How Old Was Mary When She Gave Birth To Jesus?

[Guest NA24]

I've heard that she was between 14 - 17 years old, but I don't have any sources on it or anything so I thought that maybe some of you know a bit more on this topic than I do? Thanks for any help!

[mwc]

Well, assuming it was a real historical event, then those ages are plausable for that time period. The text doesn't go into any specific details that would allow an exact age to be chosen but Mary could have been rather young by our standards (possibly as young as 12 but that would be pushing the lower limit quite hard even for those days). I'd personally think she'd be on the younger side 13-15 and Joseph in his late 20's or early 30's (although he could have been up around 40 if we buy the second marriage theory).

 

mwc

[garrisonjj]

I've heard that she was between 14 - 17 years old, but I don't have any sources on it or anything so I thought that maybe some of you know a bit more on this topic than I do? Thanks for any help!

 

 

The church"s line when I attended was 17.

[Ramen666]

15, of course and Joseph was 29. The story says that she was a virgin therefore Joseph raped Mary and the whole virgin birth is a cover up for them. How they became key plot characters I have know idea. Maybe it was news in their town or something becasuse it was a scandal. Joseph then forced Mary to marry him (remember the laws back then).

[Shaman]

15, of course and Joseph was 29. The story says that she was a virgin therefore Joseph raped Mary and the whole virgin birth is a cover up for them. How they became key plot characters I have know idea. Maybe it was news in their town or something becasuse it was a scandal. Joseph then forced Mary to marry him (remember the laws back then).

 

What do you define as being a virgin?

Can you born 10 kittens then you have Lord Jesus out of the act by the holy spirit to be call a virgin birth?

 

One bottle of extra virgin olive oil please

[Scarlett]

What do you define as being a virgin?

Can you born 10 kittens then you have Lord Jesus out of the act by the holy spirit to be call a virgin birth?

 

One bottle of extra virgin olive oil please

 

 

What the heck does having a litter of kittens have to do with the topic Shaman?

 

 

Back on topic:

When I was a Catholic, I was taught that Mary was 12 years old. To me, that seems nothing short of rape.

[Shaman]

What do you define as being a virgin?

Can you born 10 kittens then you have Lord Jesus out of the act by the holy spirit to be call a virgin birth?

 

One bottle of extra virgin olive oil please

 

 

What the heck does having a litter of kittens have to do with the topic Shaman?

 

 

Back on topic:

When I was a Catholic, I was taught that Mary was 12 years old. To me, that seems nothing short of rape.

 

I'm adding mockery and humor into my posting to help keep you from falling asleep.

 

But people do get the idea and the concept behind it. If you pop a baby without having sex or without having a sperm contact eventhough you had kids before, is that a virgin birth? A miracle unexplained birth perhaps but the word virgin might be use loosely as old text do speak old school.

 

What is 12 then in compare to us now is normal. We did not live the time of ancient history so we do not yet know what the society of the world of Jesus and Mary and all that stuff is like. For you to say that it's short of rape will be for them to say, what takes you so long to Fuck?

[Taphophilia]

if we buy the second marriage theory.

 

mwc

 

I've never heard of this, mwc. Please explain.

 

Thanks

[mwc]

It's held that in order to explain the brothers and sisters of jesus that Joseph was married prior to Mary. There are a number of reasons for this. Some having to do with perpetual virginity but others having to do with the idea that James is older than jesus and things like that. So people have introduced this other marriage to clean up some of these potential problems. They have Joseph become a widower and his children become jesus' step brothers and sisters (by the vague unofficial adoption of the gospels). This would make Joseph quite a bit older by the plurality of children mentioned (ie. brothers and sisters).

 

Others, who don't see problems with any of these things, simply have Mary and Joseph being each others first and only marriage. This would allow Joseph to be a younger man which is much more in line with what is normally envisioned. Jesus is the first child and the rest come along later.

 

mwc

[Yaoi Huntress Earth]

It was about 14 in my old chruch. As for the siblings I just assumed that they were Joseph and Mary's and saw no problem with them being theirs. I figured that Joseph would want his own kids and it was expect for wives back then to pop as many kids as possible. I just think it was the over-romantization of virginity that keeps some fundy brances from seeing this.

[Rhia]

My church actually put out that she was in her early 20's, and everytime we saw sunday school cartoons of her during Christmas time, she looked almost older than my mom.

 

I always thought as a child that when the scripture said "young" that they meant it, but everytime I would say it, they would quickly try to drop the subject, or scream that I was a heathen.

 

Although my church at one point tried teaching a odd OT "clause" to rape, that if a woman was raped, and even if she wasn't walked in on, but was brought before the "Judges" and found to be a virgin before the experience, and found to be "troubled" by her experience enough, that the man who raped her would be found, forced to pay for her virginity, taken outside the gates and stoned, and then she would have her virginity "restored" to her. He would also say this was a great way to have a "virgin birth", because if the raped and restored girl was thought of as a virgin because of the stupid cover-up, that the child was typically thought of as "special" or venerated as a prophet.

 

I have a feeling that the pastor at the time was struggling with whether or not Mary could have been raped, and if so, and it wasn't Joseph, what really happened. Personally, I think the pastor was a crack-pot, just like all the rest.

[Kryten]

Just make up an age that you like and call it gospel. If you pick a number that is somewhere in the OT, then you have prophetic verification!

 

Story-telling is just that easy.