“የበኩር ልጅዋንም እስክትወልድ ድረስ አላወቃትም” (Matthew 1:25): EOTC’s Perspective Part II

Part I of this essay explored the profound meaning of "firstborn" (በኩር) in the phrase “የበኩር ልጅዋንም እስክትወልድ ድረስ አላወቃትም” (Matthew 1:25) from the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (EOTC) perspective. It revealed that “የበኩር ልጅ” highlights Christ’s unique and eternal identity as the Son of God, without origin or successor. In this second part, we will explore the biblical meaning of "till" (እስከ) in Matthew 1:25 EOTC’s perspective, emphasizing its representation of “endless till” (ፍጻሜ የሌለዉ እስከ)።

Some individuals mistakenly interpret the word “እስከ” in the phrase “እስክትወልድ ድረስ አላወቃትም” to mean “till with an ending point” (ፍጻሜ ያለው “እስከ”). However, the meaning of “እስከ” in Matthew 1:25 is quite different from what some people assume.

In 2 Samuel 6:23, it states, “የሣኦል ልጅ ሜልኮል ‘እስከሞተችበት’ ቀን ድረስ ልጅ አልወለደችም።” Does this imply that she gave birth after her death?

Isaiah 22:14 states, “ይህም ነገር በሠራዊት ጌታ በእግዚአብሔር ጆሮ ተሰማ፦ ‘እስክትሞቱ’ ድረስ ይህ በደል በእውነት አይሰረይላችሁም ይላል የሠራዊት ጌታ እግዚአብሔር፡፡” Does this imply that forgiveness will be granted after death?

Romans 5:14 states, “ከአዳም ጀምሮ እስከ ሙሴ ድረስ ሞት ነገሠ::” Does this imply that death ceased to exist after Moses?

Psalms 110፥1 writes “እግዚአብሔር ጌታዬን ጠላቶችህ ለእግርህ መቀመጫ ‘እስካደርግልህ’ ድረስ በቀኜ ተቀመጥ አለው.” This verse speaks about Christ. Does it mean that after our Lord defeated His enemies in His power, He stopped sitting at the right hand of the Father?

Matthew 28፥20 states, “እነሆም እኔ እስከ ዓለም ፍጻሜ ድረስ ከእናንተ ጋር ነኝ፡፡” Does this mean that Christ will no longer be with us after the end of the world?

Genesis 8፥7 states, “ቁራውንም ሰደደው እርሱም ወጣ ውሃውም ከምድር እስከሚደርቅ ድረስ ወዲያና ወዲህ ይበር ነበር፡፡” After the water dried up, does this mean that the raven (ቁራ) stopped flying back and forth?

Therefore, as clarified in the verses above, the term “እስከ” in the verse “የበኩር ልጅዋንም እስክትወልድ ድረስ አላወቃትም” in Matthew 1፥25 signifies an endless “እስከ.” Thus, it indicates that Joseph never had a marital relationship with the Holy Virgin, even after the birth of her firstborn.

In conclusion, the term "እስከ" in the verse “የበኩር ልጅዋንም እስክትወልድ ድረስ አላወቃትም” in Matthew 1:25, as understood by the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, denotes an endless period, affirming the perpetual virginity of the Holy Virgin Mary. The biblical examples provided illustrate that "እስከ" does not imply a change in state after a certain point, rather, it conveys an endless “እስከ". Therefore, this verse confirms that Joseph never had a marital relationship with the Holy Virgin, even after the birth of her firstborn, maintaining her ever-virginity as a foundational truth of the Orthodox faith.