Section Nine: Herod and Jesus

Transcription

1 Section Nine: Herod and Jesus

2 Judea Under King Herod 9.1

3 The Biblical Herods During the Life of Jesus Herod the Great - Began the work of restoring the second temple - Met the Three Wise Men - Ordered the slaughter of the innocents Herod Archelaus - Son of Herod the Great by Malthace and Tetrarch in Jerusalem - The Herod that the Holy Family feared upon their return from Egypt - Herod Archelaus incompetence led to his replacement by a Roman procurator one of whom was Pontius Pilate (@26-36 CE) Herod Antipas - Son of Herod the Great also by Malthace and Tetrarch in Galilee where Jesus lived and of Perea - Ordered the death of John the Baptist - Met Jesus before His execution then passed him on to Pilate Herod Philip (Herod II) - Son of Herod the Great by Mariamne II - Herod II was fortunate enough not to be too political however - Herod II is involved in the Christian Scriptures when Herod Antipas divorced his own wife and encouraged the wife of Herod II (Herodias) to divorce Herod II. John the Baptist publicly condemned the union and was beheaded 9.2

4 A Review the Situation in Judea after the Death of Herod the Great Herod Archelaus was not given the title of king. He ruled Judea and Samaria as an Ethnarch Phil An until 6 CE when he was replaced by Roman procurators and exiled to Gaul. He died in 18 CE Arch An Herod Antipas was Tetrarch of the Galilee and Perea. He ordered the death of John the Baptist and participated in the trial of Jesus. He too was exiled to Gaul by Gaius (Caligula). The date of his death is uncertain. Note: An ethnarch is a ruler of a people (ethnos in Greek). A tetrarch, technically speaking, is a ruler of one fourth of a political region. The term was often used somewhat loosely Philip the Tetrarch ruled the lands north of the Decapolis. He died in 34 CE. He is not the Philip involved in the Baptist s death (Mark 6:17) 9.3

5 Judea Under Herod Agrippa Herod Agrippa was the King Herod who ordered the death of the Apostle James in Acts 12. Since Herod Agrippa could claim both Herodian and Hasmonean lineage, he could be called the last Jewish King of Judea Herod Agrippa was the grandson of Herod the Great and Mariamne I (via Aristobulus IV and Berenice) He was named after Marcus Agrippa, a Roman statesman When Philip the Tetrarch died, Herod was given rule over Ituraea & Trachonitis When Herod Antipas was banished to Gaul, Agrippa was given rule over Galilee and Perea In return for his support of Claudius to succeed Caligula as Emperor, Claudius removed the Roman procurator of Idumea, Judea and Samaria and allowed from CE, Herod Agrippa ruled as king from Jerusalem over a territory almost as large as that of Herod the Great 9.4

6 The Big Question Concerning Herod Agrippa The territory ruled by Agrippa I not only included much of the land that was ruled by his grandfather Herod the Great but was also close to the size of the united kingdom of Israel that was ruled by David and Solomon a millennium earlier Unlike his grandfather, Herod Agrippa was, like his Hasmonean grandmother, Mariamne I, a faithful Jew who honored the Torah and encouraged Jewish customs and rituals. As a result, Herod Agrippa was much loved (too much loved??) by the Jewish during the brief time that he governed them (@37-44 CE, CE as king) It is interesting to note that when Agrippa tried to strengthen the fortifications around Jerusalem, the Romans forced him to stop. When he tried to establish friendly relations with neighboring lands, the Romans suspected him of trying to forge potentially hostile alliances. Agrippa died at age 54 while attending Roman games in Caesaria. Did Herod Agrippa die a natural death or was he killed (poisoned?) by the Romans who may have feared that a popular king who could claim Hasmonean ancestry ruling a land as large as the ancient Kingdom of Israel might lead to a rise in Jewish nationalism? It wasn t long after Agrippa s death that the Romans once again appointed a procurator to govern the province of Judea 9.5

