Answer Me This! by Patrick Madrid

Author:Patrick Madrid
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Our Sunday Visitor
Published: 2012-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

28. Why does the Catholic Church teach that Mary, the Mother of Jesus, was a “perpetual virgin” when the Bible says she had other children, those known as the “brothers of the Lord” (cf. Matt. 13:55).

Actually, there is no explicit statement in Scripture — not a single one — that Mary had other children besides the Lord, just as there is no explicit statement — not a single one — that says she did not have other children. The Bible speaks of the “brothers of the Lord,”155 At best, we must look for the truth amid the implicit statements in Scripture that can help us know the answer to the question: Was Mary perpetually a virgin?

It’s important to keep in mind that there is no argument between Protestants and Catholics regarding the fact that Mary was a virgin before the birth of Christ. The dispute arises over whether she remained that way after His birth.

The Greek word for “brother” is adelphos. Not unlike the way the word “brother” is used in modern English, adelphos also had a variety of meanings in the New Testament. The literal meaning referred to siblings born of the same mother or father (or both).156 But adelphos was also used in a much wider nonliteral sense, referring, for example, to the first followers of Christ,157 to any fellow human being,158 to one’s fellow countrymen,159 to friends, extended family, and neighbors,160 and also to fellow Christians.161 This is an important biblical clue to keep in mind. It would be a serious mistake to assume that just because a man is called the “brother” (adelphos) of the Lord that it means that he was a son of Mary the mother of Jesus. Depending on the context in which we see it used, the word adelphos can indeed have the connotation of a sibling (i.e., from the same womb), but it does not always mean that. In fact, in both the Old and New Testaments, it frequently does not mean that.

Perhaps the most intriguing passage pertaining to this issue is Matthew 13:55-56, where four men are named as the “brothers” (Greek: adelphoi) of Christ: James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas.162 For those who believe that Mary did not remain a virgin after Christ’s birth, in other words, that she had normal marital relations with St. Joseph during the rest of their marriage, this passage seems to cinch the case against the Catholic teaching on Mary’s perpetual virginity. But in reality, it really doesn’t in the least disprove it. The reason is that two of these four men who are called Christ’s “brothers,” James163 and Joseph, were actually the sons of another Mary — the wife of Cleophas.164 This relationship can be seen by comparing Matthew 27:56 with John 19:25 and Mark 15:40-47; 16:1.

This very clearly indicates that just because these men were known as the “brothers” of the Lord, at least two of them, James and Joseph, were not the sons of Mary, the mother of Jesus.

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