I continue from where I left off: NOTES FOR KELLY POWERS’ MARIAN DISCUSSION PT. 1.

CHRIST’S EARTHLY GLORY

Powers misquotes Philippians 2:5-8 to erroneously suggest that Christ had set aside his glory, thereby showing that he doesn’t understand the text nor does he comprehend that there are various kinds of glory, which Christ possesses and/or manifested at the Incarnation.

Pay specific attention to the proceeding verses which all speak of Jesus’ possessing and manifesting his glory while on earth:

“And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14

“On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there; and both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to Him, ‘They have no wine.’ And Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, what does that have to do with us? My hour has not yet come.’ His mother said to the servants, ‘Whatever He says to you, do it.’ Now there were six stone waterpots set there for the Jewish custom of purification, containing twenty or thirty gallons each. Jesus said to them, ‘Fill the waterpots with water.’ So they filled them up to the brim. And He said to them, ‘Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter.’ So they took it to him. When the headwaiter tasted the water which had become wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter called the bridegroom, and said to him, ‘Every man serves the good wine first, and when the people have drunk freely, then he serves the poorer wine; but you have kept the good wine until now.’ This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.” John 2:1-11

“Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. It was the Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. So the sisters sent word to Him, saying, ‘Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.’ But when Jesus heard this, He said, ‘This sickness is not to end in death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it.’… Jesus said, ‘Remove the stone.’ Martha, the sister of the deceased, *said to Him, ‘Lord, by this time there will be a stench, for he has been dead four days.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?’ So they removed the stone. Then Jesus raised His eyes, and said, ‘Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. I knew that You always hear Me; but because of the people standing around I said it, so that they may believe that You sent Me.’ When He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come forth.’ The man who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus said to them, ‘Unbind him, and let him go.’ Therefore many of the Jews who came to Mary, and saw what He had done, believed in Him.” John 11:1-4, 39-45

This next one is quite interesting:

“‘Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.’ Six days later Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. Peter said to Jesus, ‘Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, I will make three tabernacles here, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’ While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, ‘This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!’” Matthew 16:28-17:5

Peter himself affirms that this was the event where Christ manifested his glory:

“For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory, ‘This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased’— and we ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.” 2 Peter 1:16-18

So there was a glory that Jesus still had and revealed during his earthly ministry.

A BODY GOD HAS PREPARED

A further act of desperation in his zeal to rob the blessed Mother of the honor and blessedness that God graciously bestowed on her, Powers cites Hebrews 10:5 to show it was God who prepared a body for Christ, not Mary!

“Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says, ‘Sacrifice and offering You have not desired, But a body You have prepared for Me; In whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You have taken no pleasure. Then I said, “Behold, I have come (In the scroll of the book it is written of Me) To do Your will, O God.”’ After saying above, ‘Sacrifices and offerings and whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You have not desired, nor have You taken pleasure in them’ (which are offered according to the Law),then He said, ‘Behold, I have come to do Your will.’ He takes away the first in order to establish the second. By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” Hebrews 10:5-10

This butchering of the text pits holy Scripture against itself since the Bible clearly teaches that the manner in which God prepared a body for Christ was by having the Virgin conceive God’s beloved Son in her consecrated womb by the Holy Spirit:

“Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Of her was born (ex hes egennethe) Jesus who is called the Messiah.” Matthew 1:16 New American Bible Updated Edition (NABUE)

“This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means ‘God with us’).” Matthew 1:18-23 New International Version (NIV)

“But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.” Galatians 4:4-5

Note how the aforementioned verses emphatically state that Christ was made/born of a woman, being conceived of/in Mary.

Mary was, therefore, the means by whom Jesus partook of flesh and blood so that he could become the seed of Abraham for the express purpose of saving the rest of Abraham’s offspring:    

“Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.” Hebrews 2:14-15

Power’s objection merely illustrates the levels he will stoop to in order to dishonor the blessed Mother, thinking that he is doing God a favor.  

GOD GLORIFIES BELIEVERS

Contrary to what is claimed, the Scriptures talk about God glorifying his servants who have remained faithful to the end, making them perfectly sinless and holy:

“The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one;” John 17:22

“But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to each person according to his deeds: to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation.” Romans 2:5-8

“And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory,” Romans 9:23

“Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away; but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory;” 1 Corinthians 2:6-7

“For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory.” 2 Corinthians 4:17 Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church,” Ephesians 5:25-29

“To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power,so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12

“But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as firstfruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.” 2 Thessalonians 2:13-15 NIV

Note how the following NT Greek scholars render v. 14 in their respective translations:

“And he called you to this salvation through our gospel, that you might come to share the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” William B. Mounce Reverse Interlinear New Testament (MOUNCE)

“It was his call that you followed when we preached the Gospel to you, and he has set before you the prospect of sharing the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” J. B. Phillips New Testament (PHILIIPS)

There’s more:

“For He did not subject to angels the world to come, concerning which we are speaking.But one has testified somewhere, saying, ‘What is man, that You remember him? Or the son of man, that You are concerned about him? You have made him for a little while lower than the angels; You have crowned him with glory and honor, And have appointed him over the works of Your hands; You have put all things in subjection under his feet.’ For in subjecting all things to him, He left nothing that is not subject to him. But now we do not yet see all things subjected to him. But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings.” Hebrews 2:5-10

“See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin.No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him.Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous;the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.” 1 John 3:1-10

The Scriptures further emphasize that believers are to aim to be perfect and holy as God is, which shall be fully realized either at our departure into heaven or when Christ descends to transform al who are live at his coming:

“For I am the LORD your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. And you shall not make yourselves unclean with any of the swarming things that swarm on the earth. For I am the LORD who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God; thus you shall be holy, for I am holy.’” Leviticus 11:44-45

“Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Matthew 5:48

“Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away.For we know in part and we prophesy in part;but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away.When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things.For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:8-13