7 Yet More Members of the Herodian Dynasty Herod Agrippa II (Agrippa II) - Son of Herod Agrippa I and brother of Berenice and Drusilla and great-grandson of Herod the Great - Named ruler of Chalcis (Lebanon) by Claudius in 50 CE at the age of 22 - The new Roman Emperor, Nero, added Perea to the lands governed by Agrippa II in 54 CE. The fact that Perea was not governed by a Roman procurator during the Jewish wars (@66-70 CE) kept the region out of much of the conflict. This was important for Jewish Christians during those wars. More will be discussed a bout this in a later class - Agrippa II was the King Agrippa that Paul spoke with in Acts 25 and 26 - Since Agrippa II sided with Rome in the Jewish wars his political position remained safe until his death in 93/94 CE - Herod Agrippa II was the last prince of the line of Herod to rule in the region 9.6

8 Can t Tell the Herods Without a Scorecard Herod the Great Mentioned most prominently in Chapter 2 of Matthew s gospel in the story involving the Magi and the Slaughter of the Innocents Herod Archelaus Mentioned briefly in Matthew 2:22 and said to be the reason that Joseph chose to go to Nazareth in Galilee rather than Jerusalem in Judah Herod Antipas Mentioned frequently in the Christian scriptures but most prominently in Chapter 6 of Mark and Chapter 14 of Matthew which tell the story of the death of John the Baptist. Mentioned again in Chapter 23 of Luke. Herod Antipas was the ruler in Galilee where Jesus lived. Pilate tried to pawn Jesus off on Antipas at Jesus trial Herod Philip (Herod II) This Herod was the husband that Herodias divorced so that she could marry his half-brother, Herod Antipas. He is mentioned in the same stories involving the death of the Baptist as Herod Antipas Herod Agrippa (Agrippa I) He was the Herod that is mentioned in Acts 12 as the King Herod who executed James the brother of John Herod Agrippa II (Agrippa II) He is the Herod who spoke with Paul in Acts

9 Enter Jesus the Christ Let s review the situation in Judea at the birth of Jesus; Judea, which, after 400 years of subjugation, managed for a very brief time to re-establish itself as an independent kingdom The Romans, under Pompey, subjected that kingdom to Roman rule During Jesus lifetime, Judea, Galilee and Samaria were full of resentment of an Idumaean dynasty and their Roman overlords. There was a desire for a new, truly Jewish King, a Messiah from the line of David who would end foreign rule Herod, an Idumean with Roman support, managed to wrest power away from the existing Hasmonean royal family while maintaining some degree of legitimacy by marrying a Hasmonean princess (Mariamne I) When Jesus was born, Herod, now known as Herod the Great, was near the time of his death. When Herod finally died (at least 2-3 years after Jesus birth), his kingdom was divided up by the Romans among three of his heirs. Herod Archelaeus ruled Judea and Samaria from Jerusalem but was quickly replaced by a Roman procurator. Herod Antipas ruled in Perea as well as Galilee where Jesus lived. Philip the Tetrarch ruled lands north and east of Galilee 9.8

10 Biblical Transitions We have already seen the last words of the last Book of the Hebrew Scriptures, II Chronicles, and the importance those words had, a continue to have, for the Jewish people Thus says Cyrus, King of Persia: The LORD, the God of heaven, has given to me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has also charged me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. All among you, therefore, who belong to his people, may their God be with them; let them go up. As was mentioned earlier, the Protestant Christian Old Testament has the same books as the Hebrew Scriptures but orders them in a different sequence. The Old Testament in Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox bibles use the Septuagint which contains several books not included in the Hebrew Scriptures. One thing in common with all Christian Old Testaments is that the last book is the Book of Malachi, not II Chronicles. It was no accident that this book was chosen. It s last words are just as meaningful to Christians as were the last words of II Chronicles to Jews. These words point to Jesus public ministry which began with his baptism by John the Baptist. Now I am sending to you Elijah, the prophet. Before the day of the LORD comes, the great and terrible day; He will turn the heart of fathers to their sons, and the heart of sons to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with utter destruction. Many of those who saw Jesus as the Messiah considered John the Baptist to be Jesus prophet. It was not long after Jesus death that the land was indeed struck with utter destruction 9.9

