Tidak jarang orang
Kristen menggunakan kata 'Allah' untuk menyebut Tuhannya. Namun secara umum,
kata “Allah” lebih identik dengan agama Islam, yaitu panggilan untuk
sesembahannya. Sehingga tidak heran, terdapat sebanyak 2,679 kata ‘Allah’ dalam
Al-Quran. Lalu, dari manakah sebenarnya asal kata “Allah” ini?
Kata ‘Allah’ Berasal Dari Bahasa Semitik
Nama Allah terdiri dari Al (the, itu) dan Ilah (Deity, God). Artinya: Ilahi yang
satu. Kata “Allah” berasal dari bahasa Semitik, yang merujuk kepada Sem,
putra nabi Nuh. Bahasa Semitik juga merupakan kelompok bahasa yang terdiri dari
bahasa Arab, Amhar, dan Ibrani.
Kata lain dari Allah dalam bahasa Ibrani yang
berasal dari bahasa Semitik yaitu: Elohim, El, Elyon danEloah. Dalam Alkitab terdapat 2,500 kata 'Elohim', dimulai dari ayat
pertama dari Alkitab. “Pada mulanya Allah menciptakan langit dan bumi” (Taurat, Kitab Kejadian 1:1) – Ingat, kata
untuk Allah di sini adalah Elohim! Dan Elohim adalah nama pertama yang diberi
bagi Sang Pencipta dalam Kitab Suci.
Pengguna Kata 'Allah' Bagi Sang Pencipta
Awalnya kata Allah digunakan oleh orang-orang
kafir di Mekah sebelum Muhammad lahir. Juga orang Kristen Arab yang hidup
sebelum zaman Islam, memakai nama Allah untuk Sang Pencipta. Saat ini orang
Kristen Arab, Yahudi, Roma Katolik Malta, Kristen Indonesia dan Malaysia
memakai kata “Allah” bagi Pencipta.
Namun akhir-akhir ini kita banyak mendengar
perdebatan mengenai siapakah yang berhak menggunakan nama Allah. Hal ini
membawa kita pada masalah terpenting. Yaitu: Bagaimanakah kita sebagai orang
berdosa dapat datang dan berhadapan dengan Sang Pencipta?
Jelas siapa saja dapat menggunakan nama
'Allah' untuk Sang Pencipta. Tapi, tidak semua orang dapat mendekati 'Allah'
karena dosa!
Amal Perbuatan Tidak Dapat Menyelamatkan
Umat Muslim percaya amal dan ibadah dapat “mendekatkan” mereka pada Allah. Jelas hal ini mustahil.
Bahkan Muhammad sendiri berkata, “Tidak seorang pun di antara kalian
yang akan diselamatkan oleh amal perbuatannya. . . . . . . Aku juga tidak,
hanya saja Allah melimpahkan rahmat-Nya kepadaku akan tetapi tetaplah kalian
berusaha berbuat dan berkata yang benar” (Hadits Shohih Bukhori Jilid 8, nomor 470).
Orang beragama mendiskusikan bagaimana
asal-usul kata Allah. Namun mereka tidak tahu bagaimana “mendekati Allah” atau
tidak yakin mereka dapat “mendekati” Allah. Sungguh aneh bukan!
Isa Al-Masih Membuka Jalan Kepada Allah
Hanya ada satu cara untuk dapat sampai kepada
Allah. Yaitu melalui anugerah dari Allah lewat pengorbanan Isa Al-Masih. Isa
Al-Masih adalah “Domba” Allah yang datang ke dunia untuk membersihkan hati
manusia dari dosa. Sehingga dengan hati yang bersih, manusia dapat mendekati
Allah yang Al-Quddus. Kitab Suci berkata, “Lihatlah Anak Domba Allah, yang menghapus dosa
dunia” (Injil, Rasul Besar
Yohanes 1:29).
Inilah janji yang diberikan Isa Al-Masih kepada setiap orang yang mau percaya
kepada-Nya. "Akulah jalan dan kebenaran dan hidup. Tidak ada
seorangpun yang datang kepada Bapa, kalau tidak melalui Aku” (Injil, Rasul Besar Yohanes 14:6).
Asal usul kata Allah
justru dari orang Kristen Arab
The Christian Arab Heritage
By Dr. Fr.Labib Kobti
1- Introduction:
We are
absolutely in need here in America to know about our Christian heritage.
Al-Bushra will help you discover that "Heritage".
We all
know that the Arabs existed before Islam. They were mentioned in history and in
the Bible centuries before the coming of the Arab Prophet Muhamed.
Kingdoms
like the Gassanids and the Muntherites were Christian kingdoms (from the third century to the eight
century) modeled after the Roman and the Byzantine Empires. Some Bedwin tribes
were alsoChristians. They had a common language, the Arabic language.
