Rejecting a Tradition

Standing Up

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In the closed "elusive traditions" thread, I tried unsuccessfully to move the conversation to the extant idea some 1900 years ago that Jesus was "born" through Mary (generally speaking this idea was circulated by Marcion, Valentinus, and others), but was not of Mary (Tertullian, Cyril of Jerusalem, Clement of Alexandria, and others supported the normal birth idea with all its ramifications). In this thread, therefore, I want to explore that mary-as-channel idea.

First, what would a "birth" through Mary, but not of Mary, even look like, how would it be described? People back then knew of the idea, do we have information, a description, about it also? Of course we do.

Protoevangelium of James (Infancy Gospel)
... a great light shone in the cave, so that the eyes could not bear it. And in a little that light gradually decreased, until the infant appeared, and went and took the breast from His mother Mary. And the midwife cried out, and said: This is a great day to me, because I have seen this strange sight. And the midwife went forth out of the cave, and Salome met her. And she said to her: Salome, Salome, I have a strange sight to relate to thee: a virgin has brought forth -- a thing which her nature admits not of. Then said Salome: As the Lord my God liveth, unless I thrust in my finger, and search the parts, I will not believe that a virgin has brought forth. ...
Infancy Gospel of James, or Protevangelium (Roberts-Donaldson translation)

So, here's this experienced midwife who probably had witnessed more than a few normal births over the years. Why, in this case, did the midwife think a virgin had brought forth? What did not accompany this birth, the nature (being pregnant) admit not of? What was missing?

That's the answer to the question, what would a "birth" through a virgin look like? It's not a birth of Mary, but a birth through her.

There's a receding bright light and a young child (some translate it infant) suddenly appearing. The midwife would see the baby, but not see any of the tokens of humanity (water and blood and umbilical cord and placenta). A virgin brought forth (somehow) without anything that accompanies a normal human birth. Thus, the virgin birth through her, but not of her, leaves her still a virgin.

That is the description of mary-as-channel, of the "birth" through Mary, but not of Mary.