11 Jesus the Christ (from the Christian Scriptures) Despite some claims to the contrary, almost all of what is known about Jesus comes from the Christian Scriptures (the New Testament) and those scriptures tell us these basic things; Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea but lived his life in Nazareth in Galilee His mother s name was Mary (Miriam) and His father s name was Joseph (Yosef) There is very little known about His life as a child and young adult At some point in His adult life, He was baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River and began to preach, teach and heal in public He spent most of his public ministry in Galilee, but at some point, he traveled south and entered into the city of Jerusalem After his entry, He was arrested and convicted by the Romans as a criminal. He was later crucified by the Romans as his punishment His followers claimed that He was raised from the dead after His crucifixion and that He appeared to them alive a number of different times 9.10

12 Jesus the Christ (Non-Scriptural Source) There is only one source outside of the Christian Scriptures written around the time of Jesus which mentions him specifically Josephus Antiquity of the Jews: Book 18 Chapter 3 on Jesus Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man; for he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews and many of the Gentiles. He was [the] Christ. And when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him; for he appeared to them alive again the third day; as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him. And the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct at this day. Josephus Antiquity of the Jews: Book 20 Chapter 9 on James, the Brother of Jesus..so he ( the High Priest Ananus) assembled the Sanhedrim of judges, and brought before them the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ (i.e. Messiah), whose name was James, and some others Josephus Antiquity of the Jews: Book 5 Chapter 2 on John the Baptist Now some of the Jews thought that the destruction of Herod's (Antipas) army* came from God, and that very justly, as a punishment of what he did against John, that was called the Baptist: for Herod slew him, who was a good man, and commanded the Jews to exercise virtue * Herod Antipas had married the daughter of the King of Nabataea to seal an alliance. When Antipas divorced her to marry Herodias, her father the King went to war against Antipas. 9.11

13 Jesus the Christ (Other Non-Scriptural Sources) Tacitus: Roman Senator and Historian (Annals: 116 CE) [N]either human effort nor the emperor s generosity nor the placating of the gods ended the scandalous belief that the fire had been ordered [by Nero]. Therefore, to put down the rumor, Nero substituted as culprits and punished in the most unusual ways those hated for their shameful acts whom the crowd called Chrestians. The founder of this name, Christ [Christus in Latin], had been executed in the reign of Tiberius by the procurator Pontius Pilate Suppressed for a time, the deadly superstition erupted again not only in Judea, the origin of this evil, but also in the city [Rome], where all things horrible and shameful from everywhere come together and become popular. Pliny the Younger, a Roman governor and friend of Tacitus Wrote about early Christian worship of Christ as to a god. Suetonius, a Roman writer, lawyer and historian, wrote of riots in 49 C.E. A riot broke among Jews in Rome which might have been about Christ. Suetonius specifically wrote that he thought the riots were incited by the instigator Chrestus, whose identification with Jesus is not completely certain. This does align with the information in Acts that Roman Jews heard Peter preach at Pentecost and may have been specifically moved to form a community upon their return to Rome. Romans indicates that a community existed in Rome before Paul s arrival and that a member of that community was named Aristobulus, a name not uncommon in Hasmonean royal family 9.12

14 The Search for the Historical Jesus The Christian scriptures claim to be testimony about Jesus based on information provided, either directly or via a third-party, by people who knew Jesus, walked and talked with him. It is important to remember that, just like the Hebrew Scriptures, the Christian Scriptures are an account of an experience that people had of Jesus both during his life and after his resurrection. The writers have an agenda. If you do not trust the Christian Scriptures as a source of information about Jesus, you have only two choices; 1) Trust what Josephus has to say. While there is some debate on how reliable the references are in his work, there is little doubt that Josephus wrote his work some time in the mid 90s CE 2) Speculate on what Jesus must have been like based on what is known about his contemporaries. If you have assembled your facts well and presented them in a cogent fashion, your speculation deserves some consideration so long as it is made clear that it is speculation Albert Schweitzer pointed out how often the Jesus that results from such a search looks amazingly like what the author believed Jesus should look like. Readers who are ready to dismiss the reliability of the Christian Scriptures because of a bias on the part of their authors often never think that the authors of books about the historical Jesus may also have their own biases 9.13

