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“In Those Days” (Luke 2,1) a Reply to Michael Wolter

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“In Those Days” (Luke 2,1) a Reply to Michael Wolter Ephemerides Theologicae Lovanienses 87/4 (2011) 419-423. doi: 10.2143/ETL.87.4.2149596 © 2011 by Ephemerides Theologicae Lovanienses. All rights reserved. “In Those Days” (Luke 2,1) A Reply to Michael Wolter Jan LAMBRECHT K.U.Leuven In his recent commentary on the gospel of Luke Michael Wolter maintains that by means of the expression “in those days” in Lk 2,1a the evangelist points back to the immediately preceding 1,80. “In those days” refers to the time that John the Baptist grew up and was in the wilderness till the day of his manifestation. Between the birth of John and that of Jesus there must have been several years. Luke does not inform his readers about the exact time of Jesus’ conception1. In 1998 Wolter had published a study entitled Wann wurde Maria schwanger? Eine vernachlässigte Frage und ihre Bedeutung für das Verständnis von Lk 1–2. The article is republished in 2009 in his collected essays Theologie und Ethos im frühen Christentum2. In this short note we critically examine the thesis of Wolter and what follows from it. As in his approach, the discussion will be strictly synchronical. No use is made of data in Mt 1–2 nor of so-called pre-Lukan sources. We attempt to dis- cern the manner in which Luke connects the persons and facts in Lk 1–2. First the main points of Wolter’s position will be indicated. Then we will endeavor to reconstruct Luke’s view regarding the temporal relations of Elisabeth and Mary, and of John and Jesus. Michael Wolter In his study Wolter mentions that most earlier as well as more recent commen- tators place the moment of Mary’s conception at 1,38 (Mary’s final response to the angel Gabriel: “Let it be to me according to your word”) or soon after (before Mary’s arrival at the house of Zechariah, 1,40). They easily refer to 1,42c where Elisabeth exclaims: “Blessed is the fruit of your womb”. Wolter carefully exam- ines the expression ö karpòv t±v koilíav in the Old Testament (LXX) and extra-biblical literature. The phrase possesses a wide semantic field; it is polyva- lent. It can even be used for the offspring of a man, but also for children already born, and, as a matter of fact, not so often for children not yet born. From 1,42c therefore a decision of whether or not Mary is already pregnant when she meets 1. M. WOLTER, Das Lukasevangelium (HNT, 5), Tübingen, 2008, p. 121: “ên êkeínaiv ta⁄v ™méraiv bezieht sich nicht auf 1,5 zurück, sondern knüpft an 1,80 an und datiert damit das erzählte Geschehen in die Zeit des Heranwachsens des Taüfers”. 2. M. WOLTER, Wann wurde Maria schwanger? Eine vernachlässigte Frage und ihre Bedeutung für das Verständnis von Lk 1–2, in ID., Theologie und Ethos im frühen Christen- tum: Studien zu Jesus, Paulus und Lukas (WUNT, 236), Tübingen, 2009, 336-354. 995104_ETL_2011-4_05_Lambrecht.indd5104_ETL_2011-4_05_Lambrecht.indd 441919 117/02/127/02/12 115:105:10 420 J. LAMBRECHT Elisabeth cannot be made. Nor does the perfect eûlogjménov in the same verse provide certainty in this matter3. According to Wolter the introductory clause êgéneto dè ên ta⁄v ™méraiv êkeínaiv of 2,1a does not refer back to “the days of Herod, king of Juda” in 1,5 but to the immediately preceding 1,80. In 1,57-79 Luke narrates the birth of John and adds the Benedictus hymn; in 1,80 he gives a summary of the youth of John and his stay in the wilderness “till the day of his manifestation in Israel”. That 2,1 takes up 1,80 can be shown by means of a comparison with 1 Sam 4,1 (after God’s revelation to Samuel) and 2 Chron 3,24 (after the siege of Jerusa- lem). Twice the same introductory clause refers to the summary just before these verses, not to the narrative preceding the summary. In 2,1-20 Luke deals with the birth of Jesus. This narration is not linked with the three months of the stay of Mary at the house of Zechariah mentioned in 1,56 nor with the five months of Elisabeth’s pregnancy spoken of in 1,24. That the angel Gabriel was sent in the sixth month of that pregnancy (1,26) does not imply that Mary conceived at that date. Only in 2,5 do we learn that Mary “was with child”. The conception thus must have taken place at a date within the lengthy period of years indicated by 1,804. Luke suggests “dass zwischen den Tagen des Herodes, in denen Johannes geboren wurde, und dem