“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.” 2 Corinthians 3:17-18

“Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’” 1 Peter 1:13-16 – Cf. 1 Corinthians 15:45-58; Philippians 3:20-21; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

GOD USES HUMAN BEINGS TO SAVE PEOPLE FROM SINS

Contrary to what Protestants such as Powers think, God does use human instruments to save people, as we see in the proceeding verses:

“And speaking boldly, Paul and Barnabas said, ‘To you it was necessary that first the word of God be spoken, and seeing ye do thrust it away, and do not judge yourselves worthy of the life age-during, lo, we do turn to the nations; for so hath the Lord commanded us: I have set thee for a light of nations — for thy being for salvation unto the end of the earth.’” Acts 13:46-47 Young’s Literal Translation (YLT)

Paul ascribed to both Barnabas and himself the following OT passage, which speaks of YHWH’s Servant the Messiah bringing salvation to all nations:

“And now says the Lord, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant, To bring Jacob back to Him, so that Israel might be gathered to Him (For I am honored in the sight of the Lord, And My God is My strength), He says, ‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also make You a light of the nations So that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.’” Isaiah 49:5-6

Continuing further:

“To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some.” 1 Corinthians 9:22

“Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.” 1 Timothy 4:16 Legacy Standard Bible (LSB)

Furthermore, the Scriptures attest that the Holy Spirit will employ human vessels to bring people to Christ. Here are a few examples:

“When He had come back to Capernaum several days afterward, it was heard that He was at home. And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room, not even near the door; and He was speaking the word to them. And they came, bringing to Him a paralytic, carried by four men. Being unable to get to Him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Him; and when they had dug an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic was lying. And Jesus seeing their faith said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’ But some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, ‘Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming; who can forgive sins but God alone?’ Immediately Jesus, aware in His spirit that they were reasoning that way within themselves, said to them, ‘Why are you reasoning about these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, “Your sins are forgiven”; or to say, “Get up, and pick up your pallet and walk”? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins’—He said to the paralytic, ‘I say to you, get up, pick up your pallet and go home.’ And he got up and immediately picked up the pallet and went out in the sight of everyone, so that they were all amazed and were glorifying God, saying, ‘We have never seen anything like this.’” Mark 2:1-12

“Again the next day John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as He walked, and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God!’ The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. And Jesus turned and saw them following, and said to them, ‘What do you seek?’ They said to Him, ‘Rabbi (which translated means Teacher), where are You staying?’ He said to them, ‘Come, and you will see.’ So they came and saw where He was staying; and they stayed with Him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. One of the two who heard John speak and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He found first his own brother Simon and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (which translated means Christ). He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, ‘You are Simon the son of John; you shall be called Cephas’ (which is translated Peter). The next day He purposed to go into Galilee, and He found Philip. And Jesus said to him, ‘Follow Me.’ Now Philip was from Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, ‘We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.’ Nathanael said to him, ‘Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?’ Philip said to him, ‘Come and see.’ Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and said of him, ‘Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!’ Nathanael said to Him, ‘How do You know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.’ Nathanael answered Him, ‘Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel.’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these.’ And He said to him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.’” John 1:35-51

“But an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip saying, ‘Get up and go south to the road that descends from Jerusalem to Gaza.’ (This is a desert road.) So he got up and went; and there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure; and he had come to Jerusalem to worship,and he was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah.Then the Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go up and join this chariot.’Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’And he said, ‘Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?’ And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. Now the passage of Scripture which he was reading was this: ‘He was led as a sheep to slaughter; And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, So He does not open His mouth. In humiliation His judgment was taken away; Who will relate His generation? For His life is removed from the earth.’ The eunuch answered Philip and said, ‘Please tell me, of whom does the prophet say this? Of himself or of someone else?’Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him.As they went along the road they came to some water; and the eunuch said, ‘Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?’ [And Philip said, ‘If you believe with all your heart, you may.’ And he answered and said, ‘I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.’]And he ordered the chariot to stop; and they both went down into the water, Philip as well as the eunuch, and he baptized him.When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; and the eunuch no longer saw him, but went on his way rejoicing.” Acts 8:26-39

“Now while Peter was greatly perplexed in mind as to what the vision which he had seen might be, behold, the men who had been sent by Cornelius, having asked directions for Simon’s house, appeared at the gate;and calling out, they were asking whether Simon, who was also called Peter, was staying there.While Peter was reflecting on the vision, the Spirit said to him, ‘Behold, three men are looking for you.But get up, go downstairs and accompany them without misgivings, for I have sent them Myself.’” Acts 10:19-20

“Now there were at Antioch, in the church that was there, prophets and teachers: Barnabas, and Simeon who was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’ Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia and from there they sailed to Cyprus.” Acts 13:1-4

ADELPHE USED FOR WIVES AND FEMALE RELATIVES

I now cite cases where adelphe refers to Solomon’s wife in the Greek translations of the Hebrew Scriptures, commonly referred to as the Septuagint (LXX):

“My sister (adelphe mou), [my] spouse, thou hast ravished my heart; thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck. 10 How beautiful are thy breasts, my sister (adelphe mou), my spouse! how much more beautiful are thy breasts than wine, and the smell of thy garments than all spices! Thy lips drop honeycomb, my spouse: honey and milk are under thy tongue; and the smell of thy garments is as the smell of Libanus. My sister (adelphe mou), [my] spouse is a garden enclosed; a garden enclosed, a fountain sealed.” Song of Songs 4:9-12

“I am come into my garden, my sister (adelphe mou), [my] spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spices; I have eaten my bread with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk. Eat, O friends, and drink; yea, brethren, drink abundantly. I sleep, but my heart is awake: the voice of my kinsman knocks at the door, [saying], Open, open to me, my companion, my sister (adelphe mou), my dove, my perfect one: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night.  Songs 5:1-2

In this next example from the Septuagint, adelphe is used for both relatives that are not biological siblings.

