Posted on 04/15/2016 7:25:23 AM PDT by verga
For years there has been disagreement between Catholics and some non-Catholic groups about the Catholic Church’s teaching on the Marian Dogmas, particularly, the perpetual virginity of the Blessed Mother. This will attempt to clear up some of the confusion.
Catholics have always held that Mary remained a virgin before, during, and following the birth of Jesus. Many non-Catholics contend that scripture proves that she did not and points to several instances of people being called brothers or sisters of Jesus.
When we study the scriptures carefully, paying particular attention to the order of sentences and view the language with precision, we see that the Catholic position is both logical and scriptural.
We see the annunciation in Luke Chapter 1. Luke 1:26-27 “In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary.”
Notice that Mary is described as “betrothed”. For all intents and purposes this means that they are married, but the marriage has not yet been consummated. I will go into more detail about this further on.
The angel says to Mary in Luke 1:30-33 “And the angel said to her: Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God.
Behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a son; and thou shalt call his name Jesus.
He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the most High; and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of David his father; and he shall reign in the house of Jacob for ever. And of his kingdom there shall be no end.”
It is important to note here that the angel has not specified a time when or how this would occur.
Mary’s response is very telling Luke 1:34 “εἶπεν δὲ Μαριὰμ πρὸς τὸν ἄγγελον Πῶς ἔσται τοῦτο, ἐπεὶ ἄνδρα οὐ γινώσκω;” Luke 1:34 “And Mary said to the angel: How shall this be done, because I know not man?” In both the Douay-Rheims and the King James version ἔσται is correctly translated as “shall” From Strong’s concordance 1510 εἰμί eimí (the basic Greek verb which expresses being, i.e. "to be"). Ἔσται is the future tense or “will be.”
Mary is not a 21st century city girl, She is a 1st century farm girl who understands the mechanics of procreation. Her response only makes sense if she had no intention of having a conjugal relation with the man she was already betrothed to. In the usual state of affairs a woman would expect to have children, but Mary is expressing amazement. Remember the angel has not yet told her that the child will be the literal Son of God only that he would be called the son of the most high and sit on the throne of David.
There are some who will say that the word betrothed meant that they were merely engaged, but scripture shows differently; in the Hebrew culture a couple became betrothed then, the husband prepared a house, returned for the wife, and took her into the house to consummate the marriage.
Jesus used the language of the bridegroom in John 14:1-3 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith* in God; have faith also in me”.
2 “In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?”
3 “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be”.
Months later after she is already living with Joseph on the way to Bethlehem Mary is still referred to as being betrothed,
Luke 2:5 “to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.”
If they were not married but only “engaged” it would not have been necessary for Joseph to divorce her.
Matthew 1:19 “Ἰωσὴφ δὲ ὁ ἀνὴρ αὐτῆς, δίκαιος ὢν καὶ μὴ θέλων αὐτὴν δειγματίσαι, ἐβουλήθη λάθρᾳ ἀπολῦσαι αὐτήν.”
Matthew 1:19 “Whereupon Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing publicly to expose her, was minded to put her away privately”. The word ἀπολῦσαι from Strong’s concordance 630 /apolýō ("to release") is specifically used of divorcing a marital partner
We see the exact same term used when Jesus is discussing marriage and divorce in Mt 1:19, 5:31,32, 19:7-9.
At this point the non-Catholics will point out that this does not prevent them from having a conjugal relationship after the birth of Jesus and the purification ritual. I have shown above that Mary had no intention of entering into a conjugal relationship with Joseph and this is is due to her having entered into a “relationship” with the Holy Spirit.
This is evidenced in the language used in Luke when the angel explains how Mary is to conceive.
Luke 1:35 And the angel answering, said to her: “The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the most High shall overshadow thee. And therefore also the Holy which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.”
The term “overshadow” is nuptial language. We see similar language in Ruth and Ezekiel. Ruth 3:9 And he said to her: “Who art thou?” And she answered:” I am Ruth thy handmaid: spread thy coverlet over thy servant, for thou art a near kinsman.”
