Uploaded September 2017 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
The manner of Jesus' birth is a fundamental doctrine in Christianity. Isaiah explained that he would be born of a virgin and that he would be "Emmanuel," meaning "God with us." If Jesus was born of a union between Joseph and Mary, then he could not be the Son of God. It's that simple. But, there is more to the story. There is an Old Testament prophecy that disqualifies Joseph's lineage from inheriting the royal title. If Jesus had been Joseph's son, he could never become their king.
The virgin birth is the foundational doctrine of Christianity. It is the only viable and reasonable explanation for Jesus being the Son of God. If he was born of a human father, then God could not be his father in the literal sense. If Mary and her espoused husband, Joseph, had conceived Jesus in the conventional manner, she would not have been considered a virgin. She would have been thought of as any other wife before her. If, on the other hand, she had consorted with another man, a dark cloud of adultery would have hung over her life. She would have been declared a harlot - certainly not a virgin. Isaiah had prophesied that a "virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel" (Isaiah 7:14). One would think that this would have settled the mater. But having rejected Jesus, the Jews could not bring themselves to admit to the possibility of a virgin birth. They would rather change their theology than to admit that their promised messiah would be the "son of God."
Not long after the crucifixion of Jesus, the Jews indeed changed their theology about Isaiah's "virgin" in order to combat the Savior's qualifications to claim their royal title. The doctrine of the virgin birth was so important to the early church that Tertullian (c. A.D. 200), the father of Latin Christianity, wrote: "Whosoever wishes to see Jesus the Son of David must believe in him through the Virgin's birth. He who will not believe this will not hear from him the salutation, 'Thy faith hath saved thee.' And so he will remain blind, falling into antithesis after antithesis, which mutually destroy each other. Just as 'the blind man leads the blind down into the ditch." (The writings of Tertullian).
It is now understood that Jesus could not have been the "son of God" without being born of a virgin. But what could disqualify him from inheriting the royal title from David? What makes him different from his other four brothers? The story that demands a virgin birth can be found in the prophecy of Jeremiah. Jehoiakim was the throne name of Eliakim, second son of Josiah, appointed by Pharoah Necco in the autumn of 609 B.C., following the removal of his older brother, King Jehoahaz. Their father, Josiah, had been killed in a battle with Necco's forces in the valley of Megiddo in the Spring of 609 B.C. Jehoahaz succeeded his father for three months; only to be replaced by his brother, Jehoiakim. However, the king of Egypt would soon have to give up Judah to the Babylonians. Jerusalem fell into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar in Jehoiakim's third year (606 B.C.). This was the first of three Babylonian invasions (606 B.C., 597 B.C. and 586 B.C.)., the third of which led to the destruction of Solomon's Temple. In 597 B.C., Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem once again; this time because Jehoiakim had renounced his allegiance to Babylon. During the siege, his eighteen-year old son Jehoiachin (also called Jeconiah and Coniah), became king and ruled for three months and ten days. The naive Jeconiah brought his family out to meet the Babylonian king and was promptly arrested. His entire family was deported and imprisoned in Babylon. Jeremiah recorded God's curse upon Jeconiah's posterity:
"Is this man Coniah a despised broken idol? is he a vessel wherein is no pleasure? wherefore are they cast out, he and his seed, and are cast into a land which they know not? O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord, Write ye this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah" (Jeremiah 22:28-30).
Henceforth, Jeconiah's lineage would be disqualified from claiming the throne of David. Jeconiah is listed in Matthew's genealogy (Matthew 1:11). Therefore, this curse would have affected Jesus had he been the begotten son of Joseph. According to the consequences of this curse, Jesus had to be virgin born. And what about Jesus' four brothers? Well, they were disqualified from claiming the royal title, by reason of the curse of Coniah.
The manner of Jesus' birth is a fundamental doctrine in Christianity. Isaiah explained that he would be born of a virgin and that he would be "Emmanuel," meaning "God with us." If Jesus was born of a union between Joseph and Mary, then he could not be the Son of God. It's that simple. But, there is more to the story. There is an Old Testament prophecy that disqualifies Joseph's lineage from inheriting the royal title. If Jesus had been Joseph's son, he could never become their king.
The virgin birth is the foundational doctrine of Christianity. It is the only viable and reasonable explanation for Jesus being the Son of God. If he was born of a human father, then God could not be his father in the literal sense. If Mary and her espoused husband, Joseph, had conceived Jesus in the conventional manner, she would not have been considered a virgin. She would have been thought of as any other wife before her. If, on the other hand, she had consorted with another man, a dark cloud of adultery would have hung over her life. She would have been declared a harlot - certainly not a virgin. Isaiah had prophesied that a "virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel" (Isaiah 7:14). One would think that this would have settled the mater. But having rejected Jesus, the Jews could not bring themselves to admit to the possibility of a virgin birth. They would rather change their theology than to admit that their promised messiah would be the "son of God."
Not long after the crucifixion of Jesus, the Jews indeed changed their theology about Isaiah's "virgin" in order to combat the Savior's qualifications to claim their royal title. The doctrine of the virgin birth was so important to the early church that Tertullian (c. A.D. 200), the father of Latin Christianity, wrote: "Whosoever wishes to see Jesus the Son of David must believe in him through the Virgin's birth. He who will not believe this will not hear from him the salutation, 'Thy faith hath saved thee.' And so he will remain blind, falling into antithesis after antithesis, which mutually destroy each other. Just as 'the blind man leads the blind down into the ditch." (The writings of Tertullian).
It is now understood that Jesus could not have been the "son of God" without being born of a virgin. But what could disqualify him from inheriting the royal title from David? What makes him different from his other four brothers? The story that demands a virgin birth can be found in the prophecy of Jeremiah. Jehoiakim was the throne name of Eliakim, second son of Josiah, appointed by Pharoah Necco in the autumn of 609 B.C., following the removal of his older brother, King Jehoahaz. Their father, Josiah, had been killed in a battle with Necco's forces in the valley of Megiddo in the Spring of 609 B.C. Jehoahaz succeeded his father for three months; only to be replaced by his brother, Jehoiakim. However, the king of Egypt would soon have to give up Judah to the Babylonians. Jerusalem fell into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar in Jehoiakim's third year (606 B.C.). This was the first of three Babylonian invasions (606 B.C., 597 B.C. and 586 B.C.)., the third of which led to the destruction of Solomon's Temple. In 597 B.C., Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem once again; this time because Jehoiakim had renounced his allegiance to Babylon. During the siege, his eighteen-year old son Jehoiachin (also called Jeconiah and Coniah), became king and ruled for three months and ten days. The naive Jeconiah brought his family out to meet the Babylonian king and was promptly arrested. His entire family was deported and imprisoned in Babylon. Jeremiah recorded God's curse upon Jeconiah's posterity:
"Is this man Coniah a despised broken idol? is he a vessel wherein is no pleasure? wherefore are they cast out, he and his seed, and are cast into a land which they know not? O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord, Write ye this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah" (Jeremiah 22:28-30).
Henceforth, Jeconiah's lineage would be disqualified from claiming the throne of David. Jeconiah is listed in Matthew's genealogy (Matthew 1:11). Therefore, this curse would have affected Jesus had he been the begotten son of Joseph. According to the consequences of this curse, Jesus had to be virgin born. And what about Jesus' four brothers? Well, they were disqualified from claiming the royal title, by reason of the curse of Coniah.
