The Virgin Birth of Christ, expanded ed. - J. Gresham Machen

J. Gresham Machen was one of the most respected conservative New Testament scholars of the 20th century; this book is his magnum opus. A new, expanded edition is here offered. It includes, in addition to the full text and indices of the 2nd edition, all the author's journal articles that are cited in the book as supporting studies. This convenient edition is not available in print.

Publisher's review. In this scholarly work, Dr. Machen examines the origin of the early Church's belief in the virgin birth of Christ: was it founded on fact, or did it arise through some other historical process? His handling of apologetic issues is highly instructive. Furthermore, Dr. Machen shows that he can do more than fence in the arena of textual, literary, and historical criticism and comparative religion. He is able by positive historical contruction to bring the Gospel accounts to life. The miraculous events surrounding the birth of Jesus are no longer seen in isolation, where they appear as so many wonder stories and holiday traditions. The miracles regain their true significance as pointers to that most important (and to some, vexing) historical question: Who—what—was Jesus? Dr. Machen also renders a remarkably sympathetic and human portrait of Mary, the mother of Jesus. The final chapter, noteworthy in its own right, shows why belief in the virgin birth of Christ is important.