Do Not Go Beyond God's Revelation About Jesus

We are discussing the very difficult chapter 7 of Hebrews. Our focus during the past two postings has been upon the writer's comparison of King Melchizedek to Christ.

He (Melchizedek) is without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God he continues a priest forever. - Hebrews 7:3 ESV (cf. Gen. 14:18-20)

Melchizedek is not a descendant or child of Abraham. Yet he receives "a tenth of the spoils" from Abraham (Hebrews 7:4). In a sense, you might say that the priestly clan of Levi and his sons were present when Abraham gave Melchizedek those tithes. They were, after all, descendants of Abraham inasmuch as they were one of the 12 tribes descended from Abraham's grandson Israel (Jacob). Consequently it is also proper to say that the priests (Levites) were inferior in rank to Melchizedek since they paid tithes through Abraham (Hebrews 7:6-10).

One might even say that Levi himself, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, for he was still in the loins of his ancestor when Melchizedek met him. - Hbr 7:9-10 ESV 

It follows then that Melchizedek who was both priest and king is superior in rank to Levi. This is why Christ is correctly compared to Melchizedek. Christ is also both priest and king, but descended from the tribe of Judah, a tribe about which Moses said nothing having to do with priests. So in King David's words,

The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind, "You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek." - Psa 110:4 ESV

Now if you have hung with me this far—and with this letter to the Hebrews—you know that we must settle the question of Jesus' humanity. We've already recognized that He is and was the holy Son of God from all eternity, begotten (not created) before all created things. By Him and from Him all things were created.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. - Jhn 1:1-3 ESV

But He is also true Man, born of the Virgin Mary.  He must be fully and completely human (descended from Adam) if He is to stand under God's judgment upon Adam and his progeny.

For as in Adam all die . . . - 1Cr 15:22 ESV 

Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned-- - Rom 5:12 ESV

So the huge and seemingly impossible challenge: how can the Christ who is the holy Son of God from all eternity be also the Son of Man who will die our death and not inherit the sinful nature of His human father Adam?

Answer: the Virgin Birth !

And here is where where some attempt to explain Jesus' ancestry by resorting to our current understanding of the creation of a human. They speak about cell mitosis and meiosis, the 23 pairs of chromosomes that are needed for new human life, the development of human blood, etc. They go on to explain that Jesus inherited Adam's nature, but not his sinfulness. This, they say, is because

. . . the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life. - Lev 17:11 NIV

But that single Bible verse does not speak about Adam's sinful nature. Any attempt to make it say that is an example of reading things into a text.  I am very leery of this sort of thing and you should be as well, because such a use of God's Word goes far beyond what the Word has revealed about the mystery of the Incarnation. The Apostle teaches us humility as he writes,

Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great: He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory. - 1Ti 3:16 NIV

The primary points to be remembered:

• In Christ God has appeared in human flesh
• Christ's incarnation was accomplished through the Virgin Mary
• Whether Mary remained a Virgin is an open question, despite the view of the Roman Catholic church and others that she remained a Virgin even in giving birth to Jesus
• Jesus was of Adam's race according to the flesh (see especially his lineage in Luke 3:23-38 and Matt. 1:1-17)
• Though Jesus was born of the "Seed of David according to the flesh" (Rom. 1:3), he did not inherit Adam's sinful nature

Beyond this we must not go. You may harbor private opinions and conclusions, but we must not attempt to make God reveal details about Jesus' birth that He has chosen to keep to Himself. Questions of when Jesus' human spirit or soul were created will also remain a mystery that is not revealed. The question about when or how any human soul is created is another question that has long been argued and tossed about. I'm not going to open it up here either. 

For now let us concentrate upon the primary facts lifted up by Hebrews 7. Jesus is our permanent and eternal priest. He is holy, blameless and pure, exalted above the heavens. He sacrificed Himself for our sins, once for all mankind. It is finished.We have a Great High Priest who pleads for all of us sinners before the judgment throne of God. In Him we are forgiven and secure. To Him be all glory. 

