Virgin Birth of Christ (1st edition)

In whatremains a widely discussed issue in contemporary theology, J. Gresham Machen'sThe Virgin Birth of Christ acts as both an introduction to the subject, and awindow into American 'Princeton' theology in the early twentieth century.Machen undertakes an encyclopaedic study of the different perspectives on thevirgin birth. He begins with a close reading of the scriptural accounts,comparing and contrasting the stories of Jesus' birth told in Luke and Matthew.Secular historical accounts are then considered, as well as possiblealternative theories, including the likelihood of the story being of earlyJewish or Pagan origin.

Machen'sstudy was the definitive work on the virgin birth for the majority of thetwentieth century, and remains an invaluable resource, both as an apologeticwork and as a time capsule of theological progress.