How so - given that almost all non-Catholics do not hold to all Catholic Marian Doctrines?
They don't know Christ, they don't hold the truth, nor do they hold the authority in Scripture. It's known that what is held by the Catholic Church is rejected by Protestants, as their name would indicate.
Is that what you are calling "Marian Doctrine"?
A doctrine of the Church is binding on a believer. Thus, the true believer is bound to the Marian Doctrines as follows,
- Mary is the Mother of God, theotokos Council of Chalcedon (451)
- Mary is a perpetual virgin, Council of the Lateran, (649)
- Mary was Immaculately conceived. That is born without original sin, "Ineffabilis Deus" (December 8, 1854)
- Mary was assumed into heaven, Munificentissimus Deus, (1950)
Boaz tells Ruth to remain with his handmaidens. Is it your claim that Boaz had many wives at the time ?
Ruth 2:13
Then she said, Let me find favour in thy sight, my lord; for that thou hast comforted me, and for that thou hast spoken friendly unto thine
handmaid, though I be not like unto one of thine
handmaidens.
Wouldn't know how many wives Boaz had. I was talking about handmaiden's role in the family beyond servant.
The relationship wasn't always servile, sometimes it had a familial characteristic. In Sacred Scripture there are at least three examples scriptural examples where the handmaid, a servant was given to the lord of the house to bear seed, i.e. children. In at least one case there was a spousal relationship, likely in all three examples. There is Agar, Sarai's handmaid who ran away from her mistress, told to humble herself and return by an angel. Her seed would be multiplied by multitudes. Eventually, given to Abraham bearing a son. Also, there was Zelpha, Lia’s handmaid given to her husband to bear children, two sons. Lia said her handmaid brought a blessing to her, Aser. Again one more example is Rachel’s handmaid, Bala who was given in marriage. [Cf. Genesis 16; 30].
It's quite clear that there was a marital relationship for "handmaidens" at times. Rachel gave her servant girl in marriage. [Cf. Genesis 30:4-5]. In my mind, feeble as it might be, when there is marriage there exists family, a husband and a wife, man and woman; in the non-woke world these were called spouses, two united as one. Thus, we hold Mary the spouse of the Holy Spirit.
All christian women are viewed the same when it comes to God -
Acts 2:18 And on my servants and on my
handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:
No doubt this is common to all Christians
No doubt all Christians agree with this... if that is all you mean.
nothing in the above verses says that Mary's mother gave birth to a sinless being.
Christ is the inseparable union of God and man, two natures one Divine hypostasis without mixing, mingling or confusion. On the other hand it is the nature of man to be born deprived of original justice once held by Adam. You might recall Adam knew God, walked with God but deprived of the honor God once gave him in the act of the original sin. As Adam's progeny we too are deprived of 'knowing' God until Baptism. “Justice is uprightness rectitude-of-will kept for its own sake.” [St. Anselm, On Truth, 12]. Continuing Anselm said, “Justice is not rightness of knowledge or rightness of action but is rightness of will.” [St. Anselm, On Truth, 12]. Until baptism, where some semblance of justification is restored in the founts of the Church, we remain part of the corporate army of Satin, no amount of bible reading will restore that wound - only Baptism. Every act before Baptism is avaricious, we merit death.
One of the natures of Jesus Christ is his humanity. Unless He is born of a New Eve (Mary) Jesus would bear the same depravity of original justice. We believe that Mary was received the same grace of justification at her conception so that she never knew sin. Else, you have a mad god who is not rectified with himself and is both evil and good.
Nothing in the above texts says the Mary never had any other children. The Bible says Joseph kept her a virgin "until the child was born".
Matt 1:25 But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a Son. And he gave Him the name Jesus.
As compared to "until the day he died" ...
The word "till" or "until"
[heōs in Greek] does not always designate the termination of an act or virtue at the specified time. If it did we'd all be in trouble, as an example
"Behold I am with you all days, even, [heōs]
, until, the consummation of the world". Matthew 28:20. Are we to understand that once the world is consummated Jesus is no longer with us? Or, how about
, “And the child grew, and was strengthened in spirit; and was in the deserts until [heōs]
the day of his manifestation to Israel." [Luke 1:80]. Does the Christ lose his strength in spirit when He is revealed to Israel at the wedding in Cana [John 2:1]?
None of the texts you quoted say that Mary was bodily assumed into heaven.
You were promised to be assumed into heaven, was that a false claim by Christ?
JoeT
