Posted: September 18th, 2008, 2:58 pmA very interesting argument Stanley. It certainly does make the idea of Mary's perpeptual virginity plausible, and does so at least nearly Sola Scriptura.
It still seems somewhat speculative, though, to assume that Marry and Joseph had agreed to remain celebate.
It would be no less speculative to assume that the wedding with Joseph was still a long way off but that they planned to have children in the normal way, and thus when the angel announced to her that she would be with child, she naturally assumed he wasn't talking about children conceived with Joseph under normal circumstances because, really, why would an angel show up to announce that? Every time an angel shows up to announce a birth, it is miraculous in some way. Even Moses' birth wasn't angelically hearlded.
Not having any reason to believe she wasn't perfectly capable of having children in the natural way, she may have assumed the angel meant "be with child before you marry Joseph", because no other type of birth would have been a miracle for her.
I freely acknowledge that this is speculative as well, I only maintain that it is no more (and no less) speculative than the idea that Joseph and Mary planned to remain celebate.
I do, however, acknowledge that your argument demonstrates how someone basing their belief entirely on scripture could draw the conclusion of Mary's perpetual virginity. Thank you for presenting it.