The virginal conception has been rejected on three main grounds: scriptural, historical, and scientific or rational.

 

The scriptural argument is based on flaws and contradictions in the story of the conception of Jesus in the New Testament. The historical objection stems from the resemblance of the scriptural accounts of the virginal conception to historical stories that predate Jesus. The rational or scientific argument states that a virginal conception is an impossibility, so could not have taken place. We will examine these three arguments in this section.

 

In my discussion of scriptural and historical rejectionist arguments, I will frequently cite Jocelyn Rhys’ comprehensive study Shaken Creeds: The Virgin Birth Doctrine, which was originally published in 1922. Rhys’ work covers the main arguments against the virginal conception of Jesus.