Sesungguhnya kafirlah mereka yang berkata: "Tuhan itu ialah Al-Masih, anak Maryam." Katakanlah: "Siapakah yang dapat menghalangi kehendak Tuhan sekiranya Dia hendak membinasakan Al-Masih, anak Maryam, dan ibunya, serta semua yang ada di bumi?" Kepunyaan Tuhanlah kerajaan langit dan bumi serta apa yang ada di antara keduanya. Dia menciptakan apa yang Dia kehendaki dan Tuhan Maha Kuasa atas segala sesuatu. (Ayat 17)
Unbelievers indeed are they who say: “God is the Christ, son of Mary.” Say: Who could have prevailed with God in any way had it been His will to destroy the Christ, son of Mary, and his mother, and everyone on earth? To God belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them. He creates what He wills and God has power over all things. (Verse 17)
Mesej yang disampaikan Jesus (alaihissalam) sebagaimana yang diwahyukan kepadanya oleh Tuhannya ialah mesej tentang keesaan mutlak Tuhan, yang telah diberikan kepada setiap rasul.
The message Jesus (peace be upon him) conveyed as given to him by his Lord was the message of God’s absolute oneness which has been given to every messenger.
Penyerahan diri secara total kepada Tuhan yang Esa semata-mata sebagai satu-satunya Tuhan dan Pemelihara alam semesta ialah sikap yang diamalkan oleh setiap rasul. Namun, iman yang jelas ini kemudian menjadi rosak selepas kaum pagan menganut Kristian, dengan mengekalkan sebahagian kesan kepercayaan pagan lama mereka yang mereka bersungguh-sungguh masukkan ke dalam agama yang berasaskan keesaan Tuhan. Dengan berlalunya masa, kepercayaan menysimpang ini menjadi sebahagian yang tidak terpisahkan daripada keseluruhan agama tersebut.
Total submission to God alone as the only God and the Lord of the universe was the attitude adopted by every messenger. This clear faith, however, later became distorted after pagans adopted Christianity, retaining some traces of their old pagan beliefs which they were keen to introduce into the faith based on God’s oneness. As time passed, these deviant beliefs became an integral part of the whole faith.
Kepercayaan-kepercayaan yang menyimpang ini tidak diperkenalkan sekaligus. Majlis-majlis gerejawi memperkenalkannya pada selang waktu yang berbeza-beza, sehingga akhirnya terhasil campuran legenda dan konsep yang sangat mengelirukan, yang bahkan menyukarkan para penganjurnya sendiri yang cuba memberikan tafsiran yang logik terhadapnya.
These deviant beliefs were not introduced all at the same time. Ecclesiastical councils introduced them at different intervals until they eventually produced this singularly confusing mixture of legends and concepts that defies even those of its advocates who try to give a logical interpretation of it.
Konsep asas tentang keesaan Tuhan telah didakwahkan selepas Nabi Isa (ʿalayhi al-salam)
The basic concept of God’s oneness was preached after Jesus (peace be upon him)
oleh para murid beliau dan pengikut-pengikut mereka. Injil Barnabas, salah satu daripada banyak tulisan pada zaman itu, menyebut Nabi Isa Al-Masih sebagai seorang utusan Tuhan. Kemudian timbul perbezaan pendapat dalam kalangan mereka sendiri, sebahagian berpendapat bahawa Al-Masih tidak berbeza daripada utusan-utusan lain yang diutus oleh Tuhan. Yang lain mengakui bahawa beliau seorang utusan, tetapi mereka mendakwa bahawa beliau mempunyai hubungan istimewa dengan Tuhan, manakala kumpulan ketiga pula berkata bahawa beliau ialah anak Tuhan kerana beliau dicipta tanpa bapa. Namun begitu, beliau tetaplah salah satu daripada ciptaan Tuhan. Kumpulan lain pula mendakwa bahawa beliau ialah anak Tuhan, dan bahawa beliau tidak dicipta; beliau berkongsi dengan Bapa sifat kekal abadi.
by his disciples and their followers. The Gospel of Barnabas, one of many written at the time, speaks of Jesus Christ as a Messenger of God. Internal differences then broke out, with some maintaining that the Christ was not different from other messengers sent by God. Others acknowledged that he was a messenger but they claimed that he had a special relationship with God, while a third group said that he was the son of God because he was created without a father. Nevertheless, he was one of God’s creation. A different group claimed that he was God’s son, and that he was not created; he shared with the Father the quality of being eternal.
