PERPETUAL VIRGINITY OF MARY

The 'perpetual virginity of Mary', a doctrine of Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox Christianity, affirms Mary's "real and perpetual virginity even in the act of giving birth to the Son of God made Man."^[1] Thus according to this church dogma, Mary was ever-Virgin (Greek '') for the remainder of her life, making Jesus her only biological son, whose conception and birth are held to be miraculous.

Contents

History

New Testament passages

Spiritual significance

See also

Notes

Bibliography

External links

History

In 107, Ignatius of Antioch described the virginity of Mary as "hidden from the prince of this world… loudly proclaimed, but wrought in the silence of God".^[2] The affirmation of the doctrine of Mary's virginity before, during, and after the birth of Jesus was the principal aim of the early second century work, the ''Protoevangelium'' of James (''c''. 120-150).^[3] The work, concerned with the character and purity of Mary, claims that Joseph had children from a marriage previous to Mary.^[4] However, the text does not explicitly assert the doctrine of perpetual virginity, the earliest such surviving reference being Origen's ''Commentary on Matthew'',^[5] where he cites the ''Protoevangelium'' in support.
By the fourth century, the doctrine is well attested.^[6] Athanasius described Mary as "Ever-Virgin",^[7] as did Epiphanius.^[8] Hilary argued in favor of the doctrine,^[9] and to this may be added Didymus,^[10] Ambrose,^[11] Jerome,^[12] Siricius^[13] and others. However, it cannot be said that unanimity existed in antiquity concerning the doctrine, as it was denied by Tertullian,^[14] and Jovinian's teaching that childbirth ended Mary's physical virginity had to be condemned by a synod of Milan in 390.
Further important statements of the belief include the Lateran Synod of 649, Thomas Aquinas's teaching that Mary gave birth painlessly in miraculous fashion without opening of the womb and without injury to the hymen,^[15]
Pope Paul IV's ''Cum quorundam'' of 7 August 1555 at the Council of Trent,^[16] and most recently the statements in the current catechism.^[17]
During the Protestant Reformation, the doctrine came to be questioned, although such notable reformers as Martin Luther,^[18] Huldrych Zwingli,^[19] John Calvin,^[20] and John Wesley^[21] accepted its veracity.^[22] However, the absence of clear Biblical statements expressing the doctrine, in combination with the principle of ''sola scriptura'', kept references to the doctrine out of the Reformation creeds. Additionally, the tendency to associate veneration of Mary with idolatry^[23] and the rejection of clerical celibacy^[24] led to the eventual denial of this doctrine among most Protestant churches. Lastly, many Protestant communities cite Biblical passages that refer to the "brothers" of Jesus (see below, see also ''Desposyni'').

New Testament passages

There is no explicit mention of Mary's ''perpetual'' virginity in the New Testament, and her virginity in regards to Jesus' conception is only mentioned in the gospels of Matthew and luke— nowhere else.^[25] At the Annunciation (), when Mary was told by an angel that she will conceive, she responded: "How shall this be done, for I know not man." It has been argued that this evidences the view that Mary had taken a lifelong vow of virginity, otherwise she would have assumed that the angel's prophecy was simply referring to events subsequent to her marriage with Joseph. This is the position of the aforementioned (non-canonical) ''Protoevangelium of James'', which asserted that Mary's mother, Anne, gave Mary as a "virgin of the Lord" in service in the Temple, and that Joseph, a widower, was to serve as her guardian (legal protections for women depended on their having a male protector: father, brother, or, failing that, a husband).^[26] This view is both controversial and speculative, though according to the Bible, the presence of women devoted to perpetual service at the temple was contemporary to Mary's lifetime, and had been practiced for centuries.^[27] Ezekiel 44:2 is sometimes applied to the Virgin Mary as evidence of her perpetual virginity:

"He said to me: This gate is to remain closed; it is not to be opened for anyone to enter by it; since the LORD, the God of Israel, has entered by it, it shall remain closed."

