Intro
The title of this post is inspired by a statement made public by journalist Eugenio Scalfari, attributed to Pope Francis and published in La Repubblica on October 9, 2019:
“Once incarnated, Jesus ceases to be a God and becomes, until his death on the cross, a man.”
Although the Vatican clarified that this was not a direct quotation from the Pope, but rather a free interpretation, the statement resonated deeply — because it touches on a central theological theme: the true human nature of Jesus.
The Man Jesus: Prophet, Son, and Brother
If Jesus, during His earthly mission, was fully human — not a “demigod,” but a righteous man, a true Son of GOD — then the three great Abrahamic religions — Judaism, Christianity, and Islam — are not as distant from one another as is often claimed.
Jesus never spoke in phrases such as “I am God” or “Worship me!” Rather, He said:
“Why do you call me good? No one is good—except God alone.”
(Mark 10:18)
“The Father is greater than I.”
(John 14:28)
“This is eternal life: that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.”
(John 17:3)
He prayed saying “Our Father”, not “My Father”. He never sought honor or personal worship, but pointed the way toward GOD.
Jesus did not seek adoration for Himself, but aimed to reconnect every heart to the Creator.
And when, on the cross, in the most dramatic and authentically human moment, He cried out:
“My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?”
(Matthew 27:46)
He was not performing a scene, but fully living the human condition: pain, solitude, trial.
Jesus was one of us, and He truly suffered — with no illusion or divine exemption.
Not by chance, in Psalm 82 — which Jesus Himself quotes — it is written:
“I said, ‘You are gods, you are all sons of the Most High.’”
(Psalm 82:6)
This passage holds a precious key of understanding. At Abrahamic Study Hall (ASH), we affirm that Jesus may be understood as “in part” divine — but not in an exclusive sense.
He was divine as any righteous man or woman can be, because we were created in His Image. And according to the call of Psalm 82, we can all be “gods” inasmuch as we live in justice and in communion with the Most High.
Thus, Jesus presents Himself as the model Son, not as the absolute and unreachable God.
He stands as a brother, not as a master.
His purpose was not to dominate through divine power, but to walk with us, leading us to the Father.
Toward a Reconciliation of the Faiths
This truth — which today can be affirmed with greater freedom, thanks to the maturing of spiritual reflection and a growing thirst for authenticity — does not annul the Christian faith, but purifies and illuminates it.
It does not diminish the greatness of Jesus, but restores it in its most accessible and universal form: as a righteous man, a prophet of peace, a Son of GOD through His fidelity and total adherence to the Will of the Father.
To recognize the full humanity of Jesus — as many early Christian groups proclaimed in the first centuries — does not mean denying His divine mission.
It means returning to the essential: to what Jesus Himself testified — that GOD is One, and that He, Jesus, is the One sent by the Father, the Teacher who walks beside us.
In this light, the affirmations made for centuries by Judaism and Islam — namely, that Jesus was a man, a prophet, but not GOD Himself — find deep resonance even within the most honest and contemplative Christian consciousness.
This is not a call to abandon one’s faith, but to recognize its common root and its vocation to communion.
The truth that arises from this vision does not divide — it unites:
Judaism, which awaits the Messiah as a consecrated, righteous man, faithful to the Law;
Christianity, which can rediscover the strength of following Jesus — not as idol worship, but as a concrete path of imitation of the Son toward the Father;
Islam, which honors ʿĪsā (Jesus) as a pure spirit of GOD, a prophet of love, a herald of Judgment, and a witness of divine Oneness.
If the three Abrahamic religions could sincerely embrace three simple truths — already present in their Scriptures — they would grow extraordinarily closer:
Jesus, in His earthly life, was fully human, not GOD the Father, but a man inspired and sent by Him;
Jesus did not come to found a new religion, but to restore the faith in the Most High GOD to its original purity — freeing it from ritual rigidity and returning it to the heart of the Law: love for GOD and for neighbor;
Muḥammad (peace be upon him), a great Prophet, continued the prophetic line drawn by Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and all the Righteous, teaching the same commandments of justice, mercy, humility, and worship of the One GOD.
These are not radical or divisive claims, but ancient bridges never decisively crossed — now becoming visible again in a time of crisis and search, through a theology that is more mature and no longer afraid of change.
Conclusion
The statements attributed to Pope Francis by Eugenio Scalfari are not considered official, and the Vatican rightly clarified that they do not reflect the doctrine of the Catholic Church.
However, they open a precious space for reflection — not as dogma to accept or reject, but as a spiritual opportunity to rediscover the true heart of the Gospel message.
This openness is not a scandal, but a grace.
It is a crack in the dam that has separated the faiths for centuries — and which today, finally, might be transformed into a bridge.
A bridge not to erase differences, but to recognize our common roots and walk together — as He Himself said —
not as subjects, but as brothers.
The future of faith lies not in fear, but in the courage to seek truth.
And like all profound truths, this one is not imposed from outside — but waits to be discovered in the silence of the soul.
He who has ears to hear, let him hear. He who has eyes to see, let him recognize.