Was Jesus Born Of A Physical Virgin?

With respect to the portrayal of Mary as a Virgin -- I replied to a post on FaceBook with the following:

The allegorical portrayal of virginity has an important spiritual meaning -- and this is why those who have achieved purity of the flesh, are always portrayed as virgins awaiting the BrideGroom.  This is ultra-important because the original followers and disciples of Jesus did not believe that he was born of a physical virgin (see The Ebionite Nazirenes http://OriginalGospel.Ebionite.com#Ebionite ) -- and it should be noted that the family of Jesus as Ebionites, did not ascribe to the physical virgin birth -- (quoting): It must be noted that the mother and family of Jesus were all Ebionites -- as was his brother Jacob who they call James, and was the leader of the Ebionite Community.   In the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Gibbon notes that the teachings of Jesus was “…embraced by great numbers of the Therapeutae, or Essinians…”, and wrote that: “Le Clerc (Hist. Ecclesiast p. 477, 535) seems to have collected from Eusebius, Jerome, Epiphanius, and other writers, all the principle circumstances that relate to the Nazarenes or Ebionites. The nature of their opinions soon divided them into a stricter and milder sect; and there is some reason to conjecture that the family of Jesus remained members, at least, of the latter and more moderate party”.   The Ebionites who were totally faithful to the Original Gospel teaching, understood that the Kingdom or Second Coming can only come within the mind and body of the seeker/disciple who lives the necessary Consecrated Life in TheWay  (see The End Times - Armageddon/Rapture - The Coming Of The Kingdom http://TreeOfLife.Nazirene.org#EndTimes ).

Quoting from http://nazirene.org/shepherd_of_hermas.htm : The Shepherd of Hermas that it was "...the most popular books, if not the most popular book, in the Christian Church during the second, third, and fourth centuries...", it remains unknown to the modern Church. Why? Why was the book that is representative of the core Gospel of the earliest Gentile Church, no longer is use today? Because while Hermas reflected the original teachings of Jesus and TheWay, it would be deemed heresy by the modern Church. And when rightly understood, the fact of the matter is that it is impossible for the modern believer, critic, biblical expert or scholar to in any manner understand the message that Hermas bears. Which means that if the Shepherd of Hermas was indeed the most popular scripture in the Gentile Church over the first three centuries, then it can rightly be stated that the modern Church has virtually nothing in common with the pre-Nicene Gentile Church.

In the Shepherd of Hermas a reference is made to a tower, of which it is written: “And the tower, I asked, what does it mean? This tower, he replied, is the Church. And these virgins, who are they? They are Holy Spirits, and men cannot otherwise be found in the kingdom of God unless these have put their clothing upon them: for if you receive the name only, and do not receive from them the clothing, they are of no advantage to you. For these virgins are the powers of the Son of God. If you bear His name but possess not His power, it will be in vain that you bear His name”.

In understanding what is written, it is most important for us to be aware of the continual message found in the words: “If you bear His name but possess not His power, it will be in vain that you bear His name”. Thus, if you call yourselves Christian, but fail to purify and develop your mind and body from the defilements of this world -- and do not possess the true Knowledge of the Spiritual Christ -- and have not yourselves inherited the same higher powers of mind that the Son of God promised all his followers would possess -- then “it will be in vain that you bear His name”.

The allegorical symbolism of the Virgin birth is representative of the purified flesh and lower nature that must be fertilized by Joseph, which is an allegorical portrayal of the Generative Power of the Kingdom.   And unless you are yourself born of the purified lower nature and the Generative Power of the Kingdom, then you cannot achieve the next stages of Birth.  And the reality correctly portrays the modern quasi-follower of Jesus when it states: “If you bear His name but possess not His power, it will be in vain that you bear His name”.  In view of the fact that modern Christianity has absolutely nothing in common with the Original Gospel teachings (see http://OriginalGospel.Ebionite.com ), it is in vain that modern believers even call themselves Christian.