Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site vaxwaller.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ihnp4!qantel!vlsvax1!zehntel!varian!vaxwaller!susan From: susan@vaxwaller.UUCP (Susan Finkelman) Newsgroups: net.religion.christian Subject: Re: Religious question Message-ID: <339@vaxwaller.UUCP> Date: Fri, 20-Sep-85 15:18:24 EDT Article-I.D.: vaxwalle.339 Posted: Fri Sep 20 15:18:24 1985 Date-Received: Sun, 29-Sep-85 05:56:52 EDT References: <144@graffiti.UUCP> <57@bbncc5.UUCP> <811@aluxe.UUCP> <1480@hammer.UUCP> <1531@shark.UUCP> Organization: Varian, Walnut Creek, CA Lines: 30 > > Incidentally, I find the doctrine of Immaculate Conception to be > utterly unnecessary. Mary, through her entire life, was a practicing, > sacrificing Jew, and her observance of the Covenant and concommitant > trust in the efficacy of the sacrifices held at the Temple would have > been sufficient to keep her ritually pure for the necessary period. > What evidence is there for the above? I really don't think that ritual purity was the issue addressed by the Immaculate Conception anyway. I would be interested in hearing more about that concept if it is truely the origin of the doctrine. > Part of the problem comes in the connection between "sin" and the > concept of ritual purity. Apparently it was sufficient in the eyes > of G-d that one be ritually pure, to "handle" Holy things. > (Please correct me if I am mistaken in the following analysis.) > One could become ritually unclean by breaking the Law, or by touching > the wrong things. As far as I can tell, Mary did neither thing, until > she gave birth; I seem to recall that there is a brief interval of ritual > impurity after giving birth because of the blood involved. In any > case, it is not a sin to give birth or to be born, so the ritual impurity > would be alleviated in the usual fashion. > She became unclean every time she had a period both before and after the birth of her kid. I doubt if she stopped handling him because of that. > Hutch Susan Finkelman {zehntel,amd,fortune,resonex,rtech}!varian!susan