One of the most recognizable tenants of the Christian faith is that of the virgin birth. Here is the story:
Mary, a young virgin woman who was engaged to marry Joseph, was made pregnant by the Holy Spirit, chosen as the vessel to carry the Son of God. The angel Gabriel came to Mary and told her that she would be the one to carry the child of God.
Joseph was upset when Mary told him, and believed that another man was the father of her child. However, after a dream in which God told him Mary’s child had been conceived by the Holy Spirit, Joseph accepted this divine intervention, vowed to care for Mary, and marry her.
While Mary was pregnant with Jesus, she and Joseph went to Bethlehem to pay their taxes under law. While they were there, Mary went into labor. There were no rooms available for them, so Joseph did the best he could – he found a stable, where Mary gave birth to Jesus.
Jesus was placed in a manger, or a place where animals would usually be fed. God’s angel appeared to shepherds and wise men, telling them that the son of God had been born in the city of Bethlehem. The day he was born would later come to be the Christmas celebration, a marking of the birth of Jesus.
Some believe the story is entirely true; others state that it could not possibly be correct, and that the writers of the New Testament were simply trying to make clear a prophecy in Isaiah from 700 years earlier. Others cite the discrepancies in early books of the New Testament, where the writers seemed to have different versions of the story.
Whatever the truth behind the virgin birth, one thing is certain: it has become the basis for much of the Christian belief system, and will continue to enlighten those who want a deeper understanding of the life of Jesus. The virgin birth is one of the stories that will be argued and examined for centuries to come. What do you believe?