Untuk menyelesaikan perselisihan mereka, sebuah sinode besar bertemu pada tahun 325 M, dihadiri oleh 48000
To settle their differences, a great synod met in 325 AD, attended by 48,000
para-patriarki dan uskup yang digambarkan oleh Ibn al-Baţrīq, seorang sejarawan Kristian, sebagai berikut:
patriarchs and bishops who were described by Ibn al-Baţrīq, a historian of Christianity, as follows:
Mereka sangat berbeza pandangan dan kepercayaan. Sebahagian daripada mereka berpendapat bahawa kedua-dua Kristus dan ibunya adalah tuhan, manakala yang lain, Sabilius dan para pengikutnya, memandang hubungan antara Kristus dan Bapa sebagai api yang dipisahkan daripada obor, yang terus menyala tanpa terjejas oleh pemisahan ini. Kumpulan ketiga, Ilyan dan mereka yang mengikut jejaknya, mendakwa bahawa Maryam tidak mengandungkan Isa selama sembilan bulan sebagaimana ibu-ibu mengandungkan anak mereka. Baginda hanya melalui perutnya sebagaimana air mengalir melalui saluran. Kalimah itu masuk melalui telinganya dan keluar serta-merta melalui laluan tempat seorang kanak-kanak dilahirkan. Kumpulan lain pula mendakwa bahawa Kristus adalah manusia yang diciptakan daripada Yang Maha Esa dengan hakikat yang serupa dengan mana-mana seorang daripada kita. Permulaan anak itu bermula dengan Maryam, dan dia dipilih untuk mengekalkan hakikat kemanusiaan.
They differed greatly in views and faiths. Some of them maintained that both the Christ and his mother were gods, while others, Sabilius and his followers, viewed the relationship between the Christ and the Father as a brand of fire separated from a torch, which continued to burn unaffected by this split. A third group, Ilyan and those who followed his lead, claimed that Mary did not bear Jesus for nine months, as mothers bear their children. He only passed through her belly as water runs through gutters. The Word went through her ear and came out instantly through the passage where a child is born. Another group claimed that the Christ was a human being created from the Divine with an essence similar to that of any one of us. The beginning of the son started with Mary, and he was chosen to maintain the human essence.
Rahmat ilahi dikurniakan kepadanya dengan kasih sayang dan kehendak Tuhan. Oleh sebab itulah beliau digelar anak Tuhan. Mereka berpendapat bahawa Tuhan ialah satu hakikat yang kekal dan satu jauhar tunggal yang mempunyai tiga nama. Mereka tidak percaya kepada Kalimah dan tidak juga kepada Roh Kudus. Ini ialah pandangan yang dianjurkan oleh Paul Shamshati, patriarch Antiokhia, dan para pengikutnya yang digelar golongan Bulikania. Satu lagi kumpulan percaya kepada satu triniti yang terdiri daripada tiga tuhan: yang baik, yang jahat dan yang di tengah-tengah antara keduanya. Pandangan ini dikemukakan oleh Markiun, yang mereka dakwa sebagai Murid Utama Jesus, dengan menafikan Peter. Satu lagi kumpulan berpendapat bahawa Jesus Christ mempunyai sifat ketuhanan. Ini ialah kepercayaan yang dianjurkan oleh St. Paul dan 318 orang uskup yang mengikutinya.1
Divine grace was bestowed on him with love and Divine will. It is for this reason that he was called the son of God. They maintained that God is an eternal, single essence and single hypostasis who had three names. They did not believe in the Word or in the Holy Spirit. This was the view advocated by Paul Shamshati, the patriarch of Antioch and his followers who were called the Bulikanians. Yet another group believed in a trinity consisting of three deities: good, evil and a middle one in between. This view was advanced by Markiun whom they claimed to be Jesus’s Chief Disciple, denying Peter. A further group maintained that Jesus Christ had a Divine nature. This was the belief advocated by St. Paul and 318 bishops who followed him.1
Maharaja Rom Constantine, yang memeluk agama Kristian tanpa memahami apa-apa tentangnya, memilih pandangan terakhir ini dan menyokong para penyokongnya, lalu memberi mereka peluang untuk menindas semua kepercayaan dan pandangan lain, terutamanya mereka yang berpendapat bahawa sifat Ketuhanan hanya dimiliki oleh Bapa dan bahawa Isa, Kristus, adalah seorang manusia.
The Roman Emperor Constantine, who embraced Christianity without understanding anything of it chose this last view and supported its advocates, giving them a chance to suppress all other beliefs and views, especially those who maintained that the Divine nature belonged only to the father and that Jesus, the Christ, was a human being.
