"Perpetual virginity of Mary," Wikipedia:
"The perpetual virginity of Mary is a ... doctrine that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was a virgin 'before, during and after' the birth of Christ.... It is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church."
"The doctrine of Mary's perpetual virginity has been challenged on the basis that the New Testament explicitly affirms her virginity only until the birth of Jesus and mentions the brothers (adelphoi) of Jesus."
"The virgin birth of Jesus is found in the Gospel of Matthew and possibly in Luke, but it seems to have little theological importance before the middle of the 2nd century. The 2nd century Church fathers Irenaeus and Justin Martyr, though mentioning the virgin birth, nowhere affirmed the view that Mary was a perpetual virgin. The idea is first raised in an apocryphal text called the Protoevangelium of James, composed in the second half of the 2nd century: here Mary remains a life-long virgin, Joseph is an old man who marries her without physical desire, and the brothers of Jesus mentioned in the canonical gospels are explained as Joseph's sons by an earlier marriage."
"The Protestant Reformation saw a rejection of the special moral status of lifelong celibacy. As a result, marriage and parenthood were extolled, and Mary and Joseph were seen as a normal married couple. It also affirmed the Bible alone as the fundamental source of authority regarding God's word (sola scriptura). The reformers noted that while scripture records the virgin birth, it makes no mention of Mary's perpetual virginity following the birth of Christ."
"John Calvin's view was more ambiguous, believing that knowing what happened to Mary after the birth of Jesus is impossible."
"Thomas Aquinas admitted that reason could not prove this, but argued that it must be accepted because it was 'fitting,' for as Jesus was the only-begotten son of God, so he should also be the only-begotten son of Mary, as a second and purely human conception would disrespect the sacred state of her holy womb."
"Perpetual virginity of Mary," Wikipedia, footnote referring to Matthew 1:25:
"The phrase 'did not know her' is a biblical euphemism for sexual relations (see Genesis 4:1). The text [of Matthew 1:25] neither confirms nor denies the perpetual virginity of Mary."
New Catholic Version: Douay-Confraternity (1961):
Matthew 1:18 Now the origin of Christ was in this wise. When Mary his mother had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.
19 But Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wishing to expose her to reproach, was minded to put her away privately.
20 But while he thought on these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Do not be afraid, Joseph, son of David, to take to thee Mary thy wife, for that which is begotten in her is of the Holy Spirit.
21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shall call his name Jesus; for he shall save his people from their sins."
22 Now all this came to pass that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled.
23 Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son; and they shall call his name Emmanuel; which is, interpreted, "God with us."
24 So Joseph, arising from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him, and took unto him his wife.
25 And he did not know her till she brought forth her firstborn son. And he called his name Jesus.
New American Catholic Bible (1971):
Matthew 1:25 He had no relations with her at any time before she bore a son, whom he named Jesus.
King James Version:
Matthew 1:25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.
Revised Standard Version:
Matthew 1:25 but knew her not until she had borne a son; and he called his name Jesus.
Young's Literal Translation:
Matthew 1:25 and did not know her till she brought forth her son — the first-born, and he called his name Jesus.
New Century Version®:
Matthew 1:25 but he did not have sexual relations with her until she gave birth to the son. And Joseph named him Jesus.
Good News Translation:
Matthew 1:25 But he had no sexual relations with her before she gave birth to her son. And Joseph named him Jesus.
Phillips: The New Testament in Modern English:
Matthew 1:25 but had no intercourse with her until she had given birth to a son. Then he gave him the name Jesus.
The New English Bible:
Matthew 1:25 but had no intercourse with her until her son was born. And he named the child Jesus.
Fenton: The Holy Bible in Modern English:
Matthew 1:25 but kept apart from her until she had given birth to her Son; and he named Him JESUS.
The Bible: James Moffatt Translation:
Matthew 1:25 but he did not live with her as a husband till she bore a son, whom he called Jesus.
Amplified Bible:
Matthew 1:25 But he had no union with her as her husband until she had borne her firstborn Son; and he called His name Jesus.