15 Reliability of the Christian Scriptures Early Christian Manuscripts The first documents of the New Testament were very likely the Letters written by Paul. The gospels and other NT documents were written from ten to forty years (or so) after Paul s letters. We ll look more closely at the NT documents in the next section. While no original NT document has ever been found, over 5,000 manuscripts of the NT are in existence today. They range from fragments of texts to full collections of scripture. These manuscripts fall into three general categories; - Papyrus Fragments The advantage of papyrus is clear. Papyrus was inexpensive. The downside is that papyrus was not particularly durable. There are a number of papyrus fragments of the NT still extant that range in age from the 2nd century CE through the 8th century CE - Uncials Texts of block, upper case letters usually written on more expensive material (e.g. vellum). Uncial texts of the NT range in age from late 2 nd /early 3 rd centuries CE through the 11 th century CE. Uncial texts are most often found in a codex (book-like) form rather than scroll form (common for papyrus) - Minuscules These are texts of the NT written in a kind of cursive format. Minuscule texts of the NT range in age from the 9 th through 16 th centuries CE 9.14

16 Early Christian Manuscripts Papyrus Fragments Oxyrhynchus Papyri Early 3 rd Century CE University of Penn. 9.15

17 Early Christian Manuscripts - Uncials Codex Sinaiticus: Uncials 4th Century CE Most of the Codex can be found in the British Library in London 9.16

18 Early Christian Manuscripts - Minuscules Codex Ebnarianus: Minuscule (cursive) 12 th Century CE Bodleian Library Oxford 9.17

19 Early Christian Manuscripts - Summary The Codex Sinaiticus is the oldest extant manuscript of the Christian Bible. It was written in the middle of the fourth century CE Both the Old Testament (derived from the Septuagint) and the New Testament of the Codex Sinaiticus were written in Greek. Both the OT and NT texts of this codex have been annotated by a series of early correctors The Codex Sinaiticus has been made available for viewing from the internet at The /en/ is for English speaking people There are a number of other codices that are extant the most known include the Codex Vaticanus (also from the 4 th century CE), the Codex Alexandrinus (early 5 th century CE) and the Codex Ephraemi (also early 5 th century CE) Despite the variations in the texts, some caused by corrections, others caused by simple copying errors that went uncorrected, the various manuscripts show a remarkable degree of agreement. The differences that do exist, with the exception of a passage at the end of the Gospel of Mark, are minimal and do not reflect a difference in the meaning of any passage 9.18

20 Greek New Testament 9.19

21 Manuscripts of the Hebrew Scriptures The earliest complete manuscript of the Hebrew Scriptures is the Aleppo Codex. The codex was probably written sometime in the Tenth Century CE It was purchased by the Jewish Karaite* community in Jerusalem and was moved from the city during the Crusades. In the 14 th Century CE it was moved to Aleppo, Syria and remained there until 1947 There are other fragmentary sections of the Hebrew Scriptures some of which are part of the Dead Sea Scrolls * The Karaite Jewish community is believed to have begun in Baghdad sometime in the 7 th or 8 th century CE (though some claim that Karaite Jews lived in Egypt before the 7 th century.) They are like the Sadducees in that they believe that only those things written in the Tanakh are binding in Jewish Religious Law (Halakah), Unlike Rabbinic Judaism, Karaite Jews do not believe that the Oral Torah, legal decisions made by the Sanhedrin and codified in the Talmud play any role in Halakah. Karaite Jews are welcome to read the written Tanakh and form their own opinions as to its meanings but are advised that the best meaning can be found in the original intent of the author. There are an estimated 50,000 Karaites in Israel and another 50,000 scattered throughout the world 9.20

