This last Monday I led one of my church's home bible studies, as our pastor is out of town at the Twin Lakes Fellowship. One issue that came up was in Matthew 12:46-50, Jesus mother and "brothers" come to talk to Him. I used this as a starting point to show that Mary and Joseph had other children after Jesus and therefore Mary is not a perpetual virgin as held by Rome. Someone asked about "brother" meaning "cousin" instead of "son of my parents"--in other words, it was Mary and Jesus' cousins that come to speak to Him in Matthew 12, not His (half-)brothers. I pointed out that in Matthew 13:53-38, the names of Jesus' brothers are given, and a distinguishment is made between His brothers and sisters. If "brother" is a generic term for "any familial relation" then why distinguish between brothers and sisters? And further, if the names listed in Matt 13 are those of Jesus' cousins, why was not His most prominent cousin, John the Baptist, listed as well?

Today, one of my elders pointed out that Calvin also held to the perpetual virginity of Mary (my elder was not correcting me, but simply point out something interesting).

So, my question is, was Calvin wrong? I personally think so. Do any of you hold to the perpetual virginity of Mary? If so, on what basis? How do you deal with passages like Matt 12 and Matt 13?

PS- I'm thinking of writing an article: "All the things Calvin got wrong". That would get some attention in the reformed world!

__________________
Seth Stark
Member, Communion Presbyterian Church (ARP), Irvine, CA
Biola University, Graduate Student, M.A. - Science and Religion
Seth's Blog

These may be of interest, Seth.

Can you be "really, really" Reformed and hold to virginal mary?
Calvin And The Perpetual Virginity Of Mary ...
The Waldenses
Was Mary a virgin?

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Josh Hicks, Chloë's Dad
Christ Covenant Reformed Presbyterian Church, RPCGA
Facebook - The Calvinist Vent
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It is God that multiplies our sorrows.... God, as a righteous Judge, does it, which ought to silence us under all our sorrows; as many as they are, we have deserved them all, and more: nay, God, as a tender Father, does it for our necessary correction, that we may be humbled for sin, and weaned from the world by all our sorrows; and the good we get by them, with the comfort we have under them, will abundantly balance our sorrows, how greatly soever they are multiplied. - Matthew Henry

Thanks, Josh. I failed to do a search before posting. I ought to know better by now!

It's no problem at all. In fact, if you find one of those to be of further interest for discussion, I'll reopen it and merge your post therein. Just let me know.