Virgin birth of Jesus
The virgin birth of Jesus is the belief that Jesus was conceived in the womb of his mother Mary through the Holy Spirit without the agency of a human father and born while Mary was still a virgin.[1] The New Testament references are Matthew 1:18-25 and Luke 1:26-38; it is not expressly mentioned elsewhere in the Christian scriptures,[2] and "the modern scholarly consensus is that the doctrine of the virgin birth rests on a very slim historical foundation."[3]
The virgin birth was universally accepted in the Christian church and, except for some minor sects, was not seriously challenged until the 18th century. It is enshrined in the creeds that most Christians consider normative, such as the Nicene Creed ("incarnate of the Virgin Mary") and the Apostles' Creed ("born of the Virgin Mary"), and is a basic article of belief in the Catholic, Orthodox, and most Protestant churches.
Muslims also believe in the virgin birth of Jesus.[4]
