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| Duccio, The Betrayal of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane, 1308 |
By HANA AWAD
The Majority of Muslims believe that Jesus did not die on the cross, but that God brought Jesus to heaven on the day Jesus was supposed to be crucified. (The Quran clearly states that Jesus and God were two separate entities. Jesus was only a messenger of God, not God himself.) The text in the Quran leaves some unanswered questions, like if Jesus didn’t die on the cross, who did? Muslim scholars have different interpretations and theories about the Quranic text. Peter Albedard’s Inquiry into Divergent Views of Church Fathers, Albedard encourages young readers to research contrasting views. He says, “By collecting contrasting divergent opinions I hope to provoke young readers to push themselves to the limit in search for truth, so that their wits may be sharpened by their investigation” (Abelard). As a Muslim who has not received a completely satisfactory answer on what happened to Jesus, I look to other religions to see different perspectives that can possibly contribute to my own beliefs. In Catholics, unlike Muslims, have agreed upon what happened to Jesus on the day of his death.
In The Betrayal of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane, Duccio clearly captures the details and the mood of the Christian story. To the left of the painting, Peter cuts off a slave’s ear. To the right, the apostles run from the scene. In the middle, Judas kisses Jesus’ cheek, and the mob of the Romans stands angrily behind the two, holding their spears and torches. The number of figures and the energy of the painting gives it a claustrophobic and chaotic feel. The ominous dark trees in the background foreshadow betrayal and death.
In the Bible Story, Judas leads the Roman Guards into the Garden of Gethsemane where he knows he will find Jesus and the apostles. To point Jesus out to the guards, Judas kisses Jesus’ cheek. Jesus offers himself up to the guards as long as the guards set the apostles free. The apostles want to jump into action, asking Jesus if they should fight off the guards with their swords. Before Jesus can respond, Peter wields one of his two swords, cutting off the ear of a slave in anger. Jesus, angered by Peter’s actions, heals the slave’s wound and proclaims, “Return your sword to its place, for all those who take up the sword will perish by the sword.” (Even when Jesus is about to get captured, he keeps trying to preach.) Jesus explains to his apostles that without his capture, the scripture would not be fulfilled. The mob begins to bind Jesus and the apostles flee the scene.
In The Betrayal of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane, Duccio clearly captures the details and the mood of the Christian story. To the left of the painting, Peter cuts off a slave’s ear. To the right, the apostles run from the scene. In the middle, Judas kisses Jesus’ cheek, and the mob of the Romans stands angrily behind the two, holding their spears and torches. The number of figures and the energy of the painting gives it a claustrophobic and chaotic feel. The ominous dark trees in the background foreshadow betrayal and death.
In the Bible Story, Judas leads the Roman Guards into the Garden of Gethsemane where he knows he will find Jesus and the apostles. To point Jesus out to the guards, Judas kisses Jesus’ cheek. Jesus offers himself up to the guards as long as the guards set the apostles free. The apostles want to jump into action, asking Jesus if they should fight off the guards with their swords. Before Jesus can respond, Peter wields one of his two swords, cutting off the ear of a slave in anger. Jesus, angered by Peter’s actions, heals the slave’s wound and proclaims, “Return your sword to its place, for all those who take up the sword will perish by the sword.” (Even when Jesus is about to get captured, he keeps trying to preach.) Jesus explains to his apostles that without his capture, the scripture would not be fulfilled. The mob begins to bind Jesus and the apostles flee the scene.
Though I don’t know if I believe the story or not, I do see the similarities between the two religions, in that both religions encourage peace. People do not realize that Islam also preaches peace, understanding, and tolerance. “The true servants of the Gracious One are those who walk upon the earth with humility and when they are addressed by the ignorant ones, their response is, Peace” (Quran 25:63). So I didn’t find the answer to what happened to Jesus, but in reading Catholic stories and comparing them to my own faith, I perhaps found something more meaningful.