22 The Aleppo Codex Like the Codex Sinaiticus, the Aleppo Codex is available for viewing online at And, like the Codex Sinaiticus, you can zoom in or out on any section of the text. ו י ה י, א ח ר י מוֹת מ שׁ ה--ע ב ד י הו ה; ו יּ אמ ר י הו ה א ל-י הוֹשׁ ע בּ ן-נוּן, מ שׁ ר ת מ שׁ ה ל אמ ר. 9.21

23 Genesis in the Dead Sea Scrolls Portions of the Dead Sea Scrolls are also now available for viewing on line. They can be seen at You can view the scrolls by selecting the Explore the Archive option א ת ה שּׁ מ י ם, ו א ת ה א ר ץ. Like many ancient biblical documents, the scrolls made available for viewing are often fragmentary and hard to read. However, even an amateur like me can read these words from Genesis, the heavens and the earth. I have written the Masoretic Text version of the same words are shown below the Dead Sea Scrolls sample 9.22

24 Basic Controversies About Jesus The Year of His Birth The Date of His Birth The facts surrounding his conception The facts surrounding his birth The size and makeup of Jesus family 9.23

25 The Birth Year of Jesus (I) There are many different opinions concerning the year of Christ s birth and there is no real consensus as to what the actual year was but here are some facts that might narrow things down; Matthew (2:1) declares that Jesus was born during the reign of Herod the Great Josephus states that Herod died 37 years after the Roman Senate declared him King of the Jews (@ 40 BCE) and 34 years after he was able to actually (@ 37 BCE) become king. That calculates down to 4-3 BCE Josephus said that a lunar eclipse occurred shortly before Herod s death. There was a partial eclipse in March of 4 BCE Matthew also states that Herod ordered the death of all male children 2 years of age or younger. This implies that Jesus must have been born at least two years before Herod s death in 4 BCE, so around 6 BCE Luke states that a census took place during the year of Jesus birth. No record of such a census was found in Roman records but Egyptian records indicate that the Romans took a census in 20 BCE and that a census was normally taken every 14 years 9.24

26 The Birth Year of Jesus (II) Both Justin Martyr and Tertullian (2 nd Century CE) state that Roman records of the census in question did exist and were available to be reviewed in the archives of Rome during their lifetimes Luke also says that Quirinius was governor in Syria when Jesus was born. - Quirinius was known to have been fighting in Macedonia before 6 BCE. - Tacitus mentions that Quirinius was in the East between 6 and 3 BCE. - Roman records show that Quirinius was governor in Syria in the early years of the Common Era so there is evidence that Quirinius was in the region at the time in question but no direct evidence that he served as Roman governor in Syria during this period It should be noted that regions such as Judea, Samaria, and Galilee, even when governed directly by the Romans, were not themselves Roman provinces. They were satellite regions to the main Roman province in Syria. Those Roman officials who replaced Archelaeus were called prefects or procurators. Governors, such as Quirinius (Cyrinus), mentioned in Luke 2:2 ruled from the Roman province of Syria 9.25

27 The Birth Date of Jesus (I) No Christian church has ever claimed that Jesus was actually born on December 25. Christian churches simply celebrate His birth on that day. There are many theories to explain why December 25 was selected as the day to celebrate the birth of Jesus but two garner the most interest. The first of the two has been around for awhile and is fairly well known. This older theory has two versions explained below. A newer theory of a more scholarly origin provides new insight into why December 25 (and January 6 in Eastern Christianity) were dates chosen to honor Jesus birth THEORY ONE Theory One has two versions; The Secular Version of Theory One The decision to make December 25 the official date for Christians to celebrate Christmas was made by the first Christian Emperor of Rome, Constantine. This viewpoint holds that Constantine wanted to unite the Christian faith with a popular celebration among pagan Romans, either the older Saturnalia (Dec ) or the later Dies Natalis Solis Invicti (Dec. 25) established by Emperor Aurelian in 274 CE The Christian Version of Theory One So many Romans were converting to Christianity after Constantine s conversion that the Church needed to baptize certain pagan festivals to allow all the new converts to experience their conversion without excessive culture shock 9.26

