The Real Mary: Why Evangelical Christians Can Embrace the Mother of Jesus

by Scot McKnight

The real Mary was an unwed, pregnant teenage girl in first century Palestine. She was a woman of courage, humility, spirit, and resolve, and her response to the angel Gabriel shifted the tectonic plates of history.  
Join popular Biblical scholar Scot McKnight as he explores the contours of Mary’s life, from the moment she learned of God’s plan for the Messiah, to the culmination of Christ’s ministry on earth. McKnight dismantles the myths and also challenges our prejudices. He introduces us to a woman who is a model for faith, and who points us to her son.



"McKnight is absolutely right that the domesticated image of Mary, and the silenced Mary of Protestantism who only shows up quietly at Christmas, need to be dismissed as unhistorical. It is time for a Mary upgrade in the Evangelical world, and Scot McKnight has both the hardware and the software to deliver the goods. Highly recommended!" 

   -Ben Witherington, Professor of New Testament, Asbury Theological Seminary



“In all of the gospels, Mary may be the most overlooked character.  She has become an unwitting dividing line between Catholics and Protestants, while we have missed the remarkable story of her life.  Scot McKnight peels back the layers of controversy to reveal this compelling woman, in whom God found such great favor.”

            -Nancy Ortberg, columnist, Today’s Christian Woman



“Scot McKnight courageously embarks on the quest for the Historical Mary and succeeds brilliantly. I’ll never be able to look at that powder blue Mary figurine in the Christmas nativity scene the same way again!”

            -Joseph B. Modica, University Chaplain, Eastern University


"I have often wondered about the real Mary. How did she feel?  What did she know?  Who was she?  Mary emerges from the pages of Scot McKnight's book as a woman with the spiritual depth to believe an angel's bizarre message and the boldness to call for justice in an oppressive, unjust world.  But like us, Mary had to struggle to understand God's way of working out his redemptive plan.  She hadn't expected a Messiah who would die, hadn't anticipated that a sword would pierce her soul.  Like us, she didn't have Jesus all figured out. But she grappled with reality, trusted God, and remained faithful to his call on her life.  That both challenges me and gives me hope."

            -Lynne Hybels, Willow Creek Community Church

             Author, Nice Girls Don't Change the World








Want to learn more about Mary?

Join Protestant writer ( Born Again and Again ) Jon M. Sweeney as he delves into the mystery, history and imagination surrounding the life and legends of the Virgin Mary. Sweeney's new book explores the four gospels, the non-canonical Gnostic gospels, the Qur'an, medieval and Renaissance art, mystical writings of figures such as Beatrice of Nazareth and Anna Catherine Emmerich, the teachings of Bernard of Clairvaux, Martin Luther and various little-known mystics, contemporary novels and art, and throughout twenty centuries of

Genres: Theology, Nonfiction, Christian, Religion, Christianity, Church, Faith

176 pages, Hardcover

First published November 15, 2006

About the author

Scot McKnight is a recognized authority on the New Testament, early Christianity, and the historical Jesus. McKnight, author or editor of forty books, is the Professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary in Lombard, IL. Dr. McKnight has given interviews on radios across the nation, has appeared on television, and is regularly speaks at local churches, conferences, colleges, and seminaries in the USA and abroad. Dr. McKnight obtained his Ph.D. at the University of Nottingham (1986).

Reviews

[Kristofer Carlson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I tried hard to like this book, but I was so disappointed that I can't recommend it to anyone, including Evangelicals. Scott McNight explains why Mary is so much more important than most Protestants think, but in the end, he accepts without question some of the most problematic assertions of post-Reformation Protestantism. He primarily focuses on the distinctions between the Roman Catholic and Protestant communions; he accepts without question the Protestant understanding of the Eastern Orthodox as Catholic lite by describing the early history of the church as Roman Catholic history, ignoring the Orthodox altogether. Sad.

