Are YOU a Heretic? - The Temple, the Virgin Mary, and Jewish Misunderstandings (Ep. 23)
We're back in John after an extended break, and once again we'll discover some truth from the Bible alongside some church history and official doctrine. AND, since disagreement with official "orthodox" doctrine makes one technically a "heretic," you might just discover today that you're a heretic. I certainly am on those terms, and you'll see how in today's episode.
Thankfully, it's not common for people to get burned at the stake for heresy in our current era, so I'm not going in to hiding. In fact, I hope that by charitably discussing the matter of disagreement, we can learn to be a bit more patient and gracious to other Christians who don't share every last one of our own personal convictions.
For futher information on the Catholic teachings regarding Mary's perpetual virginity, see: https://www.catholic.com/tract/mary-ever-virgin
If you are interested in reading more of the development of the Christian Church by examining early documents, Henry Bettenson's "Documents of the Christian Church" is a fairly good place to start--he includes selections of letters, statements, and the like, all translated into English.