That’s a good starting place to talk about the relationship between the Bible and Tradition… and the way in which the Bible is itself a Tradition. Catholics and Protestants often talk past one another on this topic. Protestants tend to hear “custom or rule,” whereas Catholics mean “something passed on.” And it’s too bad, because you simply can’t have Christianity without Tradition.
Tag: Scripture
And Joseph Knew Her Not: A Case for the Perpetual Virginity of Mary
The Calvinist theologian Peter Leithart has a fascinating (but incorrect) article on the perpetual virginity over at First Things. There is much to praise about the short piece. First, he’s asking the right question. As the article’s teaser puts it, “why didn’t Joseph have sex with Mary during her pregnancy?” So many Protestants focus on the fact that they believe St. Joseph and the Virgin Mary did have sex after Christmas that they ignore the explicit Biblical evidence that they didn’t have sex before (Matthew 1:25). Second, much of Leithart’s answer is correct, and points to the radical Biblical truth about the Virgin Mary. Finally, even when Leithart’s argument goes off the rails, he shows his work, so it’s easy enough to see how he goes wrong.