is it true that Jesus' mother wasn't a virgin?

Question

i read that virgin was a mistranslation and the original text states mary was a young woman - young woman doesnt mean virgin it just referes to her age

Answer 1

In the context of the verse to which you refer, Isaiah 7:14, the word translated virgin does indeed mean a young woman. In the Hebrew language, that "young woman" always referred to a young virgin woman.

For other young women, another word altogether was used.
"Virgin" is the correct meaning of the word.

Answer 2

There are deep spiritual truths associated with the doctrine of the virgin birth that go beyond the miraculous or even the ridiculous.

You are not going to find these things spelt out in the bible, and probably would be of little interest to you.

The doctrine of the virgin birth is not just a claim, but part of a whole picture. The interpretation is done by taking this picture and applying the text. It is a two way thing. The picture is built up by the texts that are available, from both the Old and New Testaments.

Then questions arise, the texts and the pictures are questioned - and defended.

Apart from that there has arisen a school of thought that basically says. 'let's not be silly about religion, let's throw out impossible, and the improbable and simply rely on the rational.'

Of course the religious responded with 'the Bible says'

To which the rationalist responded, ' Yes, that's your interpretation, but (to prove your really silly) it might not actually mean what you think, or even what you want it to mean - it actually means this.' Implying you can throw your precious religion out of the window, but because you are ignorant and unintelligent and really frightened of living a proper life you will cling to your delusions.

Would it matter if Mary wasn't a virgin? If you have the absolute rational, you can cut out God, or you can shape God to fit in with your own thinking, like a comfort blanket. The idea of the virgin birth is a thorn in the mind, and it's meant to be. This is where I came in, 'There are deep spiritual truths associated with the virgin birth'

Answer 3

the consummate (no pun intended) question. Unfortunately, the time machine is years away from operational testing. Until then, we can only speculate. Since the only two possible explanations is that Mary was a virgin and somehow chosen from all the other virgins to bear the child of God - OR - it was all a mistake, no way my child could have had sex so she must have been impregnated by God...sorry, got off on a little tangent there.

You see, the whole problem with religion and the bible is that these are stories written by people about events that took place years before. Quick, write down everything that happened to someone you know 20 years ago. Now, send that transcript 1000 years into the future where people can only begin to guess what you meant by certain verbiage. It isn't the words that are the problem, it is the way they are used. Only, 2000 years ago the level of resolution defining the proper usage of language wa not nearly as high as it is today, my example of sending your transcript 1000 years into the future is even less likely to have translation errors that the bible has.

The only answer is to sit and contemplate the entirety of religion. Begin to whittle away at the illogical contradictions and what you are left with is a collection of childhood fairy tales. So, was Mary a virgin? Very unlikely!

Answer 4

This situation is probably the same as it is in the book of Isaiah. In Isaiah 7:14 it says "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. " Some say that the world virgin here can also be translated as a young woman. However, what kind of a sign from God would it be for a young woman to be with child, since literally billions of young women have been with child? I would say that the obvious intent of that word is virgin in both cases.

Answer 5

In German the words for virgin and 'young woman' are exactly the same. It doesn't mean a thing, Besides, the bible is more elaborate about the situation and is quite clear about the idea of her not having sex. It is not clear at all, however, that she was actually pregnant or gave birth to Jesus. Only that she was given the job of Mother to the child. There is nothing to contradict the theory that Jesus was one of many bastard sons and daughters of a local warlord and she was simply allocated the child. There were lots of 'immaculate conceptions' before birth certificates and adoption agencies were invented.

Doesn't it say somewhere Jesus was of the seed of someone called David? The real birth mother would likely have been just be some harem "cow" not worthy of acknowledgement in the good book.

Answer 6

No one knows nor will we ever know in this life. There apparently are translation issues as there are with many passages in the Bible. The story of the virgin birth appears only in Matthew and Luke so maybe it is not as big a deal as current Christian religions make it out to be. The question you have to ask yourself is how would your faith be different if Mary was or was not a virgin? It is the life, death and teachings of Christ that make you believe does it not? Maybe it will motivate you to gain a better understanding of how the Bible was put together and your overall faith will be stronger. Good luck.

Answer 7

There is a test which was used to determine virginity in those days. Apparently her hymen was intact even though she was pregnant. So it is very remotely possible that the human Jesus was the physical son of Joseph and Mary was still a virgin.

As for the meaning of "almah" it could be either way. Traditionally a Jewish man was not called "Rabbi" unless he was married, yet Jesus was called "Rabbi". Does this prove Jesus was married? Not absolutely.

Another thing to consider is that God, who can make life from dust, can make life from other life and could have used Joseph as a donor to make God's Son. That would then satisfy the genealogy, and to make a virgin pregnant would have required God to facilitate it.

Now after Jesus, Mary did have other children, as is clearly stated in the Bible. Having a baby ends ones virginity.

Answer 8

You are correct, the original word does mean young woman, and there is a better word which definitely means virgin.

But, every time the lesser word is used it refers to a virgin, but the word that definitely means virgin one time is use to describe women who where definitely not virgins.

God wrote the Bible on many levels, we need to start with the simple, test and prove that so that we will have faith in those things that we can not understand.

Answer 9

If there is a contest for colossal stupidity, it is surely won by the people who reckon that the OT's word 'almah' means that the sign of the Messiah was that he was to be born, not to a virgin, but to a woman. I mean, who isn't born to a woman?

This is the sentence at issue:

'The Lord himself will give you a sign: a maiden will be pregnant and will give birth to a son, and they will call him 'God with us'. Isaiah 7:14 (my translation)

Now the word 'almah' means a young, unmarried or newly married girl, which, in Israel, meant a virgin. It may not mean that today, anywhere, but in Israel, in those days, it did. Now, even if the word does not necessarily mean a virgin, how is a woman giving birth to a son a sign to anyone? These people really are just too stupid for words.

Answer 10

Use some common sense please. How can a virgin give birth? We know it is impossible. First time you become pregnant tell all your folks you are a virgin and say goodbye to home and hello to the asylum! If Mary really existed and really did give birth to Jesus, and really did claim to be a virgin someone would have stoned her for telling such a huge porky.

FROG FIVE: the German word for virgin is "fitzneizenteit"