Sanctification of the Cross

Christians in general hold the wood of the cross in great reverence, and prostrate in worship before the paintings or image of the Godhead, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, as well as making prostrations of reverence to the images of their saints.

 There can be any of the following reasons for consecrating the wood of the cross: because it had a physical contact with, or was touched by, the body of Christ at the time of crucifixion; or because it became a means for their atonement, or the blood of Christ flowed over it.

Now if it is for the first reason, all the donkeys of the world should be held holier than the cross, as Christ used to ride on the back of donkeys and mules. They had more physical contact with the body of Christ and, contrary to the cross, they served the purpose of providing comfort to him. It was a donkey that carried Christ to the temple of Jerusalem. Besides, being animate, the donkey is closely associated with man as opposed to the wood of the cross which is inanimate.

As for the second reason, Judas Iscariot deserves more reverence and sanctification as it was through his betrayal that Jesus was arrested and then

crucified by the Jews. Without his betrayal, atonement through the death of Christ would not have been possible. He, therefore, is the first and main cause of eternal salvation. If the sanctity of the cross is related to the third reason, the thorns that were put on the head of the Christ on the form of a crown 32[32] deserve more reverence and respect, as they too were coloured with the blood of Christ.

We are unable to see any reason why only the cross is held in such great respect and reverence. Maybe it is another riddle like the trinity. The most abhorrent and abominable thing is the act of worshipping the image of the Father-God. We have already discussed with undeniable arguments that God Almighty is absolutely beyond the possibility of any similitude being made of Him. Visualization of Him is a physical impossibility. No human being can ever see Him. Is there any one to claim the ability to make an image bearing any degree of similarity to Him? Besides, it would be more logical for them to worship every human being as they are created in the image of God according to the Torah.33[33]

It is strange that the Pope prostrates himself before images made of stones, and humiliates and insults his human fellow beings by extending his feet to be kissed by them. We fail to see any difference between the Catholics and the idolaters of India.

The Pope as Final Authority

The Pope is supposed to be the final authority on the interpretation of the texts of the Holy Books. This belief must have been added at a later period, otherwise Augustine and John Chrysostom could have not written their exegetical works, since they were not popes and did not seek permission from the popes of their time for writing their works. Their works enjoyed great popularity among the Christians and in the Church of their time.

Bishops and deacons were not allowed to marry. They, therefore, usually did the works that were not entrusted to married people.

Some of the Christian theologians have strictly criticised this contention of the popes. I reproduce below some of their criticisms from the Arabic book Thalatha Ashara Risalah, (The Thirteen Epistles). Saint Bernard said in song no. 66:

They have completely abolished the noble institution of marriage, and legitimate sexual relations have been abandoned. Instead they have turned their bedrooms into a place of fornication. They commit adultery with young boys, mothers, sisters. They have filled the Church with corruption.

The Bishop Pelage Bolagius of Portugal (1300) said:

It would have been much better if the Church authorities in general, and the people of the Church of Spain in particular, had not taken the oath of purity and chastity, because the number of children of the people of this area is only a little more than the illegitimate sons of the priests and bishops of the country.

John Sattzbourg, a bishop of the fifteenth century, observed, “I have seen rarely any priests and bishops who do not habitually have frequent intercourse with women. Nunneries have been turned into cells of prostitution.”

In the presence of their deep involvemcnt in drinking liquor their purity and chastity remains out of question, as long as they are youthful and young.

Perhaps one of the reasons that they do not believe in the Holy Qur’an is that it does not contain any of these obscene and absurd assertions.

As for their objections with regard to some Qur’anic passages related to Paradise and Hell, we will discus this under the third objection.

32[32] This refers to Matthew 27:29 which says: ”And when they had plaited a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand.” (Taqi). The thorns deserve to be holier and more sanctified because they had physical contact with the head of Christ which is the most respected part of the human body and is the seat of wisdom and reason. (Raazi)


33[33] Genesis 1:26.