Chapter LXVI.—He proves from Isaiah that God was born from a virgin.
And I, resuming the discourse where I had left off435 at a previous stage, when proving
that He was born of a virgin, and that His birth of a virgin had been predicted by Isaiah,
quoted again the same prophecy. It is as follows ‘And the Lord spoke again to Ahaz, saying,
Ask for thyself a sign from the Lord thy God, in the depth or in the height. And Ahaz said
I will not ask, neither will I tempt the Lord. And Isaiah said, Hear then, O house of David;
Is it no small thing for you to contend with men? And how do you contend with the Lord?
Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign; Behold, the virgin shall conceive, and shall
bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel. Butter and honey shall he eat; before he
knows or prefers the evil he will choose out the good. For before the child knows ill or good,
he rejects evil by choosing out the good. For before the child knows how to call father or
mother, he shall receive the power of Damascus, and the spoil of Samaria, in presence of
the king of Assyria. And the land shall be forsaken, which436 thou shalt with difficulty endure
in consequence of the presence of its two kings. But God shall bring on thee, and on thy
people, and on the house of thy father, days which have not yet come upon thee since the
day in which Ephraim took away from Judah the king of Assyria.’ ”437 And I continued:
“Now it is evident to all, that in the race of Abraham according to the flesh no one has been
born of a virgin, or is said to have been born [of a virgin], save this our Christ.”
435 Chap. xliii.
436 ἣν, which is in chap. xliii., is here omitted, but ought to be inserted without doubt.
437 Isa. vii. 10–17, with Isa. viii. 4 inserted between vers. 16 and 17.
Chapter LXVI.—He proves from Isaiah that God was born from a virgin.
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Chapter LXVI.—He proves from Isaiah that God was born from a virgin.