Speaking of Judah, God says that:

“Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Son of man, testify to Jerusalem [of] her iniquities; and thou shalt say, Thus saith the Lord to Jerusalem; Thy root and thy birth are of the land of Chanaan: thy father was an Amorite, and thy mother a Chettite… These are all the things they have spoken against thee in a proverb, saying, As is the mother, so is thy mother’s daughter (thygater tes metros sou): thou art she that has rejected her husband and her children; and the sisters of thy sisters (adelphoi ton adelphon sou) have rejected their husbands and their children: your mother was a Chettite, and [your] father an Amorite. Your elder sister (he adelpe hymon he presbytera) who dwells on thy left hand is Samaria, she and her daughters: and thy younger sister (he adelpe he neotera sou), that dwells on the right hand, is Sodom and her daughters. Yet notwithstanding thou hast not walked in their ways, neither hast thou done according to their iniquities within a little, but thou hast exceeded them in all thy ways. [As] I live, saith the Lord, this Sodom and her daughters have not done as thou and thy daughters have done. Moreover this was the sin of thy sister (he adelphe sou) Sodom, pride: she and her daughters lived in pleasure, in fullness of bread [and] in abundance: this belonged to her and her daughters, and they helped not the hand of the poor and needy. And they boasted, and wrought iniquities before me: so I cut them off as I saw [fit]. Also Samaria has not sinned according to half of thy sins; but thou hast multiplied thine iniquities beyond them, and thou hast justified thy sisters (tas adelphas sou) in all thine iniquities which thou hast committed. Thou therefore bear thy punishment, for that thou hast corrupted thy sisters (tas adelphas sou) by thy sins which thou hast committed beyond them; and thou hast made them [appear] more righteous than thyself: thou therefore be ashamed, and bear thy dishonour, in that thou hast justified thy sisters (tas adelphas sou)… And thy sister (tes adelphes sou) Sodom and her daughters shall be restored as they were at the beginning, and Samareia and her daughters shall be restored as they were at the beginning, and thou and thy daughters shall be restored as ye were at the beginning. 56 And surely thy sister (he adelphe sou) Sodom was not mentioned by thy mouth in the days of thy pride… Then thou shalt remember thy way, and shalt be utterly dishonoured when thou receivest thine elder sisters (tas adelphas sou) with thy younger ones: and I will give them to thee for building up, but not by thy covenant.” Ezekiel 16:1-3, 44-52, 55-56, 61

PRIESTS BESIDES THE HIGH PRIEST OFFERED SACRIFICES

For some erroneous reason Powers & Co. argue that the high priest alone offered up sacrifices to God, a claim which is refuted by the following verses:

“So the Lord said to Aaron, ‘You and your sons and your father’s household with you shall bear the guilt in connection with the sanctuary, and you and your sons with you shall bear the guilt in connection with your priesthood.But bring with you also your brothers, the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, that they may be joined with you and serve you, while you and your sons with you are before the tent of the testimony.And they shall thus attend to your obligation and the obligation of all the tent, but they shall not come near to the furnishings of the sanctuary and the altar, or both they and you will die.They shall be joined with you and attend to the obligations of the tent of meeting, for all the service of the tent; but an outsider may not come near you.So you shall attend to the obligations of the sanctuary and the obligations of the altar, so that there will no longer be wrath on the sons of Israel. Behold, I Myself have taken your fellow Levites from among the sons of Israel; they are a gift to you, dedicated to the Lord, to perform the service for the tent of meeting.But you and your sons with you shall attend to your priesthood for everything concerning the altar and inside the veil, and you are to perform service. I am giving you the priesthood as a bestowed service, but the outsider who comes near shall be put to death.” Numbers 18:1-7

“For David said, ‘The Lord God of Israel has given rest to His people, and He dwells in Jerusalem forever. Also, the Levites will no longer need to carry the tabernacle and all its utensils for its service.’For by the last words of David the sons of Levi were numbered from twenty years old and upward.For their office is to assist the sons of Aaron with the service of the house of the Lord, in the courts and in the chambers and in the purifying of all holy things, even the work of the service of the house of God, and with the showbread, and the fine flour for a grain offering, and unleavened wafers, or what is baked in the pan or what is well-mixed, and all measures of volume and size.They are to stand every morning to thank and to praise the Lord, and likewise at evening,and to offer all burnt offerings to the Lord, on the sabbaths, the new moons and the fixed festivals in the number set by the ordinance concerning them, continually before the Lord.” 1 Chronicles 23:25-31

“Moreover, Jehoiada placed the offices of the house of the Lord under the authority of the Levitical priests, whom David had assigned over the house of the Lord, to offer the burnt offerings of the Lord, as it is written in the law of Moses—with rejoicing and singing according to the order of David.” 2 Chronicles 23:18

BELIEVERS ARE ALL PRIESTS OFFERING SPIRITUAL SACRIFICES

The NT itself proclaims that all believers are a kingdom of priests commanded to offer spiritual sacrifices to God:

“you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ… But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” 1 Peter 2:5, 9-10 

“and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father—to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever.” Revelation 1:6

“And they sang a new song, saying, ‘Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.’” Revelation 5:9-10

“Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection.Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.” Revelation 20:6

Unless stated otherwise, scriptural references taken from the New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB1995).

FURTHER READING

NOTES FOR THE DISCUSSION ON THE MARIAN DOCTRINES

PROTESTANT SCHOLAR ON MARY’S VIRGINITY IN THE EARLY CHURCH

Church Fathers on Mary’s Perpetual Virginity

MARY AS QUEEN MOTHER

MARY: ISRAEL PERSONIFIED

ON MARY BEING FULL OF GRACE

JESUS CHRIST: JOSEPH’S LEGAL HEIR

EPIPHANIUS ON THE ASSUMPTION OF MARY

Church Fathers on Mary’s Perpetual Virginity

What the Early Church Believed: The Perpetual Virginity of Mary

“The Greek ‘heos hou’ in Matthew 1:25 disproves Mary’s Perpetual Virginity”?

