JANE SCHABERG, RAYMOND E. BROWN, AND THE PROBLEM OF THE ILLEGITIMACY OF JESUS

Abstract

Jane Schaberg's Illegitimacy of Jesus was published in 1987, fifteen years after Raymond E. Brown's The Problem of Virginal Conception of Jesus.' Brown's essay was his inaugural professorial lecture at Union Theolog ical Seminary in New York, where Schaberg later did her graduate studies. Brown used his lecture to issue a challenge; Schaberg responded with a chal lenging proposal. According to Brown, of virginal conception is its historic ity. Matthew (1:18-25) and Luke (1:26-38) definitely assert it, he said, but they do so only in their infancy narratives and with obviously high theological in tent. question is, where did they get idea? On one hand, there is no known evidence of exact parallel ... in material available to Chris tians from world religions, Greek mythology, or Hellenistic Judaism that might have led them to it. On other hand, indecently early birth of Jesus and nonfatherhood of Joseph, highlighted in Matthew, are supported by traces of rumor of illegitimacy in Mark 6:3 and John 8:41 and give ev idence of a need to deal with a charge that might be old as Christianity it self. Brown concluded that the totality of scientifically controllable evi dence leaves an unresolved problem and asked for an honest, ecumenical discussion of it. But he also challenged any Christians who considered vir ginal conception a theologoumenon, a bit of historicized theology, to explain how they would avoid facing very unpleasant alternative of adulterous conception by Mary during period of her betrothal to Joseph.2 According to Schaberg, that dilemma exists only for someone who thinks