"Perpetual virginity of Mary," Wikipedia:
"In the 3rd century, Hippolytus of Rome held that Mary was 'ever-virgin,' while Clement of Alexandria, writing soon after the Protoevangelium appeared [2nd century], appealed to its incident of a midwife who examined Mary immediately after the birth ('after giving birth, she was examined by a midwife, who found her to be a virgin') and asserted that this was to be found in the Gospels ('These things are attested to by the Scriptures of the Lord'), though he was referring to an apocryphal Gospel as a fact."
"The Catholic Church has gone further than the Orthodox in making the Perpetual Virginity one of the four Marian dogmas, meaning that it is held to be a truth divinely revealed, the denial of which is heresy. It declares her virginity before, during and after the birth of Jesus, or in the definition formulated by Pope Martin I at the Lateran Council of 649:
"'The blessed ever-virginal and immaculate Mary conceived, without seed, by the Holy Spirit, and without loss of integrity brought him forth, and after his birth preserved her virginity inviolate.'"
Webster's New World Dictionary:
"matrix ... 1 [Archaic] the womb."
"fissure ... 1 a long, narrow, deep cleft or crack."
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance: Hebrew and Aramaic Dictionary:
"6362. patar ... a primitive root; to cleave or burst through, i.e. (cause) to emit, whether literally or figuratively (gape)."
"6363. peter ... or ... pitrah ... from 6362; a fissure, i.e. (concretely) firstling (as opening the matrix)."
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance: Greek Dictionary of the New Testament:
"1272. dianoigo ... to open thoroughly, literally (as a first-born) or figuratively (to expound)."
New Catholic Version: Douay-Confraternity (1961):
Exodus 13:1 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying:
2 Sanctify unto me all the firstborn that openeth [Strong's: 6363. peter] the womb among the children of Israel, as well as men as of beasts: for they are all mine.
King James Version:
Numbers 18:15 Every thing that openeth [Strong's: 6363. peter] the matrix in all flesh, which they bring unto the LORD, whether it be of men or beasts, shall be thine: nevertheless the firstborn of man shalt thou surely redeem, and the firstling of unclean beasts shalt thou redeem.
New Catholic Version: Douay-Confraternity (1961):
Luke 2:21 And when eight days were fulfilled for his circumcision, his name was called Jesus, the name given him by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
22 And when the days of her purification were fulfilled according to the Law of Moses, they took him up to Jersualem to present him to the Lord —
23 as it is written in the Law of the Lord, Every male that opens [Strong's: 1272. dianoigo] the womb shall be called holy to the Lord —
24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, "a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons."
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance: Greek Dictionary of the New Testament:
"3439. monogenes ... only-born, i.e. sole."
The words in bold in the following verses are the New American Catholic Bible (1971) translations of the Greek word monogenes, and represent every occurrence of monogenes in the New Testament.
Luke 7:12 As he approached the gate of the town a dead man was being carried out, the only son of a widowed mother. A considerable crowd of townsfolk were with her.
Luke 8:41 A man named Jarius, who was chief of the synagogue, came up and fell at Jesus' feet, begging that he come to his home
42 because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying. As Jesus went, the crowds almost crushed him.
Luk 9:38 Suddenly a man from the crowd exclaimed: "Teacher, I beg you to look at my son; he is my only child."
John 1:14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we have seen his glory: the glory of an only Son coming from the Father, filled with enduring love.
John 1:18 No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, ever at the Father's side, who has revealed him.
John 3:16 "Yes, God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him may not die but may have eternal life."
John 3:18 "Whoever believes in him avoids condemnation, but whoever does not believe is already condemned for not believing in the name of God's only Son."
Hebrews 11:17 By faith Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac; he who had received the promises was ready to sacrifice his only son,
18 of whom it was said, "Through Isaac shall your descendants be called."
1 John 4:9 God's love was revealed in our midst in this way: he sent his only Son to the world that we might have life through him.
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance: Greek Dictionary of the New Testament:
"4416. protokos ... first-born."
The words in bold in the following verses, unless otherwise noted, are the New American Catholic Bible (1971) translations of the Greek word protokos, and represent every occurrence of protokos in the New Testament.
Matthew 1:24 So Joseph, arising from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him, and took until him his wife.
25 And he did not know her till she brought forth her firstborn son. And he called his name Jesus. (New Catholic Version: Douay-Confraternity)
Luke 2:7 She gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the place where travelers lodged.
Romans 8:29 Those whom he foreknew he predestined to share the image of his Son, that the Son might be the first-born of many brothers.
