nothing of this kind had yet taken place between them: “How can this be,
since I am a virgin?” (St. Luke 1:34). The second stage of marriage was the
social formality of the public celebration. The Virgin Mary and St. Joseph
in all probability missed out on this second stage due to their flight to
Egypt; nevertheless, this did not invalidate their marriage.
The Catholic answer to St. Matthew 12:46 and 13:54 is detailed but
decisive. There existed no special word in Hebrew or Aramaic for
“cousin.” The word “brother” is used in these languages in a general sense,
and does not necessarily imply that children are of the same parent. There
are many examples in the Old Testament when the word brother was
applied to any sort of relations: nephew (Gen. 12:5; 13:8; 14:16); uncle
(Gen. 29:15); husband (Songs. 4:9); a member of the same tribe (2 Kgs.
9:13); of the same people (Exod. 2:21); an ally (Amos 1:9); a friend (2 Kgs.
1:26); one of the same office (1 Sam. 9:13).
Second objection: “This may well be the case but St. Matthew 1:25
says that Joseph ‘had no marital relations with her until she had
borne a son; and he named him Jesus.’ This implies that Mary,
therefore, had other children conceived by Joseph after giving birth to
Jesus.”
It would be well here to reproduce the footnote commentary on this verse
from the Douai-Rheims version of the New Testament:
“St. Jerome shows, by divers examples, that this expression of the
Evangelist was a manner of speaking usual among the Hebrews, to
denote by the word until, only what is done, without any regard to
the future. Thus it is said, Genesis 8, 6 and 7, that Noe sent forth a
raven, which went forth, and did not return till the waters were dried
up on the earth. That is, did not return anymore. Also Isaias 46:4,
God says: I Am till you grow old. Who dare infer that God should
then cease to be? ... God saith to his divine Son: Sit on my right till I
make thy enemies thy footstool. Shall he sit no longer after his
enemies are subdued?”
Other examples from Scripture include:
“Michal the daughter of Saul had no child until the day of her death” (2
Sam. 6:23)––Does this mean that Michal had children after she died?
 |
 |
 |