Seminar 2 - The Birth of Jesus Christ

Much has already been said of Mary in these lessons, and we will not repeat those materials here. (See the previous lessons in this series) Our knowledge of Mary is restricted to the biblical accounts of the nativity and the few rare glimpses of her in the gospel accounts of Jesus’ ministry. We must be careful not to speculate or adopt apocryphal stories as truth. Based on the canon of Scripture this is what we know of Mary.

1. She was engaged to a carpenter named Joseph.
2. She lived in Nazareth.
3. She was of the lineage of David.
4. She was a cousin to Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist.
5. She was visited by an angel.
6. She was a virgin at least until after Jesus’ birth.
7. She conceived a son by the miraculous work of the Holy Spirit.
8. She was a godly woman.
9. She was filled with the Holy Spirit in pronouncing the Magnificat (Lk. 2:46-55)
10. She gave birth to her firstborn in a stable in Bethlehem.
11. She fled with Joseph to Egypt.
12. She and Joseph returned to Nazareth.
13. She was a normal married mother.
14. She was with Jesus at the marriage at Cana, and somehow knew he was to do something about the lack of wine.
15. She visited Jesus in his ministry but did not follow him during his journeys.
16. She apparently had other children whose names are recorded for us in scripture.
17. She accompanied his brothers to Capernaum (Mark 3:21, 31-35) to take Jesus home fearing he was "beside himself".
18. She was at the crucifixion and watched her son die. Jesus, from the cross, speaks to John to take Mary to his home.
19. In the book of Acts she is mentioned only as being among the disciples and women who continued with one accord in prayer and supplication for the Holy Spirit.
20. In all the epistles, the life of the early church, and in all 10 post-resurrection appearances she had no special dispensation or visit from her son.

It is appropriate here to make mention of Mary and Joseph’s family. The Roman Catholic Church asserts that Mary remained a virgin all her life. This is based not on the scripture but as we have seen, on the apocryphal writings which are dubious at best. This is not to say that Mary’s continued virginity or subsequent birthing of children is of any theological import. It is not. Nor is it worth arguing except when men wish to make her a co-redemptrix or co-mediator. (Fausset p.456-457)

Did Mary have other children?
The question would be a mute one except for the fact that the bible in several instances unabashedly describes Jesus as having brothers and sisters.

There are at least three very clear passages which indicate that Mary had other children.

1. Mark 6:3 "Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?"
2. Mark 3:21, Matthew 12:46-49, Luke 8:19 "While Jesus was talking to the crowd his mother and brothers stood outside wanting to speak to him. Someone told him, ‘Your mother and brothers are standing outside wanting to talk to you.’ He replied, ‘Who is my mother, and who are my brothers? Pointing to his disciples he said, ‘Here are my mother and brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.’ "
3. John 7:5 "Even his own brothers did not believe in him."

The very concept of Mary’s alleged perpetual virginity is ridiculous when one seriously considers scripture the highest source of knowledge of such things. The Bible nowhere even hints of such a doctrine. On the contrary, it advocates the opposite. The first few centuries of the church did not know of this doctrine. It was in the early century’s strict asceticism regarding celibacy as a higher state than marriage, and that sexual relations were part of man’s sinful nature that incubated this fiction. (Zondervan Vol. 4 p.111)

The scriptures surrounding Mary’s life beg the question. The phrase, "I know not a man" (Luke 1:34), "before they were come together" (Matthew 1:18) and "He had no union with her until she gave birth to a son" (Matthew 1:25 ) all indicate that there was a later normal sexual relationship between Mary and Joseph.

Engagement and marriage were sacred institutions in Jewish customs. Commitments were deep sacred vows made before God and were not to be taken lightly and were unalterable except under extremely extenuating circumstances. Betrothal was as serious as marriage and just as binding. The bible calls the betrothed man the husband and the betrothed woman the wife as though marriage had already taken place. To become engaged a man would make a formal proposal of marriage to his prospective bride and a small gift was given as an earnest on the pledge. From that time the community viewed them as surely married as if they had consummated the marriage ceremony. The betrothal period normally was about a year. A betrothal could only be broken by a bill of divorcement, just as in marriage. Any sexual relationship during the engagement was treated as adultery with all of its legal and social ramifications. (Zondervan, Vol 4, p. 107)

There were religious obligations imposed on every Jewish mother and equally on the firstborn male child of a Jewish family. There were Old Testament commandments of Moses and ceremonial laws to be fulfilled. Of these rituals there were three specifically that needed to be cared for: circumcision, purification and dedication.

