Answers to Questions by Yair Davidiy (8 September 2017, 17 Elul, 5777)
Do Jews admire Mary in Judaism?
https://www.quora.com/Do-Jews-admire-Mary-in-Judaism/answer/Yair-Davidiy
Mary the mother of Jesus and Mary Magdalene were one and the same person. The figure of Jesus was based on that of Yeshu. The name "Yeshu" is short for Yehoshua. It was common at that time to cut names short e.g. Yoseph became "Yose." Yeshu was born about 200 BCE. His mother was Miriam Magdalene. Later the Roman authorities wished to create a new religion to replace Judaism and counter Judaizing tendencies among the populace. They commissioned a re-writing of history with a synthesizing of existing pagan religions. This included a god (“baalâ€) who dies and is resurrected and a virgin birth. Mary Magdalene was made into two people. The scenario was brought forward to Roman times. The pagan Edomites around Tyre (i.e. probably not the other Edomites of Idumea) worshiped the Jewish God as well as their ancestor Esau whom they called Iousoos. This was not originally the same name as the Hebrew "Yehoshua" but pagan peoples of the area rendered both cognomens the same way. [The Muslim Arabs still do.] So Esau got thrown into the equation under the name Jesus. The Romans were also in part descended from Esau and may have been aware of it. Their chief god was name Jove. Jupiter simply means "Jove the Father." Jove was reportedly pronounced something like "Yo-We" which is similar to how the name of the God of Israel could have been rendered by some.