his salves pray to him?

Second: Mark said: “prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.” Why did Christ (peace be upon him) want this affliction to pass, while he did not come except for its sake to free human beings from the sin they are bearing, as they allege?

Third: Mark said: “Abba, Father!” Who is the father of the Abba that Jesus (peace be upon him) turns for help? If there is another father of the Abba, it means we have an endless series of fathers.

Fourth: Mark says: “And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour?”  Is it conceivable that the Disciples would let Christ suffer from fear and horror and sleep while they were waiting for the soldiers to come and arrest him (peace be upon him)? Such behavior would not be convenient of ordinary people, let alone these Disciples.

The Holy Qur’an elevated the status of the Disciples and honored them by guiding them to the right conduct and their initiative to support Christ (peace be upon him), which disagrees with your Gospels that describe them as foolish, cowardly, disappointing and treacherous. Judas betrays Jesus (peace be upon him); Peter denies him. And all the Disciples disappoint him by abandoning him in the garden suffering from agonies and fear all by himself and they sleep. Can these be the characteristics of the closest persons to Christ? Can these be the qualities of his students and messengers to people?  Of course, to us as Muslims, the answer is in the negative. They are far from being so, for Allah (SWT) praises them in His Glorious Book, saying: “as Jesus son of Mary said unto the disciples: Who are my helpers for Allah? They said: We are Allah's helpers.” (LXI: 14) So, the Holy Qur’an uplifts them and raises their status, for they were really so. In contrast, your Gospel accuses them of dissent and treachery. Against whom? Against a god, as they allege.

Fifth: Who witnessed the incidents where all the Disciples were asleep in the garden? Who related them? How were they narrated if none witnessed them? How did the students know what happened after Jesus had been arrested? How were the events narrated without a witness? Besides, they were not written down except 35 years after Christ had been raised to heaven.

2. We read in Luke: “And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” But some old references have deleted these two numbers (43-44) although they are found in most copies. This deletion may be attributed—as George Kurd says—to the understanding of the scribe that the image of Christ here is characterized by human weakness, which disagreed with his belief that he was the Divine Son, who shared the overwhelming power with His Father.” This text annuls the basis of Christian Doctrine of Crucifixion, for if Jesus’ purpose had been to be crucified, he would not have been grieved and depressed, and his sweat would not have been like drops of blood. If we review the narrations of Luke, Mark and Matthew we find them similar in describing the event to some extent although there was no witness to verify it. Nevertheless, these three Gospels differ remarkably from the narration of John.”[4] In John we find a sermon by Jesus covering six pages (about 140 lines) replaced by a few lines in the other Gospels.[5]