Tertia Pars
65. Summa III, Q28 a.3–4: Mary Ever-Virgin, Christ's 'Brothers', and Mary's Vow of Virginity
Class of 2009-12-10
https://berquistcourse.com/course/theology/13-tertia-pars/065-summa-iii-q28-a-3-4-mary-ever-virgin-christs-brothers-and/

[0:00] Okay, so we're, up to what article three is it? Yes. Okay. The third one goes forward. Thus, it seemed that the mother of Christ did not remain a virgin after the what giving birth to Christ.

[0:22] For it is said in Matthew chapter one verse eighteen, before Joseph and Mary came together, there was found in the uterus her having what something from the Holy Spirit. But the evangelist would not have said before they came together, right? Huh? Unless they were certain about their what coming together, right?

[0:50] Because no one says about eating, I guess, that before he dined, right? huh? If you didn't die. Okay. Therefore, it seems that the Blessed Virgin, some time, came together in fleshly union with Joseph, right? And thus she did not remain a virgin after the birth.

[1:17] It's a little bit like the objection, you know that he's the firstborn, he's still come up again, you know, the first born. Yeah, yeah. But you call him first born even if it's what the only one. Yeah.

[1:30] Um. You know, so we're speaking just in the first born. There's other ones. I mean, everything you say way of speaking, you know, but you call it the first born, right? Moreover, there is added to the words of the from the words of this angel saying to Joseph, "Do not fear to take Mary as your spouse, but

[1:59] communion marriage, right, is consummated through the fleshly union. Therefore, it seems that some at some time there is a fleshly union between Mary and Joseph, right? And therefore, it seems that she did not remain a virgin after. the birth Yeah. Moreover, thereafter, a few words is added, and he took her as his what wife, I guess, and did not know her until she brought forth her firstborn But this adverb donec is customarily to signify determined time, in which being completed, right, comes to be that up to which that time did not come about.

[2:55] Um. So if I say if I I read comic books until I read Thomas, that's true, I must have read Thomas eventually, right? Okay.

[3:18] But the word what knowing there refers to the fleshly union, right? Just as in Genesis four, it is said that Adam knew his what wife. Therefore, it seems that after what birth, the blessed virgin was not known by what. It was known by Joseph. Therefore, it seems that she did not remain a virgin after what. Birth. Moreover, the first born, first generated, cannot be said except the one who has subsequent brothers, right?

[4:00] Whence Romans eight, whom he foreknew and predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the first born in many what brothers. But the evangelist names Christ the first born of his mother. Therefore, she had other sons after Christ, and thus it seems that the mother of Christ was not a virgin after giving birth.

[4:32] However, John II has said after this he descended to Capernaum, to wit, Christ and his mother and his brothers. Family, but brothers are to said those who are generated from the same what parent. Therefore, it seems that the blessed virgin had other sons after Christ.

[5:03] Moreover, Matthew chapter twenty-seven is said there were there next to the cross of Christ many women from afar who what followed Jesus from Galilee ministering to him among whom was Mary Magdalene and Mary of James and Joseph and the mother. The mother of Joseph. Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee. But it seems that this Mary, which here is called the mother of James and Joseph, was also the mother of Christ, for it says in John nineteen that she stood next to the cross of Christ.

[5:47] Mary is what mother. Therefore, it seems that the mother of Christ did not remain a virgin after birth. But against this is what is said in Ezekiel forty four, that this gate was closed, right, and not opened, and the man did not what?

[6:16] Came through. Yeah, a man did not go forth from it or through it, because the Lord, God of Israel, came in through it, right. Which Augustine, expounding in a certain sermon, says, "What is that gate in the house of the Lord that is closed, except Mary, the one always what intact? And what is it that a man does not go through it, except that Joseph did not what?

[6:49] Know her. And what is it that the Lord alone entered and went forth from it, except that the Holy Spirit made her pregnant, and the Lord of the Angels was born through her. And what is it that it was closed forever, except that Mary, the Virgin, was a virgin before giving birth, and a virgin in giving birth, and a virgin after birth, right? So that's why Thomas has these three articles, right, to explain the words of the great Augustine.

[7:29] I answer: It should be said that, without any doubt, that should be detested the error of Helvidius, who presumed, that's pride, who presumed to say that the Mother of Christ was known, right, in a fleshly way by Joseph after giving birth, and that she generated other what sons? That's the work that's to be just pointed out from Jerome, right? Contra Helvidius. For this first takes away from the perfection of Christ, who just as according to his divine nature He is the only begotten of the Father, right,

[8:22] as being his Son, perfect in all things, right. So it is also appropriate that he be the only begotten of his mother, as being the what most perfect seed Seed or offspring of her, right.

