As a doctor, when Christians talk about the virgin birth, my mind goes to the science of the matter. Is the virgin birth a physical possibility in Homo sapiens? It has certainly been documented in other species, but my understanding of human genetics leads me to believe that this is highly unlikely, if not impossible, barring divine intervention.
Before I go any further, let me say that I do believe in the virgin birth, whether you understand it or not. Some theologians argue that the virgin birth is an unnecessary detail in the Christ story, and many religious teachers dismiss all miraculous explanations of the Biblical story. Perhaps miracles are not required: the universe is a miracle in itself. Maybe God set things in motion and then took a hands-off approach. If so, why pray at all? If God does not intervene in the lives of men, then we are alone to get by, and prayer is simply an irrelevant disappointment. If it is each man for himself, what is the meaning of morality?
Regarding the virgin birth, why is this detail important?
One answer goes to the question of the perfect genome. Evolutionists say that humanity is physically evolving towards a more perfect level. Therefore, by definition, Jesus would not have had perfect DNA. Creationists, by contrast, would argue that Adam was created with a perfect genome that has degraded over the generations. Looking at the state of humanity and the myriad of genetic diseases within the population, I favor the latter explanation.
But what about the DNA of Jesus? Did Mary provide her X chromosome? Did she also provide her Y chromosome, as suggested by those who claim she was a hermaphrodite? Did the Holy Spirit visit Mary and fertilize her egg with a sacred sperm? Or did he supply the whole egg from her? If so, does this deny David’s lineage?
Did Jesus have perfect DNA? If not, was he really perfect? Does physical perfection matter if the inner spirit is perfect? If his X chromosome came from Mary, does that mean that at least one of his X chromosomes was perfect? If so, is it still floating in the population? If I had perfect DNA, would that matter in a fallen world?
Would Jesus have lived forever if he had not been killed? Was his DNA the same as Adam’s? Would his non-fatal wounds have healed faster than ours? Has he ever had a cold or viral gastroenteritis? Would his face show signs of aging? Could his body regrow new parts, as stem cell research suggests?
With each question comes another. I for one have decided that the only logical answer (if one believes in the virgin birth, which non-believers would argue is illogical from the start) is that Jesus had perfect DNA. Since I don’t believe that Mary was physically perfect, that would suggest that the Holy Spirit provided all of the genetic material. Alternatively, perhaps God rearranged Mary’s raw material to generate a perfect genome. Maybe she rearranged her nucleic acids. Or maybe he started from scratch, disrupting the order of the universe by creating entirely new matter.
At the end of the day, I just don’t know. Shortly before he died, my father stated that he did not know anything; Sometimes I think I’m going in the same direction.
But as I enjoy the annual Christmas Eve candlelight service, I’ll be reflecting once again on the genetics of the virgin birth. Perhaps one day I will know the answer to the mystery.
Copyright 2010 Cynthia J. Koelker, MD