Joseph is still telling his part of the story. He recounts meeting a woman coming down from the hill-country. She greets him and asks him where he is going. He replies that he is in search of a Hebrew midwife and she asks who is giving birth in the cave. He tells her that it is his betrothed, and she is shocked that it's not his wife, but Joseph tells her that 'It is Mary who was brought up in the temple of the Lord; I received her by lot as my wife, but she is not my wife, and she has conceived by the Holy Spirit.'
So she goes with him to see if it is true.
They come to the cave and a bright cloud has overshadowed it and they are unable to enter. The midwife cries out that salvation has been born to Israel. And then the cloud withdraws from the cave and a bright light shines out of the cave, so bright that their eyes can't bear it. After a few minutes the light draws back and the baby Christ is revealed and he takes the breast of His mother Mary, nursing.
The midwife is astonished by all of this and leaves the cave, meeting another midwife on her way by the name of Salome. She tells Salome the tale, that a virgin has given birth. There is some speculation that because Salome is named, but not explained (just like Joachim, Anna, Joseph, Elizabeth - all people who the original hearers would have been familiar with) that she is the same Salome who later becomes one of Jesus' followers and is at the foot of the Cross with the Virgin Mary and Mary Magdalene, and was one of the myrrh-bearing women.
Salome doesn't believe the story and declares that she will go to Mary and 'place her finger, and test her physical condition'. So Salome is going to go physically examine Mary to determine whether or not she really is still a virgin, even after giving birth.
Oh! This is the one someone told me about where baby Jesus just appears, poof! Sweet. I'd forgotten about that.
ReplyDeleteWe don't know that he just appears. It happens off screen, so we're not sure how it happens. But however it happened (teleporter!) (oh dear, going to hell. *waits for lightning to strike* *nothing happens* must be safe.) baby Jesus made it from inside Mary to outside Mary without passing 'Go'.
ReplyDelete*pause*
I really should have more reverence, shouldn't I?
Oh, hey, unrelated: Over at the MafiaBanter lj, they're talking about getting together a group re-read and discussion of the books. IDK if you have time or interest, but there you go. *enables other people in her own addictions*
Interesting! And I loved your reply to Sanil...enabler and all. :)
ReplyDelete'Interesting' is a word for it. I'm just - I have this image of this complete stranger, Salome, walking up to a woman who has just given birth and saying, 'By the way, I'm going to stick my hand up there. Lie back and think of Israel.' *blink* Possibly, I need sleep.
ReplyDeleteWhich reminds me, what're you still doing up, oh Older Sis?
"Lie back and think of Israel"
ReplyDeleteHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAA! you are so crazy!
As for my being up....sometimes we old folks suffer from insomnia. :-/
I KNOW!
ReplyDeleteAw, poor Big Sis.
I'm still messing with my baby sis by being up past my 'bed time'. :)
Ooo, figures that would start at the same time my new semester does...I'll probably try it for at least awhile, though, before things get too crazy. :)
ReplyDeleteTiming. Fandom has no sense of it. :)
ReplyDelete*goes back to pimping the DF/SPN xover prompt*
Yay I'm finally starting to catch up!
ReplyDeleteI love your paraphrasing of "close your eyes and think of England" :P
:D I am sometimes irreverent. As long as it's amusing, I'm okay with it!
ReplyDelete