When it comes to the perpetual virginity of Mary, do you agree with the Catholic view or with the view of Protestant reformers Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, and John Wesley?
— Michael Knowles (@michaeljknowles) March 28, 2026
I agree with Matthew, Mark, Hegesippus, Irenaeus, and other early Christians who rejected the perpetual virginity of Mary. Much of the Biblical evidence against her perpetual virginity rarely gets discussed, such as what I address here and here. There were many Christians in early church history who didn't believe that Mary was a perpetual virgin, far more than just Tertullian and Helvidius. You can access an archive of our posts on the perpetual virginity of Mary here. Keep clicking Older Posts in the lower right to see more.
I sometimes wonder if belief in the PVM is so widespread today because of Jerome's aggressive stance on this issue. If I were to speculate, it might be because of Jerome's shame at his decadent pre-conversion lifestyle. When you read his arguments for the PVM, it seems like the kind of thing that really hit a sore nerve.
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