THE REFORMERS ON MARY’S PERPETUAL VIRGINITY

FRANCIS TURRETIN ON THE PERPETUAL VIRGINITY OF MARY

EARLY CHURCH ON MARY AS THE NEW AND GREATER EVE

NOTES FOR PERPETUAL VIRGINITY DEBATE

PROTESTANT SCHOLARSHIP ON LUKE 1:26-56 AND MARY AS GOD’S ARK

Mary’s Purity and Sinlessness in the Church Fathers

EARLY CHURCH’S INVOCATION OF MARY

EARLY CHURCH ON MARY AS THE NEW AND GREATER EVE

JAMES WHITE’S WAR AGAINST MARY FULL OF GRACE

NOTES FOR THE ANTHONY ROGERS’ REBUTTAL

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BELIEF AND WATER BAPTISM

In these posts I will be addressing specific points that Kelly Powers makes against the honor and blessing our risen Lord has bestowed on his pure and beloved Mother.

MESITES AND COVENANTS

Powers makes the egregious assertion that the Greek term for mediator, mesites, refers to a mediator who makes a covenant. This only exposes Power’s ignorance since he has based this on his misreading of the NT, which does employ this word in relation to Christ whose mediation included his role as a covenant maker. It is also used in this sense in Galatians 3:19-20. 

However, the term in and of itself simply refers to one who arbitrates between two parties, as can be seen from any lexical source and also from the Septuagint rendering of Job 9:33, which translates the Hebrew term mokiah as mesites:

“For He is not a man as I am that I may answer Him, That we may go to court together. There is no umpire between us, Who may lay his hand upon us both. Let Him remove His rod from me, And let not dread of Him terrify me. Then I would speak and not fear Him; But I am not like that in myself.” Job 9:32-35

The Hebrew word comes from yakach and means “to decide, adjudge, prove,” as can be seen from the following verses:

“If the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had not been for me, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed. God has seen my affliction and the toil of my hands, so He rendered judgment (way’yokah) last night.” Genesis 31:42

“David went out to meet them, and said to them, ‘If you come peacefully to me to help me, my heart shall be united with you; but if to betray me to my adversaries, since there is no wrong in my hands, may the God of our fathers look on it and decide (wa’yokah).’” 1 Chronicles 12:17

“He who chastens the nations, will He not rebuke (yokiah), Even He who teaches man knowledge?” Psalm 94:10

“And He will delight in the fear of the LORD, And He will not judge by what His eyes see, Nor make a decision (yokiah) by what His ears hear; But with righteousness He will judge the poor, And decide (wa’hokiah) with fairness for the afflicted of the earth; And He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked.” Isaiah 11:3-4

“And He will judge between the nations, And will render decisions (wa’hokiah) for many peoples; And they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, And never again will they learn war.” Isaiah 2:4

“And He will judge between many peoples And render decisions (wa’hokiah) for mighty, distant nations. Then they will hammer their swords into plowshares And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation will not lift up sword against nation, And never again will they train for war.” Micah 4:3

Therefore, there is nothing in the Hebrew or Greek terms which necessarily entails that the person who mediates, adjudicates, interposes, intervenes etc., must initiate a covenant in order to do so.

Finally, one lexicon defines mesites as a person who restores peace and friendship between parties:

Thayer’s Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 3316: μεσίτης

μεσίτης, μεσίτου, ὁ (μέσος), one who intervenes between two, either in order to make or restore peace and friendship, or to form g compact, or for ratifying a covenant: a medium of communication, arbitrator (Vulg. (and A. V.) mediator): ὁ μεσίτης (generic article cf. Winer’s Grammar, § 18, 1 under the end), i. e. every mediator, whoever acts as mediator, ἑνός οὐκ ἐστι, does not belong to one party but to two or more, Galatians 3:20. Used of Moses, as one who brought the commands of God to the people of Israel and acted as mediator with God on behalf of the people, Galatians 3:19 (cf. Deuteronomy 5:5; hence, he is called μεσίτης καί διαλλακτής by Philo also, vit. Moys. iii. § 19). Christ is called the μεσίτης Θεοῦ καί ἀνθρώπων, since he interposed by his death and restored the harmony between God and man which human sin had broken, 1 Timothy 2:5; also μεσίτης διαθήκης, Hebrews 8:6; Hebrews 9:15; Hebrews 12:24. (Polybius 28, 15, 8; Diodorus 4, 54; Philo de somn. i. § 22; Josephus, Antiquities 16, 2, 2; Plutarch, de Isa. et Os. 46; once in the Sept., Job 9:33.) Cf. Fischer, De vitiis lexamples N. T., p. 351ff (Biblehub, https://biblehub.com/greek/3316.htm)

This is precisely what believers are called to do as Christ’s ambassadors:

“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” 2 Corinthians 5:17-21

WORSHIP GIVEN TO OTHERS

Powers & Co. cite Matthew 4:10, Acts 10:25-26 and Revelation 19:10 to show that worship (proskyneo) is to be given to God alone. This is incorrect since there are many places where proskyneo is rendered unto creatures with God’s express approval, such as in the following examples:

“And David said to all the congregation, Now bless the LORD your God. And all the congregation blessed the LORD God of their fathers, and bowed down their heads, and worshipped (prosekynesan) the LORD, and the king.” 1 Chronicles 29:20 AKJV

“The sons of those who afflicted you will come bowing to you, And all those who despised you will bow themselves at the soles of your feet; And they will call you the city of the Lord, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.” Isaiah 60:14

“And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: He who is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens, says this: ‘I know your deeds. Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut, because you have a little power, and have kept My word, and have not denied My name. Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—I will make them come and bow down at your feet (kai proskynesousin enopion ton podon sou), and make them know that I have loved you.’” Revelation 3:7-9

For more examples, please consult the following articles:

VENERATION OF THE SAINTS: A BIBLICAL OUTLINE PT. 1

VENERATION OF THE SAINTS: A BIBLICAL OUTLINE PT. 2

ONLY THE FATHER IS TO BE HALLOWED/REVERNECED

According to Power’s comrade Stevie Christie, Christ allegedly taught in the “Lord’s Prayer” that only the Father is to be revered.

