She eschewed all of 20th century American and Brit lit, but favored SCI-FI and non-Western claptrap?
No Ferber, no Sinclair Lewis, no Robert Graves, no du Maurier...and on and on and on!
And Joseph was a carpenter, which means that Jesus did NOT grow up in abject poverty!
Dorothy Sayers had Lord Peter Wimsey say that detective fiction was the most moral fiction there was. Reason, truth, and justice triumph.
I wouldn’t diss ALL 20th century fiction, but I get her point of view. The “junk” was often better, with respect to universal truths than the highly esteeemed stuff. For every Flannery O’Connor there was some nihilist, several nehilists. But even lefty fantasy writers like LeGuin asked good questions.
Amd the theological reflection is good.
Not to mention, we know essentially nothing of Jesus’ life between his young childhood and the start of his ministry. He could very well have traveled; at the great temple in Puri, India there is indeed a story that he spent some time there.
Based on the offering that was made after Jesus was born for Mary's uncleanliness....they were.
22And when the days for their purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord 23(as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “EVERY firstborn MALE THAT OPENS THE WOMB SHALL BE CALLED HOLY TO THE LORD”), 24and to offer a sacrifice according to what was said in the Law of the Lord, “A PAIR OF TURTLEDOVES OR TWO YOUNG PIGEONS.” Luke 2:22-24 NASB
See Leviticus 12:8 for the reference.
6‘When the days of her purification are completed, for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the doorway of the tent of meeting a one year old lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering. 7‘Then he shall offer it before the LORD and make atonement for her, and she shall be cleansed from the flow of her blood. This is the law for her who bears a child, whether a male or a female. 8‘But if she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take two turtledoves or two young pigeons, the one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement for her, and she will be clean.’” Lev 12:6-8 NASB