More on this as we go further into this wondrous letter. 

The Virgin Mary And The Resurrection

During this Easter season I am looking at various teachings of Holy Scripture about the resurrection of the dead. In this connection there is a very strange statement in Matthew's Gospel about resurrection.

The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. - Matt 27:52-53 ESV

That's it! Matthew writes nothing more about these saints. For that matter, who were they? The best we can do is guess. Some feel they were righteous believers from the Old Testament era and that after "appearing to many" in Jerusalem they were taken up or assumed into the temporary state of rest and happiness called paradise and then later brought into heaven. In that connection these writers quote Jesus' words to the thief on the cross next to him.

And he said to him, "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise." - Luke 23:43 ESV

Beyond that—and it is a stretch to go there—we have nothing in Scripture to explain who these saints were and why Matthew included this information. We can only assume that their resurrection was a sign of the power and mercy of God now available to all who believe in God's Word and the Gospel.

And yet this Matthew passage is tied to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary as a round about way of pointing to the possibility of people being bodily assumed into heaven before Christ's Second Coming. We have no other records to tell that tells us these saints died and were reburied again. Arguing from silence, we are urged to conclude they were taken up or assumed into heaven like Elijah (2 Kings 2:1,11).   

Diego Velazquez - Virgin Mary

In 1950 the world learned about The Assumption of Mary, now an official teaching of the Roman Catholic Church (Munificentissimus Deus) that she, "having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into the glory of heaven." Pope Pius XII in his capacity as Christ's infallible Vicar on earth, does not say whether Mary died or not. Most think she did and was then resurrected and taken by God into heaven. When all this happened is based upon apocryphal  writings, like the Gospel of James. Also since prayers and references are made to this teaching in many of the early liturgies, Catholics assume traditions passed on support this teaching. Of course, for them, it is now a central dogma and celebrated as a major feast day on August 15. Read the Wikipedia article on the Assumption of Mary for further details.

Most of us Lutherans are very reluctant to embrace this teaching, especially since it is completely outside of God's revealed and inspired Word. Further, it is part of an ancient movement to make Mary semi-divine, something the Scriptures never do. Consider the implications of such titles as Co-Redemptrix, Mediatrix and Queen of Heaven which can lead to prayers and worship of her as Jesus' Mother with a special authority. There are many approved sites where she supposedly appeared and healed.

I can only encourage us to remain close to Holy Scripture as did Dr. Martin Luther. Of Mary he said,

She became the Mother of God, in which work so many and such great good things are bestowed on her as pass man’s understanding. For on this there follows all honor, all blessedness, and her unique place in the whole of mankind, among which she has no equal, namely, that she had a child by the Father in heaven, and such a Child. … Hence men have crowded all her glory into a single word, calling her the Mother of God. (Luther’s Works 21:326ff)

Why Only Jesus Can Solve The Dilemma Of Death

I ended yesterday's post with these words about our troubled world: "Everything is in confusion. It was never to be this way. God did not want it this way, but what could He do about it?" We pick up our discussion, based upon a book written by Athanasius of Alexandria on the Incarnation of Jesus Christ.

The law of death prevails upon the entire human race despite our best efforts. In earlier posts of this blog I outlined how some believe they will soon be able to reduce our individual human personhood to a computer program that can be stored and retrieved when repairs to one's body or mind are needed. Cf. blogs about The Singularity. At that point, they say, humans will become immortal. Death will be conquered—at least for those with access to such cloud-based computers.

We all share a desire to live. And we Christians know with certainty that you cannot reduce human life to a computer program, regardless of its complexity. But how then will death be conquered? Here is our dilemma. It is quite unthinkable that God should go back on His Word that we children of Adam and Eve must die because of disobedience, our sin. He cannot falsify Himself. On the other hand it is equally unworthy of God's goodness that we who are created in His image be brought to nothing both by our sinfulness and by the deceit of the devil and those rebel spirits that follow him.

