Bibleopedia

Gnostic Origins of the Ever-Virgin Doctrine

2010-04-30T00:59:00.000-07:00

Question: Was Mary an ever virgin?

And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.
-Mathew 1:25

Answer: One of the most crucial question that caused an endless debates on different sects of Christianity was the divinity of Mary, the mother of Jesus. She was revered by the Catholic, Orthodox and Anglican churches as someone who intercedes between man and her son Jesus. There were also countless titles attributed to her such as the Mother of God, Queen of Heaven, Our Lady of Peace and more. Out of these special names was the term “the Virgin”, which was due to the fact that she bore Jesus in her womb even when she knew not any man (Luke 1:31, 34-35). However, this account, according to traditions continued even after she settled down with her husband Joseph. Thus, the Marian devotion from the east, during the 4th century gave her the title aieiparthenos which means “ever-virgin.” Later, in the middle of 7th century, the conviction of the word ever-virgin was widely accepted and survived until these days.

According to Orthodox and Catholic traditions, Mary was ever virgin and never knew any man through out the days of her life. Although there are several times in the Bible when Jesus was mentioned to have brothers and sisters (Mark 6:3) yet this does not mean that they are legit children of Mary. Some people believed that these supposedly siblings of Jesus were his cousins or relatives. Since the word brothers could also mean a kin. Furthermore, Catholic traditions holds that Joseph has a wife before he was betrothed to Mary and that Jesus’ siblings could have been from his former wife. Thus, this made Jesus as the only child of Mary and the youngest to all his brothers and sisters.

Perhaps the books that supported the account that Joseph had another wife that bore him children, came from a Gnostic writings that were banned in the New Testament canonization during the 3rd century A.D. These books are the Gnostic Gospel of James and the Gnostic Gospel of Nativity of Mary which became the sources that supported the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of Mary. The Gnostic Gospel of James was named after James, the 1st century elder of the Christian church and one of the brother of Jesus. Scholars and theologians, however, doubted the authority of this book since its earliest known copies were in the 3rd centuries. Furthermore, its was first circulated about 200 years after the time of the apostles ministry, thus, the name of the author was just a pure fabrication. The funny thing about the book is when the author speak as if he had a vast knowledge of the accounts of Jesus’ birth and yet he knew nothing about the Law of Moses. He wrote some supposedly “tradition of the Jews” that are surprisingly contrary to the true practice of the Mosaic law. If he was really James the brother of Jesus as he claimed to be, he should be very knowledgeable of such laws which are very common among the Jews.

During the early days of Christianity, Gnosticism has already lurking around Christian communities and they were writing countless books. They attributed these writings after the names of the apostles of Jesus, so that they may be easily accepted by the unaware Christians. The apostle Paul was aware of this controversy during their time, thus he constantly exhorted the Christians to stand firm only on what they preached and not to accept any other gospels, even if it was preached by another apostle or an angel from heaven (Galatians 1:6-9). Peter and Jude, on the other hand, warned the saints about these men who crept among the churches but were condemned already to perdition (2 Peter 2:1-2; Jude 3-4). These Gnostics writings, however, were later all condemned not inspired and heretical. The Gospel of James was one of these non-canonical books that were denied a place among the books of the New Testament.

Some Remains of Gnostic Books

Protestants, Fundamentalists and other Evangelical churches who were known to embrace Sola Scriptura (Bible alone), believed that Mary was virgin before and during her conception of Jesus but not after his birth. According to the Bible, Jesus had brothers and sisters. At least four names were mentioned in the gospel, namely James, Joses, Simon and Jude (Mark 6:3).

Another proof that claimed Mary having children aside from Jesus, was written in the gospel of Matthew. It was stated that Jesus was the “firstborn” son (Matthew 1:25). Some people, however, argued that calling a child the firstborn doesn’t necessarily mean that there is another child that followed him. Although, this may seem a good point to disapproved the claim, but the Bible always used the phrase “only begotten” and not “firstborn” when he is the only child. For example, Jesus was always called the only begotten son of the Father (John 1:14; John 3:16). Another reason, is that the firstborn was also used in the Scripture to emphasized that a child has siblings. For example, Jesus was called the firstborn of God’s creatures (Colossians 1:15) and Esau (the brother of Jacob) was the firstborn of Isaac (Genesis 27:19).

Lastly, the only unquestionable account that can stand alone to prove that Mary is not ever-virgin was taken in the context that Joseph “knew” not Mary “till” she brought her firstborn (Matthew 1:25). To understand this clearly we must first define what the words “knew” and “till” means.

