Perpetual virginity of Mary

The perpetual virginity of Mary is a doctrine taught by some Christians and held by a number of groups in Christianity which asserts that Mary (the mother of Jesus) did not ever have sexual intercourse with any man, during her entire life. This doctrine also implies that Mary would never have given birth to any children other than Jesus. The Bible says that Jesus was begotten by God, in accordance with Isaiah's prophesy that "a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son", and that Jesus is "the Son of God".

By the fourth century, the doctrine was widely supported by the Church Fathers, and by the seventh century it had been affirmed in a number of ecumenical councils. The doctrine is part of the teaching of Catholicism and Anglo-Catholics, as well as Eastern and Oriental Orthodoxy, as expressed in their liturgies, in which they repeatedly refer to Mary as "ever virgin" (Greek: ἀειπάρθενος aeiparthenos). The Assyrian Church of the East, which is derived from Church of the East, also accept the perpetual virginity of Mary by titling her the "Ever Virgin", after the "Second Heaven".

Some early Protestant reformers such as Martin Luther supported the doctrine, and founding figures of Anglicanism such as Hugh Latimer and Thomas Cranmer "followed the tradition that they had inherited by accepting Mary as 'ever virgin'".Reformed teaching, however, largely abandoned it. The doctrine of perpetual virginity is currently maintained by some Anglican and Lutheran theologians. In addition, John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist Church, affirmed the perpetual virginity of Mary.

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