A Virtuous Woman
The mother of Jesus is known by many names. They include:
Mary, Saint Mary, the Madonna, Queen of Angels, Mary Mother of God, and the
Virgin Mary. She has been venerated as the greatest of all Christian saints. She
has been a favorite subject of Western art, music, and literature. Early Church
fathers believed an immaculate Mary conceived Jesus with her virginity
unimpaired, a position supported by Catholic and other religious doctrine. She
is therefore free from all stain of
original sin. At the Council of Ephesus in 431 AD the Church Fathers
spoke of Mary, the holy Virgin, as the Mother of God. Some believe she remained
a virgin after she gave birth to Jesus until the end of her life.
Theologians have thus turned a woman named Mary into a
supernatural Holy Image, untouched by human blood and the ordinary labors of
1st century women.
But is that realistic? Wasn’t she a Jewish girl, living
in a Jewish village, bound by the customs of her community, and exposed to the
realities of her cultural environment? Does our theological obsessive concern
over her virginity mask Mary’s human life? Was Joseph the human father of Jesus? Would Mary be branded a prostitute if she violated Jewish law by
becoming pregnant before marriage? Did God have an alternative means of
creating his son in her womb? Is it
possible to construct an alternative portrait of Mary that is more consistent
with 21st century knowledge?
Yes.
One cannot describe the life of Jesus without also
exploring the persona and life of Mary. She was, after all, his mother. Mary
changed his diapers, insisted he wash before eating, prepared his meals, and
did all of the other tasks we associate with motherhood. With Joseph’s help she
taught him the ways of Jewish culture, insisted he learned to read, acquire
basic skills in mathematics, understand Jewish (religious) law, and learn the
rules of human interaction.
But who was she? Getting to know her is a complex
challenge, presenting us with both truth and fabrication. We are compelled to
supplement Biblical text with cultural, historical, and archeological
information.
But what emerges from careful analysis is both credible
and inspiring. Mary was, indeed, a lovely girl who grew up to be a virtuous
woman of incredible inner strength.
Mary – Traditional
View
To research the
life of Mary is to fall in love with her. It’s easy to think of Mary as a
simple uneducated peasant girl, living in Nazareth, zealously protected by her
parents, and naive to the ways of the world. But as I researched first century
Jewish culture and whatever information I could find about Mary, it became
evident the only way to properly judge her is by her accomplishments, her
humility, and her devotion to the God she loved.
Without question,
she is the graceful personification of motherhood. To write about Mary is to
develop a deep respect for this girl who became a woman at 14, always supported
and loved her husband, was a good mother to seven children, faithfully supported
the life and work of her eldest son Jesus, never gave up on the task God had
given to her, and could be called the first Christian. And she did all this
despite the incredible stress of ever present danger from famine, disease,
villainous bandits, Roman soldiers, Roman mercenaries, Jewish zealots, the
bloodshed of rebellion, and the constant -sometimes downright nasty criticism
of her son’s ministry.
Mary was of the
tribe of Judah, and the line of David. Under Jewish law when a girl began to
menstruate she became a woman and could be married. This transition usually
occurred when she was 13 or 14 years old and the women of the village decided
her body was mature enough to bear children. Research suggests Mary (Mariam)
was born in the spring of April of 20 BC, perhaps betrothed at age 13 (7 BC), certainly
married at age 14 (6 BC), and gave birth to Jesus when she was 15 (5 BC). She was 48 (almost 49) when Jesus was
crucified. Mary apparently died when she was 58 or 59 years old in 39 AD.
In the 1st
century AD we humans were not as tall as we are today. Given her probable diet
and genetic heritage, it is likely Mary was approximately 155 cm (5 feet one
inch) tall, had brown eyes, dark brown hair, and a slender build. Given the
latitude of Nazareth, Mary would have been a white woman with a very light
honey brown complexion.
Mary – A 21st Century View
When we think of
Mary the mother of Jesus, we must also consider the influence of where she was conceived
and born. The choices are: Nazareth, Sepphoris, and Jerusalem. Her mother’s
family resided in Sepphoris, and during the 12th century the Crusaders built a
Church honoring St Anne on the site they believed to be her family home. Although
Mary may have been born in Sepphoris at the family home, her conception and
birth are celebrated in Jerusalem. That leaves Nazareth – a tiny village (if it
existed at all at the time of her birth) - a distant third choice.
