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Did Mary Remain a Virgin?

Today’s Question: Tom, Tom, Tom...I can't believe that you, a supposedly learned man are teaching things of which you know not. You recite a ridiculous Protestant doctrine that says that Mary didn't remain a virgin and that Jesus actually had brothers & sisters!

In the New American Bible’s English translation of the Gospel of St. Mark we do indeed read about the crowd asking, "Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary, a brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Aren’t His sisters our neighbors here?" (Mk 6:3) A similar reference occurs earlier in Mk 3:31: "His mother and brothers arrived...."

The problem emerges in understanding the meaning of the word brother. In the original text of the Gospel, we find the Greek word adelphos, meaning brother, used. However, adelphos does not just mean blood brothers born of the same parents. Rather, adelphos was used to describe brothers not born of the same parents, like a half-brother or stepbrother. The word also described other relationships, like cousins, nephews, etc.

For example, in Genesis 13:8 and 14:16, the word adelphos was used to describe the relationship between Abraham and Lot; however, these two men did not share a brother relationship, but one of uncle and nephew.

Actually, the confusion originates in Hebrew and Aramaic, the languages of most of the original Old Testament texts and of Christ. In these languages, no special word existed for cousin, nephew, half-brother, or step-brother; so they used the word brother or a circumlocution, such as in the case of a cousin, "the son of the brother of my father." When the Old Testament was translated into Greek and the New Testament written in Greek, the word adelphos was used to capture all of these meanings. So in each instance, we must examine the context in which the title is used. In all, the confusion arises in English because of the lack of distinct terms for relatives in the Hebrew and Aramaic, and the usage of the Greek adelphos to signify all of these relations.

Therefore, as Catholics, based on Sacred Scripture and Tradition, we do not believe that Mary and Joseph had other children and consequently that Jesus had any blood brothers or sisters.

Yours in Christ

L.M. Brungardt

Bible Answer: Hi Laurance. Your agument about the brothers and sisters of Jesus are very lame. You mentioned the Greek word, adelphos, means both relatives and brothers. Then you quoted the Hebrew in Genesis 13:8. How can you quote from the Greek in Mark and the quote the Hebrew in Genesis 13:8 and say those are the same words. I give you the benefit of the doubt that you meant the Greek Septuagint.

The word adelphos means literally, the sharing of the womb. I quote to you Strongs:

adephos (ad-el-fos'); from 1 (as a connective particle) and delphus (the womb); a brother (literally or figuratively) near or remote [much like 1]: KJV-- brother.

So the word adelphos comes from the word womb. This clearly places his brothers and sisters as coming from the same womb that Jesus came from.

Fortunately we have another word in the Greek for relatives. Luke 1:36 says:

Even Elizabeth your RELATIVE is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month.

The Greek word "relative" sometimes translated cousin is the word suggenes. Strongs defines it as the following:

suggenes (soong-ghen-ace'); a relative (by blood); by extension, a fellow countryman: KJV-- cousin, kin (-sfolk, -sman).

You notice the word sugGENES has the word "genes" which can mean brother and sister, but can also mean any relative that shares genes with you. Cousin’s have similar genes, that's why we often look like our cousins.

You see, your catholic church, tells you that there are not any Greek words for cousin or relative. You said, "no special word existed for cousin, nephew, half-brother, or step-brother; so they used the word brother or a circumlocution, such as in the case of a cousin, 'the son of the brother of my father.'"

I've just showed you the Greek word suggenes. Mary had more children after Christ was born. She was a virgin at the time of Jesus conception and birth. That's what matters. But you catholics want to make Mary as Co-Redeemer, Mediator of all Graces and Advocate for the people of God. I guess you think keeping her a Virgin will make people venerate her. Mary has become a goddess in the Catholic church, and that is idolatry--anyway you look at it.

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