3/7/2017 TheCatholicChurch'sResponsetoOurCritiqueofChristianCredibilityLawrenceKelemen,PermissionToReceive

TheCatholicChurch'sResponse
toOurCritiqueofChristianCredibility

BecauseChristianityoffersthesecondmostcredibleclaimofanyworldreligion,we
optedtoprovideitsmosttraditionalbranchtheCatholicChurchwithanopportunity
torespondtosomeofourcriticalobservations.InearlyDecember,1995,weforwarded
thefollowingthreequestionstoPopeJohnPaulII:

(1)TheGospelsteachthatJesusappearedtothedisciplesafterhis
resurrection.Weareunclear,however,whetherthoseappearancestook
placeinJerusalemorintheGalilee(oratbothlocales).Accordingtoour
reading,theGalileanaccountsseemtoruleoutpriorJerusalem
appearances.WheredidJesusactuallyappear?Ifheappearedin
Jerusalem,howshouldwereadtheGalileanaccounts?

(2)WefindthegenealogyofJesusprovidedbytheGospelsconfusing.
WhowasJesuspaternalgrandfather?(WenoticethatMatthewsaysthat
hisgrandfatherwasJacob,butLukesaysitwasHeli).Also,wenoticethat
MatthewdeclaresthatJesuswasseparatedfromKingDavidbyonly
twentyeightgenerations,butLukeslistshowsafortythreegeneration
separation.Whatdoesthiscontradictionmean?

(3)ThegenealogicallinelinkingJesusandKingDavidseemstopass
throughJesusfather.ButsinceJesuswastheproductofavirgin
conception,thenhedoesnotshareinhisfathersDavidicancestry.Howis
JesusadescendentofDavid?

InaletterfromtheVaticandated19December1995,thePope'sAssessor,
MonsignorL.Sandri,respondedinthePope'sname.MonsignorSandrideclinedto
answerourquestions,butinformedusthatthemembersoftheFrenchDominican
Fathers'EcoleBibliqueinJerusalemwouldprobablyprovidesatisfactoryexplanations.

Throughfacsimilecommunications,weforwardedourquestionstotheEcole
Biblique.Inafacsimiletransmissiondated11January1996,MarcelSigrist,the
institute'sdirector,alsodeclinedtoanswerourquestions,butsuggestedthatanswers
couldbefoundintheworldofRaymondE.Brown,awellknownCatholictheologian
currentlyonthestaffofSaintPatrickSeminaryinMenloPark,California.

Againthroughfacsimilecommunications,weforwardedourquestionstoDr.Brown.
Inaletterdated22January1996,Dr.Brownreferredustowritingsofhisheldbythe
libraryoftheEcoleBibliqueinJerusalem.

(ThecorrespondencesfromPopeJohnPaulII,MarcelSigrist,andRaymondBrown
arereprintedatthisappendix'sconclusion.)

On2February1996wevisitedtheEcoleBibliqueandexaminedDr.Brown's
writings.AsDr.Brownsuggested,hiswritingsdidaddressourquestions.Herewewill
summarizetheanswerswefoundthere.

I.PostResurrectionalAppearances:GalileeorJerusalem?
InanessaycarryingtheNihilObstatandImprimatur(officialdeclarationsbythe
CatholicChurchthatabookis"freeofdoctrinalormoralerror"),Brownadmitsthatthe
apparentcontradictioninrecordsofthepostresurrectionalappearancesisreal."Itis
quiteobvious,"Brownwrites,"thattheGospelsdonotagreeastowhereandtowhom
Jesusappearedafterhisresurrection."[1]"JustastheJerusalemtraditionleaveslittle
ornoroomforsubsequentGalileanappearances,"explainsBrown,"theGalilean
narrativesseemtoruleoutanypriorappearancesofJesustotheTwelveinJerusalem."
[2]Citingimmensetextualevidence,Brownthendeclareshisdisapprovalofthe
simplessolutiontothecontradiction:"WemustrejectthethesisthattheGospelscan
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beharmonizedthrougharearrangementwherebyJesusappearsseveraltimestothe
Twelve,firstinJerusalem,theninGalilee."[3]Rather,concludestheChurch
spokesman,"Variationsinplaceandtimemaysteminpartfromtheevangelists
themselveswhoaretryingtofittheaccountofanappearanceintoaconsecutive
narrative."[4]Brownmakesclearthatthepostresurrectionappearanceaccountsare
creative,substantiallynonhistoricalattemptstoreconstructeventsneverwitnessedby
theirrespectiveauthors.