I appreciated Professor McNight's attempt to blend a greater appreciation of Mary into Protestant tradition, but I also grew increasingly troubled by it. The fact that McNight was willing to question Protestant Mariological presuppositions was noble, but didn't go far enough. For all its strengths, McNight's arguments suffer from an overabundance of scholasticism and a deficit of faith. He claims to be telling the story of the "Real Mary" for the first time, which is arrogant, presumptuous, and flat out wrong.

I find it telling that McNight brings up the Nestorian arguments against Mary, but fails to demonstrate how the historic understanding of the Blessed Virgin is derived from and protects the dogma regarding the two natures in Christ. He fails to deal with the crypto-Nestorianism inherent in much Protestant complaints against Mary. And finally, he reads into the Scriptures his own presumptions in support of his thesis, describing his own thoughts as if they were Mary's thoughts. For that reason, I judge McNight's book to be useful, but ultimately a failure.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really efficient writing and easy to access historical and theological insight. I appreciated the analysis of all the significant ways Mary shaped the church and the Bible stories as well as the explorations of Mary’s intellectual and personal traits. He spends a good deal of time explaining the differences between Catholic and Protestant approaches to Mary and how/why those developed as they did.

[Melody Schwarting · Rating 2 out of 5]

A short book looking at Mary's life in the New Testament and her long legacy in the church (Protestant and Roman Catholic), encouraging Protestants to regain a fuller understanding of Mary as a real woman and mother of Jesus. Having spent decades in Protestant churches, I've heard all sorts of things about Mary. Only a few years ago, a pastor at a megachurch I attended at the time preached that she was implanted with the "God zygote" and contributed no DNA to Jesus (this is heresy, as it contradicts the account in Luke 1 and the Nicene Creed). McKnight is right that Protestants need to stop being reactionary toward Mary.

There is a solid idea behind The Real Mary, but the execution doesn't quite live up to it. Had McKnight written this today, where he is at in his career now, The Real Mary would likely be an edited volume with many contributors looking at Mary from all perspectives. Not all Protestant traditions have "lost" Mary to the extent that they're reverting to Nestorianism, for one. The Real Mary also needs a female voice, in my opinion, because Mary was a woman, and an author who is a mother would bring some amazing insight into Mary. So would an author who has experienced an unexpected out-of-wedlock pregnancy and experienced community rejection because of it, and so forth. McKnight's strong point as an author in The Real Mary is that, as a male well-established in Christian academia, he can present Mary on his own terms.

There's nothing that I really disliked about the book. I just found it a bit bland. One major point sticks with me: Mary had to learn to honor Jesus as her Lord, experiencing a different relationship with him than if he had just been her son and nothing else. I'll be chewing on that for a while. However, I wish McKnight had dug a lot deeper into the Annunciation and Magnificat. There's so much soil there left untilled! Yet, this gave McKnight the chance to focus more on Mary's roles at other points in Jesus' life, which have never been as centered as her role in bearing Jesus. McKnight also never dips into Eastern Orthodoxy, focusing on Protestantism and Roman Catholicism. I don't find this hugely problematic, since many of the issues Protestants have with Roman Catholicism's view of Mary came after the Great Schism. Mary was declared sinless at the Council of Trent in the 16th century; the Immaculate Conception was ratified in the 19th century, though it was accepted long before that; Marian cults in the medieval era were largely European. Still, Eastern Orthodoxy should have been part of the discussion.

I would gladly hand off this book to Protestants who have a difficult time with Mary. I don't have an issue with Mary, so perhaps the lackluster experience of reading The Real Mary stems from that. While I recommend The Real Mary to Protestants who want to understand her better, to those who don't have that hang-up, you might not find much here to broaden your perspective. Instead, look more deeply into the parallels between Mary's Magnificat and Hannah's song in 1 Samuel, or practice imaginative prayer or lectio divina with the Mary passages in the New Testament. Let's just sidestep the "God zygote" thing and meditate on Mary's voluntary pledge: "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word" (Luke 1:38 NKJV)

[Jared Dembrun · Rating 2 out of 5]

I gave this a 2 instead of a 1 because McKnight at least explained the Catholic Marian doctrines correctly.

