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International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

VIRGIN BIRTH

" I. DEFINITION

II. THE TEXTUAL QUESTION

III. THE HISTORICAL QUESTION

1. Statement Not Dogmatic but Vital as History

2. Its Importance to Leaders of the Early Church

3. Hypothesis of Invention Discredits the Church

IV. THE CRITICAL QUESTION

1. Basis of Virgin-Birth Statement

2. Interrelationship of Narratives

3. Sources, Origin and age of Documents

V. THE DOCTRINAL QUESTION

1. In the New Testament

2. Portrait of Jesus in Synoptic Gospels 3. In Rest of the New Testament

4. Oppositions to the Doctrine

5. Its Importance to Modern Thought

LITERATURE

I. Definition.

"Virgin-birth" is the correct and only correct designation of the birth statement contained in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. "Immaculate conception" is of course manifestly a blunder due to the confusion of one idea with another. "Supernatural or miraculous birth" will not do, because there is no intimation that the process of birth was in any way exceptional. "Supernatural or miraculous conception" is equally unsatisfactory as it involves a question-begging comparison between the birth of Christ and the exceptional births of the Sons of Promise (e.g. Isaac, John the Baptist, etc.). The only statement which is sufficiently specific is "virgin-birth," inasmuch as according to the New Testament statement Mary was at the time of this birth virgo intacta.

II. The Textual Question.

We may deal with this division of our subject very briefly, because if we are to allow any weight at all to textual evidence there is no question as to the infancy narratives, either in whole or in part. Their position is flawless and unassailable. There is a voluminous literature devoted to the discussion of the subject, but it is notably jejune even for critical writing, and much more impressive for ingenuity and dialectic skill in arguing a poor case than for anything in the way of results. We do not hesitate to refer the reader who is interested in discussions of this sort to entirely satisfactory reviews of them found elsewhere (see Machen, Princeton Review, October, 1905; January, 1906; and Orr, The Virgin Birth of Christ). We may summarize the entire discussion in the words of Johannes Weiss (Theologische Rundschau, 1903, 208, quoted by Machen, ut sup.): "There never were forms of Matthew and Luke without the infancy narratives." One point only we shall consider in this connection; namely, the disputed reading of Matthew 1:16. The Ferrar group of manuscripts (nos. 346, 556, 826, 828) interpose a second "begat" between the names Joseph and Jesus. It is affirmed that this reading with the variants represents an original form of the genealogy preserved in the Gospels which affirms the literal sonship of Jesus to Joseph. The first and most obvious remark to be made upon this question is, granting-what is extremely uncertain-that this reading is original, it does not prove nor begin to prove the point alleged. This is now widely conceded. For one thing, the word "begat" is used elsewhere for legal or putative fatherhood (compare Matthew 1:12 and see GENEALOGY OF JESUS CHRIST). Allen's statement of the case indicates clearly enough that the radical use of this variation has broken down (see ICC; "Matthew," 8). This writer holds that the reading of Sam 1 ("Jacob begat Joseph. Joseph, to whom was betrothed Mary the Virgin, begat Jesus, called the Messiah," Matthew 1:16) is nearest the original form. By four steps, which he enumerates in order, he conceives that the original text, which was intended to convey the idea of a legal fatherhood on the part of Joseph, was modified so as to guard the statement from misinterpretation. This hypothesis is ingenious if somewhat complicated. The weak spot in the whole case (for the variation) lies in the fact that all manuscripts concur in the name of Mary and the term "virgin." It is evident, in any view of the relative standing of the various readings,

(1) that the genealogy as deposited in public or private record would read: "Jacob begat Joseph, Joseph begat Jesus,"

(2) that the person who used the genealogy in the Gospel and placed it in connection with Matthew 1:18-25

(a) had Mary particularly in mind and inserted the names of women to prepare the way for the mention of Mary, all of which was a departure from usual and orderly procedure;

(b) that he used the word "begat" in the legal sense throughout (1:8, 12; compare 1 Chronicles 3:11, 12, 19);

(c) that he believed in the virgin-birth as evinced by the connection and the use of names of women including Mary's.

There is therefore no basis for the idea that the genealogy, even without the strongly attested relative clause of Matthew 1:16, ever meant anything but an attestation of the virgin-birth.

III. The Historical Question.

1. Statement Not Dogmatic but Vital as History:

The twofold birth announcement of Matthew and Luke is a statement of historical or, more strictly speaking, biographical fact. The accounts, as we shall see, are very rigidly confined to the matter of fact concerned. It is not a dogma and receives very little doctrinal elaboration even in the infancy narratives themselves. It is an event, wholly real or wholly imaginary. The statement of it is wholly true or entirely false. But as a historical statement this narrative is of peculiar quality and significance.

(1) It touches upon the most delicate matters, at a place where the line between that which is most sacred and that which is most degraded in human life is closely drawn. To discredit it leaves the most intimate mystery of our Lord's earthly life under the shadow of suspicion. It is therefore a statement of the greatest personal moment in the evangelic record.

(2) It involves the secret history and public honor of a family most dear and sacred to the entire Christian body. It records the inner and outer experiences of the mother of the Lord and of His brethren, themselves honored leaders in the church.

(3) It touches upon the central mystery of the Lord's person in such a way as to involve either a very important contribution to the doctrine of the incarnation or a very serious mutilation of the truth. We may dismiss altogether the contention of many, that whether true or not the fact is of no great importance. It must be of importance. No fact in which the relationship of Jesus to His ancestors according to the flesh, to His mother, to the laws of life in the race at large, are so evidently and so deeply involved can possibly be a matter of indifference. The nature of His experience in the world, the quality and significance of His manhood, the fundamental constitution of His person, the nature and limits of the incarnation are necessarily and vitally concerned in the discussion. It is impossible to begin with the acceptance or rejection of the fact and arrive by logical processes at like convictions on any fundamental matter in the region of Christology.

