Real Bible People: Mother Mary

Mary the Bondservant

Mary Listens to the Angel

Mary the mother of Jesus may be the most difficult real person to discern in the gospels, with the real person overlaid by centuries of traditional views closely held by the faithful. But besides being one of the prime icons of the church, she was a living, breathing human being who encountered good times and bad times, opportunities and snares, hopes come true and shattered dreams.

We first encounter Mary at about 15 years old, when she has a wondrous vision of an angel named Gabriel speaking to her, and she listened carefully. If you should be one of those persons to whom an angel appears, listen closely, for an angel is a messenger of God, and will not show up unless he has a special message for you.

The angel that appeared to Mary had an astounding message: she was about to become pregnant at age 15, without ever having "been with a man." Not only that, but her child was going to be extremely special, one who would grow up to inherit King David's throne over Israel and be called the Son of God.

Such a message could hardly be anything but disturbing for a young girl, yet Mary's reply to the angel was also astounding. She said, "I am the handmaiden [bondservant] of Yahweh the Lord, and I am willing to do whatever He wants. May everything that you told me come true."

Mary did not hesitate, but spoke directly from her heart. Yet this girl could not have helped but wonder if she had spoken too quickly. Strange and powerful things were about to happen that would affect her life forever.

Mary the Early Bride

Mary the Bride

Mary's first fear would no doubt be telling all this to Joseph, the man to whom she was betrothed to be married. But finding herself pregnant, her only choice was to tell him. Joseph did react negatively, as she had feared, and planned to end the betrothal quietly. But then Joseph had a dream in which an angel said to him, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for she shall have a Son who will save his people from their sins."

Joseph was a descendant, a "Son of David." The message of Gabriel was beginning to come true already. By Joseph's act of accepting and adopting this child into his household, the boy would become part of the legal line of succession, eligible to ascend to the throne of the long-dead King David.

Immediately Joseph acted to cut the year-long betrothal process short. He married the girl right away and brought her into his house and under his protection. Even so, the old wives of the village did what old wives do--they talked about the scandal and gossiped about how she might have become pregnant and who might be the father. We can be sure that both Joseph's and Mary's reputations in the village suffered due to the abrupt and unseemly marriage before the completion of the betrothal process.

Mary the Mother of Jesus

Mary Gives Birth

Now as a part of Joseph's household, she became part of Joseph's problems. One of those problems was his need to go to David's ancestral home of Bethlehem and register his name in the new Roman tax roll. For Mary's care and protection, Joseph brought Mary along with him, even though by this time she was many months pregnant.

Joseph located rudimentary lodging for his family in Bethlehem, and Mary gave birth to her son. Strange and wondrous things happened while they were there: Shepherds came to see the child, telling of their vision of angels declaring the birth of the Savior of Israel. Wealthy strangers came on a long trip to present gifts to the prophesied King of Israel. Prophets in the Jerusalem temple proclaimed the infant to be the savior of the whole world.

Mary treasured all these things in her heart, and shared them with her son as he was growing up. Joseph, it is clear, provided the youngster with a thorough background in the beliefs of Israel and the contents of its holy scriptures. The young boy was to come to treasure especially the prophetic content of the book of Isaiah, and would shape his life and ministry around the prophecies long told.

Mary the Husband of Joseph

Mary and Joseph Bond with Jesus

Mary's life with Joseph was much different than the pastoral scene above that shows a young couple centered around a single child. The first two centuries of the Christian church attest that Joseph was not a young man when he took Mary for his wife. No, Joseph was already well along in years and had both sons and daughters born to him before Mary and Jesus came  into his life.

Joseph was a widower with a large family. His first wife had died, most likely in childbirth, leaving him with five or six children to care for, plus a newborn infant (probably a girl). Immediately he had to hire a wet-nurse to nurse the infant, and begin looking for a help-meet to marry, who could share with him in raising his family.

If Mary came from a poor family, this provided her family with a means to guarantee her future in life. A poor family would struggle to provide the expected dowry, to be held for the bride's benefit in the event that the husband died or the marriage failed. But Joseph was in critical need of a wife to help raise his kids, and would not have been a prisoner to niceties.

