Questions From Readers

● How can it be said that Jesus could have produced perfect children from an imperfect wife? Would not the children, according to the laws of genetics, have inherited imperfection from their mother?​—F. S., England.

The basis for offering this as a possibility is the example of what occurred in the case of Jesus’ own birth. He was born perfect even though he had an imperfect mother, Mary.

In saying this, we do not deny the scientifically demonstrated fact that the union of a human sperm and a human egg cell or ovum, both of which contain chromosomes and genes, results eventually in a new organism with hereditary characteristics of both parents. This process has been observed and can now hardly be called a theory.

In Jesus’ own case it appears that Jehovah used one of the ova in the womb of the virgin, but imperfect, woman Mary. (Rom. 3:23) Had he not done so, Jesus, from a physical standpoint, would not have been a real descendant of Abraham and King David, as had been foretold. (Gen. 22:18; Isa. 11:1, 2; Luke 3:23-38) Thus we believe that Jesus looked like a Jew, that he had human characteristics that were observable in his mother.

The question may now arise, Would not Jesus have inherited some imperfection from Mary? No, the Bible plainly shows that Jesus was born perfect. (1 Pet. 2:22; John 8:46) In this way he was the equivalent of perfect Adam and could serve as the ransom to take away sins. (Heb. 7:26; 9:26; Rom. 5:18) We should keep in mind that we are not dealing just with genetic laws of dominant and recessive characteristics. No, perfection and imperfection are also involved. We have no experience with the results of uniting perfection with imperfection. Scientists cannot measure human perfection or imperfection resulting from sin. Nor can they predict the powerful effect a perfect male sperm would have on an imperfect ovum. But it is evident from what occurred in Jesus’ case that the perfect male part of the reproduction dominated the imperfection inherent in Mary. Jesus’ perfect Father transferred the perfect life of his Son to the womb of Mary and the result was a wholly perfect offspring, Jesus.​—Gal. 4:4.

Accepting what the inspired Scriptures say took place as to Jesus’ conception and birth, we can conclude that by reason of Jesus’ being entirely perfect he could have fathered perfect children even with an imperfect wife. Of course, that was not God’s will for Jesus. (Heb. 10:5-10; Matt. 26:39) Nonetheless, that potential was apparently there.

● Why did the Jews use the name of the pagan god Tammuz as the name for one of their months?​—R. M., Honduras.

Tammuz was the name of a Babylonian deity. (Ezek. 8:14) And though the Bible does not apply the name in this way, postexilic works, such as the Jewish Talmud, use the name for the fourth Jewish lunar month of the sacred calendar, the tenth of the secular calendar. (Ezek. 1:1) So it would correspond to the latter part of June and the first part of July.

The use of the pagan name Tammuz as applying to the fourth month of the sacred calendar may have been only a matter of convenience among the Jews. We should remember that they were then a subjugated people, obliged to deal with and report to the foreign powers dominating them. So it is understandable that they might utilize the names of the months employed by these foreign powers. Similarly, the Gregorian calendar used today has months named after the gods Janus, Mars and Juno, as well as for Julius and Augustus Caesar. Yet it continues to be used by Christians who are subject to the “superior authorities.”​—Rom. 13:1.

● Why was Rachel willing to relinquish an opportunity to conceive in exchange for some mandrakes, as related at Genesis 30:14, 15?​—R. A., U.S.A.

The mandrake of the Bible is a low plant with a root similar to a turnip. It ripens in Israel during the late spring and has a yellow berry somewhat like a small apple. In ancient times the fruit was used in medicine as a narcotic and antispasmodic. Also, it was, and still is in some parts of the East, considered an aphrodisiac and able to increase human fertility or aid in conception.​—Song of Solomon 7:13.

We learn in Genesis, chapters 29 and 30, that the patriarch Jacob had fathered eight sons by his wife Leah and by two legal maidservants; these sons later became heads of tribes of Israel. Yet, after many years of marriage, Jacob’s favorite wife Rachel had not conceived. When one day Reuben brought some mandrakes to his mother Leah, Rachel agreed to exchange an opportunity to have the marital due from Jacob for the plants. (Gen. 30:14, 15) Possibly she felt the mandrakes would help her conceive and end her reproach at being barren. Nonetheless, it was some years before Jehovah “opened her womb” and she became pregnant with her first son Joseph.​—Gen. 30:22-24.

So, while the Bible does not discuss Rachel’s motive, she may have been willing to make the exchange in hopes that she could thus be aided to become pregnant.