Jesus, Son of Man

Jesus, Son of Man, or Isa Ibn al-Insan (Jesus, Son of Man), is a book by Kahlil Gibran published in 1928. Originally published in English in New York, it was not translated into Arabic until 1962. In his book, Gibran describes the life and teachings of Christ through a mystical lens, portraying him through the perspectives of others. He presents the views of seventy-seven individuals who lived during Christ‘s time and knew him, most of whom are mentioned in the Gospels. These individuals represent diverse social classes. Gibran developed a new approach to analyzing Christ‘s character, attributing to him qualities of joy, strength, love, resilience, rebellion, revolution, action, and patience, all in a style rich with clarity, fluency, and intellectual depth. Gibran concludes his book by contrasting the common misunderstanding of Jesus and his teachings with the image he paints through his mystical faith. Gibran‘s Christ is not a god, as most Christians believe, but rather a free, powerful, and rebellious human being who defies religious and social traditions, cherishes joy, and carries a message of forgiveness and love to humanity. It is noteworthy that Gibran, in this book, departs from the image of Christ in the Gospels, portraying him through his own feelings; that is, he imagines a completely different person. Gibran‘s Jesus is born to parents from Nazareth, not to the Virgin Mary in Bethlehem. He recounts events from his own perspective, omitting some details and adding others. Therefore, the book is not a historical reference or a factual account of real events, but rather an artist‘s vision of a prophet who influenced him, depicting him as he saw him in his imagination.