Question Corner: Why is Mary’s perpetual virginity so controversial for Protestants?

Q: Something that’s always been kind of interesting to me is how much Protestants object to Mary’s perpetual virginity. I get balking at her Immaculate Conception, her as mediatrix of all graces, asking for her intercession, etc. But remaining a virgin is a thing people can and have done, a totally human thing, and it being true or false has no effect on Protestant theology. Yet there’s this intense focus on it. Why don’t Protestants just let that one be and agree to disagree but not get worked up about it? (Texas)

A: First of all, I think we need to make sure we’re not painting with too broad a brush. “Protestants” is a big category, and different Protestant denominations profess a wide variety of specific beliefs on different points of Christian doctrine. For example, certain traditional Anglicans or Episcopalians might retain a belief in Mary’s perpetual virginity, even to the point of giving some of their parishes names like “the Church of St. Mary the Virgin.”

But getting to the real substance of your question, one thought is that many Protestant denominations have a very heavy emphasis on “sola scriptura,” or the belief that we should look to the Bible alone for knowledge of faith and morals. This is in contrast with the Catholic belief in both the Bible and the teachings outside of Scripture, which have been handed down via sacred tradition (as described in 2 Thes 2:15).

It is true that much of our Catholic doctrine and customs pertaining to Mary’s perpetual virginity find a source in tradition and the theological writings of the Church fathers, rather than from direct and explicit statements in the Bible. Yet Mary’s lifelong virginity is not contradicted by Scripture, and the Gospel also implicitly supports this doctrine.

In Luke 1:34, at the Annunciation when the angel Gabriel tells Mary that she will conceive the Savior, Mary askes: “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” As many scholars and saints over the centuries have observed, this question would not make sense if Mary had intended on having normal marital relations with Joseph at some point.

Some might point to the references to the “brothers of Jesus” (e.g., Mk 6:3) as Scriptural evidence that Mary had given birth to additional children. But this can be refuted by considering the broader context. As St. Jerome (who is most well-known as the first Latin translator of the Bible) notes, the original scriptural word for “brothers” could also refer to cousins or other close relatives. It’s also possible that the “brothers of Jesus” could have been St. Joseph’s children from a previous marriage.

It’s also good to keep in mind that although the church has constantly taught the belief in Mary’s perpetual virginity from her very foundation, this teaching has also been somewhat of a “hot topic,” even in ancient times.

For example, in the fourth century, St. Jerome wrote a treatise on the perpetual virginity of Mary, in the form of arguments “Against Helvidius.” While Helvidius primarily argued that Mary did not remain a virgin throughout her life, his writing also posited that, since Mary supposedly had normal marital relations eventually, there was no reason to maintain that there was any special virtue to a life of dedicated Christian virginity or celibacy.

Connecting Mary’s perpetual virginity with choices that rank-and-file Christians may make in their own lives naturally “raises the stakes” for what might otherwise be a more academic discussion.

While the doctrine of Mary’s perpetual virginity has many layers of deep theological meaning, the possibility of imitating her life of perfect virginity can present a very concrete vocational challenge to many of today’s Christians, just as it did to the Christians of the church’s early centuries. This could be one reason why the doctrine of Mary’s perpetual virginity might be a more emotionally charged topic for some non-Catholic Christians.

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