The Annunciation

THE LIFE OF JESUS, PART TWO

Dynastic Wedlock

According to Hebrews 7:14, Jesus was of the tribe of Judah. It is evident, therefore, that he was of the same family line as King David. The scriptures also say that Jesus was a "Nazarene," but this does not mean that he came from the town of Nazareth. Although Luke 2:39 implies that Joseph's family came from Nazareth, the term "Nazarene" (or "Nazarite") was strictly sectarian, and had nothing whatever to do with the town.

(Author's Note: I agree with Sir Gardner here. Please refer to the Old Testament for the story of Samson in Judges 13: "Now there was a certain man from Zorah, of the family of the Danites (the tribe of Dan which figured prominently in esoteric circles as will later be discussed), whose name was Manoah, and his wife was barren and had no children. And the Angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, 'Indeed now, you are barren and have borne no children, but you shall conceive and bear a son. Now therefore, please be careful not to drink wine or similar drink, and not to eat anything unclean. For behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. And no razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a NAZARITE to God from the womb, and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines." This is according to the role of all Messiahs, the Royal Blood starting with Adam, that of Savior, and will be covered in later chapters in more detail.)

In Acts 24:5, Paul is brought on a charge of religious sedition before the Governor of Caesarea: "For we have found this man a pestilent fellow, and a mover of sedition among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of a sect of the Nazarenes." The modern Arabic for "Christians" is "Nasrani," and the Islamic Koran refers to Christians as "Nasara" or "Nazara." These variants ultimately derive from the Hebrew "Nozrim," a plural noun stemming frm the term "Nazrie-ha-Brit" (Keepers of the Covenant), a designation of the Essene Community at Qumran on the Dead Sea.

(Author's Note: As we will explore later, the Essenes received the New Covenant while they lived in Damascus during the Intertestamental Period, a time between the Old and New Testaments during which the Church claims God kept silent. The New Covenant gave rise to the Dead Sea Scrolls which gave rise to the teachings of Jesus and the subsequent "Gospels" of New Testament. Now consider why Paul met Jesus along the Damascus Road on the way to a large religious meeting. It was probably still the Essenes' capital.)

It is actually a point of contention whether the town of Nazareth existed at all during Jesus's lifetime, for it does not appear on contemporary maps, nor in any books, documents, chronicles or military records of the period, neither of Roman nor of local compilation. Even St. Paul, who relates many of Jesus' activities in his letters, makes no allusion to Nazareth. This being the case, every reference to "Nazareth" in English translations of the Gospels must be regarded as incorrect, stemming from a misunderstanding of the word "Nazarene." As far as has been ascertained, the settlement of Nazareth (which does not feature in the Hebrew Talmud) was of no significance before the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in AD70.

John the Baptist and Jesus's brother James were both Nazarites, but the sectarian term can be traced back to the Old Testament figures of Samson and Samuel (see Author's Note above). Nazarites were ascetic individuals bound by strict vows through predetermined periods, as related to Moses (Numbers 6:2-21). In the Gospel era, Nazarites were associated with the Essene Community of Qumran, the environment of Joseph and Mary.

The Community observed some highly regulated disciplines in relation to dynastic betrothal and matrimony -- so we should refer the question of Mary's said virginity to this very specific context.

Both Matthew 1:18 and Luke 2:5 state that Mary was "espoused" to Jopseh, and she is thereafter referred to as his "wife." As determined in this regard, the word "espoused" does not mean betrothed or engaged -- it refers to "contractual wedlock." But in what circumstances would a married woman also be "virginal"? To answer this question, we must refer to the original Hebrew word "almah," the word that has generally, but incorrectly, been translated as "virgin" (virgo), and incorrectly thought to mean "virgo intacta."

As we have seen, the real meaning of "almah" was "young woman" (and it had no sexual connotation). It was quite feasible, therefore, for Mary to be both an "almah" and Joseph's wife. Let us look again at how Matthew describes what followed. When Joseph learned of Mary's pregnancy, he had to decide whether or not to hide her away. It is of course perfectly normal for a wife to become pregnant, but this was not the case for Mary.