Manager, Bronwen Blaney
'The Crucifixion: Mistaken Identity? by Agron Belica is an engaging analysis of the life and mission of the two kindred religious personages, John the Baptist (Yahya) and Jesus (`Isa). Even though the central argument of the book, namely that the man who was hung on the cross was John and not Jesus, may be academically open to question as it rests on circumstantial evidence, the book will add much to the discussion of an epoch-making event that has shaped world history. The book is informative and entertaining. It is certainly worth reading.'
Professor of Islamic Studies and Christian-Muslim Relations
Hartford Seminary, Hartford CT
____________________
There are two methods of gaining knowledge in the great religious traditions of the world in general, and Islam, in particular. One method is knowledge that is imitated (taqlid) or transmitted by hearsay from generation to generation like the sciences of language, history and law. With this method, a person never asks “Why?” but accepts what is taught by an authority. In the Islamic tradition this leads to ijtihad, ijtihad specifically referring to developing expertise in jurisprudence (fiqh) to the level of being able to use independent judgment in understanding Islamic law (Shariah). Such a person is known as a mujtahid. Whoever is not a mujtahid, whoever has not reached that level, must “imitate” or “follow” a person who has, whether that person is dead (Sunni Muslims) or alive (Shia Muslims). The second method of gaining knowledge is what is of most interest to us in this book review, that of tahqiq or intellectual knowledge where one may have a teacher for guidance but it is knowledge that cannot be passed from one generation to another. Each person has to discover it for himself or herself by “polishing the heart,” by becoming a person who sees with the eye of Oneness or tawhid, a person who deeply senses his responsibility to God, His creation and His humanity. The person who gains knowledge with this method is called “a seeker of truth” (muhaqqiq). Intellectual knowledge (tahqiq) builds on transmitted knowledge but goes deeper. Transmitted knowledge includes memorizers of the Quran and the Hadith but only with intellectual knowledge can one understand what God and the Prophet are saying. Those who lack this intellectual endeavor have, one might say, not sought the means to see with the eye of “Oneness.” Questions like “why” are not the only ones that the intellect of the seeker of truth asks because the underlying distinction is to think, “to think for oneself,” and not to stop at “imitation alone.”
Not everyone has been burdened with this capacity as the Quran says in 2:286, but one person who has is Agron Belica. He is a seeker of truth, seeker of the Reality (haqq), a person who has verified knowledge, not on the basis of imitating the opinion of others, but on the basis of having realized the truth for himself as well as being one who acts in accord with haqq, all the time realizing his belief in the One God, the one creation and the one humanity. A faith tradition may survive without a living mujtahid, but it rapidly disappears without a living muhaqqiq. Without a living seeker of truth, a seeker of reality, the faith tradition cannot remain faithful to its principles because it cannot understand those principles. Agron Belica’s basic premise is to follow the Quran and the Hadith and the New Testament which all assert that Jesus is the Messiah. However according to the Quran and the Hadith, it only appeared to the people who bore witness to the Messiah that he had been crucified. In reality, according to the intellectual endeavor of the author, it was “he who lives” (Yahya), the concealer of secrets hasura, as the Quran refers to him who was placed on the cross and lived, a view held by early Christian gnostics as well, but later declared to be a heresy. The Concealer of Secrets concealed the secret of his identity and that of the Messiah in order to save the Messiah. The Messiah was then allowed to carry on his prophetic mission (perhaps traveling even as far as Kashmir where many believe that he is buried). At the same time that Mary retired to a sanctuary, Zechariah becoming her protector, Zechariah prayed for an heir. The the son of Mary, was close in age to the son of man (the Concealer of Secrets fathered by Zechariah). They may have even been cousins who resembled one another. They both began their prophetic mission around the same time yet neither revealed themselves as to who they actually were. The author traces these and other parallels in the lives of the son of Mary and the son of man for a fascinating read. In the great tradition of seekers of truth in the past, Agron Belica brings harmony to ancient mysteries. He shows the possibility of how thing may be in the Presence of the Oneness of God and he does so through scriptures – the Quran, Hadith and the New Testament. This is a book that should be read by everyone who wants to discern the Reality of the story of the Messiah.
Dr. Laleh Bakhtiar
Chicago, October 21, 2008
___________________________
Agron Belica is a first generation American of Albanian descent. He is devoted to a few things. One is his family, another is his religion, and yet a third is intellectual and spiritual religious inquiry. His book is a tribute to this devotion and inquiry. It is a brilliant and original look at the Gospels and the Quran, as well as the earlier Mosaic texts. In this book, the self-taught Belica, with no formal education, points out linguistic and spiritual parallels between generations of key characters in three religious histories. A devout and inquiring Muslim, using the close reading of the Quran as his guide, Belica, is able to look back at the central story of the crucifixion through a new lens, the Muslim lens, using key passages from a number of religious scriptures to build a fascinating new argument. His thoughts, insights and interpretations are remarkable, profound, and leaves the reader in awe.