Ezekiel 16;7-8 “I caused thee to multiply as the bud of the field: and thou didst increase and grow great, and advancedst, and camest to woman's ornament: thy breasts were fashioned, and thy hair grew: and thou wast naked, and full of confusion
. And I passed by thee, and saw thee: and behold thy time was the time of lovers : and I spread my garment over thee, and covered thy ignominy. And I swore to thee, and I entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord God: and thou becamest mine.”
At this point some will ask how could Mary be in a matrimonial relationship with both the Holy Spirit and Joseph, The answer is in the exact same way that all Christians are in that relationship with Christ.
Mary had both an earthly temporal nuptial relationship with Joseph and an eternal nuptial relationship with the Holy Spirit, just as all Christians hope to have with God. This comes from the Hebrew word אֲרוּסָה (kiddush) which means betrothed, The root of kiddush is קָדוֹשׁ (kadash) which means holy or sacred.
Matthew 9:14-15 Then the disciples of John came to Him, asking, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?" And Jesus said to them, "The attendants of the bridegroom cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.” (See also Mark 2:18-20, Luke 5:33-35) Matthew 25:1 "Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom”
Isaiah 61:10 “I will rejoice greatly in the LORD, My soul will exult in my God; For He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.”
John 3:29 "He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice So this joy of mine has been made full.
2 Corinthians 11:2 “For I am jealous of you with the jealousy of God. For I have espoused you to one husband that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.”
Revelation 21:2 “And I John saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”
The difference between Mary’s nuptial relationship with God and ours is that hers intersected here in the temporal world and resulted in the conception of the Man, Christ Jesus.
John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we saw his glory, the glory as it were of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
The question will still remain to some: How does this prevent Mary and Joseph from engaging in a conjugal relationship?
By law he was strictly prohibited from entering this type of relationship with Mary. To understand this we need to refer to the Old Testament, specifically the book of Deuteronomy and Jeremiah.
Deuteronomy 1:1-4 1 “When a man, after marrying a woman, is later displeased with her because he finds in her something indecent, and he writes out a bill of divorce and hands it to her, thus dismissing her from his house,
2 if on leaving his house she goes and becomes the wife of another man,
3 and the second husband, too, comes to dislike her and he writes out a bill of divorce and hands it to her, thus dismissing her from his house, or if this second man who has married her dies, 4 then her former husband, who dismissed her, may not again take her as his wife after she has become defiled. That would be an abomination before the LORD, and you shall not bring such guilt upon the land the LORD, your God, is giving you as a heritage.”
Jeremiah 3:1 “If a man divorces his wife and she leaves him and then becomes the wife of another, Can she return to the first? Would not this land be wholly defiled? But you have played the prostitute with many lovers, and yet you would return to me!—oracle of the LORD.”
In the The Babylonian Talmud: (Neusner vol 11 pg 123) It states that a man can not enter into a marriage contract with a woman who has been made pregnant by a former husband. If he does, he is required to give her a bill of divorce.and not remarry her.
We see this in 2 Samuel. Absalom had relations with ten of David’s concubines.
2 Samuel 16:22 “So a tent was pitched on the roof for Absalom, and Absalom went to his father’s concubines in view of all Israel.
After Absalom’s plot to overthrow his father failed David did the only thing he could. He took them back but he never had relations with them.
2 Samuel 20:3 David came to his house in Jerusalem, and the king took the ten concubines whom he had left behind to care for the palace and placed them under guard. He provided for them, but never again saw them. And so they remained shut away to the day of their death, lifelong widows.”
As we saw in Matthew 1:19 Joseph had planned to divorce her quietly, but again an angel intervened.
Matthew 1:20 “But while he thought on these things, behold the angel of the Lord appeared to him in his sleep, saying: Joseph, son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived in her, is of the Holy Ghost.