Geburtsjahr Jesu ein in Jahren zu bemessender zeitlicher abstand liegt”5. Critical Remarks a) 1,39-45: The Visitation Taken out of context the phrase “the fruit of the womb” may be semantically polyvalent indeed. Yet, the narrative of the visitation makes it highly probable that Mary is already pregnant. The babe of Elisabeth leaped in her womb when Mary’s greeting was heard (1,40-41 and 44). One spontaneously supposes that John in the womb of Elisabeth respectfully reacts to Jesus present in the womb of Mary. The most likely reading of 1,42 is that by eûlogjménov ö karpòv t±v koilíav sou Elisabeth refers to Jesus already conceived and present. “The mother of the Lord” in 1,43 again suggests a similar understanding. The future in ºti ∂stai teleíwsiv in 1,45 is part of the object clause depending on ™ pisteúsasa: Mary believed at that time that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken by the Angel. At the time of the visitation the words of the angel had most likely become reality. The entire passage appears to postulate Mary’s pregnancy. A confirmation is found in both the Magnificat and the Benedictus. In 1,48-49 Mary magnifies God for the great things the Lord has done for her. In the first part of the Benedictus (1,68-75) Zechariah blesses the Lord God because he has visited his people and redeemed it6. Twice reference is made to what has already 3. Ibid., esp. pp. 337-338.342-344.347-348. See WOLTER, Das Lukasevangelium (n. 1), p. 98. 4. See WOLTER, Wann wurde Maria schwanger? (n. 2), esp. pp. 338.344-348. 5. Ibid., p. 347. 6. WOLTER, Das Lukasevangelium (n. 1), p. 113, comments in a rather strained way on the reference to the past in the aorists of 1,68-69: “Die von Gott ergriffene Heilsinitiative kann, weil sie Gottes Initiative ist, in einer Weise qualifiziert werden, die ihr empirisch wahrnehmbares Resultat bereits inkludiert”. 995104_ETL_2011-4_05_Lambrecht.indd5104_ETL_2011-4_05_Lambrecht.indd 442020 117/02/127/02/12 115:105:10 “IN THOSE DAYS” (LUKE 2,1) 421 happened to Israel or to Mary, almost certainly through her conception of the Messiah. The twofold sending of Gabriel and his announcements are hardly suf- ficient to explain these impressive thanksgivings. Wolter refers to 1,23-24a: “And when his time of service was ended, he [Zechariah] went to his home. After these days Elisabeth conceived”. No such information is given regarding Mary7. Yet a similar notice cannot be expected as far as Mary is concerned since her conception has been said to be by the agency of the Holy Spirit (see 1,35). It would seem that the absence in verse 38 of a more or less explicit mention of the conception of Jesus in no way negates it. b) 2,1: “In Those Days” A discussion of the two Old Testament texts brought in by Wolter is unneces- sary, since we have a better parallel in Acts, a text written by Luke himself. The introductory clause of Lk 2,1a is also present in Acts 9,37a. In 9,32-35 the story is told of how Peter brought about the healing of Aeneas at Lydda. In 9,36 we then read by way of a retrospective summary: “Now there was at Joppa a disci- ple named Tabitha, which means Dorcas. She was full of good works and acts of charity”. In 9,37 the clause êgéneto dè ên ta⁄v ™méraiv êkeínaiv follows: “And it happened in those days” that Tabitha fell sick and died. In the whole of Lk-Acts this specific clause is used only twice. As to Acts 9,37 two points must be noted. First, the clause “and it happened in those days” refers back to the story of Aeneas’ healing in 9,32-35, not to the earlier active life of Tabitha summarized in 9,36. Any reader grasps this easily. Second, “in those days” seems to mean “at that time”, which is chronologically close to the time of the healing of Aeneas; it is obviously not a matter of years. It would seem that both points apply also to Lk 2,1. In 1,57-79 we have the story (and hymn); in 1,80 there is the summary of John’s future progress; by means of êgéneto dè ên ta⁄v ™méraiv êkeínaiv (“and it happened in those days”) in 2,1 Luke naturally refers back to the days of John’s birth, not to the years of John’s childhood and youth (nor directly to 1,5 “the days of Herod, king of Judea”)8. The demonstrative êke⁄nov (“that”, not oœtov, “this”9) in the phrase ên ta⁄v ™méraiv êkeínaiv (“in those days”) makes the leaping over 1,80 even more probable10. A similar phenomenon – without the introductory clause but with êgéneto dé – is found in 3,1-22.
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