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Matthew 1:18-25 - How do we know Mary was a virgin?
by Jex and more Jex » Wed Nov 06, 2019 2:20 pm
How do we know Mary really was a virgin and didn't lie cuz embarrassed by premarital sex/pregnancy?
- Jex and more Jex
Re: Matthew 1:18-25 - How do we know Mary was a virgin?
by jimwalton » Sun Nov 24, 2019 8:57 pm
There are several things that lead us to that she really was a virgin and she wasn't lying.
1. In those days they didn't know all the science we do, but they sure did know about the birds and the bees. Virginity was a status they had recognized for millennia.
2. Matthew and Luke specifically say she had never had sex (Mt. 1.18; Lk. 1.34). Luke was a doctor; he knew what sex and virginity were.
3. Every indication we're given about Mary is that she was a person of honestly and integrity.
4. We can reasonably surmise that people did think she was lying, and that she lives a life of great humiliation. Luke 4.22 may give a clue to that. When the people ask, "Isn’t this Joseph’s son?", one possible interpretation is that it is a hidden reference to his alleged illegitimacy, which was probably common in Nazareth: "How could this son of Joseph, the bastard son of that whore Mary, be the Messiah?" Another possible evidence is that the couple never returned to Bethlehem but instead went to live in Nazareth, a tiny village in nowhere land.
5. They would have no reason to make this up, for 2 reasons. It would only complicate their case and their claims to say such a thing:
A. No one was expecting a virginal birth for the Messiah. It was not part of their Jewish tradition or part of any recognized prophesy.
B. They had nothing to gain from making up such a story. It would only subject them to ridicule both from Jews and Gentiles. Without a basis for claiming it, the only reason they would claim such a thing as if it were true, and then have to spend 2000 years defending it.
1. In those days they didn't know all the science we do, but they sure did know about the birds and the bees. Virginity was a status they had recognized for millennia.
2. Matthew and Luke specifically say she had never had sex (Mt. 1.18; Lk. 1.34). Luke was a doctor; he knew what sex and virginity were.
3. Every indication we're given about Mary is that she was a person of honestly and integrity.
4. We can reasonably surmise that people did think she was lying, and that she lives a life of great humiliation. Luke 4.22 may give a clue to that. When the people ask, "Isn’t this Joseph’s son?", one possible interpretation is that it is a hidden reference to his alleged illegitimacy, which was probably common in Nazareth: "How could this son of Joseph, the bastard son of that whore Mary, be the Messiah?" Another possible evidence is that the couple never returned to Bethlehem but instead went to live in Nazareth, a tiny village in nowhere land.
5. They would have no reason to make this up, for 2 reasons. It would only complicate their case and their claims to say such a thing:
A. No one was expecting a virginal birth for the Messiah. It was not part of their Jewish tradition or part of any recognized prophesy.
B. They had nothing to gain from making up such a story. It would only subject them to ridicule both from Jews and Gentiles. Without a basis for claiming it, the only reason they would claim such a thing as if it were true, and then have to spend 2000 years defending it.
Last bumped by Anonymous on Sun Nov 24, 2019 8:57 pm.
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