Comments on: Why Is Jesus’ Virginity So Important To The Christian Church? http://nmallory.exit-23.net/20060509/why-is-jesus-virginity-so-important-to-the-catholic-church & Other Discombobulated Thoughts Fri, 09 Jan 2009 06:35:05 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.1.3 By: Tess http://nmallory.exit-23.net/20060509/why-is-jesus-virginity-so-important-to-the-catholic-church#comment-2202 Tess Wed, 10 May 2006 08:35:11 +0000 http://nmallory.exit-23.net/20060509/why-is-jesus-virginity-so-important-to-the-catholic-church#comment-2202 Great blog. I've barely scratched the surface. Couldn't resist posting on your February "hell" post. Here's my take on the Jesus virginity thing. First disclaimer is that I haven't read the Da Vinci Code even though it has been wildly recommended to me by dozens of people. I think your point on Jesus being a Torah-observant Jew is well-taken. If he hadn't had a specific and unique mission, he would have gone ahead and fulfilled that mitzvah. But there was a precedent for some to undertake a special vow that would preclude marriage (remember Sampson and his Nazirite vow? He wasn't even supposed to eat grapes or cut his hair). Anyway, I think the reason Jesus didn't marry or have sex are not because marriage and sex are evil, but because he had a specific and focused purpose for his life on this planet. He knew he was going to die and he had to be pretty single-minded. I think the thing that bugs me about the whole "Jesus got married" argument, is that it usually goes something like this: "The evil Christians, in their hatred of women and sex, erased a vital aspect of Jesus life so that they could keep men in power and perpetuate sexual hangups for two-thousand years." What if that's just not true? The Jesus/Mary Magdalene idea is a lovely romance, but if it didn't really happen that way, it's not because Jesus hated sex. It's just that it didn't happen that way. It does get a little complicated if all the crowned heads of Europe can trace their origins back to God incarnate. If he was God incarnate, and knew it, it would be a good reason not to marry. But I can't prove that. I've just decided to stick with the traditional version -- not personally having anything against Mary Magdalene, marriage or sex. I'm rambling. Great blog. Have a fantastic trip to England. Tess Great blog. I’ve barely scratched the surface. Couldn’t resist posting on your February “hell” post.
Here’s my take on the Jesus virginity thing. First disclaimer is that I haven’t read the Da Vinci Code even though it has been wildly recommended to me by dozens of people.
I think your point on Jesus being a Torah-observant Jew is well-taken. If he hadn’t had a specific and unique mission, he would have gone ahead and fulfilled that mitzvah. But there was a precedent for some to undertake a special vow that would preclude marriage (remember Sampson and his Nazirite vow? He wasn’t even supposed to eat grapes or cut his hair).
Anyway, I think the reason Jesus didn’t marry or have sex are not because marriage and sex are evil, but because he had a specific and focused purpose for his life on this planet. He knew he was going to die and he had to be pretty single-minded.
I think the thing that bugs me about the whole “Jesus got married” argument, is that it usually goes something like this: “The evil Christians, in their hatred of women and sex, erased a vital aspect of Jesus life so that they could keep men in power and perpetuate sexual hangups for two-thousand years.”
What if that’s just not true? The Jesus/Mary Magdalene idea is a lovely romance, but if it didn’t really happen that way, it’s not because Jesus hated sex. It’s just that it didn’t happen that way. It does get a little complicated if all the crowned heads of Europe can trace their origins back to God incarnate. If he was God incarnate, and knew it, it would be a good reason not to marry.
But I can’t prove that. I’ve just decided to stick with the traditional version — not personally having anything against Mary Magdalene, marriage or sex.
I’m rambling.
Great blog. Have a fantastic trip to England.
Tess

]]> By: n. mallory http://nmallory.exit-23.net/20060509/why-is-jesus-virginity-so-important-to-the-catholic-church#comment-2204 n. mallory Wed, 10 May 2006 13:07:29 +0000 http://nmallory.exit-23.net/20060509/why-is-jesus-virginity-so-important-to-the-catholic-church#comment-2204 Point well taken. Your explanation is certainly more likely to me than the sex is a sin and Jesus didn't sin theory that's been passed around. If sex was really such a sin then God wouldn't have told mankind to be fruitful and multiply. I do still lean toward Jesus and Mary Magdalene having been married, but I am willing now to mull over the thought that if he wasn't married it was simply because he understood his mission, which does fit into my view of who he was. If I remember my Sunday school teachings, he knew fairly early what his purpose on Earth was and had a fairly clear understanding of what was ahead of him. Quite a lot to have on a young man's shoulders. Point well taken. Your explanation is certainly more likely to me than the sex is a sin and Jesus didn’t sin theory that’s been passed around. If sex was really such a sin then God wouldn’t have told mankind to be fruitful and multiply.

I do still lean toward Jesus and Mary Magdalene having been married, but I am willing now to mull over the thought that if he wasn’t married it was simply because he understood his mission, which does fit into my view of who he was. If I remember my Sunday school teachings, he knew fairly early what his purpose on Earth was and had a fairly clear understanding of what was ahead of him. Quite a lot to have on a young man’s shoulders.

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