Like a Virgin?

I love a great analogy or metaphor. "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse." Did people really eat horses? "I had to pee like a racehorse." Again with the horse--do horses have to pee badly before races? Lord knows I always have to before, during and after a 5 or 10k. "It's colder than a witch's tit." Umm. What? I googled it and discovered that supposedly witches would suckle their familiars, and sometimes the Devil himself, from this "unholy" body part. To find these marks, as well as insensitive spots on the skin called devil's marks--caused by the Devil's claws or teeth--the suspects were stripped, shaven, then closely examined for any blemishes, moles, or even scars that could be labeled as diabolical. To find marks invisible to the eye, the examiner would poke the victim inch by inch with a blunt needle (called a bodkin) until they found a spot that didn't feel pain or bled. Discovery of these marks or spots would be considered "cold" and the coldness indicated communion with the Devil. Thus, a cold breast was proof positive that the person was dealing with Satanic forces and was sent to the gallows. (Bruce Kahl) I'm willing to bet this is new information for you as it certainly was for me. I just thought it was a funny way to describe the weather--how was I supposed to know the phrase had diabolical roots and somehow survived the test of time so that middle school boys could turn heads on the playground?

When it comes to Jesus, the focal point of Christianity, there are no shortages of analogies and metaphors that have turned heads. Light and dark, water, bread, wine, seeds, birds, sheep, etc--all common and ordinary things that people would have instantly recognized and applied to their lives without thinking. The Greek authors telling us the story of Jesus were brilliant writers and storytellers, gifted at creative expression, theology and visual imagery. Perhaps so was Jesus in his hey day, although it's difficult to know for certain what he actually said and did. No matter the source, the words contained in this ancient literary masterpiece have stood the test of time and transformed lives for thousands of years. That's truly incredible when you stop and think about it. Could any of us come to a consensus on anything written in the last one hundred years that will endure for another millennia or two?

I don't know where you stand on Christianity and its beliefs and doctrine, but I continue to encounter moments of resistance. For almost the entirety of my life I've never questioned or doubted the legitimacy of the religious claims of Christianity. In fact, the words "born of a virgin" just rolled effortlessly off my lips, a statement of faith in a God that is capable of the impossible. And then, seemingly out of nowhere, my brain stopped signing off on that belief and I found myself working tirelessly to override the system. Without warning I could accept that Jesus was literally born of a virgin about as much as I could accept Madonna struggled to perform "Like a Virgin" for fear of sounding hypocritical. It all seemed so utterly preposterous. I found myself becoming so uncomfortable that I considered never reciting the Apostles' Creed ever again. And then I discovered the power of myth and everything changed.

Images of virgin birth abound in the popular tales as well as in myth...tales of virgin birth typically signal the typical life of the hero: virgin birth, quest for the father, ordeal, atonement with the father, the assumption and coronation of the virgin mother, and finally, the heavenly triumph of the true sons while the pretenders are heated hot. 

The virgin birth comes into Christianity by way of the Greek tradition. And in the Greek tradition there were images, legends and myths about virgin births: Leda and the swan, Persephone and the serpent, and this one and that one and the other one. The virgin birth is represented throughout...What is symbolically referred to is not Jesus' physical birth but his spiritual significance...That's what the virgin birth represents. Heroes and demigods are born that way as being motivated by compassion and not mastery, sexuality, or self-preservation. (Joseph Campbell)

Is it possible that Jesus was conceived naturally (Sperm + Egg) but the memory of his conception and birth narrative were embellished after his death? Is it possible Jesus wasn't a perfect human but merely thought of in that way because of the tremendous impact his life and ministry produced? I no longer can state that Jesus was "born of a virgin" in the sense that I used to, but I can still say these words because I believe in the power of myth and metaphor--that Jesus' life was spiritually significant and special--not perfect--but incredibly meaningful all the same. I've heard and read of countless explorers and missionaries sent to far-away lands and peoples and being surprised to discover that "the story (of a virgin birth) is told everywhere; and with such striking uniformity of the main contours." How baffled these foreigners would be that the message of Christ's miraculous birth preceded them only to learn that humans have been storytelling similarly all along, in every culture and time; because the truth is that important and life-changing people turned heroes, leaders and teachers tend to have a great backstory and tales of miraculous origin.

The story of Jesus doesn't last into the second millennia without being a fantastic tale told with powerful images, analogies and metaphors. The power of myth lies beneath its literal interpretations, in the ability of its universal symbols and themes to connect us with the most essential parts of ourselves in ways that logic and reason alone cannot. By this definition, religions must be based in myth if they are to have anything meaningful to say to us. (Andrew Newberg)

Was Mary really a virgin? Did Jesus really walk on water, see into the future and literally raise from the dead? I don't know but these are awesome stories that continue to communicate life-altering messages of the power of hope, grace and love in ways that connect with a culture so hungry for new life that they could eat a horse.  If standing firm on the claims of Jesus' birth, life and death have become in any way difficult for you, perhaps it is time to override the system and consider that Jesus may have been simply injected with narrative steroids to let him compete with the mythological heroes of Greeks and Romans to compel readers to life-changing decisions to follow Jesus. (Dennis MacDonald)

Merry Christmas (or is it Christmyth?) Thanks for reading! If you haven't already, make sure you check out my podcast God Fodder for more fun and fresh food for thought for the godly and ungodly alike. If you liked this post, you might also like our episodes "Mythological Fodder" or "Questionable Fodder" found here or available for download on iTunes and Spotify.

Horse Photo by Kailen Gingell on Unsplash
Nativity Photo by Batang Latagaw on Unsplash
Virgin Mary Photo by Grant Whitty on Unsplash
Colosseum Photo by Patrick Schneider on Unsplash