21 And she shall bring forth a son: and thou shalt call his name JESUS. For he shall save his people from their sins.”
Now we need to compare the language used 1:18 and in 1:20 Matthew 1:18 “Τοῦ δὲ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἡ γένεσις οὕτως ἦν. μνηστευθείσης τῆς μητρὸς αὐτοῦ Μαρίας τῷ Ἰωσήφ, πρὶν ἢ συνελθεῖν αὐτοὺς εὑρέθη ἐν γαστρὶ ἔχουσα ἐκ πνεύματος ἁγίου.” Sunerchomai συνελθεῖν to come together, to assemble, to marry to have marital relations.
Matthew 1:20 “ταῦτα δὲ αὐτοῦ ἐνθυμηθέντος ἰδοὺ ἄγγελος Κυρίου κατ’ ὄναρ ἐφάνη αὐτῷ λέγων Ἰωσὴφ υἱὸς Δαυείδ, μὴ φοβηθῇς παραλαβεῖν Μαρίαν τὴν γυναῖκά σου, τὸ γὰρ ἐν αὐτῇ γεννηθὲν ἐκ Πνεύματός ἐστιν Ἁγίου·”
Paralambanó παραλαβεῖν I take from, receive from, or: I take to, receive (apparently not used of money), admit, acknowledge; I take with me.To take charge of.
At this point Joseph became her guardian/ protector and legal spouse. This fulfilled the prophecy that the Messiah would come from the line of David of which Joseph was a member. Had he divorced her Mary would have been subject to at least ridicule and scorn and possibly stoning, which was the punishment for adultery. Joseph was able to fulfill all the temporal duties of a father that the Holy Spirit could not.
Further evidence of Mary’s perpetual virginity is seen Ezekiel.
Ezekiel 44:1-2 “Then he brought me back to the outer gate of the sanctuary facing east, but it was closed.2The LORD said to me: This gate must remain closed; it must not be opened, and no one should come through it. Because the LORD, the God of Israel, came through it, it must remain closed.”
The Sanctuary is the Temple and only God is permitted to enter through that gate. Jesus told us in John that He was the Temple
John 2:19-21
19 Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.” 20The Jews said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and you will raise it up in three days?”
21 But he was speaking about the temple of his body.
Logically if Jesus is the temple then Mary must be the eastern gate since she is how He entered the world.
There will still be some die hards that will say: But what about the “brothers” and “sisters” referred to in the gospels?
In John 19:26-27 we read 26 When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.”
27 Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.
Some have offered that his siblings were unbelievers. Paul describes James in Galatians 1:19 “But I did not see any other of the apostles, only James the brother of the Lord.” So much for James being an unbeliever if he was one of the Apostles. Also nowhere does James describe himself as related to Jesus.
Jude describes himself as “a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James” (Jude 1). If Jude is a sibling of Jesus, why does he talk in this weird way?
If any of them were to be unbelievers it would be a very temporary state of affairs. We see this in John 17:12 When I was with them I protected them in your name that you gave me, and I guarded them, and none of them was lost except the son of destruction, in order that the scripture might be fulfilled.
The claim of unbelief came in John 7:5 For his brothers did not believe in him. During the feast of tabernacles (See John 7:2). That was 6 months prior to the Passover and both James and Jude were present for that.
Further Jesus would have known that they would to him based on his predictions of the behavior of others in the gospels.
Matthew 26:13 He knew the woman that anointed Him with oil would be remembered.
Matthew 26:34 He knew of Peter’s triple denial.
Peter's death in John 21:18-19, and the list goes on.
Even if they did not believe in Him they were still faithful Jews and had a responsibility that Jesus went into great detail about ignoring parents for “religious” reasons.
Mark 7:9-12 9 He went on to say, “How well you have set aside the commandment of God in order to uphold your tradition!
10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and ‘Whoever curses father or mother shall die.’
