Belittling Jesus Through Vain Speculations

Theologians in the academic realm are as susceptible to vain speculations as any other scholar.  Knowing the truth does not guarantee that it is believed, taught, or confessed.  The latest venture into this tomfoolery comes from Dr. Susannah Cornwall of Manchester University’s Lincoln Theological Institute, who is making the insinuation that Jesus may have been a hermaphrodite.  She admits that it is impossible to test this with scientific certainty:

However, I suggested, Jesus' maleness is simply a best guess.  We can't analyze Jesus' chromosomes, measure his hormone levels, examine his gonads and so on.  The majority of people who live, identify and are recognized as men are male, so in all likelihood, that was also the case for Jesus.

However, there is simply no way of being certain.

Dr. Cornwall is investigating the rhetoric "surrounding gender roles in the Christian churches" which assumes that "humans are clearly and definitively male or female, and should therefore have gender roles which appropriately 'match' their physical sex" and comparing that to her own studies of intersex conditions.  Her conclusions is to posit that Jesus' alleged maleness has no merit in the gender debate.


Claiming to be wise, they became fools … (Romans 1:22)