On the contrary, the phrase “hallowed” (hagiazo) is applied to others, specifically to believers:

“And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.” Acts 20:32 

“to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.” Acts 26:18

“To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours:” 1 Corinthians 1:2

“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.” 1 Corinthians 6:9-11

“For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren,” Hebrews 2:11

“By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all… For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.” Hebrews 10:10, 14

Moreover, this objection ends up proving too much since it means that neither the Son nor the Spirit are to be revered since Jesus only mentioned the Father as the One who is to be prayed to and hallowed.

It is arguments such as these that show the levels that these Protestant “apologists” will stoop too in their assault against the Marian doctrines.

PRAYER USED IN A BROADER SENSE THAN WORSHIP

Powers & Co. try to restrict the meaning of prayer to worship in order to demonize the practice of the communion of the saints, since this would imply that praying to Mary or some other heavenly figure is an act of worship, and therefore idolatry.

However, prayer doesn’t always denote worship but can refer to petitioning or requesting an individual to do something for another.

Here’s how dictionary.com defines the term pray:

verb (used with object)

to offer devout petition, praise, thanks, etc., to (God or an object of worship).

to offer (a prayer).

to bring, put, etc., by praying: to pray a soul into heaven.

to make earnest petition to (a person).

verb (used without object)

to make entreaty or supplication, as to a person or for a thing. (https://www.dictionary.com/browse/pray; bold emphasis mine)

Here are the synonyms for pray/praying given by thesauras.com:

Verb plead; call upon for help, answer

SYNONYMS FOR pray

Compare Synonyms

ask beseech recite urge adjure appeal brace crave entreat implore importune invoke petition request say solicit sue supplicate commune with cry for invocate (https://www.thesaurus.com/browse/pray; bold emphasis mine)

And here’s a list of the Greek phrases which the NT employs for prayer.

A. proseuchomai: to pray (Cf. Matt. 5:44; 6:5-7, 9)

This is the term used for the Hebrew word palal in the Old Testament (https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h6419/lxx/wlc/0-1/)

Interestingly, proseuchomai is never used for the Holy Spirit. Should we, therefore, conclude that prayers are not be offered to the Spirit?

As an aside, the word palal is employed in Genesis 48:11 and Ezekiel 16:52 in contexts where it does not mean prayer to God. Moreover, in 1 Samuel 2:25 is even applied to God praying or interceding for a man!

B. eucharisteó: to be thankful (Cf. Matthew 26:27; Luke 17:16; 18:11; Acts 27:35; Romans 1:8; Ephesians 5:20; Colossians 1:3, 12; 3:17)

This also is an expression never employed in reference to thanking the Holy Spirit. Once again, would Powers & Co. therefore conclude that believers should never thank the Spirit in prayer?

C. eucharistia: thankfulness, giving of thanks (Cf. 1 Corinthians 14:16; 2 Corinthians 9:11-12; Revelation 4:9; 7:11-12)

Not only is this word not used of the Spirit, we also don’t find a text that explicitly applies this term to Christ.

If we were to, therefore, adopt Powers’ reasoning this ends up proving too much since it proves believers are to never give thanks to the Son or the Spirit.

Even more interesting is the fact that this expression is used in relation to thanking humans, specifically pagan rulers!

“After five days the high priest Ananias came down with some elders, with an attorney named Tertullus, and they brought charges to the governor against Paul.After Paul had been summoned, Tertullus began to accuse him, saying to the governor, ‘Since we have through you attained much peace, and since by your providence reforms are being carried out for this nation,we acknowledge this in every way and everywhere, most excellent Felix, with all thankfulness.’” Acts 26:1-3

D. deésis: a need, entreaty (Cf. Romans 10:1; Philippians 1:4; 4:6; Hebrews 5:7)

This, too, is a word never applied to the Son or the Spirit.

What the foregoing shows is that for Kelly & Co. to be consistent they would then have to come to the same conclusion that the late New Testament scholar James D. G. Dunn did when he examined the NT documents, specifically Paul’s writings. Dunn concluded that:

“At the same time an equivalent caution to that noted in (a) and (b) above must also be observed here. This is indicated in the care in which Paul seems to take in his use of the normal worship terms. His thanks (eucharistein, eucharistia) are always addressed to God and never to Christ or ‘the Lord.’ This is not simply because the traditional formula is being used, for Paul modifies the formulation on several occasions by adding ‘through Jesus Christ’ or ‘through him.’ The point, then, is that Christ is neither simply the content of the thanksgiving, nor its recipient. In his exalted state he is envisaged as somehow mediating the praise to God. It is equally notable that the normal prayer terms (deomai, deesis) are usually addressed to God, never to Christ. So, too, with the term doxazo, ‘glorify.’ For Paul, properly speaking, only God is to be glorified. The same is true of latreuo, ‘serve (religiously, cultically),’ and latreia, ‘service, worship,’ and the one use of proskyneo, ‘worship, reverence’ in Paul (1 Cor. 14.25). It is equally noticeable that Christ is absent from the passage which speaks most explicitly about worship in the Pauline churches. In 1 Corinthians 14, the speaker in tongues speaks ‘to God’ (14.2, 28); thanks are given to God (14.18); the worship is due to God (14.25). Such uniformity in Paul’s usage should certainly make us hesitate before asserting that Paul worshiped Christ, since the evidence more clearly indicates otherwise.” (Dunn, The Theology of Paul The Apostle [William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., Grand Rapids, MI: Paperback edition, 2006], Chapter 4. The Gospel of Jesus Christ, 10. The Risen Lord, 10.5 Jesus as God?, pp. 258-259)

