Why is Mary forever a virgin to Catholics? Where did James come from?

Question

Hint, James was Jesus's brother.

If a virgin was a young female, then there is nothing special about Jesus's birth.

nevermind the last one, that was some atheist nonsense.

Answer 1

I don't know.
I am still trying to figure out how they 'shanghaied' Peter as the first pope?? If there is documentation on that, I sure would like to see it.

Answer 2

How was James, “the brother of the Lord,” (Matt. 13:55, Acts 15:13-21, 1 Cor. 15:7, Gal. 1:19) related to Jesus. All believers agree he was related, but no one knows exactly how.

The possibilities are that James was:

1. A full brother of Jesus, another Son of God born of the Blessed Virgin Mary. No one to my knowledge accepts that God had another child by the Blessed Virgin Mary.

2. A half-brother of Jesus, a younger son of Joseph and the Blessed Virgin Mary. Some Christians believe this possibility but most Christians including those who are Catholic and Eastern Orthodox believe that Mary remained a virgin for her entire life.

3. A stepbrother of Jesus, a son of Joseph and a previous wife. Many Christians believe that Joseph had a least one previous marriage that resulted in children.

4. A stepbrother of Jesus, an adopted son of Joseph and the Blessed Virgin Mary. When parents died, relatives frequently took their children in and raised them as thier own. An adopted orphaned boy would be considered the brother of Jesus.

5. A cousin of Jesus. The Aramaic language has no word for cousin. Aramaic frequently uses the word “aha,” which we translate into Greek as “adelphos” or English as brother, for cousin.

6. A comrade of Jesus. This is a remote possibility. Greek uses adelphos the same as English does in “a band of brothers.”

Possibilities 1 and 2 obviously go against Catholic beliefs.

The Catholic Church prefers possibility 5 but 3, 4 and 6 would not go against doctrine.

With love in Christ.

Answer 3

I'm not quite sure that a Catholic believes Mary remained a virgin after the birth of Christ. If they are in fact taught that, it would not really surprize me, though. Mary and Joseph had other children, and they were flesh and blood from two human married people, so why would they think that the state of virginity would remain?
That doesn't make sense, and God is not the author of confusion.

Answer 4

the VIRGIN MARY was in reference to the Christ Jesus' birth, Besides Jesus and Mary, you hear little of Joseph, and Mary's other children in the Bible, or did I miss something.


55. Is not this the carpenter’s son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?
56. And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?

Answer 5

According to Christians, Jesus was born to Mary without a human father. The Bible tells us that Jesus had four brothers: James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas (Matthew 13:55). The Bible also tells us that Jesus had sisters, but they are not named or numbered (Matthew 13:56).

Answer 6

It seems that "virgin" used to be the word used for "young female" and did not necessarily have anything to do with sexual "purity".

Another bible mistranslation, like Jesus was a carpenter and blessed are the cheesemakers.

Boy we are screwed up.

Answer 7

It is dogma, you have to believe Mary is ever-virgin to be Catholic. Others would disagree, but it really does not matter to me if she chose to remain a virgin or had other children.

Answer 8

Again what is the definition of a virgin?
Which means she's not just a virgin to Catholics she's a virgin to all.

Answer 9

She was a virgin when she had Jesus but your point is very fair

Answer 10

Could have sworn Mary was Joseph's second wife.