Mary and Family in Egypt

The Flight to Egypt

When King Herod got wind of this new "King of the Jews" being born, he resolved to do away with this prospective rival, in case a rebellion should rise up against him and declare the new babe as the rightful king. But Joseph was warned in a dream to flee, and he left immediately. The only way to keep all of his kids safe was to get them out of Herod's reign forthwith. The image above portrays Jesus as two years old by this time, which was a possibility.

Fleeing to Alexandria in Egypt, they would have found a large and vibrant Jewish population, with more Jews than in Jerusalem. They would have been welcomed, and a home would have been found for them to stay in for a while. The only problem? Nobody there spoke Aramaic. The residents of Alexandria spoke predominantly Greek, with Coptic spoken in the hinterlands.

Greek was used by Jews in Palestine as the language of trade, when dealing with non-Jews. But now, Mary and her family were plunged into full-time Greek, which became an asset later for two of the boys, James and Jude. Each of these boys were to grow up to write a letter in Greek that later became two of the books of our Bible.

Mary the Stepmother of Four Boys

Mary, Jesus, and the Sons of Joseph

Mary at age 16 was confronted with the task of being stepmother to the four sons of Joseph, in addition to  raising  her own son Jesus. Their names, from oldest to youngest, were James, Joseph (Jr.), Simon, and Jude. James was probably between 13 and 15 at the time their father was wed to Mary, with Joseph Junior not far behind.

A calm disposition would have served Mary well in dealing with these teenagers. The boys were not likely to relish respecting a girl, barely older than themselves, with the respect due her as stepmother to the family. It is without doubt that there would have been some difficult times, when Joseph Sr. would need to be called in to deal with certain issues. Later blog posts will expand on the lives of these sons of the elder Joseph.

Mary the Stepmother of Three Girls

The Daughters of Joseph

The Bible assures us that there were at least two step-sisters of Jesus. (A first-century writer would have found no need to include the "step-" specification.) The church provides us with the traditional names for these two girls: Mary and Salome. These two names were the most popular names for girls among first-century Jews. As adults they are identified as living in (or at least visiting) Nazareth. They probably attended the marriage in Cana and possibly the visit by their brothers to Simon Peter's wife in Capernaum.

A third sister, Anna, is identified in at least one source in the early church. This would have been the infant child that survived the death of her mother and was adopted by Mary the mother of Jesus. It is certain that these two women developed a strong bond for each other, for Mary was the only mother that Anna ever knew.

It is possible that Anna is the woman being married at Cana, with Jesus, her step-brothers, and her mother all in attendance. Jesus was "invited" to the wedding, in spite of being absent for a couple of months to get baptized, then flee into the desert, then return to gather five or six disciples before heading for Cana. The disciples were also "invited" to the wedding, presumably on the authority of Jesus himself, for they knew nothing of the wedding before meeting Jesus.

Mary the Matriarch of the Wedding

Mary Matriarch at Cana

I suggested above that Anna, the youngest step-sister of Jesus, was the one being married in Cana. Mary the mother of Jesus plays a prominent part at that wedding, taking care of the lack of wine and  commanding the servants to do whatever Jesus tells them to do. It was the bridegroom's task to provide the wine, but for some reason they had run out. Could that have been because of all the extra guests Jesus brought with him?

Mary clearly acts as if she were the one in charge, although that position is reserved for the Master of the Feast. In this case, the Master of the Feast would have been James, the oldest son of Joseph, who has been head of  the family since the death of his father Joseph. James tasted the new wine created from water by Jesus, and complimented the bridegroom on his handling of the wine.

What a great joke this would have been, when the servants let out how the wine had actually been made!

We'll have much more to say about James, the oldest brother, in the next blog  post. James plays a surprisingly prominent part not only in the church but also in the ancient history books.

Real Bible People: John the Baptist

John in the Wilderness

Young John: Living in the Lonesome Wastes

Continuing here our review of "Real Families" in the Gospels, we turn to the human family of Jesus, working towards an examination of Jesus himself at the close of this series. We begin with John the  Baptist, a second cousin to Jesus.

John was born to elderly parents of a priestly clan, and he was said to "grow and become strong in spirit," living in the lonesome wastelands (deserts) before he made his appearance as The Baptist. Some fanciful artists portray him as a near-naked child attended by wild beasts, the latter of these ideas coming from confusion with Jesus' forty days in the wilderness.