Circumcision

The first of the rituals was that of circumcision as proscribed by the law of Moses and initiatory to the blessings and responsibilities of the Abrahamic covenant. If you would like to read some fascinating facts regarding the medical value of circumcision on the eighth day read None of These Diseases by S.I. McMillen. (Try http://www.amazon.com to find this book) The covenant of Abraham was sealed by circumcision in Genesis 17. Circumcision was practiced by Moses in his own family in Exodus 4:24 and laid down in the Mosaic Law for all Israel in Exodus 12:43-48. The rite was to be done either in the temple, a synagogue, by a priest, and at some times permitted to be done in the home usually by the father-in-law. The Hebrew word for the father-in-law is "circumciser", perhaps indicating that the father-in-law from the earliest days was responsible for this rite.

By the time of Jesus’ birth the official naming of the child was done at the same time. In the case of Jesus, his Jewish name was "Yeshua", translated Joshua or Jesus.

Purification

According to Mosaic law a woman giving birth was ceremonially unclean. Luke uses the term "when the time of their purification according to the law of Moses had been completed". The word "their" has caused some consternation among various commentators. Some assume that "their purification" refers to the Jews’ purification. If we view Luke as a careful scholar and historian we must assume that "their" means both Mary and Joseph. It is obvious that according to the law of Moses in Leviticus 12:2-8 it is the mother who is unclean for seven days, then after the boy’s circumcision she is to wait another 33 days to be purified from her bleeding. The father is not mentioned as being unclean. However, if the father participated in the childbirth he would be considered unclean according to Leviticus 5:1-13. That is, if he touches anything that is unclean, or if he touches any human uncleanness such as the blood of childbirth he would be unclean. If Joseph had been ceremonial ly unclean he would naturally wait to go with Mary at the end of her purification period.

Mary would have had to wait at least 40 days for the purification ceremony at which time they would have walked the six miles to Jerusalem to care for this matter. Being poor, Mary and Joseph were permitted to substitute a sacrifice of "a pair of young doves or two young pigeons" for that normally required.

What is especially interesting is that the need of Mary to be purified precludes that she was as any other woman - not without sin.

Redemption

An often forgotten ceremony required by the law was that of the dedication of the firstborn male to the Lord. (Exodus 13:12,13; Numbers 3:11-13; 8:17,18) The child had to be the firstborn of the mother and neither should be of Levitical descent, or the child would be dedicated to the priesthood if free of all physical blemishes. The ceremony was brief in which the parents formally presented the child to the priest. The priest offered two short benedictions, or blessings, then the redemption money was exchanged. (Edersheim p.136)

The whole idea of redemption springs from Numbers 3:11-13 in which God claims every firstborn as his own, but according to Numbers 8:15 God says, "I have taken the Levites in place of all the firstborn sons of Israel." Therefore, every non-levite firstborn had to be redeemed, or bought back from God. Even the firstborn of livestock belonged to the Lord and had to be redeemed if they were not given wholly to God’s service.

Joseph, the Carpenter

Joseph's Age
The Roman Catholic Church adopts the story of the apocryphal books in seemingly the fourth century History of Joseph the Carpenter which said she was twelve years old when she was betrothed and Joseph was a widower of ninety years with a full grown family. How ridiculous to think this 90 year old would still be a working carpenter, travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem (90 miles on foot), then flee on foot to Egypt and back again to Nazareth, re-establish his carpentry shop, travel year by year to the Passover in Jerusalem until at least Jesus’ 12th year. That would have made him 112 years old on that last journey!

No, Joseph was probably not an old man. And why would a 12 year old consent to marry him anyway? He was certainly older than Mary, perhaps in his late twenties or even late thirties, but not ninety. The passages in question give no hint of Mary continuing to be a virgin, else it would have been extremely important for the authors to clarify that these "brothers and sisters" were not really siblings.

The Roman Catholic Church alleges that these were either Joseph’s step-children from a previous marriage, or cousins. The step-children theory would be plausible enough, but why would not the gospel writers clarify the point if indeed Mary’s perpetual virginity might be maligned? As to being his cousins, the theory is that Cleopas was Joseph’s brother who took charge of the family upon Joseph’s death.

This theory is also full of difficulties. Jesus also had other cousins who were not called "brothers". Why? If Cleopas is another name for Alphaeus (Matthew 10:3, Mark 3:18, Luke 6:15) then Jesus’ cousins and disciples were James and Thaddeus. ( Matthew 27:26) Are these the same James and Joseph of Jesus’ family mentioned in Mark 6:3? Then why is that not clarified? This view was first expressed by Jerome in an attempt to argue for the perpetual virginity of Mary, but he did not staunchly nor consistently defend it. (Zondervan Vol. 3, p.394)

A Carpenter by Trade
Matthew 13:55 Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?

Mark 6:3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.

