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 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 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.
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