And here is what he wrote in a book devoted to the question of whether the first Christians worshiped Jesus:

“Elsewhere in the New Testament writings, ‘prayer’ as such (proseuchesthai, proseuche), explicitly or implicitly, is always made to God.” (Did the First Christians Worship Jesus? The New Testament Evidence [Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge Publishing, UK /Westminster John Knox Press, USA 2010], 2. The practice of worship, 2.1 Prayer, p. 33)

E. deomai: I request, beg (Cf. Romans 1:10; 1 Thessalonians 3:10)

The following verses are places where this phrase is used for beseeching humans, including a pagan ruler:

“And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man?” Acts 8:34

“Agrippa said to Paul, ‘You are permitted to speak for yourself.’ Then Paul stretched out his hand and proceeded to make his defense: ‘In regard to all the things of which I am accused by the Jews, I consider myself fortunate, King Agrippa, that I am about to make my defense before you today; especially because you are an expert in all customs and questions among the Jews; therefore I beg you to listen to me patiently.’” Acts 26:1-3

“Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” 2 Corinthians 5:20

“For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord, begging us with much urging for the favor of participation in the support of the saints,” 2 Corinthians 8:3-4

F. epikaleó: to call upon (Cf. Acts 2:21; 7:59; 9:14, 21; 22:16)

This expression is not only used in reference to praying to God, but also in respect to appeals made to the pagan emperor Caesar!

 “‘If, then, I am a wrongdoer and have committed anything worthy of death, I do not refuse to die; but if none of those things is true of which these men accuse me, no one can hand me over to them. I appeal (epikaloumai) to Caesar.’ Then when Festus had conferred with his council, he answered, “You have appealed (epikeklesai) to Caesar, to Caesar you shall go.’… ‘But when Paul appealed (epikalesamenou) to be held in custody for the Emperor’s decision, I ordered him to be kept in custody until I send him to Caesar.’… ‘But I found that he had committed nothing worthy of death; and since he himself appealed (epikalesamenou) to the Emperor, I decided to send him.’” Acts 25:11-12, 21, 25 

“And Agrippa said to Festus, ‘This man might have been set free if he had not appealed (epekekleto) to Caesar.’” Acts 26:32

“But when the Jews objected, I was forced to appeal (epikalesasthai) to Caesar, not that I had any accusation against my nation.” Acts 28:19

G. aiteó: to ask, request (Cf. John 11:22; 14:13-14; 15:7, 16; 16:23; James 1:5-6; 1 John 5:14-16)

This, also, is a NT word employed for both God and humans:

“Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.” Matthew 5:42

“Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!” Matthew 7:9-11

“But when Herod’s birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod, so much that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked.” Matthew 14:6-7

“Festus then, having arrived in the province, three days later went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea.And the chief priests and the leading men of the Jews brought charges against Paul, and they were urging him,requesting a concession against Paul, that he might have him brought to Jerusalem (at the same time, setting an ambush to kill him on the way)… While they were spending many days there, Festus laid Paul’s case before the king, saying, ‘There is a man who was left as a prisoner by Felix; and when I was at Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews brought charges against him, asking for a sentence of condemnation against him.’” Acts 25:1-3, 14-15

“but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;” 1 Peter 3:15

H. erótaó: to ask, question (Cf. 1 John 5:16)

Much like aiteó, this term is also employed for both God and others:

“When He entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him while He was teaching, and said, ‘By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?’Jesus said to them, ‘I will also ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I will also tell you by what authority I do these things.’” Matthew 21:23-24

“Then the Jews, because it was the day of preparation, so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away… After these things Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but a secret one for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate granted permission. So he came and took away His body.” John 19:31, 38

“Finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you excel still more.” 1 Thessalonians 4:1

“Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him,” 2 Thessalonians 2:1

“Now I ask you, lady, not as though I were writing to you a new commandment, but the one which we have had from the beginning, that we love one another.” 2 John 1:5

I have more responses to Power’s biblical distortions in the next installment: NOTES FOR KELLY POWERS’ MARIAN DISCUSSION PT. 2.

All emphasis will be mine.

Certain opponents of the blessed Mother’s perpetual virginity reference Eusebius’ church history to show that Jesus is said to have had brothers according to the flesh, which they take to mean from Mary:

Chapter 19. Domitian commands the Descendants of David to be slain.

But when this same Domitian had commanded that the descendants of David should be slain, an ancient tradition says that some of the heretics brought accusation against the descendants of Jude (said to have been a brother of the Saviour according to the flesh), on the ground that they were of the lineage of David and were related to Christ himself. Hegesippus relates these facts in the following words.

Chapter 20. The Relatives of our Saviour.

1. Of the family of the Lord there were still living the grandchildren of Jude, who is said to have been the Lord’s brother according to the flesh.

2. Information was given that they belonged to the family of David, and they were brought to the Emperor Domitian by the Evocatus. For Domitian feared the coming of Christ as Herod also had feared it. And he asked them if they were descendants of David, and they confessed that they were. Then he asked them how much property they had, or how much money they owned. And both of them answered that they had only nine thousand denarii, half of which belonged to each of them.

4. And this property did not consist of silver, but of a piece of land which contained only thirty-nine acres, and from which they raised their taxes and supported themselves by their own labor.

5. Then they showed their hands, exhibiting the hardness of their bodies and the callousness produced upon their hands by continuous toil as evidence of their own labor.

6. And when they were asked concerning Christ and his kingdom, of what sort it was and where and when it was to appear, they answered that it was not a temporal nor an earthly kingdom, but a heavenly and angelic one, which would appear at the end of the world, when he should come in glory to judge the quick and the dead, and to give unto every one according to his works.

