Hidden In Him
Well-Known Member
Muslims believe Jesus was the Messiah. They also believe in the Virgin Birth. They do not, however, concur with the idea of "a begotten" son. I don't know myself if "begotten" is the right word. It is a somewhat strange term that almost implies God could have sex with a woman.
And the phrase "only begotten son" is not a very good translation of the original Greek "monogenes". It probably should read "only" -- the way Isaac was described as the "only son."
Gen 22:2 And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.
The KJV mangles a verse in Hebrews where "monogenes" is used about Isaac.
Heb 11:17 By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,
Why it got translated that way is a mystery since Abraham had two sons who were "begotten" sexually. Then we find that "monogenes" most certainly didn't get translated as "only begotten" when talking about an only son of a woman.
Luk 7:12 Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her.
Sorry about the late reply. Took a few days off.
About this, monogenes is a composite of mono and genos, from the root ginomai "to be born." Thus "only-born" is the essential meaning, with no direct reference to how conception took place (either sexually or otherwise). Muslims just read into the expression in order to debunk it as a carnal and sinful doctrine.
About Isaac, Hebrews 11:18 adds, "By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said that "In Isaac shall thy seed be called." In other words, in terms of his godly lineage, Abraham only had one true son.
The Quran states that religion should not be a matter of compulsion, that Jews and Christians should be tolerated and allowed to worship as they want.
Yes, but they have a way of subjugating people of other faiths in regions where Islam has achieved complete dominance. They force them to pay Jizya in order to observe their faith while under Muslim rule, a concession that I believe will be withdrawn when the time of the Antichrist draws near and the prophecy is fulfilled which says, "neither will they be allowed to buy or sell unless they have the mark."