[8:44] Secondly, this error does injury to the Holy Spirit, whose what holy place, I guess. Was the virginal womb, in which he formed the flesh of Christ,

[9:06] whence it were not suitable about another that this be violated by a virile or male mixture. Right? It's a sacred workshop of the Holy Spirit, so to speak. Right, and no one else should be in there. Keep off my computer.

[9:36] Third, it takes away from the dignity and holiness of the Mother of God, who would seem most ungrateful, right, if she were not what contented with so great a son,

[9:53] and if the virginity, which was miraculously conserved in her she spontaneously What wished to lose through the fleshly union, huh? And fourth, it would be the greatest presumption to be imputed to Joseph Wright, if him whom the angel revealing knew to have conceived God of the Holy Spirit, right? He would attempt to pollute, right? And therefore, simply it should be asserted that the Mother of God, just as she conceived is a virgin and brought forth is a virgin, so also a virgin after giving birth should remain what forever, huh?

[10:56] Now, to the first, therefore, it should be said, and that as Jerome says in the book against Helvidius, right? It should be understood that this preposition ante before, right? Although often it indicates things following, right?

[11:21] Nevertheless, only those things which before are thought, right? It shows. Nor is it necessary that the things thought come about, since therefore something else intervenes, right? Lest those things which are thought come about, right?

[11:49] Just as if someone were to say, before I what? That eats in the gate. He's going to navigate, right? It's not understood that in the gate he eats after he what navigates, but because he thought to eat in the gate, right? And likewise, the evangelist says that before they came together, there was found Mary in the womb having from the Holy Spirit, not because they after came together, but because when they were seen,

[12:37] when they were seen to come together, there came about the conception of the Holy Spirit, from which it was made that further they would not what or later time come together, right?

[13:06] To the second, it should be said, as Augustine says in the book on Nuptials and Concupiscence, that the Mother of God is called the what, Coniux, which means what, the wife here, right? Okay, the one joined from the faith, the first faith of what, betrothal, which did not,

[13:35] which was not known by what the flesh union, nor would it be so known. Hence, Ambrose says upon Luke that not the what interruption of virginity, but the testimony of what

[14:00] of the union, the celebration of the nuptials declared, right? Switch trick down there. See that sometimes the trick the window there where they have Joseph and Mary being betrothed, huh? Yeah.

[14:18] French trick downtown. It's kind of closed down now, but that's where it is. One. Okay. To the third, it should be said. We didn't know her until she brought forth the firstborn. Okay. To the third, it should be said that some say this should not be understood about the knowledge of the flesh, but of the knowledge of what knowing.

[14:54] For Augustine says that Joseph did not know her before she brought forth of what what dignity or worth or excellence she was, but after she brought forth, then he knew her, because through

[15:16] her offspring, right? She was more beautiful and more worthy than the whole world, right? Because whom the whole world cannot capture, they can in the narrow womb of her alone was, so she alone received, right? Huh. Have have songs like that? Huh. Take those words. Some other

[15:49] refer this to the knowledge of sight, for just as to Moses speaking with God, his face was what glorified that they could not what look upon it, right? The sons of Israel. So Mary, by the clarity of the power of the Most High, overshadowed, was not able to be known by Joseph until she what brought forth. But after the bringing forth, by Joseph she is found to be what known by the beauty of her face, not by the touch of what lust or libido.

[16:42] But Jerome, however, conceives this to be understood about the knowledge of coition, but says usque dum in scriptures in two ways can be understood. For sometimes it designates a certain time, as in that of Galatians, on account of transgression, law was laid down until there came about the seed which was promised. Sometimes it signifies an infinite time, according to that of Psalm one twenty-two. Our eyes are to the Lord our God until His what piteas,

[17:27] from which should not be understood that after the mercy has been called upon, our eyes are what averted from God. And according to this way of speaking, it signifies those things about which one is able to doubt if they are not written, but other ones are what left to understanding. And according to this, the evangelist says that the mother of God was not known by man up until the what bringing forth.

[18:06] That much more we understand that she was not known after him. And this footnote, do you have this footnote too, or has another example of that, or says it's necessary that it rained until the ice under his feet? Yeah, doesn't mean that afterward that he will cease to rain. Yeah, yeah, that's another example idea.

[18:38] To the fourth, then it should be said that the custom of divine scriptures is that they are called firstborn, not only the one whom brothers follow, but the one who what who is the firstborn. Otherwise, if he is not the firstborn unless to follow brothers. So long, according to the law,

[19:09] the firstborn not owed until what others are procreated. Now you have to offer up the firstborn to God, or something in Scripture, and you couldn't offer up the firstborn. until you had a brother, if that way of being understood, yeah.

[19:31] Which is clearly false, because within the first month, right, the firstborn are commanded to be what redeemed according to the law. So you give it to God, you get that firstborn what back from God, right? Happens, right?

