A CHRISTMAS STORY - WELL, SORT OF

Last week we went to the Getty Museum to see their exhibition titled "Medieval Treasures from the Cleveland Museum of Art. One of the treasures was a small,exquisite carved ivory depicting Mary, seated sidesaddle on her mule/donkey, with a half concealed Joseph to her left, and in front, to her right, a young boy, carrying a stick with tied bundle at the top, over one shoulder, (BBP: Before Back Pack)

So who was this young kid, I wondered?

The wall plaque read as follows: 'PLAQUE WITH THE JOURNEY TO BETHLEHEM (SOUTHERN ITALY - AMALFI - ABOUT 1100-1200)

"This plaque shows Mary, Joseph, and one of his sons from a previous wife on their way to Bethlehem to be registered following a decree by Emperor Augustus (27 BC - AD 14) There according to the Bible, Mary gave birth to Jesus.

"The scene is set within an architectural frame combining Byzantine decorative elements (such as the acanthus leaves on the column capitals) with Islamic architectural motifs (notably the rounded arch). This blending of style is typical of art made in this period in Southern Italy, where many foreign influences converged."

".....one of his sons from a previous wife.....!!!

How in the world did we not know Mary was Joseph's SECOND wife? That she was stepmother to, not one, but TWO sons? That Jesus had two stepbrothers?

How and when did they get deleted from the story?

Shocked and disturbed were we.

Then, not two hours later we were at the Academy where the Short Films Selection Committee was viewing this year's Oscar contenders. And there, one of the films, titled "The Obscure Brother" appeared on screen and we watched - lo and behold - the following first scene: Interior: typical Biblical set, where a young boy looking up adoringly at at a beautiful, blond actress, asks: "Dear Mother, who is your favorite son?"

She hesitates, then replies, "You, dear."

Enter: Father who addresses the woman, "You are such a good mother to my children, and such a good wife......except for one thing......(leaning down, lowering his voice)....you do not carry out your wifely duties to me."

The blond edges away, with the Biblical equivalent of a headache.

Cut to what we now sense is Mary, walking with adoring son, carrying a basket of food from the nearby market. She clutches her stomach, stumbles, and falls, as -must be - Joesph rushes to her side. She looks up at him painfully, and says: "I am with child."

Cut and Fast Forward to now now older young boy watching his young stepbrother, who we guess is Jesus, with obvious loathing, as Jesus charms the locals with what look like magic tricks.

As the older and younger stepbrothers wend their way home, the basket of fish the older one is carrying falls, and Jesus cries out - "The fish!"

"So what?" replies the stepbrother, with a sneer, "You can just conjure up some more - just like all your other tricks!"

Jesus: "They're not tricks! I don't know how I do it, I just do!"

Cut to: Boys still arguing as they enter the hut. Joseph hears and comes in to punish them, but Mary takes his raised hand and motions to let them be....

And at that very moment, the red light went on, which allows the group to raise their flashlights if they feel the film is not worthy of an Oscar nomination.
Apparently, there was the required number to turn off the film and go on to the next.

DARN! Now that here at last was another reference to Joseph's other sons, one obviously "Obscure", and I wasn't going to see how everything worked out. (Were he and Judas in cahoots?)

Still, I find it somewhat serendipitous that just as a good part of the world is about to celebrate Jesus's 2007th birthday, I happen to find out so much more of his family history.

Even, as I ask, yet again, how is it that we never seem to have seen, in art and/or literature, any other references to Mary as a stepmother? To Jesus's stepbrothers?

I dimly recall that a few years ago there was some excitement over the finding of a tomb somewhere in the desert that was suspected of - possibly - being the brother of Jesus. But the whole thing seemed to self-destruct rather quickly.

Should I Google "Jesus - Stepbrothers?"

Cimadb