October 31, 2023 – Devotions – Does the Bible Say…?

Does the Bible Say “Mary Was Born Without Sin?”

“In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” Luke 1:26-28 (NRSV)

“And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.” Luke 1:26-28 (KJV)

“In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!” Luke 1:26-28 (RSV Catholic Version)

From one sentence, “Hail, (Mary) full of grace, the Lord is with you” the Catholic Church develops the teaching that Mary was born without sin. This is what the Catholic Church calls “The Immaculate Conception”. This teaching is not about Jesus – it is the teaching that Mary had to be born without sin to bear the Christ Child – who is without sin. And that teaching comes from the first chapter of Luke. But there are only four translations I have been able to find that renders the text “Hail, full of grace.” Usually the text is translated “Greetings, favored One”.

In fact, here is the teaching of the Catholic Church rendered the “Immaculate Conception”:

“Through the centuries the Church has become ever more aware that Mary, “full of grace” through God, was redeemed from the moment of her conception. That is what the dogma of the Immaculate Conception confesses, as Pope Pius IX proclaimed in 1854: The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin…” (CCC, 491)

The Catholic Church understands Mary as the new Eve; thus both are born in a state of sinlessness. It is a teaching of the Catholic Church in the tradition of the Talmud and the Midrash – sometimes the church seeks to read between the lines when the Bible does not state something outright. Is it right? Is it wrong? We can leave that judgment up to G-d.

Pastor Dave

October 30, 2023 – Devotions – Does the Bible Say…?

Does the Bible Say “Adam and Eve Ate an Apple?”

“Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God say, ‘You shall not eat from any tree in the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.’” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not die; for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.” Genesis 3:1-7

When considering the story of Adam and Eve, we must admit there has been an assumption that the fruit that came from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was an apple. Since I was in confirmation classes, it has been an apple. Since I have been out of college, it has been an apple. Since I have been married, it has been an apple. But when we read carefully, we see that the Bible does not say it was an apple. In fact, there are really good theories that it most likely was not an apple. Here is one I read in a text: “For example, the Latin word for evil is “malum” and the Latin word for apple is “malus”. There is a good chance that medieval monks were playing a word-game between these words, suggesting the apple (malus) brought evil (malum) into the world.” (Tracking Down the Forbidden Fruit, May 19, 2007, Paul Edwards)

But if it is not an apple, then what? Perhaps they were grapes – which of course give us wine. That might make some sense. Why wasn’t the fig tree the obvious choice, since it was the leaves of the fig tree they used to make coverings for their bodies? Some have suggested the Etrog (citron). Etrog trees are small and shrubby. The new growth and flowers are flushed with purple. The leaves are oblong but slightly pointed. The fruit looks somewhat like an oblong lemon, but with a shape that approximates the flame of a candle. It is very fragrant, with a distinctive aroma of violets. Seeds are numerous. The pulp is pale yellow and acidic, but not very juicy. But why the Etrog? Here is one explanation:

“Etrog is related to the Aramaic word for “desire.” Thus, in the verse “G d caused to spring up from the soil every type of tree, desirable to look at and good to eat…,” the Targum translates the word “desirable” as dimeragag, which shares a root with the word etrog. This is the source for the custom that some pregnant women have, to bite off the tip of an etrog on the last day of Sukkotas a remedy to ease the pains of labor.” (Was the Forbidden Fruit Really an Apple? On the Identity of the Tree of Knowledge, Yehuda Shurpin)

No matter what it was, it was good to eat – and Eve wanted to share it with Adam. In my mind, it doesn’t matter what the fruit was. The result was the introduction of sin for which all of humanity suffers.

Pastor Dave