The dogma of the Immaculate Conception

THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

The Catholic Church claims that Mary would be born without sin. Quest’idea, known as “Immaculate Conception”, it appeared for the first time only in the year 1160. It was made official in 1477 by Sixtus IV, and was then brought to the fore in 1854 of Pius IX. This new doctrine, not from the Bible, it was rejected by the most illustrious fathers of the Catholic Church, who drew up against it. Among them we remember Thomas Aquinas, Eusebio, Ambrogio, Bonaventure, Bernardo, papa Leone I, Pope Gelasius I, Pope Gregory the Great, Pope Innocent III and Pope Leo the Great. The Dominicans also fought it, while the Council of Trent did not want to pronounce itself.

St. Eusebius (260-340 D.C.) for example he declared: “No one is exempt from the stain of original sin, not even the mother of the Redeemer of the world. Jesus alone is exempt from the law of sin, although born of a woman subjected to sin” (Eusebio, Emiss. in Oral. II de Nativ.).

WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS?

The Bible teaches that Mary too, like any other human being except Jesus Christ, she was born in sin.”Everyone has sinned” (Rom. 3:23), says the apostle Paul; this includes all human beings, and this is because sin through Adam entered the world and passed on all men. Paolo always says: “... with a single sin the sentence was extended to all men ...” (Rom. 5:18). So be it, that is, that Mary too was not born free from sin, she confirmed it when in her canticle that she raised to God in the house of Zechariah she recognized that God was her Savior by saying: “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior” (Luca 1:46,47). Indeed, how could she have called God her Savior if she had been born without sin? But there is another proof that the Bible gives us, and it is the sacrifice that Joseph and Mary offered in the temple when they went to present the baby Jesus (light Luca 2:22-24). In fact, one of the animals offered as a sacrifice was offered for the sin of Mary, because according to the law it was in this way that the iniquity of the woman giving birth was atoned for. The Mosaic law in fact said: “…will lead to the priest, at the entrance to the conference tent, a lamb a year as a burnt offering, and a young pigeon or a turtle dove as a sin offering; and the priest will offer them before the Lord and make atonement for her; and she shall be purified… This is the law relating to the woman who gives birth to a boy or a girl. And if he has no means to offer a lamb, he will catch two turtle doves or two young pigeons: one for the holocaust, and the other for the sacrifice for sin. The priest will make the atonement for her, and she will be pure” (Lev. 12:6-8). In the case of Maria, as it was of low status, two turtledoves or two young pigeons were offered. It is evident that if Mary had been sinless there was no need for her to offer that sacrifice for her own sin.

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The brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ and the “perpetual virginity” of Maria

1. It is true that Jesus' mother had other children?

And. This is clear from Sacred Scripture. Regarding the birth of Jesus it is written:

“Maria, his mother, she had been betrothed to Joseph and, before they came to be together, she found herself pregnant by the work of the Holy Spirit. Joseph, his husband, that he was a just man and did not want to expose her to infamy, he proposed to
leave her secretly, but while she had these things in her soul, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying: «Giuseppe, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary with you, your wife; because what is generated in her, it comes from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you will call his name Jesus, for it is he who will save his people from their sins. ”All this happened, to fulfill what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: «The virgin will be pregnant and will give birth to a son, who will be given the name Emmanuele ", which translated means: "God with us." Joseph, awakened from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife with him; and he did not have marital relations with her until she gave birth to a son; and called his name Jesus.”(Matteo 1:18-25)

1) The virginity of Mary before the birth of Jesus is taught by the Bible. It is also said that Joseph had no affairs with his wife “until she gave birth to a son” (Matteo 1:25). About Jesus, we remember that Mary conceived by the intervention of the Holy Spirit when she was still a virgin, not yet married to Joseph (Matteo 1:19,20), according to the prophecy made by the prophet Isaiah about seven centuries earlier.

2) The Bible adds that Mary gave birth to her firstborn son (Luca 2:7). If he meant that Jesus was an only child, he would obviously have said: “Mary gave birth to her only begotten son”, like in “I think” Jesus is precisely called the only begotten son of God.

