I’ve heard two things this Christmas season that I think are worthy of dispute. I’ve heard the first one before, but the second was new to me.

1. Mary was 13 when she was pregnant with Christ and married Joseph.

2. Lit the Menorah and celebrated Hannukah just like Jesus did.

Neither one of these statements is supported by the Holy Bible. Personally, I wouldn’t want to accuse God of being a pedophile. 18 is widely accepted as an appropriate age for a girl to marry in the U.S. I don’t believe the jurisprudence of men is better than God’s, so I suspect Mary was around 18. Regarding Hannukah it is not one of God’s feasts from the Old Testament, nor is it mentioned by name in the New Testament. There is no evidence that Jesus ever lit a Menorah or celebrated Hannukah.