Matthew 1:25
Encyclopedia
Matthew 1:25 is the twenty-fifth and last verse of the first chapter of the Gospel of Matthew
in the New Testament
. Joseph
has awakened from a dream in which an angel gave him instructions about the birth of Jesus
. He has taken Mary into his home, completing their marriage, and this verse explains what occurs once the couple is united.
The original Koine Greek
, according to Westcott and Hort
, reads:
In the King James Version of the Bible the text reads:
The World English Bible
translates the passage as:
This verse suggests that Mary was a virgin at the time of Jesus' birth, and is cited as one of the of scriptural evidences for the Virgin Birth
. Older and more puritanical translations, such as the King James Version, often bowdlerized
this passage using more euphemistic terms. Modern versions almost all use the word sexual. Boring notes the extreme level of personal detail the author of the gospel seems to possess in verses like this.
This passage is the centre of much controversy in the debate over the perpetual virginity of Mary
. To many Protestants this verse is one of the central reasons for rejecting the Perpetual Virginity. The author of Matthew only states that sexual relations did not occur prior to the birth of Jesus, implying that they occurred afterwards. Those who support the Perpetual Virginity argue that the passage is far vaguer in the original Greek than it is in English. In English a negation until implies that the event in question did happen afterwards. Raymond E. Brown
, a Roman Catholic, states that some scholars contend in Greek a negation until implies nothing about what happens afterwards. Presbyterian David Hill acknowledges that the wording does not absolutely deny the Perpetual Virginity; however, he argues that if the idea of the perpetual virginity had been current at the time the gospel was written then the author of Matthew would have been more specific. Boring notes that the command of the angel at Matthew 1:20
states nothing about avoiding sexual relations either before or after the birth of Jesus.
As reported in Luke the child would have been named eight days after his birth at the time of the circumcision
. The phrase "he called" is gender neutral in the original Greek. Some translate the line as "she called," which is somewhat more in keeping with Luke, but which contradicts the rest of this chapter. Most scholars and translations thus have Joseph as the namer. Legally either parent could name the child. Robert H. Gundry
believes that having Joseph naming Jesus is a clear demonstration of Jesus' legal status as his son, and thus as an heir of King David
, a continuation of the argument made by the genealogy.
Gospel of Matthew
The Gospel According to Matthew is one of the four canonical gospels, one of the three synoptic gospels, and the first book of the New Testament. It tells of the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth...
in the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
. Joseph
Saint Joseph
Saint Joseph is a figure in the Gospels, the husband of the Virgin Mary and the earthly father of Jesus Christ ....
has awakened from a dream in which an angel gave him instructions about the birth of Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
. He has taken Mary into his home, completing their marriage, and this verse explains what occurs once the couple is united.
The original Koine Greek
Koine Greek
Koine Greek is the universal dialect of the Greek language spoken throughout post-Classical antiquity , developing from the Attic dialect, with admixture of elements especially from Ionic....
, according to Westcott and Hort
The New Testament in the Original Greek
The New Testament in the Original Greek is the name of a Greek language version of the New Testament published in 1881. It is also known as the Westcott and Hort text, after its editors Brooke Foss Westcott and Fenton John Anthony Hort...
, reads:
- και ουκ εγινωσκεν αυτην εως [ου] ετεκεν
- υιον και εκαλεσεν το ονομα αυτου ιησουν
In the King James Version of the Bible the text reads:
- And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn
- son and he called his name JESUS.
The World English Bible
World English Bible
The World English Bible is a public domain translation of the Bible that is currently in draft form. Work on the World English Bible began in 1997 and was known as the American Standard Version 1997...
translates the passage as:
- and didn't know her sexually until she had brought forth her
- firstborn son. He named him Jesus.
This verse suggests that Mary was a virgin at the time of Jesus' birth, and is cited as one of the of scriptural evidences for the Virgin Birth
Virgin Birth
The virgin birth of Jesus is a tenet of Christianity and Islam which holds that Mary miraculously conceived Jesus while remaining a virgin. The term "virgin birth" is commonly used, rather than "virgin conception", due to the tradition that Joseph "knew her not till she brought forth her firstborn...
. Older and more puritanical translations, such as the King James Version, often bowdlerized
Thomas Bowdler
Thomas Bowdler was an English physician who published an expurgated edition of William Shakespeare's work, edited by his sister Harriet, intended to be more appropriate for 19th century women and children than the original....
this passage using more euphemistic terms. Modern versions almost all use the word sexual. Boring notes the extreme level of personal detail the author of the gospel seems to possess in verses like this.
This passage is the centre of much controversy in the debate over the perpetual virginity of Mary
Perpetual virginity of Mary
The doctrine of the perpetual virginity of Mary, expresses the Virgin Mary's "real and perpetual virginity even in the act of giving birth to Jesus the Son of God made Man"...
. To many Protestants this verse is one of the central reasons for rejecting the Perpetual Virginity. The author of Matthew only states that sexual relations did not occur prior to the birth of Jesus, implying that they occurred afterwards. Those who support the Perpetual Virginity argue that the passage is far vaguer in the original Greek than it is in English. In English a negation until implies that the event in question did happen afterwards. Raymond E. Brown
Raymond E. Brown
The Reverend Raymond Edward Brown, S.S. , was an American Roman Catholic priest, a member of the Sulpician Fathers and a major Biblical scholar of his era...
, a Roman Catholic, states that some scholars contend in Greek a negation until implies nothing about what happens afterwards. Presbyterian David Hill acknowledges that the wording does not absolutely deny the Perpetual Virginity; however, he argues that if the idea of the perpetual virginity had been current at the time the gospel was written then the author of Matthew would have been more specific. Boring notes that the command of the angel at Matthew 1:20
Matthew 1:20
Matthew 1:20 is the twentieth verse of the first chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. Previously Joseph had found Mary to be pregnant and had considered leaving her. In this verse an angel comes to him in a dream and reassures him....
states nothing about avoiding sexual relations either before or after the birth of Jesus.
As reported in Luke the child would have been named eight days after his birth at the time of the circumcision
Circumcision
Male circumcision is the surgical removal of some or all of the foreskin from the penis. The word "circumcision" comes from Latin and ....
. The phrase "he called" is gender neutral in the original Greek. Some translate the line as "she called," which is somewhat more in keeping with Luke, but which contradicts the rest of this chapter. Most scholars and translations thus have Joseph as the namer. Legally either parent could name the child. Robert H. Gundry
Robert H. Gundry
Robert Horton Gundry is a Biblical scholar. He received a B.A. and a B.D. degree from the Los Angeles Baptist College and Seminary, and his Ph.D. from Manchester University in Manchester, England in 1961 and has taught for several decades at Westmont College in California...
believes that having Joseph naming Jesus is a clear demonstration of Jesus' legal status as his son, and thus as an heir of King David
David
David was the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel according to the Hebrew Bible and, according to the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, an ancestor of Jesus Christ through both Saint Joseph and Mary...
, a continuation of the argument made by the genealogy.