Part I
Chapter 3 begins with Norm’s preparation to travel to Bethlehem. Before his journey he decided it was important to review and evaluate the differences between Matthew and Luke’s version of Jesus’s birth and where Mary’s virginity fits into all of this. After an email exchange with his professor, Norm begins to piece together all of the parallels between the gospels of Matthew and Luke’s and the Old Testament and begins to wonder whether ideas were taken from other sources to create their Gospels. Norm also questions whether or not Mary truly was a virgin.
Part II
I found this chapter to be the most controversial and interesting yet. Just with the birth alone, Norm brought up many ideas I had never thought of questioning. Norm begins by questioning the reliability of Jesus’s birth story and whether or not he was illegitimate. Once Norm had gathered all of his thoughts he sent an email to his professor to help him figure out where to start. In Guilder’s response to Norm’s email, I found it interesting that the earliest sources (Paul and Mark) said nothing about Jesus’s birth and the idea that Mary was a virgin. Knowing that the two earliest sources didn’t mention something so foundational to Christianity is a little troubling. Throughout the rest of the chapter Norm struggles to figure out whether or not Mary was a virgin or if this may have been added to cover up a rape or sex out side of marriage. This idea too is very disturbing to Norm and myself. Questioning the Holy Spirit and that Jesus’s birth was a miracle born from the virgin Mary means questioning the foundation of Christianity and therefore means questioning Christianity all together.
Chapter 3 begins with Norm’s preparation to travel to Bethlehem. Before his journey he decided it was important to review and evaluate the differences between Matthew and Luke’s version of Jesus’s birth and where Mary’s virginity fits into all of this. After an email exchange with his professor, Norm begins to piece together all of the parallels between the gospels of Matthew and Luke’s and the Old Testament and begins to wonder whether ideas were taken from other sources to create their Gospels. Norm also questions whether or not Mary truly was a virgin.
Part II
I found this chapter to be the most controversial and interesting yet. Just with the birth alone, Norm brought up many ideas I had never thought of questioning. Norm begins by questioning the reliability of Jesus’s birth story and whether or not he was illegitimate. Once Norm had gathered all of his thoughts he sent an email to his professor to help him figure out where to start. In Guilder’s response to Norm’s email, I found it interesting that the earliest sources (Paul and Mark) said nothing about Jesus’s birth and the idea that Mary was a virgin. Knowing that the two earliest sources didn’t mention something so foundational to Christianity is a little troubling. Throughout the rest of the chapter Norm struggles to figure out whether or not Mary was a virgin or if this may have been added to cover up a rape or sex out side of marriage. This idea too is very disturbing to Norm and myself. Questioning the Holy Spirit and that Jesus’s birth was a miracle born from the virgin Mary means questioning the foundation of Christianity and therefore means questioning Christianity all together.
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