The Nativity Decoded
The virgin birth
At the heart of every painting, crib and dramatic portrayal of the nativity is Mary – a virgin whose pregnancy was the miraculous result of the power of the Holy Spirit. To question Mary’s virginity is to question a central doctrine of Christianity: that Jesus was the Son of God, and therefore both God and human himself. To accept the virgin birth requires a leap of faith that some say is an essential element of Christian belief.
And though Muslims see Jesus as a prophet but not as an incarnation of God, Mary is described as a virgin in Islamic tradition as well. Despite this, Robert Beckford’s exploration of the history reveals another possible – or perhaps more likely – set of circumstances.
It is reasonably certain that a Jewish boy called Jesus was born in Palestine during the final years of the rule of King Herod, quite possibly in the year we now call 4BC, which is when Herod died. It is possible that his mother Mary could have become pregnant as the result of a liaison with someone other than Joseph but if so, Jewish law at the time dictated that she would have been stoned to death for having an adulterous relationship. Instead, Joseph stayed loyal to her, even though she was carrying someone else’s child. But some historians have asked: if Joseph was not the father, who was?
That same year, as recorded at the time by the Jewish chronicler Josephus, the people of the important Galilee town of Sepphoris, a short distance from Nazareth, rebelled against the tyranny of the Roman occupation. The response was swift and terrifying: the soldiers of the Roman Governor of Syria razed the whole area, sold many of its inhabitants into slavery and raped many boys and girls.
Some historians say that there is circumstantial evidence that Mary’s pregnancy may have been the result of rape by a Roman soldier, and he was referred to in some sources as ‘Jesus son of Pantera’ – a common Roman name at the time.
So was the birth of Jesus miraculous or not? Robert Beckford hears arguments that, if this alternative version of the story is true, the miracle could be seen as the way in which Joseph and the whole community rally round to support Mary and welcome her child. The lesson contained in the story is that, out of tragedy can come hope and life.