11 Yet you say, ‘If a person says to father or mother, “Any support you might have had from me is qorban” (meaning, dedicated to God),
12 you allow him to do nothing more for his father or mother.
We also know from the Gospel that Jesus was the First born of Mary, and siblings would be younger and it was absolutely unheard of in the middle eastern culture that a younger sibling would upbraid and older brother for any reason.
If non-Catholics are going to be consistent then are they willing to say that Joseph is the biological father of Jesus?
John 6:42 and they said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph? Do we not know his father and mother? Then how can he say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?
Luke 2:33 The child’s father and mother were amazed at what was said about him; Luke 2:48 When his parents saw him, they were astonished, and his mother said to him, “Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.” Of course not, every Christian realizes that Joseph was His father by adoption not by nature.
Let’s look further at the gospels.
Matthew 13:55 “Is he not the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother named Mary and his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas?”
Matthew 27:56 “Among them were Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.”
Matthew 28:1 “After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb.”
We see when we look at John that the biological father of these men is actually Clopas. John 19:25 “Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala.”
Notice that John refers to Mary the mother of Jesus and Mary the wife of Clopas as “sisters” Most families do not give uterine relatives the same first name. At best they are probably first cousins, which would make the sons of Clopas 2nd cousins to Jesus.
Paul states in Galatians 1:17-19
17 “nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; rather, I went into Arabia and then returned to Damascus.”
18 “Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to confer with Cephas and remained with him for fifteen days.”
19 “But I did not see any other of the apostles, only James the brother of the Lord.”
There were two Apostles named James. The first was the son of Zebedee He was killed by Herod (Acts 12:1-2). This James must be the son of Alphaeus referred to in Luke 6:15-16. Jude refers to himself as the brother of James in Jude 1:1
Three of the four have been ruled out as uterine brothers of Jesus. It should also be noted that not one of these “brothers” was ever referred to as either the son of Joseph or Mary. Also note that in Luke 2:41-52 when Jesus was lost and later found in the temple no mention is made of any other children.
The only conclusion that can be drawn, based entirely on the Scriptures, is that Mary did remain a virgin for her entire life.
“Kolokotronis, you papist you!”
Alas and alack! My papou must be spinning in his grave! /s
Try using the force, Luke. You’re making too many assumptions of late. I was getting ‘upbraided’ by Kolo years ago. He enjoyed jumping down my throat when I posted a German sentence in which I did not capitalize the first letter of proper nouns.
“Wow. Mariolatry 101.”
It is hard for Anglophones to appreciate the difference between veneration and worship. It’s easier in Greek; really, it is!
Run along, you are now on ignore. Spittle to your heart’s content, but try to remain sane.
WHOO HOO!
Do I get a decoder ring? Where do we have our meetings? Are there dues? I hope we get interesting hats.
A demon-serving fool, dancing in public, is an amusement
Until he exposes his foolishness is to serve a devilish game
Such fools are best left to show their truly fallen nature
Without help from Christians
Did you use the decoder ring, little man?
O JESUS! meek and humble of heart, Hear me.
From the desire of being esteemed, Deliver me, JESUS.
From the desire of being loved, Deliver me, JESUS.
From the desire of being extolled, Deliver me, JESUS.
From the desire of being honored, Deliver me, JESUS.
From the desire of being praised, Deliver me, JESUS.
From the desire of being preferred to others, Deliver me, JESUS.
From the desire of being consulted, Deliver me, JESUS.
From the desire of being approved, Deliver me, JESUS.
From the fear of being humiliated, Deliver me, JESUS.
From the fear of being despised, Deliver me, JESUS.
From the fear of suffering rebukes, Deliver me, JESUS.
From the fear of being calumniated, Deliver me, JESUS.
From the fear of being forgotten, Deliver me, JESUS.
From the fear of being ridiculed, Deliver me, JESUS.
From the fear of being wronged, Deliver me, JESUS.
From the fear of being suspected, Deliver me, JESUS.