According to Encarta dictionaries:

Know (past tense knew) - transitive verb have sex with somebody: to engage in sexual intercourse with somebody (archaic).

Till - (conjunction, prep) Same as until.

This indicates that Mary “had a sexual intercourse” with her husband Joseph “until” she brought forth her firstborn Jesus. To proved this further, there are accounts in the Bible that used the word “knew” before they bore a child. One of this is Hannah, who prayed in the temple pleading to God to give her a child. She later conceived and bore a son whom she named Samuel.

The Bible says,
And they rose up in the morning early, and worshipped before the Lord, and returned, and came to their house to Ramah: and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; and the Lord remembered her. Wherefore it came to pass, when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, that she bear a son, and called his name Samuel, saying because I have asked him of the Lord.
-1 Samuel 1:19-20

Another, notable account was when Eve bear Cain and Seth.

The Bible says,
And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord.
-Genesis 4:1

And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.
-Genesis 4:25

Within these Biblical accounts lies the belief of those who embraced Sola Scriptura, which is obviously contrary to the Marian devotion of the ever-virgin Mary.

The Two Part Limbo

2010-02-14T03:23:00.000-08:00

Question: Does the word Limbo existed in the Bible?

“Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.”
-Isaiah 49:15

“Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not received the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.”
-Mark 10:15

Answer: Limbo was never mentioned in the Bible nor any instance that supported the idea of the word. It is one of those widely accepted doctrine of Catholicism that as been recognized as truth for almost a millennium although often criticized.

The name Limbo was derived from the Latin word “limbus” which means edge or border. Probably, influenced from the ancient belief that it was situated on the edge or border of hell. According to the doctrine of Limbo, the realm was divided into two parts. One part is for the infants who faced an untimely death before they were baptized. The other one is for the prophets and patriarchs who were deemed righteous but lived before the day of Jesus Christ thus having no knowledge of baptism. However, there is a big difference between the two, for the latter will be redeemed when Christ return, while the infants will only enjoy eternal bliss but denied in heavenly abode.

The word Limbo was first introduced in the 12th century by theologian Peter Abelard (1079-1142) to solved the long standing question of the state of an infant who died before they were baptized. For it has been the doctrine of Catholic church, specifically on the notion of Augustine of Hippo, that anyone who died but was not baptized by the church will end up in hell. Thus, Limbo became the only solution to end up the century-old debate. On the other hand, Peter Abelard, whose earlier works were condemned and burned for his skeptical and rationalistic writings, was nevertheless praised for this contribution to the church. Later in the 13th century, Limbo was then incorporated to the church’s dogma by Pope Innocent III (1160-1216).

Centuries later, in 1992, Pope John Paul II formally dropped the concept of Limbo to the summary of Catholic beliefs or catechism. One major reason for its exclusion, was the concept of supposed denial to little children in heaven. A punishment generally viewed as radical and unjust by most theologians. The International Theological Commission which was ordained to investigate its doctrinal background released its report in 2007, quoting Limbo as “an unduly restrictive view of salvation.”

Peter Abelard the man behind the doctrine
of Limbo.

Though quite popular to Catholicism through the centuries, yet Limbo was never been regarded as truth nor accepted by Protestants and other fundamentalist Christians because of its non- Biblical implication. Instead, they embraced the Scriptural teaching of Jesus to his disciples when he compared the kingdom of heaven to little children. Emphasizing to accept the kingdom of God just like a little child and unless they do it, they will never enter therein (Matthew 19:13-15; Mark 10:13-16; Luke 18:15-17). For even being “born again (John 3:3)” would also mean to be back in one’s innocence, having an attitude of a little child who constantly seek the love and comfort of the Father in heaven.

The INRI Inscription

2009-12-15T03:07:00.000-08:00

Question: What does the INRI inscription means?

And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was
JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS.
-John 19:19

Answer: The inscription INRI is an acronym of the Latin phrase "Iesus Nazarenus Rex Ieus," which is commonly found on paintings and sculptures of the crucified Christ. The phrase can be translated as "Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews (John 19:19)."

Prior to his crucifixion, Jesus was interogatted by Pontius Pilate asking him if he was the king of the Jews everyone was talking about. For the chief priests and rulers of the Sanhedrin have brought him up to the governor persecuting him of the same claim. Jesus, however, did not denied their accusations by responding to Pilate, "thou say it (Matthew 27:11; Mark 15:2; Luke 23:3)." Later, when he was lifted up in the cross, Pilate ordered to put the inscription upon Jesus' head. When the chief priests saw this they were sore displeased and exhorted the governor to remove it. Pilate, however, rejected their supplications by saying, "what I have written I have written (John 19:22)."

