Divine Birth and Virginity - Assignment Example

Divine Birth and Virginity: Did Mary Have a Choice? Introduction While Mary was designated the chosen one with respect to carrying and birthing Jesus, she herself had not conscious choice in the matter. Mary considered herself subservient to the will of God and as such the choice was not hers to make. Like Queen Maya who gave birth to Buddha Shakyamuni each woman were chosen by a divine being. As mere mortals, they were distinguished by characteristics that found favour with the higher power, the most controversial characteristics were their virginity. In each case, neither woman had no choice and it is also equally true that in each case neither woman would have exercised a choice if they had one if that choice was inconsistent with the divine. The Divine Birth The Christian adherence to the proposition that Jesus, the son of God was conceived of a virgin of virtuous and unique qualities is not unknown to religious beliefs. For example, Buddhists subscribe to a vastly similar theory that Buddha was conceived by Maya, also a virgin of marked uniqueness. (Woodman) Virginity which speaks of purity are not the sole determining factors in these women finding favour with divinity. It is their faith and belief in the wisdom of the divine that dictates that neither woman would question or object to the divine decision to impregnate them with the son of a higher power. Maya herself is likened to divinity in that she was: “Splendid, beautiful, and steadfast, who was called the Great Maya, from her resemblance to Maya the Goddess.” (Woodman, 35) Mary too is described as having a close connection with God even as a child, she prayed often and the angels of God often communicated with her. According to the Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew, Mary’s destiny was determined by the divine as early as age three. The Gospel documents the following: “And Mary was held in admiration by all the people of Israel; and when she was three years old, she walked with a step so mature, she spoke so perfectly, and spent her time so assiduously in the praises of God, that all were astonished at her, and wondered; and she was not reckoned a young infant, but as it were a grown-up person of thirty years old. She was so constant in prayer, and her appearance was so beautiful and glorious, that scarcely any one could look into her face.” (Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew, Chapter 6) In each case, both women are predestined for greatness or at the very least uniqueness. Maya, like Mary are both enamoured with what appears to be divine characteristics that set them apart from ordinary mortals. Mary in both her beauty and her close connection to God and Maya in her beauty and her likeness to a Goddess. In each case the inescapable conclusion is that both women were chosen by the divine for those characteristics that ensured that neither woman would deny their destinies. As such Mary did not have a choice the choice was made by a higher power, one that she did not distinguish herself from. Mary’s acceptance is evidenced by her exchange with the angel Gabriel who visited her in Nazareth. (Luke, 1:26) In his opening dialogue, the angel Gabriel confirms Mary’s destiny when he tells her: “Greetings, you who are highly favoured! The Lord is with you.” (Luke 1:28) While Mary is curious she is complacent and amenable to the divine visit and prepared to listen and obey without reservation. When the angel Gabriel explains to Mary that she had “found favour with God” (Luke 1:31) and that she would give birth to the son of God, Mary is only concerned that in her virginity it might not be possible. (Luke 1:34) The angel Gabriel then goes on to explain to Mary that: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.” (Luke 1:35) Mary’s confidence in the divine is complete and allows her to accept this explanation without more. She is resigned to the will of God and the following response unambiguously exemplifies her resignation to her destiny without the slightest fear or objection: “I am the Lord’s servant...May it be to me as you have said.” (Luke 1:38) Mary is not sapped of her free will since she is accepting this choice as fate, a destiny which can be no different from her own since for her, God is her destiny. This is what distinguishes Mary from the individual described by Marion Woodman in her book The Pregnant Virgin: A Process of Psychological Transformation. (Woodman, 1985, 29) Mary is not being coerced into changing her course by events outside of her control since she has always placed her destiny in the hands of the divine. Having reconciled herself to the fate of pregnancy Mary is also assured of the inconsequential conception by virtue of the Holy Spirit. A similar conception is attributed to Maya whose conception is described as follows: “A white king elephant seemed to enter her body, but without causing her any pain. So Maya, queen of that god-like king, bore in her womb the glory of his dynasty. But she remained free from the fatigues, depressions, and fancies which usually accompany pregnancies.” (Woodman, 35) The specific qualities that distinguish Mary as well as Maya from the ordinary woman marks them as sacred vessels for the conception and nurturing of the divine being. Likewise the human qualities and elements of these unique women make it possible for these women to bring forth divine beings in the likeness of man. Be that as it may, the idea of a pregnant virgin engaged to be married creates obvious tensions with the external world. In the external world the “virgin’s” chastity is likely to become a contentious question. This accounts for the impregnation by the Holy Spirit in Mary’s case and the supreme or supernatural impregnation of Maya. In both cases the manner and method in which these virgins were impregnated were chosen so as to reconcile the pregnancy with external values and perceptions. The use of the Holy Spirit and the supernatural force is also calculated to remove the question of choice. By conceiving without physical intervention there are hardly any reasonable grounds for objection. The humanising of the divine is also relevant for the removal of tension. The purpose of delivering the Son of God to man via a mortal was to have him live among man as one of them. Should God had appeared to the masses from the onset as a divine power he would not have had the opportunity to live as he did. As it turns out when he was eventually revealed as the Son of God he suffered crucifixion for what appeared to be an outrageous claim. Therefore by delivering Jesus to earth as an offspring of a mortal he was immediately accepted as a mortal. Conclusion While it can be argued that Mary had a choice and could have refused the pregnancy once informed of God’s plan, it is not possible for Mary to exercise that choice. It was not possible because Mary did not want to make another choice, she was content to adhere to the will of God. For Mary, she was merely a servant of God and had lived her life according to what she thought was the will of God. Her choices were always made on the basis of what she perceived to be God’s will and plans and for her God’s will was her destiny. The fact remains, in this instance God made it clear to her that conceiving and giving birth to Jesus was her destiny and with that knowledge Mary’s choice had been made for her. In other words Mary was chosen by God precisely because she was a willing servant of the Lord and was possessed of the qualities that God found favour in. Bibliography The Gospel Of Pseudo-Matthew. (n.d.) Available online at: http://209.85.215.104/search?q=cache:tnhWAcJnOfYJ:www.theworkofgod.org/Library/catholic/nativity_of_mary.htm+the+book+of+matthew+on+the+virgin+mary&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=2&gl=us Retrieved June, 26 2008 The Gospel According to Luke. Woodman, Marion. (1985) The Pregnant Virgin: A Process of Psychological Transformation. Toronto, Canada: Inner City Books. Woodman, Marion. The Legend of the Buddha Shakyamuni. Read More