28 The Birthdate of Jesus (II) THEORY TWO The second theory notes that Christian groups were celebrating Jesus birth on December 25 long before Constantine legalized Christianity. - Hippolytus, Bishop of CE, wrote that Christians were celebrating the birth of Christ on December 25 during his time as Bishop - The Donatists, a North African Christian group so scrupulous in their practices that they would hardly mimic anything Roman, were also known to have celebrated Christmas on December 25 long before Constantine was even born Recent scholarship (Louis Duchesne, Thomas Talley) seems agree with Hippolytus that the choice of December 25 in Western Christianity and January 6 in Eastern Christianity had nothing to do with Roman festivals to their gods - According to the gospel of John, Jesus was executed on 14 Nisan. The Latin speaking Christian, Tertullian (@200 CE), using the Roman calendar, calculated that 14 Nisan took place on 8 Kalends April (March 25) - Eastern, Greek-speaking Christians, using their own calendar instead of the Roman calendar, calculated 14 Nisan to be the 14 Artemisios (April 6) - Both Greek and Roman Christians had a tradition that the Annunciation took place on the same date as Jesus passion and death, 14 Nisan (Hippolytus as cited above and Augustine: De Trinitatis) - Jesus birth date then was calculated to be nine months after the Annunciation or 9 months after March 25 or April 6 (Andrew McGowan, Biblical Archaeology Review) 9.27

29 Lesser Known Facts of Christianity The Hellenists of the NT were not Gentiles but converts from that part of Judaism that had been assimilated into the Hellenistic culture and spoke only Greek, not Aramaic or Hebrew Merry Christmas in English means Happy Christ s Mass. In modern languages derived from Latin, the literal translation is Happy Birthday. For example; - French Joyeux Noel (Noel from the Latin adjective natalis) - Italian Buon Natal (Derivation from natalis is obvious) - Spanish Feliz Navidad (Navidad from the Latin noun navitatem) Constantine did NOT make Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire. Constantine did make Christianity legal by issuing the Edict of Milan in 313 CE. The Emperor Theodosius made Christianity the sole legal religion in Rome in 380 CE Judaism was a religion recognized by the Roman Empire and therefore was legally practiced under Roman law. At first, Christianity, seen as a Jewish sect, was deemed legal but, over time, Christianity was seen as a separate religion. In 64 CE, Emperor Nero blamed Christians for the fire that nearly destroyed Rome. In 116 CE, the Roman Tacitus wrote that Christianity was a mischievous superstition. Under Roman law, Christians were atheists since they worshipped a deity not recognized under Roman law. Some even accused Christians of cannibalism. Persecutions of Christians generally began with Nero and ended with Constantine Constantine was not baptized until shortly before his death (not uncommon for converts) and was baptized by a heretical (Arian) bishop Eusebius (not the Church historian of the same name) 9.28

30 Jesus Mother: The almah/parthenos controversy It is a fact that Christians believe that Mary (Miriam in Hebrew) was a virgin at the time that Jesus was conceived. They also believe that Mary remained a virgin through the birth of Jesus. Many, but not all, Christians believe that Mary remained a virgin throughout the remainder of her life. That issue will be looked at in the next slide. It is a fact that many Christians see Isaiah 7:14 (and a virgin shall bear a son) as a prediction of the virgin birth of Jesus. It is a fact that the Hebrew word used for virgin in Isaiah was almah. When the Hebrew Bible was translated into BCE, the translators used the Greek word parthenos to translate almah Some New Testament scholars claim that early Christians never believed that Jesus was conceived virginally. These critics claim that the virgin birth developed over time due to the mistranslation of almah, which in Hebrew simply means maiden and makes no reference to virginal status, into Greek using the parthenos, which they rightly say specifically means virgin. The problem with that criticism is that the same Greek word parthenos is used in Genesis 34:3 twice to refer to Jacob s daughter Dinah who at that point, was clearly no longer a virgin. This seems to indicate that the Greek translators of that time understood that neither almah nor parthenos had any specific reference to virginity and that parthenos was a perfectly good Greek word to translate almah So, where did the Christian tradition of the virgin birth originate? I suggest that Luke 1:34-36 (where the angel of the Lord spells out the process to Mary at the annunciation) might be a good place to start their search 9.29

