Were Filipinos already aware of Jesus before the Spaniards came?

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julia

you're right!

accdg to historical accounts, islam was first brought over by arab traders in the late 13th and early 14th centuries, at least 200 years before spanish explorers first introduced christianity to the 7,107-island archipelago.

and we all know islam recognizes jesus and mary (may be not in the same way as christians do) as both names are found in their holy book - the quran.

Aref H4

If your premise is correct and that they were Muslims, then they were already aware of the existence of Jesus.

To my knowledge, Islam taught of Jesus as one of the prophets before their last messenger, who was Mohammad.

They called him Yesu. As in Arabic, Joseph is Yousuf..

Barrio Lass

The Filipinos does not know about Jesus but they do know about Allah and their prophet Mohammed, maybe... who can tell.

According to history, the Spaniards were the very first to introduce Christianity in the country. As such, it is safe to assume then, that people around here does not know jesus yet before the Spaniards came.

Leander

Yes, at least the Muslims already did know Jesus in their own belief though and not as a God..
Lapu-lapu wasn't a Muslim though.. He was a Pagan who worships anitos or nature gods

"babingk-zzz"

The Filipinos were not aware of Jesus before Spaniards came.

Yes, Muslims believe Jesus as a Prophet "Nabi Isa (A.S.)" not as a God...

Chris

The Philippines is a group of more than 7000 islands under numerous rulerships in the pre and even spanish times, with the vast majority of the geographic population under the belief of animastic concepts. The spanish just claimed everything but had limited impact on the areas outside the larger cities until the 19th century. There were muslims in the PI before the Spanish, but not as wide spread or in large numbers. For example you would be hard pressed to find any signs of the muslim faith in architecture or archaeological evidence.

Rather think of it as the Datu's believing in Allah and the natives following them through enslavement and trade relations. However there was also Hindu faith in a small area of Luzon.

Christianity was introduced to Japan in 1549, and although Magellan tried, he failed to ignite christianity earlier in the PI in 1521, but no colony was established until 1565.

The Pinoy's might have had some contact with Christianity between 1549 and 1565 through Japan, but only a glimpse. Because there were really thousands of different groups (think of each like a nation) in the un-united Philippines. By the way, the PI included Taiwan for a while.

nakapagpapagabag

no. we have no God by that time..Ã¼

evilimp006

Lapu-Lapu wasn't muslim.. they followed a more loosely-organized hinduistic society.

Datu Puti was because he came from brunei, but there were settlers in other islands before islamization came to the philippines.

who's jesus anyway? lol..

Regina

No they don't... Long before the muslims, the native filipinos worship bathalas. And they also worship inanimate objects like trees or odd looking rocks. They also have albularyos (we still have but for curing some "unknown" diseases) who predicts the future, and they are usually women or men who are effeminate. They offer sacrifices to the bathalas (these means that there are more than one). It's like greek mythology actually. Until the indonesians, malaysians and spaniards came. That was the religion of the Filipinos...

traveller

No. The Spaniards were the first Christians to the Philippines and before that there was no knowledge of Jesus.

Mrs. Jaimee Harmony OOH

Filipinos may have heard of Jesus then but you have to consider also that during then, religious teaching were not aptly taught. People would just believe and follow beliefs instilled to them by their leaders or chief.

Magellan may have brought Christianity here but it was after few years more before the people have fully understood it.

pero_102

to turn the tides of the answers , i think many spaniards, including portuguese Magellan on board those galleons ships were muslims or knew islam as many parts of spain were under muslims rules for more than 500 years,and only stopped when christianity regains its territories. But faiths never die fast, most probably, as seamanship expeditions to uncharted areas during those times were the oddest or suicidal jobs that many avoid, muslims conscripts could be mostly forced aboard as they are considered then in Spain undesirables or expendables.Thus, they easily befriended and later treacherously treated the natives of the Philippines.
one can still see by now the personal effects of Ferdinand Magellan in Cebu kept in Baclayon Church for display. One is a copy of the quran, the muslim's holy book.

Jai Hoâ„¢

as i know...the very first people in the philippines believed in worshiping other things such as trees, mountains and others...but as i remember in the story of Lapu-Lapu (first Philippine Hero)...they were introduced to catholicism which brought their way to Jesus and other saints...i actually watched the movie that was a tribute for Lapu-Lapu and i saw there some scenes that their God's such as trees and others were destroyed and they were forced to join the catholicism...

kahlan nynaeveÂ®

Maybe. Who knows. Filipinos of that time believed in "Bathalas," "anitos" and "diyos" and "diyosas." Maybe these are an extension of Jesus for them. We all need a "personal Jesus" in life and this may just be anyone or anything that keeps us grounded and help us retain our sanity in this world and faith in whatever or whoever can make our lives and living meaningful.

Juan C

they could be, but Paganism (which was also a dominant religion in the Philippines during the pre-hispanic times, as well as Islam) definitely don't talk Jesus...

tiger of the pacific

I doubt they do because christianism brought to the philippines somewhere in the 15th hundreds under spanish occupation,maybe they do but not named jesus. as you know filipinos are migrants of different part of the pacific like malaysia, china, and indonesia whose themselves chinese origin and so we filipinos.otherwise we are ourselves belongs to tribes and until today there are some filipinos who kept the tradition being part of a tribe and they don't want to be influence with the modern world, which sometimes i regret not to keep this former world of us maybe then filipinos today will not be that kind
money lovers, prepared to betray their own skin for the glory and money
however,concerning lapu-lapu its possible, since he's from the south where the arabs came to occupy that area for 7 years as well the dutch
in any case it's a curse and bad image for the philippines to have muslims where they are the source of terrorism over there.
you can consult an encyclopeadia to deepen your research, good luck
bon journee baby

charlie balakubak

muslims believe in allah and christians in jesus. filipinos only knew of jesus thru the spaniards.

Joseph Marfel S

Before you asked questions like this, read first the Bible and the Koran. Compare them. I plead that you read both. Read them.. then judge for yourself.
To doubt is to gamble your soul. Be careful not to have just head knowledge. Jesus changed me. I know who i am before i met Him and I know how He changed me.

Seek the Truth... with all of your heart, strength, and soul. Check out JesusChrist.net and watch the stories of Muslims whom our Lord Jesus Christ touched.
I love you brother... Jesus loves you, do not harden your heart.

annabelle p

The Filipinos in pre-Spanish times did not know of Jesus, of religion or Christianity. It was only when the Spaniards came that they became Christianized. Although the early Filipinos already knew that Someone of great power existed. They performed "religious" rituals and worshiped gods or "anitos".

Muslims believe in Jesus as the greatest messenger of God. As to Lapulapu being a Muslim, according to Sulu oral tradition, Lapu-Lapu was a Muslim chieftain, and was also known as "Kaliph Pulaka". The people of Bangsamoro, the Moro homeland in the Philippines, consider him to be a Muslim and a member of the Tausug ethnic group.

Darla G

for sure long before the spaniards came, our forefathers already believed in and gave worship to "something". the name of Jesus was introduced to us by the spaniards but it doesn't mean we were "godless" before that.

manthebraces

The Filipinos knew ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about Geezus before the Spanish came along... same for the indigenous people in Mexico, central and South Amerika.

They all learned about Geezus real quickly, though because they had their souls saved at the point of a bayonet or out of the muzzle of a gun

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