On 28 August 1996 Pope John Paul II announced that Jesus had no brothers or sisters, and that his mother Mary remained a virgin to the end of her days. This assertion has usually been denied by Protestants, largely because the New Testament does not support it, but the present Pope is determined to give Mary a high profile and has done what he can to promote her cult within his own church. Mariology is an aspect of Roman Catholic doctrine which is often ignored, but it creates as much of a barrier to ecumenical relations as the papal claims do. In this timely article, William Bridcut sets out the evidence for Mary’s perpetual virginity and demonstrates the weakness of the Roman position. It can only be hoped that our church leaders will cease ignoring the question and pay attention to this issue, which has deep roots in Roman Catholic piety but which is rejected by most Anglicans. Churchman has undertaken to publish the following article, not in order to stir up needless controversy, but rather to remind people that we cannot afford to ignore the claims of truth, even as we seek to have warmer relations with other churches. Christian unity cannot he based on fantasy, however pious it may be. Rome ought to be humble enough to admit that its Marian beliefs have no real foundation, and that only a close adherence to the teachings (and the limits) of Scripture can bring about a solid and lasting reconciliation between us
To read the full Churchman article [PDF], click here.
A series of articles in Cross†Way on Mary were grouped together into a small booklet [PDF] under the title "Learning from Mary".
Churchman and Cross†Way are publications of Church Society.
Church Society exists to uphold biblical teaching and to promote and defend the character of the Church of England as a reformed and national Church. The Society is strongly committed to the supreme and final authority of the Bible as God's Word written.
When this topic came up on "Stand Firm," I wound up doing some research on the Reformers and the idea of Mary's perpetual virginity, which both Luther and Calvin upheld. I was astonished that they would do so; to me the evidence is clear that Jesus was miraculously conceived but that he also had naturally conceived siblings. I can only guess that this idea of perpetual virginity was a tertiary doctrine compared to that of the doctrine of grace and atonement that the Reformers simply did not have the opportunity to think it through, sine they were so occupied with defending the doctrines of grace.
ReplyDeleteCharlie,
ReplyDeleteIn a number of instances Luther and Calvin maintained what was at that time the traditional view of the Church. While they questioned some traditional Church teachings,they did not question others. They were still very much late Medieval churchmen.