Madam, - "The friends of Christ do not tolerate hearing that the Mother of God ever ceased to be a virgin." These words from a fourth-century homily make it clear that Henry Williams (August 19th) is wrong in his assertion that belief in Mary's perpetual virginity is of medieval origin.
Early Christian theologians such as St Athanasius, St Gregory of Nyssa, St Augustine and St Jerome, the great biblical scholar of the Early Church, and all Christians up to the 16th century, shared belief in Mary's perpetual virginity.
In fact, even Luther, Zwingli and Calvin spoke of Mary as the ever-virgin Mother of God. As the last of these pointed out, Aramaic, the language spoken by Christ and His disciples, lacks a specific word for "cousin", and so the word "brother" was used instead, a device repeated in the New Testament. Matthew 13:55-56 therefore offers no basis for a denial of the perpetual virginity of the Mother of God.
Henry Williams would have us believe that there is no basis in Scripture for the doctrine of Mary's perpetual virginity. Indeed, there is no basis in Scripture for its denial! - Yours, etc.,
Rev J.M. CUNNINGHAM, OP,
St Mary's Priory,
Tallaght,
Dublin 24.
Madam, - Henry Williams reproves me for being offended by Thinking Anew (August 7th) in relation to our beliefs about Mary, the mother of Jesus.
He misunderstands me. What offended me was that, in this supposedly ecumenical age, a writer could use offensive language in relation to two sincerely held beliefs of the vast majority of the worldwide Christian community.
It is surely time we all respected other people's sincerely held religious beliefs, even if we ourselves do not accept them.
Mr Williams must have missed Gerry Glennon's excellent letter (August 14th) which, among other things, described that Thinking Anew column as "just downright offensive". It was. - Yours, etc.,
Father JAMES GOOD,
Parkview,
Church Street,
Douglas,
Cork.