Like so many of us, I distinctly recall thinking in my youth about this issue. What's the point of living if it all leads to death? Surely it would have been better for the Creator never to have created us than to be thrown away and die. Is God so helpless that he cannot do something about this horror? To leave us to corruption and death is unfitting and unworthy of a loving and all-powerful God.

To solve this dilemma some suggest that instead of relying upon computer programming and other forms of science, we need to repent, that is change our way of thinking and acting. By openly admitting our guilt and promising to change we should be able to reverse the situation, right? Wrong! It might sound good, but repentance doesn't change human nature. Granted, the witness of Scripture is that the Lord GOD has no pleasure in the death of anyone (Ezekiel 18:32). We may accept and rejoice in that truth, but it still changes nothing. To be honest not a single one of us even comes close to keeping God's commands to love Him and to love one another. No one is righteous, no not one (Rom. 2:10-18; Psa. 14:1-3).  And God cannot change His Word that pronounces death upon sinners. The dilemma remains.

This is why the Word of God had to do it for us. In the beginning He called forth all things out of nothing (in today's language: the Big Bang). Consequently He is the only one who can reverse the situation and maintain the heavenly Father's consistency. Jesus Christ, God's Son, is God's Word by which all was made and without whom nothing was both created and made (John 1:1-3). He was, is and ever will be above and outside creation. One must rightly describe Him as immaterial. He is not created. He is "God of the substance of the Father, begotten before the worlds" (see Athanasian Creed:31). He is eternally one with His Father (John 10:30; 17:11, 21). As God's Word He fills all things. Everything exists by Him. In Him we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28).

The Word Was Made Flesh

Since He alone can deal with our dilemma, the Word of God came down to our level to do just that. He who occupies and has created all dimensions of this creation confined Himself to the four of our existence. He became a man, borne of the Virgin Mary. He did it out of compassion for us. He was unwilling that death should remain our master. Out of sheer love He lived a life of complete and total obedience to His Father—for us. Out of sheer love He surrendered His body to death—for us. In this manner He robbed death of its power. Death disappeared as utterly as straw from fire (1 Cor 15:55-57). With His death the Lord Jesus became the Victor over death. We who have been born anew of God share in that victory (1 John 5:4).

The writer to the Hebrews puts it this way:

But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. - Hebrews 2:9-10 ESV

By His suffering and death He completed the work He set out to accomplish. By the sacrifice of His own body He did two things:

• He put an end to the law of death that barred our way to the eternal presence of God

• He made a new beginning of life for us, giving us the certain hope of resurrection.

Paul puts it this way:

But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. - 1 Cor 15:20-22 ESV

We still die, but no longer as men and women condemned. Death for us is now a part of the process of putting away sin and death in order to rise again in the general resurrection that will be openly displayed at the time appointed (1 Tim. 6:13-16).

This, then, is the first reason of our Savior's becoming Man. There are other things, however. We will consider them in the next blog post.

Blessed Mary The Pure Virgin

The virgin birth of Jesus is a critical part of the Gospel. It cannot be removed without destroying the Gospel itself. In Holy Scripture you find the following references to the birth of Jesus by the Virgin Mary. What follows them are the statements about the Virgin Mary and the birth of  Jesus in the Lutheran Confessions.

First Holy Scripture.  

