I like Doubting Thomas. I identify with him.

I also admire him for having the guts to say what he thought, to express his doubts even in the face of all his friends and peers who'd "drunk the kool-aid". He had an honest doubt and he was honest about it.

All of which means that when Thomas meets Jesus he not only has a horrible moment when he has to deal with what he's said but he also gets to make history by being the FIRST disciple to bow before Jesus and say "My master and my God!" Yes, it's Doubting Thomas who makes that leap of faith and first says out loud that remarkable theological assertion.

Now there's a story arc!







That was deliberate. I wanted people to spot the parallels. Some of the Bible narrative is frighteningly contemporary.




There's a wealth of theological thinking been done on these folks and some of those insights are quite valuable. Given how popular Mary Magdalen is in these post-Dan browne days she seemed like a good character to focus on.

Of course there's debate about how often Mary appears in the gospels. Is she the "scarlet woman" who crashes a party to weep her remorse at Jesus' feet and dry his feet with her hair? Is she sister to Lazarus who waits for Jesus as Bethany? The gospels are overcrowded with Marys.

I just dodged the issue.




I think there's some interesting stuff to be said about a teenage pregnancy and a broken engagement and all the expectations of Jewish culture; which are not the expectations of modern Western culture. Joseph's problem wasn't that Mary was pregnant, it's that she wasn't pregnant by him. It was common and legal for betrothed couples to live together and not formalise their marriage until the first child was conceived.

Likewise there's a lot of weight behind the dynastic implications. Mary is cousin to John the Baptist's mother, who is of the priestly caste. She's a descendant of King David, of royal blood - and so is Jesus' legal father Joseph. The modern gloss of a humble peasant girl doesn't do justice to the complexity of the situation. In some ways Mary is Cinderella, a queen waiting to be revealed.

From a writer's point of view I think the technical problem would be to properly present the cultural and historical information without it becoming a lecture or a sermon. Mary's own journey from confused girl on the brink of womanhood and marriage to an older man to the obedient vessel of God's blessing, then again to the older woman who nags Jesus for good and ill during his ministry and finally to the bereaved mother at the foot of the cross would be a tough one to render.




People here tend to be tolerant - or at least polite. The story's also gained a wider circulation and the other feedback is interesting.