[19:55] So why would you? offer up your firstborn that within that first month, if you didn't, what? Have a firstborn yet? Yeah, right. That's true. It's a good argument.

[20:28] But even in the day, wouldn't people, wouldn't married folks say something like, "This is our first one." I remember remember when I think it was our our second child was being born, right? And I was kind of in the little kind of waiting room there, right? And this other guy comes in and his his wife is in, but they're first, right? And he was obviously kind of you know more nervous than I was because I didn't do this once at least.

[21:05] And so, is this your first? He says, "You know, you know, something like that." I said, "I'll just suck." I'm used to this stuff. But no, he would call the one being born his first, even though he doesn't know and doesn't have a second one, right? Well, you use the word first, right? This is your first one. Yeah, yeah, yeah. He said, "Yeah." Okay. Well, there, there, you had that that sense when you'd speak, even though he doesn't have a second one.

[21:39] So how can he have a first one? Dangerous these dangerous these words, aren't they? Especially in the hands of a heretic, right? Okay. Now,

[22:14] fifth objection was the one that my neighbor had. Yeah. When he speaks of his brothers, right now. To the fifth, it should be said that some, as Jerome says upon Matthew,

[22:30] about another wife of Joseph, right? Suspect the brothers of what? Of our Lord, huh? But we, the brothers of the Lord, not the sons of Joseph, right? But the what?

[22:49] Cousins and so on, right? Of the Lord, huh? Understand right? The sons of Mary and the sons of what? The aunt, right? Materie For as someone's sprung out in four ways in sacred scripture, brothers are said right, and this is what we saw earlier in the text of Jerome, right? Natura gente cognatione effectu So you see, Thomas, he so reverenced the church fathers that he seems to have inherited the mind of them all.

[23:37] Whence the the brothers of our Lord? They're called the brothers of our Lord, not according to nature as as being born from the same what mother, but according to what? Cousinship

[23:57] Kinship. yeah. As we're consanguine, right? Same blood, right? Existing, right? Joseph, however, as Jerome says against Avidius, more should be believed to what? Have remained a virgin himself, right?

[24:28] Because to have another wife is not written that he had another wife, right? And fornication in the holy man does not fall. Doesn't take place. Okay.

[24:43] Now to the sixth, it should be said that the Mary who is said to be the mother of James and Joseph, right, is not understood to be the mother of the Lord, who in the what gospel is not accustomed to be named, except by this naming of this dignity that she is the mother of what? Jesus, right.

[25:11] But this Mary is understood to be the wife of Elpheus, right? Whose son is what? James James Lesser, who is said to be the brother of the Lord, right? Huh? Wasn't he the the apostle that they went to look at? You know, did Christ look at look like like a man? And well, this is the nearest thing, you know, cousin here, you know, it's a cousin. That's family resemblance.

[25:39] I think I read that you know the people you know in the early church there. You read it too? Yeah, yeah. As some text in Augustine, I know where it is. I saw one time where. Some things you would like to have seen, you know. Of course, one was Christ in the flesh, right? One was Rome in its glory, and there's something else, but this is the nearest thing you could see.

[26:23] Okay. Now, whether she vowed virginity, right? Okay. To the fourth, one goes forward. Thus, it seemed that the Mother of God did not what vow virginity, huh? For it is said in Deuteronomy chapter seven, there will not be before you anyone sterile, right? Of either sex, I guess, huh? But sterility follows virginity, huh? Therefore, the saving virginity is against the precept of the old law. But still, the old law had a status before Christ was born.

[27:13] Therefore, it could not be listed to the Blessed Virgin to vow virginity for that what time? Moreover, the Apostle says in 1 Corinthians seven about virgins. I do not have a command of the Lord, right? But I do give a what counsel. But the perfection of the counsels ought to begin from Christ, huh? Who is the end of the law, as the Apostle says? Therefore, it was not suitable that the virgin put forth a emitted a vow of virginity, right?

[28:03] Moreover, according to the gloss of Jerome, one Timothy chapter five, that to those vowing virginity, not only to marry but also to wish to marry, right, is damnable, right? But the Mother of Christ committed no damnable sin, as has been said above. When therefore, since therefore she was what betrothed, right, sponsata, that betrothed, as is had in Luke one, it seems that she did not what emisse vow virginity, huh?

[28:44] But against this is what Augustine says in the book on the Holy Virginity that Mary responds to the angel announcing. In what way can this come about? Since I do not what know man, which she would not have said unless she had vowed herself as a virgin to what God.

[29:17] What Thomas says, I am sure: It should be said that just as is had in the second part, works of perfection are more praiseworthy if they are celebrated from what vow,

[29:39] but virginity in the Mother of God especially ought to what flourish, right? As is clear from the reasons said above, and therefore it is suitable that her virginity was what consecrated. to God by a vow, from a vow.

