How Do Different Groups of Christianity Interpret the Virgin Birth? Elana Bershtein blue= Introduction pink= Background of Mary and virgin Birth Green= Greek Orthodox Orange= Catholics Purple= Protestants Red= Conclusion
Opening:
Can you believe Christianity’s foundational story is interpreted in so many different ways?
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Many groups of Christianity interpret the virgin birth and the importance of Mary differently
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Three of these groups who think differently are the Catholics, Protestants, and Greek Orthodox
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Each group believes that their idea of the virgin birth is correct and everything else is wrong
D.
Despite all of these different thoughts, there is no way to tell which is correct.
A1.
Most Christians seem to believe that Mary was born without sin
A2.
This idea is called the immaculate conception, not to be confused with the virgin birth
A3.
The virgin birth was when Mary gave birth to Jesus, whereas the immaculate conception is the concept that Mary is sin-free
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Mary’s mother’s name was Saint Anne (www.aboutbibleprophecy.com)
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The story of Jesus’s birth is told in the Christian Bible books of Matthew and Luke Mary was engaged to a man named Joseph, but was not married yet
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An angel, named Gabriel, appeared to Mary and told her she was going to give birth to the son of God (Orthodoxresearchinstitute.org) In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."Luke 1:27-35 Mary was very confused The angel reassured her that everything would be okay "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end." Mary was confused since she was a virgin and had not had any sexual encounters. (www.aboutbibleprophecy.com) "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Luke 1:27-35 The Greek Orthodox have a unique belief in the Virgin Birth and Mary Mary is highly valued in the Orthodox Church
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Mary is called “Theotokos,” which literally means, “The one who gives birth to God” in Latin
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They think she is more honorable than the Cherubim and more glorious than the Seraphim
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Mary’s name is mentioned in every Orthodox service
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According to the Orthodox church, Mary is the one who, in the Lord's words, "heard the word of God and kept it" (Luke 11:28).
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They even compare Mary to Moses and the Burning Bush
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“Mary contained in her womb the God-man, Jesus Christ, the God who is a consuming fire, and was not consumed” (Orthodoxresearchinstitute.org).
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The Orthodox completely believe in the Virgin Birth
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They believe that his birth is foretold in the Old Testament in Isaiah. (Orthodoxresearchinstitute.org).
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"Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shalt call his name Emmanuel." (Isaiah 7:14)
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The virgin birth is a necessity because Jesus cannot come into this world just as a normal human being would, they claim
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He can’t be of this world in order to save the world Jesus was believed to come into this world just like a normal man, except he was born without sin (oca.org).
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Likewise, Catholics believe that Mary’s birth was prophesied Her mother, Saint Anne, devoted Mary to the service of the Lord
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Mary also vowed her life to virginity
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This meant that Mary could not have any children, like a normal mother, and would be dedicated to the Temple. Since Mary was a “virgin of God,” she needed someone who would protect her and protect her vow
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They chose Joseph to be Mary’s spouse and protect her (catholic.com)
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Joseph was required to respect and regard Mary’s virginity vow When Mary became pregnant, Joseph was questioned by the Temple and thought to be guilty for defiling her vow.
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Mary was also questioned for breaking her vow with the Lord. Catholics find it as an insult towards Mary when she was asked this because she was impregnated than none other, but the Holy Spirit himself .
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Catholics also believe that Joseph was a widower who had other children than Jesus, but Mary’s only child was Jesus (catholic.com)
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The Catholics believe that Jesus came into this world just like a normal man and was supplied by Mary They say that Mary co-operated in the birth of Jesus, otherwise Mary couldn’t have been Jesus’s mother They too believe that Mary stayed a virgin for her whole life and had nothing to do with a human father In Luke it says, "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" (Luke 1:35). They think that the Holy Ghost impregnated Mary without ruining her integrity (http://www.newadvent.org).
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V. A1 V. A2 V. A3 V. A4 V. A5 V. B1 V. B2 V. B3 V. B4 V. B5 V. B6 A1 A2 A3 A4 A5
Similarly, in Protestantism, Mary is thought to be Jesus’s mother However, she is less significant than how the Catholics consider her They don’t see Mary as a mediation between God and man, but a model to follow They also think that the immaculate conception is false Protestants believe that Mary is blessed as any other believer of Jesus would be blessed (protestantsabout.com). Unlike other sects, the Virgin Birth is not a part of their dogma Some believe the story is true, while others view it as false. Mary is believed to be involved in marital relationships with children after Jesus was born. She is also believed to not be a virgin and have other children that Jesus Christ (http://www.aleteia.org). Because Mary is not thought to be a Virgin, The Virgin Birth is rejected by most Protestants This is very unlike Catholicism and the Greek Orthodox (protestantsabout.com). The Greek Orthodox honor Mary highly, they even compare her to Moses On the other hand, protestants believe that Mary is not as important as the Orthodox value her. Catholics think that Mary remained a Virgin for her whole life and vowed it to God. Protestants do not only think that Mary was not a virgin, but she had other children too. Although it is the same story, each group of Christianity interprets the Virgin Birth differently
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Works Cited
"Catholic Encyclopedia." Virgin Birth of Christ. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2014. Dmitri. "Orthodox Research Institute." Orthodox Research Institute. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2014. Fairchild, Mary. "Compare Beliefs of Catholicism and Protestantism." About. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2014. Knight, Kevin. "Virgin Birth of Christ." CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA:. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2014. Millegan, Brantly. "A Protestant Defense of Mary's Perpetual Virginity - Aleteia." Aleteia: The News of the World from a Catholic Perspective.N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2014 "Q & A - Sinlessness of Mary." - Orthodox Church in America. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2014.
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