186 Jesus, Prophei of Islam
Socianus asserted that Jesus was truly a mortal man, even
though he was born of a virgin. He was elevated above other men
in degree due to the holiness of his life. He was not God, but he
received inspiration from God. Thus he had divine vision and di
vine power, but he was not himself the source of that vision and
power. He had been sent by God with His supreme God-given au
thority on a mission to mankind.
Socianus supported these beliefs with comprehensive citation
and confident exegesis of the relevant passages from the Scrîptures.
His subtle and able argument gave a rational meaning to the words
of Christ: Jesus was not the Word made flesh. He was a man who
achieved victory over wrong action in his life in the flesh. He did
not exist before the world came into existence. It was permissible
to invoke the help of Jesus in prayer as long as he was not regarded
or worshipped as God.
Socianus affirmed that God is the supreme Lord of all:Omnipo
tence is not only His attribute, he argued, but rules over every other
attribute. There can be no question raised against God. The finite
cannot be a measure of the infinite. Therefore, all human concep
tions of the nature of God must be incomplete and accordingly
considered as inadequate grounds on which to basea critical judge
mentaboutHim. God's.will is free andnotboundby any lawthat
the human mind can envisage or formulate. His purpose and His
will are hidden from the human mind. God's dominion comprises
His absolute right and supreme authority to determine whatever
He may choose, in respect of us all and aIl other things. He can
read our thoughts even though they may be hidden in the inner
most recesses of our hearts. He can, as He pleases, ordain laws and
determine both reward and punishment for the purity and the
lapses in a person's intentions and actions. Thus human beings
have been given the freedom of choice, but are in fact powerless.
Since there cannot be more than one being who possesses su
premedominionover aIlthings, assertedSocianus,tospeakof three
persons who are aIl supreme is to speak irrationally, The Essence
of God is One, not only in attribute but also in number. Itcannot in
any way contain a pluralityof persons. For example, an individual
person possesses an individual intelligent essence, and wherever
three numerical persons exist, thenthere must necessarily be reck
oned three individual essences. liit is affirmed that there is one
numerical essence, therefore, it must be held that accordingly there
is one numerical person.
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