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, "Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!" But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. - Luke 1:26-31 ESV 

And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him. Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom. And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, but supposing him to be in the group they went a day's journey, but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances, and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him. - Luke 2:40-45 ESV 

. . . And there followed him a great multitude of the people and of women who were mourning and lamenting for him. But turning to them Jesus said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold, the days are coming when they will say, 'Blessed are the barren and the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!' Then they will begin to say to the mountains, 'Fall on us,' and to the hills, 'Cover us.' For if they do these things when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?" Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. - Luke 23:23-38 ESV 

While he was still speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him. (Some manuscripts insert verse 47: Someone told him, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, asking to speak to you”). But he replied to the man who told him, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?" And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother." - Matt 12:46-50 ESV 

On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine." And Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come." His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you. . . " - John 2:1-11 ESV 

All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers. - Acts 1:14 ESV 

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh - Rom 1:1-3 ESV 

Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, - 2 Tim 2:8 ESV

And next, the Lutheran Confessions

Augsburg Confession III, 1

“Likewise it is taught that God the Son became a human being, born of the pure Virgin Mary, and that the two natures, the divine and the human are so inseparably united in one person that there is one Christ.” 

Smalcald Articles I-4

“That the Son became a human being in this way: he was conceived by the Holy Spirit without male participation and was born of the pure, holy Virgin (Latin: always virgin) Mary.”

Apology (AP) XXI 2

“These jackasses do not see that in Jerome’s controversy with Vigilantius* there is not a syllable about invocation [of the saints]. He speaks about honoring the saints, not about invoking them. Nor do the rest of the ancient writers prior to Gregory I mention invocation. Such invocation, together with the theories that the opponents now teach about the application of merits, clearly lacks the support of the ancient writers.” **

AP XXI 25, 27

Here and there this form of absolution has come into use: “The passion of our Lord Jesus Christ and the merits of the most blessed Virgin Mary and all the saints be to you for the forgiveness of sins. . .” (cf. the medieval indulgences doctrine)

“Now we grant that the blessed Mary prays for the church. But she does not receive souls in death, conquer death, or give life, does she? What does Christ do if the blessed Mary performs all these things? Even though she is worthy of the highest honor, nevertheless she does not want herself to be made equal with Christ but instead wants us to consider and follow her example. . .” 

AP XXVII 53

“Thus the Dominicans invented the rosary of the blessed Virgin which is mere babbling (Matt. 6:7), as foolish as it is wicked; it nourishes a false confidence. This wickedness, too, is used only for making money.” 

Formula of Concord (FC), Epitome VIII 10-12

“Therefore, we believe, teach, and confess that God is a human being and a human being is God. That could not be if the divine and human natures had absolutely no communion with each other in fact and in truth. For how could the human being, Mary’s son, be called, or be, the Son of the most high God in truth if his humanity was not personally united with God’s Son, in reality, that is in fact and in truth, but instead shared only the name “God” with him? 

“Therefore, we believe, teach and confess that Mary did conceive and give birth to a child who was merely, purely, simply human, but she gave birth to the true Son of God. Therefore she is rightly called and truly is the Mother of God.”

FC VIII 24

“Because of this personal union and communion of the natures, Mary, the most blessed Virgin, gave birth not to a mere, ordinary human being, but instead to a human being who is truly the Son of God the Most High, as the angel testifies. He demonstrated his divine majesty in his mother’s womb, in that he was born of a virgin without violating her virginity. Therefore, she remained truly the Mother of God and at the same time a virgin.” 

FC XII 1

Intolerable teachings in the Church

1. That Christ did not receive his body and blood from the Virgin Mary but brought them with him from heaven.

FC, SD VII

“In the tract On the Last Words of David, which Dr. Luther wrote shortly before his death, he says, “According to the second, temporal, human birth Christ was also given the eternal dominion of God, yet temporally and not from eternity. For the human nature of Christ was not from eternity as his divine nature was. It is computed that Jesus, Mary’s son, is 1,543 years old this year. But from that moment when deity and humanity were united in one person, the Human Being, Mary’s Son, is and is called almighty, eternal God, who has eternal dominion, who has created all things and preserves them per communicationem idiomatium [through sharing of characteristics] because he is one person with the Godhead and is also very God.”  

