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The
impact of Jesus Christ on human history is so obvious and so
enormous that few people would question his placement near the top
of this list. Indeed, the more likely question is why Jesus, who is
the inspiration for the most influential religion in history, has
not been placed first.
There is no
question that Christianity, over the course of time, has had far
more adherents than any other religion. However, it is not the
relative influence of different religions that is hewing estimated
in this book, but rather the relative influence of individual men.
Christianity, unlike Islam, was not founded by single person but by
two people-Jesus and
St. Paul –and
the principal credit for its development must therefore be
apportioned between those who two figures.
Jesus formulated
the basic ethical ideas of Christianity, as well as its basic
spiritual outlook and its main ideas concerning human conduct.
Christian theology, however, was shaped principally by the work of
St. Paul. Jesus presented a spiritual message; Paul added to that
the worship of Christ. Furthermore, St. Paul was the author of a
considerable portion of the New Testament, and was the main
proselytizing force for Christianity during the first century.
Jesus was still
fairly young when he died (unlike Buddha or Muhammad [PBUH]),
and he left behind a limited number of disciples. At the time of
Jesus death, his followers simply formed a small Jewish sect. It was
due in considerable measure to Paul’s writings, and to his tireless
proselytizing efforts, that this small sect was transformed into a
dynamic and much greater movement, which reached non-Jews, and which
eventually grew into one of the great religions of the world.
For these reasons,
some people even contend that it is Paul, rather than Jesus, who
should really be considered the founder of Christianity. Carried to
its logical conclusion, that argument would lead one to place Paul
higher on this list than Jesus! However, although it is not clear
what Christianity would be like without the influence of
St. Paul,
it is quite apparent that without Jesus, Christianity would not
exist at all.
However, it does
not seem reasonable to consider Jesus responsible for all the things
which Christian churches or individual Christians later did in his
name, particularly since he would obviously disapprove of many of
those things. Some of them- for example the religious wars between
various Christian sects, and the barbaric massacres and persecutions
the Jews- are in such obvious contradiction to the attitudes and
teachings of Jesus that it seems entirely unreasonable to say that
Jesus inspired them.
Similarly, even
though modern science first arose in the Christian nations of
Western Europe, it seems inappropriate to think of Jesus as
responsible for the rise of Science. Certainly, none of the early
Christians interpreted the teachings of Jesus as a call for
scientific investigation of the physical world. Indeed, the
conversion of the Roman world to Christianity was accompanied and
followed by drastic decline in both the general level of technology
and the general degree of interest in science.
That science did
eventually arise in
Europe is indeed an indication that there was something in the
European cultural heritage that was favorable to the scientific way
of thinking. That something, however, was not the sayings of Jesus,
but rather Greek rationalism, as typified by the works of Aristotle
and Euclid. It is noteworthy that modern science developed, not
during the heyday of Church power and of Christian piety, but rather
on the heels of the Renaissance, a period during which
Europe experienced
a renewal of interest in its pre-Christian heritage.
The story of Jesus’
life, as it is related in the New Testament, is familiar to most
readers and will not be repeated here, however, a few points are
worth nothing. In the first place, most of the information that we
have about Jesus’ life is uncertain. We are not even sure what his
original name was. Most probably it was the common Jewish name,
Yehoshua (Joshua in English). The year of his birth, too, is
uncertain, although 6 B.C. is a likely date. Even the year of his
death, which must have been well known to his followers, is not
definitely known today. Jesus himself let no writings behind, and
virtually all our information concerning his life comes from the
accounts in the New Testament.
Unfortunately, the
Gospels contradict each other on various points, For example,
Matthew and Luke give completely different versions of Jesus last
words; both of these versions, incidentally, are direct quotations
from the old Testament.
It was no accident
that Jesus was able to quote from the Old Testament; though the
progenitor of Christianity, he was himself a devout Jew. It has been
frequently pointed out that Jesus was in many ways very similarly to
the Hebrew prophets of the Old Testament, and was deeply influenced
by them. Like the prophets, Jesus had an extra ordinarily impressive
personality, which made a deep and lasting impression on the people
who met him. He was charismatic in the deepest and fullest sense of
the word.
However, in sharp
contrast to Muhammad, who exercised political as well religious
authority, Jesus had virtually no influence on political
developments during his own lifetime, or during the success ding
century. (Both men, of course, have had an enormous indirect
influence on long-term political developments). Jesus made his
influence felt entirely as an ethical and spiritual leader. If it
was primarily as an ethical leader that Jesus left his mark, it is
surely pertinent to ask to what extent his ethical ideas have
influenced the world. One of Jesus’ central precepts, certainly, was
the Golden Rule. Today the Golden Rule is accepted by most people,
Christians and non-Christians alike, as a reasonable guide to moral
conduct. We may not always act in accordance with it, but we usually
try to do so. If Jesus had actually originated that almost
universally accepted principle, he would surely have been the first
man on this list.
In fact, though,
the Golden Rule was an accepted precept of Judaism long before Jesus
was born. Rabbi Hillel, the leading Jewish rabbi of the first
century B.C. explicitly enunciated the Golden Rule and pronounced it
the foremost principle f Judaism. Nor was the notion known only to
the Western world. The Chinese philosopher Confucius had proposed it
in about 500 B.C. and the saying also appears in the Mahabharata, an
ancient Hindu poem. In fact, the philosophy behind the Golden Rule
is accepted by almost every major religious group.
Does this mean that
Jesus had no original ethical ideas? Not at all a highly distinctive
view point is presented in Matthew 5:43-44
Ye have heard that
it hath been said, Thou shall love thy neighbor, and hate thine
enemy. But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse
you, do good to them that date you, and pray for them which
despitefully use you, and persecute you.
And a few lines
earlier: “ resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on the
right cheek, turn to him the other also”
Now, these ideas-
which were not a part of the Judaism of Jesus’ day, nor of most
other religions-are surely among the most remarkable and original
ethical ideas ever presented. If they were widely followed, I would
have had no hesitation in placing Jesus first in this book.
But the truth is
that they are not widely followed. In fact they are not even
generally accepted. Most Christians consider the injunction to “Love
you enemy” as-at most- an ideal which might be realized in some
perfect world, but one which is mot a reasonable guide to conduct in
the actual world we live in. We do not normally practice it, do not
except others to practice it, and do not teach our children to
practice it. Jesus’ most distinctive teaching, therefore, remains an
intriguing but basically untried suggestion.
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