Jane Schaberg, Raymond E. Brown, and the Problem of the Illegitimacy of Jesus
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12801102 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Frank Reilly (corresponding author) |
| Year | 2005 |
| Volume | 21 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 57-80 |
| Publication date | 2005-04-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1553-3913 • E-ISSN: 8755-4178 |
| Publisher | Indiana University Press (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.2979/fsr.2005.21.1.57 |
| OpenAlex | W2070816284 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 10 |
The Illegitimacy of Jesus was published in 1987, fifteen years after Raymond E. Brown's "The Problem of the Virginal Conception of Jesus." 1 Brown's essay was his inaugural professorial lecture at Union Theological Seminary in New York, where Schaberg later did her graduate studies.Brown used his lecture to issue a challenge; Schaberg responded with a challenging proposal.According to Brown, the problem of the virginal conception is its historicity.Matthew (1:18-25) and Luke (1:26-38) definitely assert it, he said, but they do so only in their infancy narratives and with obviously "high" theological intent.The question is, where did they get the idea?On the one hand, there is no known evidence of "an exact parallel . . . in the material available to Christians" from world religions, Greek mythology, or Hellenistic Judaism that might have led them to it.On the other hand, the "indecently early" birth of Jesus and the nonfatherhood of Joseph, highlighted in Matthew, are supported by "traces of the rumor" of illegitimacy in Mark 6:3 and John 8:41 and give evidence of a need to deal with a charge that might be "as old as Christianity itself."Brown concluded that "the totality of the scientifically controllable evidence leaves an unresolved problem" and asked for an "honest, ecumenical discussion" of it.But he also challenged any Christians who considered the virginal conception a theologoumenon, a bit of historicized theology, to explain how they would avoid facing the "very unpleasant alternative" of adulterous conception by Mary during the period of her betrothal to Joseph. 2 According to Schaberg, that dilemma exists only for someone who thinks
Art · Sociology · American Constitutional Law and Politics · Biblical Studies and Interpretation · Philosophy · Religion and Society Interactions · Religious studies · Religious Studies
| Citations per year | 0.13 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2018 - 2018 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |