Infancy Narratives - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

Infancy NarrativesSlide2

Common elements of religious infancy narratives

Miraculous Conception:

The mother of the religious figure becomes pregnant through “miraculous” means

Celestial Event:

There is a cosmic or celestial event that occurs, and the birth of the religious figure usually happens during this event

Prophesy of Future:

At least one sage or prominent figure makes a prophesy about the future of the religious figure right after their birth.Slide3

Birth Narrative of The Buddha

One full moon night, sleeping in the palace, the queen had a vivid dream. She felt herself being carried away by four devas (spirits) to Lake

Anotatta

in the Himalayas. After bathing her in the lake, the devas clothed her in heavenly cloths, anointed her with perfumes, and bedecked her with divine flowers. Soon after a white elephant, holding a white lotus flower in its trunk, appeared and went round her three times, entering her womb through her right side. Finally the elephant disappeared and the queen awoke, knowing she had been delivered an important message, as the elephant is a symbol of greatness in Nepal. The next day, early in the morning, the queen told the king about the dream. The king was puzzled and sent for some wise men to discover the meaning of the dream.

The wise men said, "Your Majesty, you are very lucky. The devas have chosen our queen as the mother of the Purest-One and the child will become a very great being." The king and queen were very happy when they heard this.

They were so pleased that they invited many of the noblemen in the country to the palace to a feast to tell them the good news. Even the needy were not forgotten. Food and clothes were given to the poor people in celebration. The whole kingdom waited eagerly for the birth of the new prince, and Queen Maya enjoyed a happy and healthy pregnancy, living a pure life for herself and her unborn child.Slide4

About ten months after her dream of a white elephant and the sign that she would give birth to a great leader, Queen Maya was expecting her child. One day she went to the king and said, "My dear, I have to go back to my parents. My baby is almost due." Since it was the custom in India for a wife to have her baby in her father's house, the king agreed, saying, "Very well, I will make the necessary arrangements for you to go."

The

king then sent soldiers ahead to clear the road and prepared others to guard the queen as she was carried in a decorated palanquin. The queen left

Kapilavatthu

in a long procession of soldiers and retainers, headed for the capital of her father's kingdom.

On

the way to the

Koliya

country, the great procession passed a garden called

Lumbini

Park. This garden was near the kingdom called Nepal, at the foot of the Himalayan mountains. The beautiful park with its

sala

trees and scented flowers and busy birds and bees attracted the queen. Since the park was a good resting place, the queen ordered the bearers to stop for a while. As she rested underneath one of the

sala

trees, her birth began and a baby boy was born. It was an auspicious day. The birth took place on a full moon (which is now celebrated as

Vesak

, the festival of the triple event of Buddha's birth, enlightenment and death), in the year 623 B.C.

According

to the legends about this birth, the baby began to walk seven steps forward and at each step a lotus flower appeared on the ground. Then, at the seventh stride, he stopped and with a noble voice shouted

:

"

I am chief of the world,

Eldest am I in the world,

Foremost am I in the world.

This is the last birth.

There is now no more coming to be

."

After the birth of her baby son, Queen

Maha

Maya immediately returned to

Kapilavatthu

. When the king learnt of this he was very happy, and as news of the birth of the long-awaited heir spread around the kingdom there was rejoicing all over the country.Slide5

Birth narrative of Guru Nanak

Outside the dwelling, dark clouds filled the sky obscuring the moon. A chill wind moaned drowning the sounds of the woman laboring inside to deliver her child.

Daulatan

, the midwife straightened and wiped her brow with the back of her hand. She bent over

Tripta

Devi again and smoothed the damp curls back from her brow. Soothing her with soft shushing sounds, she encouraged the young woman to push, thinking to herself that it wouldn’t be long. The infant slipped out all at once into her waiting hands. She turned him on his side to clear his airway. “

Wah

,” the babe took his first breath. She could swear he winked at her as she swaddled him, and tucked him in next to his mother.

Kalu

squatted next to his wife, his heart swelling with the pride of being father to a boy child.

Nanaki

cuddled close to her mother and new brother Nanak Dev. The infant Nanak gazed at his new family and smiled sagely.

