THE TIME: Ms. Kutzer, on Christmas Eve, Christianity remembers the baby Jesus. But the baby also had a mother, Maria. She stands with the ox, donkey and Joseph in the manger under the Christmas tree. What do we know about the real woman, the historical Mary?
Mirja Kutzer: Not much. First of all, it doesn’t appear that often in the Bible. And secondly: If it appears prominently, i.e. in the descriptions of childhood in Matthew and Luke, then it is a theological projection surface.
TIME: What does that mean?
Kutzer: Their presentation is laden with Christology, that is, with ideas about what their lives or their speech say about Jesus and his message. The evangelists had no interest in writing anything about the historical person.