II.GenealogicalContradictions
Inthesameessay,Brownobservesthat"thelistsofJesus'ancestorsthatthey[the
Gospels]giveareverydifferent,andneitheroneisplausible."[5]Browntakesthe
surprisingpositionthat"becausetheearlyChristiansconfessedJesusasMessiah,for
which'SonofDavid'wasanalternativetitle,theyhistoricizedtheirfaithbycreatingfor
himDavidicgenealogiesandbyclaimingthatJosephwasaDavidide."[6]Inanother
essay,alsocarryingtheChurch'sNihilObstatandImprimatur,Brownexpandsuponthis
proposition:

Increasingly,thepurporteddescentfromDavidisexplainedasa
theologoumenon,i.e.,asthehistoricizingofwhatwasoriginallya
theologicalstatement.IfImanygiveasimplifiedexplanation,theprocess
ofhistoricizingDavidicsonshipisthoughtohavegonesomewhatinthe
followingway:theChristiancommunitybelievedthatJesushadfulfilled
Israel'shopesprominentamongthosehopeswastheexpectationofa
Messiah,andsothetraditionaltitle"Messiah"wasgiventoJesusbutin
JewishthoughttheMessiahwaspicturesashavingDavidicdescent
consequentlyJesuswasdescribedas"sonofDavid"andeventuallya
Davidicgenealogywasfashionedforhim.[7]

BrownexplainsthatMatthewprobablycreatedfictionalgenealogicallinksbackto
AbrahamandDavidalso"toappealtothemixedconstituencyofhis[Matthew's]
communityofJewishandGentileChristians."[8]AsevidencethatJesuswasreallynot
adescendentofDavidatall,Brownpointsoutthat:

Thereisnottheslightestindicationintheaccountsoftheministryof
Jesusthathisfamilywasofancestralnobilityorroyalty.IfJesuswerea
dauphin,therewouldhavebeennoneofthewondermentabouthis
pretensions.HeappearsintheGospelsasamanofunimpressive
backgroundfromanunimportantvillage.[9]

Browngoesevenfurther,callingintoquestionthereliabilityoflargesectionsofthe
NewTestament.Heencourageshisreaderstofacethepossibilitythatportionsof
MatthewandLuke"mayrepresentnonhistoricaldramatizations:"[10]

Indeed,closeanalysisoftheinfancynarrativesmakesitunlikelythat
eitheraccountiscompletelyhistorical.Matthew'saccountcontainsa
numberofextraordinaryormiraculouspubliceventsthat,werethey
factual,shouldhaveleftsometracesinJewishrecordsorelsewhereinthe
NewTestament(thekingandallJerusalemupsetoverthebirthofthe
MessiahinBethlehemastarwhichmovedfromJerusalemsouthto
Bethlehemandcametorestoverahousethemassacreofallthemale
childreninBethlehem).Luke'sreferencetoageneralcensusofthe
EmpireunderAugustuswhichaffectedPalestinebeforethedeathofHerod
theGreatisalmostcertainlywrong,asishisunderstandingoftheJewish
customsofthepresentationofthechildandthepurificationofthemother
in2:2224.Someoftheseevents,whicharequiteimplausibleashistory,
havenowbeenunderstoodasrewritingsofOldTestamentscenesor
themes.[11]

Brown'smostextremestatementinthisregard,appearinginthesameessay,
suggeststhatthePopehimselfmightrejectthehistoricityoftheresurrectionaltogether:

Itwasthisinteraction[oftheeschatologicalandthehistorical]thatPope
Paulpointedtointhesameaddresswhenhespokeoftheresurrectionas
"theuniqueandsensationaleventonwhichthewholeofhumanhistory
turns."Thisisnotthesame,however,assayingthattheresurrection
itselfwasahistoricalevent,eventhougheditorialwritersquotedthe
Pope'sspeechtothateffect.[12]

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Itiscrucialtoremember(a)thatthesewordsappearinanessaycarryingtheChurch's
approbation(b)thattheywerewrittenbyascholarwhoseworkswereendorsedbythe
EcoleBibliqueand(c)thatEcoleBibliqueistheinstitutionthatwewerereferredtoby
Vaticanauthorities.

