Dear Retired Catholic ~
RC: "If you are just going to fall back on "God did it," why did you bother attempting an explanation of this event?"
To explain how the prophecies about the Messiah being a "Son of David," i.e., a descendent of David, and the Scriptures describing Jesus as a member of David's family, could be fulfilled in a scenario in which Jesus was miraculously virgin-born.
RC: "I assume you do realize how unsatisfactory such an explanation will be to anybody with the least bit of skepticism about the story."
If miracles are considered unsatisfactory on a priori grounds, then there's not much chance that any answer I will provide about the Virgin Birth will be satisfactory, since I consider Jesus' arrival in Mary's womb to be a capital-M Miracle -- something which would never occur in a "closed continuum" model of the universe.
RC: "Are you just test marketing arguments to use on wavering believers?"
No, but I'm willing to offer alternative theories, since the question of Jesus' genotype has never really been ironed out in a definitive way.
RC: "If so, this one needs more work - Steve asked you one simple question and you have already retreated to saying "God did it.""
I retreat to the view that Jesus' arrival in Mary's womb was a miracle the way I retreat to the view that zebras are black and white. I've never advocated anything else! It's the other questions -- like, "If Mary was a relative of Elizabeth, who was from the tribe of Levi, then how did Jesus qualify to be called a descendant of David, from the tribe of Judah?" and, "Did Jesus receive any genetic material from Mary?" -- that bear investigation, with Jesus' miraculous arrival in Mary's womb pre-posited.
Yours in Christ,
Waterrock
RC: "If you are just going to fall back on "God did it," why did you bother attempting an explanation of this event?"
To explain how the prophecies about the Messiah being a "Son of David," i.e., a descendent of David, and the Scriptures describing Jesus as a member of David's family, could be fulfilled in a scenario in which Jesus was miraculously virgin-born.
RC: "I assume you do realize how unsatisfactory such an explanation will be to anybody with the least bit of skepticism about the story."
If miracles are considered unsatisfactory on a priori grounds, then there's not much chance that any answer I will provide about the Virgin Birth will be satisfactory, since I consider Jesus' arrival in Mary's womb to be a capital-M Miracle -- something which would never occur in a "closed continuum" model of the universe.
RC: "Are you just test marketing arguments to use on wavering believers?"
No, but I'm willing to offer alternative theories, since the question of Jesus' genotype has never really been ironed out in a definitive way.
RC: "If so, this one needs more work - Steve asked you one simple question and you have already retreated to saying "God did it.""
I retreat to the view that Jesus' arrival in Mary's womb was a miracle the way I retreat to the view that zebras are black and white. I've never advocated anything else! It's the other questions -- like, "If Mary was a relative of Elizabeth, who was from the tribe of Levi, then how did Jesus qualify to be called a descendant of David, from the tribe of Judah?" and, "Did Jesus receive any genetic material from Mary?" -- that bear investigation, with Jesus' miraculous arrival in Mary's womb pre-posited.
Yours in Christ,
Waterrock