Her parents, Joachim
and Anna, apparently raised their family in Sepphoris (and Jerusalem) until the
threat of a pending rebellion forced them to move to the relative safety of
Nazareth in 7 or 6 BC. God selected Mary
to be the mother of his son because she was intelligent, creative,
compassionate, educated, levelheaded, and firmly committed to her beliefs. Where
did this intellectual achievement and passion come from? Although the relatively
cosmopolitan community of Sepphoris offered opportunities for an education, it
is more likely she was educated in Jerusalem (see note) and thus her father had
a choice of well-educated priests to tutor her. Mary could read and recite
passages from Jewish law. It is likely she understood addition, subtraction,
division and multiplication. She may have learned some rudimentary geometry. Thus
a relatively sophisticated Mary had a better education than 85 percent of her
peers. In the last century BC it was extremely rare for a woman to be able
to read, write, or have any math skills. Mary would have passed whatever
knowledge she accumulated to her children.
Jesus moved Mary
and two of his brothers to Capernaum after Joseph died and the opportunity for
work began to dry up in Sepphoris (about 18 to 20 AD when Herod Antipas moved
the capitol of Galilee from Sepphoris to a new city he named Tiberias in honor
of the Roman Emperor). After Jesus began his ministry (at age 30 in 27 AD) Mary
apparently helped to organize his activities, frequently accompanying him as he
traveled. It is likely she could be found among the many female disciples who
adored Jesus and desperately wanted to believe his message. Mary may have been
described in the Book of John as “the disciple who loved him”.
Mary witnessed
the cruel and bloody crucifixion of the son to whom she had given her life. With
tenderness and sorrow she laid him to rest on a cold block of stone. On the
third day, we can only imagine how Mary felt when she explored the empty tomb
with a mixture of hope and dread, elation and fear. Had God kept his promise? Of
course: his resurrection brought her incredible joy and relief. She had
fulfilled her obligation to God.
There is no
doubt... Mary was a woman of intelligence, compassion, and incredible inner
strength.
Author’s Note About Mary’s Conception
Matthew
Matthew imagined
the conception of Jesus according to his desire to show his birth fulfilled
ancient prophecies about the coming of a Messiah.
“Joseph son of
David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is
conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.” – Matthew 1:20
The story in
Matthew is based on obsolete medical science. It is likely he believed God’s
“seed” would be a complete human baby (a tiny person or seed), ready to grow in
Mary’s womb. During the time the New Testament was written it was generally
believed that a woman contributed nothing to the creation of a baby. An
agrarian culture took its conceptual beliefs from farming. It was believed a
man planted his “seed” (a complete human) into a woman’s body and if she was
fertile, the seed would attach to the womb and grow into a baby. Because it was
a seed created by God, Matthew assumed it would have the divine characteristics
of God (in effect, it would be the progeny of the Holy Father). Jesus was thus
expected to be the son of God with the physical characteristics of a human
male.
Luke
Luke also understood
conception in terms of 1st century medical science. He based his text in the
“Book of Luke” and “The Acts of the Apostles” on the writings of Mark, his
friendship with Paul, a source called Q, his conversations with early
Christians, and other resources. A well-educated Greek gentile and physician,
Luke wants to present us with a reliable story about the Jesus he admired.
He mentions that
Jesus is the “Son of Man” (apparently a Messianic title) 25 times in his texts.
Both Luke and Paul, who became friends, clearly believed Jesus was born under
the law... Being born “under the law” is not a trivial concept. It means that
after the wedding ceremony the bride and groom consummate their marriage by
holding intercourse. A woman proves her virginity by leaving a few drops of
blood on the bed. It also means that Mary must have been a virgin on her
wedding night.
A Natural Alternative
The discovery of
how the human female egg is fertilized would not be confirmed until the 1900s
(by Edgar Allen in 1928). Conception (when the sperm penetrates the egg)
creates a fertilized ovum called a zygote. The zygote's genome now contains all
of the genetic information necessary for the development of a human baby.
The importance of
DNA was not clearly recognized until ~ 1953. A molecule of Deoxyribonucleic
acid (DNA) contains the genetic instructions that govern the growth,
development, and characteristics of a living organism. DNA instructions
(information) are passed from parent to child during conception. We inherit
half of our DNA from our father and half from our mother.
