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Virgin birth: Difference between revisions
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== Evidence in Matthew == | == Evidence in Matthew == | ||
The Biblical foundation for the doctrine of the virginal conception rests on a few key passages. The most significant of these is a few verses in the first chapter of Matthew: “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost,”<re>Matt. 1:18.<ref> which occurred in fulfillment of that “which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”<ref>Matt. 1:22, 23.<ref> | The Biblical foundation for the doctrine of the virginal conception rests on a few key passages. The most significant of these is a few verses in the first chapter of Matthew: “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost,”<re>Matt. 1:18.<ref> which occurred in fulfillment of that “which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”<ref>Matt. 1:22, 23.</ref> | ||
One purpose of this passage is to show that Jesus was incorporated by divine command into the house of David, which occurred when Joseph named his son—an exercise that would have been unnecessary if Joseph had been Jesus’ natural father. Joseph’s act of naming the child, which is the prerogative of the father, is also an act of adoption and thus inclusion into the Davidic line. | One purpose of this passage is to show that Jesus was incorporated by divine command into the house of David, which occurred when Joseph named his son—an exercise that would have been unnecessary if Joseph had been Jesus’ natural father. Joseph’s act of naming the child, which is the prerogative of the father, is also an act of adoption and thus inclusion into the Davidic line. | ||