Posted on 05/31/2014 4:33:21 PM PDT by narses
In my previous article, I wrote about the Hebraic use of the Greek adelphos: as applying to cousins, fellow countrymen, and a wide array of uses beyond the meaning of sibling. Yet it is unanimously translated as brother in the King James Version (KJV): 246 times. The cognate adelphe is translated 24 times only as sister. This is because it reflects Hebrew usage, translated into Greek. Briefly put, in Jesus Hebrew culture (and Middle Eastern culture even today), cousins were called brothers.
Brothers or Cousins?
Now, its true that sungenis (Greek for cousin) and its cognate sungenia appear in the New Testament fifteen times (sungenia: Lk 1:61; Acts 7:3, 14; sungenis: Mk 6:4; Lk 1:36, 58; 2:44; 14:12; 21:16; Jn 18:26; Acts 10:24; Rom 9:3; 16:7, 11, 21). But they are usually translated kinsmen, kinsfolk, or kindred in KJV: that is, in a sense wider than cousin: often referring to the entire nation of Hebrews. Thus, the eminent Protestant linguist W. E. Vine, in his Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, lists sungenis not only under Cousin but also under Kin, Kinsfolk, Kinsman, Kinswoman.
In all but two of these occurrences, the authors were either Luke or Paul. Luke was a Greek Gentile. Paul, though Jewish, was raised in the very cosmopolitan, culturally Greek town of Tarsus. But even so, both still clearly used adelphos many times with the meaning of non-sibling (Lk 10:29; Acts 3:17; 7:23-26; Rom 1:7, 13; 9:3; 1 Thess 1:4). They understood what all these words meant, yet they continued to use adelphos even in those instances that had a non-sibling application.
Strikingly, it looks like every time St. Paul uses adelphos (unless I missed one or two), he means it as something other than blood brother or sibling. He uses the word or related cognates no less than 138 times in this way. Yet we often hear about Galatians 1:19: James the Lords brother. 137 other times, Paul means non-sibling, yet amazingly enough, here he must mean sibling, because (so we are told) he uses the word adelphos? That doesnt make any sense.
Some folks think it is a compelling argument that sungenis isnt used to describe the brothers of Jesus. But they need to examine Mark 6:4 (RSV), where sungenis appears:
And Jesus said to them, A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house. (cf. Jn 7:5: For even his brothers did not believe in him)
What is the context? Lets look at the preceding verse, where the people in his own country (6:1) exclaimed: Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us? And they took offense at him. It can plausibly be argued, then, that Jesus reference to kin (sungenis) refers (at least in part) back to this mention of His brothers and sisters: His relatives. Since we know that sungenis means cousins or more distant relatives, that would be an indication of the status of those called Jesus brothers.
What about Jude and James?
Jude is called the Lords brother in Matthew 13:55 and Mark 6:3. If this is the same Jude who wrote the epistle bearing that name (as many think), he calls himself a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James (Jude 1:1). Now, suppose for a moment that he was Jesus blood brother. In that case, he refrains from referring to himself as the Lords own sibling (while we are told that such a phraseology occurs several times in the New Testament, referring to a sibling relationship) and chooses instead to identify himself as James brother. This is far too strange and implausible to believe.
Moreover, James also refrains from calling himself Jesus brother, in his epistle (James 1:1: servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ): even though St. Paul calls him the Lords brother (Gal 1:19: dealt with above). Its true that Scripture doesnt come right out and explicitly state that Mary was a perpetual virgin. But nothing in Scripture contradicts that notion, and (to say the same thing another way) nothing in the perpetual virginity doctrine contradicts Scripture. Moreover, no Scripture can be produced that absolutely, undeniably, compellingly defeats the perpetual virginity of Mary. Human Tradition
The alleged disproofs utterly fail in their purpose. The attempted linguistic argument against Marys perpetual virginity from the mere use of the word brothers in English translations (and from sungenis) falls flat at every turn, as we have seen.
If there is any purely human tradition here, then, it is the denial of the perpetual virginity of Mary, since it originated (mostly) some 1700 years after the initial apostolic deposit: just as all heresies are much later corruptions. The earliest Church fathers know of no such thing. To a person, they all testify that Mary was perpetually a virgin, and indeed, thought that this protected the doctrine of the Incarnation, as a miraculous birth from a mother who was a virgin before, during and after the birth.
But when Rome becomes the autocratic supreme judge of what Truth is, including worship, then as in other sola ecclesia groups (Mormon etc.) additions of the Scriptures can be made as desired, and all things made conformable to her doctrine, and which presumption filters down to the laity.
And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another. (1 Corinthians 4:6)
"We must never adore her; that is for God alone. But otherwise we cannot honor her to excess, because it is not possible to overestimate the privileges God gave her in making her His own Mother.
