Abstract:

In this critical note I examine sexually violent biblical language and motifs that Luke includes in his annunciation narrative. Specifically, I show that Luke’s introduction of Mary and his depiction of Gabriel’s entrance make Mary an object of sexual advance and also sexual violence in a manner common in the LXX. Moreover, I argue that Gabriel’s greeting to Mary and Mary’s self-nomination as a slave further reinforce this violence. Sexually violent biblical language and tableaux are, I conclude, one manifestation of Luke’s sustained biblical allusiveness early in his gospel.