,,the ,,virgin-,,birth ,,of ,,our ,,lord ,a ,,paper ,,read 7,,in ,,substance7 ,,before ,,the ,,confraternity ,,of ,,the ,,holy ,,trinity ,,at ,,cambridge ,,by ,b4 ,w4 ,,randolph1 ,d4,d4 ,,principal ,,of ,,ely ,,theological1 ,,college ,,hon1 ,,canon ,,of ,,ely ,,examining ,,chaplain ,,to ,,the ,,bishop ,,of ,,lincoln ,tu ad liberandum suscepturus hominem3 non horruisti ,virginis uterum4 ,,longmans1 ,,green1 ,,and ,co41 #ci ,,paternoster ,,row1 ,,london ,,new ,,york ,,and ,,bombay #aijc ,,with ,,respect ,,and ,,affection ,,to ,,vincent ,,henry ,,stanton1 ,d4,d4 ,,ely ,,professor ,,of ,,divinity ,,in ,,the ,,university ,,of ,,cambridge ,dedisti ,jesum ,christum1 ,filium tuum unicum1 ut 4 4 4 pro nobis nasceretur qui1 operante ,spiritu ,sancto1 verus ,homo factus est ex substantia ,virginis ,marie matris sue4 ,pref4 in ,die ,nat4 ,dom4 ,,preface ,this paper was read before the ,s4 ,t4 ,c4 7,sanctae ,trinitatis ,confraternitas7 on ,march #ajth of this years at one of the ordinary meetings of the ,brotherhood4 ,it is published now in the hope that it may thus reach a wider circle4 ,to suppose that any one can hold the ,catholic doctrine of the ,incarnation without believing the miraculous ,conception and ,birth1 is1 in the writer's opinion1 a delusion4 ,there is no trace in ,church ,history1 so far as he is aware1 of any believers in the ,incarnation who were not also believers in the ,virgin-,birth4 ,the modern endeavour to divorce the one from the other appears to be part of the attempt now being made to get rid of the miraculous altogether from ,christianity4 ,professor ,harnack appears to urge us to accept the ,easter message while we need not1 he thinks1 believe the ,easter faith499 ,he means apparently by this that we can deny the literal fact of our ,lord's ,resurrection1 while we may believe in a future life4 ,what ,st4 ,paul would really have said to a ,christianity such as this seems to be plain from his words to the ,corinthian converts who were denying the ,resurrection in his day3 ,if ,christ be not risen1 then is our preaching vain1 and your faith is also vain4 7,i ,cor4 xv4 #ad47 -- 99 ,harnack1 ,what is ,christianity8 p4 #afj4 -- ,deny the ,resurrection of our ,lord1 and you take away the key-stone from the ,apostolic preaching1 and the whole edifice falls to the ground4 ,any unprejudiced reader of the sermons and speeches of ,st4 ,peter and ,st4 ,paul in the ,acts will surely recognize how true this is4 ,similarly in regard to the human ,birth of our ,lord4 ,once admit that ,he was born as other men1 and the ,incarnation fades away4 ,a child born naturally of human parents can never be ,god ,incarnate4 ,there can be no new start given to humanity by such a birth4 ,the entail of original sin would not be cut off nor could the ,christ so born be described as the ,second ,adam--the ,lord from heaven4 ,christians could not look to such a one as their ,redeemer or ,saviour1 still less as the ,author to them of a new spiritual life4 ,another man would have appeared among men1 giving mankind the example of a beautiful human life1 but unable in any other way to benefit the race of men4 ,further1 a ,christ such as this would not be a perfect character1 for if the ,gospels are to be believed1 ,he said things about ,himself and made claims which no thoroughly good man could have a right to make unless he were immeasurably more than man4 ,while these pages were passing through the press1 the eye of the present writer was caught by the following words in a letter of ,bishop ,westcott1 which seem to have a special significance at this time3--,i tried vainly to read----'s book 4444 ,he seems to me to deny the ,virgin-,birth4 ,in other words1 he makes the ,lord a man1 one man in the race1 and not the new ,man--the ,son of ,man1 in whom the race is gathered up4 ,to put the thought in another and a technical form1 he makes the ,lord's personality human1 which is1 ,i think1 a fatal error499 -- 99 ,life of ,bishop ,westcott1 vol4 ii4 p4 #cjh4 -- ,it is sometimes said1 in opposition to the mystery of the ,virgin-,birth1 that there is a tendency in the human mind1 not without its illustrations in history1 to decorate with legend the early history of great men4 ,in reply1 it may be enough here to say that legends analogous to the pagan legends of the births of heroes1 false and absurd legends1 did gather round the infancy of ,jesus ,christ4 ,the ,apocryphal ,gospels are full of such legends4 ,they tell us how the idols of ,egypt fell down before ,him2 how ,his swaddling-clothes worked miracles2 and how ,he made clay birds and turned boys into kids1 and worked other absurd miracles of various kinds4 ,but there is a world of difference between these silly tales and the restraint1 purity1 dignity1 and reserve which characterize the narratives of the first and third ,evangelists4 ,the distinction between history and legend1 says ,dr4 ,fairbairn1 could not be better marked than by the reserve of the ,canonical and the vulgar tattle of the ,apocryphal ,gospels499 -- 99 ,quoted in ,gore1 ,dissertations1 p4 #fj4 -- ,i wish to take this opportunity of thanking my colleague1 the ,rev4 ,g4 ,w4 ,douglas1 and my friend the ,rev4 ,canon ,warner1 ,rector of ,stoke-by-,grantham1 for their kind help in revising the proof-sheets of this paper4 ,b4,w4,r4 ,,theological ,,college1 ,,ely1 ,feast of ,st4 ,mark1 #aijc4 ,note on transliteration of ,greek quotations3 o omicron 7short o72 e epsilon 7short e72 omega 7long o72 eta 7long e7 ,,the ,,virgin-,,birth ,,of ,,our ,,lord ,there are two miracles confessed in every form of the ,creed--the miracle of the ,conception and ,birth1 by which the ,incarnation was effected2 and the miracle of the ,resurrection4 ,these are the fundamental miracles1 and are the battle-ground upon which the defenders and assailants of ,christianity more especially meet4 ,the discussion of this most sacred subject of the ,virgin-,birth of our ,lord has been forced upon us at the present time4 ,it is impossible to ignore it or set it aside4 ,we must be prepared1 each of us1 however much we may shrink from treading on such sacred ground1 to give a reason for the hope that is in us with reverence and fear4 ,i will ask you here and now to consider the matter briefly under four heads4 ,first1 ,i will try to give the evidence for the belief in this article of the ,creed during the second century2 next1 ,i will ask you to consider the evidence of ,st4 ,matthew and ,st4 ,luke2 thirdly1 we will consider the argument e silentio on the other side2 and lastly1 ,i will ask you to reflect on the theological aspect of the question4 ,,the ,,christian ,,tradition ,i will therefore1 without any further preface1 plunge into the middle of the subject1 and ask you1 first of all1 to consider afresh that 'throughout the ,church the statement of the belief in the ,virgin-,birth had its place from so early a date1 and is traceable along so many different lines of evidence1 as to force upon us the