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strikes me, when I read from the Matthews Gospel Ch. 1, is from this verse:
Matthew 1:25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS. Matthew 1:25 kai. ouvk evgi,nwsken auvth.n e[wj ou- e;teken to.n ui`o.n auvth/j to.n prwto,tokon\ kai. evka,lesen to. o;noma auvtou/ VIhsou/n
BYZ KJV
gi,nwsken verb indicative imperfect active 3rd person singular from ginw,skw
[GING] ginw,skw ginw,skw1. know, come to know Mt 13:11; Lk 12:47f; J 8:32; 14:7; Ac 1:7; 19:35; 1 Cor 3:20; 13:9, 12; 2 Cor 5:16; 1 J 4:2, 6; it struck me Mt 25:24. Imperative ginw,skete you may be quite sure Mt 24:33, 43; J 15:18.2. learn (of), ascertain, find out Mt 9:30; Mk 6:38; 15:45; Lk 24:18; J 4:1; Ac 17:20; 21:34.3. understand, comprehend Mk 4:13; J 8:43; 10:6; Ac 8:30; 21:37; 1 Cor 2:8, 11, 14; have the law at one's fingertips Ro 7:1.4. perceive, notice, realize Mk 5:29; 7:24; Lk 8:46; J 6:15; Ac 23:6.5. acknowledge, recognize Mt 7:23; J 1:10; choose 1 Cor 8:3; Gal 4:9. 6. euphemistically, of sex relations know Mt 1:25; Lk 1:34. [pg 39]
Bible Works 7
After reading this verse, according to the translation, we may think that the Mother of God had intimate relation with St. Joseph and after Lord Jesus we may think that other children were born too! But before we jump into any conclusions, lets ponder about two things first:
1. The meaning of Until e[wj First we see that in English the world until or till means 1.happening up to a particular point in time and then stopping;2 or not() until used for stating the point at which something finally happens, becomes possible, or becomes true. But the Bible was not written in English first. In the ancient languages of the Bible the word until, it does not necessarily indicate change. For example, if we see in the Scriptures on Deut 34:6, 2 Samuel 6:23, Ps 72:7; 89:2,110:1,122:2 Mt 22:42-46; 11:23; 28:20, Rom 8:22, 1 Tim 4:13, 1 Cor. 15:25 we may see that the word until e[wj and words with a similar meaning to it many times means eternity. Like in NAS 1 Corinthians 15:25 For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. So the Lord will stop reign after he put his enemies under His feet? Or what about JV Matthew 28:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. Does it mean that after the end of the world the Lord will abandon us? NAS Psalm 72:7 In His days may the righteous flourish, And abundance of peace till the moon is no more. So after the moon is no longer The Lords righteousness and abundance will disappeared too? KJV Psalm 123:2 Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the LORD our God, until that he have mercy upon us. Does it mean that after the Lord be gracious and show mercy to us we take away our eyes from the Lord? NAS Mark 12:36 "David himself said in the Holy Spirit, 'The Lord said to my LORD, "Sit at My right hand, Until I put Thine enemies beneath Thy feet.'" Does it mean that the Lord after he put His enemies under His Feet that He will no more sit at the right of God? At JV 2 Samuel 6:23 Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no child unto the day of her death. Does it mean that Michal have children after she died? At KJV Genesis 8:7 And he sent forth a raven, which went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the earth. Did the crow return back to the Ark of Noah after the waters dried up?3
As the Blessed Jerome was angry with Helvidius who with many others argue that the Holy Mary and the Betrothed Joseph after the birth of Jesus Our Lord had sexual relations as a ordinary couple, so she had from him children that they called them the brothers and sisters of our Lord in the Gospels. ." But the word "until" does not signify that Mary remained a virgin only until
a certain time.4
St. John Chrysostom continues: "In such a manner having become a mother, and having been counted worthy of a new sort of travail and a childbearing so strange, could that righteous man ever have endured to know her and kept her in the place of a wife?" [John Chrysostom, Homily 5 on Matthew] Saint Basil believed in Mary's perpetual virginity and claimed that "until" could be used indefinitely. "Lovers of Christ cannot hear that the Theotokos ever ceased to be a virgin." [PG, 31, 1468A]5
2 3
Macmillan English Dictionary, for advanced learners http://www.goarch.org/ourfaith/ourfaith/9174 The ever Virginity of the mother of God by Fr. John Hainsworth 4 http://orthodoxinfo.com/inquirers/evervirgin.aspx*From St. John (Maxomovitch), The Orthodox Veneration of Mary, The Birthgiver of God (Platina, CA: St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, 1994), pp. 3133. 5 http://www.monachos.net/forum/showthread.php?1692-The-ever-virginity-of-Mary, "The Life of the Virgin Mary, The Theotokos," (Holy Apostles Convent, 1989), pp. 148-149
2. The meaning of Firstborn The Greek word prwto,tokoj, on firstborn is not exactly the same with the English word .The English word usually but not always, suggests that there more children coming after, but with the Greek word that is not the case .For example, in NAS Hebrews 1:6 And when He again brings the first-born into the world, He says, "And let all the angels of God worship Him." YZ Hebrews 1:6 {Otan de. pa,lin eivsaga,gh| to.n prwto,tokon eivj th.n
http://www.goarch.org/ourfaith/ourfaith/9174 The ever Virginity of the mother of God by Fr. John Hainsworth