Mt 1:18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. 1:19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily. 1:20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. 1:21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. 1:22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, 1:23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. (Isa 7:14) 1:24 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: 1:25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS. The angel and dream are necessitated by pregnancy out of wedlock. Prophetic fulfillment here is based upon a mistranslation of Isaiah 7:14, which says, in Hebrew, “the young woman (alma) is with child,” not, as erroneously translated into Greek in the Septuagint, “a virgin” (parthenos), and taken entirely out of context. The proper context of the quote is that at that time Syria (Rezin) and Israel (Pekah) are organizing an anti-Assyrian alliance and are threatening to replace King Ahaz of Judah if he will not join. The LORD instructs Isaiah to convince Ahaz not to join the alliance. Isaiah offers a sign that the alliance will fail: before the child that the young woman is even now carrying is old enough to eat butter and honey (to know right from wrong), the alliance will fail. This context is clear if one reads the preceding and following lines of Isaiah with the above-mentioned correction: Is7:3 Then said the LORD unto Isaiah, Go forth now to meet Ahaz... 4 And say unto him, Take heed, and be quiet; fear not, neither be fainthearted for the two tails of these smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin with Syria, and of the son of Remaliah... 6, Let us go up against Judah, and vex it, and let us make a breach therein for us, and set a king in the midst of it, even the son of Tabeal: 7 Thus saith the Lord GOD, It shall not stand, neither shall it come to pass... 14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, the young woman is with child, and she will bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. 15 Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good. 16 For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings. The whole nonsensical myth of Mary conceiving as a virgin is debunked. And they didn’t even name the child Emmanuel! Outrage at this sort of blatant misreading of Scripture was a key point of friction between early Christians and Jews. ~~~~~~~