conclusion that1 before the death of the last ,apostle1 the ,virgin-,birth must have been among the rudiments of the ,faith in which every ,christian was initiated2' that if we believe the ,divine guidance in the ,church at all1 we must needs believe that this mystery was part of the ,faith once for all delivered to the ,saints4 ,bear with me1 then1 while ,i go over the evidence of the leading witnesses4 #a4 ,st4 ,ignatius4 ,he must have become ,bishop of ,antioch quite early in the second century4 ,as he passes through ,asia about the year #aaj1 he is on his way to martyrdom1 and in his ,epistles he speaks emphatically of the ,virgin-,birth4 ,in the ,epistle to the ,ephesians1 he says3 ,hidden from the prince of this world were the ,virginity of ,mary and her child-bearing1 and likewise also the death of our ,lord--three mysteries of open proclamation1 the which were wrought in the silence of ,god499 -- 99 ,eph41 #ai4 ,kai elathen ton archonta tou aionos toutou he parthenia ,marias kai ho toketos auts1 homis kai ho thanatos tou ,kuriou2 tria mustria kraugs1 hatina en hsuchia theou eprachth4 -- ,in the ,epistle to the ,symrnaeans1 he says3 ,i give glory to ,jesus ,christ1 the ,god who bestowed such wisdom upon you2 for ,i have perceived that ye are established in faith immovable444 firmly persuaded as touching our ,lord1 that ,he is truly of the race of ,david according to the flesh1 but ,son of ,god by the ,divine will and power1 truly born of a ,virgin1 and baptized by ,john444 truly nailed up for our sakes in the flesh1 under ,pontius ,pilate and ,herod the tetrarch4 -- ,smyrn41 ,i4 ,doxaz ,isoun ,christon ton theon ton houts humas sophisanta2 enosa gar humas katrtismenous en akint pistei 4441 peplrophormenous eis ton kurion hmn alths onta ek genous ,david kata sarka1 huion theou kata thelma kai dunamin theou1 gegenmenon alths ek parthenou1 bebaptismenon hupo ,ioannou 444 alths epi ,pontiou ,pilatou kai ,herdou tetrarchou kathlomenon huper hmn en sarki4 -- ,in his ,epistle to the ,trallians1 he writes3 ,be ye deaf1 therefore1 when any man ,speaketh to you apart from ,jesus ,christ1 who was of the race of ,david1 who was the ,son of ,mary1 who was truly born499 -- 99 ,trall41 #i4 kphthte oun1 hotan humin chris ,jesou ,christou lal tis1 tou ek genous ,daveid1 tou ek ,marias1 hos alths egennth4 -- #b4 ,aristides of ,athens4 ,in his ,apology1 written about the year #acj1 mentioning the ,virgin-,birth as an ,integral portion of the ,catholic ,faith1 he writes3 ,the ,christians trace their descent from the ,lord ,jesus ,christ2 now ,he is confessed by the ,holy ,ghost to be the ,son of the ,most ,high ,god1 having come down from heaven for the salvation of men1 and having been born of a holy ,virgin 4 4 4 ,he took flesh1 and appeared to men4 -- ,another reading here is a ,hebrew ,virgin1 and the ,armenian recension has the name ,mary4 ,see ,hahn1 ,bibliothek der ,symbole1 p4 #d2 and ,harnack's ,appendix to the same work1 p4 #cgf4 ,apol41 ch4 xv4 ,the quotation is from the ,greek text preserved in the ,history of ,barlaam and ,josaphat4 ,see ,the ,remains of the ,original ,greek of the ,apology of ,aristides1 by ,j4 ,armitage ,robinson4 ,texts and ,studies 7,cambridge1 #ahia71 vol4 i4 pp4 #gh1 #gi1 #aaj4 hoi de ,christianoi genealogountai apo tou ,kuriou ,jesou ,christou1 houtos de ho huios tou theou tou hupsistou homologeitai en ,pneumati ,hagio ap' ouranou katabas dia ten strian ton anthrpn2 kai ek parthenou hagias genntheis 444 sapka anelabe1 kai anephan anthppois4 -- #c4 ,justin ,martyr4 ,in his ,apologies and in his ,dialogue with ,trypho he has three summaries of the ,christian ,faith1 in all of which the ,virgin-,birth1 the ,crucifixion1 the ,death1 the ,resurrection1 and the ,ascension are the chief points of belief about ,christ4 ,in his ,first ,apology 7written between #adj and #aej7 he says3 ,we find it foretold in the ,books of the ,prophets that ,jesus our ,christ should come born of a ,virgin 4 4 4 be crucified and should die and rise again1 and go up to ,heaven1 and should both be and be called the ',son of ,god4' 99 ,and a little later in the same work he says3 ,he was born as man of a ,virgin1 and was called ,jesus1 and was crucified1 and died1 and rose again1 and has gone up into heaven4 -- 99 ,apol41 i4 #ca4 ,en d tais tn prophtn biblois heuromen prokrussomenon paraginomenon gennmenon dia parthenou 4 4 4 stauroumenon ,iesoun ton hemeteron ,christon1 kai apothnskonta1 kai anegeiromenon1 kai eis ouranous anerchomenon1 ai huion theou onta kai keklmenon4 ,apol41 i4 #df4 ,dia parthenou anthrpos apekuth1 kai ,iesous epnomasth1 kai staurtheis kai apothann anest1 kai anelluthen eis ouranon4 -- ,in his ,dialogue with ,trypho the ,jew 7written after the ,first ,apology7 he says3 ,for through the name of this very ,son of ,god1 who is also the ,first-born of every creature1 and who was born of a ,virgin1 and made a man subject to suffering1 and was crucified by your nation in the time of ,pontius ,pilate1 and died1 and rose again from the dead1 and ascended into heaven1 every evil spirit is exorcised and overcome and subdued4 -- ,dial41 #he4 kata gar tou omonatos autou toutou tou huiou tou theou1 kai prtotokou pases ktises1 kai dia parthenou gennthentos kai pathtou genomenou anthrpou1 kai staurthentos epi ,pontiou ,pilatou hupo tou laou humn kai apothanontos kai anastantos ek nekrn1 kai anabantos eis ton ouranon1 pan daimonion exorkizomenon nikatai kai hupotassetai4 -- #d4 ,st4 ,irenaeus4 ,writing not later than #aij1 he makes constant reference to the ,virgin-,birth as an integral portion of the ,faith of ,christendom4 ,he says3 ,the ,church1 though scattered over the whole world to the ends of the earth1 yet having received from the ,apostles and their disciples the ,faith-- ,in one ,god the ,father ,almighty444 and in one ,christ ,jesus1 the ,son of ,god1 who was incarnate for our salvation3 and in the ,holy ,ghost1 who by the ,prophets announced ,his dispensations and ,his comings2 and the birth of the ,virgin 7kai tn ek ,parthenou gennsin71 and the ,passion1 and ,resurrection from the dead1 and the bodily assumption into heaven of the beloved ,jesus ,christ our ,lord1 and ,his appearance from heaven in the glory of the ,father 4 4 4 having received1 as we said1 this preaching and this ,faith1 the ,church1 though scattered over the whole world1 guards it diligently1 as inhabiting one house1 and believes in accordance with these words as having one soul and the same heart2 and with one voice preaches and teaches and hands on these things1 as if possessing one mouth4 ,for the languages of the world are unlike1 but the force of the tradition is one and the same499 -- 99 ,contra ,haeres41 ,i4 x4 #a1 #b4 ,h men gar ,ekklsia1 kaiper kath' hols ts oikoumens hes peratn ts gs diesparmen1 para de tn ,apostoln kai tn ekeivn mathtn paralabousa tn eis hena theon ,patera pantokratora 4 4 4 pistin2 kai eis hena ,christon ,jsoun1 ton huion tou theou1 ton sarkthenta huper ts