______________

As I noted above, the virgin birth of our Lord Jesus is a vital part of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I pray that these notes will strengthen your faith in this wondrous Good News that came to all men on that first Christmas as the angels sang, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!" - Luke 2:14 ESV

Persecution Within The Family

We're talking about Christians being persecuted. Jesus certainly was. The world he came to hated him and ultimately murdered him through a manufactured and false accusation of treason. The plot was already brewing, writes John, but it was not time for Jesus to die. Jesus told his brothers to go on to the Feast without him.

Now the Jews' Feast of Booths was at hand. So his brothers said to him, "Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world." For not even his brothers believed in him. Jesus said to them, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil. You go up to the feast. I am not going up to this feast, for my time has not yet fully come." After saying this, he remained in Galilee. But after his brothers had gone up to the feast, then he also went up, not publicly but in private. - Jhn 7:2-10 ESV

How it must have pained Jesus to know that even his brothers did not believe in him. What brothers? Has not a significant portion of the historical church taught that Mary was always a virgin, that she and Joseph never had sexual relations? The English translation of the Latin Mass has these words as part of the confession of sins:

I confess to Almighty God, to Blessed Mary ever Virgin, to Blessed Michael the Archangel, to Blessed John the Baptist, to the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, to all the angels and saints, and to you, brethren, that I have sinned exceedingly in thought, word, deed: (here he strikes his breast three times) through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault, and I ask Blessed Mary ever Virgin, Blessed Michael the Archangel, Blessed John the Baptist, the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, all the Angels and you, brethren, to pray to the Lord our God for me. 

Notice Blessed Mary ever Virgin. Why is this so important to Christians who place themselves under the oversight of the Bishop of Rome, those known as Roman Catholics, as well as most of the Orthodox Churches? Here's what Orthodox teachers say about the doctrine.

When the heretics and simple blasphemers refuse to acknowledge the Ever-virginity of the Mother of God on the grounds that the Evangelists mention the "brothers and sisters of Jesus," they are refuted by the following facts from the Gospel:

a) In the Gospels there are named four "brothers" (James, Joses, Simon and Jude), and there are also mentioned the "sisters" of Jesus—no fewer than three, as is evident in the words: and His sisters, are they not ALL with us? (Matt. 13:56). 

On the other hand, b) in the account of the journey to Jerusalem of the twelve-year-old boy Jesus, where there is mention of the "kinsfolk and acquaintances" (Luke 2:44) in the midst of whom they were seeking Jesus, and where it is likewise mentioned that Mary and Joseph every year journeyed from faraway Galilee to Jerusalem, no reason is given to think that there were present other younger children with Mary: it was thus that the first twelve years of the Lord's earthly life proceeded. 

c) When, about twenty years after the above-mentioned journey, Mary stood at the cross of the Lord, she was alone, and she was entrusted by her Divine Son to His disciple John; and from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home (John 19:27). Evidently, as the ancient Christians also understood it, the Evangelists speak either of "half' brothers and sisters or of cousins.

The article continues at some length to provide evidence from various early church fathers and concludes that this teaching is securely based upon Apostolic Tradition handed down to us in a mystery and preserved in the church's worship. Such a statement places Tradition on the same level as Holy Scripture and leaves most of us Lutherans, as well as other Protestants, with a blank stare on our faces, because we do not and cannot accept Tradition on the same level of authority as the Scriptures. And yet Martin Luther accepted the perpetual virginity of Mary! In his writings on The Christian In Society, Luther said,

Scripture does not say or indicate that she later lost her virginity . . . When Matthew [1:25] says that Joseph did not know Mary carnally until she had brought forth her son, it does not follow that he knew her subsequently; on the contrary, it means that he never did know her . . . This babble . . . is without justification . . . he has neither noticed nor paid any attention to either Scripture or the common idiom. —Luther's Works, v.45:206,212-3 / That Jesus Christ was Born a Jew (1523).

But so very many, many battles have been fought over the place of Mary in the church and in the teachings of the church! These things the Bible does make clear about Mary:

• She played her part in the birth of our Lord Jesus and is rightly honored as The Mother of God (properly understood). Even Luther agreed to such a title since God worked this wonder in her to bring about so many good things that pass human understanding. 

