# Mary had a granddaughter? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 28, 2005, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mary-had-a-granddaughter/301625 "2005-04-28T21:39:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2005, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mary-had-a-granddaughter/301625/21 "2005-04-30T05:14:53Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > So when reading Matthew 13:55-56, it should be pretty much exactly at face value. There is at least, no contextual reason not to. Except, of course, that Catholicism says that the bible can’t be taken at face value…that it needs to be taken in the context of religious tradition. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2005, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mary-had-a-granddaughter/301625/22 "2005-04-30T05:22:46Z")
> [@Captain Amazing](#): > > Except, of course, that Catholicism says that the bible can’t be taken at face value…that it needs to be taken in the context of religious tradition. Which, in this case, is begging the question. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2005, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mary-had-a-granddaughter/301625/23 "2005-04-30T06:58:16Z")
And of course “James the Brother” is a major character in early Christianity. Odd concept for a children’s book. It would have been just as easy to have Mary telling these things to a little girl who lives in her village (or perhaps to her nephew, the Virgin Marvin [portrayed in the movie by the actor who plays Buster on _Arrested Development_]). ---
**Author:** ![tim314](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim314/32/3468_2.png) [@tim314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim314)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2005, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mary-had-a-granddaughter/301625/24 "2005-04-30T09:41:52Z")
> [@Captain Amazing](#): > > Except, of course, that Catholicism says that the bible can’t be taken at face value…that it needs to be taken in the context of religious tradition. > [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > Which, in this case, is begging the question. Well yeah, in the sense that the religious tradition is that Mary was a virgin her whole life. So ultimately Catholics believe that because it’s what they believe. But couldn’t you say that about all religious beliefs? I mean, the argument for pretty much all Christian beliefs is “the Bible says this, and we take it on faith that it’s correct.” And it’s not like other religions are any different, just insert “Koran”, etc. for “Bible”. The fact that a Catholic might say, “We believe this because it’s what our clergy says is true,” doesn’t seem any more or less valid than saying “we believe this because it’s in the Bible.” I mean, one way another it all still boils down to faith. (Sorry if this is bordering on GD forum stuff, but the OP seemed to already be answered, and it seemed like this was the direction the conversation had evolved.) ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2005, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mary-had-a-granddaughter/301625/25 "2005-04-30T14:54:50Z")
> [@tim314](#): > > Well yeah, in the sense that the religious tradition is that Mary was a virgin her whole life. So ultimately Catholics believe that because it’s what they believe. But couldn’t you say that about all religious beliefs? I mean, the argument for pretty much all Christian beliefs is “the Bible says this, and we take it on faith that it’s correct.” And it’s not like other religions are any different, just insert “Koran”, etc. for “Bible”. The fact that a Catholic might say, “We believe this because it’s what our clergy says is true,” doesn’t seem any more or less valid than saying “we believe this because it’s in the Bible.” I mean, one way another it all still boils down to faith. > > (Sorry if this is bordering on GD forum stuff, but the OP seemed to already be answered, and it seemed like this was the direction the conversation had evolved.) All that’s true, but I’m not objecting to the belief or the tradition, I was just responding to a question about the interpretation of particular a Greek passage from the Gospel of Matthew. My position is that a plain reading of the Greek indicates that Jesus had literal siblings and that any alternate interpretation doesn’t come from the text but from an external assumption. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mary-had-a-granddaughter/301625.md?page=1)