“But after he had pondered these things, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to embrace Mary as your wife, for the One conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.’… ‘Behold, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel’ (which means, ‘God with us’).” — Matthew 1:20, 23 (BSB)
“The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” — John 1:14 (BSB)
“But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive our adoption as sons.” — Galatians 4:4–5 (BSB)
“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel.” — Isaiah 7:14 (BSB)
This truth guards both Christ’s divinity and His humanity. As Galatians 4:4 teaches, He was “born of a woman,” sharing fully in our nature, yet “conceived by the Holy Spirit,” ensuring His divine sonship and moral perfection. This miraculous conception affirms that Jesus is the new Adam, not descended from Adam’s sin, but sent to redeem Adam’s race. As Bishop N.T. Wright notes, “The virginal conception is not an oddity; it is the appropriate beginning of the new creation.”
Anglican theology has always held to the virgin birth as essential to the Gospel. The Thirty-Nine Articles (Article II) state that Christ “took Man’s nature in the womb of the blessed Virgin, of her substance.” The Book of Common Prayer includes this mystery in the creeds and in collects such as the Annunciation: “We beseech thee, O Lord, pour thy grace into our hearts; that, as we have known the Incarnation of thy Son Jesus Christ by the message of an angel, so by his cross and passion we may be brought unto the glory of his resurrection.”
E.B. Pusey, a key leader of the 19th-century Oxford Movement, wrote: “He who made Eve from Adam without woman, made Christ from Mary without man. In both, the work is wholly of God.” Likewise, John Stott affirmed, “The virgin birth underlines both the divine initiative and the uniqueness of Christ. Without it, His sinlessness, His mission, and His identity collapse.” To deny the virgin birth is to deny that Jesus is both the Son of God and the Son of Mary—God with us and one of us.
Thus, this article of the Creed is not a poetic embellishment—it is a doctrinal anchor. It proclaims that our Savior is fully God and fully man, born miraculously but into real time and space. He enters into our history not with privilege, but in humility—born of a poor virgin, yet filled with the fullness of deity. In this mystery, heaven touches earth, and the eternal Word becomes flesh to redeem us from sin and restore us to God.
Irenaeus emphasized Mary’s obedience and the new creation begun in Christ.
Tertullian (c. 155–220 AD) taught: “He was born of a virgin, in the flesh, that through the flesh He might conquer death. The womb of the Virgin was the instrument of our salvation.” — On the Flesh of Christ, 17
Tertullian affirmed the reality of Christ’s birth and its necessity for redemption.
St. Athanasius (c. 296–373 AD) declared: “He took our nature from a pure Virgin and made it His own, that we might be made sons of God through Him.” — On the Incarnation, 8
Athanasius connected the virgin birth directly to our adoption into God’s family.
St. Augustine of Hippo (354–430 AD) wrote: “Mary conceived Christ in her heart before she conceived Him in her womb. From her, He took flesh without sin, and from her, He became man without ceasing to be God.” — Sermon 215.4
Augustine marveled at the purity of Christ’s conception and the faith of His mother.
St. Cyril of Jerusalem (c. 313–386 AD) taught: “Believe that He was born of a virgin. This was fitting for Him who makes all things new. He was born not of lust but of the will of God.” — Catechetical Lectures, 12.31
Cyril emphasized the virgin birth as a fitting sign of Christ’s divine mission and new beginning.
An Anglican Catechism (Expanded) offers over 350+ Scripture-based answers to the core truths of the Christian faith. Each entry includes biblical texts, theological insight, and reflections from historic and contemporary Anglican voices. Rooted in the classical tradition, it is designed for teaching, discipleship, and spiritual formation.
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