When I first pulled this off of the shelf at my local library, I was excited. I thought a book about embracing Mary for evangelicals was a great idea, and had hoped I could use this book as a birthday/Christmas gift for my evangelical family and friends. In the first chapter, McKnight drew me in with all of his reasons for embracing Mary, especially the last: because Mary always leads us to Jesus.

But as soon as it came time to discuss the very beginning of Mary in the Bible, her fiat and magnificat, McKnight went far off the rails. He pretends to know all sorts of things about Mary's interior life, her doubts, her worries, her beliefs about what the Messiah would do, and her disposition towards Christ at various times in His life. How McKnight could possibly know all of these things is beyond me. The Bible certainly doesn't say them, and neither does any tradition I'm aware of. At times, these described attitudes contradict accepted tradition directly.

McKnight continues on with this for the entirety of his description of the "real" Mary's life. Then he comes to the comparing of Evangelical to Catholic doctrines. By this time, I had forgotten McKnight's promising introduction, so I was pleasantly surprised to see he represented Catholic doctrines well. In fact, what was quite strange is that he admitted that every Catholic doctrine was not only plausible, but also reasonable and somethinh for Evangelicals to consider. But then he himself rejects these doctrines without giving much of a reason. Until doesn't need to mean that the opposite happened afterwards in the ancient world, and brothers was also used to mean step-brothers and cousins, but somehow McKnight still has this mystical insight that tells him Mary had subsequent children with Joseph. I appreciate McKnight's attempt to speak truthfully about Catholic doctrine, but I just don't understand his unjustified rejection of it.

This all comes to a head when McKnight talks about the woman in Rev 12. He says that the child birthed is obviously Jesus, so (say the Catholics) the woman is Mary. But she isn't actually Mary, McKnight concludes, because this woman doesn't match the "real" Mary he has been describing for the past hundred pages. But the woman is obviously Mary, because Mary gave birth to Jesus, and the child is undeniably Jesus. Mr. McKnight, I hope you one day ask yourself: if scripture does not align with your understanding of Mary, who is wrong? Is it you and your understanding of her, or is it scripture?

[Danielle Barger · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was interesting and got me thinking. My only criticism was the way the McKnight made assumptions on Mary’s feelings and thoughts especially in the first few chapters. But I really liked the book and thought it was a valuable read.

[Marie Sonnen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted to write this book but am grateful that Scot McKnight beat me to it. This was a wonderful book exploring the Biblical Mary and all of the layers we either never knew or that we don’t pay enough attention to.

[Rachel · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is trash. He gets Mary so wrong! Other reviewers have explained very well why this book is not worth reading. To hash out all the points here would be redundant.

[Lucy Emery · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful picture not just of Mary, but the mindset of a first century Jew wrestling with Jesus as the Messiah who was so much different and better than they were expecting.

[Fr. John Hamm · Rating 1 out of 5]

I chose this book as a starting point for understanding how Protestants are rediscovering Mary. I found numerous problems with the arguments set forth by the author to describe what he calls " the real Mary." Contradictions abound in his quasi-theological approach. In one argument he brings up subtleties of meaning in the original Greek of the New Testament, while at other times missing something as simple as a plural rather than singular verb. He also tends to speculate on meanings behind the Biblical words while claiming to put forward a scriptural argument and completely missing the surface meaning. Throughout the book the author draws conclusions on Mary's thoughts, feelings and motivations - conclusions that have no basis in the very evidence he sites to support them. McKnight has written a book full on inconsistencies and contradictions that, instead of expounding on the biblical and extra-biblical evidence itself, seems to force a preconceived agenda full of speculations and conclusions that he tends to assume everyone shares.

I am still looking for that book that will provide me with a starting point for understanding how Protestants are rediscovering Mary.

[Matt Sheffield · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book that could aid Evangelicals in a first step toward recognizing the unique and important role of Mary in salvation history. I appreciated the even-handed and amicable way in which he discussed the areas of contention between Protestant and Catholic/Orthodox churches. I'm not as big of a fan in the title, "The Real Mary," as a phrase and concept scattered throughout the book that is simultaneously contentious and overconfident.