Belica notices that a son is born to the prophet Zachariah at about the same time as a son is born to Mary. He systematically and spell-bindingly leads us through the parallels between these two prophets, the second of whom we have come to know as Jesus. Both are raised in secrecy, and bring prophesy and healing. Both are spared somehow the decree of Herod at birth, only to befall religious ostracism and apparent physical mutilation beheading/crucifixion at the time of apparent earthly death. Belica takes us through the similarities in these prophet’s lives, their coming into the lives of their parents, as the sons had done, in response to prayer, or in the unlikely moment, for Mary, of her chastity. The coming together of Zachariah and Mary is cemented with the former shielding Mary from harm as her foster-father. Belica brings us back further in scriptural history to draw other such parallels when it comes to prophets, and he draws upon the Arabic roots of the names of these figures, from Adam to Zachariah’s son, to convince the reader of his novel contribution to scriptural reading. But I’m not going to give that away! For that, you must read the book yourself!
This book is slim, but both erudite and yet easy to follow, in its step by step progression through the many scriptures, seemingly so familiar is Agron Belica with every passage, the apt ones come easily to mind for him, and strike an immediate cord in us, no matter how familiar or unfamiliar we are with the text and story. And yet, this book is no recipe for persuasion. It is much more sophisticated than that. Written in a devout and true Muslim spirit, it is also—as mentioned at the beginning of this review—an inquiry and a wholly new contribution to that body of sculptural scholarship. Agron Belica advances a theory which sheds an entirely novel light on the views that are commonplace today, and, through an examination of linguistics, passages, intent, and meaning, causes us to re-examine, in an exciting, clue-ridden way, what we have assumed to be true about the three major religions for centuries, concentrating on his own Muslim faith.
Dr. Harte Weiner, Cambridge, MA
___________________________
As an avid reader of the Holy Bible, how many countless times have you drawn your own interpretations, and conclusions? How many versions of the Bible have you read, comparing ancient manuscripts to modern day Scripture? As an open minded reader in faith, and Christianity, has your bias lead you directly to extensive research on the words, and works of Christ? Is it possible that Jesus did not die on the cross? Is the accepted view of the life of Christ incomplete? Are we thirsty for the mysterious, thus craving for more information on what we doubt, or believe is missing? Are we comfortable, and completely satisfied in what we've learned in a lifetime about the son of Mary, and the crucifixion? These are only a few questions that the curious reader is left to ponder, after reading the cleverly written book. As an educated scholar on Christian history, Agron Belica fills the pages with contradictions and controversy on the life of Mary, Jesus, and the crucifixion. The author presents persuasive arguments on theory which surrounds the events, and circumstances which took place during that era, obtained from years of elaborate examination. The reader is left with yet another crucial question, has prevailing powers camouflaged the truth? The author's comparisons are undeniable plausible, while he sites religious documents to support his arguments, leaving the reader amazingly surprised. I would recommend this book to all reader's who wish to explore facts, and seek additional knowledge obtained through research about faith, and Christianity. In comparison to the book "Holy Blood, Holy Grail" Agron Belica enlightens his open minded readers to other possibilities as they absorb each bit of information with a grain of salt. The author does not shoot the facts into the reader's face. Instead, he gently challenges the senses while using theory as the key to open the door to other possibilities as we draw our own opinions, and conclusions. The book is precise, and interesting. Regardless of which road the reader takes on the teachings of the life of Christ, Agron Belica provides us with the ultimate message that remains the same, eternal Blessings in the light of Christ. Combined with that message and the author's presentation of research, if just one reader is left with any doubts, then the author's mission has been accomplished. This novel is an impressive, passionate read, and is as Powerfully Moving as "THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST"with Mel Gibson!
Geraldine Ahearn, A.I.O.M.
author of 6 books, CCRN
Author Geri Ahearn, INC.
Lifetime Member ABI Women's Review Board
________________________
“John the Baptist, this neglected and underestimated prophet, has found an enthusiastic advocate in Agron Belica. Let us hope that his efforts will encourage others amongst us to reconsider old "truths." And God knows best.”
_______________________
“The amazing thing about the author, Agron Belica, is that his scholarship is not the result of any formal advanced education, religious or otherwise. Rather, the new perspectives and broadening of horizons which are the hallmark of this piece of scholarship resulted from Mr. Belica’s self-motivated, non-formal, but extremely intensive scholarship. It has been my honor and privilege to have met the author, Agron Belica. Mr. Belica has reflected an unparalleled inner commitment towards becoming a more spiritually-evolved and God-devoted person, and towards unraveling the truths and myths behind the Islamic, Judaic and Christian theologies. I watched Mr. Belica as he struggled with understanding, embracing, and then questioning what he had always believed to be the truths about his own faith and other faiths. This substantial piece of scholarship is the result of the years of devotion to which Mr. Belica has dedicated himself, towards understanding, questioning, and seeking new perspectives on the religious traditions and issues of our times.”
Roger H. Sigal, Criminal Defense Trial Attorney- Tucson, Arizona
