How does Matthew 1:25 affirm the doctrine of the virgin birth of Jesus? Text and Immediate Translation Matthew 1:25 : “But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a Son. And he gave Him the name Jesus.” The Greek reads: καὶ οὐκ ἐγίνωσκεν αὐτὴν ἕως οὗ ἔτεκεν υἱόν• καὶ ἐκάλεσεν τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦν. Key terms: • οὐκ ἐγίνωσκεν (ouk eginōsken) – “he was not knowing her,” a Hebrew-Greek idiom for sexual relations (cf. Genesis 4:1 LXX). • ἕως οὗ (heōs hou) – “until,” a temporal marker that limits a prior condition without implying reversal afterward (see 2 Samuel 6:23 LXX; Matthew 28:20). This wording deliberately rules out marital relations before the birth, thereby safeguarding Mary’s virginal conception. Structural Context within Matthew 1:18-25 Verses 18-24 disclose (1) Mary’s pregnancy “by the Holy Spirit,” (2) Joseph’s resolve to divorce quietly, (3) angelic confirmation that the Child is conceived “of the Holy Spirit,” and (4) prophetic fulfillment of Isaiah 7:14 (“the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son”). Verse 25 seals the narrative: Joseph’s restraint corroborates that conception occurred apart from human agency, culminating in the divinely appointed name “Jesus” (“Yahweh saves”). Joseph’s Legally Restrained Union By withholding consummation, Joseph serves as legal guardian while not the biological progenitor. This maintains (a) Davidic descent through legal adoption (Matthew 1:16), (b) fulfillment of Isaiah 7:14 (“the virgin,” Heb. ‘almah) and (c) empirical testimony—any first-century query into Mary’s early marriage would find no marital intercourse, buttressing eyewitness credibility (Luke 1:2). Harmonization with Luke’s Account Luke 1:34-35 records Mary’s question, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” (lit. “I do not know a man”). Matthew 1:25 supplies Joseph’s side of the narrative, independently corroborating Luke’s data. Independent attestation fulfills the “minimal facts” criterion for historical reliability. Old Testament Prophetic Fulfillment Matthew explicitly ties the event to Isaiah 7:14: “Behold, the virgin will conceive.” The Septuagint renders עלמה (‘almah) as παρθένος (parthenos), “virgin.” Dead Sea Scroll 4QIsaᵃ (1QIsaᵃ) confirms the wording centuries before Christ. Archaeological validation of Isaiah’s text (e.g., Great Isaiah Scroll, 125 BC) underlines prophetic integrity. Early Patristic Witness • Ignatius of Antioch (c. AD 110): “…Jesus Christ who was truly born of a virgin” (Ephesians 19). • Justin Martyr (c. AD 150): Dialog. 100 cites Isaiah 7:14 while appealing to Matthew. • Irenaeus (c. AD 180): Adv. Haer. 3.21.4 teaches the virginal conception as apostolic tradition. These writings precede the Nag Hammadi or Gnostic distortions and echo a uniform, orthodox belief. Philosophical and Scientific Plausibility Creation ex nihilo (Genesis 1:1) conditions the Christian worldview; if God inaugurates the universe, a virginal conception is not an arbitrary exception but a coherent act within providential control. Contemporary embryology acknowledges parthenogenesis in lower organisms; while not proof, it illustrates concept feasibility. Miraculous intervention remains the best explanation when natural causation is ruled out by reliable testimony. Christological Significance The virgin birth undergirds: 1. Incarnation – fully divine (conceived by the Spirit) and fully human (born of Mary). 2. Sinlessness – bypassing Adamic inheritance (Romans 5:12-19), Christ is the unblemished “Lamb of God.” 3. Messianic credentials – legal son of David through Joseph, biological Son of God through the Spirit. Summary Matthew 1:25 affirms the virgin birth by (a) explicitly denying marital relations prior to Jesus’ birth, (b) reinforcing prophetic fulfillment, (c) aligning with independent Lucan testimony, (d) enjoying unanimous manuscript support, and (e) cohering with early church proclamation. Thus it stands as a decisive witness to Christ’s miraculous conception, integral to His divine identity and the gospel of salvation. |
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