31 Jesus Family (I) ΙΗΣΟΥΣ ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ IESUS CHRISTUS ישׁוע המשׁיח His father (according to scripture, foster father) was named יוֹס ף (Yosef) Joseph Yosef is commonly thought of as a carpenter but the Greek word used to describe Yosef s occupation is τέκτων (tekton). (Matt: 13:55) This word could mean many things including artisan, builder or, using a modern term, contractor מ ר י ם (Miriam) His mother was named Mary While almost all Christians believe that Mary was a virgin when she gave birth to Jesus, not all agree that she remained a virgin after that birth. Catholics and Orthodox hold that Mary was ever-virgin (ἀειπάρθενος) aeiparthenos. Protestants do not. Catholics hold that she was free from original sin from the moment when she was conceived in her mother s womb (Immaculate Conception). Protestants and Orthodox do not. The problem with Mary being ever-virgin is that the New Testament clearly states that Jesus had brothers and sisters 9.30

32 Jesus Family (II) Matthew 13:55, as an example, identifies Jesus as having four brothers ; יהוּד ה and Jude מ עוֹן שׁ, Simon יוֹס י Joses,יע קוֹב James Theory One This theory claims that Jesus was the only child born to Mary. The brothers mentioned above are Jesus cousins. The claim is that neither Hebrew nor Aramaic had a word for cousin (many references in the OT). While Greek, the language of the NT, does have a word for cousin (anepsios), the NT writers were translating Aramaic expressions into Greek in a literal, word-for-word fashion (e.g. In Gen and 14.14, both the Masoretic Hebrew text and the Greek Septuagint use the word brother to describe Abraham s relationship with Lot who was, in fact, Abraham s nephew) Adherents to Theory One note that; - Matthew (10:3) and Mark (15:40) say that a woman named Mary and her husband, Alphaeus, are the parents of two men named James and Joses. Luke (6:15) also says that James is the son of Alphaeus. John 19:25, however, describes Mary, not as the wife of Alphaeus but a man named Clop(h)as - Papias, a disciple of the Apostle John and Bishop of Hierapolis (early 2 nd Century CE) supports Theory One in Fragment 10 of his writings, where he sums up the different women named Mary in the NT, (1) Mary, the Mother of the Lord. (2) Mary the wife of Cleophas or Alphæus, who was the mother of James and of Simon and Thaddeus (also known as Jude, covered in Section 10), and of one Joseph. (3) Mary Salome, wife of Zebedee and mother of John the Evangelist and James. (4) Mary Magdalene Theory One explains that Alphaeus and Cleophas are different hellenizations of the Aramaic name Chalpai, the alleged brother of Jesus father 9.31

33 Jesus Family (III) Matthew 13:55 also identifies Jesus as having four brothers ; יהוּד ה and Jude מ עוֹן שׁ, Simon יוֹס י Joses,יע קוֹב James Theory Two This theory holds that Mary was the second wife of Joseph. A popular (but non-canonical) work called the Protoevangelium of James (a sort of a prequel to the gospels) tells how Mary was born to Anna and Joachim. The story claims that Mary was a dedicated Temple virgin and was determined to preserve her virginity throughout her lifetime. As she approached the age of 12 however, she could no longer serve in the Temple due to the ritual uncleanliness of her approaching menstrual cycle. It was decided, to preserve Mary s virginity, that one of the older men of the village of Nazareth would be selected to act as her guardian. To make the decision, all the older men in the village were to throw their walking staffs into a pile and the one chosen at random would be Mary s betrothed. When Joseph, a widower with older sons and daughters, threw his staff into the pile, the staff blossomed. Joseph then took on the task of being Mary s husband. Jesus brothers and sisters were from Joseph s first marriage. Statues of Joseph in Catholic Churches often depict him carrying a walking staff that is flowering on the upper end Theory One and Theory Two are both ancient (very early 2 nd Century CE) and both point to John 19:26-27 to show that Jesus gave the care of his mother to the beloved disciple, John. If Jesus had brothers, they claim, this would never have happened. 9.32