2. Its Importance to Leaders of the Early Church:

All this must have been as patent to the earliest believers as to ourselves. The men who incorporated this incident into the gospel narrative could not possibly have been blind to the importance of what they were doing (compare Luke 1:3). In view of these facts it would be well for the serious student to ask himself this question: "On the hypothesis of invention, what manner of men were they who fabricated these narratives and succeeded in foisting them upon the church so early as to dominate its earliest official records and control the very making of all its creeds?" It is clear that deliberate invension is the only alternative to historical credit. We may throw out of court as altogether inadmissible the hypothesis that the church as a whole, by a naive and semi-unconscious process, came to believe these stories and to accept them without criticism. Rumors always grow in the absence of known facts, especially where curiosity is keen. Absurd rumors multiply among the credulous. But no statement contrary to natural expectation was ever yet promulgated among people of even average intelligence without meeting the resistance of incredulity on the part of some individuals who wish to inquire, especially if means of verification are within reach. In this particular instance, the issue may be stated much more sharply. At no period reasonably to be assigned for the origin and incorporation of these documents could they have been honestly accepted by any member of the Christian community, sufficiently taught to occupy a position of authority. If the story was invented, there must have been a time when Jesus was universally accepted as the son by natural generation of Joseph and Mary. The story surely was not invented before His birth nor for some time after. The first person, therefore, who spoke contrary to the prevalent and natural belief must have had it from the family, which alone knew the truth, or else have been a wanton and lying gossip. Such a story is recognizable on the face of it as authoritative or pure invention. There is no middle ground. It could not have been recounted without being challenged for its strangeness and for its contravention of the accepted belief. It could not have been challenged without the exposure of its groundless and fraudulent character, for the simple reason that the lack of positive and authoritative certification would be its immediate and sufficient condemnation. It is not difficult to draw the portrait of the inventor of this story. He must have been lacking, not only in the sense of truthfulness, but also in the elementary instinct of delicacy, to have invaded the privacy of the most sacred home known to him and deliberately invented a narrative which included the statement that Mary had come under suspicion of wrongdoing in such a way as to shadow the life of her Son. He must also have been doctrinally lax in the extreme, as well as temperamentally presumptuous, to have risked a mutilation of the truth by an invention dealing with such essential matters.

3. Hypothesis of Invention Discredits the Church:

Moreover, this hypothesis demands that this fabrication must have met with instantaneous and universal success. It passed the scrutiny of the church at large and of its authorized teachers, and was never challenged save by a small group of heretics who disliked it on purely dogmatic grounds.

To whatever origin in the way of suggestion from without one may attribute the story-whether one may ascribe it to the influence of Old Testament prophecy, or Jewish Messianic expectations in general, or to ethnic analogies, Babylonian. Egyptian or Greek-the fact remains that the story had to be invented and published by those who ought to have known better and could easily have known better had they possessed sufficient interest in the cause of truth to have made even casual inquiries into the credentials of such an important statement offered for their acceptance. It is fairly true to say that ethnic analogies for the birth of Christ fail (see article on "Heathen Wonder-Births and the Birth of Christ," Princeton Review, January, 1908). It is also true that the rooted Sere conviction shared by the Hebrews, that family descent is to be traced through the male line only, so persistent even among the New Testament writers that both evangelists, on the face of them, trace the lineage of Joseph, would have acted as an effectual barrier against this particular legendary development. It is further true that no passage of the Old Testament, including Isaiah 7:14, can be adduced as convincing evidence that the story was invented under the motive of finding fulfillment for Messianic predictions (see IMMANUEL). But far more satisfactory is the elementary conviction that the founders of the Christian church and the writers of its documents were not the kind of men to accept or circulate stories which they knew perfectly well would be used by unbelief in a malignant way to the discredit of their Master and His family. The hypothesis of invention not only leaves an ugly cloud of mystery over the birth of Jesus, but it discredits beyond repair every man who had to do with the writing and circulation of the Gospels, down to and including the man who professes to have "traced the course of all things accurately from the beginning," according to the testimony of those who were "eyewitnesses and ministers of the word" (Luke 1:2 f). It is simply impossible to save the credit, in any matter involving honesty or commonsense, of one who uses words like these and yet incorporates unauthenticated legends into the narrative to which he has thus pledged himself.

One may venture at the close of this section of the discussion to point out that everything which the inventor of this story must have been, the narrators of it are not. Both narratives exhibit a profound reverence, a chaste and gracious reserve in the presence of a holy mystery, a simplicity, dignity and self-contained nobility. of expression which are the visible marks of truth, if such there are anywhere in human writing.

IV. The Critical Question.

1. Basis of Virgin-Birth Statement:

The infancy narratives evidently stand somewhat apart from the main body of apostolic testimony. The personal contact of the disciples with Jesus, upon which their testimony primarily rests, extended from the call of the disciples, near the opening of the ministry, to the resurrection and post-resurrection appearances. It is hyper-skepticism to deny that the substance of the gospel narrative rests upon the basis of actual experience. But all four evangelists show a disposition to supplement the immediate testimony of the disciples by the use of other well-attested materials. Luke's introductory paragraph, if it was written by an honest man, indicates that he at least was satisfied with nothing less than a careful scrutiny of original sources, namely, the testimony, written or oral, of eyewitnesses. It may reasonably be surmised that this was the general attitude of the entire group of apostles, evangelists and catechists who are responsible for the authorship and circulation of the Gospels.

