Top Objections to Mary's Perpetual Virginity [REBUTTED]

In this episode, Trent takes on the higher level objections Protestant apologists make to the standard Catholic defense of Mary's Perpetual Virginity.

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Timestamps:
00:00 The problem with the Protestant response against Perpetual Virginity
00:23 'Until' Argument
07:10 Adelphoi = Cousins? Brothers?
12:10 Summary

[Melynn]

As someone converting from Protestantism to Catholicism, this was very informative. Thank you for your time.

[CatholicElectrician]

When Jesus is on the cross, he tells John to take Mary into his house and care for her. This would have been the responsibility of her other sons if she had them

[lefebre]

Trent you’re really growing on me brother. As a Protestants I definitely have a lot more respect for Catholicism

[jmctigret]

Athanasius strongly defended Mary's virginity after the birth of Jesus

[AveChristusRex]

I just point out Martin Luther and the other Protestant reformers advocating for Mary’s perpetual virginity. That’s all.

[billcynic]

"Scripture does not say or indicate that she later lost her virginity . . . When Matthew [1:25] says that Joseph did not know Mary carnally until she had brought forth her son, it does not follow that he knew her subsequently; on the contrary, it means that he never did know her . . . This babble . . . is without justification . . . he has neither noticed nor paid any attention to either Scripture or the common idiom."
-Martin Luther, _That Jesus Christ was Born a Jew_

"Helvidius displayed excessive ignorance in concluding that Mary must have had many sons, because Christ’s ‘brothers’ are sometimes mentioned."
-John Calvin, _Harmony of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, _ vol. 2, sec. 39

"Under the word ‘brethren’ the Hebrews include all cousins and other relations, whatever may be the degree of affinity."
-John Calvin, _Commentary on John_ (7:3)

"I have never thought, still less taught, or declared publicly, anything concerning the subject of the ever Virgin Mary, Mother of our salvation, which could be considered dishonourable, impious, unworthy or evil . . . I believe with all my heart according to the word of holy gospel that this pure virgin bore for us the Son of God and that she remained, in the birth and after it, a pure and unsullied virgin, for eternity."
-Huldreich Zwingli, _Mary, Ever Virgin, Mother of God, _ 1524

"I believe…He [Jesus Christ] was born of the blessed Virgin, who, as well after as she brought him forth, continued a pure and unspotted virgin."
-John Wesley, _Letter to a Roman Catholic_

“If they [the brethren of the Lord] had been Mary’s sons and not those taken from Joseph’s former marriage, she would never have been given over in the moment of the passion [crucifixion] to the apostle John as his mother, the Lord saying to each, ‘Woman, behold your son, ’ and to John, ‘Behold your mother’ [John 19:26–27), as he bequeathed filial love to a disciple as a consolation to the one desolate”
-Hilary of Poitiers (310-367), _Commentary on Matthew_

“Let those, therefore, who deny that the Son is by nature from the Father and proper to his essence deny also that he took true human flesh from the _ever-virgin_ Mary."
-Athanasius of Alexandria (296-373), _Discourses Against Arius_

“Heretics called Antidicomarites are those who contradict the perpetual virginity of Mary and affirm that after Christ was born she was joined as one with her husband."
-Augustine of Hippo (354-430), _On Heresies_

“But the pious confession of the believer is that, with a view to our salvation, and in order to connect the universe with unchangeableness, the Creator of all things incorporated with Himself a rational soul and a sensible body from the all-holy Mary, _ever-virgin, _ by an undefiled conception, without conversion, and was made man in nature, but separate from wickedness: the same was perfect God, and the same was perfect man; the same was in nature at once perfect God and man.”
-Hippolytus of Rome (170-235), _Against Beron and Helix, _ Fragment 8


Edit: Included the works from which these quotes were drawn from, and added a quote from Hippolytus of Rome.

[AnselmInstitute]

The quote from John Chrysostom was extremely helpful and reflects how the Church understood these questions long before the innovations of the Reformers.

[sebastijan]

In all my Catholic education, somehow I have never heard the argument that Mary accepting John as a son is a proof she didn’t have any others to take care of her. It’s brilliant. Also didn’t know that Luther believed in perpetual virginity. Great video. Bless you, Trent.

[jorgen]

It always baffles me how 20th-century Protestants pretend to know more about ancient greek than the Founding fathers of the Catholic Church who actually used Greek every day. Even years later, in the Nicene Concil, all who participated spoke and used ancient greek as their standard language. They didn't make mistakes in translation. They knew perfectly well what they were doing.

[GabrielLopez-moxo]

You know Trent’s not going to be going easy on you when he calls your argument allegedly sophisticated

[GarthDomokos]

James White really hates that he is not the authority on earth.

