Posted on 11/01/2002 10:45:35 AM PST by Polycarp
COMMENTARY
A Discovery That's Just Too Perfect
Claims that stone box held remains of Jesus' brother may be suspect.
By Robert Eisenman Robert Eisenman is the author of "James the Brother of Jesus" (Penguin, 1998) and a professor of Middle East religions and archeology at Cal State Long Beach.
October 29 2002
James, the brother of Jesus, was so well known and important as a Jerusalem religious leader, according to 1st century sources, that taking the brother relationship seriously was perhaps the best confirmation that there ever was a historical Jesus. Put another way, it was not whether Jesus had a brother, but rather whether the brother had a "Jesus."
Now we are suddenly presented with this very "proof": the discovery, allegedly near Jerusalem, of an ossuary inscribed in the Aramaic language used at that time, with "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus." An ossuary is a stone box in which bones previously laid out in rock-cut tombs, such as those in the Gospels, were placed after they were retrieved by relatives or followers.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
Mary may not have been among the first to reach the tomb, but had heard what the first visitors found before she set out for it or at least before she came close to it, for a variety of reasons: She may have been staying indoors to observe shiva - an obligation not applicable to the women named in the Gospels as the first visitors, or perhaps she was staying someplace farther from the tomb than the others were, or her advanced age, or something along those lines.
Yes. That such marital relations would not, in a time when birth control would have been unknown, result in other children being conceived?
I'm not sure I understand the question. If they had had relations, they surely would have had other children. Since they did not have relations, they did not have other children.
To me the notion is ludicrous to say the least. What would be the purpose of such a belief?
The affirmation of the Truth.
What would have been the purpose of such a marriage?
To provide for the care, upbringing, and instruction of the Most Precious Child on earth.
Is it entirely ludicrous to think that a man and woman who were informed by God that they would be responsible for the Savior of the World might be a bit, um, focused on the task at hand?
SD
Everything has to revolve around sex, doesn't it? It's just impossible to believe that people can do without.
Imagine Joseph was much older, a widower. That he brought a young Mary into his protection because God told him to.
You Protestants seem so eager to have sex with Mary. Remember how the Ark of the Covenant caused boils and hemmorhoids to the unfortunate folks who "stole" it and touched it? Why? Cause it was God's seat. It was a holy thing.
Mary's womb was where God resided for 9 months. You do believe Jesus was always God right? Why would you want to risk defiling a holy place like that? And with your most prized possession, at that?
Parents raise all manner of children all the time and still have time and energy for a normal husband-and-wife relationship. Where does the RCC come up with this notion?
It's the Truth. There is no need to "come up" with the Truth. You do know that, don't you?
Aside from the fact that Mary's "cherry" would have vanished when her birth canal opened so that Jesus could emerge... unless you are saying that His BIRTH was another miracle that did not entail the usual things most births not Ceasarian entail, just so that she could stay virginal...
Without being any more vulgar than necessary, a woman's virginity is determined not by the state of her hymen, but by how many men she has had intercourse with. Mary remained a virgin even after Jesus passed through her.
What comes out does not make a woman an unvirgin, it is what goes in.
SD
I can only invite you to contemplate the Truth. You must accept it or not by yourself. The one sure thing we know is that if I mention some Scripture or such, that someone else will attach a different interpretation to it.
Nor is it about sex, per se, but about what even the RCC champions, procreation or having a family. Something not feasible without sex. Especially in the days prior to artificial insemination and so forth. A man and woman were, essentially, directed to have a large family by the need, in most cases, to have hands to help with family work. Did not even Jesus follow in his (f)ather's footsteps of becoming a carpenter? In those days, as in many that followed, a large family was a NECESSITY.
And families, in those days were often larger than the "nuclear" family of today. The theory is that Joseph already had a family. That he married Mary late in life, to provide protection for her and the Savior. Joseph had many sons and daughters that were step-siblings to Jesus.
So the idea that a large family was needed doesn't fly here. There already is a large family.
So kindly leave off the "wanna have sex with Mary" bs.
Every Protestant I have met seems eager. They can't understand why her womb would be considered holy. Like you...
A woman's womb is not, that I ever heard, a "holy place."
Why don't you contemplate it for a while. Since you have "never heard" of such a thing, isn't it good to consider it? Wasn't God living there? If the Ark of the Covenant was holy and caused great harm to those who even touched it, why should Mary's "Ark" be any different.
You do believe that Jesus was God, right? Isn't a dwelling place of the Lord holy?
SD
The one sure thing we know is that if I mention some Scripture or such, that someone else will attach a different interpretation to it.What scripture would you mention ?
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