But, to say nothing of the infancy narratives, for one of which Luke himself is responsible, these writers have embodied in the narrative the ministry of John the Baptist, the baptism and temptation of Jesus, all of which events happened before their fellowship with Jesus, strictly speaking, began. In particular, assuredly no disciple was an eyewitness of the temptation. None the less the narrative stands, simply because imaginative invention of such an incident in the absence of accredited facts cannot reasonably be considered. The fact that the birth narratives do not rest upon the testimony of the same eyewitnesses who stand for the ministry of Jesus does not discredit them as embodying reliable tradition, unless it can be proved that they contradict the rest of the apostolic testimony or that no reliable witness to the events in question was within reach at the time when the documents were composed. In the present instance such a contention is absurd. The very nature of the event points out the inevitable firsthand witnesses. There could be no others. In the absence of their decisive word, bald invention would be necessary. To charge the entire church of the time (for this is what the hypothesis amounts to) as particeps criminis in its own official and documentary deception is an extreme position as unwarranted as it is cruel.

The internal harmony of the facts as recorded points in the same direction. The silence or comparative lack of emphasis with reference to the birth of Christ on the part of the other New Testament writers is to be explained partly on the basis of doctrinal viewpoint (see V, below) and partly because an ingrained sense of delicacy would naturally tend to reticence on this point, at least during the lifetime of Mary and the Lord's brethren. The following intimately corresponding facts are sufficiently significant in this connection:

(1) that the fact of Jesus' unique birth could not be proclaimed as a part of His own teaching or as the basis of His incarnate life;

(2) that He was popularly known as the son of Joseph;

(3) that the foster-fatherhood of Joseph, as embodied in the genealogy (see GENEALOGY OF JESUS CHRIST), was the recognized basis of His relationship to the house of David. All these facts appear just as they should in the narrative.

The very fact that the genealogies, ending with the name of Joseph, and the current representations of Jesus as Joseph's son, are allowed to appear in the same documents in which the virgin-birth statements appear, together with the entirely congruous facts that the main synoptic narrative does not emphasize the event, and that neither Paul nor John nor any other New Testament writer gives it a prominent place, is indication enough that it rested, in the opinion of the entire witnessing body, on a sufficient basis of evidence and required no artificial buttressing. Internal harmonies and incidental marks of truthfulness are of the utmost importance here because in a narrative so complex and vital it would have been easy to make a misstep. Since none was made, we are constrained to believe that the single eye to truth filled the apostolic mind with light. Every item, in the infancy narratives themselves, as well as in the more strictly doctrinal statements of other New Testament books, is as we should expect, provided the birth statement be accepted as true. Internal evidence of truthfulness could not be stronger.

2. Interrelationship of Narratives:

This general conclusion is confirmed when we come to consider the relationship of the two narratives to each other. To begin with, we have two narratives, differing greatly in method of treatment, grouping of details, order and motive of narration, and general atmosphere. It is evident that we have two documents which have had quite a different history.

In two points, at any rate, what might be considered serious discrepancies are discoverable (see BIBLICAL DISCREPANCIES). These two points are:

(1) the relationship of the Massacre of the Innocents and the journey to Egypt, as related by Matthew, to Luke's account, which carries the holy family directly back to Nazareth from Bethlehem after the presentation in the temple;

(2) the discrepancy as to the previous residence at Nazareth (Luke) and the reason given for the return thither (Matthew).

As to (1) it is quite clear that Matthew's account centers about an episode interpolated, so to say, into the natural order of events (see INNOCENTS, MASSACRE OF THE). It is also clear that the order of Luke's narrative, which is in the highest degree condensed and synoptic, does not forbid the introduction of even a lengthy train of events into the midst of Luke 2:39 (compare condensation in 2:40-42, 51, 52). It may easily be that the lacunae in each account are due to a lack of knowledge on the part of either writer as to the point supplied by the other. Matthew may not have known that the family had resided formerly in Nazareth, and Luke may not have known that a return to Galilee as a permanent residence was not contemplated in the original plan. The difficulty here is not serious. We consider the discrepancy as it stands as of more value to the account as indicating the independence of the two accounts and the honesty of those who incorporated them into the Gospels without attempting to harmonize them, than any hypothetical harmonization however satisfactory. We introduce this caveat, however, that Matthew had an especial reason for introducing the episode connected with Herod and for explaining the residence at Nazareth during our Lord's early years as occurring by divine authority (see Sweet, Birth and Infancy of Jesus Christ, 218, for discussion of this point; and compare INNOCENTS, MASSACRE OF THE).

We are now free to consider the remarkable convergence of these two documents. The following particulars may be urged:

(1) the synchronism in the Herodian era; (2) the name "Jesus" given by divine authority before birth;

(3) Davidic kinship;

(4) the virgin-birth;

(5) the birth at Bethlehem;

(6) residence at Nazareth.

In addition we may urge the essential and peculiar harmony of descriptive expressions (see V, below) and the correspondence of the inner and outer experiences of Mary.

SeeMARY, II.