Hardyal

scribbled his calculations, checking the exact angles of the sun and moon. He pondered over the particulars of the birth of

Kalu’s

son as described to him by the midwife. She confided to him that the newborn Nanak had chucked wisely as though understanding great mysteries. He might have dismissed her declarations as a bid for attention had not the stars been so aligned. Readying himself, he visited the family. He pressed his palms together and bowed to the infant and then turned to the expectant family.

Kalu

heard the astrologer proclaim his new son the beneficiary of a deeply spiritual disposition which would influence many over the course of his life, and that he would be respected by Muslims and Hindus alike. Swelling with importance, his brow wrinkled just a little. As a devout Hindu, he couldn’t be sure what the implication that his new son would recognize only one God might mean. He touched a bundle of fragrant herbs with a hot taper and fanned the curl of smoke towards the carved figures of his gods. Sprinkling a few grains of rice in thanks, he supposed time would tell

.Slide6

Birth narrative of the Hindu god krishna

In the palace dungeons,

Vasudev

was trying his best to console his wife, but

Devaki

was terrified.” My eighth child will be born in a day,” she wailed. “And my cruel brother will kill this one too. Oh mighty Gods, please save my child!”

The

night soon ended and the next day arrived.

Devaki

spent most of the day in tears. Dusk gave way to a terrible night as had not been seen earlier in Mathura. It seemed that the whole world understood

Devaki’s

mind and joined her in mourning for the unborn child. The winds howled angrily and skies seemed to have split apart to pour wrathful rains.

Suddenly

there was pin drop silence. And then it was broken by the sound of the cry of a divine child. It was of the eighth child, a son, born to Queen

Devaki

at midnight in the prison.

As soon the child was born, the prison was filled with a dazzling, blinding light.

Devaki

fainted at the sight and

Vasudev

was mesmerized. The light converged into a sphere and the same voice of the Oracle that scared

Kamsa

, now spoke to

Vasudev

:

“ Take this child across the River Yamuna to the

Gokul

kingdom, ruled by your friend King Nanda. His wife Queen

Yashoda

has just given birth to a daughter. Exchange your son for this girl child and return to the prison immediately, before anyone comes to know about the birth of this child

.”Slide7

Jesus’ infancy narrativeSlide8

The Gospels of mark

The Gospel of Mark does not start with an infancy narrative. This means the infancy narratives are part of double tradition.Slide9

The gospel of john

Previously we looked at the first chapter of John. Recall his version of a birth narrative: In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the Word was God . . . And the Word became fleshSlide10

The gospel of Matthew and Luke

Both Matthew and Luke contain a genealogy of Jesus

Matthew’s genealogy starts with Abraham and traces his lineage right up to his parents. Matthew traces lineage through the fathers.

Luke’s genealogy appears in reverse order—he traces Jesus’ lineage backwards from Jesus, right to Adam, because Adam is the father of all people, not just the Jews

Unique

Matthean

inclusions: Matthew uses the number 14 (the number of David) to show that Jesus is the 14

th

generation since David. This is to prove that Jesus is the promised Jewish messiah from the house of David. Matthew also includes women in his genealogy, and not just any women. He includes women who were cunning and bore important children through sexual misdeeds.

Luke does not begin with Jesus’ genealogy. Slide11

Matthew’s women

Tamar:

Tamar was left childless when her husband died. According to Jewish Law, her husbands brothers are to impregnate her, so her child could inherit her dead husband’s property. One of the brothers practiced birth control, and the other was not given to her. She then resorted to tricking her father-in-law, Judah into believing she was a prostitute. She kept Judah’s staff and seal until she received payment. When a servant returned to pay her, she had taken off with Judah’s seal and staff. Tamar becomes pregnant with Judah’s child. When Judah condemns her to death for becoming pregnant out of wedlock, she produces the staff and seal. Judah is forced to accept that she was within the Law, and had to accept her children. Tamar gives birth to twins, Perez and

Zerah

, who are direct forbearers to King David. Slide12

Matthew’s women

Rahab

:

