A Critical Analysis of Considering Jesus a Mystic (Sufi) with an Emphasis on the Propositions of the New Testament

Along with the critical studies of the Bible in the 18th century AD and the discussions on the historical personality of Jesus, his social life was studied as well and led to two different theories about him: Jesus as a moral ascetic or as a revolutionary reformer. Considering some statements of the New Testament and the political-social context of the time of Jesus, it seems that the ascetic reading is not comprehensive and is not based on all the reports of his life. Analyzing some passages of the New Testament, this research criticizes the idea of a purely moral image of Jesus that ignores social events. Then, it studies the grounds for the emergence of this view based on the historical analysis of the era of formation of Christianity. The textual analysis of the statements of the New Testament about the social performance of Jesus shows that he emphasized on the reform of society and governance as well as paying attention to moral issues. It also shows that presenting a purely moral and tolerant picture is due to factors such as the predominance of the moral and tolerant reading of Paul, the weakening of Christians and the support of the Roman Empire for the ethics-oriented rites and the challenge of waiting for the Messiah after the crucifixion of Jesus.