3) The New Testament constantly speaks of the brothers and sisters of Jesus:

“While Jesus was still speaking to the crowds, here is his mother and his brothers who, stop outside, they tried to talk to him. And one told him: here, your mother and brothers are out there trying to talk to you. But he, answering, he said to the one who spoke to him: Who is my mother and who are my brothers? E, extending his hand to his disciples, said: Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever has done the will of my Father who is in heaven, it is my brother and sister and mother” (Matteo 12:46-50).

“He went to his homeland, Jesus taught them in their synagogue, so that everyone amazed and said: Whence he has this wisdom and these powerful works? This is not the carpenter's son? And her mother is not called Maria, and his brothers, Giacomo, Giuseppe, Simon and Judas? and his sisters are not all among us?” (Matteo 13:54-56).

“After this, got off at Capernaum, he with his mother, with his brothers and his disciples” (Giovanni 2:12).

“Therefore his brothers told him: Get out of here and go to Judea, so that your disciples may also see the works you do… for even his brothers did not believe in him… Then when his brothers went up to the party, then he went up too” (Giovanni 7:3, 5, 10).

“All of these persevered equally in prayer, with the women, and with Maria, mother of Jesus, and with his brothers” (proceedings 1:14).

That James was Jesus' brother, Furthermore, it is also confirmed by the earliest Christian writers, in addition to the historians Egesippo (Reminded, 1st century AD), Flavius ​​Joseph (Jewish Antiquities, I d.C.) and Eusebio (Ecclesiastical history, IV d.C.).

2. But the Catholic Catechism objects that in the Bible the word “brother” is sometimes used in the sense of “cousin”.

According to the Catholic Church, by brothers and sisters it should be understood “close relatives” O “cousins”, because in Hebrew and Aramaic (the two languages ​​in which the Old Testament was written and which were spoken in the places and times of Jesus) there is only one term to indicate “brothers” e “cousins” O “relatives”.

But this explanation doesn't hold up. in the meantime, however, the Old Testament knows how to specify kinship, for example saying “brother's son”, “son of the son” O “uncle's son” (Gn 14:12, 45:10; Lv 10:4, 25:49).

Mostly, But, the original text of the New Testament is not Hebrew or Aramaic, but common Greek (koine); and the Greek term used is adelfos, what does it mean “brother”, and not “cousin”. New Testament authors know how to use a specific term for “relative” (sunghenès: Lc 1:36.58.61, 2:44; Mc 6:4), one for “cousin” (anepsiòs: Col 4:10) and one for “brother” (adelfòs: Mt 14:2; Mc 1:16.19, 3:17, 13:12, etc.).

The apostle Paul, Hebrew who mastered Greek very well, he used sunghenès to mean relative (Rm 16:11), anepsiòs for cousin (Col 4:10) and adelfos for brother (Gal 1:19 – and in this case it speaks of Giacomo “brother of the Lord”).

When it comes to Jesus' brothers, in conclusion, it is used adelfos: it is never possible that the sacred writers have been so careless, especially considering that - according to the Catholic Church - the doctrine of the perpetual virginity of Mary would be a fundamental thing? Notice, Inter alia, that many Christian believers and writers of the first centuries after Christ had no problem believing in the family of Jesus as described in the New Testament.

therefore, for what it refers to Jesus, we observe:

1) The Gospels always speak of “brothers and sisters” of Jesus, while in Greek (the language in which the Gospels were written) there is a term for brother (adelfòs) and another to indicate cousin (anepsiòs).

2) What importance could the list of names of Jesus' cousins ​​have, together with the mother?

3) There is also the episode of Matthew (12), who certainly excludes that they may be cousins. In fact, Jesus is informed that his mother and his brothers have come to look for him. Note that Marco (3:21) need: “His relatives, having heard this, they came to get hold of him, because they said: He is beside himself”. then Jesus, grieved, he points out to the crowd that there are spiritual ties that are of greater value than those of blood, and responds: “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers? Anyone who has done God's will, he is my brother, sister and mother”. Then, according to the doctrine of the Catholic Church, Jesus wanted to say: “Who is my mother, and who are my cousins? Anyone who has done God's will, is my cousin, cousin and mother”, and thus the reasoning would lose all its force.