[DrSharuMaria]

Judas, James the lesser, Simon and Joseph were the sons of Joseph's elder brother Alphaeus and his wife Mary of Clophas. Jesus says in "The poem of The Man God " to mystic Maria The last
vision clarifies a detail quoted twice in the Gospel by Matthew, a sentence
which is repeated twice: “Get up, take the Child and His Mother with you, and
escape into Egypt”; “Get up, take the Child and His Mother with you and go
back to the land of Israel.” And you saw that Mary was by Herself in Her room
with the Child.
Mary's virginity after Her delivery and Joseph's chastity have been strongly
denied by those who being putrid mud themselves, are not prepared to admit
that one like them can be as pure and clear as light. They are wretched people
whose souls are so corrupted and their minds so prostituted to the flesh, that they
are incapable of thinking that one like them can respect a woman seeing in her
not her flesh but her soul, neither can they elevate themselves to live in a
supernatural atmosphere, craving not for what is flesh, but only for what is God.
Well, I wish to tell those deniers of the most beautiful things, those worms
incapable of becoming butterflies, those reptiles covered with the slaver of their
own lewdness, incapable of understanding the beauty of a lily, I wish to tell
them that Mary was and remained a virgin, and that only Her soul was married
to Joseph, exactly as Her spirit was united only to the Spirit of God by Whose
deed She conceived Her Only Son: I, Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of the
Father and of Mary.
This is not a tradition embellished afterwards, out of loving respect for the
Blessed Virgin Who was My Mother. It is the truth and has been known since
early times.
Matthew was not born after centuries. He was a contemporary of Mary.
Matthew was not a poor ignorant man brought up in a forest and likely to
believe any idle story. He was a clerk in the taxation office, as you would say
nowadays, he was an excise man, as we said then. He could see, hear,
understand, and tell the truth from the false. Matthew did not hear things
reported by third parties. He heard them directly from Mary's lips to Whom he
applied for information, prompted by his love for his Master and for the truth.I do not believe that those repudiators of Mary's inviolability will dare think that
She may have lied. My own relatives could have given Her the lie, had there
been other children: James, Judas, Simon and Joseph were disciples together
with Matthew. Therefore Matthew could have easily compared their versions,
had there been more than one account.
But Matthew does not say: “Get up and take your wife.” He says: “Take His
Mother.” Before he says: “A virgin betrothed to Joseph”; “Joseph Her spouse”.
Neither those repudiators of Purity should tell Me that it was a way of speaking
particular to the Jews, as if to say “wife” was a disgrace. No, deniers of Purity.
At the very beginning of the Bible we read: “And he will join himself to his
wife.” She is called “companion” up to the moment of the sensual
consummation of the marriage, and afterwards she is called “wife” in various
circumstances and in different chapters. And these are the expressions referred
to the wives of the sons of Adam. And so Sarah is called the “wife” of Abraham:
“Sarah your wife”. And: “Take your wife and your two daughters” is said of
Lot. And in the book of Ruth it is written: “The Moabitess, the wife of
Mahalon”. And in the first book of the Kings it is said: “Elkanah had two
wives”. And further on: “Elkanah then had intercourse with his wife Hannah”.
And again: “Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife”. And again in the Book of the
Kings it is said: “Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah the Hittite, became the wife of
David and bore him a son.” And what do you read in the blue book of Tobias,
what the Church sings to you at your wedding, to advise you to be holy in your
marriage? You read: “Now when Tobias arrived with his wife and his son… ”;
and again: “Tobias succeeded in escaping with his son and with his wife.”
And in the Gospels, that is in times contemporary with Christ, when therefore
they wrote in a modem style of language, as compared to the ancient kind, and
therefore no error of transcription could be suspected, it said and just by
Matthew in Chapter 22: “… and the first, after marrying his wife died and left
his wife to his brother.”
And Mark at Chapter 10: “The man who divorces his wife…” And Luke called
Elizabeth the wife of Zacharias for four times running, and in the eighth Chapter
of his Gospel he says: “Johanna, the wife of Chuza”.
As you can see, this name was not a word banished by those who walked in the
ways of the Lord, it was not an impure word not worthy of being uttered and
least of all written when there was a mention of God and of His wonderful work.
And the angel, saying: “The Child and His Mother”, proves to you that Mary
was His real Mother. But She was not a wife of Joseph. She remained forever:
“The virgin betrothed to Joseph”.
And this is the last teaching of the vision. And it is a halo which shines on the
heads of Mary and Joseph. The Inviolate Virgin. The just and chaste man. The
two lilies amongst whom I grew up, receiving only the perfume of purity".

[DanielTominiko]

Hey, when showing the words of John Chrysostom, it looks like some AI art was paired with it. If there is an older historical illustration/icon of an important figure [within public domain], I suggest using that to depict them instead.

[Philip__]

Awesome video Trent. I used to be a Protestant who believed and made the same arguments as James. I am so happy and grateful that I have become Catholic.

[AnselmInstitute]

Thank you for all the wonderful work you do. Very grateful.

[infallibleinterpreter]

Trent could you please do I response to that Kyle orthodox guy. I’m absolutely tired of him showing up in my feed attacking the Catholic Church and I need someone to rebuke him.

Ezekiel 44 tells about the prophetic temple which is god. The lord said tbis gate must remain closed.it must not be opened and no one should come through it. Because the lord the god of Israel came through it, it must remain close. Mary is the gate.

St Jerome commented on this text against the Pelagians. Only Christ opened the close doors of the virginal womb, which continued to be remained closed, however. This is the closed eastern gate, through which only the high priest may enter and exit and which nevertheless is always closed.

[John_Six]

Oh, look. James White dislikes Mary. What's new?

[blakewolford]

Nice job Trent! Also love the editing, well done!

[win]

Wow very well done. At the end of the day, I don't think objections come from lack of proof, but from what people are used to. People I've talked with that differ in belief on this subject don't seem to care enough to want to think something other than what they were taught or grew up with, even if it might not be true.