Mary, Mother of God

Hi! I'm a Lutheran, and have been all my life. One issue that is bothering me, is the one of Mary. My question is: was Mary a virgin her whole life?
I've done some research, and my interpretation of plain Scripture says that she did not, and that Jesus had half-brothers and -sisters.
But on the other hand, the Catholic church teaches that she was, and some of the greatest teachers of the church also did; Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Martin Luther, John Calvin, Hulrych Zwingli and John Wesley, just to mention a few. The only one I found that oposed the doctrine in ancient times, was Tertullian.
This makes me doubt my interpretation of Scripture. How should I deal with this issue?


Hello Marcus,

I can understand your troubles in this matter. I know many dear and respected brothers who hold to this teaching, known as Semper Virgo. It is also a long held and beloved tradition that holds great emotional weight with millions of Christians over the ages. I personally do not hold to this teaching for the very reason you have suggested. Here is a good article by an esteemed friend of mine, Dr. David Scaer. He would agree with you that plain scripture makes a strong case against Semper Virgo.

www.logia.org/features/feature193.pdf

The main reason I choose to strongly disagree with this teaching is that it undermines the doctrine of marriage. From long ago, based on a platonic dualism (Pagan Greek philosophy), folks have thought that the physical realm is evil and the spiritual realm is good. Thus there arose many "ascetic" teachings trying to demonize any bodily pleasure, including sex within marriage.

In scripture, and specifically in the Hebrew culture, marriage and the consummation thereof are fully one in the same. Historically, there is no way Mary would say to Joseph, "Ok fella, we've signed the papers but I'm too prudish and wholesome to actually fulfill the marriage." Marriage is a sacred estate and in no way is it less pious than celibacy. Marriage, in which a woman leaves her parents and becomes one flesh with her husband, is a symbol of Christ and the church. On this Christmas day we celebrate the incarnation of Christ, in which God himself became one flesh with his bride. I'm not going to go around casting doubt about the incarnation because some prudish folks think that God laying in a manger is somehow "dirty and unwholesome".

Nonetheless, we do not condemn those who hold to the Semper Virgo. It is a private opinion and not a central article of faith.

Blessings on this Christ-Mass,

Pastor Harris