• She is not, however, Co-Redemptrix: the idea that she gave free consent to give life to the Redeemer, to share his life, to suffer with him under the cross, to offer His sacrifice to God the Father for the sake of the redemption of mankind, and to bring about all particular post-assumption graces by way of intercession. The latter concept is included in the concept of Mediatrix which is a separate concept but regularly included by faithful Catholics who use the title of co-redemptrix.

• Nor is Mary or any other saint to be worshipped and prayed to. Jesus made it quite clear that we are to honor the First Commandment to have no other gods and that no man comes to the Father but through Him (John 14:6). 

Whether Mary did or did not have children by Joseph following the Savior's birth must remain an open question. My own church body, the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, has no objection to the teaching that Jesus had actual brothers and sisters (John 7:1-10 and Luke 8:19-21).

I mention these things because we within the church have persecuted one another across the centuries. Wars have broken out between Catholics and Protestants, Catholics and Orthodox, and between one group of Protestants and other Protestants. All this is part of the plan of the dark powers to divert our attention away from the Gospel of Christ.  With that in mind we must all ponder these words of our Lord. 

So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven. "Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person's enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. - Mat 10:32-39 ESV

Joseph of Arimathea And The Empty Tomb

Little mention is made of Joseph of Arimathea in the Gospels other than that he and Nicodemus buried Jesus' body in a new tomb, apparently belonging to Joseph. Who was this enigmatic figure? And where was Arimathea?

According to the common Greek of the NT Arimathea would correspond to the Hebrew Ha-Ramathaim, possibly Ramathaim-Zophim in Ephraim, the birthplace of Samuel, where David came to him (1 Samuel 1:1, 19). Others identify it with Ramlah in Dan, or Ramah in Benjamin (Matt. 2:18). Ramathaim may have been a town 4-5 miles NW of Jerusalem.

Here's what we know from the Gospels about Joseph. The Catholic Encyclopedia states:

He was a wealthy Israelite (Matthew 27:57), "a good and a just man" (Luke 23:50), "who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God" (Mark 15:43). He is also called by St. Mark and by St. Luke a bouleutes, literally, "a senator", whereby is meant a member of the Sanhedrin or supreme council of the Jews. He was a disciple of Jesus, probably ever since Christ's first preaching in Judea (John 2:23), but he did not declare himself as such "for fear of the Jews" (John 19:38). On account of this secret allegiance to Jesus, he did not consent to His condemnation by the Sanhedrin (Luke 23:51), and was most likely absent from the meeting which sentenced Jesus to death (cf. Mark 14:64).

The Crucifixion of the Master quickened Joseph's faith and love, and suggested to him that he should provide for Christ's burial before the Sabbath began. Unmindful therefore of all personal danger, a danger which was indeed considerable under the circumstances, he boldly requested from Pilate the Body of Jesus, and was successful in his request (Mark 15:43-45). Once in possession of this sacred treasure, he—together with Nicodemus, whom his courage had likewise emboldened, and who brought abundant spices—wrapped up Christ's Body in fine linen and grave bands, laid it in his own tomb, new and yet unused, and hewn out of a rock in a neighbouring garden, and withdrew after rolling a great stone to the opening of the sepulcher (Matthew 27:59, 60; Mark 15:46; Luke 23:53; John 19:38-42). Thus was fulfilled Isaiah's prediction that the grave of the Messiah would be with a rich man (Isaiah 53:9).

Aside from that information we have legends and some historical documents of Jesus' family history. And that's where it gets fun.

Joseph lived at one point in Marmorica, on the coast of Egypt, and was the uncle of Mary, mother of Jesus. Anne, mother of the Virgin Mary, was married three times. Her first husband was Joachim by whom she had the Virgin Mary. Her second husband was Cleophas and her third was Salome. According to Hachette's guide Bleu Bretagne there is an ancient Breton tradition that Anne was born in Cornouaille (Cornwall?) of Royal blood.