34 Jesus Family (IV) Matthew 13:55 also identifies Jesus as having four brothers ; יהוּד ה and Jude מ עוֹן שׁ, Simon יוֹס י Joses,יע קוֹב James Theory Three: Occham s Razor. The best way of understanding Matthew 13:55, and the several other references to Jesus brothers and sisters (the sisters are not named) in the NT is the least complicated way, namely, to believe that Mary had other children. Catholics and Eastern Orthodox are more likely to support Theory One or Theory Two while Protestants largely support Theory Three. Interestingly, though, the current Protestant understanding was not in agreement with many of the early reformers; - The Latin text of the 1537 Smalcald Articles written by Martin Luther used the term "Ever Virgin" to refer to Mary. Luther never wavered from that belief. - Huldrych Zwingli directly supported perpetual virginity and wrote: I firmly believe that [Mary],... forever remained a pure, intact Virgin. - John Wesley wrote: "... born of the blessed Virgin Mary, who, as well after as before she brought Him forth, continued a pure and unspotted virgin - John Calvin was less emphatic in his open support of the idea, and neither flatly accepted or rejected it but he did caution against the idea of "impious speculation" on the topic of perpetual virginity and believed that the mention of the brothers and sisters of Jesus did not necessarily imply that Mary had other children 9.33

35 One Other Interesting Note About Jesus Family It is interesting to note that the office of Bishop of Jerusalem remained with the family of Jesus until the Second Jewish War in 132 CE when all Jews were banned from Jerusalem James was Bishop until around 63 CE James was succeeded by Simon (sometimes called Simeon). Simon led the Christian community away from Jerusalem and across the Jordan to Pella in the Decapolis before the outbreak of the First Jewish War. Simon/Simeon remained as Bishop until 107 CE The early church chronicler Hegessipus suggests that a grandson of Jude named Zoker became Bishop in Jerusalem after Simon and that he was followed by another grandson of Jude also named James It has been thought that these men became Bishops in Jerusalem less because they were of the family of Jesus and more because they were of the line of David. In any case, the information about the Jerusalem Church after the first Jewish war is minimal 9.34

36 Other Issues Concerning Mary Mary the Mother of God (Theotokos) Most every Christian accepts this because it declares that Mary was not simply the Mother of Jesus who later was adopted by God as His Son. This doctrine focused on the belief that Jesus, from the moment of his conception, was both fully human and fully divine (one person, two perfectly united natures). Declaring Mary to be the Mother of God contradicted the Nestorian heresy (Jesus Christ was not the same person as the Son but the Son lived in Him. Jesus had one nature, a human nature) There are some Eastern Christian Churches that have maintained Nestorian teachings into modern time however the overwhelming majority Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant churches accept the doctrine that Mary was the mother of Jesus who was fully human and fully divine from the moment of his conception Mary the Immaculate Conception The Immaculate Conception claims that Mary, from the moment of her own conception, remained free from the taint of original sin. This is a uniquely Catholic doctrine and was declared an infallible teaching by Pope Pius IX in Catholics point to Luke s use of κεχαριτωμένη (kecharitomene, perf. part. pass, having been completely engraced Lk. 1:28) to support their view. Eastern Orthodoxy questions why a human being born free from original sin should not have been born free from one of the effects of original sin, death. Protestants simply reject the teaching as unbiblical. Many today confuse the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception with the doctrine of the Virgin Birth 9.35

37 A Final Thought As modern Christians consider the Christian Scriptures, they will come face to face with a basic question. Whom should I believe; the modern biblical scholar who has many tools at his disposal; a greater understanding of language and a couple of centuries of serious archaeological discoveries or those people who were either eyewitnesses to the events in question themselves or were trained by those who were eyewitnesses Keep this question in mind as we look further into the Christian scriptures. The choice will come up again and again. 9.36