In the entire Christian corpus, the virgin birth is found only in the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke.
Although much remains mysterious about the gospel accounts of Jesus' life, historians are using clues to shape their assessment of why two of the Gospel writers told the story of Jesus' birth in the way they did—and why the other two Gospels, Mark and John, do not mention his birth at all.
Early Christianity
The group most closely associated with denial of the virgin birth were the Ebionites. However, Jerome does not say that all Ebionites denied the virgin birth, but only contrasts their view with the acceptance of the doctrine on the part of a related group, the Nazarenes.
Luke's narrative includes a number of unique “songs” or “canticles,” whereas Matthew offers a series of distinctive “fulfillment passages” that relate Jesus to Israel's history. Matthew starts his infancy narrative with a genealogy of Jesus from Abraham down to Joseph and Mary.
It was universally accepted in the Christian church by the 2nd century, was enshrined in the Apostles' Creed, and, except for several minor sects, was not seriously challenged until the rise of Enlightenment theology in the 18th century.
Texts. In the entire Christian corpus, the virgin birth is found only in the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke.
Hinduism, Buddhism and ancient China all have their share of them and none is more or less believable than any other myth, fable or symbol. Virgin births are all about the hymen, a membrane, and whether or not it is intact. Throughout the ages, virginity has been big business.
The birth of Jesus is narrated at the beginning of the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke, but is not mentioned in Mark, and alluded to very differently in John.
Luke's Gospel is also unique in its perspective. It resembles the other synoptics in its treatment of the life of Jesus, but it goes beyond them in narrating the ministry of Jesus, widening its perspective to consider God's overall historical purpose and the place of the church within it.
Only the Gospels of Matthew and Luke offer narratives regarding the birth of Jesus. Both rely heavily on the Hebrew scriptures, indicating that they both regard the story as part of Israel's salvation history, and both present the God of Israel as controlling events.
In fact, you will learn that without the virgin birth, no man or woman could be saved. You will learn that without the virgin birth, the miracles of Jesus would be useless, the cross would not matter, and the resurrection would not be possible. Historically, the virgin birth was an essential Christian doctrine.
Among Catholics, the role of the Virgin has traditionally been central, among evangelicals, almost nonexistent. Now evangelicals are rediscovering Mary, writes Tim Perry, who teaches theology at Providence College and Seminary in Manitoba, for reasons both devotional and theological.
These would include beliefs about one God, the virgin birth, the impeccability, miracles, vicarious atoning death, burial and bodily resurrection of Christ, the need for salvation (although the understanding of means for achieving it may differ at times), divine grace, the Church, the Kingdom of God, last things (Jesus ...
The story line of ancestry/birth, childhood/education, words/deeds, and death/afterlife are all part of the Gospel of Luke, which then alludes to Jesus as divine-man. The Gospel of Mark does not contain all of these characteristics.
John says nothing of a supernatural birth. He regards Jesus as a human being who possessed actual flesh and blood, the same as other people. The most significant thing about Jesus is that the divine Logos was present in him, and all of the marvelous things that he accomplished were by virtue of the power of God.
Greco-Roman roots
One of the oldest Greek legends affirms that Perseus, an ancient ancestor of the Greek people, was born of a virgin mother named Danaë. The story begins with Danaë imprisoned by her father, the king of Argos, who feared her because it was prophesied that his grandson would kill him.
John's Gospel differs from the Synoptic Gospels in several ways: it covers a different time span than the others; it locates much of Jesus' ministry in Judaea; and it portrays Jesus discoursing at length on theological matters.
Scholars since the 19th century have regarded Mark as the first of the gospels (called the theory of Markan priority). Markan priority led to the belief that Mark must be the most reliable of the gospels, but today there is a large consensus that the author of Mark was not intending to write history.
Matthew is the most Jewish of the Gospels. It seeks to tell the story of Jesus Christ to a distinctively Jewish audience. Matthew's purpose in writing the Gospel is convince devote and dedicated First Century Palestinian Jews that Jesus is the promised Messiah of God.
Jesus' birth and infancy are described in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, but are not even mentioned in Mark and John. Moreover, the infancy narratives in Matthew and Luke are seemingly quite different from one another.
Was Jesus born in Bethlehem, and who were the first witnesses to his birth? The only accounts of the birth of Jesus are found in two of the four synoptic Gospels of the New Testament -- the Gospels of Luke and Matthew.
The birth of Christ told in the Bible
Joseph, a carpenter, brought his wife, Mary, to the town of Bethlehem to take part in a census. Mary was “great with child,” soon to miraculously give birth to Jesus Christ, the Son of God (see Luke 2:1–6).
| Origin of Everything. Jesus' name in Hebrew was “Yeshua” which translates to English as Joshua.
"The Lost Gospel" authors based assertions on an ancient manuscript. Authors of a new book say they have evidence to back up claims the savior was married to Mary Magdalene.
Except for in the Bible, virgin births or asexual reproduction occur only in the plant world and among a small group of vertebrates: pit vipers, boa constrictors, sharks and Komodo dragons, according to the BMJ article. "We weren't at all looking for virgin births," said co-author Amy H.