On the other hand, Micah 5:2-3 also gives a prophecy of the mother of the Messiah. “Before she is in labor, she gives birth /Before her pangs come upon her, she delivers a male child.” In this prophecy a woman gives birth without pain, signifying that the sin of Adam and Eve has been undone.

First, Jesus referred back to the Jewish idea of the “painless birth of the Messiah” found in Isaiah 66:7. Why would Jesus use such a metaphor, Pitre asks? Yes, it is an example of “extreme pain and extreme joy”, but there is much more. So you also are now in anguish.īut I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one Longer remembers the pain because of her joy that a child

Has arrived but when she has given birth to a child, she no When a woman is in labor, she is in anguish because her hour Jesus compares his passion, death, and resurrection to a “woman’s hour” of childbirth: Pitre highlights is found in John 16:21-22. Well-known examples of a metaphor are Mary represented as the new Eve, and Jesus represented as the new Adam. Before doing so, however, it is helpful to touch on the difference between a metaphor (in this case, probably more an extended metaphor) and parallelism. Pitre could pack so much information, so clearly, into 198 pages! Many fascinating metaphors and parallels are covered in Jesus and the Jewish Roots of Mary, but I will focus on only a few. For example, why is the pain of labor a metaphor for Jesus’ passion and death? And finally, why is Mary called the Queen of Heaven and considered an intercessor? How is she the new Rachel? If you want a charitable response when somebody claims that Catholics idolize Mary, then this book will prepare you. He clearly explains the metaphors and parallels about Mary that Jews from the first century would have known. Pitre sets out to change this because to examine ancient Jewish texts and traditions is to see evidence about why we honor Mary. However, when it comes to Mary, the same rule does not seem to apply.” Dr. Scholars today agree that Jesus can be fully understood only from within the Judaism of his day. Brant Pitre’s book, Jesus and the Jewish Roots of Mary, I say, no! In the introduction, he writes, “You simply cannot understand Mary without looking at her in her first-century Jewish context. Was I prioritizing her over God? Is the Protestant faith accurate in its claims that honoring Mary has no Biblical grounds? Would an independent Bible reading give me the knowledge I need to answer these questions? After reading Dr. There have been times when I questioned Catholic reverence to Mary.

Brant pitre jewish roots of mary