... with the words 'round yon virgin Mother and Child?
If so, then what's with all the arguments that Mary wasn't preserved a virgin after Jesus was born? Isn't that a little contradictory?
Just curious.
2007-10-15 02:48:19 · 9 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Hmm. So individual interpretation applies also to the lyrics of beloved Christmas carols. Amazing.
2007-10-15 02:58:28 · update #1
That song is a gift from God, to all believers.
2007-10-15 02:51:14 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋
One word, Incarnation. There is a big difference between Catholic and protestant understanding of that word. Protestants have a very simple definition along the lines of "The Word was made flesh." But Catholics see the Incarnation as something far bigger. To them it is the plan of man's salvation. To protestants God "used" Mary to give humanity to Jesus. To Catholics God did not "use" Mary. Instead He asked her permission. God respected Mary's person. Her pregnancy was not a typical pregnancy. It was a virgin conception with a virgin pregnancy with a virgin birth. Mary was and remained a virgin. Protestants somehow cannot accept that. But Catholics can because God is a God of miracles. And the Incarnation is full of miracles. Protestants point to passages in the scripture wherein the term "brothers and sisters of Jesus" is used. They think this means Mary had other children. But nowhere in scripture is anyone other than Jesus called Mary's child. The protestant position revolves around the strict definition of the Greek word, Adelphos as meaning a sibling brother. But Jesus calls all the Apostles Peter's brothers in Luke 22:31-32"
"31 "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, 32 but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail; and when you have turned again, strengthen your brethren."
Only one Apostle, Andrew, was Peter's sibling brother but Jesus called all of them Peter's brothers. So the strict meaning of Adelphos as a sibling brother cannot be maintained. These brothers and sisters could have been children of Joseph by a prior marriage as Jerome maintained or cousins of Jesus as Augustine maintained . They could have even been other relatives such as uncles or aunts. Remember there were no words to denote such family relationships in Aramaic or Greek or even Hebrew.
2007-10-15 10:16:22 · answer #2 · answered by inkaneer 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I believe that the 'virgin' classification refers to absitnance rather than physical intactness... That's about as graphic as I'll get on this forum...
I'm not a fundamentalist, but I can't imagine why anyone would have a problem with Silent Night.
2007-10-15 09:52:52 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
It's not contradictory at all seeing Mary was a virgin at the time of the birth
2007-10-15 09:52:47 · answer #4 · answered by WILLIAM R T 3 · 2⤊ 1⤋
One of the Catholics own books talks about how the virginity was verified by breaking the hymen. Once that is done, you ain't a vrigin anymore.
How about admitting that Joseph and Mary had children after Jesus? And it was by having sex the normal way.
2007-10-15 09:59:50 · answer #5 · answered by ? 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
I'm not in anyway a fundamentalist, but I think the song is simply implying that they believe she was a virgin when Jesus was "conceived".
2007-10-15 09:53:36 · answer #6 · answered by Vintage Glamour 6 · 0⤊ 2⤋
it means that mary was a virgin during the time she was with the christ child, and she married joseph and they had children together besides jesus the son of god... and yes that is my favorite christmas carol of all time...
2007-10-15 09:52:13 · answer #7 · answered by THE UK WILDCAT FAMILY 10 6 · 0⤊ 2⤋
bridging a gap of misunderstanding is awesome
2007-10-15 10:15:53 · answer #8 · answered by ! 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
mary wasnt virgin all her life
2007-10-15 09:54:00 · answer #9 · answered by xapao 5 · 1⤊ 2⤋