T
TimothyH
Guest
Why don’t we see more of Mary in the Bible? If Mary is so important, wouldn’t the authors have written more about her?
To put it bluntly, we don’t see Mary in scripture because we don’t know how to look for her.
Take for example John’s Gospel. Mary is mentioned only twice and this is seen as an indication of her lack of importance. The logic used is that those who are more important have a larger role in the narrative - that the number of words written about someone is proportional to their importance. That however, is not how Hebrew storytelling works. While it is true that John’s Gosepl mentions Mary only twice - at the Wedding in Cana and at the foot of the Cross - we have to look at where she is mentioned in the story, and how, not just how many times. It is a classic case of quality over quantity. That’s how Hebrew storytelling works.
What John was doing was using a literary technique which we call “Bookending”. John places Mary at the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry and at the end. It is John’s way of telling us that Mary was there “From beginning to end” and at all times inbetween.
Hebrew storytelling works by drawing you into the story and allowing you to figure things out for yourself. Hebrew storytelling does not give you the facts, but tells you things which lead you to discern the facts for yourself. That’s how Hebrew storytelling works. We don’t get the facts. We get facts about the facts which lead us into the story and allow us to figure out the facts for ourselves.
This is an example of how Hebrew storytelling works…
*Then the man said, "This at last is bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called Woman,
because she was taken out of Man."(Genesis 2:23)
Jesus said to her, “Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come.” (John 2:4)*
Genesis says, “She shall be called woman” using the future tense. John then has Jesus calling her woman, exactly as Genesis says she shall be.
***She shall be called Woman.
Jesus said to her, “Woman”***
Genesis 2:23 is prophecy. John 2:4 is fulfilled prophecy. She shall be called woman… and she was!
That’s an example of how Hebrew storytelling works. That’s an example of how the authors of Scripture wrote. That’s an example of how the primary author of Scripture, God wrote.
It is a subtle play on words, designed to draw you into the story and to get you to ask questions about why Jesus would use such odd wording to address his mother. Jews studied Scripture for hours in the synagogue on the Sabbath. They were taught to read and write using Scripture. Jews who were immersed in scripture would have understood Jesus’ reference to Mary as “Woman” as a reference to the first woman in Genesis 2. Jews understood how Hebrew storytelling worked, and many would have seen it clearly.
These things are not pure inventions of councils nor based exclusivly on the writings of the Fathers, but rooted deeply in a study of Scripture the way it was meant to be read and the way it was intended to be understood by the people who wrote it down. They are not deductions. These teachings come straght from scripture.
The New Adam and the New Eve.
She shall be called woman… and she was.
-Tim-
To put it bluntly, we don’t see Mary in scripture because we don’t know how to look for her.
Take for example John’s Gospel. Mary is mentioned only twice and this is seen as an indication of her lack of importance. The logic used is that those who are more important have a larger role in the narrative - that the number of words written about someone is proportional to their importance. That however, is not how Hebrew storytelling works. While it is true that John’s Gosepl mentions Mary only twice - at the Wedding in Cana and at the foot of the Cross - we have to look at where she is mentioned in the story, and how, not just how many times. It is a classic case of quality over quantity. That’s how Hebrew storytelling works.
What John was doing was using a literary technique which we call “Bookending”. John places Mary at the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry and at the end. It is John’s way of telling us that Mary was there “From beginning to end” and at all times inbetween.
Hebrew storytelling works by drawing you into the story and allowing you to figure things out for yourself. Hebrew storytelling does not give you the facts, but tells you things which lead you to discern the facts for yourself. That’s how Hebrew storytelling works. We don’t get the facts. We get facts about the facts which lead us into the story and allow us to figure out the facts for ourselves.
This is an example of how Hebrew storytelling works…
*Then the man said, "This at last is bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called Woman,
because she was taken out of Man."(Genesis 2:23)
Jesus said to her, “Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come.” (John 2:4)*
Genesis says, “She shall be called woman” using the future tense. John then has Jesus calling her woman, exactly as Genesis says she shall be.
***She shall be called Woman.
Jesus said to her, “Woman”***
Genesis 2:23 is prophecy. John 2:4 is fulfilled prophecy. She shall be called woman… and she was!
That’s an example of how Hebrew storytelling works. That’s an example of how the authors of Scripture wrote. That’s an example of how the primary author of Scripture, God wrote.
It is a subtle play on words, designed to draw you into the story and to get you to ask questions about why Jesus would use such odd wording to address his mother. Jews studied Scripture for hours in the synagogue on the Sabbath. They were taught to read and write using Scripture. Jews who were immersed in scripture would have understood Jesus’ reference to Mary as “Woman” as a reference to the first woman in Genesis 2. Jews understood how Hebrew storytelling worked, and many would have seen it clearly.
These things are not pure inventions of councils nor based exclusivly on the writings of the Fathers, but rooted deeply in a study of Scripture the way it was meant to be read and the way it was intended to be understood by the people who wrote it down. They are not deductions. These teachings come straght from scripture.
The New Adam and the New Eve.
She shall be called woman… and she was.
-Tim-
I’m pretty sure the connection between John 2 and Genesis has been made in papal encyclicals in the last 150 years or so, but memory fails me which ones. There are probably ECFs who make the reference as well, since they widely called Mary the new Eve. Here’s an article by