If Mary and Joseph were married, how come Mary was virgin?

Question

Or does virgin mean "pure from sins" in this case?

Answer 1

Mary concieved through the power of the Holy Spirit. She did not know man. Mary actually concieved Jesus before she married Joseph. As is custom, Joseph was supposed to refuse to marry Mary when he found her to be with child, but he had great faith and did not want Mary to be punished for what looked to the people like a sin. God spoke to Joseph through a dream and reassured him that he was to marry the Virgin Mother and to raise God's own Son as his own. Talk about pressure! What an amazing saint Joseph is!

Answer 2

My understanding is that Mary and Joseph were betrothed, but not married. But the funny thing is that the gospels make a big deal about how Jesus was a descendant from David through Joseph's line. So, maybe they played around a little before they were married. In ancient days a lot of prophets and important people were said to have been born from a virgin and a god or wolf or something. Who's to know what happened?

In my opinion , whether or not Mary was a virgin is not very important to the actual message of Jesus to love one another.

Answer 3

Mary was born with out sin. That is the immaculate conception. The Messiah could only be born of woman with out sin.

Mary and Joseph had chosen to be celibate. They never had sex. Joseph was a holy man that made his living as a carpenter. He was called by the holy spirit to try and seek Mary's hand. The holy spirit arranged it so that Joseph and Mary married. Because these people were so holy, they decided to be celibate.

After the Annunciation, when Joseph discovered Mary was pregnant he was going to divorce her. Joseph figured that she had cheated on him but did not want he stoned to death as was custom. He wanted to leave her in a way that would give her honor. But the Holy spirit told Joseph in a dream the truth - that the ever virgin Mary was carying the Messiah - the son of God - to term - and he resolutely stayed and served as a great father to the lord.

And to Hecate - Mary was very much a descendant of David too.

Answer 4

According to Jewish tradition (so I've been told by many Jewish friends), Mary could not have been a virgin as said in the Bible due to the fact that she would have had to sleep with her husband on the first night of marriage. It is a belief that the story of Mary being a virgin was put into place for the reason of the pure, untouched birth of Jesus.

Answer 5

The Virgin Mary was not married to Joseph as of yet, when she became pregnant with Jesus.

Answer 6

Virgin, in this case, means she'd not had sexual relations with a man. She was a virgin when she gave birth to Jesus. Later, she was not as Jesus did have brothers from the union of Mary & Joseph.

Answer 7

She was a virgin until after Jesus was born then she had other children with Joseph. The term Virgin Mary stuck to identify her as the chosen one.

Answer 8

Virgin means pure. And thats what Mary was a Virgin.

Answer 9

When Mary was told that she would bare a son she said, "How is this possible for I know not a man?". Meaning she had never had sexual relations with a man. She shorly after told Joseph of this, he believed Mary and they were married. They were already engaged when she told him. Also, the only one pure from sins was Jesus Christ all others require baptism by one who has authority for the remission of sins. Jesus was baptized to be an example to us and to fulfil all righteousness. It showed his obedience to God. Mary was completely human and was with sin, but not in the case of her mothership to Jesus.

Answer 10

Mary had at least six children by Joseph after Jesus was born.
She was no longer a virgin after the second child (the first one after Jesus).
The assertion that Mary is perpetually a virgin is a false teaching of the catholic church.