16 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
For a clearer understanding of Christian faith., April 11, 2007
This review is from: The Virginal Conception and Bodily Resurrection of Jesus (Paperback)
Whatever the reader's convictions this book is an opportunity to reflect on two very sensitive topics for Christian faith. The author tackles them carefully and yet constructively. The book was authorized by those who are in charge of maintaining Roman Catholic tradition and yet it opens interesting perspectives to the reader who is not necessarily always satisfied with ready-made and non-negotiable formulations of what one should believe.
As usual, two well known questions are raised here about the Scriptures. There is what they say and there is what some people try to make them say in order to justify their point more forcefully.
There is also the nature of the language of the Scriptures : is it literal or symbolic, or a mixture of both ?
Regarding, the virginal conception:
At the beginning there is a problem of translation. In this case a « young woman » in Hebrew was changed into a « virgin » in Greek. In itself, this could be enough to drop the matter altogether, but one should not go too fast. It is indeed interesting to consider that this error may have been inspired in order to reveal a fundamental message. This message is linked to the fact that if Man needs to be saved, it seems obvious that, for that purpose, he will need the help of someone greater than him, namely the help of God ; whether God acts directly or through a Saviour.
And what the text actually means when it says that the Saviour was conceived in the womb of a « virgin » is clearly that man is not at the origin of his own salvation, because the Saviour was not born from the action of a man. This is a simple and elegant message in symbolic language, but it is also highly significant.
The real difficulty arises when one continues to speak of virginity after the birth of Jesus. Such a statement lacks any reference in the gospels, has no useful implications and tends to have a reverse effect on the credibility of the virginal conception, especially if one is not allowed to separate the two notions of virginity before and after the birth of Jesus.
Regarding, the bodily resurrection of Jesus:
Here, we are faced with two contradictory and yet simultaneous messages conveyed by the litteral/symbolic language of the gospels.
The first is that the person who appeared for a certain period of time to a certain number of people is actually Jesus of Nazareth who had been previously crucified. He himself tries to convey this genuinely crucial message, by showing, for example, the scars of his wounds.
The second is that this risen Christ is significantly different from the crucified Jesus. He appears and disappears at will, he is not affected by the presence of walls, nor conditioned by space or time. His closest friends or disciples do not recognize him when he joins them. And when eventually they recognize him, it is no longer as Jesus, but as the Lord.
Definitely, something has changed in him, and Raymond E brown tells us that there are two options which are of importance to each one of us inasmuch as we are, at a certain point in time, going to follow Jesus through this same mysterious resurrection process. The first option is that our body will be completely destroyed and that something altogether new will appear within the framework of a new creation. The second option is that of a transformation. And the virtue of this second option is that our body being part of the person that will live forever after being transformed, retains a genuine value that it would not deserve if it were intended to be permanently discarded.
Raymond E Brown tells us that this second option is the one suggested in the Scriptures by the fact that Jesus did not abandon his body to corruption, but rose bodily from the dead. And as we are going to do the same when our time comes, this has a major impact on the way we should respect and treat our own body.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Virginal Conception and Bodily Resurrection - critique, February 16, 2011
This review is from: The Virginal Conception and Bodily Resurrection of Jesus (Paperback)
This book differs from the majority of Ray Brown's work in that it is far more brief than most of the other books he has authored. Unlike "The Birth of the Messiah" and "The Death of the Messiah" or his "Introduction to the New Testament," "The Virginal Conception and Bodily Resurrection" is only 130 pages and can be read in a reasonable period of time. The body of the work is concise; he has limited this work to two topics, but his expertise and thoroughness in outlining these two volatile topics is nothing short of his usual exhaustive research. Not only does he speak of his own stance on these issues, he thoroughly scours the current and past academic community, and their accompanying ideas, critiquing each for helpful input or erroneous conclusions.
As usual, Ray Brown clearly knows where the Catholic line in the sand has been drawn and although he doesn't step past it, he recognizes far more than most traditional Catholics would dare consider, given the high visibility of these two issues. And his brilliance allows him to see that both conservatives and liberals can and will take him to task for the conclusions he draws. Other current theologians, both Protestant and Catholic, believe there is ample evidence out there that points toward a modern understanding of the issues, (and that this evidence ought to engender some change in official church teaching) but Brown, who clearly knows all the evidence, won't quite go there. In other words, Brown allows for the fact that "it could have happened another way" and because it is the mandate of the theologian to "inform" the magesterium to the best of his/her ability utilizing the resources (and sources) as best they can, Brown will not presume to encroach upon the official teaching body of the Church and the Spiritual tradition that accompanies it.
This is a good book for anyone who wants a shortened version of the scholarly debate that stretches back as far as the early second century. It's easy to see why Ray Brown is revered as one of the most influential 20th century theologians.
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2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Classic Raymond E Brown, May 10, 2009
This review is from: The Virginal Conception and Bodily Resurrection of Jesus (Paperback)
This is a classic monograph by one of the premier exegetes of the twentieth century. He applies the historical critical method to the virginal conception (sometimes inaccurately called the virgin birth) and to the bodily resurrection. Brown gives a nuanced, carefully reasoned analysis that will challenge many. If you come away pondering the truths behind these stories, Brown has succeeded.
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