The Real Jesus: Myth #3 (5 of 10)

Order the DVD at:

http://forerunner.com/realjesus/part1.html

Myth #3: There was no virgin birth and
Jesus was not born in Bethlehem
By Jay Rogers

Jennings: "We cannot tell you whether or not Jesus is the Son of God, that is a matter of faith. But if you have difficulty with the idea that the Virgin Mary could get pregnant without a man involved, there are a number of ways to explain why in Luke it is written that way." [24:50]

Jennings: "Some scholars think that Jesus was illegitimate and that the story was a cover-up." [26:28]

That Jesus was born of a virgin is confirmed by both Matthew and Luke. In his Gospel, Matthew writes that this miracle was a fulfillment of Isaiah 7:14:

"Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel."

The name Immanuel in Hebrew means literally "God-With-Us." In other words, God himself was to be incarnate in human form. And the miraculous sign would be that He would be born of a virgin.

Now some have said that the word "virgin" in Hebrew can simply mean a maiden or an unmarried woman. The problem with this speculation is the context of Isaiah's prophecy. A "sign" in the Hebrew language is simply another way of translating the word "miracle." And the exclamation "Behold!" means to look with wonder. Both Isaiah and the Gospel writers meant to say that the Messiah would be born of a virgin and the witnesses would look in wonder at the event.

Peter Jennings is right about one thing. There is no physical evidence other than the scripture left to us today to determine the miracle of the Incarnation. But not only is the virgin birth called into question, but also the place and circumstances of Jesus' birth also prophesied in scripture.

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him."

When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. So they said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:

'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
Are not the least among the rulers of Judah;
For out of you shall come a Ruler
Who will shepherd My people Israel.'"

-- Matthew 2:1-6

According to prophecy given hundreds of years before Jesus was born, not only would He be born of a virgin, but He would also be born in the city of David, his forefather, in Bethlehem. Of course, Peter Jennings disagrees.

Jennings: "Luke writes that Joseph and Mary came here to Bethlehem from Nazareth because the Roman Emperor Caesar Augustus had ordered a world wide taxation. Now there is no record outside the Gospels that the Emperor Caesar Augustus ordered such a tax. Roman tax records do show that a man is to be taxed where he lives and where he works and Joseph lived and worked in Nazareth. Tax records also show they didn't count women. And so why would Joseph have brought Mary on this very difficult journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem through the desert especially when she was very pregnant?"[10:33-11:06]

But let's look at what the Gospel of Luke actually says: And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered (Luke 2:1-6).

Some translations have the word "taxed" for the Greek word apographé, a word that comes from the Greek verb meaning to enroll or to register. What Luke actually wrote is not that Joseph came to Bethlehem "to be taxed," but that he came "to register" in a census. In the ancient world, a census was often used to assess the amount of able-bodied males eligible for military service.

Read the whole script at: http://forerunner.com/realjesus/part1.html

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• Jesus
• Christ
• Christianity
• Christology
• apologetics
• orthodox
• orthodoxy

[HelloWorld1947]

@PR13STG0RD0 Mithra was "born" by emerging from a rock with a dagger in one hand, a torch in the other hand, Phrygian cap on his head. NO mention is made of a "virgin." There is ur first 1 moron! i would have given u more but since u posted that i have come to conclude that ur an idiot, who cant tell fact from fiction. sicko!

[Jonathanakashpoddar]

For all my dear sceptic friends out there, Jesus is real and he is the True Lord of this world and beyond.Yes i know a lot of people want dont want to accept his existence,and I'm not going to tell you what to believe in-Just this that when ever you are in trouble - like real trouble,when you dont know where to turn, call him and trust in him.Give him a shot, and i promise you HE will deliver you.. I dont even know you guys and i probably will never meet you ever. But i wish you well. Peace :)

[Jaegar19Ultima]

To answer the end of the video, yes but that is only assumptions on speculation that "this has to be because of A based upon simple logical conclusions" however, such historical figures that impacted that society be it kings or powerful men etc who did things for people to see can't be ignored you'd think a powerful religious figure's documentation would be safely guarded by ancient devouts and be among valuable historical record but no, not even muhammad, just scripture of religion survive

[000000001535]

who is Jesus bible verses:

Jesus HIMSELF said that he is a Prophet in (Luke 19:24, Matthew 13:57).

The Believers of Jesus themselves said that Jesus is a Prophet in Matthew 21:10-11.

John 8:58 Jesus was the foretold Messiah and the greatest and final Jewish Prophet.

[brutus301]

The virgin birth is a metaphor as is most of the new testament. the average bible beating american yokel doesn't have the depth of intellect to translate allegory and symbolism. It's unfortunate our educational system doesn't teach people how to think critically

[intkxzc459]

@DaGingerHeadMan

I also had a ferretin level of over 20,000 and a blood sat. of 98%. The UVA hospital in Charlottesville VA said they had never seen a ferretin level that high and the person live. Well I'm here and that was in 1992 I was diagnosed with Hemochromotosis. Yes miracles happen divinely and with Doctors help. God bless you and I pray you get a miracle in your life.

[wachnathan]

Not much evidence to back it up but my feelings tell me it could be fabricated based on the radical claims there is no other book in history that we know of that has caused so much confusion and chaos in peoples thinking is this really what a god wants? if the bible is gods word he sure didn't do a very good job of proven himself even after two thousand years Christians haven't convinced everyone yet!

[triplejudy]

Athiests must stand up to all this nonesense. All religion is evil and the there is no room in the 21st century for these non-thinking fairy tales. Science is the only true path to understanding who we are and where we are going.

[PFXKaiser]

You are all idiots..... I cannot stand the fact this religious myth still persists. It all has very little to do with the truth...Humans are out of control in large numbers, but they can be controlled like sheep if we appeal to their sense of mysticism and spirituallity. Add in some likely opposition to maintain a sense of self and unity.... there you go...got the lot!!!! They did this 10's of 1000's of years ago..sort of worked then, but it is really working now!

[Jshect]

That Jesus was born of a virgin was "confirmed" by the gospels Mathew and Luke. Just because it is written that he was born of a virgin does not mean it actually happened. I don't think they should say confirmed. There isn't even any record of Jesus even existing besides the Bible so he may have never even existed. If he did exist he was probably an annoying street preacher, the kind you avoid today. He never performed miracles.