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Rodolfo Galvan Estrada III, Assistant Professor of the New Testament, Vanguard University

Why early Christians wouldn't have found the Christmas story's virgin birth so surprising

'The Nativity,' circa 1406-10, by Lorenzo Monaco Heritage Images/Hulton Archive via Getty Images

Every year on Christmas, Christians celebrate the birth of their religion’s founder, Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee. Part of this celebration includes the claim that Jesus was born from a virgin mother named Mary, which is fundamental to the Christian understanding that Jesus is the divine son of God.

The virgin birth may seem strange to a modern audience – and not just because it runs counter to the science of reproduction. Even in the Bible itself, the idea is rarely mentioned.

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