While he did believe in the perpetual virginity of Mary, Theophylact of Ohrid understood, as did Jerome, the phrase "before they came together" (πρὶν ἢ συνελθεῖν) as a reference to sexual union, not simply living together:
Before they came together, she
was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit. 'Come together' ' here means
"physical relations". For she had conceived before there were any
physical relations. Therefore the evangelist is amazed at the extraordinary
event and cries out, ' ' she was found.” (The Explanation by Blessed
Theophylact of the Holy Gospel According to St. Matthew [trans. Christopher
Stade; Bl. Theophylact's Explanation of the New Testament 1; House Springs,
Miss.: Chrysostom Press, 2006], 18)
The Nazarenes were foolish to think that low birth and
plain ancestry hinder anyone from pleasing God. Let us suppose that Jesus was
simply man and not God. What would have prevented Him from being a great
wonderworker? So they are proven to be foolish and spiteful. They ought rather
to have taken pride that their native city had produced such a good man. The
Lord had brothers and sisters, the children of Joseph which he begat by the
wife of his brother Cleopas . For when Cleopas died childless, Joseph took his
wife in accordance with the law and had six children by her, four boys and two
girls, Mary, who was called the daughter of Cleopas, in accordance with the
law, and Salome. The Nazarenes also took offense at Jesus, perhaps themselves
saying that He was casting out demons by Beelzebub. (The Explanation by
Blessed Theophylact of the Holy Gospel According to St. Matthew [trans.
Christopher Stade; Bl. Theophylact's Explanation of the New Testament 1; House
Springs, Miss.: Chrysostom Press, 2006], 120)
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