[McHess]

What is it to be the "real" historical figure?

This book tried to answer who the "real" Mary, mother of Jesus, was, to mixed effect. What this book actually did was help readers understand the historical context of Mary's life; to know what it would have been like in her culture; what thoughts, desires, and assumptions would have been in the air and in the synagogues. These are all very helpful to keep in mind when we're reading the New Testament. Jews of her day were expecting a triumphant King David-like ruler to drive out the gentile oppressors, not a teacher and miracle-working king whose kingdom would start by dealing with spiritual darkness and service. Mary likely would have also been surprised at her own son's trajectory and ministry.

However, the book goes a step too far in linking Mary's religion and culture to what this particular Mary thought and assumed based on her upbringing. We know much more about her culture than about Mary in particular, and we need to keep in mind that she and her culture are not one in the same. In this sense, this book painted a picture of a likely "historical Mary" while calling it the "real Mary."

After the cultural foundation and walking through Mary's connections with Jesus' earthly ministry, the book shifts to comparing different teachings on Mary, especially in the Roman Catholic Church, seeking to find common ground where Protestants have been unwilling to venture. This was useful to compare the old beliefs about Mary (e.g., perpetual virginity, Mother of God) with much newer ones (e.g., immaculate conception, glorious assumption, role as mediatrix), and to look at both why and how they developed.

One significant oversight was only discussing RCC doctrine in this section. The author notes that he's not an Eastern Orthodox scholar, but couldn't he have consulted some for this significant branch of the Christian church? I know Catholicism and Protestantism have rubbed shoulders far more than Protestants and Orthodox, but it is an area I have personal interest in and was sad to see omitted.

Overall, a worthwhile read, but it both went too far in assumptions and not far enough in other areas of reconcilation to be useful to many except some Protestants who have overlooked Mary completely.

[Rebecca A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I picked up this book to read, I was first confused by the term Evangelical Christian. Aren't Christians just Christian?

Poor, naive me! Evidently there is still great religious controversy about Mary, and how one is allowed or permitted or supposed to think about her.

I thought this would be a book about a woman who bore a difficult child in difficult circumstances. In this aspect, author Scot McKnight did not disappoint. He placed Mary in her own time and place, with the cultural background and religious training she would have received.

Legal repercussions of her unwed, though betrothed pregnancy were laid bare for me. In addition to ruining her reputation, this pregnancy opened the door to gossip about her as a loose woman. If Joseph had charged Mary with adultery, she (and the child she carried) would have been put to death by stoning. This was Torah law.

Who would have risked that? No "good" Jewish girl, is the answer. So, what led Mary to do the unthinkable and break Torah law? To put her life at risk? To put her child's life at risk? To risk her marriage and secure place in her own society? Mary was neither stupid nor insane.

The Jews had prayed long for a Messiah, one who would lead military actions and drive the Romans out of Israel. When the archangel Gabriel, one of the two guardian angels of Israel, appears to Mary, she doesn't run screaming. She plants her feet and listens. And then she consents. She longed for her people and her country to be free. She was willing to risk everything, because of her faith in God.

For me, these are some of the most important things about Mary. And these are only the beginning of what I learned from McKnight's research. I recommend this to readers of any and every faith.

[Doug Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this popular-level book, Scot McKnight, a prominent New Testament scholar, convincingly argues that his fellow Protestants should pay more attention to Mary, the mother of Jesus.

In the first 2/3 of the book, McKnight takes a close look at what the scriptures tell us about Mary. She courageously accepts her unique calling to be the mother of Israel's messiah, then has to struggle to understand what exactly his mission would be and what her role would be in it. In the rest of the book, he lays out the differences between Protestant and Roman Catholic views of Mary, then offers advice on how Protestants can gain from giving greater emphasis to Mary and the lessons communicated by her life.