No, John's wilderness days most likely were occasioned by the death of his parents while he was a teenager. It is likely that his father Zacharias had at least begun John's instruction into the ways of the priests in the temple. John may have become aware of the corruption among the priests, notably the fees they charged merchants and moneychangers to use the temple grounds for their own  enrichment.

Qumran: The Essenes in the Wilderness

The Village of the Essenes Overlooking the Dead Sea

It has been speculated, with some  merit, that John spent time with the Essenes at their desert redoubt of Qumran east of Jerusalem in the desert. The Essenes rejected the priests of the temple, regarding them not only as corrupt, but also from the wrong lineage. They taught a strict and rigid ascetic lifestyle, which included frequent ritual immersion in a mikveh (bathing place), of which there were several at Qumran.

To become a member of their elite group, a supplicant would have to be subject to the Qumran leaders for a period of three years, during which certain required self-immersions would be conducted. In addition, members of the group had to give up all their worldly possessions and hand them over to the community.

It is distinctly possible that John was attracted to the strict "righteousness" practiced at Qumran and sought to become a member. But with John's strong spirit, clashes would inevitably arise, ending up in him being put out of the community, with or without any of the inheritance he would have received from his parents.

The Jewish scholar Joseph Flusser made note of the strong similarity between John's theology of baptism and the theology of ritual self-immersion as practiced at Qumran. Specifically, both John and the Qumran community held  that no amount of water-immersion did any good whatever unless it was accompanied by an internal spiritual change. This was in sharp contrast with normative Jewish practice, in which the immersion ritual, properly conducted, made a person "clean" and eligible to enter the temple.  In any case, John's unique leader-conducted immersion of supplicants essentially invented the practice we call "baptism" today.

Surviving in the Desert

Eating Locusts in the Desert

Rejecting the temple priests, rejected by Qumran, and made penniless by Qumran's confiscation of his goods, John's strong spirit chose a solitary life in the desert. Wild honey was a real treat when John could find it, and locusts were a food rich in protein. With a camel's hair cloak and a leather belt, John took on the appearance of a prophet, specifically the appearance of Elijah.

Enter the Prophet:

John was a Striking and Fearful Sight

John began to prophesy: "The kingdom of God is at hand!"  And, "Repent, and believe the good news!" People began to come to listen to him, and he began baptizing them, initially using the Jordan River for this. Baptism was offered to anyone--sinner or righteous--with no prerequisite other than repentance and a determination to lead a better life.

John offered baptism to Samaritans, and--worse yet--even to Roman soldiers. This would have horrified his former masters at Qumran.

Roman Soldiers Look On As John Baptises

But then one day Jesus came to be baptized. John may have recognized him as his second cousin--a childhood playmate--but that was a scene decades in his past. At age 30, John was looking for the chosen one of God--the Messiah--who would save people from their sins.

John was astounded when Jesus showed up and his former playmate was revealed to him to be the Chosen One. And he was more astounded yet when Jesus asked John to baptize him: "No,  Lord, but I must be baptized by you!"

You? Baptized by Me?

That was indeed what would be, in Jesus' words, "all righteousness fulfilled."

John and Herod

Herod Talks with John in Prison

"All righteousness" was important to John, which led him to denounce Herod Antipas for his illegal marriage to Herodias. Herod was little phased by this, but his queen Herodias was apoplectic. If John's declaration took hold in Galilee, she might be cast down from her throne. Herodias persuaded Herod to arrest John and cast him in prison, which would at least shut him up. Instead, Herod took to talking with John, for he was fascinated by this prophet. In the end, Herodias prevailed, backing her husband into a corner from which he was forced to remove the prophet's head.

I will spare you the gory painting , which has been an untold fascination for artists throughout the ages. In any case, John the Baptist did not outlive his second cousin, and died around age 33.

