To: Biblical Hebrew <b-hebrew AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
Subject: Re: Alma, Parthenos, Virgin
Date: Fri, 29 Oct 1999 13:16:02 -0700
jim west wrote:
>
> At 12:07 PM 10/29/99 -0500, you wrote:
>
> >>it is, thus, not a "reporting of an actual event" but the adaptation of a
> >roman myth which was applied to christianity's own "great man"- jesus.
> >
> >Possibly, but *virgin births* for semidivines are known throughout the
> >ANE, e.g Sargon.
>
> absolutely. but then one has to wonder which milieu was closer to the early
> christian movement- roman society or assyrian. which seems to be nearer
> chronologically? which is the more likely source of belief?
Paul doesn't know about it and he died in the mid to late
60's. Matthew and Luke have different variants. This seems
to place the development of the virgin birth sometime between
70 and 90 CE in Antioch or Ephesus. 4G, supposedly of Ephesian
origin, has no virgin birth...so did Matthew get it from Luke
or Luke from Matthew? Is it possible this was just a Matthean
aggaddic midrash gone wild amongst the goyim?