As a member of McKnight's targest audience (evangelical Protestants), I found this to be a valuable book. I was initially put off by what I see as an error in Chapter 2. In describing the kinds of prejudice Mary may have faced as an unwed mother, McKnight mentions the possibility of her having to undergo the "bitter waters" ceremony of Numbers 5. However, rabbinic literature (m. Sotah 4.1; t. Sotah 5.4) says that a woman who was betrothed and not yet married was not subject to this ritual. Apart from this error, though, I found a great deal of insight and inspiration in the book.

[Isaac · Rating 4 out of 5]

Giving this 4 stars because for what it is - a devotional book aimed at expanding an Evangelical's view of Mary he accomplishes it, and is fair to more traditional understandings. That said, the chapter on "she's dangerous" is weird and out of place, describing Mary as some kind of liberation-theology political revolutionary is not the way to go! His only shallow understanding of other views is the perpetual virginity of Mary. Fair warning - Catholics, Anglo-Catholics and EO's will be cringing throughout. Considering the year this was published, I think it's clear that McKnight had an outsized influence in his tradition, and he should be thanked.

[Chase Dewey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some books stir the heart and spurn one onward with fascination and wonder.

Scot speaks to the heart in this book. While different than other books I’ve read of his, one can’t help but be immersed in the imaginative world of Mary and her perspective.

The 5/5 is not from agreeing with everything said, but how everything said in this book has caused me to careful consideration in ways I haven’t thought before.

[Adrienne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was phenomenal. I can’t say it was everything I was looking for because it was so much more. I appreciate the in-depth look at the life of Mary with it not focusing solely on the Christmas story. This book reminds us that there is so much theological depth to the Magnificat and the interactions between Mary and Jesus that make it into the gospel accounts.

[Heather Voelz · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I did enjoy this book overall, the author does do quite a bit of speculation, which can be helpful but isn't always. Good overview though of how Mary is seen in protestant. s Catholic spheres. I enjoyed reading this at Christmastime and plan to go through the verses he provides in the appendix.

[Wayne Presnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book on the life of Mary. It analyses all the passages and draws out the real Mary... apart from history and controversy. She was a remarkable woman... strong in faith.

[Hallie Carl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this lens of Mary. Quick read and some really interesting points made.

[Anna Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

I agree with him and this book it just didn't tell me anything new and wasn't written super well.

[Jodi Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author pointed out so many things about Mary that, for whatever reason, never stood out before when reading the gospels. I have a newfound appreciation of Mary. Great read, in my opinion.

[Angelise Schrader · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has been refreshingly better than I expected. I tend to know what I will enjoy reading and usually stick with my gut choices. This book was assigned to a group that I wanted to participate in, so I rather reluctantly decided to purchase it, valuing the relationships that I would build more than the content that I expected to read.

Well, I have been delightfully blessed by this read! 5 Stars!! I personally did not feel that I needed to be convicted to wrestle with my perspective of Mary. While I know she has been elevated in some religious circles beyond what I believe the Bible intended, I have never felt that the Protestant view was lacking in valuing her role and story in the Gospel narrative. So while McKnight's goal was to challenge the reader's view to see Mary in her full authenticity, I felt that I knew the Real Mary going into this book. Much of this I believe is thanks to Francine River's lineage of grace fiction books that I read as a teen that helped capture her trials, struggles and stories in a real way (many similar revelations to this book). I also credit the Christmas movie, "The Nativity" with Keisha Castle Hughes in helping clarify my perspective of Mary. That film captures much of what Scot McKnight writes about in this book.

That being said, I recommend "The Real Mary" to anyone wrestling with Mary's humanity, the scandalous nature of her role in the Gospel story and the way her life was turned upside down over and over and over as she walked out firsthand the laying down of dreams, desires and perspectives to better follow the Messiah. Her story portrays gripping faith and sacrificial surrender as she not only raised the Son of God, but also had to learn to follow Him as her Lord and Saviour. Not an easy role. McKnight does a phenomenal job of helping us understand the world and culture she lived. He breaks down each chapters of her story in Scripture into a different facet of her character and I think it is written in a way that brings fresh perspective.