INRI was commonly used by most artists on their works, although the original phrase was actually written in three different languages that were formely spoken in Palestine during that era. Hebrew was an old Semitic language used by a nation that bears the same name. They are the descendants of Abraham, Isaac anf Jacob (Exodus 3:15) who were the patriarchs of Israel and Judah. While, Greek was the common language used (especially on literature) by the Jewish people after they were ruled by the Greek Empire for centuries. Lastly was Latin, the language of the Roman who dominated the nation of the Jews and much of the known world of that time.

Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews

During the middle ages and Renaissance, the Holy Roman Empire became not only as the center of religion but also of crafts and arts. That is why many painters and sculptures used Latin as their fundamental language even on their works. Thus, the abridged symbol INRI became more popular than the whole phrase that proclaimed Jesus as the long awaited "Annointed One (Messiah)" of the people of God.

Synoptic Gospels

2009-11-30T21:35:00.000-08:00

Question: What are the Synoptic Gospels?

And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.
-John 20:30-31

Answer: The Synoptic Gospels are the first three books found in the New Testament namely Matthew, Mark and Luke. The word synoptic was derived from the Greek word synoptikos, which means "viewing at a glance." They were called synoptic for the fact that they provided the same general view of the life and teachings of Jesus. They mirror each other's gospel which mainly narrates the Messianic role of Christ and his teachings on more ethical and religious matters.

The Gospel of John was excluded among the Synoptic Gospels because it has some unique accounts that are not present on the other three. For example, John mentioned the wedding at Cana (John 2:1-11), the conversation with the Samaritan woman (John 4;5-26) and his unique introduction to Jesus Christ as the incarnate Word (John 1:1-3,14). These stories and some other accounts were not mentioned on the Synoptic Gospels, however, there were also some recorded on the Synoptic Gospels that are not recorded in John.

Gospel Writers

Early scholars and theologians believed that the Matthew was the first of these three Synoptic Gospels that was written . While the Mark was thought as the abridged form of Matthew. Luke, on the other hand, was the latest among the three and was probably based his gospel on the other two. thus, in the New Testament it was arranged in chronological order that made Matthew the first, followed by Mark, Luke and John respectively. This belief was widely accepted as genuine fact over the course of history,but not until 19th century when most scholars accepted the result of a two-document hypothesis that stated Mark was actually the first existing gospel, while Matthew and Luke based their works on it and with some other sources.

The Wise Men From the East

2009-11-30T21:32:00.001-08:00

Question: Are there only 3 wise men who visited the infant Jesus in Bethlehem?

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
-Matthew 2:1-2

Answer: The only book in the Bible that recounts the visitation of the wise men from the east is the gospel of Matthew (Matthew 2:1-12). However, the book did not mentioned the exact number of wise men present on that event. Thus, these men who followed the star (Matthew 2:2, 7, 9-10) towards Bethlehem and worshiped the infant Jesus in the manger (Matthew 2:2, 11), could have been more than three contrary to what the tradition claimed.

The tradition that holds that there are three wise men was probably attributed to the fact that they presented three gifts as they paid homage to the baby. These gifts were gold, myrrh and frankincense (Matthew 2:11). Over the course of the centuries, however, there were also three names given to these wise men, namely Melchior, Gaspar (Caspar) and Balthazar. These names started to appear in a 6th century mosaic in Ravenna (Italy) which then became the common usage throughout the Christendom.

The Three Wise Men from the East

The Bible is completely silent on the exact location on the east, from where these wise men came. However, Catholic believed that they may be part of the priestly caste of ancient Persia called the magi. These men were revered to be soothsayers and sages, who have knowledge on astrology, demonology and magic. Actually, the word "magic" was derived from the word magi.On the other hand, some scholars believed that these wise men holds noble status and even part of the eastern royalty. Thus, they were also called the three kings.

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2009-11-30T21:23:00.000-08:00

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The Forgotten Apocalyptic Book

2009-11-18T02:59:00.001-08:00

Question: From what book did Jude quoted the words of Enoch concerning the second coming of the Messiah?

And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.
-Jude 14-15

Answer: The famous verse quoted by Jude was originally taken from the Book of Enoch. It is a widely accepted book before and during the early days of Christianity, but was never been canonized in the Old Testament.

