The virginity of Mary, the three aspects of the dogma
The three aspects of the virginity of Mary
The doctrine of the virginity of Mary is articulated by theological tradition in three distinct but inseparable aspects: virginitas ante partum (virginity before childbirth, the virginal conception of Jesus), virginitas in partu (virginity during childbirth, the miraculous birth without rupture of physical integrity) and virginitas post partum (virginity after childbirth, Mary had no other children). Together the three aspects constitute what the Magisterium calls the “perpetual virginity” of Mary, an article of faith defined by the Lateran Council (649) and reaffirmed by Vatican II in Lumen Gentium (LG 57).
Biblical foundation, Isaiah 7:14 and Luke 1:34
The biblical foundation of the virginitas ante partum is twofold. In Isaiah 7:14, the LXX translates almah as parthenos (virgin): “the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel”. Matthew 1:22-23 explicitly cites this prophecy in the context of the birth of Jesus from Mary. In Luke 1:34, Mary asks the angel: “How shall this be, for I do not know man?” This phrase was interpreted by patristic tradition not as momentary astonishment, but as the expression of a purpose of virginity. Tradition recognizes in this question the awareness of Mary that her life was entirely consecrated to God.
The “brothers of Jesus”, the exegetical question
The question of the “brothers of Jesus” (Mt 12:46; Mk 3:31; Gal 1:19) is the most common objection to the virginitas post partum. Catholic and Orthodox tradition presents two principal interpretations: the Hieronymian solution (Saint Jerome), according to which the “brothers” are cousins of Jesus (the Greek adelphos translates the Hebrew ah, which covers various degrees of kinship), and the Epiphanian solution (Epiphanius of Salamis), according to which they are sons of Joseph from a first marriage. Both solutions are compatible with faith in the perpetual virginity of Mary and have been accepted by the Magisterium.
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