When Anne was pregnant with the Virgin Mary, Joachim ill treated her and she fled from Europe to Jaffa and  finally settled in Nazareth where Mary was born. That would not make Joachim much of a revered saint. Anne had a sister named Bianca who was the mother of Joseph, the Virgin Mary's husband, making Joseph Mary's first cousin. Of course, not all legends agree with this part of the tale.

But back to Joseph of Arimathea, Jesus' great-uncle. He was quite wealthy, a merchant in metals . Often he took Jesus with him on business trips to the Island of the Britons, to India and even to South Africa. Britain led the world of that time in tin mining. Joseph of Arimathea
was dubbed Nobilis Decurio or Minister of Mines to the Roman Government. Early documents of Britain and Gaul refer to Joseph in the same manner. The Welshman Maelgwyn of Llandaff calls Joseph the Nobilis Decurio, as does Rabanus Maurus (776-856 A.D.), Archbishop of Mayence and writer of the manuscript called the "Life of St. Mary Magdalene." A copy of this document is to be found in the Magdalen College Library at Oxford, England, and dates from the early part of the fifteenth century.

View From Wearyall Hill Over Glastonbury
With Holy Thorn Foreground, Tor in Background

Sometime during the 25 years after Jesus' resurrection Joseph accompanied Phillip, Mary Magdalene, Lazarus and others on a preaching mission to Gaul. At ancient Marseilles, Lazarus and Mary parted with the group to continue north. When Joseph's group reached the English Channel, Phillip encouraged them to head over to the Island of the Britons. This they did, sailing around Land's End at the southern tip of England to head up the west coast to where the tin mines were. Their ship ran aground in the Glastonbury marshes. The party made it ashore and climbed a nearby hill to survey the countryside. Exhausted and weary from the journey, Joseph drove his staff into the ground. That staff was made from the same thorn tree that was used to fashion Christ's Crown of Thorns (Matt. 27:29). The staff came alive, took root and grew into another thorn bush. A similar thorn bush can still be seen on Wearyall Hill where Joseph also built a church of mud and wattle that ultimately became an Abbey.

But we're just getting started with the tale. Check with me next time to learn about Joseph's connection with the legendary King Arthur.

The Holy Family And Yours

I write on the Eve of this year's joyous Christian celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the long-awaited Messiah. In this season the family is very important. Families around the world gather to celebrate what happened to the Holy Family in Bethlehem where Jesus was born and placed in a manger. My family is gathered this Christmas at the home of our daughter in South Texas.


The old question of Jesus' own family—and his later possible marriage–arises unbidden. A few years earlier it was all the rage as people read in novels that Mary Magdalene was Jesus' wife. The news was filled with the nonsense. If you'd like an extended conversation about the issue, you may want to read the long article "Was Jesus Married? A Careful Look At The Real Evidence" by Dr. Mark D. Roberts. He says there is hardly even a hint from the sources that Jesus was. His conclusion:

Once when Jesus was preaching he was approached by his natural family. The crowd told him that they were there to see him. Jesus responded, “Who are my mother and brothers?” Then, looking at his disciples, he answered the question: “Here are my mother and brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother” (Mark 3:33-35). Ironically, therefore, Jesus is more inclusive and counter-cultural than those who would tie Mary Magdalene’s significance primarily to her filling the traditional role of wife. Though much in Scripture supports the importance of natural family, the relationship that matters most of all is our relationship with Jesus Christ as his disciple. We disciples are, together, the true and only bride of Christ (Ephesians 5:21-33).

As you celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus again this year, I invite you to join me in celebrating the wonder of it all. Our Lord chose to become one with His precious bride. We are His and because of this birth, we shall always be so. So I wish for you and your family a joyous celebration of Emmanuel, God with us. Hallelujah. Do have a most merry Christmas.