[cloudmountain]

Isaiah 7:14 "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel." This Old Testament prophecy is quoted in the gospel of Matthew (Mt 1:23) and specifically applied to the virginal conception of Christ.

It HAD to be so because it was prophesized as such.

[Campion]

True of the Virgin Birth. But reaganaut is asking about the dogma of the Perpetual Virginity of Mary; the belief that the Blessed Mother was a virgin for her entire life.

Another point I forgot to mention before. At the Annunciation, Mary says to the angel, "How can this be, since I know not man?" That question doesn't make sense from a young woman engaged to be married under normal circumstances. It only makes sense if Mary had already taken a vow of perpetual virginity.

[POWERSBOOTHEFAN]

Then why is jesus named jesus? Shouldn’t it be Emmanuel?