Mary a virgin?

[disciple Clint]

Your link says he wasn't Essene but may have been influenced by them

True, I didn't say he was but I did think that the article gave some reliable information about him.

 

[Truth Lover]

Some say Matthew 13:55 "Is he not the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother named Mary and his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas?" is a proof text that proves Mary did not remain a virgin after Jesus' birth.

Elsewhere in the Gospels, however, James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas are listed as sons of men other than Joseph, husband of Mary.

Matthew 4:21
He walked along from there and saw two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets.

There were three women named Mary at the foot of the cross.
John 19: 25 Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother [Mary] and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala.
Matthew 27:56
Among them were Mary Magdalene and Mary [wife of Clopas] the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

Matthew 16:17
Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.

Matthew 10:2
The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon called Peter, and his brother Andrew; James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John;

John 13:2
The devil had already induced Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot, to hand him over.

 

[Truth Lover]

I think this is called an argument from silence.
Up to you to show from scripture that Joseph had a previous marriage and children from that.

Eusebius, an early Christian historian, cites Hegesippus as saying that Joseph and Clopas were brothers. The sons of Clopas would be the nephews of Joseph and cousins of Jesus, though not blood cousins. Chapter XI, NPNF2-01. Eusebius Pamphilius: Church History, Life of Constantine, Oration in Praise of Constantine - Christian Classics Ethereal Library

 

[ViaCrucis]

I didn't say they were Essenes, I simply gave them as evidence of a much broader range of Jewish tradition than what has survived through Rabbinical Judaism.

If I recall correctly there was another group, mentioned either by Philo of Josephus (I want to say Philo, but I honesty don't recall at the moment) who lived a monastic or semi-monastic existance in Egypt.

Edit: It was Philo, here's the Wikipedia article about them: Therapeutae - Wikipedia

-CryptoLutheran

 

[Legroom]

There are a lot of holy figures and Gods purported to have been born of a virgin mother like Dionysus was born of a virgin on December 25 and placed in a manger.

But it does say Jesus had brothers and sisters, so how could she continue to be a virgin? Are we sure we know what virgin means?

 

[ViaCrucis]

There are a lot of holy figures and Gods purported to have been born of a virgin mother like Dionysus was born of a virgin on December 25 and placed in a manger.

And anyone who looks into such "purported" virgin births (etc) will discover that these things aren't true. Dionysus wasn't born of a virgin, was not born on December 25th, and was not placed in a manger. The ancient myths and stories of Dionysus do not include these things. Those who have claimed these things for the myth of Dionysus (and others) are repeating PRATTs.

(PRATT = Previously Refuted A Thousand Times).

-CryptoLutheran