"As Mother of the Word Incarnate, Mary was elevated to a certain equality with the Heavenly Father." -
"The union between the Immaculata and the Holy Spirit is so inexpressible, yet so perfect, that the Holy Spirit acts only by the Most Blessed Virgin, his Spouse.
to her, Jesus owes His Precious Blood...Next to God, she deserves the highest praise....no creature, can ever be compared to her:.. there is no grace which Mary cannot dispose of as her own, which is not given to her for this purpose." "
According to Eadmer (A.D. 10601124), an English monk and student of Anselm, sometimes salvation is quicker if we remember Mary's name then if we invoked the name of the Lord Jesus...
He who is under the protection of Mary will be saved; he who is not will be lost ..ly loving and solicitous for our salvation ... My Queen and my Advocate with thy Son, whom I dare not approach
But by her compassion for her Divine Son she had to suffer, as He did, all the consequences of sin. It was not only during the Passion that Jesus and Mary suffered for our sins, for all their lives that heartrending vision was before them in every detail, and never for a moment forgotten.
The power thus put into her (Marys) hands is all but unlimited. How unerringly right, then, are Christian souls when they turn to Mary for help...
Mary is the sealed fountain and the faithful spouse of the Holy Spirit where only he may enter...She is the sanctuary and resting-place of the Blessed Trinity...the holy City of God, the greatness of the power which she wields over one who is God cannot be conceived...Mary has authority over the angels and the blessed in heaven...God gave her the power and the mission of assigning to saints the thrones made vacant by the apostate angels who fell away through pride....all the angels in heaven unceasingly call out to her...They greet her countless times each day with the angelic greeting, "Hail, Mary", while prostrating themselves before her, begging her as a favour to honour them with one of her requests...The whole world is filled with her glory,...
."Limitless is the difference between God's servants and His Mother.
"When therefore we read in the writings of Saint Bernard, Saint Bernardine, Saint Bonaventure, and others that all in heaven and on earth, even God himself, is subject to the Blessed Virgin, they mean that the authority which God was pleased to give her is so great that she seems to have the same power as God. Her prayers and requests are so powerful with him that he accepts them as commands in the sense that he never resists his dear mothers prayer because it is always humble and conformed to his will... "
"We were condemned through the fault of one woman; we are saved through the merits of another woman. Just as Eve was the root of death for everyone, so Mary was the source of life for everyone.
Sources .
One would have a hard time in Bible times explaining kneeling before a statue and praising the entity it represented in the unseen world, and as having Divine powers and glory, and making offerings and beseeching such for Heavenly help, directly accessed by mental prayer. Moses, put down those rocks! I was only engaging in hyper dulia, not adoring her. Can't you tell the difference?
He who is under the protection of Mary will be saved; he who is not will be lost ..ly loving and solicitous for our salvation ... My Queen and my Advocate with thy Son, whom I dare not approach
Nothing...NOTHING.... in scripture tells me I should put any, repeat ANY trust in Mary for protection or salvation.
To quote a favorite song, "Jesus paid it all, all to him I owe...". What you write is anti-scriptural, taking glory due Jesus and giving it to Mary. I will place my trust, my future and my salvation in Jesus alone. I guess one day we will both see who was correct.
Proverbs 27:6
Wounds from a friend can be trusted,
but an enemy multiplies kisses.
Jesus said to them again, Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.
Indeed those prayers are not Scriptural, but i thought my preface to them was enough to make it clear i was providing examples of these unScriptural prayers to illustrate what i said, "But when Rome becomes the autocratic supreme judge of what Truth is, including worship, then as in other sola ecclesia groups (Mormon etc.) additions of the Scriptures can be made as desired, and all things made conformable to her doctrine, and which presumption filters down to the laity."
So tell me, does Mitt spend much time in your mind? Is it a pleasant sensation?
BTW, never been to Salt Lake City and never been a Mormon. I prefer to judge folks by their character and not their religious proclivities.
Yep - how many can you name?
Nice list you sent - it doesn’t interest me at all because I could give a hoot about any religion. I guess this is an example of how crusades begin - someone decides their religion is superior to someone else’s religion, so the members of the inferior religion need to be destroyed any way possible. How positively......Muslim.
Oh?
Then just WHY are you commenting at all in a religious thread?
Appears the same church that wants to tell me I should trust in Mary is allowing Islamic prayers and Qurran readings in they’re service this week... I’m safer putting my faith where it belongs than trusting in the Vatican.
The way your post reads, it appears that you are misunderstanding where dan is coming from. He is certainly not advocating trusting Mary for anything.
At best, he is quoting comments from someone else and commenting on them.
The bible doesn’t talk about Mary. I’m trying to memorize John 17 and the lack of Mary is profound. By the way it’s a particularly anti Catholic chapter.
Well, other than that minor part about the Incarnation.
Incarnation you day, not immaculate conception?
Sorry, don’t understand: “Incarnation you day”?
So sorry (embarrassed emoticon). "Incarnation you say"
I have a son who kind of likes a Mormon girl. I also have a son who married a Catholic girl. I find interesting similarities between the two and their winking at the scriptures while using them for a basis for a while new invention.
Thanks, and yes I said Incarnation.
You said: The bible doesnt talk about Mary.
I replied: Well, other than that minor part about the Incarnation.
But Mary's is mentioned briefly regarding the birth of the Son of Man. But even He beats down attempts to glorify Mary.
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