3. Sources, Origin and Age of Documents:

We have now reached the final and crucial point of this phase of our discussion when we take up the question as to the sources, origin and date of these narratives. Our method of approach to the general question of their credibility delivers us from the necessity of arguing in extenso theories which have been framed to account for the narrative in the absence of historical fact. We resort to the simple and convincing principle that the story could not have been honestly composed nor honestly published as derived from any source other than the persons who could have guaranteed its trustworthiness. Every indication, of which the narratives are full, of honesty and intelligence on the part of the narrators is an argument against any and all theories which presuppose a fictitious origin for the central statement. Negatively, we may with confidence assert that wide excursions into ethnic mythology and folklore have failed to produce a single authentic parallel either in fact or in form to the infancy narratives. In addition to this, the attempt to deduce the story from Messianic prophecy also fails to justify itself. In addition, there are two considerations which may justly be urged as pointing to trustworthy sources for the narrative: First, the strongly Hebraic nature of both narratives. It has often been pointed out that nowhere in the New Testament do we find documents so deeply tinged with the Hebraic spirit (see Adeney, Essays for the Times, number XI, 24 f; and Briggs, New Lights on the Life of Christ, 161). This statement involves both narratives and is another evidence of profound internal unity. A second important fact is that the doctrinal viewpoint is Jewish-Christian and undeveloped. The term "Holy Spirit" is used in the Old Testament sense; the Christology is undeveloped, omitting reference to Christ's preexistence and interpreting His sonship as official and ethical rather than metaphysical. The soteriology is Jewish and Messianic, not unfolding the doctrine of the cross. All these facts point in one direction, namely, to the conclusion that these documents are early. It is impossible reasonably to suppose that such documents could have been composed in the absence of sources, or by persons devoid of the historical spirit, after the death and resurrection and ascension of Jesus had shed such light upon His person and mission as to transform both Christology and soteriology through the ideas of incarnation, atonement and the Trinity.

It is still asserted, in the face of the most convincing evidence to the contrary, that the infancy narratives are late addenda to the gospel tradition as a whole. This idea is due, primarily, to a confusion of thought between origin and publication. The latter must have been coincident with the original issue of the Gospels in their present form. The textual evidence here is convincing. On the other hand, the main body of testimony incorporated into the Gospels at the time of their publication had been in the hands of the apostles and their helpers for some years, as evidenced by the Pauline letters and the Book of acts. In all probability the sources upon which the infancy narratives rest, which had their origin and received the impress which characterizes them in the period antecedent to the public ministry of Jesus, came into the hands of the Gospel writers toward the end of the formative period at the close of which the Gospels were issued. In other words, the story of the Lord's birth was withheld until the time was ripe for its publication. Two occasions may have served to release it: the death of Mary may have made it possible to use her private memoirs, or the rise of anti-Christian calumny may have made the publication of the true history imperative. At any rate, the narratives show every indication of being contemporary documents of the period with which they deal. This fact puts an additional burden of proof, already heavier than they can bear, upon those who would antagonize the documents. We may reasonably affirm that the narratives will bear triumphantly any fair critical test.

V. The Doctrinal Question.

1. In the New Testament:

The discussion of the doctrinal significance of the virgin-birth statement falls naturally into three parts:

(1) Its doctrinal elaboration in the New Testament;

(2) its historic function in the development of Christian doctrine;

(3) its permanent value to Christian thought.

We begin with the narratives themselves. As has just been said, they were incorporated into the Gospels at a time when the New Testament Christology had reached maturity in the Pauline and Johannine writings and the Epistle to the Hebrews. The doctrine of the incarnation was fully unfolded. It had been unequivocally asserted that in Jesus all the fullness of the Godhead was historically and personally manifested (John 1:14 Philippians 2:5-8 Colossians 1:18; Colossians 2:9 Hebrews 2:14). In contrast with these statements the infancy narratives not only, as adverted to above, exhibit on the surface a rudimentary Christology, but in several items, of profound interest and most surprising tenor, show that the birth notice was not apprehended or stated in view of the doctrine of the incarnation at all.

The detailed justification of this statement follows:

(1) Matthew (see 1:18-25) does not use the term "Son of God." The only expression implying a unique relationship to God, other than in the "of Holy Spirit" phrase, twice used, is in the word "Immanuel" quoted from Isaiah, which does not necessarily involve incarnation. At the beginning of the genealogy Jesus is introduced as the son of David, the son of Abraham.

(2) The assertion as to His conception by Holy Spirit is conditioned by three striking facts:

(a) His conception is interpreted in terms of conception by the power of Holy Spirit, not of begetting by the Father. The Old Testament expression "This day have I begotten thee," used twice, occurs in quite a different connection (Hebrews 1:5; Hebrews 5:5).

(b) The term "Holy Spirit" is used without the article.

(c) The phrase descriptive of the being conceived is expressed in the neuter, `the thing conceived in her is of Holy Spirit' (to gar en aute gennethen ek pneumatos estin hagiou).

The implication of these three facts is

(i) that the sonship of Jesus through His exceptional birth is interpreted in terms of divine power working upon humanity, not as the correlative of divine and essential fatherhood; it is the historical sonship that is in view (contrast with this the two passages in Hebrews referred to above);

(ii) the writer is speaking in the Old Testament sense of "Holy Spirit" as the forthgoing of creative power from God, not as personal hypostasis;

(iii) he is also emphasizing (in the use of the neuter) the reality of the physical birth. These three facts, all the more remarkable because they are attributed to a heavenly messenger who might be expected to speak more fully concerning the mystery, exclude the supposition that we have one historic form of the doctrine of incarnation. On the contrary, had we no other statements than those found here we should be unable logically to postulate an incarnation. Every statement made concerning Jesus, apart from the virgin-birth statement itself, might be true were He the son of Joseph and Mary.

The case is far stronger when we turn to Luke's account, in spite of the fact that the terms "Son of the Most High" and "Son of God" ordinarily implying incarnation are used. We notice

(d) that the anarthrous use of "Holy Spirit" reappears and that a poetic parallelism defines the term (Luke 1:35), making "Holy Spirit" = "Power of the Most High";

(e) that the neuter phrase is also found here, "the holy thing which is begotten," etc. (dio kai to gennomenon hagion klethesetai);

(f) that future tenses are used in connection with His career and the titles which He bears: "He shall be (as the outcome of a process) great," and "He shall be called (as a matter of ultimate titular recognition) the Son of the Most High" (Luke 1:32); "The holy thing.... shall be called the Son of God" (Luke 1:35).

