Can Jesus be called an Avatar?
If I said now where this term is in the bible, you may
object me to answer where trinity term is in the bible or I might be guilty of
biblicism. But I am not talking about the term in a way of biblicism. I am
talking from viewpoint of its intended meaning. In use, it may seem fitting on
Jesus Christ but in its intended definition there's Achilles heel.
Avatar vs God manifestation in Jesus:
First, let us know just by basic, how the term avatar is
understood in Hinduism.
At the core of Hinduism, God is only one who is called
Brahman in Upanishads. Brahman is beyond name and form, all pervading, all-encompassing
and all knowing. Everything living and non-living are verily different
expressions of Brahman. The entire cosmos is an expression of Brahman. Brahman
is smaller than the atom and yet bigger than the cosmos. Since Brahman
encompasses everything, any concept of God with name and form is also within
the scope of Brahman only. In Hinduism God with name and form is also real and
such a God is known as Ishwara.
Main God in Hinduism is Supreme Brahman/Para
Brahman/Paramatma. The Trinity/Trimurti (Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva) & their
avatars are the manifestation of one Supreme Brahman. Even though Trinity &
their Avatars have different divine bodies but they have same single Atman/Soul
(innermost core/root and essence) that is Supreme Brahman. Trinity and their
Avatars are not different from each other. They are one but have manifested in
different divine bodies. Normal human being considers divine bodies as Supreme
God because they wrongly identify divine bodies of Trinity and their avatars
with spiritual body/space consciousness of Supreme Brahman which pervades &
resides in (not diametrically but as a level of reality and real consciousness)
divine body of Trinity as Atman/Soul.
There is no such concept like 330 million gods. There are only 33 Koti/types (Literal meaning of Koti is a type) of gods/Devas whose function is to sustain the world (12 Adityas, 11 Rudras, 8 Vasus and 2 Ashvins). Each living being consist of the fraction of Devas. They are not able to give any living being Moksha/Nirvana (freedom from Samsara/cycle of death & birth) so they are not be worshiped. They are just creation of Supreme Brahman. In the Vedic period, Devas were only worshiped only to get temporary heaven/Swarg. One who seeks liberation & freedom from Samsara/cycle of birth of death they should not worship them. They should be revered only by considering the presence of Supreme Brahman within them in the form of Atman/soul/Root consciousness.
In Sanskrit, Avatar means to descend or to manifest. This
term is generally in association with Lord Vishnu regardless of numerous
avatars even of other gods. An avatar means either complete or partial form of
a deity in any kind such as human, animal or mixture in order to carry out a
specific mission. An avatar is not mere materialization or appearance of God in
physical form for the sake of his devotees. It is neither a disguise nor a
trick played upon our senses.
Interestingly, in the four Vedas inclusive of Vedanta
(Upanishads) which are the earliest sources of spiritual scriptures, there is
no concept of Avatar being mentioned! The concept of Avatars came into vogue
only in later historic periods of Itihas and Puranas (scriptural mythologies).
The term was also used to dedicate different gods but in 6th century
AD, its usage emphasized more to manifestation of Vishnu. Despite absence of
the term even in the Bhagavad Gita, its concept has been mentioned. There is
another term called vibhuti which teaches that God can manifest in different
forms of human and nature.
On the other hand, in Hinduism, incarnation is different
which requires the birth of God in physical form, through the natural process.
His existence upon earth in physical form, that can be a human, animal or semi
human or even mythical form, undergoing the same experiences as living beings.
The incarnation may exist for a brief period of time or for a life time. The
incarnation may have all the powers and awareness of God in His absolute aspect
or only a necessary portion of it. It is essentially an interference in the
affairs and progression of the manifested worlds. It is an intervention that
becomes necessary due to the activity of beings endowed with free will. The law
of karma makes each individual being responsible for its action.
Incarnation is supported by Vaishnavas whereas Shaivism
oppose. God is the knower of past, present and future and controller of all.
Everything happens to according to his will and even evil cannot act itself out
unless he wills. So, what needs to be accomplished can be accomplished through
the will of Siva without the need for a separate incarnation. If at all there
is a need to interfere as per his will, Siva would manifest Himself directly
and take necessary action. So, Siva would only manifest or act through his
agencies such as a Guru or an aspect or emanation but would not incarnate.
However not all followers of Siva would agree with this argument.
Now, the doctrine of the Incarnation (God became man in
Jesus of Nazareth) lies at the heart of Christianity; it’s a truth-claim
celebrated all over the world at Christmastime. Historic Christianity affirms
that Jesus Christ is a single person with both a fully divine nature and a
fully human nature. As C. S. Lewis aptly put it, “The Son of God became a man
to enable men to become sons of God.”
Here are four biblical passages that testify to the truth of
Jesus Christ’s Incarnation:
i.
“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling
among us.” (John 1:14)
ii.
“Your attitude should be the same as that of
Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God
something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a
servant, being made in human likeness.” (Philippians 2:5–7)
iii.
“For in Christ all the fullness of Deity lives
in bodily form.” (Colossians 2:9)
iv.