[30:10] But it's true that in the time of the law, it was necessary to insist upon generation, both women and men, because according to the origin of the flesh, the worship of God should be what propagated before from that people, from that people that Christ would be born of them.

[30:43] The mother of God, it is not believed before she was what betrothed to Joseph, absolutely vowed virginity, although she had this in her what desire, right? Huh?

[31:04] But above this, she committed her will to the divine what judgment, right? Huh? Afterwards, having taken a spouse, according as the customs of that time required, right?

[31:28] At the same time, with that, she what emitted the vow of what virginity? Now, to the first objection, there, right? To the first, therefore, it should be said that because it seems to be what prohibited by the law, not to give what

[32:01] work to what leaving seed upon the earth not having offspring, I guess, huh? Therefore, not semper did the the one who generated God vow of virginity, but with this condition, if it be pleasing to what God. God, huh?

[32:30] After it became known to her that this was what acceptable, yeah, accepted by God, she absolutely vowed it, right? Huh? Before it was what announced by the angel. Now, to the second, it should be said that just as the fullness of grace is perfectly in Christ, and nevertheless some beginning of it preceded in the Mother, right? So also the observation of the consuls, which came about through the grace of God, right, is begun perfectly in Christ, but in some way it was begun in the Virgin His what mother?

[33:45] That's another excellence there in Mary, right? Now that word, huh, of the Apostle should be understood about those who absolutely vow what chastity, which the Mother of God did not do before she was what betrothed to Joseph, right?

[34:21] But after the betrothal, from a common will, you know, for her and Joseph it says, at the same time with their spouse, she what emitted the forth sent forth the vow of virginity, right? Okay.

[34:47] So he's saying Saint Joseph took the vow too. That's what he says here. I mentioned that what De Koninck said, you know, that the Marian century there that began with the definition of the Immaculate conception in 1854

[35:08] and ends with the declaration of the mystery of the Assumption, right, in 1950 with Pius XII. It's called the Marian century, right? But why was this so late? You know, might say almost two thousand years, right, after the birth of Christ. Maybe there was some, you know, reason divine providence that you wanted to

[35:34] proclaim fully the mysteries of Mary after the mysteries of Christ were well proclaimed and established, right? And then he is saying that maybe now that the mysteries of Mary have been kind of fully proclaimed, right, from the beginning, you know, the Immaculate conception to the end, the Assumption.

[36:01] Now maybe mysteries of Joseph will come more up, you know. Here, see a little bit of it, right? Yeah. In that, in that tertium, you know. But that ad secundum we had earlier, there we talked about the three stages of Mary's grace, right? I mean, after conception corresponds to one, right? With the grace given to her that she could become the mother of Christ, right? And then the grace she received when she actually became the mother of Christ, right?

[36:29] And then the grace that she received when she was assumed into the glory of heaven, right? Huh? Coronation. So occasionally I see a book on Joseph advertised, and I say, "Should we get that? You know, and see see what what they're coming up with now? " You know.

[36:53] In this, against Against Jovinian, Jerome uses Joseph as one of his arguments, saying that if he was a just man, that you can expect that he he was doing the most holiest thing. Plus, just the fact that he he was talked to by an angel more than once. He knew the king was going to desire to kill him. He he saw the shepherds and what was what was told by the shepherds, and he saw the magi.

[37:19] That he would have had this holy fear. What's Mary herself? I mean, he would have known that she was as holy as she could be. He would have stayed away from her. He would have not, you know,

[37:33] have any insistence upon consummating marriage, or anything like that right? Plus, they had to wait even after Jesus was born. There was a forty days that he had to wait until she was purified. And Christ was obedient to him, and Mary to him. He must be free of all. Yeah, that would be right. I always notice how how in the the litany that they had there in the my edition of the Enchiridion indulgences, right?

[38:07] They just had six litanies, right? And three, you know, are, "In regard to our Lord, the Sacred Heart, and the Blood, and the Holy Name." And then one to Mary, one to Joseph, and then one to all to all the saints. So Mary and Joseph get get their own litany, and the other saints get, you know, not that those are the only litanies, but those are the principal litanies.

[38:34] Those six are singled out, you know, as and so there you see kind of the prominence of Joseph, huh? When I grew up, you know, as a little boy there, you know, Christ in in the church of Nativity there in Saint Paul, right? I was you'd have you know the main part of the church, then you'd have the. Side altars, you know, with our little side chapels, kind of, with the one for Mary, one for Joseph.

[39:00] It seemed like every church in those days had that. You know, I don't know if they have anymore, but, but in those days they were very common. You know, so you had the kind of preeminence or prominence of Joseph, right? And along with Mary.

[39:17] Unfortunately, our Lord doesn't take prominence in a lot of churches. Much less than anyone else. Well, I mean, this is a good place to stop here. You know, We've got to go to the meeting of the trivium there, the board trustees and so. on.