Pengarang Sejarah Bangsa Koptik mengatakan begini mengenai keputusan ini:
The author of the History of the Coptic Nation has this to say about this decision:
"Komuniti suci dan gereja rasul mengucilkan setiap orang yang mendakwa bahawa pernah ada satu masa ketika anak Tuhan tidak wujud, atau bahawa dia tidak wujud sebelum dilahirkan, atau bahawa dia dilahirkan daripada yang tiada, atau bahawa dia dijadikan daripada satu bahan atau hakikat selain daripada hakikat Tuhan, Bapa. Ia juga mengucilkan setiap orang yang berkata bahawa Yesus Kristus itu dicipta, atau bahawa dia terdedah kepada perubahan, atau bahawa bayangannya berbeza bentuk." Dengan membuat keputusan ini, majlis gerejawi tidak berjaya menarik hati para penganut Unitarian pengikut Aries yang berjaya memperoleh kuasa di Constantinople, Antioch, Babylon, Alexandria dan Mesir.
“The holy community and the apostolic church excommunicated everyone who claimed that there was a time when the son of God did not exist, or that he did not exist before he was born, or that he was born of nothing or that he was made of a substance or an essence other than that of God, the Father. It also excommunicated everyone who said that Jesus Christ was created, or that he was liable to change or that his shadow differed in shape.” By taking these decisions, the ecclesiastical council did not manage to win over the Unitarian followers of Aries who managed to gain power in Constantinople, Antioch, Babylon, Alexandria and Egypt.
Perselisihan baharu tercetus mengenai hakikat Roh Kudus, dengan sesetengah orang berpendapat bahawa Isa adalah Ilahi, manakala yang lain menolak pandangan ini. Konsili Pertama Constantinople bersidang pada tahun 381 untuk menyelesaikan perbezaan tersebut. Sejarawan Kristian yang sama memberitahu kita tentang keputusan konsili ini sebagaimana dilaporkan oleh Uskup Alexandria: "Patriark Alexandria, Thimothius berkata: 'Bagi kami, Roh Kudus tidak mempunyai makna lain selain Roh Tuhan, dan Roh Tuhan tidak mempunyai makna lain selain kehidupan-Nya. Oleh itu, jika kami mengatakan bahawa Roh Kudus itu dicipta, maka kami sedang mengatakan bahawa Roh Tuhan itu dicipta, dan jika kami mengatakan bahawa Roh Tuhan itu dicipta, maka kami sedang mengatakan bahawa kehidupan-Nya itu satu ciptaan. Jika kami mengatakan bahawa kehidupan-Nya itu satu ciptaan, maka kami mendakwa bahawa Dia bukanlah Yang Hidup. Jika kami mendakwa bahawa Dia bukanlah Yang Hidup, maka kami kafir kepada-Nya. Sesiapa yang kafir kepada-Nya hendaklah dilaknat.'" Oleh itu, Ketuhanan Roh Kudus telah ditetapkan dalam majlis gerejawi ini sebagaimana Ketuhanan Kristus, Isa, telah ditetapkan dalam konsili yang terdahulu. Maka, Triniti Bapa, Anak dan Roh Kudus akhirnya ditetapkan.
A new disagreement erupted over the nature of the Holy Spirit, with some people maintaining that Jesus was Divine, while others rejected this. The first Synod of Constantinople met in 381 to settle these differences. The same historian of Christianity tells us of the decisions of this council as reported by the Bishop of Alexandria: “The Patriarch of Alexandria, Thimothius said: ‘To us the Holy Spirit does not have a meaning other than the spirit of God, and the spirit of God has no meaning other than His life. Therefore, if we were to say that the Holy Spirit was created, then we are saying that the spirit of God is created, and if we were to say that the spirit of God is created, then we are saying that His life is a creation. If we were to say that His life is a creation, then we allege that He is not the Living. If we were to allege that He is not the Living, then we disbelieve in Him. Whoever disbelieves in Him is to be cursed.” Hence, the Divinity of the Holy Spirit was established in this ecclesiastical council as the Divinity of the Christ, Jesus, was established in the earlier council. Thus the Trinity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit was finally established.