7. Upon hearing this, Domitian did not pass judgment against them, but, despising them as of no account, he let them go, and by a decree put a stop to the persecution of the Church.

8. But when they were released they ruled the churches because they were witnesses and were also relatives of the Lord. And peace being established, they lived until the time of Trajan. These things are related by Hegesippus.

9. Tertullian also has mentioned Domitian in the following words: Domitian also, who possessed a share of Nero’s cruelty, attempted once to do the same thing that the latter did. But because he had, I suppose, some intelligence, he very soon ceased, and even recalled those whom he had banished.

10. But after Domitian had reigned fifteen years, and Nerva had succeeded to the empire, the Roman Senate, according to the writers that record the history of those days, voted that Domitian’s honors should be cancelled, and that those who had been unjustly banished should return to their homes and have their property restored to them.

11. It was at this time that the apostle John returned from his banishment in the island and took up his abode at Ephesus, according to an ancient Christian tradition. (Ecclesiastical History, Book III)⁽¹⁾

The assumption is that the phrase “according to the flesh” (KATA SARKA), proves that these brothers of Jesus were Mary’s offspring.

However, the Greek words do NOT necessarily mean they were ACTUAL BLOOD brothers. KATA SARKA is used in various ways in Scripture and in early Church History.

For instance, in an early Christian document Saint Joseph is referred to as father of Christ KATA SARKA (“according to the flesh”):

2. There was a man whose name was Joseph, sprung from a family of Bethlehem, a town of Judah, and the city of King David. This same man, being well furnished with wisdom and learning, was made a priest in the temple of the Lord. He was, besides, skilful in his trade, which was that of a carpenter; and after the manner of all men, he married a wife. Moreover, he begot for himself sons and daughters, four sons, namely, and two daughters. Now these are their names — Judas, Justus, James, and Simon. The names of the two daughters were Assia and Lydia. At length the wife of righteous Joseph, a woman intent on the divine glory in all her works, departed this life. But Joseph, that righteous man, my father after the flesh (KATA SARKA), and the spouse of my mother Mary, went away with his sons to his trade, practising the art of a carpenter…

17. These are the words spoken by Joseph, that righteous old man. And I, going in beside him, found his soul exceedingly troubled, for he was placed in great perplexity. And I said to him: Hail! My father Joseph, you righteous man; how is it with you? And he answered me: All hail! My well-beloved son. Indeed, the agony and fear of death have already environed me; but as soon as I heard Your voice, my soul was at rest. O Jesus of Nazareth! Jesus, my Saviour! Jesus, the deliverer of my soul! Jesus, my protector! Jesus! O sweetest name in my mouth, and in the mouth of all those that love it! O eye which sees, and ear which hears, hear me! I am Your servant; this day I most humbly reverence You, and before Your face I pour out my tears. You are altogether my God; You are my Lord, as the angel has told me times without number, and especially on that day when my soul was driven about with perverse thoughts about the pure and blessed Mary, who was carrying You in her womb, and whom I was thinking of secretly sending away. And while I was thus meditating, behold, there appeared to me in my rest angels of the Lord, saying to me in a wonderful mystery: O Joseph, you son of David, fear not to take Mary as your wife; and do not grieve your soul, nor speak unbecoming words of her conception, because she is with child of the Holy Spirit, and shall bring forth a son, whose name shall be called Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins. Do not for this cause wish me evil, O Lord! For I was ignorant of the mystery of Your birth. I call to mind also, my Lord, that day when the boy died of the bite of the serpent. And his relations wished to deliver You to Herod, saying that You had killed him; but You raised him from the dead, and restore him to them. Then I went up to You, and took hold of Your hand, saying: My son, take care of yourself. But You said to me in reply: Are you not my father after the flesh (KATA SARKA)? I shall teach you who I am. Now therefore, O Lord and my God, do not be angry with me, or condemn me on account of that hour. I am Your servant, and the son of Your handmaiden; but You are my Lord, my God and Saviour, most surely the Son of God. (History of Joseph the Carpenter (c. 400))

The foregoing illustrates that, according to the flesh is used because they were either related to Christ in some sense, i.e., blood relatives, or because they were of the same race/tribe/lineage. I.e., Jesus’ adoptive father Joseph is physically related to Christ because they are both descendants of David and of the tribe of Judah.

In reference to Jesus’ brothers, this is meant to convey that they were more than spiritual brothers, since they were also related to him by race. This is contrast to the Gentile believers who would be Christ’s spiritual siblings.

We even have a NT example illustrating this point:

“For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh,who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises; of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.” Romans 9:3-5

Here the blessed Apostle distinguishes the Israelites from the Gentiles since the former are his brothers ethnically, being his kinsmen, from whom Jesus also belonged according to the flesh.  

Finally, and more importantly, Eusebius who employed the phrase kata sarka in reference to Jesus’ siblings is also explicitly clear that Mary remained ever virgin:

“Nay more it ought to have been that the sons of his mother, since they also likewise prophecy to the former. But he [the Psalmist] did not name the sons of his mother ‘brothers’ (aldelphous), as the other [order], that is following the first order of his aforenamed brothers. So, it is that his disciples have become like his brothers, about whom also in another place [Psalm], he says:

‘I will announce my name to my brothers (adelphois), and I will hymn you in the midst of the Church.” And in the Gospel, he [Jesus] appeared to Mary after the resurrection of the dead, saying: “Walk toward my brothers, and tell them: ‘I go up to my Father and your Father, and my God and your God.’