That others may be loved more than I, JESUS, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be esteemed more than I, JESUS, grant me the grace to desire it.
That, in the opinion of the world, others may increase and I may decrease, JESUS, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be chosen and I set aside, JESUS, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be praised and I unnoticed, JESUS, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be preferred to me in everything, JESUS, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should, JESUS, grant me the grace to desire it.
I appreciate the illumination which your exposition here adds to the understanding of the roles of Mary and Joseph in completing prophesies foretelling and defining the coming of the Messiah.
My view of the "perpetual virginity" is that the hoopla is simply a marketing ploy, one of differentiating a product such that its purveyor, the RCC, can nominate itself as the only outlet for the distribution of supposed benefits to a select and profitable audience in a segmented market. This, of course, presumes that the Gospel of Christ is not freely available to all, but flows only through a channel of "grace" of which the RCC controls the "pinch points."
Any possessor of an MBA thoroughly understands both the context and the methodology of creating a market, uniquely defining the product, nominating oneself as the sole supplier, and branding its offering such that other suppliers will be seen as inferior in service and supply.
It instructive to examine one of the successful patented medicines, acetylsalicylic acid, was patented in 1900 by the German Bayer company, trademarked as "Aspirin" (now passed into the general vocabulary), and marketed as a wonder drug.
At the end of the First World War, the chemical was made generic, available for anyone to make and market. However, through a strong promotional effort, the name "Bayer Aspirin" and vaunted quality was so impressed on the public that for many years Bayer dominated that market segment.
In fact, my mother-in-law, trained as an RN in the 1920s, would accept no other brand of aspirin for her personal use, claiming that none but Bayer made a satisfactorily pure pharmaceutical product, no matter what reasoning she was offered that generic aspirin was much cheaper, and just as effective, even in the 1990s. Why? Because of the continuing persuasive SPAM, no matter how irrational, claimed superior benefits that kept her allegiance even to the grave.
You can argue all you want that from literal-historical hermeneutics a perpetually virgin Mary is nonsense, but you are going to find out that the RCC allegorical approach to the Mary paradigm has such a firm grasp on simony and so much SPAM that it is to Romanists therefore both an honorable and just ploy to cement customers to the brand such that they will never give it up and go back to true New Testament doctrine.
Besides, those Mary statuettes are so pretty that no religious home should be without them. And a Sallman's "Head of Christ." With a populated crucifix and candle beneath it. And a breviary with Rosary beads. Maybe a kneeler.
Dang!
It’s more pervasive than I’d thought!
John mentions 7 churches in Asia...
Worship is what you give your wife.
Adoration is what you give your mistress.
Your mistress probably won't complain; but I'd bet good money the wife would!!
VOTE TRUMP!
“Dang!
It’s more pervasive than I’d thought!”
:) We Greeks are everywhere!
“The Son of God became man, that we might become god” St. Athanasius the Great.
Take a look at De Incarnatione,
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/athanasius/incarnation.toc.html
Complete with Scriptural citations. You see, Christ’s Incarnation changed everything!
It is not. Your thesis is so juvenile that it does not even deserve a nod.
But for an audience which is interested in documentation, I have done an extensive study in the Greek, LXX and Koine, in the Latin Vulgate, in the Hebrew Masoretic, and in the English Unabridged Dictionary; as well as in Thayer's and Strong's Greek lexicons, Gesenius' Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon, Vine's Expository dictionary, Roget's and Sisson's thesauri, The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (the term "veneration" does not even exist in the five volumes), Young's Analytical Concordance (no venerate or veneration), as well as several commentaries.
There is no genuine Biblical term to identify with "venerate" or "veneration." The only terms use to describe bowing, kneeling, or prostrating oneself in homage are as follows:
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Definitions from Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language Unabridged (1981)
[In the contexts below, a bracket of left (<) and right (>) carets set off a phrase illustrating an instance
of the word's particular usage.]
