The Bible PROVES Mary was ALWAYS a Virgin (NeedGod.net Rebuttal)

Here's a breakdown of the "Shameless Popery" video "The Bible PROVES Mary was ALWAYS a Virgin (NeedGod.net Rebuttal)":

1. Video Summary

The video "The Bible PROVES Mary was ALWAYS a Virgin (NeedGod.net Rebuttal)" by Shameless Popery (Joe Heschmeyer) aims to present a biblical case for the Catholic doctrine of Mary's perpetual virginity – meaning she remained a virgin before, during, and after the birth of Jesus. The video directly addresses and attempts to refute common Protestant objections to this doctrine, particularly those raised by the website NeedGod.net. Heschmeyer argues that scriptural evidence, when understood in its historical and linguistic context, supports the teaching of Mary's lifelong virginity. He builds his case by interpreting specific passages, addressing the meaning of key Greek words, and drawing on Jewish customs and theological reasoning.

2. Scripture Mentioned and Arguments For

Here are the key scriptures mentioned in the video and the arguments they are used to support in favor of Mary's perpetual virginity:

• Luke 1:34: "Then Mary said to the angel, 'How can this be, since I do not know a man?'" (The video refers to this as Mary asking, "How will this be since I am a virgin?").

• Argument: Mary's question, despite being betrothed (the first stage of Jewish marriage), suggests she had a pre-existing commitment or vow to virginity. If she anticipated a normal marital life including sexual relations after the second stage of marriage (cohabitation), her profound surprise and question about conceiving would be less understandable. Her response implies an expectation of continued virginity.

• Matthew 1:25: "...and knew her not until she had borne a son. And he called his name Jesus."

• Argument: The video argues that the word "until" (Greek: heos hou) does not necessarily imply that Joseph did have marital relations with Mary after Jesus's birth. It emphasizes that the primary purpose of this verse in Matthew's gospel is to affirm the miraculous virgin birth of Jesus, fulfilling prophecy. The focus is on her virginity up to the point of birth. The video also cites an example like 1 Timothy 4:13 ("Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching") where "until" does not mean the action (teaching) ceases afterward. Joseph's abstaining "until" the birth is presented as respecting Mary's unique role and possible vow.

• John 19:26-27: "When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, 'Woman, behold your son!' Then He said to the disciple, 'Behold your mother!' And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home."

• Argument: Jesus entrusting Mary to the care of John, the beloved disciple (who was not her biological son in the same way Jesus was), implies she had no other sons to fulfill this familial duty. Under Jewish law and custom, the care of a widowed mother would fall to her sons. If Jesus had other brothers, this action would be highly unusual.

• Ezekiel 44:2: "Then the LORD said to me: 'This gate shall be shut; it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter by it, because the LORD God of Israel has entered by it; therefore it shall be shut.'"

• Argument: This passage is1 interpreted typologically by some Church Fathers and in the video as a prophecy referring to Mary's womb. The "gate" through which the "LORD God of Israel" (Jesus) entered the world remains "shut," symbolizing her perpetual virginity after Christ's birth.

• Addressing Jesus's "Brothers" (Greek: adelphoi):

• Scriptures typically cited by opponents (and addressed by the video): Mark 6:3 ("Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon?"), Matthew 13:55-56.

• Counter-Scriptures/Arguments used in the video:

• Mark 15:40: "There were also women looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome."

• Argument: The video2 points out that "James the younger and Joses," named as Jesus's "brothers," are here identified as sons of another Mary (often identified as Mary the wife of Clopas), not Mary the mother of Jesus.

• Broader use of adelphos: The video argues that the Greek word adelphos (brother) and its plural adelphoi could refer to close relatives like cousins or kinsmen, not exclusively to full biological siblings, citing Semitic language customs that influenced New Testament Greek. Examples from the Old Testament Septuagint (Greek translation) where adelphos refers to kinsmen like uncle/nephew (e.g., Abraham and Lot in Genesis 13:8; Laban and Jacob in Genesis 29:15) are often used in this line of argumentation.

• Luke 2:41-51 (Jesus lost in the Temple): The absence of any mention of younger siblings when the 12-year-old Jesus is found in the Temple, with only Mary and Joseph searching for him, is sometimes used to suggest He was an only child at that point.

• Addressing Consummation of Marriage & Celibacy:

• Scripture often cited by opponents: 1 Corinthians 7:3-5 (on spouses rendering "due benevolence" and not depriving one another).

• Argument in video: Heschmeyer argues this passage addresses general marital conduct and was written likely after Joseph's death. He also points to Paul's preference for celibacy for those who can accept it (1 Corinthians 7:7-8). The video suggests that the two-stage Jewish marriage custom could accommodate a marriage where a vow of virginity was maintained, with "consummation" being understood primarily as the bridegroom taking the bride into his home, not necessarily immediate sexual relations if a vow was involved.