hmteras strias2 kai eis ,pneuma ,hagion1 to dia tn prophtn kekruchos tas oikonomias1 kai tas eleuseis1 kai tn ek ,parthenou gennsin1 kai to pathos1 kai tn egersin ek vekrn1 kai tn ensarkon eis tous ournous analpsin tou gapmenou ,christou ,isou tou ,kuriou hmn1 kai tn ourann en t dox tou ,patros parousian4 4 4 4 ,touto to krugma pareilphuia kai tautn tn pistin1 hs proephamen1 h ,ekklsia1 kaiper en hol t kosm diesparmen1 epimels phulassei1 hs hena oikon oikousa2 kai homois pisteuei toutois1 hs mian psuchn kai tn autn echousa kardian1 kai sumphns tauta krusse kai didaskei1 kai paradidsin1 hs hen stoma kektmen1 kai gar hai kata ton kosmon dialektoi anomoiai1 all' h dunamis ts paradoses mia kai h aut4 -- ,he goes on to say that in this ,faith agree the ,churches of ,germany1 ,spain1 ,gaul1 ,the ,east1 ,egypt1 ,libya1 and ,italy4 ,his words are3 ,no otherwise have the ,churches established in ,germany believed and delivered1 nor those in ,spain1 nor those among the ,celts1 nor those in the ,east1 nor in ,egypt1 nor in ,libya1 nor those established in the central parts of the earth4 -- ,contra ,haeres41 ,i4 x4 #b4 ,kai oute hai en ,germaniais hidrumenai ,ekklsiai alls pepisteukasin1 alls paradidoasin1 oute en tais ,ibriasis1 oute en ,keltois1 oute kata tas anatolas1 oute en ,aigupt1 oute en ,libu1 oute hai kata mesa tou kosmou hidrumenai4 -- ,again1 in the same work we read of the many races of ,barbarians who believe in ,christ 4 4 4 believe in one ,god1 the ,framer of heaven and earth and of all things that are in them1 by ,christ ,jesus the ,son of ,god1 who for ,his surpassing love's sake towards ,his creatures1 submitted to the birth which was of the ,virgin1 ,himself by ,himself uniting man to ,god4 -- ,contra ,haeres41 ,,iii4 iv4 x1 #b4 ,qui in ,christum credunt444 in unum ,deum credentes1 ,factorem coeli et terrae1 et omnium quae in eis sunt1 per ,iesum ,christum ,dei ,filium2 qui propter eminentissimam erga figmentum ,suum dilectionem1 eam quae esset ex ,virgine generationem sustinuit1 ipse per se hominem adunans ,deo4 -- #e4 ,tertullian4 ,his writings represent the teaching of the ,churches of ,rome and ,carthage1 and1 writing a little later than ,irenaeus 7c4 #bjj71 he assures us again and again that the ,virgin-,birth is an integral portion of the ,catholic ,faith4 ,the rule of faith1 he says1 is altogether one1 alone firm and unalterable2 the rule1 that is1 of believing in ,one ,god ,almighty1 the ,maker of the world2 and ,his ,son ,jesus ,christ1 born of the ,virgin ,mary1 crucified under ,pontius ,pilate499 -- 99 ,de ,virg4 ,veland41 #a4 ,regula quidem fidei una omnino est1 sola immobilis et irreformabilis1 credendi scilicet1 in unicum ,deum ,omnipotentem1 mundi ,conditorem2 et ,filium ejus ,jesum ,christum1 nature ex ,virgine ,maria1 crucifixum sub ,pontio ,pilato4 -- ,now the rule of faith 4 4 4 is that whereby it is believed that there is in any wise but one ,god1 who by ,his own ,word first of all sent forth1 brought all things out of nothing2 that this ,word called ,his ,son1 was 4 4 4 brought down at last by the ,spirit and the power of ,god the ,father into the ,virgin ,mary1 made flesh in her womb1 and was born of her4 -- ,de ,praescript4 ,haeret41 cap4 xiii4 ,regula est autem fidei1 4 4 4 illa scilicet qua creditur3 ,unum omnino ,deum esse qui universa de nihilo produxerit per ,verbum suum primo omnium demissum2 id ,verbum1 ,filium ejus appellatum 4444 postremo delatum ex ,spiritu ,patris ,dei et virtute1 in ,virginem ,mariam1 carnem factum in utero eius1 et ex ea natum4 -- ,again1 speaking of the ,trinity1 he writes that the ,word1 by whom all things were made1 and without whom nothing was made1 was sent by the ,father into a ,virgin1 was born of her--,god and ,man--,son of man1 ,son of ,god1 and was called ,jesus ,christ4 -- ,adv1 ,prax41 cap4 ii4 ,per quem omnia facta sunt1 et sine quo factum est nihil4 ,hunc missum a ,patre in ,virginem1 et ex ea natum1 ,hominem et ,deum1 ,filium hominis et ,filium ,dei1 et cognominatum ,jesum ,christum4 -- #f4 ,clement4 ,clement about the year #aij1 and ,origen about #bcj1 represent the great ,church of ,alexandria4 ,their testimony to the place which the ,virgin-,birth holds in the ,church is clear and unhesitating4 ,clement speaks of the whole dispensation as consisting in this1 that the ,son of ,god who made the universe took flesh and was conceived in the womb of a ,virgin 4 4 4 and suffered and rose again499 -- 99 ,strom4 vi4 #ae4 #abg4 ,hd de kai h oikonomia pasa h peri tou kuriou prophteutheisa1 parabol hs alths phainetai tois m tn altheian egnkosian1 hot' an tis ton huion tou theou1 tou ta panta pepoikotos1 sarka aneilphota1 kai en mtra parthenou kuoporthenta 4 4 4 teponthota kei anestramenon legei4 -- #g4 ,origen4 ,in the ,de ,principiis1 ,origen writes3 ,the particular points clearly delivered in the teaching of the ,apostles are as follows3 ,first1 that there is one ,god1 4 4 4 then that ,jesus ,christ ,himself who came into the world was born of the ,father before all creation2 that after ,he had been the minister of the ,father in the creation of all things--for by ,him were all things made--in the last times1 emptying ,himself ,he became man and was incarnate1 although ,he was ,god1 and being made man ,he remained that which ,he was1 ,god4 ,he assumed a body like our own1 differing in this respect only1 that it was born of a ,virgin and of the ,holy ,spirit499 -- 99 ,de ,principiis1 ,lib4 ,i41 ,pref41 #d4 ,species vero eorum quae per praedicationem apostolicam manifeste traduntur1 istae sunt1 ,primo1 quod unus ,deus est 4 4 4 tum deinde quia ,jesus ,christus ipse qui venit1 ante omnem creaturam natus ex ,patre est4 ,qui cum in omnium conditione ,patri ministrasset 7per ipsum enim omnia facta sunt72 novissimis temporibus se ipsum exinaniens1 homo fictus incarnatus est1 cum ,deus esset1 et homo1 factus mansit quod erat1 ,deus4 ,corpus assumsit nostro corpori simile1 eo solo differens1 quod natum ex ,virgine et ,spiritu ,sancto est4 -- ,in his ,treatise against ,celsus he exclaims3 ,who has not heard of the ,virgin-,birth of ,jesus1 of the ,crucified1 of ,his ,resurrection of which so many are convinced1 and the announcement of the judgment to come8 -- ,contr4 ,celsum1 i4 #g4 ,tini gar lanthanei h ek parthenou gennsis ,isus kai ho estaurmenos kai h papa pollois pepistreumen anastasis autou1 kai h katangellomen krisis4 -- ,think for a moment what all this agreement--this consensus of tradition implies4 ,the testimony of these writers clearly shows that in the early part of the second century1 and reaching back to its very beginning1 the ,virgin-,birth formed part of the tradition or doctrinal creed of the ,church1 and that this tradition was believed to be traced back to the ,apostles4 ,it has a place in the earliest forms of the ,creed3 it is insisted upon by the earliest ,apologists4 ,it is not merely in one ,church or two ,churches1 in one district or in two1 that this tradition is found4 ,it is