Was Mary really a virgin?

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deondre

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I was taught in my church growing up that James was the brother of Jesus
 
If he were a sibling he would have been greatly insulted when Jesus gave St. John His Mother. "Woman, behold your son. "
 
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I remember one time I ask the priest who was teaching my religion class a similar question and his response was that Joseph was an older man and there was a chance he could have been a widower with children. Now was he certain of course not, for there is not much we know of Joseph’s life other than he was there for Jesus and Mary when he was so needed. Other than that we do know that Mary was a virgin and that belief is instilled even deeper in one’s heart especially when one gets to know Our Lady through the Rosary and prayers… God Bless you 🦋🦋
 
Genesis 3:15 I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed: she (Mary) shall crush thy (satan) head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel. Hope you come to realize the Truth.’
Revelation 21:27 But nothing unclean will enter Heaven, nor anyone who practices abomination or falsehood, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life. But when Jesus is born she had to be without Original Sin a pure vessel to contain Jesus in the womb… Lord Jesus (GOD) had to be born in a women who is sinless.

Isaiah 66; 7 before she was in labor she gave birth; Before her pain came upon her she delivered a son.8 who has heard of such a thing? Who has seen such things?Shall a land be born in one day? Shall a nation be delivered in one moment? Yet as soon as Zion was in labor she delivered her children.9 shall I open the womb and not deliver? Says the Lord; shall I, the one who delivers, shut the womb?Says your God.

Jeremiah 31:22 How long will you waver, O faithless daughter (Eve)? For the Lord has created a new thing on the earth: a woman (Mother Mary) encompasses a man (Jesus).

Galatians 4:26But the other woman corresponds to the Jerusalem above; she is free (MOTHER MARY IS SINLESS and Mary retain “perpetual virginity), and she is our mother ( MARY).
27 For it is written, “Rejoice, you childless one, you who bear no children, burst into song and shout, you who endure no birth pangs; for the children of the desolate woman are more numerous than the children of the one who is married.”
Revelation 12:1-2 A great portent appeared in heaven: a woman (Mother Mary) clothed with the sun(Glory Wisdom 7:26 For she (Mother Mary)is a reflection of eternal light=Jesus
Revelation 12:1-2 A great portent appeared in heaven: a woman (Mother Mary) clothed with the sun (Glory Wisdom 7:26 For she (Mother Mary) is a reflection of eternal light=Jesus
John 9:31 says we know that God does not listen to sinners, but he does listen to one who worships him and obeys his will. Which Mother did, co-operated by doing His Will in Luke 1:38. Lk 1:28, 30 – angel: “full of grace, found favor with God Lk 1:42 – Elizabeth: “most blessed among women” Lk 1:48 – Mary: “all generations will call me blessed” Mother of God Lk 1:43 – Elizabeth calls her “mother of my Lord” = God.
 
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deondre said:
I was taught in my church growing up that James was the brother of Jesus
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On the contrary, Scripture is clear that the brothers and sisters of Jesus are actually His cousins. One of the problems with Sola Scriptura is that everyone interprets the Scriptures according to their own ability. Therefore, Sola Scripturists never consider cultural and historical circumstances in regards to translations. For a Sola Scripturist, a “brother” is always a “brother of the womb”. Never mind that they, themselves, call each other “brothers in Christ” all the time. And they speak of “Brother Joe” and “Sister Jane” all the time.
Let us go examine the Scriptures on this matter. Are you game? Here we go:

Did Jesus have any brothers?

According to some, Scripture attests that Jesus had brothers, sons of Mary. They base their opinion on this verse:

Matthew 13
55 Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary, and his brethren James, and Joseph, and Simon, and Jude:

However, these brothers and sisters in Christ, fail to realize that the word “brother” has meant much more than “brothers of the womb” from time immemorial. Good friends call themselves “brothers” even today. And a closer examination of Scripture proves that James, Joseph, Simon and Jude are sons of another Mary, not Jesus’ mother, but Jesus’ aunt.

First, we see that Jesus’ mother has a “sister”. From Catholic Tradition, we know that Jesus’ mother is an only child. So, her sister is really a cousin or other close kin:

John 19 25 Now there stood by the cross of Jesus, his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalen.

We also note that this Mary is always mentioned with Mary Magdalen. The two must have been close friends:

Mark 16 1 And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalen, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought sweet spices, that coming, they might anoint Jesus.