In these instances the title is connected directly with the career rather than the birth. Even the "wherefore" of Luke 1:35, in connection with the future verb, carries the power of God manifested in the holy conception forward into the entire career of Jesus rather than bases the career upon the initial miracle. These three facts taken together exclude the reference to any conception of the incarnation. The incarnation is directly and inseparably connected with Christ's eternal sonship to the Father. The title "Son of God" includes that but does not specify it. It includes also the ethical, historical, human sonship. The term "Holy Spirit" used without the article also is a comprehensive expression covering both a work of divine power in any sphere and a work of divine grace in the personal sphere only.

These accounts are concerned with the historic fact rather than its metaphysical implications. This historic fact is interpreted in terms of a divine power in and through the human career of Jesus (which is so stated as to include an impersonal, germinal life) rather than a dogmatic definition of the Messiah's essential nature. The omission of all reference to pre-existence is negatively conclusive on this point. The divine power manifested in His exceptional origin is thought of as extending on and including His entire career. This leads us directly to a second phase in the interpretation of Christ and compels to a reconsideration at a new angle of the miracle of His origin.

2. Portrait of Jesus in Synoptic Gospels:

The narrators of the life and ministry of Jesus on the basis of ascertained fact and apostolic testimony were confronted with a very definite and delicate task. They had to tell with unexaggerating truthfulness the story of the human life of Jesus. Their ultimate aim was to justify the doctrine of incarnation, but they could not have been unaware that the genuine and sincere humanity of Christ was a pillar of the doctrine quite as much as His essential Deity. To portray the human experience of a being considered essentially divine was the Herculean task attempted and carried to a successful issue in the Synoptic Gospels.

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VIRGIN, VIRGINITY

vur'-jin; vur-jin'-i-ti:

(1) bethulah, from a root meaning "separated," is "a woman living apart," i.e. "in her father's house," and hence "a virgin." Bethulah seems to have been the technical term for "virgin," as appears from such a combination as na`arah bhethulah, "a damsel, a virgin," in Deuteronomy 22:23, 28, etc. An apparent exception is Joel 1:8, "Lament like a virgin bethulah.... for the husband of her youth," but the word is probably due to a wish to allude to the title "virgin daughter of Zion" (the translation "a betrothed maiden" is untrue to Hebrew sentiment). and the use of "virgin" for a city (Isaiah 37:22, etc.; compare Isaiah 23:12; Isaiah 47:1) probably means "unsubdued," though, as often, a title may persist after its meaning is gone (Jeremiah 31:4). The King James Version and the English Revised Version frequently render bethulah by "maiden" or "maid" (Judges 19:24, etc.), but the American Standard Revised Version has used "virgin" throughout, despite the awkwardness of such a phrase as "young men and virgins" (Psalm 148:12). For "tokens of virginity" ("proofs of chastity") see the commentary on Deuteronomy 22:15;.

(2) `almah, rendered in the Revised Version (British and American) by either "damsel" (Psalm 68:25), "maiden" (so usually, Exodus 2:8, etc.), or "virgin" with margin "maiden" (Songs 1:3; Songs 6:8 Isaiah 7:14). The word (see OHL) means simply "young woman" and only the context can give it the force "virgin." This force, however, seems required by the contrasts in Songs 6:8, but in 1:3 "virgin" throws the accent in the wrong place. The controversies regarding Isaiah 7:14 are endless, but Septuagint took `almah as meaning "virgin" (parthenos). But in New Testament times the Jews never interpreted the verse as a prediction of a virgin-birth-a proof that the Christian faith did not grow out of this passage. See IMMANUEL; VIRGIN BIRTH.

(3) parthenos, the usual Greek word for "virgin" (Judith 16:5, etc.; Matthew 1:23, etc.). In Revelation 14:4 the word is masculine. In 1 Corinthians 7:25; the Revised Version (British and American) has explained "virgin" by writing "virgin daughter" in 7:36-38. This is almost certainly right, but "virgin companion" (see Lietzmann and J. Weiss in the place cited.) is not quite impossible.

(4) neanis, "young woman" (Sirach 20:4).

(5) Latin virgo (2 Esdras 16:33).

The Old Testament lays extreme emphasis on chastity before marriage (Deuteronomy 22:21), but childlessness was so great a misfortune that death before marriage was to be bewailed (Judges 11:37, 38). Paul's preference for the unmarried state (1 Corinthians 7:29 if) is based on the greater freedom for service (compare Matthew 19:12), and the Greek estimate of virginity as possessing a religious quality per se is foreign to true Jewish thought (such a passage as Philo Mund. opif., section symbol 53, is due to direct Greek influence). Some have thought to find a trace of the Greek doctrine in Revelation 14:4. But 144,000 lst-century. Christian ascetics are out of the question, and the figure must be interpreted like that of James 4:4 (reversed).

Burton Scott Easton

BIRTH, VIRGIN

See VIRGIN BIRTH.

Greek

3933. parthenos -- a maiden, a virgin
... a maiden, a virgin. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: parthenos Phonetic
Spelling: (par-then'-os) Short Definition: a virgin Definition: a maiden ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3933.htm - 7k

1097. ginosko -- to come to know, recognize, perceive
... 1097 ("experientially know") is used for example in Lk 1:34, "And Mary [a virgin]
said to the angel, 'How will this be since I do not (1097 = sexual intimacy ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1097.htm - 12k

3756. ou, ouk, ouch -- not, no
... 49), certainly* (1), ever* (3), except (1), failed (1), few* (1), great* (1), greatly*
(1), impossible* (1), incessantly* (1), kept...a virgin* (1), kept right ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3756.htm - 7k

435. aner -- a man
... word Definition a man NASB Word Usage brethren* (13), gentlemen (1), husband
(39), husbands (13), man (71), man's (2), men (70), virgin* (1). ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/435.htm - 7k

