The Virgin-Birth of Our Lord: A paper read (in substance) before the confraternity of the Holy Trinity at CambridgeRandolph, B. W. (Berkeley William)
Religion
The Virgin-Birth of Our Lord: A paper read (in substance) before the confraternity of the Holy Trinity at Cambridge
Randolph, B. W. (Berkeley William)
Virgin birth
And it may be added, further, that Mary's word at Cana of Galilee:
"They have no wine," and her subsequent order to the servants:
"Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it," (St. John ii. 3, 5.)
are a clear indication that in the view of St. John she regarded
Him as a miraculous Person, and expected of Him miraculous action.+
I think that, in regard to the Gospels, their relationship to
one another may be summed up in the words of Bishop Alexander:
"The fact of the Incarnation is recorded by St. Matthew and
St. Luke; it is assumed by St. Mark; the idea which vitalizes
the fact is dominant in St. John."^
--
+ Gore, loc. cit.
^ Bishop Alexander's Leading Ideas, Introd., p. xxiv.
--
Consider next St. Paul's references to the Incarnation:--
"God sent forth His Son, born of a woman." (Gal. iv. 4) He does
not say, "born of human parents."
"His Son our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according
to the flesh." (Rom. i. 3.)
"Being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with
God; but made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form
of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men." (Phil. ii. 6, 7.)
These are the passages in which St. Paul refers to the Birth of
Jesus Christ. Not one of them is inconsistent with the fact that
He was born of a Virgin. But one can say more than this. Every
one of these passages infers that He who was born in time had
existed before. They either assert or imply a Divine pre-existence.
He who was "made in the likeness of men" was already pre-existent
in the "form of God," and was, in fact, "equal with God." This
being the case, does it not prepare us for the further truth that,
when He entered into the conditions of human life, He entered it
not in all respects like us? I should mar if I ventured to
abbreviate Dr. Mason's admirable words, in which he presses
this argument--
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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