Josephus, the great Jewish historian, in his Jewish
Antiquities.
The Koran does contain some hints that Jesus died at
some point. Sura 19:23 quotes the infant Jesus: ‘‘Peace be
on me the day I was born, the day I will die, and the day I
am risen back alive.’’ The sequence here logically requires
that Jesus’ death will follow His life on earth, then will come
His resurrection on Judgment Day.
The Koran also depicts Allah addressing Jesus about
His future death: ‘‘Jesus, I will cause you to die
[Mutawaffeka] and exalt you to My presence, and clear you
of those who disbelieve and make those who follow you
above those who disbelieve till the Day of Judgment’’ (Sura
3:55).
Some Muslim theologians, both past and present, take
this verse to mean that He was taken up to Heaven after
Allah caused Him to die. ‘‘Cause you to die’’ is the correct
meaning of Mutawaffeka; however, some Muslim translators
render this phrase as ‘‘take you to Myself.’’
This is because the linguistically correct understanding
creates problems in Islamic theology: it would mean Jesus
would die two deaths. For according to the Hadith, Jesus
will return to earth at the end of the age: ‘‘He will fight the
people for the cause of Islam. He will break the cross, kill
swine, and abolish jizyah. Allah will perish all religions
except Islam. He will destroy the Antichrist and will live on
the earth for forty years and then he will die. The Muslims
will pray over him [emphasis added].’’ The idea that Jesus,