The Early Church Fathers are almost unanimous in the assertion that the birth was painless and had no loss of Mary’s virginal integrity during the birth. In other words, her Hymen didn’t break. St. Augustine said “Jesus passed through the womb of Mary as a ray of sun passes through glass.”
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Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm
Ive never heard of the “ray of sun” theory before but I have heard of the painless birth story...
Personally I have no problem with Mary giving birth the way other women did...
It does not make Jesus any less God just because His mother might have had a bloody, painful time of the labor and delivery...
My concern is with cults who attempt to say Mary remained a virgin because she didnt have sex with a man but with a god..her own god the father in heaven who came down to visit her etc..
Mary “knew” no man nor any god...
There was no physical sex act involved with the conception of Jesus no matter how much some man’s finite mind cannot conceive of any other way...
Jesus was not conceived as we were conceived...
The Bible is quite clear on that...
The Bible also tells us that Mary “brought forth” her first born son...
And she shall bring forth a son, Matthew 1:21
Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, Matthew 1:23
And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: Matthew 1:25
And, behold, you shalt conceive in your womb, and bring forth a son, and shall call His name JESUS. Luke 1:31
And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, Luke 2:6, 7
And Mary’s cousin Elizabeth also “brought forth” The same greek term is used..
Now Elisabeth’s full time came that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son. Luke 1:57
the Greek for brought in those verses is tikto meaning to produce, (from seed as a mother, a plant, the earth etc) bear, be born, bring forth, be delivered, be in travail
a woman cannot “be in travail” if she is having a painless birthing process.
The greek word gennao is used for Elizabeth merely because she did have a sex act involved with the conception of her son, John the Baptist, to procreate, (of the father but by extenstion of the mother) figuratively to regenerate, bear, beget, be born, bring forth, conceive, be delivered of, make, spring.
There was no natural procreating, by a father and a mother, begetting, making, at the conception of the LORD Jesus Christ..
However there was the same bringing forth and travail in His birth for His mother as there was for all women in those days..
As someone who was not a virgin when she gave birth, I can say without a doubt that there is pain in childbirth even for the non-virgins. (How do you think I got pregnant?) The statement that Mary had no pain in childbirth because her hymen didn’t tear makes no sense. Lots of women who give birth are not virgins. You wouldn’t believe how many.
Can't she? There seem to me to be parts of labor which are not painful but are still 'work' (= travail).