Real Bible People: The High Priest Family

Priestly Power in Jerusalem

Annas and his Family

The Family of Ananus son of Seth (Annas)

During the time of Jesus, and stretching almost to the beginning of Israel's war with Rome, the high priest's office in Jerusalem was dominated by the family of one Ananus son of Seth, popularly known as Annas. Annas, his five sons, and his son-in-law Caiaphas each had their turn as the designated high priest during a period of some 57 years. Here are their names and their terms of office:

Ananus son of Seth (Annas)                 AD 6 - AD 15
Eleazar son of Ananus                        AD 16 - AD 17
Joseph son of Caiaphas (Caiaphas)    AD 18 - AD 36
Jonathan son of Ananus                      AD 36 - AD 37, and also AD 44
Theophilus son of Ananus                   AD 37 - AD 41
Matthias son of Ananus                       AD 43
Ananus son of Ananus (Hanan)           AD 63

The Senior High Priest Annas

Ananus (Annas), Senior High Priest

By Jewish law the designated high priest was elected for life. Such a thing was not a reality under Roman rule. Not only did Rome choose the high priest that suited their needs but also fired him when he conflicted with their needs. But obviously, from the list of high priests above, the Romans had to choose from a very select group.

The Romans could fire the high priest from his temple duties, but not from his high esteem among the people. This led to their being a plethora of "high priests" in Jerusalem, unthinkable in the early days of Israel, when the only way to get a new high priest was for the old one to die. As we will see below, the Romans could limit the duties of their selected high priest, but the senior high priest -- the oldest one -- retained duties and powers untouched by the Romans. Annas was deposed by the Roman prefect Gratus, yet he remained for years as one of the nation's most influential people.

High Priest Caiaphas

Joseph son of Caiaphas (Caiaphas)

Joseph was a very common name in Israel, so he became known by the name of his father. Caiaphas married the daughter of Annas, and was elevated to high priest by the roman prefect Valerius Gratus, who preceded Pontius Pilate as governor of Judea. In place of the consultative approach of Annas, Caiaphas had a more decisive style.

When Jesus shook up Jerusalem by raising Lazarus from the dead, it was Caiaphas who proposed the death of Jesus. The fear was that Jesus would challenge the power structure of the priesthood, and bring the Roman authorities down on their heads. Caiaphas justified his proposal by telling the Sanhedrin, "It is to your advantage that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should die" (John 11:50).

John the Apostle later characterized Caiaphas' argument as a prophetic statement, brought by the inspiration of his position that year as the designated High Priest. John extended Caiaphas' prophecy to include Jesus' salvation for God's people worldwide. In any case, by the influence of Caiaphas this marked the moment when the Jewish authorities began actively planning for the death of Jesus.

Annas wearing the ephod

Sadducees and the Power of the Priesthood

All the high priests of Israel at that time were Sadducees rather than Pharisees, along with many of the  rest of the priests. Sadducees rejected the authority of prophetic writings, such as the book of Isaiah, which foretell the downfall of priestly power in favor of a coming messianic power. By clinging only to the Five Books of Moses, they were clinging to their priestly power and authority and shutting out any authority proclaimed by a so-called "prophet."

Today we have modern-day Sadducees (known as 'cessationists'), who deny that the gift of prophecy is still bestowed on people today. This belief strengthens their power over the church, protecting it from the attacks of any upstart "prophet."

The supreme symbol of priestly authority was the Ephod, a box worn about the neck by the designated High Priest and bejeweled with the 12 precious stones of the 12 tribes of Israel. In ancient times the box contained the urim and the thummim, devices which were cast like lots to determine the will of God. Although these pieces were long lost, it was still the purview of the High Priest to determine the will of God.

Because of this danger, the Ephod had been confiscated by the Romans and was issued out to the High Priest to be worn only for the highest ceremonies of the temple, probably just three times per year. The concern of the Romans was real, for there were groups (such as the Essenes) that held that the current crop of high priests were entirely the wrong people to be in charge. The theft of the Ephod and a spurious claim by its possessor was a danger.

Another power of the High Priest was presidency over the Sanhedrin--the high council of the Jews--to which we turn next.

Meeting of the Sanhedrin

The Sanhedrin -- The High Council of the Jews

Jerusalem's high council consisted of 72 respected elders, plus the captain of the temple guard, who met as needed in a hall on the temple grounds. In practice these were mostly the rich and powerful, including Nicodemus, reputedly the richest man in Jerusalem. They included a strong contingency of Pharisees, and a smaller group of Sadducees. Affiliation with one of these groups was not a requirement, but there were no Essenes, who would not step foot on the temple grounds as long as the "wrong" group of men were priests.