We know
also that mainly the Christian tradition at that time was using the Aramean and
Syriac languages in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Palestine,the Chaldean and
Assyrian languages in Iraq, the Coptic language in Egypt,the Arabic in those
kingdoms mentioned above and between Arab bedwins.Those languages are used
still now in the liturgy of the Eastern Churches.Greek and Latin were the
languages of culture and philosophy. They wereused every where in the Roman or
the Greek Empire had their colonies orinfluence.Latin and Greek are used in the
liturgy of the Latin CatholicChurch (the Roman Catholic), Greek is used in the
liturgy of the GreekOrthodox Church.
2- What is the Arab Christian Heritage?
The
" Arab Christian Heritage" is mainly known in the period between
750-1350 A.D. At that time our Arab Christian Fathers started touse the Arabic
language so as to defend their Christian faith and beleives against the
Muslims. They wrote in different issues: theology, philosophy, interpretation
of scriptures, apologetics, liturgy, history of the church,and many other
things that do not concern faith like medicine, history,chemistry, geography
etc. They used their old languages: Aramean, Syriac,Chaldean,.Assyrian, Coptic
and translated into Arabic a lot of their bookson different issues.
They
translated from Greek and Latin as well what the Greek Fathers and Latin
Fathers wrote. Then after the coming of Islam they started to write in Arabic
to their people and to the Muslinis in order to speak about their faith.
Many
Christians at that time, because of certain unfair treatment from the Muslin
Califs or governors and under certain pressure became Muslims.
The
arabic language was imposed first in Egyptin the year 780 (about 140 years
after the coming of Islam). Then slowly and slowly other Arabic Countries of
today started to use the Arabic languageas an official Ianguage, as in Iraq,
Syria, Palestine, Lebanon etc.
The
"Arab Christian Heritage" is the heritage that covers mainly the
period between the 8th century
tothe 14th. This heritage is
the third heritage after the Greek and Latin.It is in some words the writings
that we have in Arabic language, translated from other languages: Greek, Latin,
Aramean, Syriac, Coptic, Chaldean, Assyrian, Persian, Armenian etc.) or
produced properly in Arabic. The recent European Ianguages (Italian, French,
German English etc) started at the14th century to become official languages,
about 600 years after our Christian Heritage.
It is
the writings of the Christian Fathers. They gave us a full idea about their
faith, believes, liturgy, way of life, traditions, historyof the Church,
apologetics etc. They wrote also on issues other than faith,like medicene,
philosophy, geography, history, chemistry etc.
"
By "Arab Christian heritage"Arab means: the Arabic language known and
spoken in the Arabian peninsula and by the Arab kingdoms before Islam. It means
also the regions that used the Arabic language since 8th century as their
official language. Arabic covers also beside the language, the traditions, the
culture the way oflife, the food, the folklore, the civilizations etc. It
covers today the"Arabic Countries". They have in common those issues
mentioned above.
Arab
does not mean Islam, even though Islam used the Arabic language since its
origin. You can find today millions and millions of Muslims whodo not relate to
the Arabic language. They are Muslims but not Arabs, likeI ndonesia, Pakistan,
Afganistan, India, Turky, Iran etc.. It is known thatthe Arabic Northern
characters used by the Quran were created by the Chistian Missionaries of Hira,
centuries before Islam, as says C. Rabin in art."Arabiyya, in "Encyclopedie
de l'Islam", 2nd ed.,I (Leyde et Paris, 1960, pp.579a-622b).
That the
first Northern Arabic letters were found on the church doors in Zabad on the
South East of Aleppo in Syria on 512 A.D. And an other in Ir. Haran on 568 A.D.
In Mecca itself centuries before Islam the Arab people used the Northern Arabic
letters. Christians there, had their schools and churches, they used Arabic in
their liturgy poetry and in commerce.
Prophet
Mohamed, and after him the Califs used these characters to write the Quran as
says Jawad Ali, in his book "The history of Arabs before Islam"
volume 8 pp. 178-179, and Vol 6, page 689. We can find thesites of the
churches, temples and houses of our ancestors everywhere in today Arabic
Countries especially in Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan and
Palestine.
Recently
Father Pecerillo, a famous Franciscan Archiologist, found morethan twenty
churches in Madaba at the south of Jordan. From the Forth Century we found
houses in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Palestine with this inscriptionin Arabic
:"Bism El-Lah al Rahman al Rahim" (artinya Dengan menyebut nama Allah Yang Maha Pemurah lagi Maha Penyayang, red) that showed that Christians were
the first to use this name so as to indicate their beliefin the Holy Trinity,
more than two hundred years before Islam.
In
different region of the actual Arabic Countries, Christians had Eparchies
(dioceses and bishops). All over the actual Iraq, Syria Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt,
Saudi Arabia: (Mekka itself), Algeria, Tunisia, Lybia, Palestineetc. you can
find the sites of churches, convents and Christian centers and schools. Today,
archeology tells us a lot about these monuments. Recently a convent was
discovered in Karbala (Iraq) that returns to the 1st centuryof Chistianity. The
oldest one that was discovered ever since was in theForth Century.
