MARY’S CHOICE OF VIRGINITY
by Giuseppe Monno
“How can this come about, since I have no knowledge of man?” (Luke 1:34)
Mary does not ask the angel when the event will take place, but how it is to happen; nor does she say, “I have not known man,” but rather, “I have no knowledge of man.”
The use of “how” shows that Mary does not question the truth of the announcement—unlike Zechariah—but seeks to understand the manner in which God intends to bring it about. Moreover, the phrase “I have no knowledge of man” is expressed in the present tense, indicating a current and ongoing state rather than a mere reference to the past.
This gives rise to a well-known question in exegesis: is Mary simply stating her present condition of virginity, or does she also reveal a more settled and intentional disposition?
Some interpreters read the question in a purely chronological sense: since Mary had not yet begun to live with Joseph, she would simply be asking about the immediate circumstances of the event. Yet a substantial part of the patristic and theological tradition discerns a deeper meaning in her words.
According to this reading, the question “how can this come about?” would be difficult to explain if Mary had expected the ordinary unfolding of married life. In such a case, motherhood could have occurred through natural means. The very fact that she asks “how” suggests that she did not anticipate conjugal relations, even in the foreseeable future.
From this perspective, the verse has often been understood as pointing to an already existing interior consecration: not necessarily a formal vow in the later, institutional sense of religious life, but at least a stable disposition to live in virginity for God.
Many of the Church Fathers interpret the passage along these lines. For instance:
– Saint Ambrose holds that Mary would not have raised such a question if the event were expected according to the ordinary course of nature.
– Saint Augustine notes that the question would lack meaning if Mary had envisaged a normal married life.
– Saint Basil, Saint Gregory of Nyssa, and Saint John Chrysostom see in her words the indication of a choice extending into the future.
– Saint Jerome reads the expression as bearing witness not only to present virginity, but also to the intention of preserving it.
– Saint Thomas Aquinas develops this line of thought, maintaining that Mary’s question reveals a deliberate purpose of virginity.
Despite differences in emphasis, these witnesses converge in viewing Luke 1:34 not simply as the description of a passing condition, but as the expression of a deeper, enduring orientation.
It is important, however, to clarify the theological status of this interpretation. The dogma defined by the Church concerns Mary’s perpetual virginity: before, during, and after the birth of Christ. The view that Mary had already embraced a stable commitment to virginity prior to the Annunciation does not belong to defined dogma, but to the sphere of traditional theological reflection, widely attested in the Fathers and further developed in medieval theology.
In this light, the Annunciation does not interrupt a life wholly directed toward God, but brings it to its unexpected fulfilment: God calls Mary to become a mother precisely within her total openness to Him. Her divine motherhood does not contradict this consecration, but brings it to completion in a new way, through the action of the Holy Spirit.
In summary, Luke 1:34, read within the living tradition of the Church, has often been understood as indicating a stable disposition toward virginity already present in Mary. While not a matter of defined dogma, this remains the predominant theological interpretation in both the Catholic and Eastern traditions.