Or we're ignoring what the Bible says.
And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call him Jesus. He shall be great, and men will know him for the Son of the most High; the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he shall reign over the house of Jacob eternally; his kingdom shall never have an end. But Mary said to the angel, How can that be, since I have no knowledge of man?Mary was told that, in the future, she would conceive and bear a son. Yet she asked, "how can that be...?"
Mary's statement only makes sense if she had taken a vow of perpetual virginity.
Additionally, the term, "overshadow," was a euphemism for the marital act, when the husband "casts his shadow" over his wife.
Song of Solomon Chapter 2I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste. He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love. Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples: for I am sick of love. His left hand is under my head, and his right hand doth embrace me.
Luke 1:35And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee: wherefore also the holy thing which is begotten shall be called the Son of God.
Eisegesis. There is no 'vestal virgin' in Judaism.
well i guess that changes everything then! everyone else see? he solved it.. . now can you stop wondering if she has sex?
Truly? What tradition of the time was there where Hebrew women vowed perpetual virginity? You may be reading too much into Mary's statement. She was a young virgin and being told she would bear a child. So being a virgin thus the question. Pretty simple really.