“This is how you can recognize the Spirit of
God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is
from God.” (1 John 4:2)
The incarnation of God in Jesus Christ is a unique event in
the history of the world and cannot be compared to the innumerable avatars of
Hindu gods and goddesses. There are three main reasons why a Hindu avatar
cannot be compared with the Christian proclamation of the incarnation.
1.
First, an incarnation is a unique event and, by
definition, can never be repeated. The Scripture declares that “the Word became
flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). The doctrine of the incarnation insists
that in Jesus Christ God became a man without ceasing to be God. Jesus Christ
is forever the God-Man. Even now, He sits on the right hand of the Father in
heaven as the God-Man. After Jesus was resurrected, He did not cease to be the
God-Man, it is an everlasting reality. In contrast, avatars are temporary
manifestations of the divine and once the mission of the avatar is completed,
the humanity of the avatar ceases to exist. This allows for multiple avatars
from time to time in accordance with the Bhagavad-Gita which declares,
“whenever there is decay of righteousness, O Bharata, and there is exaltation
of unrighteousness, then I Myself come forth. For the protection of the good,
for the sake of firmly establishing righteousness, I am born from age to age”
(Gita 4:7,8). In Christianity, the incarnation of Jesus Christ is a one-time
event in the human history.
2.
Second, an avatar is different from the
incarnation is that an avatar is only a partial manifestation of the divine.
Avatars represent only several of the attributes of deity, whereas the incarnation
is a full and complete union of the fullness of deity with the fullness of
humanity. The Bible says “in Christ all the fullness of the deity lives in
bodily form” (Colossians 2:9). When we meet Christ, we do not meet only a few
of the attributes of deity, but the fullness of God Himself who has come to
save and redeem us.
3.
Third, an avatar is a partial mingling between
the divine nature of a so-called Hindu god such as Vishnu with a human nature
as seen in such figures as Rama or Krishna. Christians do not believe it is
possible for the divine and human natures to mingle or coalesce into one
another. We believe that the two natures – divine and human – remain distinct
even though they were united in the person of Jesus Christ. Christians believe
that Jesus Christ has two natures – one divine and one human – but the two
natures were united in the one person, Jesus Christ i.e. hypostatic union. When
Jesus came, he died on the cross for our sins and completed once and for all
everything that is necessary for our salvation. There is no need, nor any
benefit from a second or third visit of God to the human race. By dying on the
cross for our sins, Jesus has paid the penalty once and for all.
The belief in Hindu avatars is somehow similar to the
Christian heresy of Docetism, which is a belief that Jesus Christ only appeared
to be a human. Docetism teaches that Jesus’ body was spiritual, rather than
physical; thus, He was unable to suffer physical pain. Jesus is not an avatar
but both fully human and fully God. He lived a sinless life, died on the cross
for our sins, and was bodily raised to life on the third day. He ascended back
to heaven and will one day return.
Even within Hinduism, one of the greatest Sanskrit and Vedas
Scholar - Swami Dayanand Sarasvati in his book Satyarth Prakash (Light of
Truth) he has written: (Page - 219)
"Does God incarnate or not?
A.- No; because it is said in the Yajur Veda. "He is
unborn." Again "He overspreads all." He is pure, is never born
and never takes on a human form." It is clear from these quotations that
God is never born.
Q. But Krishna says in the Gita, "Whenever there is
decay of virtue, I take on a human form." GITA 4:7. What is your answer to
this?
A.- Being opposed to the Veda (divinely revealed most highly
revered Hindu scriptures) it (Geta) cannot be held to be an
authority............................
Krishna could never be God."
A Bird’s Eye View Chart:
(Taken from different resources and some points might have
been repeated but in a different aspect)
|
Hindu Avatar in general understanding |
God’s incarnation in Jesus |
|
In
Hinduism, an avatar restores righteousness, or dharma, to the cosmic or
social order, including duty, ritual, law, morality, ethics, good deeds, and
such. |
Jesus'
mission was higher—He came to restore a relationship between God and people
(John 3:16–18). The right living, the behavior and the morals, are a result
of that relationship being made right (Ephesians 2:8–10). |
|
The
Puranas, state that the god Vishnu causes a cyclic manifestation and
dissolution of the world. Each cosmic
cycle (mahayuga) has four ages (Yuga). Krita Yuga – 1,728,000 years, Treta
Yuga – 1,296,000 years, Dvapara Yuga – 864,000 years and Kali Yuga – 432,000
years This cycle is repeated 994 times, forming a period called kalpa, and
then a dissolution (pralaya) 36,000 kalpas and pralayas make the lifespan of
Brahma, the creator god. |
According
to Christianity, the world was created by one act of God not as manifestation
and dissolution and was created as ex nihilo (out of nothing), and it is not
out of necessity that God created the world but He created because He wanted
too by His sovereign and free will.