Two New Testament references to the occupation of Joseph and Jesus lead us to believe that during the 18 silent years of Jesus boyhood and early manhood he was employed as a carpenter. There would have been little to engage a carpenter in the tiny village of Nazareth, but the city of Sepphoris was only a 4 mile walk and was the center of renovations and architecture sponsored by Herod the Great’s son, Antipas. After the destruction of Sepphoris in 4 BC it was rebuilt during the early life of Jesus, about the time he would have been a carpenter. Though Nazareth was small, probably not more than 25 families living there during Jesus’ time, Sepphoris was large, prosperous and offering plenty of work for carpenters. It is only speculation to assume that Jesus would have at least occasionally worked and visited in Sepphoris.

Was Jesus a Carpenter?
The term used for carpenter was "tekton," which means a skilled craftsman and could involve metal, stone, or wood. Jesus himself is only called a carpenter once, in Mark 6:3. Matthew 13:55 describes him as the son of a carpenter. Jesus was not destitute. A carpenter was a worth occupation and much in demand especially in the bustling city of Sepphoris, the second largest city in Israel. There would have been plenty of work for good carpenters. We must assume that Jesus was not lazy but industrious. He is the example for us all. He then would have naturally followed in his father’s footsteps taking on the trade of carpenter until he entered his full time ministry. Should we think of him as a effeminate man, loafing about while other worked for a living? I doubt it.

Recent attempts to rediscover Jesus and turn him into a well-to-do, successful builder have not basis in fact. Jesus family remained a humble one. Thus it was with derogatory intent that the Jews of Nazareth derided him as the "son of a carpenter." We know for a fact that his parents were not well off. At his dedication they offered the poor man's sacrifice at Jesus' birth - a pair of doves and two young pigeons - (Luke 2.22-24 & Leviticus 12.2,6,8). Some may argue that with the gifts of the Wise Men perhaps Joseph and thus Jesus were able to improve their economic plight. Perhaps, but still we see Jesus even in his ministry as humble in origins, and lacking in worldly goods.

Origen Denies It
Indeed, the early 3rd century church writer Origen(23)writes against Celsus' assertion that Jesus was a mere carpenter, that "in none of the Gospels current in the churches is Jesus Himself ever described as being a carpenter".(24) This is still a widely debated topic(25), however Geza Vermes(26) highlights an Aramaic use of the term carpenter/craftsman (naggar) to metaphorically describe a 'scholar' or 'learned man'. Nevertheless, the majority of wandering rabbis had a trade to support their learning and teaching and there is no reason to doubt that carpentry may have been that of Jesus.

Justin Confirms It
Although Origen dismisses Jesus' role as carpenter, the earlier church writer Justin(27) cites it, he says that "He was considered to be the son of Joseph the carpenter; and He appeared without comeliness, as the Scriptures declared; and He was deemed a carpenter (for He was in the habit of working as a carpenter when among men, making ploughs and yokes; by which He taught the symbols of righteousness and an active life)". http://www.leaderu.com/theology/jesusjew.html

Status of a Carpenter
An artisan was a noble occupation. Many of the ancient Jewish scholars were hard working artisans as well. Hillel was a woodcutter, and Shammai was a carpenter, both were renowned leaders of Jewish religious community. It was considered right and proper for a father to train his son to follow his own profession. In fact one rabbi stated, "Whoever does not teach his son a trade it is as if he brought him up to be a robber." The Mishna taught that one must "teach son a trade." Without question Jesus was taught by Joseph, his step father, to be a respected carpenter. It was a worth profession.      Edersheim, Sketches, chapter 11 "Trades"

A Carpenter’s Tools
Bow saws, hand saws, claw hammers, planes, adze, wood mallets, chisels, and the lathe and the bow drill were well known tools in Roman times.

The Carpenter’s Craft
Joinery was well developed by the time of Christ (mortise, tennon, and dovetail). Objects could be turned on a lathe to make beautiful design work. Carpentry was useful in a wide variety of needs, roofs, door, frames, tables, beds, cookware utensils, bowls, and cups. Farm implements such as the yoke and plow would have been made by carpenters.

References/Sources::: http://members.tripod.com/timana/Monographs/jesuscarpenter.html http://dioceseoftagbilaran.homestead.com/jjdietzen_003.html http://www.leaderu.com/theology/jesusjew.html Assigned Reading:: Edersheim, Sketches of Jewish Social Life, chapter 11 "Trades" Edersheim, Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, Book 2, Chapter 10, "Life in Nazareth"

Sources and Recommended Reading:
(It is not necessary to buy these books.)

Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, Vol. 1, 3, 4 Merrill C. Tenney, editor, Zondervan, 1975
Fausset, Andrew. R. , Bible Encyclopedia and Dictionary, Zondervan, Grand Rapids,
NIV Study Bible,
Edersheim, Alfred, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, Hendrickson Pub., 1993.
Edersheim, Alfred, Sketches of Jewish Social Life, Hendrickson Pub., 1994.
The New Bible Dictionary, Douglas, J.D. editor, Eerdmans Pub. Grand Rapids, 1962