Rahab

was a prostitute who has accepted the God of Israel. She ran and inn and managed to tricked the King of Jericho, when she hid two Israelite men from the army of Joshua in her home. She told the king’s spies that the men had gone in the opposite direction, giving the two men from Joshua’s army a safe getaway. She had made an oath with them, that when Joshua’s army took Jericho, everyone in her household would be saved. She hung a scarlet rope from her window so the Israelites could find her when they invaded. She was adopted by the Jews, and stayed with them. She became the mother to a direct descendent of David.Slide13

Matthew’s women

Ruth:

Ruth was a Moab woman who had married an Israelite in the land of Moab. When her husband died, she accompanied her mother-in-law, Naomi back to Israel. Once in Israel, she met a relative of her mother-in-law’s, Boaz. He fell in love with Ruth. Naomi wanted Boaz and Ruth to marry, and worked hard to get them together. Ruth spent the night with Boaz, and in morning returned to her mother-in-law. She gave birth to the grandfather of King David,

Obed

.Slide14

Now the infancy narratives…

Matthew 1:1-2:12

Luke 1:1-2:20Slide15

Common elements of Matthean

and

Lukan

infancy narratives

Main characters: Mary, Joseph, and Jesus

Other characters: Angels, Holy Spirit

Titles attributed to Jesus: Christ, Son of David

Heritage: Lineage through Abraham/Israel and the house of David

Places: Nazareth in Galilee, and Bethlehem in Judea

Historical period: during the reign of King HerodSlide16

Matthean Narrative

Matthew’s infancy account is largely about Joseph: the action revolves around Joseph, Mary is passive

The angel appears to Joseph, not Mary

Matthew has three main themes:

Jesus is the Messiah

: He does this through Jesus’ genealogy. He proves that Jesus was a Jew, and a descendent of the house of David.

Jesus was accepted by Gentiles, and rejected by Jews

: The Magi were non-Jews who belonged to the priestly caste of the Persians. By using them Matthew is showing his Jewish readers that Jesus was accepted by the Gentiles, while often being rejected by many Jews. This theme is common throughout Matthew’s gospel

Jesus is “the new Moses”:

Matthew uses scripture to show a deeper meaning to Jewish readers. Slide17

Jesus as the new moses

In Matthew 2:13-15, an angel appears to Joseph and tells him to flee Israel for Egypt, because Herod is going to look for Jesus to destroy him. This is to fulfill the prophesy “Out of Egypt I have called my Son.”

Matthew 2:16-18, tells how Herod had all the children killed around Bethlehem. This fulfilled what the prophet Jeremiah had spoken.

Matthew 2:19-23, after Herod’s death another angel appears before Joseph, and tells him to take the child to Galilee to escape Herod’s son

Archelaus

, and settles the family in Nazareth. This is to fulfill what had been spoken by the prophets, that the messiah would be a

Nazorean

.Slide18

Lukan narrative

In Luke’s story the angel appears to Mary. In general Luke’s gospel is more positive towards women

Luke had a more general audience. He didn’t use Hebrew scripture to prove that Jesus was the Jewish messiah, because he wrote for Gentiles.

Luke uses shepherds to stress that Jesus came for everyone, even the lowly shepherd.

Luke’s inclusion of the naming of Jesus and his presentation in the temple are significant because they establish that they were following Jewish Law, but also to show that at an early age people recognized Jesus as special.

Luke includes a very unique story at the end of the infancy narratives. He writes of Jesus as a twelve year old boy. He had travelled to Jerusalem during Passover with his parents, but did not leave in the caravan with them. After returning to Jerusalem and searching for three days, his parents found him in the temple. They found him listening and discussing with the teachers. When his mother questioned where he had been, because they had looked everywhere for him. He responded:

“ ‘Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?’ But they did not understand what he said to them.”Slide19

Luke leaves us with an important statement

“[Jesus] went down with [his parents] and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart.

And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine favor.” (Luke 2:51-52)Slide20

Questions

Write down the questions!

List the major differences between the two infancy narratives.

Recall a Christmas pageant from your younger years, or a Christmas film, how do Christians rectify these two very different accounts?

Which of the two stories do you like better? Why?

Read “The Hidden Years” in your

textbook found on pages 114-117.

Do the 4

review questions on page 117.

**These questions and the chart are going to be taken in as a homework check!**