Mrs. God
- Thread starter crabcake
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Kain99
Guest
That's not new. There has been speculation for years that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were lovers.
If it was true would it change your faith in Jesus Christ (assuming you are a Christian)? I would actually have MORE respect for him on this front because he would understand more about the troubles I have with balancing a career with a family and a loving relationship with my wife.
I know the theory might be a bit heretical, but think about it: Part of the reason that Jesus was created could have been to let God know personally what it is to be cold or hungry, or lonely, or tempted to do the things that people do. That's why Christ's compassion works so well in our souls. We know that he knows where we come from, and yet his sacrifice was the ultimate atonement for our sins.
I know the theory might be a bit heretical, but think about it: Part of the reason that Jesus was created could have been to let God know personally what it is to be cold or hungry, or lonely, or tempted to do the things that people do. That's why Christ's compassion works so well in our souls. We know that he knows where we come from, and yet his sacrifice was the ultimate atonement for our sins.
Dymphna
Loyalty, Friendship, Love
I knew a priest who made a comment once that Jesus was likely married. For a man in that era to be unmarried in his thirties would have been cause for comment and the writers of the New Testament would have mentioned it specifically.
Many Christian denominations also deny that Jesus had siblings. But the Bible specifically mentions Jesus' brother. Some people say this was only a figure of speech, but these same people take every other word in the Bible as the literal truth, so what's the hang up on the word "brother?" In the times in which Mary lived, it would've been shameful to her if she'd only had one child. If there were no other sons, Joseph would've been well within his rights to keep Jesus at home learning the family trade, not running around preaching. Many people of his time would've refused to listen to him if they'd found out he was running around the countryside instead of being a dutiful son. There must've been another son to take over the business, probably several and probably daughters too.
Many Christian denominations also deny that Jesus had siblings. But the Bible specifically mentions Jesus' brother. Some people say this was only a figure of speech, but these same people take every other word in the Bible as the literal truth, so what's the hang up on the word "brother?" In the times in which Mary lived, it would've been shameful to her if she'd only had one child. If there were no other sons, Joseph would've been well within his rights to keep Jesus at home learning the family trade, not running around preaching. Many people of his time would've refused to listen to him if they'd found out he was running around the countryside instead of being a dutiful son. There must've been another son to take over the business, probably several and probably daughters too.
Steve
Enjoying life!
Good points, all of them. I thought I'd heard that James, the brother of Jesus, was pretty well documented? Or maybe it is that James is well documented, but not necessarily as the brother of Jesus? Anyway, there is also little account of Jesus' life between about 12 and 30 years old. In almost two decades, quite a bit can happen!
Steve
Enjoying life!
Actually, I think the term "virgin" only applies to her pregnancy with Jesus, meaning that he was born without the need for intercourse with Joseph. She just "became" pregnant. Jesus supposedly had older brothers, and possibly sisters. I think the exact Aramaic word has lost its meaning and been warped. But hey, I ain't no bible scholar!
Dymphna
Loyalty, Friendship, Love
You were raised Catholic, weren't you?
Don't get me wrong, I'm Catholic. I intend to raise my kids that way. But the average parish teaches the Bible and the Catholic religion at a child's level. They don't ask you to think. When I went to college, the church I went to asked to to approach your faith on an adult level. The priest discussed with us little known church documents (specifically the "Vatican II" documents) that radically defy what your parish priest taught you, without invalidating the basic tenets of the faith. The problem with Vatican II is it allows people to question things the Church taught for centuries without being branded heretics, which was done in the past. The problem with that is, it shook the Catholic church to it's core, many devout Catholics couldn't handle that and many parish priests and schools tried to pretend it never happened. Many, to this day won't discuss it.
I cannot find the passage I want to quote, but there is something about when Mary comes to Jesus on the cross, it also says that his brothers were there. But some denominations, Catholic especially, are so fixated on the idea that Mary was and always will be a virgin, they actually deny the words in the Bible.
Toxick
Splat
I think this is fairly straightforward:
Matthew 13:55-56 : Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brothers, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Jude? And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this [man] all these things?
Notice sisters is plural even though none are mentioned by name. So it seems Mary had at least 7 children.
I guess the hangup, and why churches, or people don't want to admit that Jesus had siblings (or half-siblings actually) is because that is to say that Virgin Mary wasn't a virgin for eternity. She may have conceived Jesus without knowing the touch of men, but nowhere does it say that she died that way.
This mindset probably came about due to the church's ever so popular Sex = EVIL attitude.