2583. kanon -- a rule, standard
... They emphasized: Christ came through a virgin birth; His ; and the of all believers
at Christ's coming (ie through the physical resurrection of their bodies). ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2583.htm - 7k

Strong's Hebrew

1330. bethulah -- a virgin
... 1329, 1330. bethulah. 1331 . a virgin. Transliteration: bethulah Phonetic
Spelling: (beth-oo-law') Short Definition: virgin. Word ...
/hebrew/1330.htm - 6k

5959. almah -- a young woman, a virgin
... almah. 5960 . a young woman, a virgin. Transliteration: almah Phonetic Spelling:
(al-maw') Short Definition: maidens. Word Origin fem. ... damsel, maid, virgin. ...
/hebrew/5959.htm - 6k

1331. bethulim -- virginity
... 1330, 1331. bethulim. 1332 . virginity. Transliteration: bethulim Phonetic
Spelling: (beth-oo-leem') Short Definition: virgin. Word ...
/hebrew/1331.htm - 6k

Library

The Life of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The Life of the Blessed Virgin Mary. <. The Life of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Anne Catherine Emmerich. Table of Contents. Title Page. TABLE OF CONTENTS. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/emmerich/the life of the blessed virgin mary/

That the Holy virgin is the Mother of God: an Argument Directed ...
... Book III. Chapter XII."That the holy Virgin is the Mother of God: an argument
directed against the Nestorians. Moreover we proclaim ...
/.../john/exposition of the orthodox faith/chapter xii that the holy virgin.htm

Ancestors of the Blessed virgin
The Life of the Blessed Virgin Mary. <. ... I. ANCESTORS OF THE BLESSED
VIRGIN. Last night there came again before my soul ...
/.../emmerich/the life of the blessed virgin mary/i ancestors of the blessed.htm

Whether the Blessed virgin was Cleansed from the Infection of the ...
... OF THE SANCTIFICATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN (SIX ARTICLES) Whether the Blessed
Virgin was cleansed from the infection of the fomes? ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether the blessed virgin was 3.htm

Whether the Mother of God was a virgin in Conceiving Christ?
... OF THE VIRGINITY OF THE MOTHER OF GOD (FOUR ARTICLES) Whether the Mother
of God was a virgin in conceiving Christ? Objection 1: It ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/summa theologica/whether the mother of god 2.htm

Whether the Blessed virgin Should be Called the Mother of God?
... OF CHRIST'S NATIVITY (EIGHT ARTICLES) Whether the Blessed Virgin should
be called the Mother of God? Objection 1: It would seem ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether the blessed virgin should.htm

The Blessed virgin
... No. 216 THE BLESSED VIRGIN. THE BLESSED VIRGIN Magnificat. Eighth Psalm
Tone (Solemnis) Gregorian. 1. Magnificat anima mea Dominum. ...
/.../the st gregory hymnal and catholic choir book/no 216 the blessed virgin.htm

The Blessed virgin
... No. 200a THE BLESSED VIRGIN. THE BLESSED VIRGIN Ave Maria. Salutatio Angelica
Gregorian. First Mode (transposed). Ave Maria, gratia ...
/.../the st gregory hymnal and catholic choir book/no 200a the blessed virgin.htm

The True virgin.
... Chapter VII."The True Virgin. ... No virgin, therefore, unless they be in everything
as Christ, and as those "who are Christs," [349] can be saved. ...
/.../clement/two epistles concerning virginity/chapter vii the true virgin.htm

Letter Li to the virgin Sophia
... LETTER LI To the Virgin Sophia. To the Virgin Sophia He praises her for
having despised the glory of the world: and, setting forth ...
/.../some letters of saint bernard abbot of clairvaux/letter li to the virgin.htm

Easton's Bible Dictionary

In a prophecy concerning our Lord, Isaiah (7:14) says, "A virgin [R.V. marg., `the virgin'] shall conceive, and bear a son" (Comp. Luke 1:31-35). The people of the land of Zidon are thus referred to by Isaiah (23:12), "O thou oppressed virgin, daughter of Zidon;" and of the people of Israel, Jeremiah (18:13) says, "The virgin of Israel hath done a very horrible thing."

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary

1. (n.) A woman who has had no carnal knowledge of man; a maid.

2. (n.) A person of the male sex who has not known sexual indulgence.

3. (n.) See Virgo.

4. (n.) Any one of several species of gossamer-winged butterflies of the family Lycaenidae.

5. (n.) A female insect producing eggs from which young are hatched, though there has been no fecundation by a male; a parthenogenetic insect.

6. (a.) Being a virgin; chaste; of or pertaining to a virgin; becoming a virgin; maidenly; modest; indicating modesty; as, a virgin blush.

7. (a.) Pure; undefiled; unmixed; fresh; new; as, virgin soil; virgin gold.

8. (a.) Not yet pregnant.

9. (v. i.) To act the virgin; to be or keep chaste; -- followed by it. See It, 5.