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wor ship n [ME worschipe, worshipe, fr OE weorthscipe, fr weorth worthy + -scipe -ship -- more at WORTH]
1 a archaic : HONOR, REPUTE, CREDIT b archaic : DIGNITY, IMPORTANCE, RANK c sometimes esp chiefly British : a person of standing or importance -- used as a title or mode of address, esp for holders of high offices < his Worship the Sheriff >
2 : the reverence or veneration tendered a divine being or supernatural power; also : an
act, process, or instance of expressing such veneration by performing or takig part in religious exercises or ritual < all worship is an effort of the individual to realize . . . the real presence of the Divine --N. W. Comfort >
3 : a form or type of worship or religious practice with its creed and ritual < foreigners had been crowding to Rome, bringing with them their foreign cults, and she had prmitted these worships --John Buchan >
4 : respect, admiration, or devotionfoe an object of esteem < the worship of the machine --C. I. Glicksberg >
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wor ship vb worshiped or worshipped; worshiped or worshipped; worshiping or worshipping; worships [ME worschipen, worshipen, fr worschipe worship] vt
1 : to honor or reverence as a divine being or supernatural power : VENERATE < the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are uncreated and are to be worshipped together as one God --K. S. Latourette > < the emperor . . . worshipped as a god, is to serve as an instrument --Vera M. Dean >
2 : to regard with respect, honor, or devotion : ADORE < in the Renaissance, men worshiped antiquity --Stephen Spender >
************
Hebrew:
Strong's Number H7812
שׁחה shâchâh shaw-khaw'
Strong's Definition:
A primitive root; to depress, that is, prostrate (especially reflexively in homage
to royalty or God): - bow (self) down, crouch, fall down (flat), humbly beseech, do (make) obeisance,
do reverence, make to stoop, worship.
Brown, Driver, Briggs Definition:
1) to bow down
. . 1a) (Qal) to bow down
. . 1b) (Hiphil) to depress (figuratively)
. . 1c) (Hithpael)
. . . . 1c1) to bow down, prostrate oneself
. . . . . . 1c1a) before superior in homage
. . . . . . 1c1b) before God in worship
. . . . . . 1c1c) before false gods
. . . . . . 1c1d) before angel
Part of Speech: verb
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Aramaic (only eight instances, all in Daniel 3):
Strong's Number H5457
סגד
segid
seg-eed'
Strong's Definition:
(Chaldee); corresponding to H5456: - worship.
Brown, Driver, Briggs Definition:
1) to prostrate oneself, do homage, worship
. . 1a) (Peal) to do homage
Part of Speech: verb
A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: a primitive root
=========
Greek:
Strong's Number G4352
προσκυνέω
proskuneō
pros-koo-neh'-o
Strong's Definition:
From G4314 and probably a derivative of G2965 (meaning to kiss, like a dog
licking his master’s hand); to fawn or crouch to, that is, (literally or figuratively) prostrate
oneself in homage (do reverence to, adore): - worship. Thayer Definition:
1) to kiss the hand to (towards) one, in token of reverence
2) among the Orientals, especially the Persians, to fall upon the knees and touch the ground with the forehead as an expression of profound reverence
3) in the NT by kneeling or prostration to do homage (to one) or make obeisance, whether in order to express respect or to make supplication
. . 3a) used of homage shown to men and beings of superior rank
. . . . 3a1) to the Jewish high priests
. . . . 3a2) to God
. . . . 3a3) to Christ
. . . . 3a4) to heavenly beings
. . . . 3a5) to demons
Part of Speech: verb
A Related Word by Thayer’s/Strong’s Number: from G4314 and a probable derivative of G2965 (meaning to kiss, like a dog licking his master’s hand)
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Strong's Number G4576
σέβομαι
sebomai
seb'-om-ahee
Strong's Definition:
Middle voice of an apparently primary verb; to revere, that is, adore: - devout, religious, worship. Thayer Definition:
1) to revere, to worship
Part of Speech: verb
A Related Word by Thayer’s/Strong’s Number: middle voice of an apparently primary verb
Used one occasion, recorded in two gospels:
"This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips;
but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the
commandments of men" (Mt. 15:8-9; cf Mk. 7:7 AV).