Note that in this verse she is not called Mary of Cleophas, but Mary the mother of James.

Mark 15 40 And there were also women looking on afar off: among whom was Mary Magdalen, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joseph, and Salome:

cont’d
 
cont’d

Here she is the mother of James and Joseph and Salome. The mention of Salome explains the “sisters” of Jesus. Since Mary the sister of Mary His Mother is also His sister or kin.

Matthew 27 56 Among whom was Mary Magdalen, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

Luke 24 10 And it was Mary Magdalen, and Joanna, and Mary of James, and the other women that were with them, who told these things to the apostles.

Sometimes she is called “the other” Mary.

Matthew 27 61 And there was there Mary Magdalen, and the other Mary sitting over against the sepulchre.

OK, so far we’ve established that James and Joseph are the sons of the other Mary. Not of Jesus’ mother. What about Simon and Jude?

Luke 6 16 And Jude, the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, who was the traitor.

Well, Jude is the brother of James. He says so himself:

Jude 1 1 Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James: to them that are beloved in God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called.

And, although Simon the Zealot is rarely mentioned, when he is mentioned, he is always grouped with either James or Jude.

Luke 6 15 Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alpheus, and Simon who is called Zelotes,

Acts Of Apostles 1 13 And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode Peter and John, James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James of Alpheus, and Simon Zelotes, and Jude the brother of James.

If we review the listing of Apostles, we will see that the Apostle mentioned as Thaddeus must be Jude and Simon the Zelotes must be Simon the Cananean:

Mark 3 16 And to Simon he gave the name Peter: 17 And James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and he named them Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder: 18 And Andrew and Philip, and Bartholomew and Matthew, and Thomas and James of Alpheus, and Thaddeus, and Simon the Cananean:19 And Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.

Matthew 10 2 And the names of the twelve apostles are these: The first, Simon who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, 3 James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the publican, and James the son of Alpheus, and Thaddeus, 4 Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.

Acts Of Apostles 1 13 And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode Peter and John, James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James of Alpheus, and Simon Zelotes, and Jude the brother of James.

Luke 6 13 And when day was come, he called unto him his disciples; and he chose twelve of them (whom also he named apostles). 14 Simon, whom he surnamed Peter, and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew, 15 Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alpheus, and Simon who is called Zelotes, 16 And Jude, the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, who was the traitor.

So, we see that James, Joseph, Jude and Simon are related to Jesus. But they are not the sons of Mary, but her distant kin and thus also Jesus kin.
 
I am sure you are being over whelmed by all the scripture verses people are posting,I know I am. One or two would have been enough. Just know that yes, Mary is a virgin,Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit. Talk to Our Lady. she will take care of you. Again, God Bless you.🦋🦋
 
baptist, im sure many other protestants are raised hearing the same thing
 
can you provide any evidence that she remained a virgin and did not give birth to any children after?
 
“Mother of us,” namely, believers who are already members of the invisible Church, the heavenly Jerusalem, hereafter to be manifested (Heb 12:22).

is thee mother of all believers: they embracing the same faith, and walking in the same steps; from whence it was easy for the Galatians to conclude their freedom and liberty also from the law.

I believe you are unaware of the whole picture and focus on one verse instead of the whole
 
anna said:
Joseph was an older man and there was a chance he could have been a widower with children. Now was he certain of course not, for there is not much we know of Joseph’s life other than he was there for Jesus and Mary when he was so needed.
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Check out the Protoevangelium of James… 😉
 
deondre said:
can you provide any evidence that she remained a virgin and did not give birth to any children after?
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Well it depends on what type of evidence you are willing to look at and think about.

If you are looking for an exact verse explicitly stating Mary remained a virgin, I admit it is not there.

However, we shouldn’t be reading the Bible in such a “proof texting” type of manner.

Anyway, I’m going to take this from a different direction.

We know that Jesus was conceived by a union of Mary and the Holy Spirit.
Luke 1:35 The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born[d] will be holy; he will be called Son of God.
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This is nuptial language here, making Mary the spouse of the Holy Spirit.

For Mary to have then had relations with another man makes her an adulteress.

If Mary is an adulteress then Jesus is the son of an adulteress. Jesus cannot be both the son of an adulteress and the Son of God. It is not possible.

Now why can I make this claim that Mary would be considered an adulteress if she had relations with Joseph?

