Philosophical Reflections With

Matthew M. Umukoro

mattmukoro@gmail.com  (08034052655)

 

 

Even though Christ was there from the beginning of time, there were officially no Christians prior to the first coming of Jesus into the world for the salvation of mankind. Christianity dates back to a little over two thousand years ago, with the founding of the Church after the descent of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost when the disciples began to preach in different tongues. But the Universe had been in existence for thousands of years since Creation, and trillions of people had lived and died without ever knowing Christ or hearing about him. Shortly before his ascension, Jesus reassured his disciples that he was going ahead to prepare a place for them, to take them to himself, “so that where I am, you also may be” (John 14:3).  It was Thomas, once doubting, but now believing, that still expressed doubts about knowing the way to Christ’s destination.  But Jesus said to him: “I am the Way, and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:4-6).

Now, if Christ is the Way to the Father, what is the fate of the trillions of souls that had lived and died without knowing Christ, having lived in the so-called era Before Christ (BC), or Before the Common Era (BCE)?

The answer lies in the distinction between Christ the Word before the Creation of the World, and Christ in Human flesh after his incarnation; the former pre-dated Abraham, pre-dated even Creation, while the latter post-dated Abraham, who was the dominant figure of the Old Testament. When Jesus spoke authoritatively to the Jews about Abraham, they queried the source of the young man’s knowledge of Abraham who belonged to a much earlier generation. “You have not yet reached fifty years, and you have seen Abraham?” (John 8:57). Then Jesus categorically asserted: “Amen, amen, I say to you before Abraham was made, I am” (John 8:58). “I AM” carries the full weight of timelessness - the past, the present, and the future - all rolled into one. For this apparently blasphemous claim, the Pharisees attempted to stone Jesus on the spot, but he cleverly escaped from their midst.

In furtherance of the concept of “I AM”, Jesus likened himself to the bread of life (John 6:35), to the light of the world (John 8:12), the gate for the sheep (John 10:7), the resurrection and the life (John 11:25), the good shepherd (John 10:11), the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6), and the true vine (John 15:1), all referring to his personality as the God essence.  

The pre-Jesus era was essentially the Abrahamic era well documented in the Old Testament. When God sent Moses to the people of Israel who were suffering in captivity in Egypt, He revealed Himself to Moses by saying: “I am the God of your father: the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Moses hid his face, for he dared not look directly at God (Exodus 3:6).

Furthermore, God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO AM.’… ” Thus shall you say to the sons of Israel: ‘HE WHO IS has sent me to you.’” (Exodus 3:14). By implication, the pre-historic people were under the era of Abraham, governed by the prescription of the Old Testament, including the Ten Commandments handed down to them through Moses. And God led the Jews “out of the affliction into the land of the Canaanite…into a land flowing with milk and honey” (Exodus 3:17), a sort of legendary El Dorado. At Mount Sinai, God handed over the Ten Commandments, through Moses, prescribing the do’s and don’ts in the worship of the one eternal God.

Thus, the pre-historic people who neither knew nor heard of Jesus had Moses and the prophets to guide their conduct, and as many as did the will of God were saved. What the coming of Christ in the New Testament simply did was to replace the Mosaic Law in the Old Testament with the new dispensation Jesus gave in the Beatitudes, during his famous Sermon on the Mount. For instance, Jesus proclaimed: “You have heard it was said: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, do not resist one who is evil, but if anyone will have struck you on your right cheek, offer to him the other also” (Matthew 5:38-39).

Whether before Christ or after Christ, there have always been laws of morality and good conduct guiding the affairs of society, and every individual gets judged in accordance with their personal conduct. Even the atheist or the humanist who does not place much premium on God is still guided by strict standards of morality and good conduct which compel them to respect the rights and privileges of the other fellow. From Adam and Eve to the present day, humanity has remained one indivisible entity, and the definition of good or evil has never changed, whether before or after the incarnation of Christ. Thus, those who lived in the prehistoric era would be judged by the extent to which they upheld the values that govern a decent and peaceful society.