The New Testament references Jesus' ''adelphoi'', which can mean either "brothers" or "kinsfolk".^[28] Both meanings are employed in the various books of the bible, with examples of the latter including the Septuagint rendering of Abraham and Lot. Lot was Abraham's nephew, but is referred to as "''adelphos''".^[29] However, this particular usage of "''adelphos''" could be due to the fact that Abraham and Lot were brothers in law. Abraham became Lot's brother in law by the marriage of Nahor (Abraham's brother) to Milcah (Lot's sister).
Because "brother" is the more common usage, and because Greek has another word for cousin (''anepsios''), many translations of the Bible render passages which describe relations to Jesus (such as ) as his "brothers" or "brothers and sisters".^[30] These passages are cited as a basis for believing that Mary and Joseph had marital relations following the birth of Jesus.^[31] Further evidence of Joseph not having children from a previous relationship is found in .
Opponents of the view that Mary was a perpetual virgin may also cite an interpretation of , which states that Jesus was Mary's "firstborn son" and that Joseph "had no marital relations with her ''until'' ('') she had borne a son". It is argued this passage states that Mary's virginity persisted until the birth of Jesus, but implies that Mary and Joseph had marital relations afterward. However, the Greek word ''heos'', translated as "until", does not carry the same implications as the English word. For example, the Septuagint rendering of states that Michal had not child "until" (''heos, '') the day of her death (c.f. and ). Lastly, use of the title "firstborn son" may have had legal and cultural implications, and thus may have been used meaningfully in this sense, without regard to providing information about siblings.

Spiritual significance

Many Catholic and Orthodox hymns and prayers mention Mary's perpetual virginity.
In some modern spiritual writings, Mary's virginity is cited as a counter-example to current sexual mores. In spiritual writings more generally, her virginity is cited as an expression of holiness, devotion, and loving self-denial. In some of St. Augustine's writings he gives her virginity as an example of the mystery of God. Other spiritual writings have mentioned Mary's great humility, which is connected with the sparse mention of her in Scripture and with her willingness to be virginal in order to carry out a part of God's plan. Some writers give Mary as an example of spiritual integrity, of which her virginal integrity is a sign. Over the centuries, it has been a tradition for some of the faithful to consecrate themselves to God, partly by remaining virgins, which is called the "charism of virginity" (or "gift of virginity").
In many icons, Mary's perpetual virginity is signified by three stars that appear on her left, her right, and above her or on her head, which represent her virginity before, during, and after giving birth.

See also

★ Assumption of Mary

★ Blessed Virgin Mary

★ Immaculate Conception

★ Theotokos

★ Panagia

★ Antidicomarianites, ancient sects who believed Jesus had siblings

Notes

1. ''Catechism of the Catholic Church'' §499
2. Jurgens §42
3. Quasten, ''Patrology'' 1:120-1; cf. L. Gambero, ''Mary and the Fathers of the Church'' trans. T. Buffer (San Francisco: Ignatius, 1991)
4. ''Protoevangelium'' chapters 7-8
5. Origen, ''Commentary on Matthew'' §10.17
6. L. Gambero, ''Mary and the Fathers of the Church'' trans. T. Buffer (San Francisco: Ignatius, 1991) pp. 97-98; and also for an overview of each source.
7. Athanasius, ''Orations against the Arians'' 2.70
8. Epiphanius of Salamis, ''The Man Well-Anchored'' 120, c.f. ''Medicine Chest Against All Heresies'' 78:6
9. Hilary of Poitiers, ''Commentary on Matthew'' §1:4
10. Didymus the Blind, ''The Trinity'' 3:4
11. Ambrose of Milan, ''Letters'' 63:111
12. Jerome, ''Against Helvetius'', 21
13. Denziger §91
14. see Jurgens §359, though Tertullian accepted the virgin birth, see Jurgens §277
15. Thomas Aquinas, ''Summa Theologiae'' III.28.2
16. Denziger §993
17. online
18. In his 1523 treatise, ''That Jesus Christ was born a Jew'', Luther said that "Scripture does not quibble or speak about the virginity of Mary after the birth of Christ, a matter about which the hypocrites are greatly concerned, as if it were something of the utmost importance on which our whole salvation depended. Actually, we should be satisfied simply to hold that she remained a virgin after the birth of Christ because Scripture does not state or indicate that she later lost her virginity... But the Scripture stops with this, that she was a virgin before and at the birth of Christ; for up to this point God had need of her virginity in order to give us the promised blessed seed without sin." ''Luther’s Works,'' American Edition, Walther I. Brandt, ed., Philadelphia, Augsburg Fortress; St. Louis, Concordia Publishing House, 1962, ISBN 0-8006-0345-1 pp. 205-206; cf. James Swam, ''Luther's Theology of Mary''.
19. Zwingli wrote:
"I firmly believe that [Mary], according to the words of the gospel as a pure Virgin brought forth for us the Son of God and in childbirth and after childbirth forever remained a pure, intact Virgin."
In Zwingli’s Swiss German dialect:
"das ich sy vestlenklich gloub nach den worten, des heiligen euangelii ein reine magt uns geboren haben den sun gottes und in der gburt und ouch darnach in die ewigkeit ein reine, unverserte magd bliben."
''A sermon on the eternal virginity of Mary, September 17, 1522 (Eine predigt von der ewig reinen magd Maria)'', Huldreich Zwingli, ''Sämtliche Werke (Complete Works)'', herausgegeben von (edited by), Dr. Emil Elgi, and Dr. Georg Finsler, Berlin, Verlag von (Published by) C. A. Schwetschke und Sohn, 1905, Vol. (Band) 1, (vol. LXXXVIII in the Corpus Reformatorum), p. 424 (see pp.385-428 for complete text and notes in German). Cf. [1]

