Donald Chambers | Virginal conception

I write in response to an article in last Sunday’s Gleaner, ‘The Virgin Birth, Neither Fact nor Fiction?’ The article explores the traditional Christian belief in the “Virgin Birth” of Jesus Christ from several perspectives: (1) the illogic of divine conception, (2) the rare bio-chemical possibility of fertilisation without a sperm, (3) a miraculous act of God,and (4) Jesus’ natural conception by a biological father.

In the Christian tradition, the precise terminology is ‘Virginal Conception’. It describes the mysterious conception of Christ in the womb of Mary without sexual intercourse. Its New Testament source is Matthew 1:18-25 and Luke 1: 26-38. Both evangelists were primarily interested not in a biological explanation but in its significance for Christ, because it points to the central mystery of the Christian faith of Christ’s divinity (one Father in heaven) and his humanity (one mother on earth). Virginal Conception is a mystery that is the work of the Holy Spirit, as enshrined in the Christian Creed, “. . . by the power of the Holy Spirit he was born of the Virgin Mary and became man.”

Some argue that the doctrine of the Virginal Conception takes away from the humanity of Christ because if he is truly human, then we must think of him as having a fully standard human conception. Theologian John Macquarrie counters that this argument shifts the matter from a theological to a biological view, because expressions such as ‘birth’ and ‘death’ were mysteries for the evangelists, not biological concerns. Furthermore, the doctrine of Virginal Conception is meant to point to Christ’s origin in God.

The nature of a mystery makes it challenging to understand, capture and articulate completely. Therefore, mysteries are open to disbelief and varying interpretations. Catholic theologians generally accept that the evangelists, the Early Church Fathers, and the Church’s tradition understood the Virginal Conception as a historical fact in the New Testament with Christological meaning. They reason by posing a rhetorical question: where did the evangelists obtain this idea if it were not from God’s revelation?

From a Catholic biblical perspective, God’s work is revealed and recorded in the Bible, and the Bible is read, interpreted, and understood by the living Church guided by the Holy Spirit. This approach to biblical interpretation drives the Church’s belief in the Virginal Conception.

Send feedback to Rev Fr Donald Chambers, JP at frdon63@hotmail.com, or columns@gleanerjm.com.