I love books that help me think differently and challenge my pre-suppositions. I believe this book will do this for many. May this reflection of the chapters of life in Mary's story help you better understand her faith journey and help you step into becoming the most authentic version of who God made you to be.

[Jeff McCormack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable read. As a good Reformed protestant that I have been for 25 years now, I of course shy away from any "Mary-ology" leanings. This books reveals the Mary I have never looked at or given the time of day to. That seems to be the main goal of this book, and at least for me, it works. I know have a new-found admiration for Mary, and believe all protestants should.

A lot of the opening sections of the book look at the situation and culture that Mary was in, speculating a little to fill in the blanks of what someone in her position would be doing and thinking given the situation.

The examination of the words and meaning of the Magnificat really is interesting and looking at it in light of the time and culture it was said in really alters things in my opinion.

The latter chapters look at the Roman Catholic (RC) teachings on Mary, clearing up some misconceptions, clarifying others, and at times showing how both Protestants and RCs have swung their pendulums too far to the extreme in their views on the subject.

One thing I have found in all of my years working within the Reformed theology field, is that since the Reformation and it's theology came out of RC, quite often the Reformed views work so hard at going against the RC view, that they swing too far away from it and become somewhat extreme in the opposite direction - at times straying too far outside of the Bible themselves. Its the old "throwing the baby out with the bathwater" idea, and at times a more biblical and balanced approach needs re-established. I feel this book goes a long way in doing just that, and for that I can recommend this as a great introduction. Another book on this topic, that I have yet to read, but seems like it will be more in depth, is Who is My Mother?: The Role and Status of the Mother of Jesus in the New Testament and Roman Catholicism, which I hope to one day tackle for further reforming of my view on Mary.

[Joel Wentz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This immensely readable, short volume from Scot McKnight is a great starting-point for born-and-bred evangelicals to dip their toes into the "Mary debate". The majority of the book is devoted to placing Mary into her historical setting - essentially re-telling the Gospel through the eyes of the mother of Jesus. McKnight captures, I believe, the struggle that Mary must have gone through as she realized the vocation of her son as he matured. This perspective paints a familiar story in a gripping way. The second part of the book is a helpful overview of the controversies surrounding Mary doctrine throughout the life of both the Catholic and Protestant churches. The only issue I could raise with this is that at times it felt as if McKnight didn't go into enough detail - the book is so short! This, however, does make it easy to read, and an easy recommendation!

[Simon Yoong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here's a book on a rare topic - Encountering Mary in Protestantism. A bery readable and insightful study on the Blessed One. The first part deals with the portion of the NT that mention Mary. The second portion studies how the early church viewed Mary and how the the divergent views between the Catholics and Protestants started to appeared.

And the short final third proposes how we Protestants can start to appreciate Mary more. And i think this being the most important section, should have been more extensive and thorough. Small gripe though.

[Andrew Bondurant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very important book for Evangelical Christians to read. There is often much confusion or even resentment when thinking and talking about Mary because of what has become a natural pushback to all things resembling Catholicism. McKnight calls Evangelicals to give a fair reading to Mary and Catholics when it comes to how we think and speak about Mary. McKnight's balanced reading was very informative and encouraging. Definitely glad I read this book.

[Brett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rather than offering a Protestant polemic, McKnight provides a historically informed examination of the texts and traditions concerning Mary, the mother of Jesus. McKnight presents Mary as a woman of courageous faith, dangerous to those in power (e.g. Herod and Caesar), but limited by her own messianic expectations. A great evangelical re-examination of Mary – B+

[William Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

"All generations will call me blessed."
Luke 1:48

It's time for Evangelical Christians to reexamine their views of the Mother of our savior. This book is a good place to start.

A fair effort by an evangelical to look at Mary. The author is open and sensitive to Catholic teachings about Mary.

[Mark Kuberski · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like this book because of this is very balanced give you a good opinion of both Catholic and Protestant view of Mary. The real Mary for sure very well laid out and lots of good appendixes

[Nicole Diimmel · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are important women in the bible. Mary perhaps is the most important. Inspiring as a mother.