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| Lk 1:34 | how can this be, I know not man? | This shows that Mary understands how conception works (she lived in a rural area with livestock, after all). So why ask how the angel's promise is to be accomplished? She wouldn't ask if she knew the marriage to Joseph was to be consummated (i.e., she knew she was to give up her virginhood). One possibility: early writings claimed that Mary was a consecrated virgin, avowed to perpetual virginity, with the more senior Joseph as her protector. The Church has not ruled definitively on that particular aspect.
See related topics: Mary - Virgin and Brothers of the Lord.
For a more detailed discussion, see the article: The Virgin Birth of Christ. |
| Lk 2:41-51 | Jesus evidently the only son of Mary | Mary and Joseph look for Jesus amongst "their kinsfolks and acquaintances." No one else in their nuclear family is mentioned. Furthermore, in verse 48, Mary says she and Joseph had sought Jesus "in sorrowing." No other immediate family members are mentioned. If Jesus had had siblings through Mary, one can easily imagine that they would have shared in the sorrow and panic that Mary and Joseph had felt. While the foregoing is not offered as definitive, it is consistent with the understanding that Jesus was Mary's only child. |
| Mk 6:3 | "the son" not "a son" of Mary | Again, the foregoing is not offered as definitive but as another piece of circumstantial evidence that is consistent with the understanding that Jesus was Mary's only child. |
| Mt 13:55-56 | brothers James, Joseph etc. [1]verse used to challenge Catholic teaching | This verse is sometimes interpreted by non-Catholics as naming the actual brothers of Jesus from the line of Mary. However... |
| Mt 27:56 | Mary, mother of James, Joseph | This verse identifies a Mary (a popular name at the time) as the mother of James and Joseph. |
| Jn 19:25 | Mary the wife of Cleophas | But this verse identifies Mary of Cleophas as the sister of Mary, the Blessed Virgin. |
| Mk 15:47 | ...is James, Joses mom | And here Mary of Cleophas is the one identified as the mother of James and Joses/Joseph |
| Mt 27:56 | ...is James, Joses mom | |
| Jn 19:26 | Mary given to John, not brothers | Jesus gave Mary to John to take care of, not something that should happen if Mary had other sons to fulfill that role. |
| Jn 7:3-4 | brothers act like elders | The "brothers" act like elders, not something one would expect if Jesus had younger siblings. This supports the idea that Joseph had other children from a prior marriage -- as described in an early extrabiblical narrative. |
| Mk 3:21 | brothers: "he is out of his mind" | The "brothers" act like elders, not something one would expect from younger siblings. |
| Mt 1:25 | knew her not until her firstborn [1]verse used to challenge Catholic teaching | The use of "until" can imply a change in condition after the event, but not necessarily so. |
| Mt 28:20 | with you always, until the end | Here, "until" does not mean that after the end that Jesus will abandon us. |
| 1 Tm 4:13 | until I arrive, attend to duties | In another example, "until" does not mean that duties are to be unattended after Paul arrives. |
| 1 Cr 15:25 | he reigns until enemy underfoot | The use of "until" does not mean that the reign of Jesus will end after the subjugation of his enemies. |
| Lk 1:80 | John in desert until manifestation | |
| Ex 13:2 | first-born opens womb, sanctified | The term "firstborn" is a special designation for the first child, denoting a special consecration to God. It does not imply that additional children have been (or will be) born of the same mother. |
| Nb 3:12 | first-born opens womb | |
| Ex 34:19-20 | redeem first-born among sons | The "first-born" are identified as belonging to God. |
| Ez 44:1-2 | Lord's gateway reserved | St. Augustine and other early church fathers have held that this shows that Mary ever remained a pure virgin. |