Romans had no voice here. If the Sanhedrin needed to interact with the Roman governor, they would send a delegation to meet with him on the steps of his palace. (Entering the governor's house would have made them "unclean" and barred them from the temple until a period of cleansing was met.)

By virtue of his office, the High Priest was president of the council, and it was he who would call the Sanhedrin into session. But since the Jews did not recognize Rome's power to depose a High Priest, only the eldest high priest--Annas--had the power to call the Sanhedrin into session.

This sets up a scene just after Jesus' arrest that has been debated by many. Although a strong contingency of Caiaphas' officers and security detail were prime movers in the arrest, they took Jesus first to Annas' house (in the dead of night) before taking him to Caiaphas' house. This was because a session of the Sanhedrin was needed to try Jesus and proclaim their judgment on him, but only Annas could call the Sanhedrin into session.

The family of Annas along with the rest of the Sadducees held great sway over the council, but they still remained a minority, and needed support from some of the Pharisees in order to take action. The Pharisees were divided on the 'Jesus' issue, much as they were on any other issue, and some of them went down silently, still supporting the man.

While Annas was presiding over the council, Caiaphas was questioning Jesus, finally hearing Jesus say, "I am [the blessed one], and you shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven." Caiaphas declared him guilty of heresy, called for a vote, and those who voted agreed with Caiaphas.

Of course, by Roman law the Sanhedrin was unable to enact the death penalty, and that set up the delegation sent to the Governor's front steps to ask his help in enacting the punishment. Pilate was more or less cornered politically, and was forced to accede to their request.

Annas Judges Peter and John

Annas and the Sanhedrin (Acts 4)

Annas appears one last time in the biblical record, around AD 32 right after the arrest of Peter and John for preaching Jesus to the people. They had attracted the attention of the Sadducees and the captain of the temple guard by a remarkable healing that stirred the populace. The temple guard tossed them into prison overnight until the Sanhedrin could be convened.

As the high council meets in the morning, Annas is named as the High Priest, while Caiaphas is merely mentioned as being present. Although this definitely takes place during the period (AD 18-36) that Caiaphas holds the office of High Priest according to the Romans, Luke (the writer of Acts) clearly shows that Annas remains as both High Priest and president of the Sanhedrin in Jewish eyes.

While the Sanhedrin refrains from doing anything drastic in fear of the populace, the high priests and Sadducees prevailed in admonishing Peter and John to stop their preaching. They nonetheless released them without so much as a beating. Peter and John returned to their people and rejoiced with them for their victory over the Sanhedrin.

Ananus - Last of the Annas Line of High Priests

Last of the Clan of Annas

Twenty years after the high priesthood of Matthias son of Annas, the winds of war were beginning to swirl through the streets and alleys of Jerusalem, brought on by the increasingly vocal demands of the party of the Zealots. Discord reigned as much as anything, and there was likely a longing for the conciliar days of Annas the senior high priest, now dead some 20 years. (The date of Annas' death is disputed.) 

It may have been a longing for Annas that led to the installation of his youngest son and namesake, Ananus son of Ananus, also known as Hanan. But peace and conciliation were not to be had. Hanan is most famous for his alleged ordering of the death of James the Just, eldest brother of Jesus and writer of the biblical book of James. Details of James' death are confused: he may have been ordered to be stoned, but was instead cast from the pillar of the temple. This makes sense in light of the great respect for James held by the common people.

However, Hanan had no such authority to do this. He was the designated High Priest, but he was not the senior high priest and did not have the authority to call the Sanhedrin meeting that condemned James. In addition, he broke Jewish law by imposing the death penalty without the Roman governor's permission. In fact, Jerusalem was between governors at the time, and the newly appointed governor was on his way to Jerusalem when this took place. The new governor promptly deposed Hanan after less than 3 months of service. (Hanan's replacement was also deposed, before the end of that year.)

But Hanan was not to disappear into the shadows. He remained as an influential leader of the Jews, especially the Sadducees, in their struggle against the rebellious Zealots, who laid siege to the temple. Hanan was assassinated in AD 68 by allies of the Zealots, for the crime of "advocating peace with Rome," ending the Annas dynasty of High Priests.