The Book of Enoch is a collection of apocalyptic writings attributed to the man who was only known from few lines in the Bible. According to the book, Enoch was a righteous man who was the seventh on the generations of Adam. God was pleased on him for his righteousness , thus he was caught up in heaven by the Spirit. During his journey, he went through different heavenly realms and have seen the hierarchal ranks of the angels. The last of these heavenly realms is where God's throne is. On these events, Enoch was shown revelations that were never known by mankind during those ancient days. He was taught to number the stars and outlined the constellations. He also learned about the seasons on earth and even divided the days to 365 for each year. Aside from this, he also witnessed the prophetic events that happened in the days of Noah. These includes how a horde of angels lusted over the daughters of men (Genesis 6:2), how there were giants on those days (Genesis 6:4), the plight of the fallen angels and how they were bound in chains under darkness (2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6). Lastly, it was revealed unto him the great flood that engulfed the earth, the rise of the chosen people of God (Israelites), the days of Jesus Christ and the reign of God's kingdom on the last days. Eventually, Enoch returned to earth and shared to his family what was revealed to him by God. He then blessed them and bid farewell, for God ordained him to return in heaven. Thus the famous verse, "Enoch walked with God, and he was not, because God took him (Genesis 2:24)." His son Methuselah (Genesis 5:22-27), wrote the words of his father that he revealed to them and was the Book of Enoch that existed today.

The Book of Enoch

Although one of the highly esteemed book of the early Christians, the Book of Enoch only had its place on the Pseudepigrapha or Apocrypha of the Orthodox church. Its earliest copies were dated to have been existed in 2nd and 1st century B.C. It was called the Ethiopic Enoch, because it was preserved on its entirety into an old Semitic language formerly spoken in Ethiopia. Little was known of this book until three complete Ethiopic manuscripts were discovered in northeastern Africa in the late 18th century. However, after the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls on the cave of Qumran in mid 20th century, scholars believed that the original texts were actually written in Hebrew and Aramaic.

The First Christian Church

2009-11-18T02:15:00.000-08:00

Question: Where did the first Christian church started?

Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
-Acts 2:47

Answer: When we say a "church", it doesn't literally mean a building nor a place of worship but a congregation of the saints. The founding of the very first Christian church was mentioned in the Bible. It can be read on the first and second chapters of the book of Acts of the Apostles. It was the church in whom the Twelve apostles themselves have founded and established.

The day prior to the ascension of Jesus, he gave a commandment to the apostles to stay in Jerusalem. They'll have to wait until the day when he will send th Holy Spirit as he was promised earlier (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-5). With one accord, the apostles, Mary, the brothers of Jesus and with other disciples assembled themselves together in an upper room of a certain house in Mount Olives. Together, they were praying and later decided to choose someone who will replace the apostleship forsaken by Judas Iscariot. The lots fell on Matthias and was numbered among the Twelve Apostles (Acts 1:24-26).

The First Church in Jerusalem

In the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit was poured down from the heaven and filled the house wherein the disciples of Christ were gathered together. There appeared unto the people something like a tongue of fire. Then suddenly, everybody present in the room were speaking different languages (Acts 2:1-4). The multitude that witnessed this event were amazed and confounded. Later, with Peter's exhortation, many people believed and were baptized. On that single day alone, the small number of disciples were added with 3000 more souls (Acts 2:41). Believers were gathered together in one accord, praying, giving heed to the doctrines of the apostles and their miraculous woks and even sold their own possessions to be shared by all (Acts 2:42-46). Those early days of Christianity was revered as one of the most inspiring event written in the Bible. Finally, God added more converts to the church daily, those who were saved (Acts 2:47).

Aside from this story in the Bible, there is another claim that is still debatable today. The Catholic church proclaimed that the first church was actually established in Rome and not in Jerusalem. According to Catholic traditions, prior to the rise of the churches in Jerusalem and Antioch, Peter and the other apostles were already traveling and preaching the gospel to the Jewish communities outside Palestine. One tradition recounts the missionary works of the apostle James (the brother of John) in Spain. Peter, on the other hand, has made an earlier missionary works which led him in founding and establishing the very first church in Rome. This traditional claims, however, was never been widely accepted both by historians, scholars and theologians. Since it doesn't only negates totally the story written in the book of Acts but it also has no known written or historical evidence.

Queen of Heaven

2009-11-13T04:56:00.000-08:00

Question: Who is the Queen of Heaven?

The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger.
-Jeremiah 7:18

Answer: The title Queen of heaven is a common reverence given by the Catholics to Mary, the mother of Jesus. However, the title itself has its pagan origin back on the days of ancient Semitic civilization and was mentioned on several verses in the Bible.