Thesaurus

Virgin (62 Occurrences)
... Easton's Bible Dictionary In a prophecy concerning our Lord, Isaiah (7:14) says,
"A virgin [RV marg., `the virgin'] shall conceive, and bear a son" (Comp. ...
/v/virgin.htm - 64k

Virgin-daughter (3 Occurrences)
Virgin-daughter. Virgin, Virgin-daughter. Virginity . Multi-Version
Concordance Virgin-daughter (3 Occurrences). 2 Kings ...
/v/virgin-daughter.htm - 7k

Virgin's (2 Occurrences)
...Virgin's (2 Occurrences). Luke 1:27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man whose
name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. ...
/v/virgin's.htm - 7k

Virginity (12 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (n.) The quality or state of being a virgin;
undefiled purity or chastity; maidenhood. ...VIRGIN, VIRGINITY. ...
/v/virginity.htm - 15k

Immanuel (3 Occurrences)
... The Hebrew word translated "virgin" in English Versions of the Bible means, more
correctly, "bride," in the Old English sense of one who is about to become a ...
/i/immanuel.htm - 16k

Maid (57 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (n.) An unmarried woman; usually, a young
unmarried woman; esp., a girl; a virgin; a maiden. 2. (n.) A ...
/m/maid.htm - 27k

Engaged (31 Occurrences)
... (WEB). Luke 1:27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man whose name was Joseph,
of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. (See NAS). ...
/e/engaged.htm - 15k

Pledged (19 Occurrences)
... (See NIV). Luke 1:27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man whose name was Joseph,
of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. (WEB NIV). ...
/p/pledged.htm - 12k

Seduce (8 Occurrences)
... Three cases are to be distinguished: (a) The seduction of an unbetrothed virgin:
In this case the seducer cording to JE (Exodus 22:16 f) is to be compelled to ...
/s/seduce.htm - 12k

Maiden (40 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (n.) An unmarried woman; a girl or woman who has not
experienced sexual intercourse; a virgin; a maid. 2. (n.) A female servant. ...
/m/maiden.htm - 24k

Bible Concordance

Virgin (62 Occurrences)

Matthew 1:23 "Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son. They shall call his name Immanuel;" which is, being interpreted, "God with us."
(WEB KJV ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Matthew 1:25 and didn't know her sexually until she had brought forth her firstborn son. He named him Jesus.
(See NAS)

Luke 1:27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary.
(WEB KJV ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Luke 1:34 Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, seeing I am a virgin?"
(WEB NAS NIV)

Acts 21:9 Now this man had four virgin daughters who prophesied.
(WEB KJV ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS)

1 Corinthians 7:28 But if you marry, you have not sinned. If a virgin marries, she has not sinned. Yet such will have oppression in the flesh, and I want to spare you.
(WEB KJV ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

1 Corinthians 7:34 There is also a difference between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman cares about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit. But she who is married cares about the things of the world-how she may please her husband.
(WEB KJV ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

1 Corinthians 7:36 But if any man thinks that he is behaving inappropriately toward his virgin, if she is past the flower of her age, and if need so requires, let him do what he desires. He doesn't sin. Let them marry.
(WEB KJV ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

1 Corinthians 7:37 But he who stands steadfast in his heart, having no necessity, but has power over his own heart, to keep his own virgin, does well.
(WEB KJV ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

1 Corinthians 7:38 So then both he who gives his own virgin in marriage does well, and he who doesn't give her in marriage does better.
(WEB ASV BBE NAS NIV)

2 Corinthians 11:2 For I am jealous over you with a godly jealousy. For I married you to one husband, that I might present you as a pure virgin to Christ.
(WEB KJV ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

Revelation 14:4 These are those who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are those who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These were redeemed by Jesus from among men, the first fruits to God and to the Lamb.
(Root in WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT)

Genesis 19:8 See now, I have two virgin daughters. Please let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them what seems good to you. Only don't do anything to these men, because they have come under the shadow of my roof."
(WEB)

Genesis 24:16 The young lady was very beautiful to look at, a virgin, neither had any man known her. She went down to the spring, filled her pitcher, and came up.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Genesis 24:43 Behold, I stand by the well of water; and it shall come to pass, that when the virgin cometh forth to draw water, and I say to her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water of thy pitcher to drink;
(KJV WBS YLT)

Exodus 2:8 and the daughter of Pharaoh saith to her, 'Go;' and the virgin goeth, and calleth the mother of the lad,
(YLT)

Exodus 22:16 "If a man entices a virgin who isn't pledged to be married, and lies with her, he shall surely pay a dowry for her to be his wife.
(WEB JPS ASV BBE DBY YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Leviticus 21:3 and for his virgin sister who is near to him, who has had no husband; for her he may defile himself.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV)

Leviticus 21:13 "'He shall take a wife in her virginity.
(Root in WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Leviticus 21:14 A widow, or one divorced, or a woman who has been defiled, or a prostitute, these he shall not marry: but a virgin of his own people shall he take as a wife.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Deuteronomy 22:14 and accuses her of shameful things, and brings up an evil name on her, and says, "I took this woman, and when I came near to her, I didn't find in her the tokens of virginity;"
(Root in WEB JPS ASV BBE DBY YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Deuteronomy 22:15 then shall the father of the young lady, and her mother, take and bring forth the tokens of the young lady's virginity to the elders of the city in the gate;
(Root in WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Deuteronomy 22:17 and behold, he has accused her of shameful things, saying,'I didn't find in your daughter the tokens of virginity;' and yet these are the tokens of my daughter's virginity." They shall spread the cloth before the elders of the city.
(Root in WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Deuteronomy 22:19 and they shall fine him one hundred shekels of silver, and give them to the father of the young lady, because he has brought up an evil name on a virgin of Israel: and she shall be his wife; he may not put her away all his days.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Deuteronomy 22:20 But if this thing be true, that the tokens of virginity were not found in the young lady;
(Root in WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Deuteronomy 22:23 If there is a young lady who is a virgin pledged to be married to a husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her;
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Deuteronomy 22:25 But if the man, meeting such a virgin in the open country, takes her by force, then only the man is to be put to death;
(BBE)

Deuteronomy 22:26 Nothing is to be done to the virgin, because there is no cause of death in her: it is the same as if a man made an attack on his neighbour and put him to death:
(BBE)

Deuteronomy 22:27 For he came across her in the open country, and there was no one to come to the help of the virgin in answer to her cry.
(BBE)