everywhere4 ,in ,east and ,west alike4 ,it is so in ,rome and in ,gaul 7by the testimony of ,irenaeus74 ,it is in ,greece 7by the testimony of ,aristides74 ,it is in ,africa 7by the testimony of ,tertullian72 in ,alexandria 7by the testimony of ,clement and ,origen72 in ,asia 7by the testimony of ,justin ,martyr1 ,irenaeus1 and ,ignatius72 in ,palestine and ,syria 7by the testimony of ,ignatius and ,justin ,martyr74 ,irenaeus1 if any one1 should know what the ,apostles taught1 for before he came to ,rome he had been the pupil of ,polycarp in ,asia1 who had himself sat at the feet of ,st4 ,john4 ,everything that we know1 says ,mr4 ,rendel ,harris1 of the ,dogmatics of the early part of the second century agrees with the belief that at that period the ,virginity of ,mary was a part of the formulated ,christian belief499 ,how could the belief in the ,virgin-,birth have taken such undisputed possession of so many widely separated and independent ,churches unless it had had ,apostolic authority8 ,what other explanation can be given for the fact8 ,there is as complete a consensus of tradition as could reasonably be asked for4 ,it is impossible to imagine that the doctrine of the ,virgin-,birth can have been suddenly evolved in the early years of the second century4 ,the only adequate explanation is that it was a substantial part of the ,apostolic tradition4 ,it may be worth while here to quote the words of so distinguished a scholar as ,professor ,zahn1 of ,erlangen4 ,this the ,virgin-,birth has been an element of the ,creed as far as we can trace it back2 and if ,ignatius can be taken as a witness of a ,baptismal ,creed springing from early ,apostolic times1 certainly in that ,creed the name of the ,virgin ,mary already had its place 4444 ,we may further assert that during the first four centuries of the ,church1 no teacher and no religious community which can be considered with any appearance of right as an heir of original ,christianity1 had any other notion of the beginning of the human life of ,jesus of ,nazareth 4444 ,the theory of an original ,christianity without the belief in ,jesus the ,son of ,god1 born of the ,virgin1 is a fiction4 -- 99 ,see ,texts and ,studies 7,cambridge1 #ahia71 vol4 i4 ,no4 ,i1 p4 #be4 ,ecquid verisimile est1 ut tot ac tantae ecclesiae in unam fidem erraverint8--,tertullian1 ,de ,praescript1 cap4 xxviii4 ,dies aber ist ein ,element des ,symbolum gewesen1 so weit wir dasselbe zuruckverfolgen konnen2 und wenn ,ignatius als ,zeuge fur ein noch ateres1 aus fruher apostolischer ,zeit stammendes ,taufbekenntnis gelten darf1 so hat auch in diesem bereits der ,name der ,jungfrau ,maria seine ,stelle gehabt 4 4 4 ,man darf ferner behauften1 dass wathrend der ersten vier ,jahrhunderte der ,kirche kein ,lehrer und ,keine religiose ,genossenschaft1 welche sich mit einigem ,schein des ,rechts als ,erben des ursprfinglichen ,christenthums betrachten konnten1 eine andere ,auschauung yon dem ,lebensanfang ,jesu yon ,nazareth gehabt haben1 als diese 4444 ,dass die ,annahme eines ursprunglichen ,christenthums ohne den ,glauben an den yon der ,jungfrau geborenen ,gottessohn ,jesus eine ,fiktion ist4--,zahn1 ,das ,apostolische ,symbolum1 pp4 #ee-fh4 -- ,opponents of the ,virgin-,birth occur1 indeed1 in the person of ,cerinthus1 the contemporary of ,st4 ,john1 and later on among the ,ebionites1 mentioned by ,justin ,martyr499 ,but they reject the ,virgin-,birth1 because they reject the principle of the ,incarnation4 ,there are no believers in the ,incarnation discoverable who are not believers in the ,virgin-,birth4 ,the two truths have been held together as inseparable4 ,there has never been any belief in the ,incarnation without its carrying with it the belief in the ,virgin-,birth4 -- 99 ,dial cum ,tryph41 #dh1 #di4 ,gore1 ,dissertations1 p4 #dh4 -- ,,ii ,,the ,,gospels ,,of ,,st4 ,,matthew ,,and ,,st4 ,,luke ,but if such was the belief of ,christians everywhere in the early years of the second century1 can we trace the evidence further back8 ,in answering this question1 we are brought face to face with the ,gospels4 ,but first it must be noted that the positive evidence for such a subject must1 in the nature of the case1 be much more limited than the evidence for the ,resurrection4 ,the ,apostles were primarily witnesses of what they themselves had seen4 ,there are two persons1 and two only1 from whom we could reasonably expect to hear the truth about the mystery of the miraculous ,conception--,mary and ,joseph2 and when we open the ,gospels we have1 as everybody knows1 two narratives of the ,nativity--,st4 ,luke's and ,st4 ,matthew's4 7,i7 ,st4 ,luke1 in describing the ,nativity1 is using an ,aramaic document4 ,there is a great difference in style between the preface1 which is his own1 and that of the narrative which follows4 ,it was an ,aramaic document 7as ,godet1 ,weiss1 and ,dr4 ,sanday agree72 but more than this1 as ,bishop ,gore has pointed out3 ,it breathes the spirit of the ,messianic hope1 before it had received the rude and crushing blow involved in the rejection of the ,messiah499 ,the ,christology of the passage is pre-,christian3 ,he shall be great1 and shall be called the ,son of the ,highest3 and the ,lord ,god shall give unto ,him the throne of ,his father ,david3 and ,he shall reign over the house of ,jacob for ever2 and of ,his kingdom there shall be no end4 -- 99 ,gore1 ,dissertations1 p4 #af4 ,st4 ,luke i4 #cb1 #cc4 -- ,how can all this1 ,dr4 ,chase asks1 be the invention of a believer in the ,messiahship of ,jesus when the ,jews had rejected ,him1 and when the ,resurrection and ,ascension had raised the conception of ,his ,messiahship to the height of a spiritual and universal sovereignty8 ,the ,christology of these passages is a striking proof of their primitive character4 ,it is indeed difficult to see how men can read the ,benedictus or ,magnificat without realizing this4 ,every verse in them is full of ,jewish thought and ,jewish expressions1 such as would have been impossible had they been the inventions of a later date4 -- ,chase1 ,supernatural ,elements in our ,lord's ,earthly ,life4 -- ,that is to say1 these two chapters bear traces on the face of them of being what they profess to be--a true and genuine account of the human ,birth of ,jesus ,christ1 received ultimately from her who alone could be competent to give it--the ,virgin-,mother herself4 ,for it must be ,mary's account if it is genuine4 ,it is given to us by ,st4 ,luke1 who tells us that he had traced the course of all things accurately from the first1 and who had gathered information concerning1 be it observed1 those things which are most surely believed among the disciples499 ,it is an account1 says ,bishop ,gore1 which there is no evidence to show the imagination of an early ,christian capable of producing2 for its consummate fitness1 reserve1 sobriety1 and loftiness are unquestionable4 ,what solid reason is there for not accepting it8 ,it is extraordinarily