Matthew 1:25 and the perpetual virginity of Mary

Much has been written on Matt 1:18-25 and how this pericope shows that the author of Matthew knew nothing of the post-partum virginity of Mary that is a dogma in Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy. I will not rehash what has been written on this subject, except to recommend Eric Svendsen’s discussion in his book, Who is My Mother?

I just wanted to highlight what was pointed out by Murray Harris (Prepositions and Theology in the Greek New Testament)--had Matthew wanted to convey Mary remaining a virgin after the birth of Jesus, there was a three-word phrase he could have used had he known of Mary’s perpetual virginity, viz η απο τοτε “or after that [i.e. the birth of Jesus].” In light of this, and other considerations, such as Matt 12 and 13 speaking of the “brothers” and “sisters” of Jesus within a familial context (again, see Svendsen on the term “brother” αδελφος in the NT and contemporary literature), the author of Matthew knew nothing of the perpetual virginity.