Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!umich!samsung!brutus.cs.uiuc.edu!psuvax1!psuvm!TRIUMFER!COSMO From: COSMO@TRIUMFER Newsgroups: bit.listserv.christia Subject: Re: Re: interesting point Message-ID: Date: 10 Feb 90 03:22:00 GMT Sender: Practical Christian Life Reply-To: Practical Christian Life Lines: 36 Approved: NETNEWS@PSUVM Gateway Original_To: JNET%"christia@finhutc" >>I studied the antenicean period of church history in University (from a >>Christian) and therefore was aware that it wasn't until a couple hundred >>years A.D. that it became entrenched that 'virgin' meant 'no sex'. Also >>he said it was more or less presumed at the time that a couple could or >>would have sex between the time they were betrothed and the time they >>were married, but that the girl would be dealt with as though she were >>a girl who'd not had sex until the ceremony (sort of like how a lot of >>girls will wear white at a wedding even though... you know, it's for >>social order). >If this is true, how come Mary was confused by Gabriel's message ? As >she says " How can this be, since I do not know man ? " ( This wording >may not be exact) Maybe " virgin " didn't mean what it means now, but " >knowing " is a common Biblical expression. Yes, that's a valid point, and it obviously doesn't leave room for doubt. This makes you wonder how a professing Christian with a Phd would speculate in class that Mary wasn't really a 'modern sense' virgin (and I just know I shouldn't say this, because, like I said, I don't really worry about it and I do presume that God can do anything He wants, and whoa boy, just watch the literalists freak out and flood the list with corollerated quotes) but he said that most of the Gospels weren't written down until, at the very earliest, about AD 100, and that a bit of elaboration may have crept into the oral tradition to make the story more interesting, special, and exciting to new converts. But don't freak out. The only reason I said this was so you could understand how my prof justified his statements. I didn't say I took it seriously. It's just information, and simple information can't hurt you unless you're all messed up and can't center and reconcile yourself with God, which none of you seem to be having all that much trouble with. Peace David