Miraculous births are a common element in historical literature and religious texts. Stories of miracle births often include conceptions by miraculous circumstances and features such as intervention by a deity, supernatural elements, astronomical signs, hardship or in the case of some mythologies complex plots related to creation.
Abrahamic religions
Judaism
In the Hebrew Bible, and in later Jewish tradition there are stories of matriarchs giving birth where the God of Israel miraculously intervenes. For example, within the Rabbinic literature expansions were made on the birth of Moses and the matriarch Sarah on the earlier Old Testament traditions.
Moses
The birth of Moses as the liberator of the people of Israel was foretold to Pharaoh by his soothsayers, in consequence of which he issued the cruel command to cast all the male children into the river. The account of the creation of the water on the second day, therefore, does not close with the usual formula, "And God saw that it was good," because God foresaw that Moses would suffer through water. Later on, Miriam also foretold to her father, Amram, that a son would be born to him who would liberate Israel from the yoke of Egypt.
The virgin birth of Jesus is the belief that Jesus was conceived in the womb of his mother Mary through the Holy Spirit without the agency of a human father and born while Mary was yet a virgin. The New Testament references are Matthew 1:18-25 and Luke 1:26-38. It is believed by Christians to follow the prophetic message in Isaiah 7:14. It is not expressly mentioned elsewhere in the Christian scriptures, and "the modern scholarly consensus is that the doctrine of the virgin birth rests on a very slim historical foundation."
The virgin birth was universally accepted in the Christian church by the 2nd century and, except for some minor sects, was not seriously challenged until the 18th century. It is enshrined in the creeds that most Christians consider normative, such as the Nicene Creed ("incarnate of the Virgin Mary") and the Apostles' Creed ("born of the Virgin Mary"), and is a basic article of belief in the Catholic, Orthodox, and most Protestant churches. Muslims also accept the virgin birth of Jesus.
TakingChristmas seriously means recognizing not only Jesus’ virgin birth, not only His hypostatic union, not only His love of humanity, but also His crucifixion and resurrection.
What he did was cut-and-past (literally, with scissors and glue) the parts of the New Testament that gave Jesus’ personal history, and his teachings — but which excluded the mythology, such as his ‘virgin birth’ and miracles attributed to him.
TakingChristmas seriously means recognizing not only Jesus’ virgin birth, not only His hypostatic union, not only His love of humanity, but also His crucifixion and resurrection.
What a blessing to remember that night so long ago when a young virgin girl named Mary gave birth to the Savior of the world, our world, for all of us, everywhere, every nation, every tribe, every country, every state, ....
Though the Bible refers — in many places — to the birth of Jesus Christ to the VirginMary, the exact date of Jesus’ birth is not recorded in the Bible, nor is the celebration of Christmas.
Though the Bible refers — in many places — to the birth of Jesus Christ to the VirginMary, the exact date of Jesus’ birth is not recorded in the Bible, nor is the celebration of Christmas.
In Luke 1.28, the angel Gabriel greets Mary with the words, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” The prophecy, “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a ...
At Christmas we not only reflect on the birth of Christ, but we are confronted with the VirginMary’s role in the Messiah’s arrival into the world. Protestant churches have a hard time with Mary. We just don’t know what ... .
In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David... “Behold a virgin shall give birth to a son, and they shall call him Emanuel, which means God with us.”.
... birth ... His years on this earth, starting with the holy event of His birth to the VirginMary and Joseph, were and are the spiritual source of Hope and Joy for all of humanity who choose to believe.
The VirginMary waits, somewhat haggard following the 90-mile trip from her and Joseph’s home... “I’m leaking out,” the Virgin Mary says. CenturionStewart then calls for help, even though he really thinks the Virgin Mary is lying to him.
The VirginBirth was and is a vitally important part of Christmas... A 2017 Pew ResearchPoll found around two-thirds of Americans believe in the Virgin Birth ... Therefore, a virgin can't give birth ... Now, this doesn't prove the Virgin Birth happened.
“Father, thank you for your gift of life, brought to us by the birth of your only son Jesus. We celebrate not only His first birth by a virgin, but remember His Glorious second birth, His resurrection, which is the true reason for our Joy.” ... ....
Longview News-Journal
25 Dec 2024
Longview News-Journal
25 Dec 2024