The Virgin Birth

Weirder Than You Think

As usual, the virgin birth is one of those things in Christianity whose full weirdness has been obscured or ignored by modern Christians. Most don’t talk about it because they don’t know, those that know don’t talk about it because they’re embarrassed.

I understand. The actual doctrine of the virgin birth is miraculous in the extreme, to the point of incredulity of even the most credulous. Even for someone like me, who is an easy sell for all things supernatural, it’s difficult to believe. In all my years going to almost every Christian church imaginable, Baptist, Catholic, orthodox, Quaker, etc, I’ve never heard it spoken of, which as I say, is understandable. It’s embarrassing to admit that it’s part of our faith. Even so, the church fathers clearly taught it, so I embrace it too.

Not doing so has consequences. Anytime you try to appease those who do not believe, to make your faith seem more “reasonable” or “less fantastic”, you gain a temporary win for a long term loss. Just as when people try to “reason” their way out of other uncomfortable doctrines, like the reality of Hell or a global flood, you lose the inner coherence of your religion. You make one part of it a little more palatable to the outside world but destroy its own internal logic. For example, Hell is a very uncomfortable teaching, so, people say, why not just get rid of it? That will help more people come to Jesus, removing that obstacle. But then, if you throw that away, just what was Jesus saving us from? In like fashion getting rid of the full meaning of the virgin birth opens the faith up to many attacks, most against the blessed mother herself.

Not something I want to be apart of.

So, without further ado, here it is:

According to the church fathers, the virgin birth doesn’t only mean that Mary fell pregnant absent any sexual relations. It also means she remained a virgin, DURING BIRTH. Yes. It is that weird. When I say, virgin, I mean it in the original, historic sense. I mean (and forgive me if I seem to be speaking too bluntly about intimate things), that the official teaching of the church fathers was that Mary remained wholly intact throughout the birthing process.

They didn’t call it a “virgin conception” because that’s not all they were talking about. It’s more than conceiving while virgin, it’s giving birth while virgin.

To be blunt, the early church held there was no breaking of the hymen during the birth of Christ. Nor was there any pain for mother or child in the process. They said, and this is almost a quote: “The infant Jesus passed through his mother as light passes through glass.”

So, yeah. Weird.

Now, you might be tempted to toss that teaching out for a number or reasons. As I say, not least of which because it’s embarrassing to believe and, due to its sexual nature, maybe embarrassing to talk about. But also you might be tempted to toss it out or just ignore it and not teach it because, “Hey, what difference does it make?” Isn’t it enough to say that Mary conceived without sexual intercourse? That’s miracle, enough, right?

Well, no.

You see, throwing out the virgin birth leaves you in somewhat of a pickle. First, if all you’re saying is that she conceived without sex then you open the blessed mother up to attacks of infidelity, which we’ve all heard. “Ho ho ho! Virgin birth eh? Yeah I bet she did. Clever cover story, I’ll give her that.” If you hold the line and insist that, no, actually the baby also passed through her light light through glass, well, it makes it clear that you’re talking about something truly miraculous. Others still may not believe it, but at least it’s not a story that can construe as a cover-up for adultery, it’s much to weird for something so banal. But further, if you throw out the virgin birth you have other serious problems. After all, was not pain in childbirth a curse brought on woman because of the fall? If Christ is without original sin, how could he be apart of causing such pain? You see, you throw out something because it’s embarrassing to modern sensibilities and the coherency of your own faith starts to break down. You have to take the religion as a whole. Every piece of it is there for a reason.

This is indeed, one reason why the Church fathers thought that the virgin birth was necessary to point out. A sinless birth, a birth absent the chain of original sin handed down from Adam and Eve, could not partake of the Curse of Adam and Eve. There could be no ripping and tearing of flesh in the birthing of Jesus. It was not internally coherent with the rest of the faith. Jesus, they said, the Lord of Lights, was himself like unto light in his birth. He was miraculous through and through, from the moment of his conception to his birth to his eventual death and resurrection. He was what people were supposed to be from the beginning. Creatures in total communion with the divine. It is hinted at, by Adam’s ability to name all the animals of the world and tend to and keep the entire earth before his fall, that Adam and Eve themselves possessed lives before their fall which would to us seem supernatural. Perhaps not so unlike unto the sort of life Jesus led. Had Eve given birth before the fall, it is possible that her child would have passed through her like light through glass as well. And all this richness, all this depth of meaning and possibility, is forsaken when we discard the virgin birth and settle for merely the virgin conception.

This Christmas, embrace the whole thing.

See if doing so doesn’t make your season a tad more miraculous.

Merry Christmas my friends. May God bless you all.