The name was attributed to various goddesses which were worship by the neighboring nations of Israel and Judah. Eventually, the kingdom of Judah particularly in Jerusalem, assimilated the worship of queen of heaven and became the stumbling block of the nation to commit idolatry. The ritual worship for the queen of heaven requires burning of incense, pouring out of drink offerings and serving cakes (Jeremiah 44:17-19). Most of her devotees were women (Jeremiah 44:15, 19, 24), who probably seek favor for protection in childbearing, because she was revered as fertility goddess. Although, the people already worshiped the queen of heaven on its high places and on the streets of Jerusalem, but the greatest impact for embracing its occult practices ignited during the days when the Jews seek refuge in Egypt. Jeremiah the prophet, pleaded and exhorted the people to turn away from such worship, but they never heed to his warnings. Thus, God promised to smite his people by sword and famine (Jeremiah 44:27) leaving few remnants to return to Judah from Egypt. The prophecy which was later fulfilled by the conquest of Nebuchadnezzar II (605-562 B.C.) against Egypt.

The name of the queen of heaven varies in every nations of the Semitic world. She was identified as the goddess Ishtar of the Babylonians and Assyrians. The name Ishtar, according to some scholars, could have been the origin of the word "Easter". It was the name given to the Catholic and Orthodox celebrations for the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In Babylonian mythology, she was the Great Mother and goddess of fertility depicted as naked with prominent breast and carrying a child. With this portrayal of Ishtar, many believed that the "Mother and Child" pagan worship (e.g. Isis and Horus, Venus and Cupid, Aphrodite and Eros) originated from Babylon. The Madonna and Child themes depicted on paintings and sculptures during the Renaissance period, could have been examples of this cult's influence. In Canaan and Israel, Ishtar was called Ashtoreth or Ashtart, one of the gods and goddesses worshiped by Solomon (I Kings 11:5). Her counterparts are Hathor of Egypt, Athar of Arabia, Astar of Abyssinia (ancient Ethiopia), Aphrodite of Greece and Venus of Rome.

The Fish Caught by Peter

2009-11-13T04:23:00.000-08:00

Question: What was the fish caught by Peter in the sea, where he got a piece of money?

Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee.
-Matthew 17:27

Answer: Although the Bible has no profound detail of the fish caught by Peter in the sea, however, some Jewish Christians of Israel today has identified one which they called in common tongue as "Saint Peter's fish."

This is the Tilipia, a genus of freshwater fishes commonly found in Africa, Israel and several countries in Asia such as the Philippines, Indonesia,Thailand and Malaysia. Science would date its genus to have been existed for about 24 million years. Aside from being cultivated commercially, some of its species were actually keep for aquarium. Their attractive coloration and peculiar behavior made them popular to collectors. This fish is widely cultivated for aquaculture, especially in Israel.

Lost Epistles of Paul

2009-11-12T04:55:00.000-08:00

Question: Are there any other epistles of Paul aside from the epistles canonized in the New Testament?

Answer: There are at least 3 more epistles of Paul mentioned in the New Testament. One epistle is for the Laodiceans, an additional epistle for the Corinthians and also for the Ephesians.

The Epistle to the Laodiceans, was mentioned by Paul on his closing address to his epistle to the Colossians (Colossians 4:16). The church of Laodicea which was in Syria; was also mentioned by John in the book of Revelation (Revelation 3:14-22). Paul exhorted the saints in Colossae, an ancient city of Phrygia; to let his epistle to be circulated on the church of Laodicea. While he expected that the Laodiceans; who also received another letter from him, will do the same to the Colossians.

The other Epistle to the Corinthians was probably the first letter of Paul to the church of Corinth, an ancient city in Greece. If it was included in the canonized books of the New Testament, it will take the place of the 1 Corinthians while the two other epistles will be moved respectively as the second and the third. Not much information was known about this letter, except that Paul in one line described it as an epistle he wrote to warn the saints of Corinth to stay away from people who practiced fornication (1 Corinthians 5:9).

Lastly the Epistle to the Ephesians was also an earlier letter written by Paul other than the one included in the canon. It was written for the church of Ephesus; an ancient city in Greece that was also mentioned in the book of Revelation (Revelation 2:1-11). This epistle contains a profound understanding of Paul about the mystery of Christ as revealed to the holy Apostles and prophets by the Spirit (Ephesians 3:3-5).

Among these three non-canonical epistles only the Epistle to the Laodiceans has a known copy existed today. However the date of its existence and the certainty of its authorship were still questionable. Also, its contents were mostly copies of some of Paul's epistles in the Bible. Thus, it doesn't have much information that can be used for edification to some issues in those days.