Born of a Virgin?: Reconceiving Jesus In The Bible, Tradition And Theology

by Andrew Lincoln

The earliest Gospel, Mark, also shows no sign of knowledge of this tradition. This is not simply an argument from silence, since, in the case of Mark, in the ‘sandwich structure’ of 3.20–35 and in 6.1–6a the evangelist is quite clear about the attitude of Jesus’ mother and brothers towards Jesus; it is one of alienation and unbelief.4 In 6.4 Mark has the saying of Jesus that ‘Prophets are not without honour, except in their home town, and among their own kin, and in their own house.’ This makes it highly improbable that Mark was aware of a tradition that Jesus’ birth was an extraordinary occurrence about which his parents had received some special revelation. What is more, given the tendency in the early Christian movement to honour Jesus’ family,5 it appears highly unlikely that Mark would have presented this negative portrait unless it had been rooted in the tradition.