Results 1 - 8 of 8
|
|
|||||
Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Was Mary a virgin her whole life | Matt 1:25 | srbaegon | 47751 | ||
Hello Hank Over the years I've bristled at those in the Reformed camp who would continually fall back on creeds and confessions to prove a point. Just this year I finally figured out why. They did not want to stray from the truth that had previously been discovered and taught! This modern day has such a breadth and depth of solid teaching--confirmed over the centuries and helped by recent discoveries--that there should be little excuse for these odd doctrines to appear. Yet pride continues to have its way in our hearts, so that "I know best." Knowing what it's like to be shot down, Steve |
||||||
2 | Was Mary a virgin her whole life | Matt 1:25 | Hank | 47761 | ||
Steve, should it become necessary for you or a member of your family to have major medical care, how would you feel about consulting a physican who discounted everything that medical arts and sciences have learned since the days of Hippocrates? I don't believe you would be willing to entrust such a doctor with your physical welfare, and neither would I, and neither would anyone else who had good sense. Why then would we want to entrust our spiritual welfare to some guru who subscribes to the same philosophy as our fictional doctor in this illustration? --Hank | ||||||
3 | Was Mary a virgin her whole life | Matt 1:25 | jawz | 47951 | ||
I would rather be treated by someone who had been a practising physician all his life than someone who was extrememly knowledgeable but had never practised. The Early Christian Fathers lived and breathed the Greek language and had been taught many more things that had been passed on by the Apostles. We have only the Gospels and a few letters written in a language we no longer speak. If Paul hadn't been locked up so much we probably wouldn't even have his letters. The Apostles taught orally in person, it was only when circumstances did not permit that they wrote letters, but they also sent others to confirm 'orally' what was written. The bible is a small but important part of that tradition that was passed on by the Apostles but it is by no means all that was passed on. The early Christians knew that Mary remained a virgin, it was never disputed until Helvidius in the 4th century and when the dispute was answered by Jerome, it was with reluctance for fear that his reply might make Helvidius appear worth defeating. Every branch of the Orthodox church throughout the world (and of course the Roman Catholics) know without a doubt that Mary remained a virgin, because that is what the Apostles taught and was in turn passed on by their successors and so on within the church. You do not see a "cult of the ever-virginity of Mary" spring up from Jerome and his successors. Likewise, their is no way that Jerome could have influenced and changed the doctrines held by so many churches over such a wide geographic dispersion. | ||||||
4 | Was Mary a virgin her whole life | Matt 1:25 | Morant61 | 47957 | ||
Greetings Jawz! Would you mind providing references to where the Early Church Father's taught that Mary remained a virgin? Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |
||||||
5 | Was Mary a virgin her whole life | Matt 1:25 | jawz | 47965 | ||
It is rather the absence of anything to the contrary of Mary being ever-virgin. When Jerome writes against Helvidius in the 4th century, note the tone of his response. Note also the complete lack of any disagreement from any of the churches at the time or later. If you go to any orthodox church on the globe, whether it be in Syria or Jerusalem or Norway or Egypt or Romania or Russia you will find the same thing taught about the ever-virginity of Mary, yet I do not think you will find anywhere in any ecumenical council where this was laid out as church dogma. It wasn't necessary because it was always understood to be the case. | ||||||
6 | Was Mary a virgin her whole life | Matt 1:25 | Morant61 | 47970 | ||
Greetings Jawz! An argument from silence is not very convincing! :-) You have been claiming, if I recall correctly, that the popular interpretation of Mt. 1:25 is in violation of the teachings and understanding of the Early Church Fathers. But, there is no such teaching until the fourth century, with earlier writers like Tertullian explicitly denying the perpertual virginity of Mary. In fact, your very agrument, about the word 'until' doesn't even appear until the fourth century in a commentary by John Chrysostom. It would seem that the usage of the word is pretty clear. So, I would have to respectfully disagree with your approach until (no pun intended) you can provide some early evidence of believe in the perpetual virginity of Mary. p.s. - You mentioned earlier that you spoke Greek. If you don't mind me asking, how did that come about? Are you Greek? Just curious! Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |
||||||
7 | Was Mary a virgin her whole life | Matt 1:25 | jawz | 47979 | ||
Married to a beautiful Greek woman and currently working at the Centre for the Greek Language in Thessaloniki. I'm a sixth generation Aussie if that means anything. Tim, there is no point in the history of the Orthodox church that I can find where it was decided that Mary was ever-virgin. The Orthodox church maintains exactly the same traditions now that it has for nearly 2000 years. Church liturgy is filled with scripture such that every service is a recitation of scripture. If you go to a service in Egypt or Palestine or Greece, apart from the language the services will be almost identical, despite having been physically seperate for hundreds of years. This is the nature of the Orthodox church. All of them believe that Mary remained a virgin. |
||||||
8 | Was Mary a virgin her whole life | Matt 1:25 | Morant61 | 47982 | ||
Greetings Jawz! Aren't all Greek women beautiful? At least they are in the movies! :-) I'd like to learn to speak modern Greek. I've had training in Koine Greek, but I wouldn't begin to try to speak it! :-) One of the things I love about the internet is the ability to meet brothers and sisters in Christ from all over the world! Concerning traditions, doesn't everyone say that their tradition is unbroken? ;-) Seriously though, I would need ealier references than the fourth century to believe that it was an early church tradition. And even then, we would still have the problem that it isn't actually taught in Scripture anyway. Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |
||||||