We, Arab
Christians of today, who live
in the Middle East, are the real heirs of that "Heritage". In our way
of thinking, worshiping, doing things, we refIect what our ancestors had lived
centuries before us. We are the heirs of the first Christians,the heirs of both
Old and New Testaments. We are the first Communities:of Jerusalem, Antioch,
Alexandia.
3- Who are the Arab Christian Fathers?
"Father"
is a bishop, a priest , or a simple lay man who wrote in Arabic or translated
to Arabic from the 8th to 14th Century what we call today the "Arab
Christian Heritage". A lot of those Fathers were martyrized with their
folk defending their Christian faith and tradions.
Arab
Christian means
then these Christians who first came from the Syriac, Chaldean, Assyrian,
Arabic, Coptic, Greek or Latin traditions, they are the first converted to
Christianity, "the first Christians ever" and who spoke Arabic, wrote
in Arabic, translated into Arabic and declared their faith in Arabic language
later on between the 8th and 14th centuries.
4- Conclusion
"Al-Bushra"
is willing to serve th Christians all over the word and tell them about the
Arab Christian Heritage. We would like also to serve the unity of the Church,
as well as the dialogue with Muslimsand Jews.
We will
try to give a scientific studies about our "Arab ChistianHeritage".We
want you to be proud of our traditions.
Some
times because of events in our today's Arabic Countries and becauseof a lot of
misleading in the Media about the Arabs, and under an unfairclaims against
Arabic Countries or traditions, a lot of people do not know the truth about our
Arabic language, tradition, history, Arab Christians, Islam, harmony between
Muslims and Christians. Some young Arab generations feel ashamed of their Arab
origin because of what the Media created inthe mentality of people about Arabs.
Al-Bushra
will tell you about our Arab common heritage so as to serve the truth and serve
the harmony between the five components of our MiddleEast society: Jews,
Christians and Muslims, Israelis and Arabs.
AI-Bushra
calls everybody to know us more and to find in us friends, brothers and sisters
of the same God, Allah, Yahweh, Adonai. It calls Ara bChristians and Muslims,
the blood brothers, to be proud of our Arab language,history and traditions. It
calls Arabs and Israelis: the Semites, sonsof Abraham to find peace of heart as
a start of Justice and comprehensive peace in the Middle East, where Jews,
Chrstians and Muslims, Israelis and Arabs should live in harmony, cooperation
and love, when they recognizein the others their equal in duties and
responsabilities.
Sumber: www.al-bushra.org
--
Ternyata yg menciptakan kata Allah adalah orang Arab Kristen di
abad ke-4 Masehi, 200 tahun sebelum Islam .. !!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allah
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allah
Etymology
The term Allāh is derived from a contraction of the Arabic definite article al- "the" and ʼilāh "deity, god" to al-lāh meaning "the [sole] deity, God" (ho theos monos).[4] Cognates of the name "Allāh" exist in other Semitic languages, including Hebrew and Aramaic.[3] The corresponding Aramaic form is אֱלָהָא ʼĔlāhā in Biblical Aramaic and ܐܰܠܳܗܳܐ ʼAlâhâ or ʼĀlōho in Syriac.[10]
The term Allāh is derived from a contraction of the Arabic definite article al- "the" and ʼilāh "deity, god" to al-lāh meaning "the [sole] deity, God" (ho theos monos).[4] Cognates of the name "Allāh" exist in other Semitic languages, including Hebrew and Aramaic.[3] The corresponding Aramaic form is אֱלָהָא ʼĔlāhā in Biblical Aramaic and ܐܰܠܳܗܳܐ ʼAlâhâ or ʼĀlōho in Syriac.[10]
Wiki pun menguatkan fakta kalo kata Allah baru muncul belakangan saja, hasil gabungan dari kata "al + ilah" yg lebih dulu muncul.
Makanya jadi bingung, bgmn logikanya koq muslim bisa ngeklaim kalo nama Allah sudah ada sejak jaman Adam?
Ia betul karena agama samawi berasal dari negeri jazirah arab tapi konsep trinitas sekarang tidak sama dengan konsep agama ke-Tuhan-an yang tuhan satu : Bukan Tuhan Bapak, Tuhan Anak dan Rohul Kudus. Allah tidak beranak dan tidak pula dipernakkan. itu konsepnya si Paulus dari Tarsius si Nabi Palsu yahudi dan murid-murid yesus yang berkhianat. Anda juga termasuk yahudi yaa pak Pendeta...
ReplyDeleteHendaknya kita sebagai umat beragama menjaga agar nama Allah tidak menjadi bahan pergunjingan namun jadi refleksi kehidupan masing-masing, komentar balik dong ke blog saya myfamilylifestyle.blogspot.com
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