The idea that
Mary was “seeded” by Joseph created a problem for early theologians. Jesus had
to be divinely pure: absolutely above all natural humans. In order to be sure
he was above all others, it was decided that his mother was seeded by God (the
Immaculate Conception). God would also provide the seed when Mary was ready to
be pregnant with Jesus. This meant, of course, Mary had to be pregnant before
she married Joseph in order to be sure who seeded Jesus. Joseph was thus
portrayed as a man who was commanded by God to marry a pregnant woman.
But this theory
created another problem for early theologians. It was important to tie the life
of Jesus to key people described in the Old Testament, including King David.
But if Joseph was not the father, then how could Jesus trace his lineage back
to King David? It was decided Mary was seeded just before her marriage and
Joseph would just have to marry a pregnant Mary. That maintained the purity of
conception. But the issue of lineage has remained a subject of debate.
This conundrum
has been the source of controversy and conflict for hundreds of years. But it
is easy to resolve. Let us not forget, ..
God has always known all there is to know about DNA and human conception. All
God had to do is modify the DNA of Mary’s egg and the DNA of Joseph’s sperm,
... or the DNA of the Zygote, to create the son he wanted. Then Joseph is the
natural father. Mary is the natural mother. Jesus is the natural son ... and
his lineage back to King David is preserved. In effect, Jesus has two fathers. God gets exactly what he wants in a son. Jesus is born.... as both Paul and Luke
reveal... by the rules of Jewish law. Twenty first century medical knowledge
provides us with a natural answer. Jesus is the son of man and the perfection
of God.
Luke wrote his
story about the conception of Jesus Christ (who he frequently refers to as the
“Son of Man”) based on his understanding of 1st century medical knowledge. This
raises an interesting question. What would he have written in his Gospel if he
understood 21st century medical science?
Unfortunately,
traditional Christian beliefs continue to center on obsolete first century medical
knowledge. It’s time we revisited the birth of Jesus and revised it to reflect
our 21st Century understanding of biology and medical technology. Medical
science has now rendered the early church’s concern about the creation and
lineage of Jesus obsolete. Jesus was (and is) God’s son and divine by God’s
will.
It’s in the DNA.
Ron
Note 1. Mary may have received most of her education
from the Temple Priests in Jerusalem, where her father had business activity and
her parents maintained a home. Joachim would have had his choice of excellent
tutors for his beloved daughter. The veneration of Anne, Mary’s mother, and
apparently Mary’s conception, are firmly rooted in traditions of Jerusalem that
began before the Crusades. Ann was apparently born in Sepphoris and – according
to cultural custom - may have returned to her family home when she was ready to
give birth to Mary.
Note 2. Sepphoris
... (In Hebrew - Tzipori) is located in the central Galilee region of
Israel, three or four miles north-northwest of Nazareth. It is over 900 feet above sea level and
overlooks the Beit Netofa Valley. Before the death of Herod the Great in 4 BC,
it had a population of up to 6,000. After 3 AD Herod Antipas made it the
Capitol of Galilee and the population increased to over 10,000. Although Jesus
and his father would have been aware, and sometimes involved, in the events
that happened in Sepphoris, and would certainly have had many opportunities to
find work there, the name does not appear anywhere in the Bible.
There is some
thought that Joseph actually met and fell in love with Mary while working in
Sepphoris. But given the traditional involvement of Jewish parents in the
selection of a mate and the relative disruption of the political rebellion that
was engulfing Sepphoris at the time, the weight of evidence favors the idea
that Mary’s parents fled to Nazareth for their own safety. Once there, they
eventually worked with Joseph’s parents to encourage the union.
Note 3. Of
course Mary and Joseph had a large family. Seven beautiful children. That would
have been expected by the community and there is no reason God would object.
How this happened is chronicled in my novel “Am I Your Son?” and my book “Summa
21”.
Note 4. A
“girl” became a “woman” upon her marriage. Although a formal betrothal that
lasted one year was typical of Jewish custom, it was not always required. The
date of Mary’s death in Jerusalem is less certain
Based on text
found in “Summa 21”
Christian Theology
for the 21st century.
The physical and the metaphysical were both created by
God.
.
