CULT OF THE VIRGINS PART IV

The whole of church history adds up to one long arbitrary, narrow minded masculine desposition over the female sex! And this continues today uninterrupted. The fury that happens when it is suggested that women might be ordained as priests

This comes from the churches obsession with perpetual virginity and celibacy. So long as she never “knew a man the church has loved the Virgin Mary. Personally I have a little problem referring to a Jewish women with eight kids as a virgin, so I’ll just refer to her by her name of “Maria.” She gave birth to Jesus through the unlimited power of God! The implication is “ that God is kind of a Man.”

Pope John Paul II, in 1987 in redemption matter ruled that her hymen remained in tact. “ It was a miracle.” The notion of a Virgin birth arose when the old testament was translated into Greek in the third century. Isaiah ‘7-14’ has prophised that a “young women” would bear a son and this son would be called Emanuel. The Greek version of young women was “alma” was translated into the Greek Bible as “Virgin”(Partheno’s)

There isn’t any mention in any of the gospels of a virgin birth. There is very little mentioned about a virgin birth in the bible. Luke presents the story (2:48) he describes the story of Mary and Joseph as Jesus’s parents mentioned in John (1:45-6:42) Jesus as the son of Joseph (Mathew:13:55) There isn’t any mention of the Virgin Birth in Paul’s letters. Paul is very direct about it and denies it in his letter to the Romans ( 1:3) And states that “ Jesus was made of the seed of David according to the flesh” In the first Gospel that of Mark there isn’t any mention of a virgin birth at all.

The church proceeded to make a cult of virginity and this cult attracted many men. These men could best be described as disturbed and at worst as pathological pendants.

Men like the Church father Origen, who castrated himself at age eighteen, in order to make himself a more perfect Christian. Father Augustine , who hated all pleasure. Especially that which came from sex!

A succession of these men struggled to introduce compulsory celebracy for all teachers of the faith. This finally became the way of the church in 1139. When marriage and sex were forbidden to priests of the catholic faith

Jesus never mentions celibacy, Paul indicates that there was not even any unwritten testimony to that effect. Paul writes now concerning virgins “I have no commandment of the Lord” first letter to the Corinthians (7:25). Saint Peter was married to Jesus’ cousin, the daughter of Zebadee and Salom. They frequently traveled together, Paul attests to this in his first letter to the Corinthians (9:5). Paul was also married and most of the apostle’s and seventy two disciples also were as was customary for Jewish men.

The memory of Pauls marriage persisted until the end of the second century when it was last mentioned by Bishop Clement of Alexandria. Thereafter Paul became celebate and as the male virgins took over the church women were excluded from its expression.

In view of the fragments that have survived of Jesuses life it appears that he too was likely married. The first century pharasies, a sect of Judiasm, “ it was a mans unconditional duty to marry” “ Whoever does not engage in procreation is like someone who spills blood.” Rabbi Eliezer.

If Jesus didn’t marry as the church would have us believe, why didn’t the Pharasies make an issue of it? Why didn’t the disciples demand an explanation for his failure to marry. Jesus had many enemies, and most wanted him dead; the Pharasies opposed his teachings, and considered him a heretic to their faith and way of living. The Romans considered him a trouble maker, they considered him a Zelot today the authorities would consider a Zelot an domestic terrorist.

Paul was a Pharasie before he was a Christian. If Jesus was celebate, if he did not marry, why didn’t Paul make an issue of it? When Paul was writing about celibacy he would have certainly have identified Jesus as setting an example.

A Virginal birth and a virginal life was important to the growing Christian orthodoxy. Especially as it left its orgins from Judiasm and sought converts from the gentiles.

Celebacy had been highly rated among the pagen beleifs especially the Stoicg It seems that in a pagen dominated world that Christian virginity was to be desired.