Don't Know Much About the Bible - Kenneth C. Davis [143]
BIBLICAL VOICES
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Mary said to the angel, “How can this be since I am a virgin?” (Luke 1:26-34)
Annunciation. Assumption. Immaculate Conception. Virgin Birth: What’s the difference?
The traditional Christmas story readings familiar to Christians around the world typically merge the conflicting Matthew and Luke versions, toss in a handful of Hebrew scriptural prophecies, and blend it all into a neat, orderly narrative. The problem is that the “neat” Gospel versions don’t agree, as already seen in the questions raised by the date and place of Jesus’ birth.
If these blows to this comfortingly familiar Nativity story are disquieting, just wait. The plot thickens. In Matthew, the unnamed angel who tells of the birth of Jesus appears to Joseph. He warns Joseph to take Mary and get out of town because Herod is up to bad business. Joseph and Mary are not yet married, and her unexplained pregnancy is a problem. Joseph plans to quietly “dismiss her.” But when prompted by the angel, Joseph wakes up, takes Mary as his wife, and after Jesus is born they leave Bethlehem for Egypt to await the death of Herod (which history tells us took place in 4 BCE), in the so-called “Flight into Egypt.” Without saying how much time the Holy Family spends in Egypt, an angel then gives Joseph the “all clear” sign; it is safe for them to leave Egypt and return to Judah. But instead of returning to Bethlehem, the Holy Family decides to go to Nazareth, in the district of Galilee. The “Flight into Egypt” of Joseph, Mary, and Jesus is unmentioned in Luke, but Matthew’s intentions would have been clear to Jews. Citing a Hebrew prophecy in Numbers—“I called my son out of Egypt”—the author of Matthew wanted to show parallels between Jesus and Moses. Jesus went to Egypt, like Moses, and like Moses and the Israelites, Jesus would be safely brought out of Egypt in a recapitulation of the Exodus.
Unlike that of Matthew, the Gospel of Luke opens with the story of an earlier miraculous birth, that of John the Baptist. Carrying on the biblical tradition of barren women who receive heavenly messengers with surprising maternal news, the angel Gabriel first tells a priest named Zechariah that his aged and previously childless wife, Elizabeth, will bear a son named John. (In Hebrew scriptures, those barren women are Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, the mother of Samson, and Hannah, the mother of the prophet Samuel.) Like the early Israelite characters Samson and Samuel, this unborn child is also pledged to keep certain vows to God. His job will be to get the people ready for the coming of the Lord.
Six months later, the angel Gabriel goes to Nazareth and appears to Elizabeth’s relative Mary, who is engaged to Joseph but not yet pregnant. Gabriel tells this young woman—a “woman” of this time was commonly “espoused” around the age of fourteen—that she will bear a child who will be called “Son of God.” Remember, Joseph got the news in Matthew after Mary was already in the “family way.” In other words, Mary did not discuss the angelic