------------
Strong's Number G1391
δόξα
doxa
dox'-ah
Strong's Definition:
From the base of G1380; glory (as very apparent), in a wide application (literally or figuratively,
objectively or subjectively): - dignity, glory (-ious), honour, praise, worship.
Thayer Definition:
1) opinion, judgment, view
2) opinion, estimate, whether good or bad concerning someone
. . 2a) in the NT always a good opinion concerning one, resulting in praise, honour, and glory
3) splendour, brightness
. . 3a) of the moon, sun, stars
. . 3b) magnificence, excellence, preeminence, dignity, grace
. . 3c) majesty
. . . . 3c1) a thing belonging to God
. . . . 3c1) the kingly majesty which belongs to him as supreme ruler, majesty in the sense of the
absolute perfection of the deity
. . . . 3c2) a thing belonging to Christ
. . . . . . 3c2a) the kingly majesty of the Messiah
. . . . . . 3c2b) the absolutely perfect inward or personal excellency of Christ; the majesty
. . . . 3c3) of the angels
. . . . . . 3c3a) as apparent in their exterior brightness
4) a most glorious condition, most exalted state
. . 4a) of that condition with God the Father in heaven to which Christ was raised after he had achieved his work on earth
. . 4b) the glorious condition of blessedness into which is appointed and promised that true Christians shall
enter after their Saviour’s return from heaven
Part of Speech: noun feminine
A Related Word by Thayer’s/Strong’s Number: from the base of G1380
Used only once, referring to table manners, not veneration, adoratiom, or bowing in homage.
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Strong's Number G3000
λατρεύω
latreuō
lat-ryoo'-o
Strong's Definition:
From λάτρις latris (a hired menial); to minister (to God), that is, render religious homage: - serve, do the service, worship (-per).
Thayer Definition:
1) to serve for hire
2) to serve, minister to, either to the gods or men and used alike of slaves and freemen
. . 2a) in the NT, to render religious service or homage, to worship
. . 2b) to perform sacred services, to offer gifts, to worship God in the observance of the rites instituted for his worship
. . . . 2b1) of priests, to officiate, to discharge the sacred office
Part of Speech: verb
A Related Word by Thayer’s/Strong’s Number: from latris (a hired menial)
Used only twice:
"But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets:" (Acts 24:14 AV).
"For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh" (Php. 3:3 AV).
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The only words in either the Old Testament or the New, which could be used for the act of lighting candles, or burning incense, and/or bowing/kneeling/prostrating in homage to Mary is defined in the English language solely as to worship, is it not?
Trying to excuse this attitude toward her (or worse yet, images purporting to be of her) by using the word "venerate" or "veneration" is only trying to walk away, in the face of direct challenges, that what is really going on is worship the is not authorized anywhere in the Old or New Testaments, and is in fact forbidden, in my estimation.
========
What "venerate" means, in the English dictionary, and in the Bible(s) is as follows:
Definitions from Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language Unabridged (1981)
[In the contexts below, a bracket of left (<) and right (>) carets set off a phrase illustrating an instance
of the word's particular usage.]
