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New Book Asks if John the Baptist, not Jesus, was Crucified
 Heather McCarron - Milford Daily News
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April 18, 2010
Agron Belica considers himself a follower of God, but beyond that, he says, "you can call me a Jew, Muslim or Christian. I follow Abrahamic faith. I just believe in God."
From this cross-faith viewpoint, the Massachusetts resident has pulled a unique theory about Jesus Christ, John the Baptist and the crucifixion that has interested some Islamic-Christian scholars.
Belica, who is of Muslim Albanian descent, is the author of "The Crucifixion: Mistaken Identity?" In the 125-page text, he postulates that John the Baptist - the prophet Yahya - was actually on the crucifix in place of Jesus Christ.
Acknowledging the theory contradicts the Christian belief that Christ died on the cross and rose three days later, Belica admitted, "I've been catching a lot of heat."
But, in the end, it is another theory among others, he says. It is based on Islamic and Christian texts - most notably the Qur'an and the Bible - and accounts of the Roman historian Josephus. The theory also takes into account the political and social realities of the time period and wonders why John the Baptist, a prominent figure at the time, was so obscured by the gospels.
Jay Crook, a Ph.D in Persian literature who is the book's editor, notes that Belica "does not claim to be proving anything, except that with some speculation and reinterpretation of the Biblical record and relevant Quranic texts, when coupled with a few remarks from Josephus, the whole traditional version of the crucifixion can be seen in a different light. Belica throws new ideas and new possibilities at the reader, asking only that they be considered."
"For me, it's more history," said Belica. "I'm not attacking. I'm not saying the Christian is wrong. I'm just being unbiased."
Belica has been researching and studying for the past seven years, and has been writing for about four years. Although largely self-educated in Islam, Belica has taken courses in religion and the doctrinal differences among various Islamic sects. He has also been a student of Christian doctrines.
Belica's insatiable interest in the various faiths and the history they are rooted in has led him to his special interest in comparative religion, with a particular interest in John the Baptist, or Yahya as he is known in the Qur'an.
"I speak four languages, so I've studied the Arabic version of the Qur'an," he said.
Belica also reads Albanian and Turkish, besides English.
The book, he said, "is actually my first interpretation of something out of the Qur'an."
He considers himself a scholar first and foremost, and looks at the passages with an objective eye, he said.
This particular theory rests on a passage in the Qur'an that reads, "And because of their saying: 'We slew the Messiah 'Isa (Jesus) son of Mary, God's Messenger - they slew him not nor crucified him, but it appeared so [shubbiha] unto them."
"The key word here is 'shubbiha.' The word actually means 'resemblance' or 'something similar.' So that's where all the theory is," explained Belica. "There's a lot of theories out there in the Islamic world as to who was in the place of Jesus."
Belica strings out his theory from there, proposing that John the Baptist was the "resemblance" because of his many close similarities to Jesus, a kinsman, and his prominence in the society.
He proposes that some words in the Arabic have been misinterpreted, changing the significance of passages. John, for example, is often referred to as "saed," which has long been held to mean "chief" or "master."
"But I go to all the lexicons and it also means 'concealer of secrets,"' Belica said.
"John the Baptist appears on the scene and he provokes the Pharisees - the learned men. They confront him and ask 'Who are you?' He must have been doing something extraordinary because even in the gospels people were wondering if he was the Messiah," Belica said.
John's answer to that question, he said, was, "I'm just the voice of one calling in the wilderness."
"You see what he's doing here? He's concealing his identity. He says 'There is one who stands among you who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' You see, he is concealing the identity of the Messiah. That's why in the Qur'an they call him (John) the concealer of secrets."
Belica further argues that spoken words associated with Jesus could have also been mixed up with those of John, and that it was John's popularity that actually raised concerns in the political sphere of his time.
"The first century historian Josephus reports Herod feared John's influence among the people and possible rebellion," Belica said.
According to the Bible, John was beheaded. But historically, according to Josephus, only Roman citizens were beheaded. Non-Romans, like John, would have been crucified.
Throughout his book, Belica said, "I'm showing you it was John who was the resemblance of Jesus."
He rounds out his argument, pointing out that Yahya means "He who lives."
"He who lives? Do they mean, survived crucifixion?" Belica wonders.
"The great historian Josephus knew nothing about Jesus and a crucifixion. But he knew about John the Baptist. The only prominent person who was arrested and put to death was John the Baptist," Belica further argues.
Dr. Mahmoud M. Ayoub, a scholar of Islamic studies and Christian-Muslim relations at the Hartford Seminary, says Belica's theory "is an engaging analysis of the life and mission" of John and Jesus.
"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 questions, as it rests on circumstantial evidence, the book will add much to the discussion of an epoch-making event that has shaped history," Ayoub states in a testimonial of the book.
Belica's translations and ideas have also attracted the attention of prominent Muslim author and translator, Dr. Laleh Bakhtiar, who introduced him to Crook.
Crook, who has translated several books from Persian to English, says Belica "asks disconcerting questions about the received version of gospel 'history' and gives free rein to his inquisitive nature."
"Many of his ideas and speculations will strike the casual reader schooled in the ancient Biblical traditions with which they conflict as unhistorical, impossible and unbelievable," he writes in his introduction to the book. "Yet, when questioning established premises, the impossible may often be shown to be possible, as Socrates was fond of doing."
What's drawn the interest from scholars, said Belica, is that "I came upon a theory nobody's ever come up with."
"The Crucifixion: Mistaken Identity?" is available at the Harvard Book Store. One hundred copies were printed; others sold beyond that are printed on demand. |
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