St Jerome's Hidden Mary Letter Protestants Ignore

From Totus Catholica

Protestant Seminary BANNED This 1,600-Year-Old Letter About Mary (Here's Why) Most people think the debate over Mary's perpetual virginity is modern—but 1,600 years ago, St. Jerome wrote one of the most powerful biblical defences of this doctrine, dismantling every argument still used today to deny it.​ The letter is called "Against Helvidius: On the Perpetual Virginity of the Blessed Virgin Mary", and it systematically refutes the claim that Mary had other children after Jesus. Jerome—one of the greatest biblical scholars in church history—analysed every verse in Greek, examined kinship terminology, and cited the church fathers to prove that "the brothers of Jesus" were cousins, not biological siblings.​ Yet Protestant seminaries rarely assign this text, even though they frequently quote Jerome and other church fathers on other topics. Why? 📌 In this video, we walk through Jerome's letter verse by verse, showing what the Greek text actually says, how the church fathers understood it, and why this doctrine isn't a small detail—it's tied to who Jesus is.​ ✨ What You'll Discover: 📖 Mark 6:3 & Matthew 27:56 – Why "brothers of Jesus" doesn't mean biological siblings, and how Jerome proves it using Greek and Old Testament usage 🕊️ Genesis 13:8 – Abraham and Lot are called "brothers" even though Lot is Abraham's nephew—showing the broader meaning of adelphos ✝️ Matthew 1:25 – Jerome's surgical response to "Joseph knew her not until"—using 2 Samuel 6:23 to show the word doesn't imply a change afterwards 📜 John 19:25 & Matthew 27:56 – How the Gospels identify James and Joseph as sons of "another Mary," not the Blessed Virgin 🔥 St. Athanasius, St. Augustine & the Protoevangelium of James – Why the entire early church affirmed Mary's perpetual virginity 🛡️ CCC 499-501 – The church's clear teaching on Mary's virginity before, during, and after Christ's birth 💬 How to Respond to Objections – "Doesn't this dishonor marriage?" "Why does it matter?" "Isn't this just Catholic tradition?" ⏳ Chapters: 0:00 – The Letter Protestant Seminaries Won't Assign 1:38 – Mark 6:3: The "Brothers of Jesus" Problem 3:04 – Who Was Helvidius? And Why Did Jerome Respond? 4:36 – Jerome's Biblical Defence: Greek, Hebrew, and Cross-References 5:37 – The Early Church Consensus: Athanasius, Augustine, and More 6:12 – Why This Doctrine Protects Christ's Identity 7:40 – Answering Common Objections 8:29 – Three Key Takeaways for Your Faith 📖 Key Teaching & References: Mark 6:3 – "Is not this… the brother of James and Joseph and Judas and Simon?" Matthew 27:56 – Identifies James and Joseph as sons of "Mary the wife of Clopas" John 19:25 – "Standing by the cross… Mary the wife of Clopas, his mother's sister" Genesis 13:8 – Abraham and Lot called "brothers" though Lot was Abraham's nephew Matthew 1:25 – "Joseph knew her not until she had borne a son" 2 Samuel 6:23 – "Michal… had no child until the day of her death" (showing "until" doesn't imply change afterwards) Luke 1:34 – "How shall this be, since I know not man?" (Mary's question reveals a vow of virginity) CCC 499 – "The deepening of faith in the virginal motherhood led the Church to confess Mary's real and perpetual virginity" CCC 500 – "Mary remained a virgin in conceiving her Son, a virgin in giving birth to him, a virgin in nursing him at her breast, always a virgin" CCC 501 – "The 'brothers and sisters of Jesus' are close relations of Jesus" Lumen Gentium 57 – Vatican II affirms Mary's virginity is tied to the mystery of salvation St. Jerome, Against Helvidius (383 AD) – "Helvidius's arguments are of novel impiety" St. Athanasius (4th century) – "Mary was ever-virgin" St. Augustine, Sermon 186 – "Mary remained a virgin in conceiving… a virgin in giving birth… always a virgin" Protoevangelium of James (2nd century) – Reflects early Christian belief in Mary's perpetual virginity Second Council of Constantinople (553 AD) – Dogmatically affirmed Mary as "ever-virgin"