difficult to imagine that ,st4 ,luke1 whose accuracy and care have been1 in recent years1 so severely tested and found not wanting1 should have been so careless as to append to his ,gospel a spurious account of so momentous an occurrence as the human ,birth of our ,lord4 ,historical accuracy is not a capricious and intermittent impulse1 writes ,bishop ,alexander4 ,it is a fixed habit of mind1 the result of a particular discipline4 ,historians of the school of the author of the ,acts of the ,apostles are not men to build a flamboyant portal of romance over the entrance to the austere temple of truth4 -- 99 ,st4 ,luke i4 #a-d4 ,gore1 ,dissertations1 p4 #ah4 ,bishop ,alexander's ,leading ,ideas of the ,gospels1 pp4 #aed1 #aee4 -- 7#b7 ,the account in ,st4 ,matthew's ,gospel1 if genuine1 must have come from ,joseph4 ,it is his perplexities which are in question1 and ,divine intimations are given to him1 on three occasions1 how to act for the safety of the mother and the ,child4 ,the facts which appear in the ,third ,gospel are clearly prior to those reported in the ,first3 the ,annunciation1 ,mary's visit to ,judaea1 her return to ,nazareth1 precede ,joseph's discovery and dream1 which follow appropriately upon the ,virgin's return4 ,how this account has been preserved in the ,first ,gospel we do not know1 for we know so very little about the authorship of that ,gospel2 but there is nothing at all unreasonable in ,bishop ,gore's conjecture99 that ,st4 ,joseph 7who must have died before the public ministry of our ,lord began7 left some document detailing the circumstances of the ,birth of ,jesus ,christ2 that this document would have been given to ,mary 7to vindicate1 by means of it1 when occasion demanded1 her own virginity71 and that after ,pentecost she may have given it to the family of ,joseph1 the now believing brethren of the ,lord1 and from their hands it passed into those of the author of the ,first ,gospel4 -- 99 ,gore1 ,dissertations1 pp4 #bh1 #bi4 -- ,the ,evangelist dwells1 as is well known1 on the fulfilment of prophecy2 but in regard to the particular prophecy of ,isaiah1 ,behold1 a virgin shall conceive1 and bear a son1 and shall call ,his name ,immanuel199 it cannot with any probability be said that the prophecy suggested the event2 for it does not seem at all likely that there was any ,jewish expectation that the ,christ should be born of a ,virgin4 ,we can understand the prophecy being adduced in order to attest a story already current 7this would be wholly after ,st4 ,matthew's method72 but the prophecy itself1 with one's eye on the ,hebrew text of ,isaiah1 could scarcely have led to the fabrication of this particular story about the ,messiah's birth4 ,probably the notion of a ,virgin-born ,messiah would have been alien to ordinary ,jewish ideas4 ,in any case1 the ,jews did not so interpret the passage1 and in fact1 to quote ,professor ,stanton1 ,it is an instance in which the principle would hold that it is more easy to suppose the meaning of prophetic language to have been strained to fit facts1 than that facts should have been invented to correspond with prophetic language4 ,that is to say1 it is wholly reasonable and entirely in keeping with the method of the first ,evangelist1 that when once he had come to know that the ,messiah had been born in ,bethlehem of a ,virgin-,mother1 he should have recognized in that wondrous birth the fulfilment of the ancient prophecy of ,isaiah4 ,he would then see that whatever primary and lesser fulfilment the words of ,isaiah might have1 they were only completely fulfilled in ,him who is the end of all prophecy1 who was conceived of the ,holy ,ghost1 and born of the ,virgin ,mary4 -- 99 ,isa4 vii4 #ad4 ,see ,note at the end4 ,so ,dr4 ,chase4 ,stanton1 ,jewish and ,christian ,messiah1 p4 #cgh4 ,see ,eck1 ,the ,incarnation1 p4 #hg4 -- ,it is hard to bring one's self to speak of the theory put forward by ,professor ,usener1 in which he says that the story of the ,virgin-,birth is traceable to a pagan substratum1 and that it must have arisen in ,gentile circles499 ,surely this is wholly contrary to all probability4 ,how can any serious student think that any but ,jewish hands could have penned the first two chapters of ,st4 ,matthew's ,gospel8 ,the story1 says ,professor ,chase1 moves1 like that of ,st4 ,luke1 within the circle of ,eastern conceptions2 it is pre-eminently and essentially ,jewish4 ,moreover1 if time is to be found for the complicated interaction between paganism and ,christianity which this theory involves1 the ,first and ,third ,gospels must be placed at a date which ,i believe is quite untenable4 -- 99 ,encyc4 ,bibl41 iii4 #cceb4 ,chase1 ,supernatural ,elements in our ,lord's ,earthly ,life1 p4 #ba4 -- ,that there are differences and even discrepancies between the two accounts1 which are manifestly independent of one another1 serves surely to strengthen their witness to the great central fact in which they are at one--that ,christ was born of a ,virgin-,mother at ,bethlehem1 in the days of ,herod the king4 ,there appears1 then1 to be no reason for doubting that in ,st4 ,luke's ,gospel we have a genuine account derived from ,mary herself1 and that in ,st4 ,matthew's ,gospel we have an account left by ,st4 ,joseph1 worked over by the ,evangelist in view of his predominant interest--that of calling attention to the fulfilments of prophecies499 ,wherever1 therefore1 these two ,gospels had reached in the second half of the first century1 there the story of the ,virgin-,birth was known4 ,if the story thus attested by the first and third ,evangelists were really a fiction1 it is hard indeed to believe that it would not have been contradicted by some who were still living1 and who knew that the story was different from that which the ,mother herself had delivered them4 ,if1 says ,dean ,alford1 speaking of the ,third ,gospel1 not the mother of our ,lord herself1 yet ,his brethren were certainly living2 and the universal reception of the ,gospel in the very earliest ages sufficiently demonstrates that no objection to this part of the sacred narrative had been heard of as raised by them4 -- 99 ,gore1 ,dissertations1 p4 #bi4 ,greek ,test41 vol4 i4 ,prolog4 sect4 viii4 p4 #dh4 -- ,there is no other alternative but to regard both stories as legends independently circulated in the ancient ,church4 ,so artificial an explanation would probably have found little favour with scholars if there had been no miracle to suggest it4 ,it is too commonly assumed that evidence which would be good under ordinary circumstances is bad where the supernatural is involved499 ,certainly it would seem to be in a high degree improbable that two such accounts as those of the ,birth of ,jesus ,christ which we have in these two ,gospels should be the work of forgers2 and this improbability is further heightened when we compare them with the legendary accounts of ,his infancy which were actually current in the early centuries4 -- 99 ,swete1 ,church ,congress ,report 7#aijb71 p4 #afc4 ,see ,preface1 p4 xi4 -- ,,iii ,,the ,,silence ,,of ,,other ,,new ,,testament ,,writers ,what are the objections brought against all this evidence8 ,the main objection is the silence of the other writers of the ,new ,testament4 ,to reply-- 7,i7 ,first1 we may surely ask--,why should they mention it8 ,this sort of argument from silence is most precarious4 ,are we to infer that because there is no mention of the ,cross or the ,crucifixion in the ,epistles of ,st4 ,james or of ,st4 ,jude1 that it was unknown to this group of writers1 and that they were unaware of the manner of ,christ's ,death8 ,we might much more naturally infer it than we may infer that the ,virgin-,birth was unknown because ,st4 ,james speaks of ,christ's ,death1 and it would therefore have been quite natural for him to speak of the exact mode of it1 whereas our ,lord's ,birth is very seldom referred to in the ,new ,testament1 and when it is referred to it would not have aided the argument1 or been at all to the point to mention how that ,birth was brought about499 -- 99 ,a4 ,j4 ,mason1 in the ,guardian1 ,november #ai1 #aijb4 -- ,or1 because ,st4 ,john omits all mention of the institution of the ,holy ,eucharist1 are we to suppose that he knew nothing of that ,sacrament8 7#b7 ,the subject of the ,virgin-,birth was not one which the ,apostles would be likely to dwell on much4 ,they were above all witnesses of what they had seen and heard4 ,they come before us insisting1 therefore1 on what they could themselves personally attest--especially on the ,resurrection4 ,they had seen and heard the risen ,christ1 and the ,resurrection was at once a vindication of ,his ,messianic claims1 and a manifestation of the dignity of ,his ,person4 ,this praeternatural fact1 the fulfilment of the 'sign' which ,he had ,himself promised1 a fact concerning the reality of which they offered themselves as witnesses1 would carry with it a readiness to accept a fact like the ,virgin-,birth1 concerning which the same sort of evidence was not possible4 -- ,st4 ,john ii4 #ah1 #ai2 ,st4 ,matt4 xii4 #dj4 ,hall1 ,the ,virgin-,mother1 p4 #bae4 -- ,belief in ,jesus ,christ as the ,son of ,god1 belief in ,his ,life1 in ,his ,death1 in ,his miracles1 in ,his ,resurrection1--these came first1 and these were the subjects of ,apostolic preaching199 and belief in ,his ,virgin-,birth 7ultimately attested by ,mary and ,joseph7 easily followed4 -- 99 ,acts i4 #bb2 ii4 #cb4 -- ,it is instructive in this connection to draw attention to the ,acts of the ,apostles4 ,as every one knows1 it is ,st4 ,luke's second volume--the ,third ,gospel being his first4 ,now1 the ,gospel begins with the account of ,christ's miraculous ,conception and ,birth1 but there is no reference to these mysteries in the rest of the ,gospel or in the ,acts4 ,the reason for the silence in the ,acts is the same as for the silence in the subsequent chapters of the ,gospel4 ,the ,jews had to learn the meaning of the ,person of ,christ from ,his own revelation of ,himself in ,his words and works4 ,to have begun with proclaiming the story of ,his miraculous ,birth would have created prejudice and hindered the reception of that revelation4 ,similarly1 in the ,acts1 both ,jews and ,gentiles had first to learn in the experience of the life of the ,church what ,jesus had done and said4 ,only when they had learned that1 was it time to go on and ask who ,he was and whence ,he came4 ,the same point is illustrated by ,st4 ,mark's silence4 ,had he given any account of our ,lord's early years1 there would be some ground for pitting him 7so to speak7 against ,st4 ,matthew and ,st4 ,luke4 ,but this ,gospel begins1 as every one knows1 with the public ministry of our ,lord4 ,it is1 in fact1 the ,gospel which reflects the oral teaching and preaching of ,st4 ,peter1 and so it begins naturally enough at the point where that ,apostle first came in contact with ,christ4 -- ,rackham1 ,acts of the ,apostles1 p4 lxxiv4 ,hall1 ,the ,virgin-,mother1 p4 #bag4 -- 7#c7 ,if in these writers of the ,new ,testament expressions had been used inconsistent with the ,virgin-,birth1 it would be a very serious matter3 but what are the facts8 ,in the few cases where the ,birth is mentioned1 there is nothing said which implies that ,his ,birth in the flesh was analogous in all respects to ours4 ,consider ,st4 ,john's ,gospel4 ,the silence on the ,virgin-,birth can occasion1 one would think1 no real difficulty4 ,his ,gospel is a supplementary record1 and he does not1 for the most part1 repeat historical statements already made by the other ,evangelists4 ,it seems altogether impossible to suppose that ,st4 ,john was ignorant of the ,virgin-,birth4 ,ignatius1 who was ,bishop of ,antioch quite at the beginning of the second century1 and therefore only a few years after the writing of this ,gospel1 calls it 7the ,virgin-,birth7 a mystery of open proclamation in the ,church4 7,eph41 #ai47 ,indeed1 on any theory of the date or authorship of this ,gospel1 there is every reason for believing that the ,virgin-,birth was1 at the time it was compiled1 part and parcel of the tradition of the ,church4 ,but when ,st4 ,john does speak of the ,incarnation1 in the prologue to his ,gospel1 when he says1 ,the ,word was made flesh1 and dwelt among us1 7,st4 ,john i4 #ad47 there is nothing in these words to suggest anything inconsistent with the miraculous story related by ,st4 ,matthew and ,st4 ,luke4 ,in fact1 we may say more than this4 ,we may say that his teaching about the ,pre-existent ,divine ,logos who was made flesh1 and dwelt among us1 is felt to be a natural explanation of ,st4 ,matthew's narrative as well as of ,st4 ,luke's2 for1 as we shall see1 it is the question of the ,divine ,pre-existence of the ,logos on which the reasonableness of the doctrine of the ,virgin-,birth really turns4 ,st4 ,john does1 in fact1 in connection with this mystery of the ,virgin-,birth1 what he does in the case of ,baptism and the ,holy ,eucharist1 he supplies the justifying principle--in this case the principle of the ,incarnation--without supplying what was already current and well known1 the record of the fact499 -- 99 ,gore1 ,dissertations1 p4 #h1 seq4 -- ,and it may be added1 further1 that ,mary's word at ,cana of ,galilee3 ,they have no wine1 and her subsequent order to the servants3 ,whatsoever ,he saith unto you1 do it1 7,st4 ,john ii4 #c1 #e47 are a clear indication that in the view of ,st4 ,john she regarded ,him as a miraculous ,person1 and expected of ,him miraculous action4 ,i think that1 in regard to the ,gospels1 their relationship to one another may be summed up in the words of ,bishop ,alexander3 ,the fact of the ,incarnation is recorded by ,st4 ,matthew and ,st4 ,luke2 it is assumed by ,st4 ,mark2 the idea which vitalizes the fact is dominant in ,st4 ,john4 -- ,gore1 loc4 cit4 ,bishop ,alexander's ,leading ,ideas1 ,introd41 p4 xxiv4 -- ,consider next ,st4 ,paul's references to the ,incarnation3-- ,god sent forth ,his ,son1 born of a woman4 7,gal4 iv4 #d7 ,he does not say1 born of human parents4 ,his ,son our ,lord1 who was born of the seed of ,david according to the flesh4 7,rom4 i4 #c47 ,being in the form of ,god1 thought it not robbery to be equal with ,god2 but made ,himself of no reputation1 and took upon ,him the form of a servant1 and was made in the likeness of men4 7,phil4 ii4 #f1 #g47 ,these are the passages in which ,st4 ,paul refers to the ,birth of ,jesus ,christ4 ,not one of them is inconsistent with the fact that ,he was born of a ,virgin4 ,but one can say more than this4 ,every one of these passages infers that ,he who was born in time had existed before4 ,they either assert or imply a ,divine pre-existence4 ,he who was made in the likeness of men was already pre-existent in the form of ,god1 and was1 in fact1 equal with ,god4 ,this being the case1 does it not prepare us for the further truth that1 when ,he entered into the conditions of human life1 ,he entered it not in all respects like us8 ,i should mar if ,i ventured to abbreviate ,dr4 ,mason's admirable words1 in which he presses this argument-- ,like causes produce like effects4 ,in similar circumstances1 you may expect the same forces to operate in the same way4 ,but when some new force is introduced1 you cannot expect the same results4 ,the ,birth of ,christ1 if ,he is what all the writers of the ,new ,testament believed ,him to be1 was necessarily unlike ours in that one great respect4 ,we had no existence before we were born1 however poets and poetical philosophers may play with the notion4 ,but the ,new ,testament writers believed that ,he whom we know as ,jesus ,christ was living with a full1 vigorous1 personal life for ages before ,he appeared in the world as man4 ,they maintained that ,he was present and active in the making of the world1 and immanent in the development of human history1 which formed a new beginning at ,his ,birth4 ,they said ,he was ,god1 the ,only ,begotten ,son of the ,eternal ,father1 who came down from heaven1 and voluntarily entered into the conditions of human life4 ,admit the possibility that they were right1 and you will no longer ask that ,his mode of entrance into our conditions should be in all things like our own4 ,if you acknowledge that ,jesus ,christ was ,divine first and became human afterwards1 you cannot but say with ,st4 ,ambrose1 when you hear that ,he was born of a ,virgin3 ',talis decet partus ,deum'--a birth of that kind is befitting to one who is ,god4 ,we do not--no one ever did--believe ,christ to be ,god because ,he was born of a ,virgin2 that is not the order of thought and we have seen that it was certainly not the order of ,apostolic preaching2 but we can recognize that if ,he was ,god1 it was not unnatural for ,him to be so born4 ,no sound genuine historical criticism can deny that the ,virgin-,birth was part of the ,creed of ,primitive ,christianity1 and that nothing that can be truly called science can object to that belief1 unless it starts with the assumption1 which1 of course1 it cannot even attempt to prove1 that ,christ was never more than man499 ,similarly ,professor ,stanton3 ,the chief ground on which thoughtful ,christian believers are ready to accept it the miraculous ,conception is that1 believing in the personal indissoluble union between ,god and man in ,jesus ,christ1 the miraculous ,birth of ,jesus ,christ is the only fitting accompaniment for this unions and1 so to speak1 the natural expression of it in the order of outward effects4 -- 99 ,guardian1 ,november #ai1 #aijb4 ,stanton1 ,jewish and ,christian ,messiah p4 #cgf4 -- ,,iv ,,our ,,lord ,,as ,,the ,,second ,,adam ,but we may surely go further than this1 and say that1 in regard to ,st4 ,paul1 his language as to the ,second ,adam seems to necessitate the ,virgin-,birth4 ,in ,st4 ,paul's view there are1 so to speak1 only two men3 ,the first man is of the earth earthy2 the second man is the ,lord from heaven 7#a ,cor4 xx4 #dg47--;a new starting-point for humanity4 ,this doctrine of the ,second ,adam1 of this fresh start given to the human race by ,jesus ,christ1 would seem to require ,his ,birth of a ,virgin1 for the ,virgin-,birth is bound up with any really ,catholic notion of the ,incarnation4 ,for what is the ,catholic doctrine of ,incarnation8 ,do we mean by ,incarnation that on an already existing human being there descended in an extraordinary measure the ,divine ,spirit1 so that ,he was by moral association so closely allied to ,god that ,he might be called ,god8 ,do we mean that some preminent saint1 called ,jesus1 responded with such signal readiness to the ,divine ,voice1 and realized more worthily than any other man 'the ,divine idea' of human excellence1 so that to ,him1 by a laxity of phrase not free from profaneness1 men might thus ascribe a so-called 'moral ,divinity'8 ,then1 ,i say quite freely1 if that is what we mean1 that the ,virgin-,birth is1 so far as we can see1 an altogether gratuitous addition1 an unnecessary miracle4 ,that is1 so far as ,i can understand it1 the idea of ,incarnation entertained by moderns who reject or question the ,catholic ,faith4 ,but let me say as clearly as possible that this is not1 and never has been1 what the ,christian ,church means by ,incarnation4 ,the ,new ,testament does not tell us of a deified man3 no1 we begin with a ,divine ,person4 ,the ',i' in ,him1 ,his very self1 is ,divine1 not human2 yet has ,he condescended to take our humanity into union with ,his ,divine ,person1 to assume it as ,his own4 ,he who was from all eternity a single ,divine ,person took upon ,him our nature1 and was made man2 and if this be so1 what other entrance into our condition is imaginable save that which we confess in the ,creed--that ,he was conceived by the ,holy ,ghost1 born of the ,virgin ,mary8 ,the ,creeds pass immediately from confessing ,jesus ,christ to be 'the only ,son of ,god' to the fact that ,he was 'born of the ,virgin ,mary1' and neither of those articles of the ,catholic ,faith can be abandoned without disturbing the foundations of the other499 -- 99 ,swete1 ,church ,congress ,report 7#aija71 p4 #afd4 -- ,if ,christ was born naturally of human parents1 ,he must1 one would think1 have taken to ,himself a human personality2 ,he must have existed in two persons as well as in two natures4 ,but what we are to insist on in thinking of and teaching this mystery is this truth of the single ,divine ,personality of our ,lord4 ,the old ,nestorian heresy 7with certain important modifications7 is being resuscitated among us4 ,nestorianism1 new and old1 begins from below1 and speaks of a man who by moral association became ,divine2 it speaks1 that is to say1 of a deified man4 ,the ,christian ,faith begins from above-it speaks of ,him who from all eternity was ,god1 taking upon ,him our flesh4 ,he took upon ,him our nature1 but ,he did not assume a human personality4 ,he wrapped our human nature round ,his