Monday, June 13, 2011

Who was Jesus (7): Bastard child, two naughty parents or promised King?

Each Christmas, thousands of people swarm to the shops in the furious rush to purchase their friends and family cool presents. Astonishing sales, tasty food and high energy shopping are the ingredients for this time of the year. During this insane experience, you are bound to come across the good old Nativity scene of Jesus, born of a virgin in a manger and the three wise men. Has it ever crossed your mind of the enormity of that claim – born of a virgin? I guess most people simply discard it as rubbish – no one is ever born of a virgin. Some other people, however, find their meaning and purpose in this very extraordinary claim.

Today, we will pick up where we last finished, at the Christmas scene. In our last post (Part 6), we examined the predictions of a future king who would change the world and how Jesus fulfilled these promises. Today, I would like to hone in on one of the predictions of the coming king – that he would be born of a virgin. The books I used to research this article are ‘The Prophesy of Isaiah’ (by Alec Moyter), ‘Vintage Jesus’ (by Mark Driscoll), Isaiah 1-32 (by John Calvin volume 7), ‘The New Bible Dictionary’ – see Virgin Birth, and ‘The Message of Matthew’ (by Matthew Green). 

Let’s kick this off with a simple question: Scientifically speaking, can someone be conventionally conceived without a biological father? The answer is a firm NO! Go back two thousand years, where farming was done with heavy duty farm animals and carpentry was done with hand tools, how on earth could someone be born of a virgin?

Many people have tried to answer or give a rational explanation for this question. Here are a few:

  • Jesus mother Mary, was raped by a Roman soldier. To cover it up and conceal the shame of a bastard child, Mary and her family came out with the lie that an angel had visited her and explained that she would give birth to the Messiah (King of the World),
  • Mary was engaged to a man named Joseph. Young and ‘energetic’, Joseph and Mary could not wait until they were married to have sex, and the product of the union was Jesus,
  • Mary, Joseph and Jesus did not exist, so the entire account of a baby born of a virgin is completely made up and a myth,
  • The whole account of Jesus born of a virgin was borrowed from other pagan religions of that time. Some will argue that there have been countless half god, half man stories, who were even born of a virgin. It is simply ancient video piracy! The problems with this view are countless. To name one problem – ancient accounts of half god half man births were a result of a god having sex with a woman. It isn't virgin birth, making it totally different to the bibles claims of Mary conceiving without sex.

I am sure there a many more attempts at explaining away Jesus’ miraculous conception, but now I want to delve into what the bible teaches and what Christians have believed now for over 20 centuries of Jesus miraculous birth. We get our information from two books in the bible called the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke (both are hyperlinked to take you straight to the infancy narrative). 


In both gospels, we are informed that a young woman named Mary was pledged to marry a man named Joseph. Now, in those days, to have sex before marriage was seen as a crime punishable by death. We therefore can confidently assume that both Mary and Joseph were sexually pure.

During the engagement of Mary and Joseph, Mary was visited by an angel named Gabriel, who explained that she was going to conceive a son. Confused and alarmed for her life, Mary enquired of the angel, “How can this be, I am a virgin”, to which the angel responded, God will work a miracle in you and he will be the king of the world – God incarnate (Luke 1:34-35).

Alright, so why should we believe this? Remembering back to arguments against, weren’t there similar stories like this? Maybe early Christians just copied them to justify themselves! According to the Gospel of Matthew, this very event was predicted 700 years before Jesus would even be born.
All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet [Isaiah 7:14]:"Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel" (which means, God with us) (Matthew 1:22-23)
Before any stories that are remotely similar to Jesus could be made up, Jesus birth and divinity had firmly been predicted.

A common argument against the prediction of Jesus’ birth has arisen in both Jewish and secular scholarship. It does get rather complicated at this point but here we go. The prediction of Jesus’ alleged birth comes from Chapter 7 of a book in the Old Testament (section in the bible written before Jesus birth) called Isaiah. This chapter discusses the future of the current king reigning in Jerusalem of that time. The account goes on to predict the birth of a child who would become king of the world. The Hebrew (language the Old Testament was originally written in) word used to describe the woman who gives birth to this child is alma – literally meaning young woman. Jewish scholars argue that the Christian gospels mistranslate the Hebrew word alma as parthenos, which is Greek (language the New Testament was originally written in) for virgin and then wrongly apply it to Mary. They continue by saying that Isaiah chapter 7 was not predicting a future king born of a virgin but a king who would be naturally born of a married woman. Ok, you then might ask so what? Well, if so, a serious case can be made for the falsity of the Christian bible and the inaccuracy of the Gospels.

Ok, let’s back track for a bit. Jesus was Jewish man and the Jewish people of Jesus’ time were waiting for this future king who would fix the world. Was Jesus that man according to the gospels? Had the gospel authors Matthew and Luke wrongly misunderstood Isaiah 7? It now gets even more complex as we investigate deeper into the meaning of the Hebrew word alma. Can the Hebrew word alma mean virgin in English? The literal word for virgin in the Hebrew is actually betula. So that’s it right - case closed - Christianity is false? No, see alma is a collective term that encapsulates virginity.

