The Virgin Birth

The two synoptic accounts of the birth of Jesus are complementary, yet they are evidently written to serve a different interest. Luke (1-2) stresses the personal intervention of God in the life of Mary, whose intimate feelings are recorded. In Matthew (1-2) the emphasis falls on the fulfillment of OT prophecy, with use made of the proof-text, Isaiah 7:14 (Septuagint). If Matthew follows an “apologetic” or evidential line, Luke's narratives raise questions of a metaphysical character (H. von Campenhausen prefers to call this “dogmatic”). Luke's record focuses on the relationship between the [[Son of God]] and Mary's child.