own ,divine ,person4 ,on the ,nestorian theory1 ,god did but benefit one man by raising him to a unique dignity2 on the ,catholic theory1 ,he benefitted the race of men1 by raising human nature into union with ,his ,divine ,person4 ,those who speak1 somewhat incautiously surely1 of ,incarnation1 while they deny or question the ,virgin-,birth1 should be asked to consider what they say and to reflect what their words imply4 ,a man born naturally of human parents but taken up1 on account of a wonderfully high moral character1 into close union with ,god1 can never differ in kind from any saint4 ,he can never benefit the race of men save by way of example4 ,his death can never effect our redemption1 for it does not differ in kind from the death of a martyr4 ,being only a great saint himself1 he cannot represent mankind either on the ,cross or before the ,throne4 ,one man has been assumed into heaven4 ,but this is wholly a different thing from the ,faith of ,christendom1 which is that ,god has taken human nature into union with ,his ,divine ,person1 in that nature ,god died upon the ,cross1 and in that nature ,he pleads before the ,throne for the race of men4 ,it is because ,christ's ,person is ,divine1 that ,his life means to us ,christians what it does4 ,no person1 says ,hooker1 was born of the ,virgin but the ,son of ,god1 no person but the ,son of ,god baptized1 the ,son of ,god condemned1 the ,son of ,god and no other person crucified2 which one only point of ,christian belief1 the infinite worth of the ,son of ,god1 is the very ground of all things believed concerning life and salvation by that which ,christ either did or suffered as man in our behalf499 ,that1 says ,bishop ,andrewes1 which setteth the high price upon this sacrifice is this1 that ,he which offereth it to ,god is ,god4 -- 99 ,eccl4 ,pol41 v4 #eb4 #c4 ,second ,sermon on the ,passion4 -- ,marvel not1 says ,st4 ,cyril of ,jerusalem1 if the whole world has been redeemed2 for ,he who has died for us is no mere man1 but the ,only ,begotten ,son of ,god4 ,christ1 says ,st4 ,cyril of ,alexandria1 would not have been equivalent as a sacrifice for the whole creation1 nor would ,he have sufficed to redeem the world1 nor have laid down ,his life by way of price for it1 and poured forth for us ,his precious ,blood1 if ,he be not really the ,son1 and ,god of ,god4 -- ,catech41 xiii4 #b4 ,de ,sancta ,trinitate1 dial4 ,a4 7quoted ,liddon1 ,b4 ,l41 p4 #dgg74 -- ,how different is all this from the language of those who would deny or question the ,virgin-,birth6 ,with them the ,resurrection is denied as a literal fact2 the whole meaning of the ,atonement as being a real sacrifice for sin1 a real propitiation1 is eviscerated of its meaning1 and is reduced to a moral appeal to man2 and finally1 we find that whereas ,christians have been thinking and speaking of ,christ as truly ,god1 who in becoming man did not abhor the ,virgin's womb1 modern writers really mean a very good man who does not1 however1 differ in kind but only in excellence of degree from any saint2 and by ,incarnation they mean that moral union which a good man has with ,god1 only illustrated in the case of ,christ in an altogether unique degree4 ,if1 however1 the ,incarnation be what ,christendom believes it to have been2 if the ,son of ,god did really take flesh in the womb of ,mary1 and became man1 not by assuming a human personality1 but by assuming human nature1 by entering into human conditions of life1--it is indeed difficult to imagine any other way of such an ,incarnation save by way of the ,virgin-,birth1 by which the entail of original sin was cut off1 and humanity made a fresh start in the ,eternal ,person of the ,second ,adam4 ,and if ,he is indeed sinless1 the sinless ,example1 the sinless ,sacrifice1 how could ,he be otherwise born8 ,adam1 at his fall1 passed on to the human race a vitiated nature1 which we all share--a nature biassed in a wrong direction4 ,it descended--this vitiated nature--from father to son to all generations of men4 ,if this entail of original sin was to be cut off1 if there was really to be a new ,adam1 a second start for the human race1 how could it be contrived otherwise than by a ,virgin-,birth8 ,the ,son of ,mary was indeed wholly human--completely man--but in ,him humanity inherited no part of that bad legacy which came across the ages from the ,fall499 ,when a modern writer says1 ,we should not now1 h priori1 expect that the ,incarnate ,logos would be born without a human father1 we may reply that we are hardly in a position to expect anything a priori in the matter2 but when once we have learnt that this ,incarnate ,logos was to be the ,second ,head of the human race--the sinless ,son of ,man--and that in ,him humanity was to make a fresh start1 it is indeed difficult to see how this could be without the miracle of the ,virgin-,birth4 -- 99 ,liddon1 ,christmas ,sermons1 p4 #ig4 ,see ,contentio ,veritatis1 p4 #hh4 -- ,i should like to say1 in conclusion1 that ,i cannot disguise my conviction that just as in the early days we find no denial of the ,virgin-,birth except among those who denied and objected to the principle of the ,incarnation 7on the ground1 apparently1 of the essential evil of matter71 so1 conversely1 that the attempt now being made 7or the suggestion put forward7 to separate the ,incarnation and the ,virgin-,birth will prove to be an impossibility4 ,once reject the tradition of the ,virgin-,birth1 and the ,incarnation will go with it4 ,for a few years1 indeed1 men will use the old language1 the word ,incarnation will be on their lips2 but it will be found before long that by that term they do not mean ,god manifest in human flesh1 but they mean a man born naturally of human parents1 who most clearly manifested to men the ,christian idea of a perfect human character4 ,such a conception as this brings no solace to human hearts4 ,no saint1 however great1 could be our ,saviour2 no saint could have atoned for sin2 and assuredly no saint could be to any of us the source of our new life--the well-spring and fountain of ,divine grace4 ,,note ,,on ,,isaiah ,,vii4 #ad ,,the word for the ,virgin in the ,hebrew text is ha-almah4 ,it is an ambiguous word1 and does not necessarily imply1 though it certainly does not necessarily exclude1 the idea of virginity4 ,etymologically it means puella nubilis--a maiden of marriageable age4 ,in four99 out of six other places in the ,old ,testament where it is employed1 it is used of virgins4 ,its use in the two other passages is doubtful1 but does not with any certainty imply virginity4 -- 99 ,gen4 xxiv4 #dc2 ,exod4 ii4 #h2 ,ps4 lxviii4 #be2 ,cant4 i4 #c4 ,prov4 xxx4 x #i2 ,cant4 vi4 #h4 -- ,the ,septuagint translators1 some two hundred years before ,christ1 translated the word h parthenos4 ,aquila1 ,symmachus1 and ,theodotion1 in the second century of our era 7apparently in order to vitiate the ,christian appeal to this passage71 translated the word neanis4 ,,the ,,end