There is an account way back at the beginning of the bible in Genesis, about a young woman named Rebekah who would marry a man named Isaac. She is described in this account as a woman of marriageable age (the word used is naara) and who is a virgin (the word used is betula). Towards the end of this passage, the word used to describe Rebekah as a women perfect for marriage and a virgin is alma (Genesis 24:14, 16-17, 43). Additionally, a few hundred years before the birth of Jesus, the Hebrew Old Testament was translated into Greek (the dominate language of that time). The men who did this were Jewish in origin and totally unknowledgeable of the future arising of Christianity. When they translated the Isaiah 7 passage, explicitly the Hebrew word alma into Greek, they used the Greek word parthenos, which means virgin in English. This was the exact same word used by the gospel writers, Matthew and Luke. Therefore, the Jews before the birth of Jesus were waiting for a virgin woman (an alma) who would give birth to the divine king of the world.

Let’s conclude this article by saying that the miraculous nature of Jesus’ birth firmly stands against the criticisms of Judaism and secularism, and hold true to the fact that this man Jesus is someone to be worshipped. His birth led on to his world shattering teachings of divinity and future judgement and ultimately, his death and resurrection. Jesus was born of a virgin, God incarnate, the only way to know God and our only hope. Why is Christianity so amazing? – it stands firm on the platform of the living and ruling God king – Jesus Christ!

Resource Review: John Calvin Commentaries (22 Volumes)


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What a collection of books by one of the most prominent theologians of all time. His language is easy to read, dealing with the complex issues of the bible with great ease. I recommend this book to any lover of Jesus.

John Calvin was one of the greatest interpreters of Scripture who has ever lived. His penetrating intelligence and profound spiritual insight illuminate every volume of his famous commentaries, which remain freshly relevant doctrinal, theological, and devotional resources even after nearly five centuries! He consistently adhered to his own advice that the Bible interpreter should write with "clear brevity."

1.     Books in the set (22 Volumes):
I - Genesis
II - Harmony of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy
III - Harmony of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy
IV - Joshua and Psalms 1-35
V - Psalms 36-92
VI - Psalms 93-150
VII - Isaiah 1-32
VIII - Isaiah 33-66
IX - Jeremiah 1-19
X - Jeremiah 20-47
XI - Jeremiah 48-52, Lamentations and Ezekiel 1-12
XII - Ezekiel 13-20 and Daniel 1-6
XIII - Daniel 7-12 and Hosea
XIV - Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah and Nahum
XV - Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi
XVI - Harmony of Matthew, Mark and Luke
XVII - Harmony of Matthew, Mark and Luke, John 1-11
XVIII - John 12-21 and Acts 1-13
XIX - Acts 14-28 and Romans
XX - 1 and 2 Corinthians
XXI - Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus and Philemon
XXII - Hebrews, 1 Peter, 1 John, James, 2 Peter and Jude

Hardback, Baker Books
Price: Approx. $250 (Koorong)
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Resource Review: The Prophecy of Isaiah


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This is an extremely comprehensive study on the book of Isaiah. Alec Motyer goes into depth explanation to understand this text. I recommend this book to those want an intimidate understanding of Isaiah – technical commentary.

After more than three decades studying and teaching Isaiah, Motyer presents a wealth of comment and perspective on this book. Writing with an interest in Isaiah's meaning for Christians today, and emphasising grammatical, historical, structural, literary and theological dimensions, Motyer highlights three central and recurring themes: the messianic hope, the motif of the city, and the theology of the Holy One of Israel.

Winner of a 1994 Christianity Today Critics' Choice Award, this volume is accessible, up-to-date and comprehensive. "Alec Motyer's commentary on Isaiah is nothing short of magnificent. It combines extremely thorough exegesis and stimulating theological insight with a style that positively glows with love for Christ.

Paperback, IVP Press 544 pages
Price: Approx. $18 (Koorong)
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Resource Review: The New Bible Dictionary (3rd Edition)


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This book is easy to read, very thorough and extremely perceptive. I have found this book a handy addition to my library.

As an accessible, comprehensive A - Z of Bible terms, place names, books, people and doctrines, the NEW BIBLE DICTIONARY has stood the test of time. It has long been recognized as an essential reference work, now revised and improved for the Bible students of today.

Written by an international team of over 150 scholars, this Third Edition updates key articles, time charts and all bibliographies - revisions that reflect recent developments in biblical studies. Maps, family trees, line drawings, diagrams and charts clarify and expand the text. A vital tool freshly sharpened for contemporary use. 1323 pages, from IVP.

Endorsement:
John Stott says: "I doubt if there is any better value for money today than theNew Bible Dictionary and the New Bible Commentary. As basic books for every thinking Christian's library they are indispensable."

Hardback, IVP Press 1298 pages
Price: Approx. $40 (Koorong)
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Resource Review: The Message of Matthew


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Matthew is the first book in the New Testament, and it has come to be known as the gospel to the Hebrews. Michael Green carefully unpacks the difficult passages in Matthew, offering insightful information that will enrich your walk with Jesus. I enjoyed this book and I recommend it to anyone studying the Gospel of Matthew.

The Gospel of Matthew offers the fullest and most systematic account of Jesus' birth, life, teaching, death and resurrection. Michael Green shows how this very Jewish Gospel portrays the power and purpose of Christ's life and work, which was to bring light to all nations. This highly readable commentary provides scholarly insights without being overly technical.

The Gospel according to Matthew is an important book of the New Testament, containing a systematic account of the birth, life, teaching and death of Jesus. This text review the importance of the Gospel to the Christian faith

Paperback Book, 325 pages
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