Commenting on the development of (1) (a) the perpetual sexual virginity of Mary; (1) (b) the perpetual physical virginity of Mary; the (2) personal sinless of Mary and its relationship to salvation and (3) the development of an anti-biblical view of sexual intercourse within marriage, Robert J. Miller wrote:
[One] reason why ancient Christians took such an interest in Mary’s virginity was that they had come to construe it as a prerequisite for their own salvation. Within the framework of orthodox theology, human salvation depended on the atoning death of Jesus. Only a sinless savior could atone for humanity’s sin. And Jesus could be sinless, it was assumed, only if he was born to a virgin. It was Augustine in this fifth century who articulated the theological rationale for this understanding. According to Augustine, the sin of Adam and Eve involved their “fall” into sexuality. This “original sin” is inherited by all is transmitted to children because they are conceived in an act of sexual passion. Jesus could be free from original sin, therefore, only if he were conceived without sex:
Jesus was begotten and conceived, then, without any indulgence of carnal lust, and therefore brought with him no original sin. (Handbook 41)
Augustine’s reasoning involves three inferences:
· The efficacy of the atonement depends on Jesus’ being sinless;
· Jesus’ sinlessness depends on his birth to a sinless mother
· His mother’s sinlessness depends on her virginity.
In this way, Mary’s virginity became crucial to the theology of atonement and was therefore considered a necessary part of God’s plan of salvation. To this way of thinking, Jesus’ death could not have atoned for sins if Mary had not been a virgin when she conceived him.
Augustine regarded all sexual behavior as sinful, even within marriage. While husbands and wives were expected to have sex—how else would there be children?—it nevertheless counted as a “venial” (as opposed to a “mortal,” or deadly) sin. Married couples were thus doomed to sin—one reason why celibacy was considered spiritually superior to marriage That is also why Mary had to be a life-long virgin if she was to maintain the sinlessness proper to the Mother of God. Thomas Aquinas in the thirteenth century gives a clear example of this mindset:
Because she conceived Christ without the defilement of sin, and without the stain of sexual intercourse, therefore did she bring Him forth without pain and without violation of her virginal integrity. (Summa Theologica Q. 35, art. 6, part 3)
Aquinas was sure that Mary had a painless delivery, not because the Bible says anything about this, but because it seemed to follow logically from her sinless conception of Jesus. Labor pain was considered to be a woman’s punishment for the sin of Eve (Gen 3:15), a punishment from which the sinless Mary was exempt. It was also theologically appropriate that Mary’s “virginal integrity” be miraculously preserved, for why should the Mother of God be deprived, though no fault of her own, of the physical sign of her sinlessness? (Robert J. Miller, Born Divine: The Births of Jesus and Other Sons of God [Santa Rosa, Calif.: Polebridge Press, 2003], 245-46)
While this should not be seen as an endorsement of everything Miller (who is way to my left on the question of New Testament reliability), his comments about the development of perpetual virginity and related topics is pretty accurate.
Some might appeal to Mary’s question to Gabriel in Luke 1:34, something Augustine himself took as evidence Mary, prior to the angelic appearance, took a vow of perpetual virginity! However, as Catholic theologian, Ludwig Ott, correctly noted:
From the question which Mary puts to the Angel, Luke, 1:34: “How shall this be done, because I know not man?” it is inferred that she had taken the resolve of constant virginity on the ground of a special Divine enlightenment. In the light of this text St. Augustine and many Fathers and theologians believed that Mary made a formal vow of virginity. However, the subsequent espousals can hardly be reconciled with this. (The Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma, 207)
For those who wish to read more on the perpetual virginity of Mary and related issues, see my book, Behold the Mother of My Lord: Towards a Mormon Mariology (if one is a Roman Catholic, I will happily send you a PDF for free—one can contact me at IrishLDS87ATgmailDOTcom and I will send you a copy, no strings attached [though I would like if you read it!]).