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ven er able adj [ME, fr L. venerabilis, fr L venerari to venerate + abilis -able]
1 : deserving to be venerated : worthy of honor and respect usu. by reason of
prolonged testing (as o character or in office) < a venerable judge > -- deacon of a church
of the Anglican Communion or a person recognized by Roman Catholics as having attained the
lowest of three degrees of sanctity
2 : made sacred by religious, historic, or other associations : meriting to be regarded with
awe and treated with reverence < the venerable walls of a church > < venerable relics of our
forefathers > < the venerable silence of the library --Ernst Krenck >
3 a : calling forth respect through age, character, and attainments < venerable sages > < a venerable leader >; broadly : conveying an impression of aged goodness and
benevolence < his ruddy features and snow-white hair gave him a venerable appearance >
b : impressive by reason of age < that venerable coat had sheltered
three generations >
4 : obs : showing or giving deep respect : REVERENTIAL
syn see OLD
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ven er ate vt [L. veneratus past participle of venrerari : to regard wih reverential respect or with admiration and deference as being hallowed
or as having nobility esp if accompanied with age : REVERE < we venerate noble parents >
< do not know of a man more to be venerated for uprighteousness of heart and loftiness of
spirit -- Sir Walter Scott >
syn see REVERE
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ven er a tion n [ME veneracion fr L veneration-, veneratio, fr veneratus (past participle of venerari) + -ion- -io -ion]
1 : a feeling of respect mingled with awe excited by the dignity, wisdom, or superiority of a
person, by sacredness of character, by consecrated state,, or by hallowed association < the
tremendous veneration in which art and artists have been held --Huntington Hartford >
< regarded their teachers and institutions with the deepest veneration >
2 a : the act of venerating esp by the expressing of deeply reverent feeling -- compare ADORATION
b : the act of admiring humbly and respectfully
3 : the condition of one that is venerated < hoping to obtain veneration from his subjects >
4 : the phrenologic faculty of reverence - venerational (adj)
************
ven er a tor n [L fr veneratus (past participle) + -or]
: one that venerates < a venerator of tradition >
*********note********
Exodus 39:29 (39:30 in the AV and LXX)
DRB : the plate of sacred veneration of the purest gold
AV : the plate of the holy crown of pure gold
Vulgate : lamminam sacrae venerationis de auro purissimo
Darby : the thin plate, the holy diadem, of pure gold
The LXX calls it an aphorism (no Strong's number/word),
αφορισμα
Looking this up in Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, one can only conclude that this noun comes from the verb αφοραω which has the meaning to turn the eyes away from other things and fix them on something; cf. αποβλεπω (to look away from); figuratively, to turn one's mind to
*******
In English:
1 : a concise statement of a principle
2 : a terse formulation of a truth or sentiment : adage
Hebrew:
Strong's Number H6731
צץ ציץ
tsı̂yts tsits
tseets, tseets
From H6692; properly glistening, that is, a burnished plate; also a flower
(as bright colored); a wing (as gleaming in the air): - blossom, flower, plate, wing.
Brown, Driver, Briggs Definition:
1) flower, bloom
. . 1a) flower, bloom
. . 1b) shining thing (of gold plate on high priest’s mitre) (metaphorically)
2) feather, wing
. . 2a) meaning dubious
Part of Speech: noun masculine
A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: from H6692
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The only place the word veneration appears in the above Bibles is in the DRB, from the Vulgate, and it does not refer to speak of an attitude of regard toward a human or to a thing of this world. In no case does it ever, in English or in Scriptural matters, refer to burning a candle or incense, or of bowing, kneeling, or prostrating oneself in homage regarding any human being or natural or manufactured object or image.
The designation "veneration" by Romanism to conduct such exercises toward idolatrous images is a term misusing an action carried to the extreme so as to avoid using the only proper term describing such action, which would be to worship, IMHO.
According to the dictionary, Mary is of the lowest of three degrees of sancity, whatever that means in Romantic (pun) terms.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
I think you need to find a deep, dark place to bury "venerate" as regarding the Bible or spiritual matters. There is only one object worthy of human veneration = worship, and that is the Jehovah Elohim of the Holy Scriptures.
Still can’t or won’t offer up the full Greek on the verbs??
>>(Given to St. Dominic and Blessed Alan de la Roche)
>>5. The soul which recommends itself to me by the recitation of the Rosary, shall not perish.<<
This false apparition is claiming that it can offer eternal life by recitation of the Rosary!!!
If that isn't surpassing Christ I don't know what is.
Forget the perpetual virginity....can any catholic defend this false teaching with the Word??
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