III.TheVirginalConception

Browncautionsthat"weshouldnotunderestimatetheadversepedagogicalimpact
ontheunderstandingofdivinesonshipifthevirginalconceptionisdenied."[13]Onthe
otherhand,admitsBrown,"Thevirginalconceptionunderitscreedaltitleof'virginbirth'
isnotprimarilyabiologicalstatement."[14]HestressesthatChristianwritingsabout
virginalconceptionintendtorevealspiritualinsightsratherthatphysicalfacts.Because
recordofthevirginalconceptionappearsonlyintowGospels,andthereonlyinthe
infancynarratives(whichBrownsuspectsarelargelyfictional),theCatholictheologian
tactfullyconcludesthat"biblicalevidenceleavesthequestionofthehistoricityofthe
virginalconceptionunresolved."[15]

Brownmentionsthepossibilitythat"earlyChristians"mighthaveimporteda
mythologyaboutvirginalconceptionfrom"paganor[other]worldreligions,"[16]butnever
intendedthatthatmythologybetakenliterally."Virginalconceptionwasawellknown
religioussymbolfordivineorigins,"explainsBrown,citingsuchstoriesinBuddhist,
Hindu,Zoroastrian,GrecoRomanandancientEgyptiantheologies.[17]Heproposes
thatearlyChristians"usedanimageryofvirginalconceptionwhosesymbolicorigins
wereforgottenasitwasdisseminatedamongvariousChristiancommunitiesand
recordedbyevangelists."[18]

Alternatively,BrownalsoconsidersthepossibilitythatChristianity'sfounders
intendedtocreatetheimpressionthatanactualvirginalconceptiontookplace.Early
Christiansneededjustsuchamyth,Brownnotes,sinceMarywaswidelyknowntohave
deliveredJesustooearly:"Unfortunately,thehistoricalalternativetothevirginal
conceptionhasnotbeenaconceptioninwedlockithasbeenillegitimacy."[19]Brown
writesthat:

SomesophisticatedChristianscouldlivewiththealternativeof
illegitimacytheywouldseethisastheultimatestageinJesus'emptying
himselfandtakingontheformofaservant,andwouldinsist,quiterightly,
thatanirregularbegettinginvolvesnosinbyJesushimself.But
illegitimacywoulddestroytheimagesofsanctityandpuritywithwhich
MatthewandLukesurroundJesus'originsandwouldnegatethetheology
thatJesuscamefromthepiousAnawimofIsrael.Formanyless
sophisticatedbelievers,illegitimacywouldbeanoffensethatwould
challengetheplausibilityoftheChristianmystery.[20]

Insummary,BrownleanstowardsalessmiraculousexplanationofJesus'earlybirth.

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[1]RaymondE.Brown,TheVirginalConceptionandBodilyResurrectionofJesus,New
York:PaulistPress,1973,p.99.

[2]Ibid.,p.105.
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[3]Ibid.,p.106.

[4]Ibid.

[5]Ibid.,p.54

[6]Ibid.,p.55.

[7]RaymondE.Brown,TheBirthoftheMessiah:AcommentaryontheInfancy
NarrativesinMatthewandLuke,GardenCity,NewYork:1977,p.505.

[8]Ibid.,p.68

[9]Ibid.,p.88

[10]Ibid.,p.34

[11]Ibid.,p.36

[12]Ibid.,p.126

[13]Ibid.,p.529

[14]Ibid.

[15]Ibid.,p.527

[16]Ibid.,p.522

[17]Ibid.

[18]TheVirginalConceptionandBodilyResurrectionofJesus,p.61.

[19]TheBirthoftheMessiah,p.530.

[20]Ibid.

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