THESTORYOFCANNIBALMARY

ThestoryofMaryscannibalismoccursinBook6,rightattheclimaxofJosephus accountoftheRomansiegeofJerusalemin70C.E.,anditservesdramaticallyasthe catalystforthedestructionoftheJewishTemple.InthestoryitisPassover,thetime whenJewscometogethertoeatthePassoverLamb.Whatmakesthisspeech remarkable,isthatitcomesdirectlyfromthemouthofawoman;itismoreunusualstill inthatitisaddressedtoababy.Onthepracticallevelwithinthestory,thebabywill serveasfoodtoalleviatethemothershunger.Onthethematiclevel,thebabywill playthetragicroleofaFuryafteritsdeath(likethoseinAeschylussOresteia), houndingtherebelsforthecrimestheyhavecommitted.Finally,thelabelofmyth elevatesthebabytoaroleinatragedy. Josephus,JewishWarsoftheJews(6.199219) TherewasacertainwomanthatdweltbeyondJordan,hernamewasMary;her fatherwasEleazar,ofthevillageBethezob,whichsignifiesthehouseofHyssop.Shewas eminentforherfamilyandherwealth,andhadfledawaytoJerusalemwiththerestof themultitude,andwaswiththembesiegedthereinatthistime.Theothereffectsofthis womanhadbeenalreadyseizedupon,suchImeanasshehadbroughtwithheroutof Perea,andremovedtothecity.Whatshehadtreasuredupbesides,asalsowhatfood shehadcontrivedtosave,hadbeenalsocarriedoffbytherapaciousguards,whocame everydayrunningintoherhouseforthatpurpose.Thisputthepoorwomanintoavery great passion, and by the frequent reproaches and imprecations she cast at these rapaciousvillains,shehadprovokedthemtoangeragainsther;butnoneofthem,either out of the indignation she had raised against herself, or out of commiseration of her case,wouldtakeawayherlife;andifshefoundanyfood,sheperceivedherlaborswere forothers,andnotforherself;anditwasnowbecomeimpossibleforheranywayto find any more food, while the famine pierced through her very bowels and marrow,

when also her passion was fired to a degree beyond the famine itself; nor did she consultwithanythingbutwithherpassionandthenecessityshewasin. Shethenattemptedamostunnaturalthing;andsnatchingupherson,whowasa childsuckingatherbreast,shesaid,Othoumiserableinfant!forwhomshallIpreserve theeinthiswar,thisfamine,andthissedition?AstothewarwiththeRomans,ifthey preserveourlives,wemustbeslaves.Thisfaminealsowilldestroyus,evenbeforethat slavery comes upon us. Yet are these seditious rogues more terrible than both the other.Comeon;bethoumyfood,andbethoua Fury totheseseditiousrebels,and a myth to the world, which is all that is now wanting to complete the calamities of us Jews. As soon as she had said this, she slew her son, and then roasted him, and ate the onehalfofhim,andkepttheotherhalfbyherconcealed.Uponthistheseditiouscame in presently, and smelling the horrid scent of this food, they threatened her that they wouldcutherthroatimmediatelyifshedidnotshowthemwhatfoodshehadgotten ready. She replied that she had saved a very fine portion of it for them, and withal uncovered what was left of her son. Hereupon they were seized with a horror and amazementofmind,andstoodastonishedatthesight,whenshesaidtothem, Thischildismyown,andthedeedismine.Eat,forI,too,haveeaten.Dontbe weakerthanawomanormorecompassionatethanamother.Ifyouarepious andturnawayfrommysacrifice,thenIhaveeatenforyou,andlettheleftovers remainforme. Afterwhichthosemenwentouttrembling,beingneversomuchafrightedatanything as they were at this, and with some difficulty they left the rest of that meat to the mother. inthepassageJosephusdescribedMaryssonasamythosormythfortheworld(BJ 6.207).Hegoesontostatethatthekillingofthemythfortheworldwillbeseenasa mysos(BJ6,212)oratrocity,thatwillberespondedtobytheRomanswithmisos (BJ6.214)orbitterhatred. Thetermforbowelshasconnotationsofbeingasacrifice,andtheideaofbowelsbeing piercedreappearswhenMarysbowels/heartarepiercedintheGospelofLukeinan equivalenttext(2;35).AlsoinMarysspeechtheuseofthiswiththefirstperson possessiveadjectiveandherinvitationtotherebelstoeatthischildpartlyresembles thewordsattributedtoJesusattheLastSupper,amealtimedintheChristiantextswith Passover. Theselinksbetweenthetwotextsissignificant.Thereisonlyoneindividualwhocanbe seenasamythfortheworld,whowasasonofMaryandahumanPassoverlamb,and whosekillingwasanatrocityandwhoservedasaFurycreatingbitterhatredofthe Jews..namelythefigureofJesusChrist,whoisdescribedasdyinglikeaPassoverLamb

sacrificeonthecross,andgivinghisbodyandbloodtohisfollowersatthePassover celebration.InotherwordstheliteraryaccountofthiscannibalisminJosephusThe RomanJewishWarwasusedasthebasisforcreatingtheLastSupper,asaliterary commemorationofthecannibalisminthatwar. Reading HonoraH.ChapmanAMythfortheWorld:EarlyChristianReceptionofInfanticide andCannibalisminJosephus,BellumJudaicum6.199219 JosephAtwillCaesarsMessiah(2005)