Affirming the virgin birth.

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JASON FILLEY

I hate to see Matt give up so easily on the virgin birth debate, so I'm
going to give him a little help.  As I understand it, Farrell is asking
for eyewitness testimony that Mary never had sexual intercourse with a
man until after the birth of Jesus. I think Matt could talk him down on
that proposition, even, and affirm that he has a first-hand 100%
bona-fide eyewitness medical examination of a postpartum Mary.  The
authors of the gospels of Matthew and Luke, I'll bet Matt will agree,
never played any stinky-pinky with the Mother of God, so their testimony
amounts to squat.  However, Salome DID perform a vaginal exam on Mary
after the birth of Jesus and confirms the accounts of Matthew and Luke
that Jesus was born of a virgin.



==================
"The Infancy Gospel of James" (Scholar's Version from 'The Complete
Gospels') 18:1-3; 19:1-19; 20:1-4 --

"He [Joseph] found a cave nearby and took her [Mary] inside.  He
stationed his sons to guard her and went to look for a Hebrew midwife in
the country around Bethlehem.

"Now I, Joseph, was walking along and yet not going anywhere...."

Then I saw a woman coming down from the hill country, and she asked,
'Where are you going, sir?"
"I replied, 'I am looking for a Hebrew midwife.'
"She inquired, 'Are you an Israelite?'
"I told her, 'Yes.'
"And she said, 'And who's the one having a baby in the cave?'
"I replied, 'My fiancee.'
"And she continued, 'She isn't your wife?'
"I said to her, 'She is Mary, who was raised in the temple of the Lord;
I obtained her by lot as my wife.  But she's not really my wife; she's
pregnant by the holy spirit.'
"The midwife said, 'Really?'"
Joseph responded, "Come and see."

And the midwife went with him.  As they stood in front of the cave, a
dark cloud overshadowed it.  The midwife said, "I've really been
privileged, because today my eyes have seen a miracle in that salvation
has come to Israel."

Suddenly the cloud withdrew from the cave and an intense light appeared
inside the cave, so that their eyes could not bear to look.  And a
little later that light receded until an infant became visible; he took
the breast of his mother Mary.

Then the midwife shouted: "What a great day this is for me because I've
seen this new miracle!"

And the midwife left the cave and met Salome and said to her, "Salome,
Salome, let me tell you about a new marvel:  a virgin has given birth,
and you know that's impossible!"

And Salome replied, "As the Lord my God lives, unless I insert my finger
and examine her, I will never believe that a virgin has given birth."

The midwife entered and said, "Mary, position yourself for an
examination.  You are facing a serious test."

And so Mary, when she heard these instructions, positioned herself, and
Salome inserted her finger into Mary.  And then Salome cried aloud and
said,  "I'll be damned because of my transgressions and my disbelief; I
have put the living God on trial.  Look!  My hand is disappearing!  It's
being consumed by flames!"

=================

Regards,
Jason

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