If Mary maintained her virginity and the sacrament of marriage is not complete until consumation, then either Mary wasn't a perpetual virgin or she was not married to Joesph. How do yo explain this?
2007-07-30 21:20:18 · 6 answers · asked by Chris D 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Mary is Ever Virgin
Exodus 13:2,12 - Jesus is sometimes referred to as the "first-born" son of Mary. But "first-born" is a common Jewish expression meaning the first child to open the womb. It has nothing to do the mother having future children.
Exodus 34:20 - under the Mosaic law, the "first-born" son had to be sanctified. "First-born" status does not require a "second" born.
Ezek. 44:2 - Ezekiel prophesies that no man shall pass through the gate by which the Lord entered the world. This is a prophecy of Mary's perpetual virginity. Mary remained a virgin before, during and after the birth of Jesus.
Mark 6:3 - Jesus was always referred to as "the" son of Mary, not "a" son of Mary. Also "brothers" could have theoretically been Joseph's children from a former marriage that was dissolved by death. However, it is most likely, perhaps most certainly, that Joseph was a virgin, just as were Jesus and Mary. As such, they embodied the true Holy Family, fully consecrated to God.
Luke 1:31,34 - the angel tells Mary that you "will" conceive (using the future tense). Mary responds by saying, "How shall this be?" Mary's response demonstrates that she had taken a vow of lifelong virginity by having no intention to have relations with a man. If Mary did not take such a vow of lifelong virginity, her question would make no sense at all (for we can assume she knew how a child is conceived). She was a consecrated Temple virgin as was an acceptable custom of the times.
Luke 2:41-51 - in searching for Jesus and finding Him in the temple, there is never any mention of other siblings.
John 7:3-4; Mark 3:21 - we see that younger "brothers" were advising Jesus. But this would have been extremely disrespectful for devout Jews if these were Jesus' biological brothers.
John 19:26-27 - it would have been unthinkable for Jesus to commit the care of his mother to a friend if he had brothers.
John 19:25 - the following verses prove that James and Joseph are Jesus' cousins and not his brothers: Mary the wife of Clopas is the sister of the Virgin Mary.
Matt. 27:61, 28:1 - Matthew even refers to Mary the wife of Clopas as "the other Mary."
Matt. 27:56; Mark 15:47 - Mary the wife of Clopas is the mother of James and Joseph.
Mark 6:3 - James and Joseph are called the "brothers" of Jesus. So James and Joseph are Jesus' cousins.
Matt. 10:3 - James is also called the son of "Alpheus." This does not disprove that James is the son of Clopas. The name Alpheus may be Aramaic for Clopas, or James took a Greek name like Saul (Paul), or Mary remarried a man named Alpheus.
2007-08-01 07:04:46 · answer #1 · answered by Daver 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Chris, that ain't really a question for just Catholics. True, Catholics have this big devotional thing to Mary called "Maryology", by some. In Luke's gospel they refer to a virgin birth. The Council of Nicea, the core of Christian belief, states it was a virgin birth. This consumation stuff, is just splitting hairs. C'mon?
I was a former Catholic and Christian. I've left. I have serious reservations on that virgin birth stuff. I suspect Jesus' real birth father was that Roman soldier, Panthera? That virgin stuff and foster father stuff, was just the ancient and Biblical way of preventing blemish to the story.
2007-07-30 21:36:34 · answer #2 · answered by JIMMY 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
As said in the Christian Bible. Mary did not get pregnant by Joseph she became pregnant by God himself. He placed a piece of his self in Mary's body, not through sex but by his hand. He is God he can do anything. Also said in the Christian Bible Joseph is not the father of Jesus God is his father, as Jesus says this many times. So Mary is still a virgin, because she did not have sex.
2013-11-04 17:41:39 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
mary and joesph had children after mary gave birth to Jesus.
look it up...its in the bible.
im not catholic btw.
2007-07-30 21:24:37 · answer #4 · answered by robertt223 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
HI CHRIS!
1ST, I HOPE THIS IS A SERIOUS ?...ALSO, PLEASE 'SCUSE CAPS, ETC--EASIER 2 TYPE W/ DISABILITY..THANX
MARY & JOSEPH WERE "BETROTHED", WHICH UNDER JEWISH LAW OF THE DAY, MEANT THEIR ENGAGEMENT/COMMITMENT TO MARRY WAS SERIOUS, BUT THE RELATIONSHIP REMAINED UNCONSUMMATED TIL THEY MARRIED... THEY WERENT MARRIED WHEN MARY CONCEIVED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT...
THE CONCEPTION/BIRTH OF JESUS WERE VIRGIN... WHEN THEY MARRIED, OF COURSE, MARY WAS NO LONGER A VIRGIN...
HOPE THIS 'SPLAINS ENUF ??? U SOUND LIKE A THINKER WHO DOESNT ACCEPT EVERYTHING UR CHURCH/RELIGION TEACHES W/O QUESTIONING!! THAT'S COOL, SINCE EACH HUMAN'S RELATIONSHIP W/ THE CREATOR IS PERSONALLY MAINTAINED, NOT BY MEMBERSHIP OR RELIGION!
2007-07-30 21:32:04 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
God changed the rules especially for Her.
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2007-07-30 21:23:06 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