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In this tab we explored more about whether or not Mary was really a virgin. Being considered a major part of her identity it seemed as though this would be something perfect to discover more about. 

Was she really a virgin?
By: Jess Nelson
          During the time that Jesus was recorded to have walked the earth, his legitimacy, as a messiah was quite obviously more than questioned. To this day, there are those who believe that Jesus was not actually the Son of God. This is not to say that all of these disbelievers think that he did not exist, but many think that he was nothing more than a prophet. This same type of questioning was thrown Mary’s way, but in a different fashion; one cannot bear a child as a virgin. That is a fact that people knew then and that people know now. So how was this possible for Mary? Did everyone really believe that Jesus was conceived from an angel? When our group was discussing the possibilities surrounding this question, we decided to look into whether or not this has been a question in the past. In the work “Contra Celsus”, we discovered a passage pertaining to Mary’s virginity. Celsus, a Greek philosopher, accused Mary of actually not being a virgin at all. He claims that there is possibility that Panthera, a soldier, raped Mary and that is how Jesus was conceived [1] . This would then mean that Mary could be accused of lying about her virginity and that she could be pretending that it was in angel. Because having sex before marriage was so frowned upon, this would provide her with an excuse that people would have trouble going against. But why wouldn’t Mary tell the truth if she was in fact raped? If she came clean and told everyone that it was not her fault, how could she be to blame?
          Although it is reasonable for the individuals within the society to question whether or not it was even possible that a child was conceived from an angel, what is the purpose of attacking Mary’s virginity? An interesting fact to look at is that the Kings and the higher authorities wanted to be the most respected out of all the people. If someone was said to be a king before even being born and not only a king, but also the Son of God, he is bound to be a target. Neither king, nor official would want an infant to be more worthy and righteous than them. During this time, many awaited the arrival of the messiah. Believing that this one woman was actually to bear the Son of God was more than difficult. People were expecting a king; they were expecting something larger than life. But, is her virginity really about her, or is it about something else? For all of those who did not believe that Jesus was in fact the messiah, claiming that Mary was not actually the Virgin Mary could potentially close the door. If Jesus was just an ordinary man who was conceived like everyone else, people would doubt his holiness. Jesus could only be the Son of God by a miraculous conception and by denoting this fact, it not only strips him of his righteousness, but it strips Mary of hers.
 
 
 
 
  [1] Origen, Contra Celsum. Translated by Frederick Crombie.  Ante-Nicene Fathers 4. Buffalo, NY:      Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1885. Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight. http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/04161.htm (accessed  April 5th, 2016). 1.33.