3. Anticipated Objections and Answers (Based on the video's perspective and common apologetics)

• Objection 1: The word "brothers" (adelphoi) most naturally means male siblings.

• Answer: While "brother" often means sibling in English, the video argues that the Koine Greek word adelphos, especially influenced by Semitic linguistic patterns (like Aramaic and Hebrew, which lacked a specific common word for "cousin"), had a broader semantic range. It could encompass cousins, nephews, or other close male relatives. The video points to Old Testament usage (e.g., Lot as Abraham's "brother") and the identification of the "brothers" James and Joses as sons of another Mary (Mark 15:40) to support this wider understanding.

• Objection 2: The phrase "until" (heos hou) in Matthew 1:25 implies that Joseph and Mary did have marital relations after Jesus's birth.

• Answer: The video counters that "until" does not always signify a change of state after the point indicated. The example of 1 Timothy 4:13 ("Until I come, devote yourself to...") is used, where Paul does not mean Timothy should stop teaching upon his arrival. The context of Matthew 1 is to affirm Jesus's virgin birth as prophesied, not to detail Mary's entire marital life.

• Objection 3: If Mary intended to remain a virgin, why did she marry Joseph?

• Answer: In that cultural context, a woman, especially one with a special divine calling, would need the protection and social standing that marriage afforded. Joseph could act as her guardian and the legal father of Jesus. The two-stage marriage custom (betrothal/Kiddushin, then home-taking/Nisu'in) allowed for a legally binding marriage while potentially accommodating a vow of virginity before cohabitation, which, in this unique case, was superseded by divine intervention.

• Objection 4: Jesus entrusting Mary to John doesn't prove she had no other sons; perhaps His brothers were not believers at that time or were not present.

• Answer: While some "brothers" were initially unbelieving (John 7:5), the argument emphasizes the profound cultural and religious duty of sons to care for their widowed mother. For Jesus to bypass His own brothers, if they existed and were capable (even if struggling with belief, they might still fulfill familial duties), in favor of a disciple, would be a significant departure from custom. The simpler explanation, from the video's perspective, is that there were no other sons of Mary to whom this duty would fall.

• Objection 5: The interpretation of Ezekiel 44 as referring to Mary is allegorical and not the plain meaning of the text.

• Answer: The video, reflecting a common patristic and Catholic interpretive tradition, employs typology and spiritual senses of Scripture. While the "plain" or literal-historical sense concerns the Jerusalem temple, this tradition sees deeper, Christological and Mariological fulfillments in such passages. The early Church Fathers frequently used such interpretations.

• Objection 6: The Bible nowhere explicitly states, "Mary remained a virgin for her entire life."

• Answer: The video's approach is that the doctrine is not necessarily based on a single explicit verse but is a theological conclusion drawn from a cumulative case built from various scriptural passages, linguistic analysis, historical context, and the refutation of counter-arguments. It argues that perpetual virginity is the most coherent way to understand the collective scriptural witness concerning Mary's unique role and person.

4. Closing Summary of Everything Discussed

The "Shameless Popery" video "The Bible PROVES Mary was ALWAYS a Virgin (NeedGod.net Rebuttal)" endeavors to provide a scriptural defense of the Catholic teaching on Mary's perpetual virginity. It begins by asserting this as a biblically-supported doctrine, directly engaging with and aiming to refute common Protestant objections.

The core of the video's argument rests on several key scriptural interpretations: Mary's question to Gabriel (Luke 1:34) is seen as indicating a prior vow of virginity. Matthew 1:25 ("until she had borne a son") is interpreted not to imply subsequent marital relations, drawing parallels with other uses of "until." Jesus entrusting Mary to John on the cross (John 19:26-27) is presented as evidence she had no other sons to care for her. A typological reading of Ezekiel 44:2 (the closed gate) is also offered as prophetic support.

Furthermore, the video tackles the contentious issue of Jesus's "brothers" (adelphoi), arguing the term often referred to extended kinsmen rather than strictly biological siblings, citing Old Testament usage and the identification of some "brothers" as sons of another Mary. It also addresses the understanding of marriage consummation and celibacy within the Jewish context of the time.

Anticipated objections, such as the natural meaning of "brothers" or "until," the reasons for Mary's marriage if she intended virginity, and the allegorical nature of some interpretations, are countered with linguistic arguments, cultural context, and appeals to traditional Christian interpretive methods.

In essence, the video argues that while no single verse explicitly states "Mary remained always a virgin," a cohesive reading of multiple biblical texts, understood within their historical and linguistic settings, and combined with responses to common objections, builds a strong case for this traditional Christian belief.