4) The Gospel of John adds that “not even his brothers believed in him” (7:5). The evangelist would not have emphasized this as a cause for scandal, if he meant that his cousins ​​didn't believe in him!

5) Finally, there is the clear testimony of the apostle Paul, who speaks of his brother (adelfòs) of Jesus and his cousin (anepsiòs) of Barnaba, showing that he knew very well how to distinguish between cousins ​​and brothers:”I didn't see any other of the apostles, except James, the brother (adelphon) of the Lord” (Galati 1:10). “They greet you… Marco, cousin (anepsiàs) of Barnaba” (Colossesi 4:10).

6) In Matteo 4:18-21 we find said that Simone called Pietro and Andrea were brothers, and the term adelfòs is used. Because Catholics rightly take for granted that they were carnal brothers, and not just relatives or cousins? The answer is very simple: because in this case there is no interest in supporting the perpetual virginity of the mother of Peter and Andrew!

The writers of the New Testament (Pietro, Matteo, Paolo, Marco, etc.) they write in Greek and know the difference between “brother” (adelfòs) e “cousin” (anepsiòs). Those who love reading can verify that the term is used in various passages “brothers” speaking of people who were precisely “brothers” of Jesus (see Matteo 13:55; Marco 6:1-6; Marco 3:31-35; proceedings 1:19). James is mentioned in the Epistle to the Galatians, the “brother of the Lord”. Then when the Gospel means “cousin”, he normally uses the corresponding Greek term (anepsiòs). So, eg, we read: “Aristarchus greet you… and Marco, the cousin of Barnabas” (Colossesi 4:10).

The New Testament, inspired by God, speaks without scandal of brothers and sisters of Christ Jesus. Instead of trying to adapt the biblical text to the dogmas that were decreed by men centuries after the Gospel was written, human decisions should be corrected in the light of pure and simple biblical data. We say this not out of a polemical spirit, but only by noting facts that are plain and simple for the Gospel.

3. What is the reason that explains the rise and development of the belief in the perpetual virginity of Mary?

The belief in the perpetual virginity of Mary arises together with the manifestation of asceticism. Giovanni Miegge writes: “Suddenly, ascetic ideals spread” (which are philosophies of pagan origin), “and attempts to implement them, both in solitude, both in monastic communities, associates, as it is easy to assume, an unusual fervent celebration of Mary's perpetual virginity. To ascetics of both sexes, the Virgin Mother of Jesus offered the ideal model, – the inspiring image, at the same time stimulus and comfort in the hallucinating vigils and tormenting efforts of the self-discipline of continence” (gives: Miegge, The Virgin Mary, Torre Pellice, Ed. Claudiana, 1959, p. 51).

In summary, it is false that Mary remained a virgin after giving birth because the Scripture states that Joseph “he took his wife with him; and he did not know her until she gave birth to her firstborn son, and called his name Jesus” (Matt. 1:24,25). This means that Joseph, after Mary gave birth to Jesus, he met his wife. Not only did Joseph know her but he also had children with her, because Jesus had brothers and sisters. These Scriptures confirm that Mary conceived and gave birth to other children after Jesus: Luca 2:7, Marco 6:1-3, 3:31, Giovanni 7:5, proceedings 1:14, 1 Corinthians 9:5, Galati 1:18,19.

Furthermore, in the Psalms it is said prophetically about Christ: “I have become… a stranger to my mother's children” (will. 69:8). the Bible, besides having foretold the precise modalities of the birth of Christ, he had also foretold that the virgin who would conceive and give birth to Christ would not remain a virgin forever because she would have other children.

God's Word is therefore clear in this regard. When Mary was a virgin and not yet married to Joseph, she was chosen by God to give birth to Jesus as a man. He had brothers and sisters born from the union of Mary with her husband Joseph.

Mary cannot therefore be IMMACULATE since after Jesus, born without sin, she joined with Joseph and gave birth to other children.

What is the use of the feast of the Immaculate Conception? What does God think of all this?