“An alien he was become to the sons of his mother, of a truth not also to those… being his ‘brothers.’ The Gospel has remembered “his brothers” and “mother”, when, he went into his own country (Mark 6), he taught in their synagogue, to the effect that they [the people there] were surprised and said: “Whence this wisdom from him? Is not this who is son of a carpenter? Is not his mother and his brothers (adelphoi) and are all his sisters among us? Whence all these things from him?” Now, therefore, if we would take the so-called sons (in what is at hand) of his mother to be those [referred to in the Psalm], it is then necessary that the holy Virgin appears to become the mother of “the rest of his brothers.”

Mother? For he [Jesus] was no alien regarding them, but quite precious [to them]: such that his aforesaid brothers are not to be regarded sons as belonging to Mary…” (Eusebio: Comentario en los Salmos, Patrología Griega DCCXXXVII B)

Note that Eusebius is careful to note over and over that post-birth and presently during Christ’s ministry that Mary is a virgin. I.e., she is ever virgin!

The foregoing shows that the very authority whom those that oppose Mary’s perpetual virginity did not intend the phrase “according to the flesh” to convey that these brothers of Christ were from the blessed Mother.

FURTHER READING

PROTESTANT SCHOLAR ON MARY’S VIRGINITY IN THE EARLY CHURCH

What the Early Church Believed: The Perpetual Virginity of Mary

Church Fathers on Mary’s Perpetual Virginity

THE WOMB OF THE VIRGIN: GOD’S MOST HOLY PLACE

EARLY CHURCH ON MARY AS THE NEW AND GREATER EVE

FRANCIS TURRETIN ON THE PERPETUAL VIRGINITY OF MARY

THE REFORMERS ON MARY’S PERPETUAL VIRGINITY

ENDNOTE

(1) Elsewhere, Eusebius mentions some of the Lord’s relatives who came to positions of authority within the early church:

Chapter 11. Symeon rules the Church of Jerusalem after James.

1. After the martyrdom of James and the conquest of Jerusalem which immediately followed, it is said that those of the apostles and disciples of the Lord that were still living came together from all directions with those that were related to the Lord according to the flesh (for the majority of them also were still alive) to take counsel as to who was worthy to succeed James.

2. They all with one consent pronounced Symeon, the son of Clopas, of whom the Gospel also makes mention; to be worthy of the episcopal throne of that parish. He was a cousin, as they say, of the Saviour. For Hegesippus records that Clopas was a brother of Joseph. (EH, Book 3)

Courtesy of William Albrecht

In this post, we will prove that Helvidius was a disciple of an Arian bishop and therefore a heretic. All emphasis will be mine.

Vita AMBROSE

This biography of Ambrose was written by one of the deacons who served under him: Paulinus of Milan. Paulinus was encouraged in this biographical effort by none other than Saint Augustine of Hippo, Ambrose’s most famous disciple. Written in a style similar to other works of hagiography from the same time, such as the Life of Saint Anthony by Saint Athanasius, Paulinus places Ambrose in his historical and spiritual context, drawing an enduring picture of the man and his times that has helped to cement Ambrose as one of the great holy men of the ancient Church.

“After some few years Auxentius,²⁰ the intended Arian Bishop of Milan, died, A.D. 374, and it is said that during the discussion as to the appointment of his successor a child cried out in the assembly, “Ambrose Bishop,” and, although he was but a catechumen and so canonically unqualified, the multitude immediately elected him by acclamation.” ROME (372). Held in 372, under the same pope.

Ninety-three bishops assembled, and excommunicated Auxentius of Milan; they also discussed the question of the consubstantiality of the Holy Spirit.—Tom. ii. Conc. p. 888.1 1 Landon, E. H. (1909). In A Manual of Councils of the Holy Catholic Church (Vol. 2, p. 82). Edinburgh: John Grant.

GENNADIUS OF MARSEILLES

Chapter 33

Helvidius, a disciple of Auxentius and imitator of Symmachus, wrote, indeed, with zeal for religion but not according to knowledge, a book, polished neither in language nor in reasoning, a work in which he so attempted to twist the meaning of the Holy Scriptures to his own perversity, as to venture to assert on their testimony that Joseph and Mary, after the nativity of our Lord, had children who were called brothers of the Lord. In reply to his perverseness Jerome, published a book against him, well filled with scripture proofs. (Illustrious Men (Supplement to Jerome))

SCHAFF

Well known Anglican scholar and church historian Philip Schaff wrote:

Helvidius, whether a layman or a priest at Rome it is uncertain, a pupil, according to the statement of Gennadius, of the Arian bishop Auxentius of Milan, wrote a work, before the year 383, in refutation of the perpetual virginity of the mother of the Lord—a leading point with the current glorification of celibacy. He considered the married state equal in honor and glory to that of virginity. Of his fortunes we know nothing. Augustine speaks of Helvidians, who are probably identical with the Antidicomarianites of Epiphanius. Jerome calls Helvidius, indeed, a rough and uneducated man,⁴⁰¹ but proves by quotations of his arguments, that he had at least some knowledge of the Scriptures, and a certain ingenuity. He appealed in the first place to Matt. i. 18, 24, 25, as implying that Joseph knew his wife not before, but after, the birth of the Lord; then to the designation of Jesus as the “first born” son of Mary, in Matt. i. 25, and Luke ii. 7; then to the many passages, which speak of the brothers and sisters of Jesus; and finally to the authority of Tertullian and Victorinus. Jerome replies, that the “till” by no means always fixes a point after which any action must begin or cease;402 that, according to Ex. xxxiv. 19, 20; Num. xviii. 15 sqq., the “first born” does not necessarily imply the birth of other children afterward, but denotes every one, who first opens the womb; that the “brothers” of Jesus may have been either sons of Joseph by a former marriage, or, according to the wide Hebrew use of the term, cousins; and that the authorities cited were more than balanced by the testimony of Ignatius, Polycarp(?), and Irenaeus. “Had Helvidius read these,” says he, “he would doubtless have produced something more skilful.” (Philip Schaff: History of the Christian Church, Volume III, § 47. Helvidius, Vigilantius, and Aerius.)