Comments on: The Bible as Ethnography ~ 05 ~ The Virgin Birth

By: bob

bob — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 04:01:46 +0000

I think you would find, with just a little research, that the story of the virgin birth has been handed down through a few different religions. I can’t off the top of my head remember all the specifics but the virgin is just the constellation Virgo, the manger, Capricorn, the three wise men are whatever stars line up to point at the sun rising from the winter solstice etc. There is probably no historical fact involved in the virgin birth story at all.

By: the real cmf

the real cmf — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 11:35:37 +0000

Virginity–the concept of parthenos is the source of the sexual virginity myth, right?Those early societies weren’t as focused on the actual sexual fact of virginity–at least at the level of ‘the masses’– as the current 1700 year old hyper focus on hymens as the definitive of vorginity…..http://bible.crosswalk.com/Lexicons/Greek/grk.cgi?number=3933&version=nas

By: Pete

Pete — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 13:24:21 +0000

This is pretty interesting, and a nice way of subverting the modern expectation of ‘sure, she’s a prostitute’. But what happens if the woman becomes pregnant? Or was the ‘sleeping together’ non-intromissive?Could you provide at least one source for this? (What is the name or author of one of the ethnographies that shows this pattern existed in Palestine of 2000 years ago?) Not that I think you’re making it up, it’s just.. you know, where did you find this out?

By: Mark P

Mark P — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 11:08:38 +0000

The introduction of this particular detail into the Jesus story is, I think, almost entirely a result of the Romanization of the early christian church. In order for Jesus to be respected as something other than a minor Jewish teacher, he had to have some credentials that would be accepted on the streets where his following could grow – not the Jewish world but the Roman world. Thus the introduction of the story of the virgin birth. Only it wasn’t really a virgin birth. The father was god and his son was god-like, just like in Greek and Roman mythology.

By: Greg Laden

Greg Laden — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 15:49:08 +0000

I should clarify. We’re talking about a non-cash economy in which there is some cash, but there is no distinction when making “payments” for anything (goods, services, sex) between money and goods. So my use of the term payment was accurate but I did not mean money, necessarily.

By: Change

Change — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 12:24:26 +0000

“The Maria I know, however, is not from the US.”If she were, she would be getting roses, jewelry, etc., from the man instead of money.

By: Greg Laden

Greg Laden — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 12:18:51 +0000

Kevin: Off hand, I doubt there is a single overarching source for this. My assertion is based on my own research in combination with the reading of dozens of ethnographies. I ahve not written it up anywhere but here.

By: Moopheus

Moopheus — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 11:05:19 +0000

“In fact, there were claims at the time that Jesus was a descendant of David. “The gospels, of course, try to have it both ways–giving both the lineal connection to David (to satisfy the Hebrew prophecies) and the miraculous birth, to satisfy their deification of Jesus.”this business of inheriting Jewishness from the mother is a much, much later construction”I think that is very difficult to say with any certainty. The rule clearly changed from ancient times, but exactly when is not really known.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 10:14:23 +0000

“This is a very common pattern in many areas of the world, and I suspect it applies to the times and places represented in much of both the so-called “Old” and “New” testaments of the Bible”I find this interesting because I have never heard about this occurring and be accepted as custom. What is your source? I would like to research more on this.