Moreover, the world became corrupted by sin (free choice of humans)
and not through pralaya. It will not follow a repeated cycle of manifestation
and dissolution. God is Eternal and Immutable and does not have any life
span. |
|
This is
followed by a total dissolution (mahapralaya) when all worlds, time and space
return into Brahman, and the whole cycle starts again in an endless process
of manifestation (Kalpa) and dissolution (Pralaya). |
The
"new heaven and new earth" in Revelation (21:1) is not a new
creation similar to the one presented in Genesis. Rather, the "new
heaven and new earth" is an everlasting world where sin is eradicated
and there will be "no more death or mourning or crying or pain"
(Revelation 21,4). It will belong to those who accepted the saving work of
Christ and will never have a pralaya to end it. |
|
The number
of his avatars varies from one Hindu writing to another. The Markandeya
Purana 4, 44-58 lists 12 avatars of Vishnu The Garuda Purana list 19, The
Matsya Purana 47, 32-52 lists 22. |
The number
of incarnations of Christ is one and does not change. |
|
In
Hinduism, none of the avatars has a perfect union of the two natures. Rather,
they have divine nature combined with the physical one (animal or human). |
The unique
incarnation of God the Son, become 100% God and 100% Man, perfect in both his
divine and human nature. This is theologically Hypostatic Union. |
|
In an avatar,
the physical body is a mere garment that is put on and off (according to
Bhagavad Gita 2.22), there cannot be any real association of Vishnu with a
physical body. |
Christ’s
association with his physical body was real and he came also to redeem our
physical body by taking a real physical body, that is why there is so much
stress on his physical resurrection, which isn’t a case in Hindu belief. |
|
Avatar do
not and need not have any historical basis. |
Incarnation
of Christ is Historical and is meaningless if it's not historical. |
|
In the
avatar, there is no aspect of taking away of sin rather only destroying the
evil person. |
Jesus
Christ as "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world"
(John 1:29) has no parallel element. Jesus Christ prayed for his killers
saying, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
Luke 23:34 |
|
Various
forms of avatar are taken and after the mission the form of the avatar is
shed and removed like changing clothes. |
Christ
retains the Incarnate physical state even after resurrection. |
|
The god
can become incarnate in one place at a time as a full avatar or in many
places simultaneously through partial avatars called amshas, such that the
main form of the god can still communicate with the partial materializations. |
God the
Son incarnated but not God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. |
|
Avatar is
repeating in nature. Vishnu said "Whenever evil will increase. I will
come back to earth." |
But Jesus'
case was different. He ultimately came as a sacrifice once only. He won't be coming
back in any form now except as the King. |
|
Work of
avatar is only temporal. |
Work of
Jesus is eternal. |
|
After a specific
mission, avatars again go away. Avatars are taken with more varieties of
purposes. |
Jesus came
once and fully completed his task |
|
Avatar
were working on their authority (you might need to check this). |
God the
Son willingly chose to be a Savior but subjected to God the Father. |
|
Its
concept depends upon systems of aastika philosophies. |
Its
concept depends upon doctrine of the trinity. |
|
Not
necessarily to reveal God, to mediate and to be an example for humanity. |
To reveal
God, to mediate between God and Man and to be an example for humanity. |
|
To carry
out specific mission of guidance and protection. |
To reclaim
the authority and the destination that humanity lost in garden of Eden. |
|
To
enlighten humanity and to guide them in right direction. |
To be the
first born out of dead ones in resurrection and starting new generation of
restored humanity. |
|
To restore
the dharma. |
To
establish the God’s kingdom. |
|
Not needed
to learn human life. |
To learn
human life by experiencing every temptation and be fit for Savior. |
|
Existence
of different belief about God and human relationship. |
To grant
us the right to become God’s children. |
We use "avatar" because for a Hindu mindset it
hits some idea of God descending to earth for a specific task. When we totally
use the term avatar, a Hindu might then understand even God's theophany or even
Holy Spirit descending as a dove as avatars. They aren't wrong however as per
their belief! Hence, by definition, avatar is a hazardous term for a biblical
worldview and theology. The concept of God is different, understanding is
different and so avatar is a different term.
I have often seen this term used in worship songs. Some
might say its contextualization. Well that's fine! But again, there is high
chance of synchronization! we may use avatar term to define Jesus but we cannot
apply this term in totality on Jesus. For a Hindu worldview, God can take any
avatars in any forms. Hence, we use "avatar" only in a limited circle
within the meaning of "to descend" when we talk about Christ. But the
complete understanding of avatar can affect Biblical understanding of God's
manifestation in person of Jesus. However, we can simply make them understand
that God took on human form which they can/might understand easily.
References:
1.
https://hinduismwayoflife.com/2018/03/22/the-concept-of-avatar-in-hinduism/
2.
https://www.hinduwebsite.com/hinduism/concepts/avatar.asp
4.
https://www.gotquestions.org/avatar-hinduism.html
5.
https://www.compellingtruth.org/avatar-Hinduism.html
8.
Premraj Dharmanand, Ph.D. A look at questions
commonly posed by Hindus to Christians – with a response
9.
Rev. Dr. Bal Krishna Sharma. Major Religions of
the World, A Nepali Perspective. 2015
Acknowledgment: Nitish Singh, Parv Pravakar, Abhisek Vical,
and Sangam Shrestha
A recommended resource: https://youtu.be/zpDmgvU5ias
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