Colossians 1:15 He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creatures.
Colossians 1:18 It is he who is head of the body, the church; he who is the beginning, the first-born of the dead, so that primacy may be his in everything.
Hebrews 11:28 By faith he [Moses] kept the Passover and sprinkled the lamb's blood, that the destroying angel might not touch the first-born of Israel.
Hebrews 12:22 No, you have drawn near to Mount Zion and the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to myriads of angels in festal gathering,
23 to the assembly of the first-born enrolled in heaven, to God the judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect,
24 to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood which speaks more eloquently than that of Abel.
New American Catholic Bible (1971), unless otherwise noted:
Psalms 69:9 I have become an outcast to my brothers, a stranger to my mother's sons.
10 Because zeal for your house consumes me, and the insults of those who blaspheme you fall upon me.
[John 2:17 His disciples recalled the words of Scripture: "Zeal for your house consumes me."]
Matthew 1:24 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:
25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son [Strong's: protokos (first-born), not monogenes (only-born)]: and he called his name JESUS. (KJV)
Matthew 12:46 He was still addressing the crowds when his mother and his brothers appeared outside to speak with him.
47 Someone said to him, "Your mother and your brothers are standing out there and they wish to speak to you."
Matthew 13:54 Jesus next went to his native place and spent his time teaching them in their synagogue. They were filled with amazement, and said to one another, "Where did this man get such wisdom and miraculous powers?
55 Isn't this the carpenter's son? Isn't Mary known to be his mother and James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas his brothers?
56 Aren't his sisters our neighbors? Where did he get all this?"
Mark 3:31 His mother and his brothers arrived, and as they stood outside they sent word to him to come out.
32 The crowd seated around him told him, "Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside asking for you."
Mark 6:2 When the sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue in a way that kept his large audience amazed. They said: "Where did he get all this? What kind of wisdom is he endowed with? How is it that such miraculous deeds are accomplished by his hand?
3 Is this not the carpenter, the son of Mary, a brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Are not his sisters our neighbors here?" They found him too much for them.
Luke 2:4 And so Joseph went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to David's town of Bethlehem — because he was of the house and lineage of David —
5 to register with Mary, his espoused wife, who was with child.
6 While they were there the days of her confinement were completed.
7 She gave birth to her first-born son [Strong's: protokos (first-born), not monogenes (only-born)] and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the place where travelers lodged.
Luke 8:19 His mother and brothers came to be with him, but they could not reach him because of the crowd.
20 He was told, "Your mother and your brothers are standing outside and they wish to see you."
John 2:11 This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory; and his disciples believed in him.
12 After this he went down to Capernaum, with his mother and his brothers and his disciples; and there they stayed for a few days. (RSV)
John 7:2 However, as the Jewish feast of Booths drew near,
3 his brothers had this to say: "You ought to leave here and go to Judea so that your disciples there may see the works you are performing.
4 No one who wishes to be known publicly keeps his actions hidden. If you are going to do things like these, you may as well display yourself to the world at large."
5 (As a matter of fact, not even his brothers had much confidence in him.) [RSV: For even his brothers did not believe in him.]
6 Jesus answered them: "It is not yet the right time for, whereas the time is always right for you.
7 The world is incapable of hating you, but it does hate me because of the evidence I bring against it that what it does is evil.
8 Go up yourselves to the festival. I am not going up to this festival because the time is not yet ripe for me."
9 Having said this, he stayed on in Galilee.
10 However, once his brothers had gone up to the festival he too went up, but as if in secret and not for all to see.
Acts 1:12 After that they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet near Jerusalem — a mere sabbath's journey away.
13 Entering the city, they went to the upstairs room where they were staying: Peter and James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alpheus; Simon, the Zealot party member, and Judas son of James.
14 Together they devoted themselves to constant prayer. There were some women in their company, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.
1 Corinthians 9:5 Do we not have the right to marry a believing woman like the rest of the apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas?
Galatians 1:18 Three years after that I went up to Jerusalem to get to know Cephas, with whom I stayed fifteen days.
19 I did not meet any other apostles except James, the brother of the Lord.
20 I declare before God that what I have just written is true.
Topical Bible Studies > Angels > "Mariology" > This Study