Deuteronomy 22:28 If a man find a lady who is a virgin, who is not pledged to be married, and lay hold on her, and lie with her, and they be found;
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Deuteronomy 32:25 Outside the sword shall bereave, and in the chambers, terror; on both young man and virgin, The suckling with the gray-haired man.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV)

Judges 11:39 It happened at the end of two months, that she returned to her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and she was a virgin. It was a custom in Israel,
(WEB NIV)

Judges 19:24 Behold, here is my virgin daughter and his concubine. I will bring them out now. Humble them, and do with them what seems good to you; but to this man don't do any such folly."
(WEB JPS ASV BBE DBY YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Judges 21:11 And this is what you are to do: every male, and every woman who has had sex relations with a man, you are to put to the curse, but you are to keep safe the virgins. And they did so.
(Root in BBE NIV)

2 Samuel 13:2 Amnon was so troubled that he fell sick because of his sister Tamar; for she was a virgin; and it seemed hard to Amnon to do anything to her.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

2 Samuel 13:18 She had a garment of various colors on her; for with such robes were the king's daughters who were virgins dressed. Then his servant brought her out, and bolted the door after her.
(Root in WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

1 Kings 1:2 Therefore his servants said to him, "Let there be sought for my lord the king a young virgin: and let her stand before the king, and cherish him; and let her lie in your bosom, that my lord the king may keep warm."
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

2 Kings 19:21 This is the word that Yahweh has spoken concerning him: "The virgin daughter of Zion has despised you and ridiculed you. The daughter of Jerusalem has shaken her head at you.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

2 Chronicles 36:17 Therefore he brought on them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion on young man or virgin, old man or gray-headed: he gave them all into his hand.
(WEB ASV BBE YLT NAS RSV)

Job 31:1 I made a covenant with mine eyes; How then should I look upon a virgin?
(ASV BBE YLT NAS RSV)

Psalms 45:14 She shall be led to the king in embroidered work. The virgins, her companions who follow her, shall be brought to you.
(Root in WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin will conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
(WEB KJV ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

Isaiah 23:12 He said, "You shall rejoice no more, you oppressed virgin daughter of Sidon. Arise, pass over to Kittim. Even there you will have no rest."
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Isaiah 37:22 this is the word which Yahweh has spoken concerning him. The virgin daughter of Zion has despised you and ridiculed you. The daughter of Jerusalem has shaken her head at you.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Isaiah 47:1 "Come down, and sit in the dust, virgin daughter of Babylon; sit on the ground without a throne, daughter of the Chaldeans: for you shall no more be called tender and delicate.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Isaiah 62:5 For as a young man marries a virgin, so your sons shall marry you; and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so your God will rejoice over you.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV)

Jeremiah 2:32 Can a virgin forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? yet my people have forgotten me days without number.
(WEB ASV BBE DBY YLT NAS)

Jeremiah 14:17 You shall say this word to them, Let my eyes run down with tears night and day, and let them not cease; for the virgin daughter of my people is broken with a great breach, with a very grievous wound.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Jeremiah 18:13 Therefore thus says Yahweh: Ask now among the nations, who has heard such things; the virgin of Israel has done a very horrible thing.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Jeremiah 31:4 Again will I build you, and you shall be built, O virgin of Israel: again you shall be adorned with your tambourines, and shall go forth in the dances of those who make merry.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Jeremiah 31:13 Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old together; for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS)

Jeremiah 31:21 Set up road signs, make guideposts; set your heart toward the highway, even the way by which you went: turn again, virgin of Israel, turn again to these your cities.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Jeremiah 46:11 Go up into Gilead, and take balm, virgin daughter of Egypt: in vain do you use many medicines; there is no healing for you.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Jeremiah 51:22 and with you will I break in pieces the chariot and him who rides therein; and with you will I break in pieces man and woman; and with you will I break in pieces the old man and the youth; and with you will I break in pieces the young man and the virgin;
(WEB ASV BBE YLT NAS)

Lamentations 1:15 The Lord has set at nothing all my mighty men in the midst of me; He has called a solemn assembly against me to crush my young men: The Lord has trodden as in a winepress the virgin daughter of Judah.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Lamentations 2:13 What shall I testify to you? what shall I liken to you, daughter of Jerusalem? What shall I compare to you, that I may comfort you, virgin daughter of Zion? For your breach is great like the sea: who can heal you?
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Ezekiel 9:6 kill utterly the old man, the young man and the virgin, and little children and women; but don't come near any man on whom is the mark: and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the old men that were before the house.
(WEB ASV BBE YLT)

Ezekiel 23:3 and they played the prostitute in Egypt; they played the prostitute in their youth; there were their breasts pressed, and there was handled the bosom of their virginity.
(Root in WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Ezekiel 23:8 Neither has she left her prostitution since the days of Egypt; for in her youth they lay with her, and they handled the bosom of her virginity; and they poured out their prostitution on her.
(Root in WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Ezekiel 44:22 Neither shall they take for their wives a widow, nor her who is put away; but they shall take virgins of the seed of the house of Israel, or a widow who is the widow of a priest.
(Root in WEB JPS ASV BBE YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Joel 1:8 Mourn like a virgin dressed in sackcloth for the husband of her youth!
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Amos 5:2 "The virgin of Israel has fallen; She shall rise no more. She is cast down on her land; there is no one to raise her up."
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Subtopics

Virgin

Virgin Birth

Virgin Mary

Virgin of Personal Purity

Virgin of the Body of Christ (The Ekklesia)

Virgin: A Priest Could Marry Only A

Virgin: Advised by Paul not to Marry

Virgin: Betrothal of, a Quasi-Marriage

Virgin: Character of, to be Protected

Virgin: Distinguishing Apparel of

Virgin: Dowry of