Non-Christian perspectives on Jesus

Various non-Christian perspectives on Jesus recognize Jesus Christ as a historical, religious, and/or legendary figure.

Arius thought that Jesus was a creation of God, i.e., he was not on the same level as the Father. His doctrine was condemned by the First Ecumenical Council in 325, but was very widespread during the 4th century until it was condemned again at the Second Ecumenical Council in 381.
The BahÃÂÃÂ¡'ÃÂÃÂ Faith consider Jesus to be a manifestation of God. God is one and has manifested himself to humanity through several historic Messengers. BahÃÂÃÂ¡'ÃÂÃÂ's refer to the concept of "Progressive Revelation", which means that God's will is revealed to mankind progressively, as mankind matures and is better able to comprehend the purpose of God in creating humanity. In this view, God's word is revealed through a series of messengers: Moses, Jesus, Mohammed, BahÃÂÃÂ¡'u'llÃÂÃÂ¡h (the founder of the Bah'ai faith) among them. In the Book of Certitude, BahÃÂÃÂ¡'u'llÃÂÃÂ¡h acknowledges that what these messengers say about themselves is inevitably true; thus, if Jesus claims divinity then this cannot be denied, since God is speaking through him. According to Baha'is there will not be another messenger for many hundreds of years.
Some Buddhist teachings go as far as to describe Jesus as a Buddha, finding an equivalent of the Virgin Mary in Kwan Yin, a Chinese goddess.
Cao Dai regards Jesus as one of many prophets.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons) believe that Jesus is the literal son of God and not a manifestation; this view of the trinity has led some critics to label the LDS faith as non-Christian (see Mormonism and Christianity). Mormons also believe Jesus appeared in the Western Hemisphere after his resurrection. Church members believe that Jesus taught the ancestors of modern Native Americans, supposedly descended from the lost tribes of Israel.
Some Gnostic sects believed that Jesus was an Aeon, an emanation of the One, original, unknowable God, who came to Earth to provide the gnosis (knowledge) necessary for humans to divest themselves of the physical world and return to the spiritual world. The Nag Hammadi Library of Gnostic texts discovered in 1945 is a deeply fascinating find for anyone interested in early Christianity and the spiritual teachings of Jesus.
Hinduism is divided on the issue of Jesus. Some Hindus hold that he was just a man, if he existed at all. Others say he was a great teacher. And some speculate that he visited India and studied Hinduism/Buddhism during the years of his life that are not accounted for in the Bible. Some Hindus go as far as to equate Jesus with an avatar (incarnation of God on earth), along with Rama and Krishna.
Jehovah's Witnesses and some other nontrinitarian churches affirm that Jesus is the first spiritual being created by Jehovah, and as such, are significantly Arian in their understanding of Christology. Jehovah's Witnesses also claim that he is the archangel Michael mentioned in the Bible.

Was Jesus Married?

There has been controversial speculation over the years concerning whether Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene. Some Gnostic traditions hold that this was so, though the Biblical Gospels make no mention of such a marriage. Some have countered that the Gospels also make no direct reference to Jesus remaining single, which, it can be argued, would have been noteworthy in a society in which marriage would have been expected. See Mary Magdalene for further discussion.