Perselisihan lain tercetus mengenai persoalan penyatuan sifat Ketuhanan dan kemanusiaan dalam diri Kristus. Nestorius, Patriarch Constantinople, berpendapat bahawa terdapat satu hipostasis dan dua sifat. Hipostasis ketuhanan diperoleh daripada Bapa, manakala kemanusiaan datang melalui Maryam. Oleh itu, Maryam ialah ibu kepada manusia dalam diri Isa, bukan ibu kepada Tuhan. Mengenai Kristus yang bergaul dengan manusia dan berbicara kepada mereka, beliau berkata, sebagaimana dinukilkan oleh ahli sejarah Kristian:
Yet another dispute broke out on the issue of the combination of the Divine and the human natures in the Christ. Nestor, the Patriarch of Constantinople, was of the view that there was a hypostasis and a nature. The hypostasis of Divinity was derived from the Father, while the humanity came through Mary. Therefore, Mary was the mother of man in Jesus, not the mother of God. Of the Christ who mixed with people and addressed them, he said, as quoted by the historian of Christianity:
"Lelaki yang mendakwa dirinya Kristus ini bersatu dengan anak melalui kasih sayang. Dikatakan bahawa dia adalah Tuhan dan anak Tuhan, bukan pada hakikatnya tetapi melalui kurnia."
Dia juga berkata: "Nestorius berpendapat bahawa Tuhan kami, Yesus Kristus, bukanlah Tuhan itu sendiri, tetapi seorang manusia yang penuh dengan keberkatan dan kurnia, atau dia diilhamkan oleh Tuhan. Dia maksum dan tidak melakukan dosa."
Pandangannya ditolak oleh Uskup Rom, Patriarkh Alexandria dan Uskup-uskup Antiokhia. Mereka bersetuju untuk mengadakan sidang kemuncak yang keempat, Konsili Efesus. Diadakan pada tahun 431, Konsili ini menyimpulkan bahawa "Maria si Perawan ialah ibu Tuhan dan bahawa Yesus ialah Tuhan yang benar dan manusia pada masa yang sama, dengan dua tabiat yang bersatu dalam hipostasis." Konsili itu melaknat Nestorius.
“This man who says he is the Christ is united with the son through love. It is said that he is God and the son of God, not in actuality but through grace.” He also says: “Nestor has maintained that our Lord, Jesus Christ, was not God himself, but a man full of blessings and grace, or he was inspired by God. He was infallible and committed no sin.” His view was rejected by the Bishop of Rome, the Patriarch of Alexandria and the Bishops of Antioch. They agreed to hold a fourth summit, the Afsis Council. Held in 431, this Council concluded that “Mary the Virgin was the mother of God and that Jesus was a true God and a man at the same time, with two natures united in the hypostasis.” The Council cursed Nestor.
Gereja Alexandria mengemukakan satu lagi pandangan yang dibincangkan oleh sinode kedua, yang menyimpulkan bahawa "Al-Masih mempunyai satu tabiat yang menggabungkan Ketuhanan dan kemanusiaan." Pandangan ini tidak diterima secara universal. Perselisihan berleluasa, dan satu lagi majlis gerejawi bertemu di Khalqidonia pada tahun 451 dan memutuskan bahawa "Al-Masih mempunyai dua tabiat, bukan satu. Ketuhanan ialah tabiat yang suci dan berbeza daripada kemanusiaan."
The Church of Alexandria came out with yet another view which was discussed by the second synod, which concluded that “The Christ had one nature combining both Divinity and humanity.” This view was not universally accepted. Disagreement was rife and another ecclesiastical council met at Khalqidonia in 451 and determined that “The Christ had two natures, not one. Divinity was a nature sacred and different from Humanity.
"Kedua-duanya bertemu dalam Kristus." Maka, sinode kedua di Afsis itu sepenuhnya ditolak.
Both met in the Christ.” Thus, the second synod of Afsis was totally rejected.
Orang Mesir mengisytiharkan bahawa mereka tidak mengiktiraf keputusan ini. Satu konflik berdarah tercetus antara orang Kopt Mesir, golongan Monofisit dan golongan Melkit Syria yang pandangannya menjadi pandangan rasmi Empayar.
The Egyptians declared that they did not recognise this decision. A bloody conflict erupted between the Egyptian Copts, the Monophysites and the Melkites of Syria whose views became the official ones of the Empire.
Nota ini memadai untuk menggambarkan kepelbagaian besar konsep sesat tentang Ketuhanan Nabi Isa, dan permusuhan serta kebencian yang timbul akibatnya antara pelbagai mazhab. Perpecahan dan kebencian ini masih berterusan sehingga hari ini.
This note is sufficient to describe the great variety of deviant concepts about the Divinity of Jesus Christ and the enmity and hatred to which it led between various sects. These divisions and hatred continue even today.