20. J.A. Ross MacKenzie, in Stacpoole, Alberic, ed., Mary's Place in Christian Dialogue, Wilton, Conn.: Morehouse-Barlow, 1982, pp.35-6; c.f. ''Harmony of Matthew, Mark & Luke'', sec. 39 (Geneva, 1562), vol. I, From Calvin's Commentaries, tr. William Pringle, Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1949 p. 107
21. Wesley wrote: "I believe that He was made man, joining the human nature with the divine in one person; being conceived by the singular operation of the Holy Ghost, and born of the blessed Virgin Mary, who, as well after as before she brought Him forth, continued a pure and unspotted virgin."
''Letter to a Roman Catholic'', July 18, 1749 [2]
22. On the above reformers, and reasons why mainstream Protestant Reformers accepted the doctrine, see D. MacCulloch, ''The Reformation: a History'' (Penguin Books, 2003) pp. 613-614; cf. Robert Schihl, ''The Perpetual Virginity of Mary'' for an extended list and quotations.
23. D. MacCulloch, ''The Reformation: a History'' (Penguin Books, 2003) pp. 558-63
24. see John Calvin's ''Institutes of the Christian Religion IV,12,27-28''
25. e.g. ,
26. ''Protoevangelium of James'' 4, 7, 8-9, 15
27. e.g. , ,
28. For example, see the entry here
29. ; other such usages include: , , and
30. the passages in question are: , , , , , , , , , , and
31. See this article

Bibliography

★ Faith of the Early Fathers,, , William A., Jurgens, Liturgical Press, 1998, vol.1 ISBN 0-8146-0432-3 vol 2 ISBN 0-8146-1007-2 vol 3 ISBN 0-8146-1021-8

★ Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma, , Ludwig, Ott, Tan Books, 1974, ISBN 0-89555-009-1

★ Patrology, , Johannes, Quasten, Thomas More Pr, 1983, ISBN 0-87061-084-8

★ ...And You Are Christ's'', , Thomas, Dubay, S.M., , 1987, ISBN 0-89870-161-9

★ Mary and the Fundamentalist Challenge, , Peter M. J., Stravinskas, Our Sunday Visitor, 1998, ISBN 0-87973-611-9

External links

★ Ancient Church: Mary Ever Virgin

★ Catholic Answers: ''Brethren of the Lord''

★ ''Catholic Encyclopedia'': Virginity; the Roman Catholic doctrine

★ ''Catholic Encyclopedia'': Mary, the Blessed Virgin, section on Perpetual Virginity of Mary

★ Thomas Aquinas, ''Summa Theologiae'': III.28.2

★ Mariology.com

★ St. Jerome on the Perpetual Virginity of Mary

★ Evidence from the Talmud for vows of Celibacy