Because it is part of the Jewish law of the time. (From the Jewish encyclopedia)
After betrothal the parties were regarded as man and wife; and the act could be dissolved only by death or by a formal bill of divorce. If the woman proved unfaithful during the period of betrothal she was treated as an adulteress, and her punishment (that of stoning; Deut. xxii. 23, 24; Sanh. 66b) was considered to be much more severe than that (strangulation) inflicted upon the unfaithful married woman (Deut. xxii. 22; Sanh. 52b). The parties were not, however, entitled to conjugal rights, nor were they bound by the obligations of married life (see Husband and Wife).
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When Mary became pregnant she was considered an adulteress under the letter of the law. This is why Joseph wanted to divorce her quietly.

However, the law does state that he was allowed to take her into his home, if he did not want to condemn her, however he was not entitled to conjugal rights.

Joseph was a righteous man, he would never have broken the law.
 
deondre said:
baptist, im sure many other protestants are raised hearing the same thing
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@Deondre,

To call someone a ‘brother’, especially in that time and place, did not necessarily have to mean “physically born of the same father and mother.” Step-siblings, half-siblings, even cousins were called “brother” and “sister.” So, the real burden of proof is on the person who asserts that Mary gave birth to other children! Does it say that in the Bible?
deondre said:
provide me evidence. bible verse, along with contextual support
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Two thoughts: first off, is the Bible the only place where we can look? I mean, I know that the Bible is “profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction”, but does that mean that the Bible is the only source for these? (After all, not even Jesus said “give them Scriptures” – He said to the apostles that they were to teach His disciples in every nation!) So, I think it would be fair game to look at the writings of learned and respected leaders in the early Church, to see what they had to say. Now, naturally, we wouldn’t call their writings “inerrant”, and would have to discern them, but still… does the Bible say that the Bible is the only source of knowledge?

Even with that in mind, there are some Scripture passages we can look at, in order to understand the truth:
  • As @Benadam mentioned, the responsibility for caring for one’s mother, following the death of her husband, fell to the eldest child. If Jesus had other brothers by Mary, then why give care of Mary to John (John 19:26-27)?
  • Matthew’s project, in his Nativity narrative, is to refute the Jewish claims that Jesus was the natural father of Jesus. Therefore, he explicitly points out that Joseph had no relations with Mary prior to Jesus’ birth (and thus, Joseph could not possibly be his natural father). However, does “not until” mean “but definitely after”? Not so quick: the Greek word here (ἕως) only points to what happens before, but without implying what happens after. Does 2 Samuel 6:23 mean that Michal gave birth after she died? Does Mark 12:36 mean that Jesus stops sitting at God’s right hand after his enemies are defeated? Does Mark 28:19-20 mean Jesus stops being with us after the end of the age?
    Then neither must we conclude that Joseph and Mary had relations after the birth of Christ.
Hope this helps!
Blessings,
G.
 
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Mary knew when the Angel Gabriel gave Her the news, who she was going to give birth to. Joseph was also told in a dream. Now you may read the gospel if you wish '. You are questioning Mary the Mother of Jesus , her virginity. I so want to call you a knucklehead, but i won’t Sorry I must leave. Try digesting what people are saying to you. I.
 
Sure,Mother Mary is not only the mother of believers, but the whole mankind,She is there in the whole Bible right from Genesis till the book of Revelations.yes we should look to the whole picture.

In this verse it is very clear Galatians 4:26 But the other woman corresponds to the Jerusalem above; she is free (MOTHER MARY) and she is our mother ( MARY).Here Jesus give His Own Mother ,as our Mother,so also to the Church as well through His beloved Apostle St John in turn to all Humans.

John 19:25- And that is what the soldiers did.Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son.” 27 Then he said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.
28 After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfill the scripture), “I am thirsty.”

Revelation 21:10 And in the spirit he carried me away to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem(Mother Mary) coming down out of heaven from God. 11 It has the glory of God and a radiance like a very rare jewel, like jasper, clear as crystal.

The verse Is 7:14.Being virgin which was, at most important, and God obviously will selects a virgin who is a pure vessel. The perpetual virginity of Mary is a Marian doctrine taught by the Catholic Church and held by a number of group since Christianity which asserts that Mary (the mother of Jesus was “always a virgin, before, during and after the birth of Jesus Christ.” because Jesus came out of her like a light, a miraculous birth. John 1:4, 5 in Him was life and the life was the light of all people.5 The light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it. Those people who mistranslated as young women give silly excuse to discredit Mary’s status and of being a virgin
 
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